g’day teem!
How are you this morning? I’m doing pretty well. Just woke up, cup of tea by my side, new plan set in place so that these things are in your inbox by the time you wake up so you actually do have something to look forward to in this (hopefully) last week of level 3 lockdown!
Fingers crossed for level 2 soonish so that we may be able to dine and dash all the way to a mutual meeting place so that I may shake your hand and shake other parts of you as well. Like your butt. If that wasn’t clear.
Anyway-
Part 2 of my 50’s list today!
Hope you found at least one flick in yesterday’s list that you had never heard of before and maybe gave it a try. Hope you can use today’s list to do the same. We’ll see how far down it I get- there are more 50’s here than I initially anticipated and I may have to break this list into three.
That’s not so bad. That’s a plan in place. Love a bit of structure.
FOR HAPPY/SAD
Films that’ll make you go “Wowza yowza” then moments later make you go “aw beans”
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018- dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen- NETFLIX)
The last joint directorial effort from those oddball, ultra-niche lads, the Coen Brothers, this Netflix original is a western anthology that explores multiple characters as they all grapple with death in various different forms. Sometimes very funny, sometimes extremely heartwrenching, sometimes a combination of the two.
Buster Scruggs falls in this category because of how it very effortlessly juggles it’s tones. It switches said tones up from short to short, crafting a beautiful tapestry of different moods and styles. The titular Scruggs is a singing cowboy played by Tim Blake Nelson. An old man spends an excruciatingly long time searching for gold. Strangers boast to one another on a long ride to an unknown destination. Some of the stories are very loud, others very quiet, all of them meticulously crafted to pull out the juice that you keep close to your heart.
The Big Sick (2017- dir. Michael Showalter- NETFLIX / NEON RENTALS / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
This movie made me call my Mum the second it was over. Very, very funny but also very, very heart wrenching, this follows the true story of real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani & Emily V. Gordon. How, right at the beginning of their relationship, after a huge fight, she fell into a deadly coma bringing Kumail face to face with her parents much sooner than he ever anticipated. There’s a scene that stands out to me as I write this out. Right after it happens, Kumail (playing himself) meets Emily’s (Zoe Kazan) parents (Ray Romano & Holly Hunter- both excellent). Hunter thanks Kumail for getting her to the hospital and getting them there, but then dismisses him. She knows about the fight. He’s done his part.
But he stays. He buys an oversized stuffed giraffe and awkwardly waits in the waiting room which eventually forces the three of them to get to know each other.
If that’s not true love then I don’t know what is.
This is what this movie feels like. It feels like a peek into what true love can be. What is possible for the heart, for all of us. I especially love Kumail’s relationship to his parents here- both old fashioned Pakistani immigrants- who want their son to marry a traditional Pakistani girl. As his mother learns more and more about this relationship that he’s evidently hiding from her, she shuts further and further out. Her trust severed, her son not the person she thought she raised, she’s ready to cut ties altogether, no matter what he does.
It’s heartwrenching, it’s powerful, it’s an examination of complicated people of differant cultures and how love can heal. It rules.
BlackkKlansman (2018- dir. Spike Lee- ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Spike Lee man. Spikey boy. This one is interesting considering I rated it as one of the best films of the year when it came out, but I can remember very little about it, save for the hollowness I felt when stepping out of the theatre. I’m chucking it here cause it’s overflowing with that iconic Spike Lee style that makes any joint of his so delectable. The key thing that I do remember from this film (about the real-life operation of two cops, John David Washington & Adam Driver, who work together infiltrate their local KKK branch and bring it down from the inside) is Connie, the upbeat, perky, cookies and rolling pins wife of one of the key Klan members. Played incredibly here by Ashlie Atkinson, Connie is a true blue American monster. The kind of racist that you think is trapped, oppressed by her much more outspoken bigoted husband, forced into the kitchen. Nah fam, she’s just as hateful, keeping that rage and disgust and racism deep under the skin, ready to strike at a moments notice. In the klans big third act final plan, she’s the one who’s more than willing (at least from what I can remember) to take the bombs and plant them where they need to be planted, in an attempt to kill a whole bunch of innocent black folks. That’s the true nasty. The kind that will shake your hand with a big ol’ smile in one moment and spit in your face in the next. In fact, this whole movie is a big ol’ argument for Anti-Racisim. It’s not enough to not be racist. You gotta oppose it whenever it rears it’s fat, colonial, bigot head. You gotta check yourself and be better and then go out of your way to make sure your streets are the same.
Anyway- Spike Lee make a good movie and this is no exception.
