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Spring Season: Weeks 63/64
Yesterday was the first time we hit 20 degrees this year, and today is shaping up to be even warmer! I have the day off work tomorrow! I am basking in the glow of life! Let's see if I can channel this good mood into something worthwhile later. For now, I will briefly remember the movies I watched this week (since tomorrow is for hanging out with my mom because she's 50 now -- there will be barbecue).
FILMS
Buck and the Preacher (1972): The center of the Ruby Dee and black westerns Venn diagram I've been colouring in lately, naturally crosses over with last year's Poitierfest.
Christmas in July (1940): Chilled out early Sturges is best Sturges, even if this feels more like a stretched out sitcom episode plot than a movie.
Cooley High (1975): The tragedy of the last act is totally earned by not leaning into it for the entire rest of the film; it's just a mostly good time with some mostly good boys! Love this!
Duel at Diablo (1966): pew pew pew (why do some of the better westerns for black representation seem to double down on the racism towards native people? like they gotta make up for it somehow? do still love that closing line, though)
Entertainment (2015): Pretty much had to continually remind myself that this was just actors acting in a movie the entire time to get through it without turning myself inside out.
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003): Smart and funny, heartfelt but thoughtful, too. The things we do for love, and the purity of nostalgia, however problematic both may be. Plus baby Zemo?? I dub this the inaugural... Leshia's Pick of the Week!
The Great McGinty (1940): holy shit I finally found a sturges film that I actually liked from beginning to end, it's a christmas (in july) miracle
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944): The 'Eddie Bracken is sad because he sucks too bad to fight in the war' stupidity from The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and the thin 'wacky misunderstanding gets waAaAaAy out of control' plot of Christmas in July, mushed together to make something much more entertaining than either of those, at least. Gag-worthy ending.
The Hustler (1961): Beautiful, frustrating, tragedies. The costs of winning and the losses that are just too much to bear. Just life and good games of pool.
The Lady Eve (1941): Smoldering chemistry, delightful grifts, scams and money and marriage and oh man this movie fucks so hard!!!
Little Women (1994): I still don't like Little Women, but this is the first adaptation to make me understand why so many do. Charming af.
M*A*S*H (1970): Because it's been WAY too long. Finest kind.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962): Yeah, I know I, like, JUST watched this, but it just slaps, okay.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943): yeah, no, I still think this is shit, idgi
Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse (2015): A really promising start that quickly turns into disappointingly by-the-numbers young romance/coming-of-age stuff. Flashes of brilliance.
A New Leaf (1971): Mean-spirited enough that I really found myself wishing that it hurt the movie more for me. But damn it, I laughed.
Shane (1953): Hokey western pap, but of that sort that I'm definitely in the perfect mood for sometimes.
The Silent Partner (1978): WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MOVIE AND WHY DID I LOVE IT SO MUCH?? Elliott Gould as a sex symbol/possible sociopath of an everyman protagonist, Christopher Plummer as an evil, cross-dressing mall Santa, female characters treated just appallingly, an aquarium decapitation, oh and also it's aggressively Canadian at all times (it mostly takes place in Eaton Centre, and opens on a big establishing shot of the actual Eaton's store JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR)???????? This movie is insane, I loved it so much. ~Leshia's Pick of the Week Runner-Up~
Sullivan's Travels (1941): Didn't annoy me as much as it did the first time around now that I'm more familiar with his whole deal, but woof, it's still far from a masterpiece no matter HOW I look at it. I tried! I tried so hard! But it's time to officially put Preston Sturges on the 'I just don't get the appeal' shelf and leave him there.
Supa Modo (2018): One of those movies that is so gratuitously emotionally manipulative but also so damn good at what it does that I didn't end up minding all that much. My heart, she was warmed.
Thomasine and Bushrod (1974): Weird, low-key beginning and underwhelming ending somehow contribute to elevating the rest of it? I can't not adore an outlaw couple folk story that periodically stops the action to just let the leads have an adorable splash fight or a very typical stressed couple fight or just dork around with their friend. This is SO charming.
Unfaithfully Yours (1948): Ha ha, he wants to violently murder his wife! Hilarious! I like how much space the orchestra scenes are given to just stand on their own and breathe, and not just the fantasy sequence ones. I think if I could get over my distaste of the central premise, I'd like this movie a LOT. That's... a big 'if', though.
