Halloween Posting

 

Though this list is being posted on Halloween, it is not a list of horror movies. In fact, since the genre is not a favorite of mine, none are on this list. This list is a typical hodge-podge of PBS and library materials. Some of the library ones come from old lists of showings at the Seattle International Film Festival. The gap since the last posting is a summer watching doldrum.

The Crown (Season Three) – 2019 (3.1). The cast changes as the characters age. The production values remain impressive and the acting as always is first rate. We begin to understand the people more as we live through their personal struggles in the midst of significant events in the outside world. Phillip has a reckoning with his cynicism and Charles grows into a fairly likable young man of sensitivity. The Queen continues her strong performance and Margaret continues to struggle. Sometimes it is strikingly evocative; even though these people are royals, they are still people.

Muhammad Ali – 2021 (3.1). This production from Ken Burns is a biography of the fighter as a man, an African-American a Muslim and a boxer, adeptly interweaving all elements chronologically with ample movie footage, some still photos and frequent comments from family, friends, boxers and sportswriters. The movie feels like a new generation from Burns, perhaps in part due to the more contemporary subject matter but also to a realization that the old Burns techniques had become dated. Ali was a highly talented fighter and a very charismatic man, but he had lots of human flaws and contradictions which he finally came to realize and atone for, but not until he had fought on too long past his prime with the sadly pathetic toll it took on his body.

Citizen Hearst – 2021 (2.9). An American Experience production on PBS this documentary uses movie footage, still photos and numerous interviews to tell the biography of William Randolph Hearst and his building of the first major American media empire. Along the way we touch on American history from the 1849 Gold Rush that made his father to rich, through his fling at Harvard, his battles with Pulitzer on entry into the newspaper business, yellow journalism, the progressive movement, anti union actions, more war mongering, romantic flings, marriage and absentee fatherhood, the movie business, Marion Davies, the Depression, financial fiascoes with the empire, losing control, a personal war against Japanese Americans, financial salvation via WWII, declining health and death by whimper instead of bang. Not a nice man, but fairly portrayed in this movie.

The Most Dangerous Year – 2018 (2.9). Filmed in the Seattle area in 2016, this documentary addresses the issue of transgender people and attempts to change public laws to restrict the manner in which they use public bathrooms. The movie puts a human face on transgender people especially by following some young transgender children and their families. It also includes interviews with medical and psychological professionals who give scientific insight on transgender issues. And finally coverage is given to the political arena where efforts to discriminate against transhgender people are defeated.

The Nightingale – 2018 (2.9). Though a bit long and expected to be maybe just another revenge movie, this film pleasantly surprises by holding attention and having a genuine feel for telling the story of a time and place very unfamiliar, 1825 in Tasmania. Writer director Jennifer Kent and her team made some wise choices in how to tell this tale of horrors in an authentic context. The characters have nuances but not unrealistic ones, the costumes are accurate right down to original dies, wooded Tasmania is rally wooded Tasmania, the screen is narrow, the shots are close and no drones or modern technology is indulged. Good to see a rarely told story presented so effectively.

Sandra Day O'Connor: The First – 2021 (2.9). This PBS American Experience documentary not only captures the personal biography of the late Supreme Court Justice, but also manages to effectively inform how the Republican party became beholden to the so-called moral majority.

Becoming Helen Keller – 2021 (2.8). From the Miracle Worker movie the story of Helen Keller is familiar, how a deaf blind child is brought out of her gloom by a gifted teacher. But this American Masters documentary passes over the early story quickly and moves on to the brilliant student who graduated from Radcliffe and became a socialist human rights advocate, not just for deaf and blind people but for all the oppressed. The movie also manages to touch on her personal life and emotional feelings. This should be a prompt to rread her writings.

Marriage Story – 2019 (2.8). This movie was intended to be a bit different in covering the story of a marriage breakup, with more emphasis on the mechanics of the legal process and with a better look at the dynamics of the marriage itself. While there may have been some different nuances presented, the net effect is pretty much the same as most divorce movies,though the parts about the divorce lawyers analyzing and strategizing are all too true and sadly funny. Starting with a scene where the wife basically rejects efforts at counseling, the movie goes through familiar territory in covering the frictions and frustrations, but never seems to approach the fundamental question of why people who obviously are not a long term match nevertheless get married.

Minari – 2020 (2.8). Lee Isaac Chung wrote and directed this authentic memoir of growing up on a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s with his Korean immigrant parents, older sister and maternal grandmother. Though the struggle of the parents in their relationship and in operating the farm are the heart of the story, it is still understandably written from the viewpoint of the young son.

The Rider – 2017 (2.8). Director Chloe Zhao came to the US from China graduating here from high school and college and going on to film school at NYU. Forr her NYU project Chloe, who had lived all her life in big cities decided to go to the prarie land, where she shot her first movie. While there she met a charismatic young rodeo rider who was recovering from a debilitating rodeo accident ad she decided to use his story as a basis for The Rider. The movie effectively captures the feel of the prarie life the young man and his friends and family live. The cinematography of the landscape is appropriately reverential. Watching the DVD special features after the movie is valuable. Chloe went on to win Oscars for movie and direction for Nomadland.

Unforgotten – 2020 (2.8). A carload of newly minted coppers is somehow involved in the death 30 years ago of a young criminal type whose body just turned up in a freezer at a salvage yard. Cassie, though only about 48 years old has PTSD and wants to retire, but budget constraints are delaying the move, so in need of income she decides to lead her team on one more case to determine if any of the coppers might have committed a crime. Of course her team resolves issues surrounding the death, but the most significant development is actually in the unsettled personal life of Cassie.

