Welcome to the 812th Edition of my series. We're inching ever closer to MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET: THE MUSICAL at the Marion Civic Theater. If interested, please check out https://www.onthestage.com/show/marion-civic-theatre-inc/miracle-on-34th-street-the-musical-60140 for ticket information. There is not much else happening right now so I will just get on with my selections.
The Triplets of Belleville (2003): I start the week out with this French animated film which was written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno set out to rescue her grandson who was kidnapped. She teams up with the Belleville Sisters who were a song and dance team from the Astaire era. This is mostly a silent animated movie where most of the dialogue was through song. It has some great animation with a good story to make the silence work. Animation enthusiasts will really enjoy this one and for those not fond of Disney will really like this one.
Magnolia (1999): Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed this ensemble film where a group of interrelated characters are in search of love, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Pat Healy, Neil Flynn, Rod McLachlan, Patton Oswalt, Brad Hunt, Chris O'Hara, Clement Blake, Philip Baker Hall, Melora Walters, Thomas Jane, Melinda Dillon, Jeremy Blackman, Michael Bowen, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Alfred Molina, Felicity Huffman, Eileen Ryan, Luis Guzman, Orlando Jones, Henry Gibson, Clark Gregg, Ricky Jay, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and many others co-star in this ensemble drama. The star of this movie might be Aimee Mann's soundtrack that flows perfectly with the film. I have always said Tom Cruise's character was my favorite but I also believe the character John C. Reilly is after this watch as well. I loved the dynamic between him and Melora Walters. To watch this, one has to put aside three hours but it was worth those three hours to watch this film.
Luca (2021): I finally decided to get to this Pixar film everyone is talking about. Enrico Casarosa directed and co-wrote this Pixar animated movie. Jacob Tremblay stars as the sea creature Luca who meets and becomes friends with fellow sea monster Alberto, voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer, who shows him what it is like on land which is forbidden from Luca's parents. When they are on dry land, they turn into human form unless they are exposed to water. They meet Giulia and help her in the annual triathlon. Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli, Jim Gaffigan, Peter Sohn, Marina Massironi, Sandy Martin, Giacomo Giannotti, Elisa Gabrielle, Mimi Maynard, Sacha Baron Cohen, and many others co-star in this animated film. This is a very enjoyable Pixar film even if it may not be the best. This is one that the family watch. I feel it has shades of THE LITTLE MERMAID and THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. I am pretty sure the characters were modeled from the second movie mentioned. It also has the common theme of fearing the unknown. This is a great coming of age story and is available to watch on Disney Plus.
The Assignation (1953): This is my short film for the week which was written and directed by Curtis Harrington. This was shot in in Venice, Italy where a masked figure is followed through the labyrinthe canals of the city which builds to a satisfying ending. The locales and the way it plays out make the eight minutes very worth it. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Horse Feathers (1932): Norman Z. McLeod directed this comedy starring the Marx Brothers. Groucho Marx stars as university president Quincy Adams Wagstaff and looks to help the football team beat their rivals. He ends up hiring bumblers Baravelli and Pinky, played by Chico and Harpo Marx, who have some of the best football bloopers of all time. Zeppo Marx co-stars as Quincy's son Frank who is on the football team and has his best work in this one in my opinion before he would eventually leave the group and become an agent. Thelma Todd, David Landau, and many others co-star in this comedy. This has a memorable music number in Groucho's famous song WHATEVER IT IS, I'M AGAINST IT. There is also a lot of the usual zaniness from the Marx Brothers. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel as are their other comedies.
Oliver! (1968): Carol Reed directed this musical based on the novel by Charles Dickens with this version being written by Lionel Bart that includes the music. Mark Lester stars as the orphaned Oliver Twist and meets the Artful Dodger, played by Jack Wild, who takes Oliver to stay with a group of boys with Fagin, played by Ron Moody. Fagin trains these boys to be pickpockets and must keep the sadistic Bill Sykes, played by Oliver Reed, happy. Shani Wells, Harry Secombe, Hugh Griffith, Joseph O'Conor, Peggy Mount, Leonard Rossiter, and many others co-star in this musical. This has always been my favorite musical from this era as I tend to favor the darker musicals and this is dark even if there are a lot of children in the movie. Moody is great as Fagin who tells us that we need to pick a pocket or two. This is a musical I would do if I can play Fagin or Bill Sykes.
Paris is Burning (1990): This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Jennie Livingston. This takes a look at the '80s drag scene in New York. Lots of the "queens" are interviewed as they reflect on their times and the people they take in as well as the "balls" that are popular among the group. Dorian Carey, Paris Dupree, Pepper LaBeija, Willi Ninja, among others are interviewed in this documentary. This was a time where being gay was taboo enough but also wearing drag. Much of the people are interviewed are black and talk about how that makes it even more difficult for them. This is a very eye-opening documentary and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Zatoichi on the Road (1963): This is my Japanese film for the week that features one of their most popular characters, maybe second to Godzilla, in the blind swordsman of the title character. Kimiyoshi Yasuda directed this action film which stars Shintaro Katsu in the title role. Zatoichi is asked by a dying man to deliver the maiden Mitsu, played by Shiho Fujimura, to her family in Edo and feels honor bound to take her. Along the way, he finds two rival gangs have a mysterious interest in her. Reiko Fujiwara, Yoshio Yoshida, Sonosuke Sawamura, Shosaku Sugiyama, Yutaka Nakamura, and many others co-star in this film. This was a character introduced in 1962 and has been used even into the 2000s. I'm not going to claim I have any expertise into this character but this was a good movie as a whole and might be interested to check out some of these others in the future. This is available to watch on Criterion as well as many others that feature this character.
The Outlaw (1943): This is my western for the week which was directed by Howard Hughes after Howard Hawks left the project. Jack Buetel stars as Billy the Kid while Walter Huston stars as Doc Holliday who become friends out of mutual respect leaving Doc's friend Pat Garrett, played by Thomas Mitchell. Tension comes between Billy and Doc as they fight over Doc's girl Rio, played by Jane Russell in her film debut, and what this movie is most known for as Hughes made a nationwide search for a busty actress. Mimi Aguglia, Joe Sawyer, Ben Johnson, and many others co-star in this western. If looking for historical accuracy, this is not it. I have not looked into if Doc and Billy ever had an association with one another. This was very controversial for the time and is now known for just being a really weird western.
Running With Scissors (2006): Ryan Murphy directed this biopic based on the book by Augusten Burroughs, played by Joseph Cross. Augusten's unstable mother Deirdre, played by Annette Bening, sends him to live with her therapist Dr. Finch, played by Brian Cox, where he spends his adolescent years with the unusual Finch family. We also see Deirdre's mental illness continue to worsen through life experiences. Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, Gabrielle Union, Patrick Wilson, Kristin Chenoweth, Dagmara Dominczyk, Colleen Camp, Jack Kaeding, and many others co-star in this film. This kind of felt like a darker version of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU with the Finch family where they all had a quirk of sort. This is a good coming of age story that is based on a true one which kept my attention throughout the film.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Sean Connery, Meryl Streep, Barbara Stanwyck, Amanda Seyfried, Gene Hackman, Paul Muni, and many others.
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