Nibbling at the Queue

Three unspectacularly rated [2.9, 2.8 and 2.6] movies from the library are on this list, along with eleven from my Netflix instant queue, so returning to the library has prompted me to also make inroads on my queue. Whatever works to try to find some enjoyable movies.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

Together – 2000 (3.2). This refreshingly watchable Swedish movie about a commune in the 1970s is not a comedy, but rather a drama with humor and heart. People openly explore their sexuality, argue politics and try to mend old relationships and start new ones, and as we watch them we are touched, with a couple exceptions, by their honest humanity. Community overcomes loneliness.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 – 2008 (2.9). Even for a football fan, a documentary about a 1968 game interspersed with current interviews of the players sounds like a bit of a stretch, but this movie is quite watchable. Both teams were undefeated as they came into this last game of the year and Yale was dominating as expected as the game wound down, but then the game changed and it was a very exciting finish. The interview excerpts are well integrated into the game and it is interesting to see how the men have aged, how their memories have fared and how the game affected their lives at the time and in subsequent years.

Trumbo – 2007 (2.9). The blacklisted writer was an interesting man who was wonderful with words, and this documentary, based on work by his son, captures the man quite well with documentary footage and interviews with his children and some others who knew him and with readings by actors from a variety of his letters. Particularly revealing is the information given on the economic toll Trumbo paid for refusing to co-operate with the 1950s witch hunt; though he did manage to make some money by using other writers as fronts, the ostracism was financially devastating.

The Longest Day – 1962 (2.9). D-Day is shown from the point of view of the Allies, the French underground and the Nazis in this classic epic drama, with the proverbial all-star cast. A few of the characters are iconic to the point of being hokey, but the overall magnitude of the invasion, the anticipation of the excitement and danger by the allies and underground and the confusion of the Nazis are dramatically captured. The movie holds its age well, particularly when we remember this was made long before the CGI enhancements so common in movies today.

Meet John Doe – 1941 (2.9). Frank Capra again celebrates the common man in this movie about a fabricated newspaper story of a desperate out of work man who plans to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. The cynicism behind the story is overwhelmed by public support for the man hired to pretend to be the man, but then there are complications, all with a begging to be realized romance. Very watchable “Capracorn” which holds its age, but this does not rise to the upper tier of his films.

Chosin – 2010 (2.8). In December 1950, 15,000 Marines  at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops. Fighting for days in the bitter cold, the Marines managed to extricate themselves, but with great numbers of dead, wounded and frostbite victims losing portions of hands and feet. This documentary uses interviews with several survivors, some personal photos and footage from a Hollywood movie to relate the horror of the experience and how it still is with the men 60 years later, even as they relate the pride they feel for saving South Korea from the Communists.

The Music Never Stopped – 2010 (2.8). Based on a true story, this independent drama tells the story of a young man who became estranged from his parents in the mid-1960s as he moved away to pursue his rock music career, and then came back into their lives 20 years later, suffering from a brain tumor which left him with a memory limited only to the early years of the separation, grounded largely in the music of the time. Working with a professor who uses music as a memory bridge, they try to make connection, especially between the father and son. After an efficient start, the script slows down a little while the musical bridge theories are being employed, but then delivers some emotional connection as we sympathize with the limits the young man must live under and the loss those who love him will experience for the rest of their lives. The father works diligently to make connection with the music his son loves and thereby is able to share in his son’s feelings and understand better what led to the estrangement.

Afghan Star – 2009 (2.8). Pop TV in Afghanistan has an American Idol type competition which grabs the attention of the nation and is the subject of this documentary which follows two men and two women contestants. It is encouraging to see the people joyously embrace the program and celebrate the competitors, but very discouraging to see the backwards male chauvinism and religious chastising theat one of the women is subjected to when she pops a few simple dance moves on camera.

Private Fears in Public Places – 2006 (2.8) Even in his eighties, Alain Resnais still directs a stylish film, this French movie being interweaving vignettes of people struggling with relationships and loneliness. Very watchable with interesting characters, it ultimately ends a little flat with nothing new having been said, but leaving one feeling like it was still worth the time.

The Courage to Love – 2000 (2.8). This made for TV Canadian bio-pic about Henriette DeLille, the educated Creole woman who devoted her life to taking care of the poor and sick in ante-bellum New Orleans was better than I expected. Vanessa Williams did a pretty good job of portraying, without any attempt at an accent, this venerated (officially on the way to possible Sainthood) founder of a small order of nuns still active today. I know there are people who dedicate their lives to serving causes, often based on a belief they are called to do so by God, and this movie managed to credibly portray how Henriette  maintained her dedication even while dealing with the prejudices and politics of the time, family troubles and romantic proposals.

Love in the Afternoon – 1972 (2.8). This French movie is Rohmer’s sixth moral tale, about a happily married man with young children who plays along with a free spirited woman who tries to take their friendship to the next level. He resists even as he enjoys the afternoons he spends with her, and he tries to understand just what it is that he feels and what he will or will not do about it. Typically talkative Rohmer that you either can relate to and appreciate or else be bored stiff.

Top Hat – 1935 (2.6). This Astaire and Rogers vehicle was way too heavy on the lame mistaken identity plot and too short on the dance numbers for my taste, bBut that was the formula the audiences wanted at the time. Fred was the choreographer and primary star, so Ginger did not get her frirst dance number until well into the movie. The DVD has some an interesting documentary film about the movie, as well as good commentary by Fred’s daughter and a film historian.

The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, etc. – 1995 (2.2). A one trick script, weak acting and clumsy direction make this movie about a Welsh village in 1917, in danger of the local mountain being demoted to hill status by English cartographers, a loser. The only reason to watch is for the picturesque countryside.

The Golden Bowl – 2000 (DNF). Merchant and Ivory have made some wonderful movies, but this rendering of the Henry James novel is not one of them. Predictions of low mediocrity proved more than accurate and after 20 minutes of a muddled script of miscast actors in boring roles, rejection was the only reasonable option.