the night is a gracious cloak To hide my soul’s defeat

The night was made for rest and sleep, 

For winds that softly sigh; 

It was not made for grief and tears; 

So then why do I cry? 

 

The wind that blows through leafy trees 

Is soft and warm and sweet; 

For me the night is a gracious cloak 

To hide my soul’s defeat. 

 

Just one dark hour of shaken depths, 

Of bitter black despair— 

Another day will find me brave, 

And not afraid to dare. 

 

[Clarissa Scott Delany {1901-1927} 'Interim', from Caroling Dusk]

the true dwelling of the holy

I've been thinking about the way, when you walk 

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs 

to let you by. Or how strangers still say "bless you" 

when someone sneezes, a leftover 

from the Bubonic plague. "Don't die," we are saying. 

And sometimes, when you spill lemons 

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you 

pick them up. Mostly, we don't want to harm each other. 

We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot, 

and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile 

at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress 

to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, 

and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass. 

We have so little of each other, now. So far 

from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. 

What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these 

fleeting temples we make together when we say, "Here, 

have my seat," "Go ahead—you first," "I like your hat." 

 

 [Danusha Laméris {1971- } 'Small Kindnesses']

is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments?

1 If you had to name the most beautiful bed you have ever occupied, what would it be? 

   the California king in my suite at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, during the adventure described here. I've added a couple of pictures (on this post) of what I'm pretty sure is the exact suite I had. 

 

2 If you could prevent someone you know from overusing one word or phrase, who would it be, and what word would it be?   

    funny, someone who lies more than they ought (and not nearly as believably as they think) often starts difficult or bold or contentious statements with "quite honestly...". It tends to make whatever they say next sound even more abrasive or painful.

 

3 If you could give an Academy Award to the most underappreciated actor in the history of Hollywood, who would you award it to? 

    there are lots of underappreciated folks in film. I think the greater problem is that the breadth or parameters of some categories automatically undercuts certain genres, and the power of the big movie-houses still crushes out the little guy. Martial arts movies don't typically get the nod (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000, being a notable exception). Comedies are often bypassed (Gene Wilder never won an Oscar?!). An outstanding performer whose work has gone un-awarded in the past is sometimes given a lifetime achievement award, but their individual film contributions were still missed (Charles Chaplin, for example). 

    Rather than giving one "hidden gem" award, maybe I would just revamp the process: pitting drama against drama, comedy against comedy, etc., and adding more genres besides; changing the "supporting" criteria to a strict percentage of screen time or even screen-time-ratio-to-leads rather than whatever the heck it is now; and, finally, adding a "in retrospect" award for films, those behind the camera, and actors - which are only coming to be appreciated after the fact. 

4 If you had to name the one thing you did as a child to most torment your sibling(s), what was it that you did? 

    my siblings were born 18 months apart, so they were already functioning as a unit by the time I showed up 4 years later. From what I can piece together from photos, they thought I was an interesting but essentially useless specimen. Other than the natural disruption of sharing a room with my sister for my first 13 or so years, I mostly kept to myself and stayed out of their way. 

    The one exception to that rule was practicing my clarinet. My brother recently mentioned ruefully that I was "always honking that thing," which still makes me laugh and blush. I guess I'm glad I was oblivious to how annoying it was, or I'd have given it up long before I did, and missed out on some great memories.

 

5 If you had to name the subject you took in school that turned out to be least useful or worthwhile, what would it be? 

    some of my English classes were useless. I must've gotten into the "normal kid" track rather than the "reads every waking minute" track, because my recollections of lit classes are of reading [whichever] entire book the day we got the assignment, only to realize the next day that we were discussing paragraphs one and two of the first chapter. Whaaaaaa--??? Who reads that slowly for crissakes? My frustration and obnoxiousness was probably unbearable.

    Those experiences didn't eliminate my love for reading, but they did make me avoid lit courses in college. 

 

6 If you could own one article of clothing from any TV show ever made, what would you take?  

    Watson's asymmetrical long black coat, from Elementary (2012-19). I actually tried to find one for myself, and despite the danged hefty cost I was sorely tempted--until I realized that the sleeves are just slightly puffed (shown well in the left picture, below), which would make me look even more outrageously shoulder-y. Sigh.

7 If you had to choose, from among your current friends, one person to be your partner in a new business venture, who would you choose? 

    ironically, the person with whom I most often actively argue, and with whom I disagree about certain fundamental economic issues, would be my very best business partner. They have a knack for it already, and we have some complementary skills and interests that would serve the business well. We've even talked about that idea, albeit in a "on an alternate planet where it would be possible" way.  