Watermelon Man (1970): Very strange and very satisfying, that one weird section with the title card overlays aside. The laughs in this one really snuck up on me. Love that they played by Groundhog Day rules, where there's never any explanation for it, it's just happening to this guy, go with it. Love even more that it didn't get fixed in the end?? He's just black forever now! Good shit.
The Wild Bunch (1969): The novel premise and over-the-top violence isn't enough to make up for the lack of a compelling plot or characters. A pretty good movie that I wish was at LEAST half an hour shorter. I do like the parallel of a film set in a dying genre about a dying way of life, though. Send them both out with a bang.
SHORTS
April 2020 Paris (2020): more light pandemic narrative stuff like this instead of the endless parade of 'quarantine, woe' stuff that I can't relate to at all, plz and thank you
Illusions (1982): Drenched in beautiful '40s style while taking a scalpel to the undercurrents of sexism and racism that powered the whole, glitzy machine. Just brilliant.
Mobile Homes (2013): Not bad! Moody and sad, but I can't say I see how a feature's worth of plot would improve it any.
Nobody Owns the Sea (2020): Free Palestine.
Nobody's Business (1996): Yeah, I'm with Oscar on this one: some people just aren't interesting enough to warrant a movie about them. I regret spending nearly an hour with that old asshole!
Safeguarding Military Information (1941): Turns out Sturges made WW2 propaganda movies, too! At least now I know conclusively that THOUGHTLESSNESS BREEDS SABOTAGE.
TELEVISION
Archer 11x01-11x08: I feel like I'm in a minority for actually liking the coma seasons, but it's nice to be back to basics, too! Loved the changed dynamics, really dug the return to mostly doing cases of the week, laughed a lot! So glad they recorded season 12 before we lost Jessica Walter, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Malory. :(
Wrestling:
AEW Dark 3x20/3x21
AEW Dark: Elevation 1x09/1x10
AEW Dynamite 3x19/3x20
IMPACT! Wrestling 18x19/18x20
IMPACT: Under Siege 2021
New Japan Pro-Wrestling 1x23/1x24
NJPW Strong 2x19/2x20
NWA Powerrr 4x06/4x07
TJPW That's J-PW 1x09-1x12
FILMS
Buck and the Preacher (1972): The center of the Ruby Dee and black westerns Venn diagram I've been colouring in lately, naturally crosses over with last year's Poitierfest.
Christmas in July (1940): Chilled out early Sturges is best Sturges, even if this feels more like a stretched out sitcom episode plot than a movie.
Cooley High (1975): The tragedy of the last act is totally earned by not leaning into it for the entire rest of the film; it's just a mostly good time with some mostly good boys! Love this!
Duel at Diablo (1966): pew pew pew (why do some of the better westerns for black representation seem to double down on the racism towards native people? like they gotta make up for it somehow? do still love that closing line, though)
Entertainment (2015): Pretty much had to continually remind myself that this was just actors acting in a movie the entire time to get through it without turning myself inside out.
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003): Smart and funny, heartfelt but thoughtful, too. The things we do for love, and the purity of nostalgia, however problematic both may be. Plus baby Zemo?? I dub this the inaugural... Leshia's Pick of the Week!
The Great McGinty (1940): holy shit I finally found a sturges film that I actually liked from beginning to end, it's a christmas (in july) miracle
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944): The 'Eddie Bracken is sad because he sucks too bad to fight in the war' stupidity from The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and the thin 'wacky misunderstanding gets waAaAaAy out of control' plot of Christmas in July, mushed together to make something much more entertaining than either of those, at least. Gag-worthy ending.
The Hustler (1961): Beautiful, frustrating, tragedies. The costs of winning and the losses that are just too much to bear. Just life and good games of pool.
The Lady Eve (1941): Smoldering chemistry, delightful grifts, scams and money and marriage and oh man this movie fucks so hard!!!
Little Women (1994): I still don't like Little Women, but this is the first adaptation to make me understand why so many do. Charming af.
