Because you kept asking for it...
Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 7:05PM 
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" returns February 17th for a four episode trial run. If we get participation we'll keep going so we hope you'll join us. If you're new, consider it like a weekly film club. You
1) watch the movie
2) pick your favourite shot (whatever you think is "best" however you would define that)
3) post it, with or without an explanation wherever you play online #bestshot
4) see our own choice right here and discuss!
The schedule is after the jump...
Thurs February 17th, 9 PM EST Nightmare Alley (2021)
Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-nominated noir remake about a carnival psychic (Bradley Cooper) and the women he becomes entangled with in his scheming (Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett). It's now streaming on Hulu. If you've already seen it you can skim and pick a favourite image in the movie!
Thurs February 24th, 9 PM EST All That Heaven Allows (1955)
This ravishing melodrama is about a widow (Jane Wyman) who falls for a younger man (Rock Hudson) and the repercussions that follow with family and peers. Streaming on Criterion Channel as part of the "Douglas Sirk Melodramas" collection
Thursday March 3rd, 9 PM EST The Conversation (1974)
Francis Coppola's Best Picture nominated paranoid thriller starring Gene Hackman is most reknowned for its sound design. We thought it would be fascinating to look at its images instead. The Conversation is currently playing at Film Forum in NYC and is also available to stream on Hulu and Paramount+
Thursday March 10th, 9 PM EST West Side Story (2021)
Steven Spielberg's remake is up for seven Oscars including cinematography (by Janusz Kaminski). It's currently in theaters (we suggest you watch it there!) and begins streaming on Disney+ on March 2nd.
Reader Comments (13)
YAYYYYYYY!!!!
I've never seen any version of West Side Story. It's never been a film that my family ever watched in my youth. And I've become increasingly jaded towards Steven Spielberg. Munich is the only film of his in the past 25 years that I've enjoyed.
I feel like West Side Story, a story rooted in the experiences of people of colour, should not be directed by a white man, whose entire recent filmography is very white.
Convince me to watch it. But it'll take some effort.
@ MJC
I'll start: only half of the story of WSS is rooted in the experiences of people of color. The other half is rooted in the experiences of white people, and it's all about immigrants, xenophobia, mid-century New York City and gentrification.
Anyone else?
Any chance you'd consider pushing this back until after the Oscars? So many movies to watch before then!
I’ve just seen the 2021 West Side Story. The music and lyrics are still genius, so perfect and evocative. The 3rd element of the 1961 version that was so miraculous, Jerome Robbins’ choreography, is gone. The dancing is now merely serviceable.
I share the skepticism about Steven Spielberg’s direction. I’m not sure how to explain, but it’s like a story is being explained to me through the lens of a complacent entitled class vision that flattens everything out.
I don’t think WWS would be improved by a director of colour, because the story doesn’t need to be tweaked, it needs to be gutted. It’s like the musical “Carousel” that has fabulous music and a rotten book.
The story of 2 gangs is a pig’s ear that cannot be made into a silk purse. What needs to be cut from WSS is the plot about 2 gangs of violent men.
But you say, that’s everything, that’s the whole point, there’s hardly anything left. Precisely. Just some great music and lyrics that need a new story.
It doesn’t have to be a modern Romeo and Juliet story. Although thinking of how little time the fights take up in R&J, isn’t it a bit odd that’s the only part of the story that really interested them?
So if I was to convince MJC to see WSS, I would say, go to it, see what parts you actually think are exceptional and think how you would craft a new story using just those good bits.
@MJC. You didn't like BRIDGE OF SPIES or WAR HORSE? Those are two top-notch films.
Nightmare Alley's credits were beautiful... The end of them
Shmeebs -- well two of these are in the Oscar conversation!
MJC -- i'm not really into convincing people if they want to ignore some important piece culture but do you like The Color Purple? Spielberg directed that and that's entirely about the experiences of people of color whereas that's only one element (of *many*) in West Side Story.
WSS is one of THE canon texts of the 20th century. Insanely popular in its time and thereafter. influential, regularly revived, culturally referred to in popular culture, a piece of several extremely important different but iconic careers (Moreno, Bernstein, Sondheim, Wood, Robbins, Rivera), artistically admired but much argued about. It's kind of like Sound of Music, The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, On the Waterfront ... you might not like these movies but you should *know* them.
It's rare that I feel it necessary to counter someone's critique, but "two gangs at war with each other" is, well, the story of America. And really, the most universal story of all. The "othering" of the opposing side, the heightening of differences for personal or political gain, with the rare attempt to bridge the gap. Heck, just look around online or in the real world.
Is it doing the ballet steps or singing that is the problem? Because I think that just makes the medicine easier to take.
Cannot wait to participate! So happy this is back!
@ Nathaniel R
Isn’t step 4 (after posting the shot somewhere online) to email you a link to the post? What’s the deadline for next week’s installment?
working stiff -- if you hashtag it i'll be able to find it on twitter or instagram. But you can always email me as well at filmexperience@gmail.com
Duh. Thanks!