Week Twenty-Two

I think that was the fastest turn around for a week since the projects inception. Four films in the first four days. Might as well put up a new queue:

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - check
Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) - check
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - check
The Public Enemy (1931) - check

The White Ribbon

The White Ribbon (2009)
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149362/]

The Gist:
Small town in Germany at the brink of world war one, where strange and tragic events keep happening and there's a big mystery as to who is behind it. Except there isn't, it's the kids. Maybe the enigma of the film is why the kids are doing it? Except no, that isn't a mystery either. It's because the town is filled with a repressed air of religion and tradition, is a toxic environment, and so on. Really what keeps you enthralled with the film is to see how it's going to play out, how are things going to come to a head. It's a subtle work, and the few moments of heavy handedness were a bit of a blunt shock to me while watching. As a whole, it was mesmerizing and increasingly sinister.

Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby (1968)
IMDB #196 [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/]

The Gist:
Basically, Rosemary's hubby makes some weird pact with the creepy neighbors next door that has something to do with Rosemary's baby. They all treat her weird, force tanus root on her, force a doctor, and generally control her in ways both subtle and obvious. She goes back and forth from knowing something is going on and trying to uncover the truth to trying her best to ignore it (because the implications are pretty outlandish). In the end, the result is pretty suspenseful, manages to be pretty primal at times. However, the ending seems almost ludicrous (probably intentionally), and there were moments in the film where the husband's actions were so overtly manipulative and sketch that I wanted her to go for the knife way before she did. Once she did I wanted her to use it.

The Sweet Smell of Success

The Sweet Smell of Success
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051036/]

The Gist:
The weird niche world of a press man in a muckraking newspaper, the disintegration of the American dream of capitalism, the gradual loss of moral grounding, and the objectification and subjugation of women. All these elements are fair game in The Sweet Smell of Success, a film that drags every dirty and rotten thing about society at a place and time into the mud and leaves the audience with a subtle feeling of determination. This feeling is mostly due to one character's decision to finally assert herself while those around her are left to dwell in the darkness, and we as an audience are reminded that the path of the righteous is not an easy path but one always available. Or something like that.

Footlight Parade

Footlight Parade (1933)
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024028/]

The Gist:
Early Busby Berkeley musical with James Cagney, and really the forerunner of all musicals to follow. The dialogue is fast, crisp, the atmosphere manic. The musical numbers don't really come until the end, kind of like All That Jazz (only All That Jazz put a really morbid spin on this idea). Before the numbers take place, the film is entrenched in the backstage of the musical, breathing the beautiful process.

Week Twenty-One

Alright, we're into the dash weeks (twenty-one, twenty-two, etc). New queue:

The White Ribbon (2009) - check
Rosemary's Baby (1968) - check
The Footlight Parade (1933) - check
The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - check

Five Months

As we approach the half year mark, the project is in good spirits. The top five of the month:

1. Wild Strawberries
2. Sullivan's Travels
3. My Dinner With Andre
4. Play It Again, Sam
5. Laura

Honorable Mention: Riding Giants, All About Eve