M*A*S*H (1970): Because it's been WAY too long. Finest kind.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962): Yeah, I know I, like, JUST watched this, but it just slaps, okay.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943): yeah, no, I still think this is shit, idgi
Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse (2015): A really promising start that quickly turns into disappointingly by-the-numbers young romance/coming-of-age stuff. Flashes of brilliance.
A New Leaf (1971): Mean-spirited enough that I really found myself wishing that it hurt the movie more for me. But damn it, I laughed.
Shane (1953): Hokey western pap, but of that sort that I'm definitely in the perfect mood for sometimes.
The Silent Partner (1978): WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MOVIE AND WHY DID I LOVE IT SO MUCH?? Elliott Gould as a sex symbol/possible sociopath of an everyman protagonist, Christopher Plummer as an evil, cross-dressing mall Santa, female characters treated just appallingly, an aquarium decapitation, oh and also it's aggressively Canadian at all times (it mostly takes place in Eaton Centre, and opens on a big establishing shot of the actual Eaton's store JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR)???????? This movie is insane, I loved it so much. ~Leshia's Pick of the Week Runner-Up~
Sullivan's Travels (1941): Didn't annoy me as much as it did the first time around now that I'm more familiar with his whole deal, but woof, it's still far from a masterpiece no matter HOW I look at it. I tried! I tried so hard! But it's time to officially put Preston Sturges on the 'I just don't get the appeal' shelf and leave him there.
Supa Modo (2018): One of those movies that is so gratuitously emotionally manipulative but also so damn good at what it does that I didn't end up minding all that much. My heart, she was warmed.
Thomasine and Bushrod (1974): Weird, low-key beginning and underwhelming ending somehow contribute to elevating the rest of it? I can't not adore an outlaw couple folk story that periodically stops the action to just let the leads have an adorable splash fight or a very typical stressed couple fight or just dork around with their friend. This is SO charming.
Unfaithfully Yours (1948): Ha ha, he wants to violently murder his wife! Hilarious! I like how much space the orchestra scenes are given to just stand on their own and breathe, and not just the fantasy sequence ones. I think if I could get over my distaste of the central premise, I'd like this movie a LOT. That's... a big 'if', though.
Watermelon Man (1970): Very strange and very satisfying, that one weird section with the title card overlays aside. The laughs in this one really snuck up on me. Love that they played by Groundhog Day rules, where there's never any explanation for it, it's just happening to this guy, go with it. Love even more that it didn't get fixed in the end?? He's just black forever now! Good shit.
The Wild Bunch (1969): The novel premise and over-the-top violence isn't enough to make up for the lack of a compelling plot or characters. A pretty good movie that I wish was at LEAST half an hour shorter. I do like the parallel of a film set in a dying genre about a dying way of life, though. Send them both out with a bang.
SHORTS
April 2020 Paris (2020): more light pandemic narrative stuff like this instead of the endless parade of 'quarantine, woe' stuff that I can't relate to at all, plz and thank you
Illusions (1982): Drenched in beautiful '40s style while taking a scalpel to the undercurrents of sexism and racism that powered the whole, glitzy machine. Just brilliant.
Mobile Homes (2013): Not bad! Moody and sad, but I can't say I see how a feature's worth of plot would improve it any.
Nobody Owns the Sea (2020): Free Palestine.
Nobody's Business (1996): Yeah, I'm with Oscar on this one: some people just aren't interesting enough to warrant a movie about them. I regret spending nearly an hour with that old asshole!
Safeguarding Military Information (1941): Turns out Sturges made WW2 propaganda movies, too! At least now I know conclusively that THOUGHTLESSNESS BREEDS SABOTAGE.
TELEVISION
Archer 11x01-11x08: I feel like I'm in a minority for actually liking the coma seasons, but it's nice to be back to basics, too! Loved the changed dynamics, really dug the return to mostly doing cases of the week, laughed a lot! So glad they recorded season 12 before we lost Jessica Walter, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Malory. :(
Wrestling:
AEW Dark 3x20/3x21
AEW Dark: Elevation 1x09/1x10
AEW Dynamite 3x19/3x20
IMPACT! Wrestling 18x19/18x20
IMPACT: Under Siege 2021
New Japan Pro-Wrestling 1x23/1x24
NJPW Strong 2x19/2x20
NWA Powerrr 4x06/4x07
TJPW That's J-PW 1x09-1x12