Us– 2020 (2.8). This Brit miniseries is based on a novel whose author collaborated on the screenplay. After about 20 year of marriage a wife tells her husband she thinks it is time to end the marriage and each go their own way. He is unpleasantly surprised and says they should go ahead with the European tour they had planned, hoping it might bring them back together and strengthen the poor relationship the father has with the son who is going to be heading off for college. The trip takes place and with the help of flashbacks we learn that the scientist husband and artistic wife were an odd couple but truly loved each other, overcame tragedy together and had a workable marriage. The son seems to have inherited the artist genes which helps explain the problem with the father. The trip takes place, problems are compounded, understanding is sought and a realistic conclusion is reached.

Mountain – 2018 (2.7). A collaboration between a documentary director, a noted chamber orchestra conductor and a writer of books on mountain climbing whose sparse words of narration are delivered by Willem Dafoe, those involved in this production are all devotees of climbing mountains. The cinematography is tremendous, the feats shown harrowing and the music at times inspiring and sometimes (especially the new compositions) a bit jarring. Obviously appealing to aficionados, the appeal is less for those of use not fond of the cold, in fear of heights and inclined to avoid strenuous physical exercise. The fast moving footage of people coming down the mountains by speed skiing, paragliding and combining both are breath taking and make those of us who would not do such a thing wonder why other do.

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decidedto Go For It – 2021 (2.7). Though it covers the basics of her biography, this American Masters documentary does not leave the viewer wanting to learn more about Rita. In fact, to a small degree it seems to leave a feeling that we got a lot of Rita in interviews but not much depth into her soul.

Guilt – 2019 (2.6). From the BBC this mystery miniseries was muddled and more twisted than need be as it told the story of various people in Edinburgh entwined in an accidental death of an elderly man dying of cancer. People are all hiding something from each other and have reason to feel guilt, but the audience has no understanding of the back story of anyone and no reason to care about any of them. When the show first started it was hard to tell whether it was intended to be part comedy, but that aspect soon disappeared; maybe it would have worked better as a comedy.

The Top of This List Comes from Down Under

The top watch this go round is from Australia, a really good miniseries for binge watching during a pandemic. Others on this list are from TV, but most are from Amazon Prime per some recommendations from Rotten Tomatoes or some such place. Some Brit detective shows were recommended by The Atlantic. A few not yet watched are ready for pick up at the library, but restrictions on hours and access and the need to return the DVDs seems a hassle compared to streaming.
 

A Place to Call Home (Seasons One through Six) – 2013 to 2018 (3.3). All six seasons are rated as one since they were binge watched. Who woulda thunk an Australian soap opera written by a man could be so much fun. Well this one is, at times tapping into empathy to bring a tear to the eye and at others having us laughing at the antics of villains while simultaneously rooting for their comeuppance. Set in the 1950s on a dynastic sheep ranch outside Sydney, the series tackles issues like the personal aftermath of WWII, changes to the social class structure, homosexuality, race, gender conflicts and the meaning of family and blood kinship. The fist three seasons encouraged coming back for more, even though for a time it appeared there would only be two seasons. It did come back for a third and then the final three seasons proved to be even better, with the series wrapping up in a satisfying wind down rather than a jumbled rush. Though more seasons could have been enjoyable it was wise to end before any deterioration.

This is Us (Season Five) – 2020 (3.0). The structure of this series is already somewhat disjointed because of covering the stories of multiple characters and the utilization of flash backs and flash forwards. But with the pandemic the production and televising schedule was also disrupted, further interfering with continuity. In spite of these disruptions the show manages to maintain its qualities, but the knowledge there will only be one more season with so many story lines to finish with the constraints of the flash forwards means season six will have even more challenges. This will eventually be a prime candidate for binge watching by new viewers.

The Blinding of Isaac Woodard – 2021 (2.9). The timelessness of this true story of a uniformed black member of the US Armed Forces returning from WWII being outrageously blinded by a Southern white policeman is brought home by the fact the exact same thing happened in 2021 the month the documentary was aired. The movie does a good job of telling this largely overlooked story and the out sized impact it had on leading to immediate changes (like Truman's executive order to desegregate the US Armed Forces) and helping usher in the modern civil rights movement.

Cold War – 2018 (2.9). This Polish drama is set in the early days of Poland behind the Iron Curtain when a musical director is part of talent scouting for young singers and dancers to start a Polish folk troupe. He is struck by the savvy and talent of one girl in particular and sure enough they become lovers and plan to escape to the West when the troupe is in East Berlin. But the girl does not show up and the man goes without her. The rest of the movie follows their intermittent path crossings and star crossed attempts to hook up permanently. By the end it works out – and it doesn't. Director Pawel Palikowski loosely based his script on the lives of his parents. The film is pleasingly short and easy to watch and the performance of Joanna Kulig is especially captivating.

Gleason – 2016 (2.9). An overachieving linebacker from Spokane plays for the WSU Cougars and then the New Orleans Saints, retires, marries a great match and then is diagnosed at age 34 with ALS, followed shortly after by the news that his wife is pregnant with their first child. Steve Gleason started making videos for his child to be, so that he would be able to pass advice and love on to the son who would very likely lose his father before he was old enough to know him. This documentary follows Steve and his wife Michel on their journey coping with ALS and starting a foundation to help other patients. Along the way we see how debilitating this disease is and the toll it takes on Michel also as his primary caregiver. But Steve says the main purpose of his video blogs is for the benefit of the father and son relationship, and it turns out also to be therapeutic for the relationship of Steve with his own father.

