Author: bernardovillela

Free Movie Friday: Blondie (1938)

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I wanted to start this series back in January. Basically, there are a lot of good movies out there that you can watch free and clear. Meaning you don’t have to pay for them and by streaming it free you’re not stealing it because they are in the public domain. Also, in some cases, these films are not all as ancient as copyright laws usually call for.

Blondie (1938)

Firstly, anyone lamenting that sequels are “ruining movies” today, this is one of the easiest examples to cite proving that everything old is new again, meaning sequels are not a modern scourge. There were about 25 of these films released over a thirteen year period. Also worth noting is that long before the Harry Potter films Larry Simms grew up on film – at least in real life if not so much as Baby Dumpling.

I finally started watching a box set of these short, easy-viewing comedies this year. They are in the public domain, readily available and usually quite enjoyable even if the formula has few variables. The series may bolster this section for quite some time as the completist in me does want to get through all of them.

On a personal note, it’s most compelling to me because I recall Blondie in the Sunday comics when I was very young. I always read it, as I did most things on the page, and I guess I never enjoyed it per se due to my youth and the dated nature they had at the time. A similar example on the comics page for years was my not getting or liking Doonesbury reading it anyway.  Doonesbury I still don’t care for, but I have come to an appreciation of Blondie through these films mainly due to Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton’s characterization which I never would have read into the panels.

Enjoy!

Review: Outlaw League

Posted on by bernardovillela

The sports film, it would seem, is one of the subgenres that’s most constrained by its tropes in all of cinema. Usually, a lot of hinges on the result of the game or a season. As there are only so many ways an athletic event can end that’s where the limitation of options begins. Things get a bit more unique when the competition, and the result thereof, are an afterthought and not the biggest thing.

The synopsis as provided by Attraction Distribution is as follows:

Nicolas, 12 years old, son and grandson of fishermen, lives alone with his mother in a village overlooking the sea. A terrible storm snatched his dad a few earlier. Summer vacation is the chance for Nicolas to resume his greatest pleasure: playing baseball with his friends. But a major obstacle greets the kids who assemble at the village baseball field: the town council has decided to convert the field into a municipal dump. With Nicolas as their leader, the village kids will resist the mayor’s machinations with ferocity and, to their surprise, they will receive the support of Nicolas’ grandfather and his old buddies.

In this guise the film is really as simplified as it could get: it’s really only about playing for the love of the game and that becomes paramount. The game that the kids have to win just becomes a means to an end. It’s about them being allowed to be played, satisfying the need the kids have while satisfying the adult concerns with the well-being of the town. This simplicity is enviable inasmuch as it strips most of the sports film encumbrances out of the the film.

The issues only come in to play because there’s not much else brought into it to fill the void that those clichés usually occupy. In fact, aside from the main conflict (finding a suitable playing field and being allowed to play) there’s really only one subplot that ends up being significant: Nicholas’ relationship with his grandfather and mending fences in the family he has left. The amassing of the few new friends is treated by the film as little more token scenes needed to round-out a starting nine.

With an uncomplicated plot, and a short running time, one would hope that the film would move briskly but it doesn’t so much. The film does end up feeling a bit longer than it really does. The must-win game being introduced late is good but it is rendered anticlimactic by its treatment.

The film has its enjoyable qualities, Nicholas’ relationship with his Grandfather, Nicholas’ imaginary conversations with his father, and the performance by André Kasper as the young lead.

If one is a huge baseball fan it’s definitely worth looking into, children who may not be as discerning, and can also deal with some adult themes can find enjoyment in it. The simplicity of the film could’ve yielded more but it is a fairly realistic treatment of young characters and love for sport that would likely find an audience.

5/10

Review: T.I.M (a.k.a The Incredible Machine)

Posted on by bernardovillela

In media res, is one of those phrases that is bandied about, at times a bit haphazardly. Such that it has become cliché inasmuch as we don’t really consider its true meaning at times and the functionality this technique can have. Beginning in the middle of things, which is what in media res translates to, factors into this story about T.I.M. is set in the future, in a world where personalized robots have become commonplace and Tibor (Dyon Wilkens) and his father (Bas Keijzer) have one that is a relic among many generations of newer better android assistants. However, these are things that we as an audience infer as the movie travels along a bit. It is not something handed to us via voice-over or other forced exposition. These facts are a given combined with an in media res beginning quickly tip you off, again subtly, that this movie is more concerned with other things than the robot and the sci-fi elements of the story.

At the heart of the story is a lonely, socially maladjusted Tibor; his struggling, verklempt father Arend; and a journey to try and find the man who built T.I.M. in the first place to try and fix him, holding on to him rather than having to part with him. Taking into account the fact that Tibor lost his mother when he was young the quest to get T.I.M. fixed takes on a thin veil masking the desire he has to keep some semblance of his mother’s memory alive.