 

[from If2: 500 New Questions for the game of life; the title quotation is by Chuck Palahniuk, from Fight Club]

some doors remain closed not because they are locked, but because we are too afraid to turn the handle

1 Would you like the government to install extensive car and road sensors and automatically ticket anyone speeding, rolling through stop signs, or parking illegally? 

    how about instead of that technology, we focus efforts on creating safer roads, safer cars, better road lighting, more comprehensive driver instruction training requirements, and so forth?

 

2 If you could take a one-month trip anywhere in the world and money were not a consideration, where would you go and what would you do? 

    I'd go look for a house in Canada 

 

3 Do you think people in previous centuries were more adventurous than we are or simply more used to risk? 

    no more or less, just different. I mean, they presumably had different priorities—food, water, shelter—than modern people. Modern folks' need or desire for risk and adventure cannot be focused on those basic necessities, because the payoff is way too easy. We have to make it more complicated, with jealousies and drama and immature greed. 

 

4 Which would you prefer: a wild, turbulent life filled with joy, sorrow, passion, adventure, intoxicating successes, and stunning setbacks; or a happy, secure, predictable life surrounded by friends and family, without wide swings of fortune and mood? 

    I might prefer the former, but more easily live with the latter.

 

5 Have you ever made a big sacrifice for someone and kept it to yourself? 

    yes 

 

6 How much does fame impress you?

     very little. I've always preferred to run beneath the radar, and am suspicious of those who behave differently.

 

7 You're with friends at an icy mountain lake on a warm sunny day. If you knew it'd be a harsh, bracing shock to jump in, but that later you'd be refreshed and glad you'd done it, would you take the leap? 

    God, never. I hate being cold, and shockingly cold is horrendous.  

 

[from The Book of Questions; the title quotation is by Shivanshu K. Srivastava]

people are always giving me guns

Average rating: 7.5

Snatch (2000) - "Illegal boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) convinces gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) to offer bets on bare-knuckle boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) at his bookie business. When Mickey does not throw his first fight as agreed, an infuriated Brick Top demands another match. Meanwhile, gangster Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro) comes to place a bet for a friend with Brick Top's bookies, as multiple criminals converge on a stolen diamond that Frankie has come to London to sell."
length: 1 hour, 42 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: I'd seen it before (2016) but never reviewed it, I love Jason Statham, and the late Dennis Farina was always so good!
IMDB: 8.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 93%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "Look in the dog."

directed by: Guy Ritchie

my notes: it would help to be very drunk while watching this film, because it's possible to spend so much energy trying to figure it out that you can miss the point. In fact, now that I think about it, there is a strong resemblance to Pulp Fiction (1994; reviewed here). 

    My favorites: Statham as the deadpan and woebegone Turkish, Farina as nutty Cousin Avi, Vinnie Jones as surprisingly funny and uplifting Bullet-Tooth Tony, and Rade Serbedzija as the indomitable Boris the Blade.   

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I somewhat agree. "Snatch is fun to watch, even if no reasonable person could hope to understand the plot in one viewing."

overall:  recommended

 

The Big Sleep (1946) - "Private investigator Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood to help resolve the gambling debts of his wild young daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Sternwood's older daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), provides assistance when she implies that the situation is more complex, and also involves casino owner (John Ridgely) and a recently disappeared family friend. As people linked to the Sternwoods start being murdered, Marlowe finds himself getting ever deeper into the case."
length: 1 hour, 54 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: having seen To Have and Have Not, the pairing of Bogart and Bacall is enthralling
IMDB: 7.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 8/10

AFI: 100 Years … 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Hero #34

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'You like to play games, don't you?'

    [meaningful pause] 'Mmm hmmmm" 

directed by: Howard Hawks

my notes: there's no doubting the chemistry between these two, sheesh. Some of the looks that pass between them are so intimate, it's almost painful to watch. It's also a wackadoodle story that careens about for a couple of hours with no clear purpose, but is watchable nonetheless. High marks for the palpable, intense heat, as well as the excellent costuming.