The Handmaiden – 2016 (2.9). Stylish and quite watchable in spite of its length, this Korean movie has a clever script with a feminist bent. The two female leads are given more nuanced roles which they handle quite well. The male characters are more appropriately one dimensional. Erotic lesbian scenes are legitimately central to the film even though they are fairly graphic.

Ida – 2013 (2.9). This Polish drama written and directed by Pawel Palikowski is set in the early days of the cold war in Poland and won the foreign film Oscar in 2015. A novice nun who came from an orphanage is told by her superior that she has one known relative she should visit before finalizing her decision to take her vows. She is also told she is Jewish. She goes to visit her aunt who at first brushes her off. But then the two embark on a journey to learn what became of their family during WWI. Though she has become a judge, the aunt leads a depressingly dissolute life. Th novice remains serious but open about whether to take her vows and makes her decision in the final couple minutes of this refreshingly short but meaty movie.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco – 2019 (2.9). San Francisco rooted collaborators Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails created this quirky ode to their city. A young black man with no show parents adopts a classic Victorian house in a 100 year old neighborhood. He does upkeep on the exterior of the house even though he does not own it or live in it, because, he explains, it was actually built by his grandfather after returning from WWII. The man travels via skateboard and public transport and lives with his best friend in the house of the blind grandfather of the friend. When the house becomes temporarily vacant, the young man moves in as a squatter. There are supporting characters but the city itself and the role it plays in the lives of the people is what holds the movie together. Though there is no conventional plot or drama, this film is refreshingly watchable, a well realized love poem.

A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story- 2015 (2.8). Born with an extremely rare genetic disorder, Lizzie was blessed with an extremely supportive family. Nevertheless, as school years started the manifestations of her syndrome, extreme underweight and distorted facial features, and the way other children reacted began to take a toll. One day Lizzie discovered on the Internet that she had been labeled the ugliest woman in the world and many posters at the web site left vicious comments about her. Lizzie chose to not go in the gutter with those people, but instead to post her own positive videos and build her audience as she became an activist against bullying. This touching documentary is well worth watching even if one has to suffer through IMBD TV commercials.

Itzhak – 2017 (2.8). This uplifting documentary about violinist Itzhak Perlman wisely labels every piece played, encouraging us to be informed on the sounds of the works of various composers and thereby be drawn to classical music for the beauty and depth it offers. Perlman and his wife are an inspiring couple in their love and growth together and as partners in a mission to teach young people in particular to appreciate great music and to consider developing what musical talent they may have. The Jewish experience of the lives on the Perlmans and Jewish people in general is always part of the lives and music of these people and the violin is shown to be an integral part of that.

Wake in Fright – 1971 (2.8). Australians love this movie about a new school teacher in the outback heading away for a Christmas break and stopping in a small town on the way to Sydney. In the town he is encouraged to drink socially with the local blokes and is sucked into to a gambling den where he loses all his money. Taken under wing by a disgraced local doctor he meets and mans around with a wild bunch drinking, fighting, killing kangaroo and lusting after the horny daughter of the doctor. Never able to make it to his girlfriend in Sydney, the teacher returns to his hated job as an indentured teacher. That Australians love this movie is propaganda for the “lesser Australia” movement.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God – 1972 (2.7). Werner Herzog makes weird movies. Klaus Kinski was a weird actor. They worked well together. In Aguirre, Herzog shows Conquistadors river traveling in the Amazon, a splinter group from Pizarro. Mutiny puts Aguirre, played by Kinski in charge and his maniacal delusions inevitably lead to doom. Location shooting is the highlight of this movie, which does very little to address the aspects of the conflict between the civilizations.

Catch-22 – 2019 (2.7). George Clooney wanted to give the classic novel more time than was allowed in the movie version. The material about the stupidity of the military machine, though still true, seems rather dated, and this miniseries did not do anything to revive interest.

Hemingway – 2021 (2.7). Ken Burns continues to use his same techniques in this multipart documentary of the American novelist and Nobel prize winner. Those who have never read his novels nor been impressed with those made into movies will probably not be inspired by learning more about Hemingway the man to try one of his novels after watching this. They will also probably rate it 2.7 or lower. The work of Burns is best when it concentrates on American times and movements rather than too much or completely on individuals.

The Peanut Butter Falcon – 2019 (2.7). Good intentions, authentic locales and a story with some heart are not quite enough to get this movie over the hump. A young Downs man with no family is put in a nursing home from which he escapes and sets out on a journey to attend the wrestling camp of his hero. He quickly meets a man on the run from his own troubles and after some initial obstacles they predictably bond. Also predictable is that the young social worker from the home tracks him down and becomes enchanted with the footloose lifestyle of the two men. A tighter script could have raised this a level.

Two Days, One Night – 2014 (2.7). A female worker who was “voted off the island” by he co-workers at the instance of her low level management has the weekend to lobby her colleagues for a new vote on Monday. The choice was between getting a bonus or keeping the colleague. For a French movie there was a surprising total lack of any reference to unionism. The style of filming was also a bit too tedious.

Atlantic Crossing – 2020 (2.6). This Norwegian produced miniseries may have been inspired by true events, but it was not very inspiring. Being Norwegian it understandably focused on the Norwegian Crown Prince and his wife the Princess. And maybe FDR was smitten by her and that added to the strain in the royal marriage already stressed by the Prince staying in London and the Princess and children accepting the FDR invitation to stay in the US. The whole thing seems quite clumsy and from the US point of view it seems FDR had more important things to do during the War than put the Princess top of his agenda whenever she traipsed in to the White House. The War itself plays third fiddle at best in this composition. Eight episodes of screen time could have been put to much better use.