Yet simultaneously the film also builds in and addresses Tibor’s struggle to relate to his peers as his pain and isolation have made him unable to relate to those around him. Readily confessing that T.I.M is his only friend, he faces challenges in owning up to his shortcomings, learning to trust, communicate, as well as the meaning of friendship.

Most of that learning how to have a friend is personified in the hot-and-cold relationship he has with Kiki (Claudia Kanne) as she helps him along his path to where he thinks he’ll find answers. He does just not in the way it was expected.

What’s loveliest about this film is that while all this is readily apparent it never hits you over the head, and it is still as enjoyable on the surface as it is in its subtext. The film balances emotions well, it keeps some humor in, there is a bittersweet nature to it, some sadness, and surpassing beauty to it all.

It’s a lustrously shot film with an enchanting score that closes its circle well and leaves the characters in a great place, so much so that you enjoy the journey as much as the destination. The film moves briskly apace and is entertaining throughout and can be enjoyed equally by audiences of all ages.

The irony that at times the best examinations of humanity are made when contrasting us to artificial intelligence is not lost on filmmakers. The motif still appears to be fertile ground yielding much fruit, this is just the latest in a long line of great films to prove that point. Exactingly done and precisely performed, it’s an enrapturing experience that should be sought out.

10/10

Mini-Review: The Famous Five 4 (Fünf Freunde 4)

Posted on by bernardovillela

As mentioned in my review of the most recent film of this series, learning of the existence of this long-running book-series and subsequent frequent television and cinematic adaptations was rather a revelation. When all is said and done for those unfamiliar with the stories one could look at them kind of like The Hardy Boys plus a pair of Nancy Drews, one a tomboy and one not, with a resourceful Lassie-like dog rounding out the quintet.

Considering that that this is fourth in a series you immediately run in to one positive and one negative: first, as its clear the actors have aged and matured their storylines and characters have as well. The makers of this series rather than recasting their talented bunch have remained realistic avoiding one pitfall the book series seems to have embodied per J.K. Rowling when previewing further Potter books “in book four the hormones are going to kick in – I don’t want him stuck in a state of permanent pre-pubescence like poor Julian in the Famous Five!”

However, the comments on the book series that seem to have come to roost are those about recycled plots and structures. More so than any other film in this series this film seems to most transparently telegraph the very thinly-veiled ulterior motives of characters leaving far fewer surprises in store for the viewer if any. Taking the story to Egypt can add a lot of intrigue and raise stakes but there is little of that and not much overly-unique in the premise here.

Not that this was ever a series that reinvented the wheel but so much of this particular installment on the face of it seemed derivative of other works or redressed self-cannibalized plot points from the past. It doesn’t even move quite as well as the prior installments.

The constants are there, the kids are all right, and there is another very capable new kid on the block (Omid Memar) joins the fray. It’s a film that could be viewed out of continuity if you wanted to, but I’d not recommend it. If interested get to the start of the series, die hards only need apply here.

4/10

2015 BAM Award Considerations – May

Posted on by bernardovillela

It seems that awards season on this blog just ended, however, assembling those nominees is a year-long process. So the cycle begins anew with posts at the end of the month and master lists offline in preparation for the big dates of the award’s calendar year. A collection of most, if not all titles viewed, can be seen on my Letterboxd.

Eligible Titles

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Hot Pursuit
Cupcakes
Girlhood
The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
Poltergeist
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
San Andreas
Midnight Sun

Best Picture


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Foreign Film


Cupcakes
Girlhood
The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
San Andreas

Best Documentary

 

Most Overlooked Picture

As intimated in my Most Underrated announcement this year, I’ve decided to make a change here. Rather than get caught up in me vs. the world nonsense and what a film’s rating is on an aggregate site, the IMDb or anywhere else, I want to champion smaller, lesser-known films. In 2011 with the selection of Toast this move was really in the offing. The nominees from this past year echo that fact. So here, regardless of how well-received something is by those who’ve seen it, I’ll be championing indies and foreign films, and the occasional financial flop from a bigger entity.


Charlie’s Country
The Outlaw League
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Midnight Sun

Best Director


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Hot Pursuit
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Actress

Charlize Theron Mad Max: Fury Road
Reese Witherspoon Hot Pursuit
Britt Robertson Tomorrowland

Best Actor
David Gulpilil Charlie’s Country
Tom Hardy Mad Max: Fury Road
George Clooney Tomorrowland

Best Supporting Actress
Sofia Vergara Hot Pursuit

Best Supporting Actor
Jeppe Beck Laursen Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Karidja Touré Girlhood
Valeria Eisenbart The Famous Five 4
Raffey Cassidy Tomorrowland
Mia Helene Solberg Brekke Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Justus Schlingensiepen The Famous Five 4
André Kasper Kolstad The Outlaw League
Dyon Wilkens T.I.M.
Victor Papadopoulos Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Dakota Goyo Midnight Sun

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Neele-Marie Nickel The Famous Five 4
Claudia Kanne T.I.M.