    Roger Ebert's review is here, by which I am amused and charmed. "The Big Sleep is a lust story with a plot about a lot of other things."

overall:  enthusiastically recommended

La Femme Nikita (1990) - "Convicted felon Nikita (Anne Parillaud), instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained to be a secret police assassin controlled by the government. Her lonely life is warmed when she falls in love with a man who knows nothing of her mysterious life."
length: 1 hour, 57 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library    
I watched it because: I knew I'd seen it before (2006!) but had not reviewed it. Plus, Jean Reno

    previously mentioned here
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "'I'm scared.'

    'The worst's over.'"

directed by: Luc Besson (also wrote and co-produced)

my notes: when I saw this the first time, it really screwed with my head. I think that was more about who I was dating at the time—Nick brought this to me—than the movie itself. I had tagged it "do not see". However, time heals all wounds and some preferences (or fears), so I tried it again. 

    And I loved it.

    It's an uncomfortable film, with some scenes that are offensive, or scary, or intense and chaotic. There are also some unexpected, touching moments (Jeanne Moreau as Amande, teaching Nikita about grace) and also some real joy. I love, love, love Tchécky Karyo as Bob. It's such a tough role and he's superb. The expression at the end of the clip below ... brilliant. Naturally, Jean Reno (Victor the Cleaner) is terrific. 

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I strongly agree.

overall: highly recommended

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - "In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians."
length: 2 hours, 7 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Stephen Graham... all favorites
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 84% Audience: 65%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R (probably for the owl scene, which is unforgettable)

notable quote: "After today, Peter, you have to assume they're watching you. If there's anything you need tidied up, now's the time."

directed by: Tomas Alfredson

my notes: I thought that Tchécky Karyo in La Femme Nikita brilliantly conveyed a character of supreme, stoic quiet—and then I saw Gary Oldman in this film, imbuing Smiley with a similar mien, and realize that I'm drawn to such characters. It's an extremely twisty film and I'm sure I didn't catch all the layers. 

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I agree, most of all that "the screenplay ... is not a model of clarity. I confess I was confused some of the time and lost at other times; the viewer needs to hold in mind a large number of characters, a larger number of events and an infinite number of possibilities."

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Oldman

• Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay—Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

• Best Music, Original Score—Alberto Iglesias
overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Big Sleep]

I advance for as long as forever is

Twenty-four years remind the tears of my eyes. 

(Bury the dead for fear that they walk to the grave in labour.) 

In the groin of the natural doorway I crouched like a tailor 

Sewing a shroud for a journey 

By the light of the meat-eating sun. 

Dressed to die, the sensual strut begun, 

With my red veins full of money, 

In the final direction of the elementary town 

I advance for as long as forever is. 

 

[Dylan Thomas {1914-1953}, 'Twenty-Four Years' from Collected Poems]

a personality is stamped on a library just as a shoe is shaped by the foot

1 If you could accomplish only one thing in the rest of your life, what would it be? 

    to be content 

 

2 If you could completely eliminate one of your pet peeves, what would you get rid of? 

    I'm torn between two big ones: 

        - calling or texting just to chat, when I'm known to be working 

        - lawnmowers, chain saws, etc., before 9:AM 

 

3 If you could win any competition in the world, what would it be for? 

    the joy is in the playing. 

 

4 If you had to repeat one alcohol or drug experience you've had, which one would you relive?  

    this night at the biker bar with my friend and her friend, about which I've written a few times

 

5 If you had to name the best purchase you've ever made, which one would you choose? 

    at the moment, it's a tie between my 3 pairs of gorgeous slides (blue suede pictured here, burgundy velvet pictured here and here, and the black velvet that are just like the burgundy) ... and Bob Marley, the cactus

 

6 If you could change one thing about your home, what would you make different? 

    it would be located a little further out of town, in a valley with at least two exits, and surrounded by an acre of prairie flowers on each side, surrounded by a 20-foot brick wall with razor-wire and ground glass embedded in the top

 

7 If you could teach a person any single thing, who and what would you choose? 

    someone I know well is a really good cook - but cooks with way too much salt. Holding back a little (or a lot) on the salt can sometimes (often) make things taste more like themselves, you know? And too much salt can start to taste like a chemical rather than a flavor-enhancer. I still like their food, and still eat it as often as I can, but with the knowledge that I'll need an extra bottle of water to recover from a dry mouth and slightly queasy tummy later.