Shetland (Seasons One and Two) – 2013-2014 (2.6). Set in the Shetland Islands and based on crime mystery novels by Ann Cleeves, the first two seasons of this BBC series come across as boilerplate. The remote setting and small town cast of characters suggest comparison to Broadchurch, but it is a pale enough one to not inspire watching any further seasons.

Invisible Life – 2019 (2,5). Set in Rio in the 1950s, this drama fails in 139 minutes to evoke any concern for the characters, all of whom remain boringly one dimensional. The idea behind the script is that two sisters are lied to by their parents when one girl runs off and returns pregnant and is thrown out by the parents. The other sister is a piano prodigy who longs to study in Vienna and is never told by the parents that her sister returned and was thrown out. Both sisters believe the other is living overseas when in fact they are both living in Rio. The script fails miserably in its approach to the idea, never building depth in the main characters, never taking the supporting characters beyond the shallow (with the possible exception of the woman who takes in the discarded girl), and never addressing the actual efforts the girls could have made to actually renew their contact. Sex scenes seem gratuitous and the whole script seems out of balance over time, in spite of the extra length of the movie.

Thank You to the UK

 This list is very heavy on shows from the UK, thanks to PBS and the King County Library. They almost always do a professionally satisfying production. It is in their DNA.

All Creatures Great and Small (Season One) - 2020 (3.2). An updated run at the beloved classic enjoys the same good material and Brit production values and acting. The characters have depth and the relationships are nuanced and sympathetic. The small town and rural atmosphere lend themselves handily to digesting the entire milieu.

Broadchurch (Season One) – 2013 (3.2). Another Brit crime series set in a small town, this time on the coast, begins with a shocking murder just as a male detective is transferred in and takes the promotion that had been expected by a local female officer. They have to work awkwardly together investigating the crime and checking out the local persons of interest. In the course of the season we learn that many people have secrets, some of which are definitely unsavory. The writing, cast, direction and production values are all the expected high caliber. Based on the way the first season ended, there may be changes in store for the two detectives in the second season .

Happy Valley (Season One) – 2014 (3.2). Yes there is violence, but there is also much more character depth than in American crime series. Sarah Lancashire gives award winning performances as a police sergeant in a Yorkshire overrun with drugs dealing with problems in her own family while she confronts crime on the streets. Sarge manages to get out of the station as much as possible as she investigates various incidents and deals with her own family issues, all of which tie in with a kidnapping that has not yet been reported, though the audience knows first. The second season has been ordered from the library and a third was due for production but is likely delayed by the pandemic.

Happy Valley (Season Two) – 2016 (3.2). The series maintains its style and quality level as a serial murder of prostitutes intersects with a different but just as deadly corruption. Having a six episode season revolving around one intertwined investigation is a good formula when this well executed, so when a third season does come it should be worth watching.

The Mole Agent – 2020 (2.9). From Chile, this documentary follows an eighty three year old widower who is hired by a private detective to go undercover in a nursing home to investigate and report on any theft or abuse specifically to the mother of the client of the detective. Sergio is hired as the mole and diligently works at the job for the assigned three months. In the process he introduces us to many of the residents and some of the staff and we see his inherent kind heart identify the real problem.

The Unseen Alistair Cooke – 2008 (2.9). The longtime Masterpiece Theater host was an interesting man whose story is told in this hour long documentary which uses lots of his old 8mm home movie footage. As interviews with family and colleagues show, while he was always able to fill a space, there were spaces he should have filled better on the family side.

West by Orphan Train – 2014 (2.9).This modestly made documentary evocatively tells the personal tales of a few of the East Coast orphans who were sent to the Midwest around the turn of the 20^th Century. Archival footage and pictures combine with some dramatic recreations and interviews with children of the orphans and in old home footage with the orphans themselves in their final years. Some orphans had bad experiences, some good and many mixed.

Broadchurch (Season Two) – 2015 (2.8). The second season of this Brit cop show begins with a surprise, as if what could have been the hook at the end of the first season was instead postponed to the first episode of the second season. Though the two lead cops have had significant changes in their careers, they are still relentless in their pursuit of the case from season one in addition to the local detective getting sucked in to helping the other detective continue to pursue the case that caused him to be transferred. This season suffers a little because of a bit of a repetitious feel due to the fact that nobody seems capable of telling a straight story and we as viewers begin to feel we are being played a little too much. Another mistake often made by a surprisingly successful first season is to engage established actors in supporting roles in later seasons, which seems like it was done here with Charlotte Rampling as a prosecuting attorney.

Broadchurch (Season Three) – 2017 (2.8). The series wraps up with a third season, maintaining the production qualities of the previous two and tackling a rape case that sets the community on edge, while carefully presenting the case also from the point of view of the victim and the sensitivity shown by the police and victim support people. Mercifully there are no star cameos this year, though new drone cameras get an effective use. The first season grabbed viewers with a legit whodunit hold. The look and feel of the production was novel and refreshing. If the leads had been unknown, the series may have gone a few seasons more, probably exploring further possible romantic advances, and maybe that would have been an effective and popular change in course. Or it could have been a sad decline. A final legal question: during three years of police interrogations with defense counsel present, why did the lawyers never say a word?

