Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2021 Edition

A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #5 (i.e. 15, 405, 854): Dodes’ka-den (#465)
Nearing the end of my Kursosawa journey

A film from the 1950s: The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954)
Cheesy but fun adventure film which expects you to believe that a crimson-haired white lady is an ancient Persian.

A film about mothers: Relic (2020)
Alzheimer's-as-horror-movie. Not something to watch on Mother's Day, but technically about a mother.

A film with a bird in its title (Bird Day, May 4): Birdshot (2016)
A film from the Philippines about a young girl who mistakenly shoots a protected species of eagle while hunting. Recommended

Weak showing this month.

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I've seen EITHER Hero or House of Flying Daggers, can never remember which. Saw it at the theater way back when and loved it. Need to (re)watch both of them soon.

Glad to hear your first Marx Bros film was a hit. That's a family favorite since childhood for me. If you're looking for more, any of the "animal" titles from the 1930s would be a good choice.

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My Collection

Nice. Have barely heard about most of your choices for the month, but sounds good.

As for the Marx brothers, that's more or less what most people have said to me. I think even you had mentioned the "animal" titles to me before, so I'll make sure to keep an eye on those.

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Be sure to watch Horse Feathers with the white phagocytes.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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They switched studios after Duck Soup, and their new bosses evidently decided that Marx Bros films needed to have "plots", so the shenanigans started to take a back seat to whatever that movie was "about". Some of those films are good too, but for undiluted anarchy your best bet is the pre-Duck Soup films.

And I'd only recommend The Cocoanuts (1929) after you've seen the rest.

El Dorado follows Cole Thornton (John Wayne) a gun-for-hire that wants to help his friend J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), a sheriff that has to deal with a conflict between two rival ranchers, but has recently resorted to alcoholism after a break-up turning him into the "mock of the town".

This is only my third Howard Hawks film after the excellent The Big Sleep and the underwhelming His Girl Friday, and it happens to sit right in the middle as far as I'm concerned. I was told after that this is pretty much a remake of Hawks' own Rio Bravo, but having no knowledge of that, I thought it was for the most part an enjoyable film.

There's some good performances from most of the main cast, especially Mitchum and James Caan, who plays Mississippi, a young, knife-wielding hot-shot that joins Thornton and Harrah. Wayne is his usual self, but regardless of his acting talents, the chemistry and rapport between all three leads is undeniable (four, if we add Arthur Hunnicutt who is also a lot of fun as Harrah's deputy.) Christopher George is also pretty good as one of the main antagonists.

There are some tonal issues where the film goes almost full "slapstick" during a confrontation between Thornton and Harrah, and there are also some bits and pieces that haven't aged that well (Mississippi slapping a woman and threatening to hit her again only to end up in love later), but for the most part, I enjoyed the film. Even if it didn't blow my mind, it was a nice way to spend 2 hours.

Grade:

Phago-what?

Catch-up time.

I've yet to see an Ozu work that I didn't at least like, Tokyo Story would definitely be my favourite of his later output that I've seen thus far. Been a number of years since I last watched Unstoppable but I remember it being a fun enough watch.

Wasn't mad impressed with It Follows, thought the idea was nice enough but sadly the execution didn't really hit any highs for me. Nice to see a good rating for Le Jour Se Lève, big fan of Jean Gabin and thus far Carné has a pretty good track record with me.

I really ought to give Hero another outing at some point, it's a fun film but it's been far too long since I've thrown it in the player. El Dorado is slightly inferior to Rio Bravo for me but still an enjoyable romp imo.

I've not seen Playtime, not seen any Tati yet. Also not seen Duck Soup but what I have seen from the Marx Bros sadly hasn't tickled my fancy that much.

Very doubtful I'll ever watch Spiral From The Book Of Saw - I've seen the first three or four of the Saw franchise and the curve has been a downward one from only a modest starting point, leaving me no real interest in suffering through any more. Devil Times Five sounds of interest though, might try and watch it sometime if I find it available to me.

"Aquarela do Brasil", the song that inspired the title of this film, was written by Ary Barroso in 1939 on a night when he was unable to leave the house because of a heavy storm. Its lyrics sing of past memories of a place or a state of being where whoever's singing it will be unable to return to ("we softly murmured 'someday soon'", "the morning found me miles away, with still a million things to say").

When you think of that, it actually makes sense as to why director Terry Gilliam chose it as the symbol of this odd film. Set "somewhere in the 20th Century", Brazil follows Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a low-level bureaucrat stuck in a meaningless job, while having "hopes, wishes, dreams" of things he might never be able to attain or achieve, especially a woman for whom he fights as a "winged warrior".

Much like the song, Sam lives in a constant state of tedium, as he is burdened by his mediocre boss (Ian Holm), his overbearing mother (Katherine Helmond), and the pressures of a job he doesn't seem to be interested in, and yet doesn't seem to be interested of getting out either as he keeps rejecting promotions that are arranged by his mother.

