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I still need to finish up last years. Doesn’t sit right with me that I was unable to complete it.
2024 Film Challenge
First category complete!
Good Ol' Terra Ferma:
The class of the group: Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2014) is a good look at what goes on in yearlong stints in the frigid continent. There's a spirit of cooperation whether it's a big New Year's party or a movie festival (!). But it doesn't shy away from the hard part of staying there: the frigid temperatures, forgetting simple things, the resentment at those who come in during the warm season (relatively speaking). Definitely a fascinating watch.
The rest: Desierto (2015) has a couple of decent performances (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Gael Garcia Bernal) but a lack of characterization and depth of story keeps this from fulfilling what could have been a provocative premise. True Spirit (2023) has a gripping real-life story of a teen girl determined to go around the world, but outside of Anna Paquin appearing as her mother (!), but it feels a bit too sanitized for our protection as the film struggles between the teen film it's trying to be (a let's repair the boat sequence with Cobie Caillet's Brighter than the Sun playing) and the true story it is (the sequence where the storms hit as she's fairly close to home). We may have to wait for the documentary on that one. The story of Zan: King of the Jungle (aka Tarzan in the Golden Grotto) (1968) and how it got made is ultimately more interesting than the film itself. Although the jungles in Suriname look nice and there's a couple amusing scenes involving snakes, one gets bored of the efforts of two white men to get gold and Zan's efforts to protect first a prospector who is looking for a treasure and then his daughter while he plays peacemaker between an Amazon tribe and a tribe of natives. I'd guess Edgar Rice Burroughs wouldn't have approved of the efforts of Manuel Cano to get this made.
Good Ol' Terra Ferma:
The class of the group: Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2014) is a good look at what goes on in yearlong stints in the frigid continent. There's a spirit of cooperation whether it's a big New Year's party or a movie festival (!). But it doesn't shy away from the hard part of staying there: the frigid temperatures, forgetting simple things, the resentment at those who come in during the warm season (relatively speaking). Definitely a fascinating watch.
The rest: Desierto (2015) has a couple of decent performances (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Gael Garcia Bernal) but a lack of characterization and depth of story keeps this from fulfilling what could have been a provocative premise. True Spirit (2023) has a gripping real-life story of a teen girl determined to go around the world, but outside of Anna Paquin appearing as her mother (!), but it feels a bit too sanitized for our protection as the film struggles between the teen film it's trying to be (a let's repair the boat sequence with Cobie Caillet's Brighter than the Sun playing) and the true story it is (the sequence where the storms hit as she's fairly close to home). We may have to wait for the documentary on that one. The story of Zan: King of the Jungle (aka Tarzan in the Golden Grotto) (1968) and how it got made is ultimately more interesting than the film itself. Although the jungles in Suriname look nice and there's a couple amusing scenes involving snakes, one gets bored of the efforts of two white men to get gold and Zan's efforts to protect first a prospector who is looking for a treasure and then his daughter while he plays peacemaker between an Amazon tribe and a tribe of natives. I'd guess Edgar Rice Burroughs wouldn't have approved of the efforts of Manuel Cano to get this made.
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User Lists
Here's the second!
Sophomore's Choice:
The Class of the Group: Detour (1945) is a top flight noir about a piano player who bums a ride to Hollywood to reunite with his singer girlfriend. Before you can say danger, Al finds himself over his head with a dead body, a borrowed identity and a mysterious woman (Ann Savage, living up to the name) who makes his life a living hell. The fact that this film manages to pack that much punch in 68 short minutes means it should probably be illegal...but it isn't!
The Rest: A bunch of decent films that couldn't compete with one of my top 3 of the year so far. Nothing Sacred (1937) had some moments that packed a punch (literally) and some solid chemistry between Carole Lombard and Frederick March, but it failed to hit the dizzying heights of His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) was definitely a landmark in animation for Disney, but the film's characters lacked the depth that I found in Frozen and the story is a bit too simple for its own good. Credit however to the evil Queen/stepmother for keeping me going. Robin Hood (1973) is also a bit too simple for its own good, even though the voice acting wasn't bad and there were some entertaining moments. The Unholy Four (1970) had an interesting story and some good action sequences, but it was poky in the first half and lead Leonard Mann was overshadowed by Woody Strode.
Sophomore's Choice:
The Class of the Group: Detour (1945) is a top flight noir about a piano player who bums a ride to Hollywood to reunite with his singer girlfriend. Before you can say danger, Al finds himself over his head with a dead body, a borrowed identity and a mysterious woman (Ann Savage, living up to the name) who makes his life a living hell. The fact that this film manages to pack that much punch in 68 short minutes means it should probably be illegal...but it isn't!
The Rest: A bunch of decent films that couldn't compete with one of my top 3 of the year so far. Nothing Sacred (1937) had some moments that packed a punch (literally) and some solid chemistry between Carole Lombard and Frederick March, but it failed to hit the dizzying heights of His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) was definitely a landmark in animation for Disney, but the film's characters lacked the depth that I found in Frozen and the story is a bit too simple for its own good. Credit however to the evil Queen/stepmother for keeping me going. Robin Hood (1973) is also a bit too simple for its own good, even though the voice acting wasn't bad and there were some entertaining moments. The Unholy Four (1970) had an interesting story and some good action sequences, but it was poky in the first half and lead Leonard Mann was overshadowed by Woody Strode.
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