Elizabeth – 1998 (2.8). Cate Blanchett won a Golden Globe for her performance as Elizabeth I during the first years of her long reign. The movie holds up fairly well after a couple decades, which is actually a drop in the bucket since the actual story is almost 500 years old.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke – 2020 (2.8). The premise of this Brit series set in the 19^th century is that a private detective raised his daughter to be an investigator like him and she really took to it, taking over his business after he died. Her foil is a Scotland Yard detective she has known from childhood who takes a protective chauvinistic attitude toward her even while begrudgingly recognizing her obvious talents as a detective. There is an underlyng but mutually resisted spark of romantic chemistry between the two. A proposed second season was postponed due to the pandemic.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire – 2019 (2.8). On the Brittany coast in the 18^th century, about to be married after leaving the convent, a young woman is pushed toward marriage by her mother. A painting of her is required for submission to her intended and a previous artist has failed to deliver, so a youg woman artist has been newly hired. The tight script of this drama centers on the two women, with the young household maid playing a strong supporting role and the mother a lesser one. Good performances complement the script to deliver a movie which easily holds attention. The DVD has very good interviews with the director, lead actresses, cinematographer and the artist who did the actual paintings shown being worked on in the movie.

The Long Song – 2018 (2.7). Adapted from a novel about the final years of slavery on Jamaica, this miniseries is narrated by a former slave now in her elder years, as she writes her life story. Whether it is the script or the novel itself, the story suffers from a lack of emotional depth, failing to get into the nuances of feelings. There also does not seem to be much of anything in the way of telling about plantation slavery in general or any aspects particular to Jamaica.

Elizabeth is Missing – 2019 (2.6). A novel about an old woman with dementia trying to figure out what happened to her best friend who seems to have disappeared while at the same time flashing back decades to the unsolved disappearance of her sister was turned into this Brit TV movie apparently to give Oscar winner Glenda Jackson a shot at the role. The character is as unappealing as might be expected and the better acting task probably should be considered the role of her long suffering daughter.

Judy – 2019 (2.6). The sad tale of the life of Judy Garland is covered in this movie primarily focusing on the last stages of her career when she was pretty much washed up. Flashbacks to her young days at MGM do not even begin to engender the sympathy she deserves. Renee Zellweger captures Judy quite accurately but unfortunately in the most unappealing stage of her life.

Eighteen Shorts

 

The cast of the new PBS “All Creatures Great and Small” includes Rachel Shenton whose bio says she is an Academy Award winner. Her name is not familiar and further examination reveals she won her Oscar for a live action short called “The Silent Child”. Taking a look at that movie led to a search for other Oscar nominated shorts of the last twenty years available over the Internet. This is the list of the eighteen that were found. All are on Amazon Prime except the five viewed on You Tube as indicated below. The movie titles do not link to IMBD pages due to laziness.

The Accountant – 2001 (3.0). This live action short Oscar winner is a dark comedy about an unethical financial adviser who counsels Arkansas farmers how to save the family farm from Yankee conglomerates. Fourteen years before Trump started his Presidential run, this movie showed us part of his base.

The Silent Child – 2017 (3.0). This live action short Oscar winner from the UK shows a young deaf girl in a very busy family living in a fine home in the countryside. They have hired a special teacher who quickly opens the girl up to communicating through sign language. Of course the family is too busy to take the time to learn that method of communication. This movie is an effective PSA for the use of sign language and it is also engaging on the personal emotional level. [You Tube].

Aya – 2015 (2.9). This live action short Oscar nominee stars an appealing Sarah Adler who takes a fling into serendipity after temporarily holding the sign at an airport in Israel for a driver who steps away briefly. While he is gone the passenger shows up and presumes the woman is his driver. Most of the movie takes place in the car as she drives the Danish man who has come to judge a music contest.

Helium -2013 (2.8). This live action short Oscar winner from Denmark provides a fantasy escape for a young boy dying in a hospital. The fantasy is presented to the boy by a well-meaning orderly. It is not exactly clear what message this movie is trying to convey.

The Neighbor's Window – 2019 (2.8). This live action short Oscar winner follows a young couple living in a city apartment with two toddlers and a newborn. Across the street in another building they notice a couple engaging in torrid sex. Each of the parents becomes a bit of a voyeur, but the scene across the street takes a dark turn and the movie ends with a twist.

Parvaneh – 2012 (2.8). This live action short Oscar nominee follows a young Afghan woman living in a Swiss refugee shelter. She needs help wiring money to her parents and ends up trusting a Swiss teen party girl who first tries to charge a commission but then becomes her friend.

Watu Wote (All of Us) – 2017 (2.8). This live action short Oscar nominee from Africa portrays an incident in which Muslim terrorists intercept a bus carrying a mix of Christian and Muslim passengers and then try to separate them so the Christians can be menaced.

Ave Maria – 2015 (2.7). This live action short Oscar nominee in fifteen minutes covers an incident where a lost Israeli couple with one annoying mother wreck their car in front of a small cloistered nunnery and seek help.

Detainment – 2018 (2.7). This live action short Oscar nominee from Ireland is about interviews of two ten year old boys conducted by police in an actual case involving the death of a younger boy. The acting is good and the story intense but overall it just misses.

God of Love – 2011 (2.7). This live action short Oscar winner about a goofy looking lovelorn lounge singer who is given some magic darts comes across as a one note opus.

Le Femme et le TGV – 2017 (2.7). This live action short Oscar nominee features an older Frenchwoman who lives in her small home right next to the tracks where an express train flies by daily. She is in the habit of waving to the train which prompts the train driver to write to her which leads to her romantic hopes rising.