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Quirrin Oettl The Famous Five 4
Kyle Catlett Poltergeist
Thomas Robinson Tomorrowland

Pierce Gagnon Tomorrowland
William Ulrik Græsli Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Art Parkinson San Andreas

Best Cast

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Youth Ensemble


The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Original Screenplay


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tomorrowland

Best Score


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Editing


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
San Andreas

Best Cinematography


Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Midnight Sun

Best Art Direction

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.

Best Costume Design

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cupcakes
Girlhood
Tomorrowland

Best Makeup

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Midnight Sun

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.

Best (Original) Song


Mad Max: Fury Road
Cupcakes
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Big In Japan

I commented last year that there was a film that had me reconsidering the soundtrack as a potential category. It’s happened again so I will be tracking it and seeing if it’s worth re-including this year.

Best Soundtrack


Cupcakes
Poltergeist
Tomorrowland
Big In Japan

Mini-Review: Cupcakes

Posted on by bernardovillela

As it turns out when I viewed this film turned out to be serendipitous, I saw this just before this year’s Eurovision competition in Bulgaria. Since I’ve joined Twitter I have lamented the fact that Eurovision is not broadcast in America even more so as those I follow make me even more envious than I normally would be as I hear a lot of extemporaneous reaction. I’ve known of this song competition for a while, always seeking to broaden my horizons, and due to my innate curiosity; however, I never really was able to get it – only getting snippets I couldn’t see how it worked or an illustration of the fascination.

However, I think even if one is wholly unfamiliar with the song competition it’s an easy enough tale to follow clearly. It’s humorous, warm and more about the characters’ struggles than in-jokes. Clearly, knowing some things about Eurovision will only deepen the appreciation you have for the fun it pokes, and the spirit it tries to invoke.

The film is a welcome bit of escapism taking a group of friends from different walks of life who watch the show annually for a bit of ironic enjoyment into the contest unbeknownst to them in a whirlwind the following year. Its humor and tonality is a welcome departure for director Eytan Fox director of such films as Yossi & Jagger and Yossi.

6/10

Short Film Saturday: Minnie the Moocher (1932)

Posted on by bernardovillela

This is a pre-Code/Depression era short featuring Betty Boop. I’m not much of an authority on the character. I knew some of the shorts when I was a kid before I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit I’m sure. Those were likely the more sanitized Code era shorts. So, yes, the imagery here will be a littleut even animated shorts felt the power of the Depression.

An interesting pre-cursor to The Three Little Pigs that features similar ideals if a different vibe. It takes some of Cab Calloway’s songs and dramatizes them well. I almost snuck this on to a Music Video Monday post but decided against it.

Enjoy!

Free Movie Friday: Little Men (1934)

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I wanted to start this series back in January. Basically, there are a lot of good movies out there that you can watch free and clear. Meaning you don’t have to pay for them <em>and </em>by streaming it free you’re not stealing it because they are in the public domain. Also, in some cases, these films are not all as ancient as copyright laws usually call for.

Little Men (1934)

Last week I discussed my history with filmic adaptations of this sequel to Louisa May Alcott’s classic. Another thing to note is that I slid into these adaptations sideways having known how tenuous the connection was and liking this story I’ve not looked into the original. The connection is such that if you’re a fan of semantics, like I am, it’s one you could call a follow-up rather than a direct sequel. It tracks a few characters many years later, to see what they’re doing rather than directly dealing with the events of the first story.

Last week, I also mentioned how I think this version may have had a better idea of how to deal with this story and casting it. Now you can decide for yourself, and if you’ve stuck with it through two versions rent or buy the 1998 version, which is quite clearly still under copyright.

This film is one of those that proves that my annual Poverty Row theme is not always fruitless.

To watch the film visit the link below:

Little Men (1934)

Music Video Monday: Billy Joel – Pressure

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I’ve debated starting this theme for a few weeks, and I ultimately decided I would as it would encourage me to looks for options that actually fit what I’m aiming for. If one pays too much attention to Top 40 type music you tend to see a dearth of creativity in the music video form. The music video is spawned from short films and can be as creative if not more so than their predecessor. Far too often it does just become singing heads. I want to try and buck that trend and find ones both new and old that do something somewhat outside the box, at the very least have some sort of visual narrative. Here we go.

Pressure – Billy Joel

This was one of the videos I thought of when first considering this theme. I will return with more new-to-me tunes and vids soon but it’s been too long since I posted in this theme, so I figured I may as well get back to it.

One thing I always recall about this was that Joel went with a director’s idea that contrasted sharply with a piece of the lyrics because he misunderstood a baseball reference being from the UK. Joel didn’t want to be too literal. It sets the tone, it’s a memorable one.

Enjoy!