 

[from If...Questions for the Game of Life; the title quotation is by Alan Bennett, from "Baffled at a Bookcase" (London Review of Books, Vol. 33 No. 15, 28 July 2011)]

History will be kind to me—for I intend to write it

1 Has a chance encounter ever changed the course of your life? What was it? 

    while wandering the administration building on campus during law school, I ran into someone I'd known at the library when I'd been working a temporary job. She asked if I was planning to apply for the job that was open in the department I'd liked the best—technical services—when the manager left. I hadn't known it was open, and said I'd think about it. I applied the next day, got an interview later in the week, and was hired during the interview. I stayed in that role, through its expansion, for the next decade and a half. 

    I don't know if I ever had a chance to thank her for that question, or to let her know that it really did change my life. 

 

2 If a year of your life could be traded for $25,000, how many years would you trade in?  

    a past year, or a generic future year? I would trade 2004, 2007, 2015, and 2022 for a nickel, in a heartbeat.  

 

3 Do you believe that no one is indispensable in the workplace? 

    that is correct. What happens if you get hit by a bus? You get replaced. What happens if you get fired, downsized, move to a new town, win the lottery? You get replaced. It is possible to be valued, but 'indispensable' implies that the [work] world ends when you leave. Unless you're the only employee, that's not gonna happen.

 

4 Do you ever drink iced coffee or tea in the winter? 

    I drink iced tea at least every Saturday morning, throughout the year. And if I'm getting coffee it's going to be a "coffee drink" and thus served cold.

 

5 What smells do you find relaxing? 

    in small quantity, I like lemon, mint, or vanilla. Too much of even a good thing is a bad thing, though—pretty often, my migraine headaches arise from nothing so much as they do from a strong scent.

 

6 Have you toasted marshmallows on an open fire?

    I'm not an "open fire" sort of person, but I do have a couple of marshmallow tidbits:

    • my boss at the educational company made s'mores for a group of us while on a weekend at a cabin ... only he'd never made s'mores before, and was very much A City Kid. He understood them in principle but not in practice. He went outside with the proper ingredients, but came inside with what can only be described as grilled s'mores. As in, he'd assembled them like grilled cheese sandwiches, and then placed them on the grill. The graham crackers had grill marks (delicately turned mid-way so they were "done" on both sides). I laughed through tears at his adorableness, and am doing the same as I write this.

    • my mom is a big marshmallow fan, which is pretty weird because she's not one for sweet things generally. As the youngest child in my family, I enjoyed a "different family" than my siblings had, with a sort of focused attention that was both gratifying and highly annoying at times. One of those gratifying moments came when I walked into our kitchen to see my mom roasting a marshmallow on the (electric) stove. She'd speared it with a regular dinner fork and was gently rotating it above the burner. A quick, slightly guilty glance was followed by a big laugh and the two of us, forks in hand, giggling over our toasted marshmallow treat. That experience was never repeated but remains a funny, happy memory.

 

7 In what general knowledge quiz category is your knowledge generally not that great? 

    history 

 

[from 3000 Unique Questions about Me; the title quotation is Winston S. Churchill]

a spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool Heart

I am in need of music that would flow 

Over my fretful, feeling finger-tips, 

Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips, 

With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow. 

Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low, 

Of some song sung to rest the tired dead, 

A song to fall like water on my head, 

And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow! 

 

There is a magic made by melody: 

A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool 

Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep 

To the subaqueous stillness of the sea, 

And floats forever in a moon-green pool, 

Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep. 

 

[Elizabeth Bishop {1911-1979} 'Sonnet', from The Complete Poems 1927-1979]

I won't stay in quarantine! I don't care who catches it

Average rating: 7.25

49th Parallel (1941) - "In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth (Eric Portman) attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as French-Canadian fur trapper Johnnie (Laurence Olivier) and soldier Andy Brock (Raymond Massey)."
length: 2 hours, 3 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: Olivier, Raymond Massey - and Anton Walbrook
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Not rated

notable quote: "You call us Germans, you call us brothers, yes most of us are Germans, our name is German, our tongue is German, our handwritten books are in German scripts, but we are not your brothers. Our Germany's dead, however hard this may be for some of us older people, it's a blessing for our children. Our children grew against new backgrounds, new horizons and they are free."

directed by: Michael Powell

my notes: bizarre! Patriotic, funny, surprisingly violent, innocent, religious, reflective, smart, inspiring, and more besides. Olivier is both ridiculous and wonderful as the trapper, Johnnie. Finlay Currie (who I loved as Magwitch in Great Expectations {1946}, first reviewed here) is excellent as the Canadian factor. I also quite liked Leslie Howard as the resilient fop Philip Armstrong Scott. Best of the bunch, though, is Walbrook as Peter, the humble leader of the Hutterite group. It's such a quiet, thoughtful role. He also gives the best spoken performance in the film, an impassioned speech about freedom and meaning. 