Skin – 2019 (2.7). This live action short Oscar winner delivers vengeful satisfaction to people disgusted by neo-nazis.

Tanghi Argentini – 2006 (2.7). This live action short Oscar nominee is a light tale of a middle aged man looking for romance online and claiming to be a torrid tango dancer.

Two Soldiers – 2003 (2.7). This live action short Oscar winner is based on a Faulkner short story about an eight year old rural Mississippi boy who takes off after his older brother who goes to Memphis to enlist in the Army after Pearl Harbor. The proximity of the 9/11 attacks probably played a role in this movie winning the Oscar. [You Tube].

Death of a Shadow – 2006 (2.6). This live action short Oscar nominee is a fantasy sci-fi story about a man with a special camera for capturing shadow images of death for a macabre collector. The sets and production values are high for such a short movie.

Wasp – 2003 (2.6). This live action short Oscar winner tells of a young mother of four little kids who lives in public housing in the UK and is flat broke. Her kids are always with her and seem bonded, but then she runs into an old boyfriend and meets him in a bar, leaving the kids in the parking lot for hours, having lied to the man about them not being her kids and that they would be with someone ele during their date. This movie could be a PSA for children protective services. [You Tube].

West Bank Story – 2005 (2.6). This live action short Oscar winner is a brief take off on West Side Story about neighboring fast food restaurants on the Israeli Palestine border and the love between an Israeli soldier and Palestinian girl. At first it seems like it could be a funny parody but then it descends into weakly funny stereotypes and concocts a quick happy capitalist ending. [You Tube].

Six Shooter – 2004 (2.5). This live action short Oscar winner from Ireland is supposed to be a black comedy, but is more annoying than humorous. Nihilism? [You Tube].

Best of a Lousy Year

 Supposedly staying home during a pandemic would afford an opportunity to watch lots of movies some of which might even be good. But the resulting mix was, not unexpectedly, disappointing. Most were actually shown on TV. Here are the few that scored the highest (listing those watched this year, rather than made this year).

 All 2020 viewings have been incorporated into the complete alpha and ratings order lists linked in the right sidebar.

Good Riddance to 2020

 Nobody should be sad to see this pandemic infested year pass. Before it is gone, here is another list, with some award nominees and winners continuing to straggle in from the library and TV. Between the pandemic and the election, one might have thought diversion to entertainment would be in order, but the stakes in the real world are so high that most all attention is concentrated there.

1917 – 2019 (3.0). Phenomenal cinematography literally follows the two heroes of this WWI picture as they run through the trenches and over the no man's land on a mission to warn British troops that they are heading into an ambush. The production values and special effects are fantastic. The only limitation is that the script is so focused on the action of the mission that there is no time for any character development. At the end of the movie however we do learn that one of the heroes shares his name with the writer of this movie blog.

Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2020 – 2020 (3.0). With a theme based on yet to be fulfilled aspirations of the characters, this special touches on hopes of some regular characters, but we also again meet new characters, expectant mothers whose stories provide emotional impact on the regulars and on the audience. We are also teased that instead of closing their practice, the midwives may in fact be expanding in the coming season.

Jojo Rabbit – 2019 (2.9). A 10 year old German boy is part of the Hitler Youth and so enamored of the Fuhrer that he has him for an imaginary friend. He does not realize his mother is involved in the underground, but he does discover the Jewish teenage girl his mother is hiding in the attic. Seen through the eyes of a 10 year old, the Reich appears as ridiculous as it actually was, but the horror is real. Roman Griffin Davis ably carries the load as the boy and Thomasin McKenzie as the girl once again impresses with her screen charisma.

The Way I See It - 2020 (2.9). Pete Souza was White House Photographer for Obama. He previously was on the White House photography team for Reagan. This documentary gives some of his biography including a little about his Reagan years, but primarily focuses on his eight years covering Obama with whom he bonded as a friend. Post Obama, we see Souza on the speaker circuit and learn that he has moved from his non-partisan stance to be a vocal opponent of Trump as a disgrace to the White House.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles – 2019 (2.8). Multiple interviews (perhaps too many) with people involved in the original production of the musical Fiddler om the Roof and with performers who have acted in various stagings through the years are interspersed with archival footage of rehearsals and performances to create this documentary homage. The universal appeal of the themes of the story across cultures and generations is pointed out effectively. And ultimately the songs and dances are quite memorable.

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - 2017 (2.8). This filmed stage performance is not the greatest rendition of the 1942 classic movie musical, but the songs are welcome favorites and the dancing in particular is vigorously joyful.

Knives Out – 2019 (2.8). The script for this original whodunit was nominated for an Oscar which means it holds interest for viewers not enamored with the genre. Acting, direction and such are not distracting. Tepid praise but worth a watch when there is nothing better.

River – 2015 (2.8). This Brit detective miniseries set in modern London has the expected fine acing and production values and the story starts out with some unusual surprises as we learn it is as much about the interior life of the main detectives as about the crimes they are investigating. Twists and turns and developments ensue over six episodes which hold interest but by the end are starting to wear a little more thin as the solving of crimes accelerates to a conclusion.

Vernon Jordan: Make it Plain – 2020 (2.8). This documentary about the civil rights attorney who became adviser to powerful politicians and corporate executives is just short of one hour but unfortunately also short on personal information about the life of this fascinating man. We follow him on his rounds as a celebrated and influential racial pioneer and we hear from powerful people who laud and than him, we are treated to his plain but powerful words of wisdom, but we learn very little about his personal adult life. Perhaps someday that documentary will be made.

