Tag: Criticism

Day Twenty-Four: Decision to Leave (March of the Movies 2023)

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Despite not being marked as such, this is technically a re-watch. I will not mark this as a re-watch since I do not already have an article covering it on this site. My first viewing of Decision to Leave came more than three months back upon the recommendation of a close friend. This same close friend recommended I re-watch it for this month, and so it has come to that point.

Back in December, I liked this film a fair amount, though its ratings felt a little inflated to me. Nevertheless, I did intend to re-watch it at some point because this film is pretty dense with its themes. And for reasons I will get into during this review. Oh, and there will be spoilers for this film going forward.

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Day Twenty-Three: Wild Strawberries (1957) (March of the Movies 2023)

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There is a name in the film industry that is new to me, but not to many others: Ingmar Bergman. He, during a majority of his life, made films dealing with the inner intricacies of humanity. If you go on any film database site, you will see that most of his films are almost universally beloved for their personal, humanistic quality. I’ve yet to see anything of his, so I wanted to dedicate at least one day this month to see what I was missing. In comes Wild Strawberries, one of his earlier works.

Recently I saw a short bio on Bergman describing him as “one of the most influential existentialist filmmakers of all time.” Existentialism is something that should intrigue me, especially with my constant urging for more “grounded” stories. With such enormous expectations, though, it may have been doomed to fail from the start.

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Day Twenty-Two: The Menu (2022) (March of the Movies 2023)

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She really is superb at that pouty, standoffish stare, isn’t she? One of those rising stars that have taken filmgoers by the heart, Anya Taylor-Joy is certainly a name that piques my interest in upcoming pictures. Then you include a varied cast of names like Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau (who was terrific in The Whale), and John Leguizamo? Goodness, this is one flexible meal. I just hope The Menu lives up to its starpower.

The film’s synopsis, coming soon, leaves a lot to be interpreted. Its trailer, alternatively, kind of spoils the entire course. Would not recommend watching the trailer (which I will provide anyway; SEO score and all that). Luckily, I never saw a trailer for this, so this was a relatively blind viewing. My assumption was that the chef would feed them human meat or something.

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Day Twenty-One: The Mummy (1999) (March of the Movies 2023)

~ Kapodaco ~ 1 Comment

Curiosity is something that influences many of my daily decisions. Much like the astute character played by Rachel Weisz, my desire for knowledge carries me forward. I’ve always had a sort of flirtation with being a scientist, even as a child, though anything that involves investigation and study of information is fun. Which is why The Mummy was a watch based on incredible word of mouth. I had to study it for myself to see if the praise is warranted.

It’s a hoax.

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Day Nineteen: The Daytrippers (March of the Movies 2023)

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When you become more fond of film as an art form, you begin to gravitate towards specific actors. I have no shortage of names and faces that are appealing to me, and I often come across new titles because I search through the filmography of specific people. The Daytrippers, outside of this appealing illustrated cover, came via researching Parker Posey, whom I loved in Columbus and Josie and the Pussycats.

Another interesting factoid about this is that it was the debut feature film directed by Greg Mottola, who would later direct Superbad. Funny to consider when this and his later work have seemingly nothing in common (at least from what I remember of Superbad fifteen years ago). If not for the appealing cast and potential for insightful character interaction, I may not have even bothered.

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Day Eighteen: The Children’s Hour (1961) (March of the Movies 2023)

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Back when Hollywood was younger, it seemed more relevant to be a star. Given how the sample size of credible actors was smaller, or perhaps the opportunities were less viable, earlier decades often had faces that would become household names. Aubrey Hepburn was one of those superstars of ye olden days, and viewing The Children’s Hour was partially inspired by seeing her in one of many leading roles throughout her career.

Hepburn had a sort of mythos around her, particularly due to her fast rise in the ’50s and ’60s, only to step away closer to her 40’s. And, of course, she was very, very beautiful. Talented and eye-catching, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that many developed a passion for cinema because of her. If they were to be introduced to her through this film, I think it would be a deserving adoration.

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Day Seventeen: Destroy All Monsters (March of the Movies 2023)

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Destroy All Monsters is probably one of my favorite Godzilla films in terms of the human element. That may seem like high praise, but given the state of humanistic conflict within this franchise, it’s actually like saying I prefer untoasted white bread to moldy bread. The benefit to this era of the king of the monsters is that plots can be as uproariously stupid as possible and be endearing because of it.

What that goofy nature ends up doing as a negative consequence, however, is making the kaiju scenes relatively dull. I adore the Heisei era of films from this series (1984-95) because of their scale and atmosphere. The incredible size of Godzilla and the weight to its movements. The booming score as it stomps around cities or fights other gargantuan beasts. Back before then, Godzilla was more… Power Rangers. Such is the case here.

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Day Fifteen: A Scanner Darkly (March of the Movies 2023)

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I had a very strange reaction to this film. Upon returning home from work, I turned on the available streaming service immediately and watched it with few interruptions. During the viewing, I had an incredible drowsiness again affect me, similarly with yesterday’s film. Unlike yesterday, I indulged that desire to sleep, so I did just after finishing. I woke up roughly an hour and a half later with a horrible funk depressing my entire being.

Oddly enough, I now feel somewhat empathetic of the main character of A Scanner Darkly. A prickling sensation that something is amiss, that life is curving inward against your will. No one truly understands you, not even yourself; everyone wishes to gain the advantage for themselves. Basically, I feel like shit… for a couple reasons.

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Day Fourteen: Limelight (1952) (March of the Movies 2023)

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A common occurrence for me during these month-long blocks is a man named Charlie Chaplin. This will mark the third year in a row I’ve seen a film involving him, and I think I’ll keep that trend going for future Marches. This is a bit of a bittersweet film for him, though, showcasing the parallel between his real-life career twilight and the character’s within. This is the second-to-last film he had a starring role in. Limelight is very appropriately named.

Chaplin’s later years as a filmmaker were far more emotionally charged than the zany, almost cartoonishly wholesome origins of his “Tramp” character. To some extent, I’m glad I started with something more grandiose in The Dictator, allowing me to see the end point of an evolutionary style from the infancy of film. Going into this, I figured it would be deeply sentimental. I was not wrong.

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