    Roger Ebert's discussion of Powell and Emeric Pressburger's work is here, which I love.

Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Original story—Pressburger

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Writing, Screenplay—Rodney Ackland, Emeric Pressburger
overall:  recommended

 

Another Thin Man (1939) - "The Charles' are back in New York with Asta and a new arrival: Nickie Jr. They are invited by Colonel MacFey to spend the weekend at his house in Long Island as he desperately wants Charles to help him out. It seems he has been receiving threats from Phil Church, a very shady character. When McFey is killed, Church seems to be the obvious suspect, but Nick suspects there is something far more complicated going on. McFey's housekeeper, daughter and various hangers-on may all have had an interest in seeking the old man's demise."
length: 1 hour, 43 minutes

source: I own the DVD series
I watched it because: I want to watch them all in order

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 8/10 

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'Here's another one of those; "Call Long Island Operator #15." Don't you think you ought to call her?'

    'Certainly not; she knows better than that! I told her I was bringing the wife along this time.'

    'I don't know why I always take it for granted that you're kidding.'"

directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

my notes: thoroughly adorable. Powell's Nick is simultaneously smug and considerate, a fribble with a brain and a heart. Nora is a fashionable, sophisticated lady with a sense of humor and obvious kindness. Asta is, as always, cute and funny. This plot is twisted and complex but it sorts out properly in the end. 

overall:  highly recommended

Mulan (2020) - "A fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known. When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan—the eldest daughter of an honored warrior—steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation … and a proud father. "
length: 1 hour, 55 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: Jet Li and Donnie Yen make any movie worth seeing
IMDB: 5.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 72% Audience: 46%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: PG-13

notable quote: "You liar. Your deceit weakens you."

directed by: Niki Caro

my notes: keep in mind that this is a Disney film intended for children. It's neither brilliant cinema nor culturally realistic. It is inspiring, emotional, funny, and relevant. The action is terrific, the costumes excellent, and the score is not distracting. It's worth a see.

    RogerEbert.com's review is here, with which I do not wholly agree.

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Visual Effects—Sean Andrew Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, Steve Ingram

• Best Costume Design—Bina Daigeler
overall:  recommended

Nightmare Alley (1947) - "Mesmerized by the dark allure of the carnival world, opportunist Stanton clings to prophetess Mademoiselle Zeena to learn tricks of the trade. A catastrophic accident and pure chance favor Stanton and he starts using and abusing women who cross paths with him, bent on greasing his path to stardom as a 'spiritual advisor'. In time, Chicago's gullible swear by the Great Stanton's unsurpassed psychic powers. However, when deceit, lies, and hubris pave the way to success, who can deny that there's no place to go but down?"                          
length: 1 hour, 50 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: it has become a noir classic
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "I got wise to myself. I let the chaplain save me, and got a parole in no time. Boy, how I went for salvation! Comes in kind of handy when you're in a jam."

directed by: Edmund Goulding

my notes: strange, engrossing, and deeply meaningful, this movie equates material achievement with selling one's soul, love with weakness, and carnival culture with the pit of Hell. I was surprised by the pervasive religious message interspersed with sexual hedonism and perversion of the "helping" professions. It's hard to say whether men (weak, conniving, and/or brutish) or women (manipulative, conniving, and/or slaves to their devotion) are more demonized by this script. Tyrone Power (Stanton Carlisle) is marvelous in the starring role. "His" ladies—Joan Blondell as Zeena, Coleen Gray as Molly, and especially Helen Walker as Lilith—are a stew of lovely steps in Carlisle's reach for success. Watch it if you're up for a morality play disguised as ... well, a carnival.

    Note—because modern Hollywood can't come up with an original idea, this has been remade (2021). 

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Another Thin Man]

trace their black shadows symmetrically on the white sand

A beautiful summer night. 

The tall houses leave 

their balcony shutters open 

to the wide plaza of the old village. 

In the large deserted square, 

stone benches, burning bush and acacias 

trace their black shadows 

symmetrically on the white sand. 

In its zenith, the moon; in the tower, 

the clock's illuminated globe. 

I walk through this ancient village, 

alone, like a ghost. 