Welcome to Chechnya – 2020 (2.8). The Russian Muslim enclave is criminally hostile to LGBTQ individuals and this documentary follows some of the victims and their families and activists for rescue groups seeking to et the victims oout of Chechnya and if possible out of Russia as refugees.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – 2019 (2.7). The skeptical journalist assigned to write a few paragraphs about Fred Rogers gets legitimately hooked in the first half of this drama about the icon of shows teaching children how to deal with their feelings. But the script in the second half does not ring as true as Mr. Rogers lands his catch. The documentary “Won't You Be My Neighbor” is must watching for anyone who wants to know about Mr. Rogers.

Black Narcissus – 2020 (2.7). An over 70 year old novel about Christian nuns setting up a school mission in a former harem building on a Tibetan mountaintop does not seem like a top prospect for treatment as a TV miniseries, but the BBC gave it this try. As expected, production values and acting are tops. The script is the weak link, indulging too much in flashbacks of the doomed princes who haunts the place and the young lover experience of the sister who became the young nun leading the mission. The vibrant dynamic between the nun and the embittered Western man who is resident troubleshooter for the Tibetan royalty and the exploration of the differences between the Eastern and Western cultures and religions are unfortunately underdeveloped.

Toy Story 4 – 2019 (2.7). The franchise rolls on with the same great animation and another script about connections between toys and children. One wonders if young children actually understand the script all that well and it does seem much of the content is intended to keep adults entertained enough to finance the endeavor. There is a surprisingly evocative scene near the end of the movie where a very young girl is despondently separated from her parents, which I think plays into the feelings any empathetic person should have about refugee children separated from their parents.

Schitt's Creek (Season One) – 2015 (2.6). This comedy series apparently really caught on after the first three years, once Netflix took it over. Sort of a Beverly Hillbillies in reverse, the premise here is that a wealthy family loses it all and is forced to move to a small town the father had bought as a joke. They live in a motel and awkwardly try to relate to the locals. The father and son are played by series creators and the real life father son Levy team. The mother is supposed to be a one time soap opera star. The young adult daughter and son as expected are spoiled snobs, she a loose vamp and he a sexually confusing fashionista. After a few episodes the excessive obscenities are reduced and the over the top characters start to get a bit more relatable, but watching multiple seasons would seem to require a unique type of taste.

Joker – 2019 (2.2). A muddled meaningless mess provides a vehicle for an actor once again to play a real wacko and win prizes. What nonsense.

First List During Pandemic

 Months in to the Covid Pandemic and one month away from the opportunity to dump the worst American President in history, the list of movies and shows watched has gotten fairly long. Award winners are starting to come in from the library, but the three list toppers are Great Performances from PBS.

Ann- 2020 (3.0). Taylor Holland absolutely becomes Ann Richards in this witty and appropriately irreverent one woman play about the former Governor of Texas and her life. Holland wrote it also. Shown on PBS Great Performances.

She Loves Me – 2016 (3.0). Great Performances on PBS presented this filmed version of the theatrical musical based on the story first brought to screen as The Shop Around the Corner in 1940. Good film direction and spirited performances make for a fun experience, as yet again we anticipate the lonely heart letter writers finally coming together in person.

Gloria: A Life – 2020 (2.9). Christine Lahti plays Gloria Steinem in this biographical play, ably supported by a cast of women who play various roles as they frequently enter and exit the stage. Gloria herself appears at the end to take audience questions. Shown on PBS Great Performances.

Little Women – 2019 (2.9). Greta Gerwig takes a run at the classic for a new generation. Her script idea is to start when the girls are young adults and then jump back and forth with their late childhood, but the technique is disorienting at first and then settles down. Saorise Ronan plays Jo and is definitely a very good actress, because she never seems to be acting, but rather always seems to be the character. Laura Dern seems miscast as Marmee. Meryl Streep does a bit as Aunt Marsh, once again looking like Meryl acting a character. Florence Pugh does a good job with the troublesome Amy. Rightly, this legitimate classic will never die.

Parasite -2019 (2.9). This multi award winning Korean movie about a family of grifters moving in on an affluent younger family has some funny moments and holds attention as a drama but then takes a turn into thriller territory, which did not stop it from winning prizes, though for some audiences it may be a turn that detracted. As the story unfolded a viewer had to wonder how it would be ended, with some hokey possibilities coming to mind, but none were like the actual film. Maybe that is what appealed to some audiences. Even after watching an interview with the filmmaker, it does not seem that any great depth of meaning was intended.

She Could Be Next – 2020 (2.9). Shown on PBS POV, this two part documentary follows the 2018 primary and general election campaigns of several progressive female candidates of color for Federal, State and local office. The inspiring motivation and tenacity of the women and their diverse army of volunteers in pursuit of elected public office is inspiring. The only talking heads in this documentary are the hard working people on the campaigns and some voters, not academics or political pundits, so the movie captures the emotion and vitality of the pursuit.

Building the American Dream – 2019 (2.8). The Texas construction boom is facilitated by the use of undocumented laborers who are not protected by even the most basic labor laws, as shown in this documentary which follows the stories of a couple families, one whose son died of heat exhaustion on the job and who fight hard to get a Dallas city ordinance passed to require contractors to give their workers a 10 minute break every four hours. The other family are victims of wage theft and even with the help of activists lawyers it takes years to get even a small part of what they are owed.

