July 2020

There were 31 posts published in July 2020 (this is page 4 of 5).

Criterion Month Day 10: The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962)

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen might be the movie I chose to review for Criterion Month this year that I had the least knowledge of and the least context for. Which might be the best way to go into this movie, considering it truly feels like nothing else. I know that may sound like hyperbole, especially considering I’ve watched far too many movies to ever be truly taken off guard by what kind of images are capable of being brought to the screen. But Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman was clearly a one-of-a-kind visual stylist, even if he may not have the same recognition as many of the other pre-CG visual effects pioneers. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 9: The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds (1953)

Why is this in the Criterion Collection? That’s the reason I picked this movie. I vaguely remember renting it from a video store (that’s now a bank) as a kid but wasn’t particularly engaged. Is it the first alien invasion movie? The Man from Planet X is earlier. Is it how the film uses an alien invasion to comment on the Cold War? The Day the Earth Stood Still and Invasion of the Body Snatchers do that better. It’s not even a good adaptation of HG Wells’ novel. What is this movie?

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Criterion Month Day 8: Kind Hearts And Coronets

Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949)

Post-war Britain didn’t seem like a particularly great time to laugh, and yet this was the period that saw the rise of Ealing Studios, who gave birth to some of Britain’s best comedies. Perhaps it’s appropriate that during these somewhat bleak times, these films indulged some decidedly dark themes. I haven’t seen a ton of these Ealing comedies (other than The Lavender Hill Mob and The Ladykillers), but other than their deliciously biting nature, there’s also a sophisticated and unsentimental quality that makes these movies hold up much better than a lot of comedies from this era. Then on top of that, a lot of them feature Alec Guinness having about as much fun as he ever had as an actor (sorry George Lucas), and it’s hard to get more fun than playing nine different characters in the same movie. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 7: The Blood of Jesus

The Blood of Jesus (1941)

It’s weird to see an American movie from 1941 that’s so domestic. Despite there having been a depression and the beginning of another World War in the time between, the small town depicted in The Blood of Jesus doesn’t feel that different from the one in Body and Soul. What is different is this filmmaker’s approach to religion: while Oscar Michaeux had been skeptical and condemned hypocrisy, writer-producer-director-co-star Spencer Williams (later of Amos ‘n’ Andy fame) plays it deeply sanctimonious. And that makes it kinda hard to take seriously.

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Criterion Month Day 4: Show Boat

Show Boat (1936)

It’s now dawning on me that I’ve been the one to review a movie on the 4th of July all four years that we’ve been doing Criterion Month. These reviews usually consist of me making some off-hand remark in the first paragraph about how crappy current-day America is before moving on to talk about the film in question. However, with this year’s 4th of July review, it’s a little hard for me to move on from current-day America, because one of our current dilemmas of trying to make media more diverse is a big part of Show Boat. While the film’s intentions are more than noble in that regard, there are more than a few things that are problematic about it, which — for better more than worse — makes it about as American as apple pie. Continue reading →