Wednesday
Jul082020
What's on your cinematic (or streaming) mind?
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 5:07PM 
Without an ongoing movie culture these days to keep us busy we imagine everyone's thoughts are all over the place. So what movies or television shows are YOU thinking of today? My mind was hopping around between You Can Count on Me (2000), Where is Kyra (2018), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Never Have I Ever (2020) today.
Reader Comments (20)
I don't think any cinemas will open this year so I was thinking about the last movie I saw in a cinema: Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I'm happy I saw it in a cinema as it works visually and audioly. That campfire scene sealed it that I was watching something transcendent. Now I really want someone to gaze at me while a group of women sing in the background.
I've been thinking about End of the Century, Wildlife, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Quite an eclectic bunch!
Amory -- love the eclecticism.
Tom G -- wasn't that scene incredible? That's why I nominated it here.
I was thinking about the newly announced project to film Isak Dinesen's "The Immortal Story". Orson Welles tackled it in the 60's with mixed results. Jeanne Moreau starred and though she was probably too old for the part she was still Jeanne Moreau. Which made me think where will they find an actress of comparable magnetism for the new version? And I suddenly remembered what delicious (and Moreau-like vibes) i got from Lily-Rose Depp in last year's underrated Prince Hal movie "The King". That film also had a tangential Welles connection as the great director had presented much the same cast of characters in his impressive "Chimes at Midnight". Wouldn't mind watching La Depp continue to stir up memories of Moreau and Welles.
Spent today contemplating La Pfeiffer in French Exit and envying the alternate universe where Thandie Newton has the movie career she deserves. Also, lamenting the deferral of Halloween Kills.
I've been thinking about getting around to watching Abel Ferrara's DANGEROUS GAME with Madonna and Harvey Keitel. I am curious to see if Madonna is as good in it as everyone says she is.
Working on the 1991 Smackdown - my first time through "Fried Green Tomatoes" was a trip. A classic "wait, this movie is about WHAT?" Two different men named Buddy are in two different train accidents???
As I prepare for the Emmy nomination announcement at the end of the month, I am revisiting my favorites from the past year to see if they hold up and deserve recognition - Unorthodox, Unbelievable, Dead to Me, Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, The Kominsky Method, and Mindhunter.
Tom G. - Not true. Many theaters have already opened in major cities like LA and Chicago, and I thought AMC was scheduled to reopen later this month? Now whether there will be major new releases or not is another question.
Nathaniel - "Baby Jane" is '62! Don't let your movie nerdom slip. 😉
Jennifer Jones. I just watched Carrie. A forgotten gem.
Since I've been watching slow cinema lately and even clips from short (but still s-l-o-w) films, it is true what that famous song says: "you can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness".
I always wanted to see these slow films someday but never got around to. While many of my friends who are watching shows in streaming platforms prefer fast(er) editing and something a little bit escapist, the lockdown became a perfect excuse for me to watch the slow films of Bela Tarr, Lav Diaz, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carlos Reygadas, Tsai Ming-Liang and early Chantal Akerman. It also makes everything around me slower.
But damn if folks weren't right about Tandy being the standout of the lineup.
I am thinking about k-dramas and lee min-ho! Such a beauty
I'm thinking about Woody Allen films. Still don't have a way to see A Rainy Day in New York. But I'm also thinking of rewatching some older ones like Interiors, Manhattan and even Broadway Danny Rose (which has to be one of the most random Best Director nominations ever).
I woke up this morning thinking about film restoration, and more specifically the lack of it for certain/most films. I watched Bringing Up Baby last night on TCM and texted my best friend on the other side of the country and said what a fuzzy print it was and why didn't they use a restored version or more pristine copy. He said that was the best they've got.
If a bonafide classic like Bringing Up Baby doesn't rate getting restored, what are the financial incentives for any company to fix it and release it? Precious little now that the DVD money has dried up.
I've tried to watch many movies on TCM and the print was so bad that I couldn't really even get into it, let alone finish it. Are these movies doomed forever? We might even lose them completely.
Has anybody made to a drive in?
As much as I would love to see new movies from studios in theaters right now, what I'm thinking right now is anyone complaining there's NOTHING to watch is just being disingenuous.
There are hundreds, heck, THOUSANDS, of films and TV shows which I guarantee they have not yet seen and a lot it is good if they pick the right ones for them.
Just in the last week for me, I saw the fantastic Making-of documentary INTO THE UNKNOWN about Frozen II on Disney+, a couple of intriguing gay films on Amazon Prime (their selection is pretty good for small LGBTQ films), and the charming STRAIGHT UP on Netflix (plus the new Baby-Sitters Club show which you'd think wouldn't be something I'd be into... wrong).
@RyanT: so true. I subscribed to The Criterion Channel when COVID exploded and I’m endlessly finding more and more films to watch there every time I login.
Slowly working my way through Mark Cousins documentary series on female directors, it`s really good and makes you aware of how MANY films you haven`t seen or even heard of.
Anyhow, at least I`ve now seen the brilliant Jeanne Dielman and Vardas Cleo from 5 to 7 and the deeply unsettling Le Bonheur. Want to see more Varda!
Michaela Coel is a genius. Anyone not watching I May Destroy You on HBO is missing out on one of the finest TV dramas of the last few years.