Honeyland – 2019 (2.8). This Turkish documentary about a fifty something woman who ekes out a living keeping bees and selling their honey is a very intimate portrait of her meager existence living in a hovel in the hills of Macedonia with her 85 year old mother who is basically bedridden. Her life changes a bit when a couple with a herd of cattle and a herd of kids move in nearby and provide socialization. The bee lady particularly bonds with one son who is totally fed up with his dysfunctional parents. She teaches the man how to raise bees to sell honey, but he is too greedy to do it properly and his malpractice disrupts her beekeeping. If only we could have learned more about the back story of this woman. She has appeal in spite of being brutally physically unattractive. If this were a drama, once the screwed up family left the area, the boy would have run away and come back to live with the bee lady.

Succession (Season One) – 2018 (2.8). Another take on the Trump horror of a family dynasty of obnoxiously pathetic people, this HBO series presents a media conglomerate regime. One cannot root for anyone other than for fate, hoping they will all meet the downfalls they deserve – unless you are naïve enough to think someone will see the light and change. Being HBO, there is requisite drugs, vulgar language and sexual degradation, though the sex is more talk than action. One has to wonder why on top of living through such a nasty family trying to destroy our government we need to see a series about more such people. Unfortunately it is well enough done to marginally entice watching the second season. [Update September 2021: After suffering through the last two years of the Trump catastrophe, an attempt to watch the second season of this show was terminated after the first 15 minutes].

The Vote – 2020 (2.8). This two part PBS American Experience documentary uses much archival footage and commentary from historians to tell the story of the fight for the vote for US women. It covers the decades long struggle but concentrates on the end with the WWI era crescendo which squeaked the amendment to the Constitution into being. It passed by one vote in the US House and then by 2 votes in the Tennessee State House for ratification. The treatment of women picketers in front of the White House has sad echoes in the gas attack on the Lafayette Park picketers by the Trump administration.

We Are the Radical Monarchs – 2019 (2.8). In Oakland two women organize and lead a troop of young girls of color in an alternative program to the Girl Scouts, emphasizing empowerment and activism built around social issues such as gender, race and poverty. This documentary follows the troop over a few years as the girls develop and the leaders try to obtain funding and start more troops. The leaders met in college and became fast friends. One is African American and the other a child of Central American immigrants. They share the exact same birthday and are both lesbians.

About Love – 2019 (2.7). A female Indian filmmaker trains her camera on her multi generational Mumbai family and is hit in the face with the patriarchal dynasty that is India in general and her family in particular. The men are terrible chauvinists, except perhaps for the soon to be married brother of the filmmaker who she never once asks how he feels about the patriarchy and whether he expects to perpetuate it. The women have succumbed their lives to this, grandma for 68 years of abuse, and Mom for 32. Mom escapes into writing stories of Indian women from the past who time travel to the present. Filmmaker daughter has resisted marriage for 14 years of a relationship because, as she tells her brother, she does not want to end up like Mom.

The Kominsky Method (Season One) – 2018 (2.7). Michael Douglas executive produced and plays the lead in this series about a seventy something acting coach and his eighty something agent played by Alan Arkin. They are best friends in an acerbic relationship. The first season has a wife dying, a daughter addicted, a business in major tax debt and the predicted bedding of a younger woman by Douglas and many cameos by older actors. There are some things here that older audiences can relate to, but it would be more relevant if the lead characters were not in show biz. One season may be all it is worth.

Beecham House – 2019 (2.6). Unfortunately great production values, an exotic locale in India, creative talents in conception and expected great English acting are not enough to make this miniseries come together effectively. The story line never seemed to be headed in a clear direction and the dynamics between the characters often changed for no apparent reason other than change itself. In fact, after the last episode aired one could not be sure the story was supposed to be over.

A Hidden Life – 2019 (2.6). Movies from Terrence Malick have beautiful cinematography especially of expansive natural wonders. They are also way too long. The style of somewhat poetic, but often like an epic created from what should have been a sonnet. This one is about an Austrian man with deeply personal religious beliefs who refuses to take an oath to Hitler and fight in his war which the man believes is immoral. He is so sure of his position that he will not listen to reason or accept sensible compromises for the good of his wife and children. It is true that nobody was likely to know about this “hidden life”, but not really also true that his act of conscience was worthwhile. Hidden martyrdom seems like an oxymoron.

Fosse/Verdon – 2019 (2.5). This miniseries about the dancer choreographer duo jumped around so much in time back and forth through the episodes that I mistakenly watched the final episode, skipping the three before it, and it still seemed to fit together about as jumbled as the first episodes. The dancing scenes are moderately enjoyable but the drama of these two people devoted to their careers is hard to relate to, especially since the womanizing Fosse is a real jerk. At some point we are given a brief view of the difficult teenage lives of these two people, apparently to explain some of their later failings, but it is not enough to make either of them more appealing.

Once Upon a Time in Iraq – 2020 (2.5). Archival footage and interviews with a handful of Iraquis who have lived through the turmoil in Iraq since the US led invasion of 2003 should have made more impact than they did in this documentary. There did not seem to be much organization to the presentation and the individuals selected did not capture the attention one would have expected. Sadly, the resulting movie seems more tedious than informative or affecting.

Yellowstone (Season One) – 2018 (DNF). Kevin Costner tries to blend some sort of Sopranos with the Trump Organization running the biggest ranch in the US, but the resulting hodge-podge of unappealing characters does not whet the appetite for more. The only saving aspect here is the beautiful Montana scenery. A travelogue would be better,