David Byrne’s American Utopia (2020- dir. Spike Lee- AMAZON PRIME VIDEO / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Funny you should mention Spike Lee Matt, cause he also directed one of the next movies of last year as well. American Utopia is a concert film, a recorded version of the Broadway show of the same name which combines the works of Talking Heads frontman and all-time kook David Byrne with an all-time combination of minimalist set design and intricate stage direction. The result is an incredibly detailed and rich tapestry of sound and movement that envelops you like a powerful tide. You’re swept along at speed, your jaw on the ground in one moment, your baby brain blown from what it takes to have a full orchestra on their feet at all times, moving just as much as Byrne is, or your sweet baby heart is broken in two by what they’re trying to convey to you. I don’t wanna dive too deep into it cause it’s best to just dive in for yourself, to experience as much of this absolutely stellar performance with a clean slate as you can. It’s masterful. It’s cinema baby.
Eighth Grade (2018- dir. Bo Burnham- ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Ya like cringe? Ya like to cringe? Ya like a gag where the punchline is you- cringing? Eighth Grade! Kayla, 13-year-old girl with more social anxiety than a me talking to a person with any kind of power, has to survive the summer after Eighth Grade (year 9 if you’re paying attention). It sucks! It sucks to be 13 and alive this movie tells you! No matter how many times you tell your one subscriber to be yourself, you’re still gonna get invited to boy-girl pool parties where strangers will challenge you to breathing underwater contests, you’re still gonna google how to give a blowjob and you’re still gonna get stalked by your dad at the mall. This movie achieves greatness by putting you directly in the shoes of it’s teenage protagonist, dowsing you with all the gritty, confusing emotions that come with it. The shame, the anxiety, the feeling of complete inadequacy. When Kayla squirms, you squirm. When she succeeds, you leap out of your chair in celebration. It’s a rom-com, a coming of age story and a horror movie all squished into one. There is a scene right towards the end of the movie where she takes a tiny, seemingly inconsequential step of growth that in any other movie would seem minuscule or even pathetic. Here it’s monumental and had sobbing in joy, proud of far she’d come. That’s the rollercoaster you’re in store for here.
Inside Out (2015- dir. Pete Docter- DISNEY+ / ITUNES)
You know what Inside Out is. If you’re reading this you’re either my friend or my very supportive mother who grew up or raised a child in the mid-2010’s. This is the movie about the girl who’s emotions have emotions. Joy and Saddness go on a road trip through metaphor in the brain. The message is that it’s ok to be sad sometimes. That’s how you grow. Yo I was 16 when I saw this first and it fucked me up for life. You’re telling me there are folk just zipping around my cortex just waiting for the day that they fucking die? That’s no good. Put my brain in a jar. Attach some wires to it. That’ll sort it I reckon.
La La Land (2016- dir. Damien Chazelle- NETFLIX / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
I discussed why I like Musicals yesterday. They’re too easy to love, easy to be swept up in something magical and larger than life. I’ve only seen La La Land once and I know it’s become somewhat of a joke since the whole Oscars situation with Moonlight but I remember this flick holding me by the god damn balls the entire time. It’s colourful and sad! Pretty people love each other and sing! Cruella’s jumping on cars! That’s a good time.
Little Women (2020- dir. Greta Gerwig- NEON / NEON RENTALS / AMAZON PRIME VIDEO / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Last years Little Women was the first film I saw of the year, in the January right before everything went nuts up. It stayed at the top of my list for the rest of the year. I’m biased of course, one of my goals in life is to meet & marry the wickedly talented Saoirse Ronan so I never have to work another day in my life. But genuinely, under Greta Gerwig’s deftly taleted direction, a cast of absolute powerhouses bringing their absolute a-game and just some absolutely steller, lush set design, something really, really special is born. My ADHD doesn’t traditionally allow me to read classic literature, so my knowledge about the original novel was pretty limited. Going in blind I found myself mesmerized from beginning to end by an emotional, rich, gratifying story of sisterhood and growing up. Florence Pugh I had seen before in Midsommar, but here she really glows, giving both brat as well as deep sorrow. Emma Watson goes against type as a young woman in love with the idea of love and a deep desire to be admired. Laura Dern & Meryl Streep are Laura Dern & Meryl Streep so of course they both crush. Saorise Ronan is already on her way, but I have a strong inkling that she’s gonna wind up in that same category soon enough. She’s so captivating in this, dynamic and self-important. Desperate for a full detachment from romance while at the same time so desperately lonely. In order to get the idea across, Gerwig criss-crosses in time, without warning and with very little cues, save for the colour palette swap. Half of the movie is spent with these Marsh sisters as girls. The time spent here is like the the most vibrant spring. Colour and joy sprinkled from the day to day. Nostalgic for days gone by, for simpler times when you could tumble around in the grass and your body would refuse to get hurt. But of course, everyone has to grow up. The second half is spent in the winter. The autumn leaves have fallen. Childhood is over, mistakes have been made, and all that’s left is memories, regret and the choices you can make to move forward. As I said, the colour palattes reflect this, childhood basked in warm hugs of yellow and orange, while grey and blue are draped over adulthood. It’s a heartbreaking flick. While in the theatre, I never wanted to leave the Marsh sisters. But of course, things change.