 

[Antonio Machado {1895-1939} 'Summer Night' {translated from the Spanish by Willis Barnstone}, from A Book of Luminous Things: An international anthology of poetry, edited by Czeslaw Milosz]

getting to what I want Will be slow going and mostly smoke

These logs, hacked so sloppily 

Their blonde grains resemble overdone poultry, 

Are too thick to catch. 

 

I crumple paper to encourage the flame, 

And for a brief moment everything is lit. 

 

But the logs haven't caught, 

Just seem to smolder and shrink 

As the heat works its way to their center. 

 

Getting to what I want 

Will be slow going and mostly smoke. 

 

[Tracy K. Smith {1972- } from 'Joy', in Such Color]

it is much more disheartening to have to steal than to be stolen from, hmmm?

Average rating: 7

The Red Shoes (1948) - "Under the authoritarian rule of charismatic ballet impressario Boris Lermontov, his proteges realize the full promise of their talents, but at a price: utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Under his near-obsessive guidance, young ballerina Victoria Page is poised for superstardom, but earns Lermontov's scorn when she falls in love with Julian Craster, composer of The Red Shoes, the ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents. Vicky leaves the company and marries Craster, but still finds herself torn between Lermontov's demands and those of her heart. "
length: 2 hours, 15 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: Anton Walbrook is my current cinematic fascination
IMDB: 8.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: NR

notable quote: "Not even the best magician in the world can produce a rabbit out of a hat if there is not already a rabbit in the hat."

directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

my notes: I love movies that turn out to be vastly different than expected. What a deep, weird, beautiful, distressing film this is! Walbrook's performance as Lermontov is exceptional. 

    Roger Ebert's review is here, which I think is brilliantly written.

Academy Award winner:
• Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color—Hein Heckroth, Arthur Lawson

• Best Music, Scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture—Brian Easdale
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Writing, Motion picture story—Pressburger

• Best Film Editing—Reginald Mills 

overall: strongly recommended

 

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974) - "Linus is certain that the Easter Beagle will bring eggs for everyone this year, but the rest of the gang is skeptical; taking matters into their own hands, Peppermint Patty and Marcie try to make Easter eggs, while Lucy throws a private egg hunt."
length: 30 minutes

source: I own the DVD (in a box set)
I watched it because: Easter was a blur, and I missed it
IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 80%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: TV-G

notable quote: "Never trust a man with a blanket!"

directed by: Phil Roman

my notes: this is a favorite of mine, and for good reason. It's got some religious undertones, but primarily about hope. That's never a bad thing. 

Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Children's Special—Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez 
overall: highly recommended

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) - "Wisborg, Germany, 1838. After acquiring a high-profile new client eager to purchase a residence in the bustling port city, avaricious estate agent Knock sends his young employee, Thomas Hutter, to the misty Carpathian Mountains. Excited yet sad to leave his lovely wife, Ellen, behind, Thomas embarks on a long journey to superstition-ridden Transylvania to deliver the papers personally. However, when the unsuspecting realtor finally meets the mysterious Count Orlok, the menacing figure of a gaunt tormentor begins to haunt Ellen's restless dreams, urging her to abandon hope and accept the inevitable. Although the odds are stacked against him, Thomas must still protect everything he holds dear in the name of love. But blood, the warm essence of life, is eternal, and the fresh marks on his neck reveal that evil has already spread."
length: 1 hour, 34 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: it's on all the best-lists
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%
my IMDB: 5/10

MPAA rating: NR

notable quote: "You've hurt yourself...the precious blood!"

directed by: F.W. Murnau

my notes: Ummmm, not my cup o' tea. It is 'good', and well made, and must have been terribly shocking a hundred years ago! And I never never never need to see it again.

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I mostly agree. "Nosferatu remains effective: It doesn’t scare us, but it haunts us. It shows not that vampires can jump out of shadows, but that evil can grow there, nourished on death."

overall:  recommended despite my distaste

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) - "To celebrate Arbor Day, the gang decide to do a great gardening project for Charlie Brown. Unfortunately, Charlie Brown learns that they did it in his baseball diamond, turning it in to a lush garden. With no alternative, he is forced to play against Peppermint Patty's team in that field. However, the bizarre setting seems to be working to his advantage. "
length: 24 minutes

source: I own the DVD (in a box set)
I watched it because: I also missed Arbor Day (a.k.a. Earth Day) this year
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: not rated

notable quote: "Explain love to me, Chuck."

directed by: Phil Roman

my notes: trees, flowers, and baseball; what's not to like?

Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Children's Special—Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez 
overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Red Shoes]