Room (2018- dir. Lenny Abrahamson- NEON RENTALS /ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Room may be the most heartbreaking movie on this list. I only recommend this is if you’re in the mood for something extremely heavy- like weigh down on your chest for the rest of the week heavy.
It’s the story about a 5 year old boy, Jack, and his mother who live in a shack. His mother (Brie Larson in her best ever role to date in my opinion) was kidnapped by a man they call “Old Nick”- Jack’s father by rape, and has been kept in this shack for the last seven years. Brie has convinced Jack that the outside world doesn’t exist. Then one day, he escapes- leading to her eventual escape- and his first every experience in the outside world. For the entire runtime, the camera is down on the ground, at Jack’s eye level, exploring through his perspective. We see the movie through his eyes.
It’s an incredibly powerful flick. I can’t say that I've ever revised it, the film not being one I wanted to revisit for a long time. I felt that weight. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremberly’s performances were so personal and raw and real. This is a movie about pain and love and it will rip your heart out and stop it to a bloody pulp on the floor if you aren’t careful. Proceed with caution.
Shaun of the Dead (2004- dir. Edgar Wright- NEON / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Ok, you deserve something a little bit lighter. Shaun of the Dead is fan-favourite film maker’s (The fan is me) most famous feature, the flick that put the man on the map. It’s about a slacker shithead and his best friend who try to survive during the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s excruciatingly funny and also quite sad at points, deaths and betrayal and blood aplenty. A lot of the beats in this are a little bit trite and cliched by this point, most of them being hammered to death in a hundred different zombie movies that were released afterwards. But never have those tropes ever been done with this much class & style.
A Star Is Born (2018- dir. Bradley Cooper- NEON RENTALS /ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
There’s a scene in the trailer of the latest A Star Is Born (the movie about how Brad Cooper is an aging rock star falling in love with Lady Gaga’s rising superstar) where Gaga takes the stage for the first time, nervous as all hell, before she performs Shallow for the first time. You may remember the song as the smash hit that touched every single radio station during the six long months it got play time. In the film it’s an incredibly personal thing, something she wrote herself, something she’s very proud of.
And he’s singing it to a crowd of thousands. And she’s there. And she almost doesn’t go on. And then she does and then she performs.
I mentioned the trailer earlier because that’s the key moment in the trailer. It’s what all the traliers were centered around. The song was being hyped up, whoever was in charge of marketing the movie was pretty confident that this power ballad was gonna be the song of the summer. All of this is to say that I knew it was coming. My brain, logically, had all the images of what was about to happen.
And then when it did my body went into cardiac arrest.
I almost fell out of my chair, I couldn’t breathe. Like physically, legitimately, I couldn’t breathe. I’m not even that big of a Gaga stan, that didn’t happen until two years later at the release of the exceptional Chromatica.
There is something so incredibly special about being lost in a film, to get so lost in the emotional narrative, in the sheer pain in a characters face, that you forget that in you’re in a room full of other people. When Gaga got her closeup and sung her song with as much passion as she could possibly muster, I felt myself ascend.
I was just so happy for her.
This flick goes here because the rest of the film gets pretty sad later on, but in terms of all time great moments, this one really takes the cake.
Swiss Army Man (2016- dir. Daniels- ACADEMY ON DEMAND / ITUNES / GOOGLE PLAY)
Swiss Army Man opens with Paul Dano stuck on an island. He finds the dead body of Daniel Radcliffe. Dan is dead, so his bowels are emptying and he’s farting up a storm. Paul clambers onto Dans back and, using the momentum of his farts, rides him like a jetski all the way back to shore. That’s the first five minutes.
Swiss Army Man is a surrealist masterpiece about friendship and loyalty. It’s a coming of age story. It’s an examination of the “Nice Guy”. It’s a father son story. it has one of the most gorgeous soundtracks ever put to film.
There’s so much about this thing that I just don’t want to say because I despretely want you to seek it out for yourself. Trust me when I say that this the best movie about a farting corpse ever made. It’ll make you cry more than once. That’s a ding dang promise.
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Ok, so while my brothers birthday was yesterday, we celebrated it today and then watched Mean Girls. So I didn’t have a ton of time to write out this thing (or write much of anything). Why not make this a week long thing?
I’m writing a hell of a lot more than I anticipated and am enjoying this examination into the movies that I love, and I reckon I have enough catagories that should last me until Friday at least. I hope you’re getting something out of them.
I hope you’re doing ok. We’re almost there.
xxx
-Mattie Bee