Several things shake Sam from his slumber: first, the accidental arrest, torture, and death of an innocent man at the hands of the totalitarian and excessively surveilling government, which in turn leads him to meet who he thinks is the woman of his dreams (Kim Greist); and second, his encounter with Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro) a rogue "handyman" that rejects the control of the government.

What ensues is a quest to finally meet this woman, but also to finally escape the grasp of this oppressive world in which he feels he doesn't fit. Will the onslaught of bureaucratic impediments and Kafka-esque absurdism ever let Sam be free or will the morning found him "miles away, with still a million things to say"? "Someday soon", says the song as the singer keeps repeating how certain he is he will return "to old Brazil".

Grade:

What do you do when you have a job and your superiors ask you to do something that ends up being illegal, immoral, or just unethical? What if you find out too late? Do you question "why me?" Do you go against the corporate Goliath, or just go with the flow? Those are some of the questions asked by this Romanian drama.

Based in real life events, Why Me? follows the life of Cristian (Emilian Oprea), an up-and-coming criminal prosecutor that's asked to lead an investigation against another official. Seeing it as an opportunity to advance his career, Cristian lunges at the task at hand, only to discover there might be other motivations to his selection.

For the most part, this was a nice, little surprise. The way the plot unfolds feels a bit confusing since the details of the case are never fully explained, and we never get to see the other side. Instead, director and writer Tudor Giurgiu chooses to focus on Cristian's state of mind as he finds himself more and more consumed by fear and paranoia.

Although the character of Cristian is never fully fleshed out, and some of his decisions are not fully delved into, Oprea makes the most of what he gets and sells the character fairly well. Mihai Constantin is also pretty good as his direct superior. There are some brushes at the higher up conspiracies that could've been interesting, but they are never explored either. Still, I found myself drawn into the story and wanting to know more.

Grade:

Life doesn't always deal us the best hand. Things won't go the way we want every single day, but still we have to try to do our best to keep ourselves focused, out of trouble, and "ahead". That is what Omar (Jimmy Gonzales) is trying to teach the kids at his foster home, even when life isn't dealing him the best hand, even when it's hard.

Blue Miracle follows "Papá" Omar, as the kids call him, as he struggles to make ends meet at this foster home he leads with his wife Becca (Fernanda Urrejola). But Omar is haunted not only by the lack of funds and his inability to pay the mortgage on the place, but also by memories of his past, which typically involve him in a boat with his now deceased father.

The opportunity to solve their problems comes in the form of a fishing tournament, and after a teenage orphan that's been causing trouble at the marina ends up at his home, Omar reluctantly pairs with a beaten down captain (Dennis Quaid) to try to win the tournament, teach his kids something about life, but also exorcize his own demons of the past.

Even though it's based in real life events, there's hardly anything original about how things unfold in Blue Miracle. You will probably figure out how things will go 10-20 minutes in. But regardless of that, there is some heart to its simple story. In addition, both Quaid and Gonzales were pretty solid in it (for what it's worth, I saw the Spanish dubbed version).

I have to also commend director Julio Quintana (of Cuban descent) and cinematographer Santiago Benet Marí (from Puerto Rico!) because the film looks simply gorgeous. The shot composition, use of light and colors from Benet Marí was impressive, and Quintana uses a couple of neat tricks in moving the camera, which actually pushed the film half a notch for me.

Like I said, the film's story is nothing special, but it was chosen by my kids yesterday morning, so maybe that's why I warmed up to it more than someone else would; and, even though their interest came and went, they pushed through, and I hope they took something out of it; to do what is right every single day.

Grade:

Thanks for your feedback. If you have any Carné recommendation that could serve as a good follow-up to Le Jour se Lève, let me know.

Also, like I told Captain Terror, it is by no means a great film, but it sure was an interesting watch, so let me know what you think of it.

If you've not yet seen his Les enfants du paradis then I'd go that one, I'd hope both that and Le Jour Se Lève might make the upcoming countdown. If you have then I'd give Hôtel du Nord a look.

Will do if I (a) find it sometime and (b) remember. Sadly I think the changes to YouTube with regards them now wanting proof of identity/age for certain content is going to impact somewhat on the availability of certain types of fillums to me

Les enfants du paradis seems to be the logical next step, according to most people. Thanks!

It's on Tubi, which as far as I know, it's available free on the Internet.

Sadly Tubi's not available over here

Here is my final tally for MAY 2021:

A film with the number 5 (Five, Fifth, etc.) in its title: Devil Times Five
A film with a title that starts with the letters I or J: It Follows
A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #5 (i.e. 15, 405, 854): Brazil
A film from the 1950s: Sansho the Bailiff
A fantasy film: Hero
A film about mothers: Tokyo Story
A film with a bird in its title (Bird Day, May 4): Duck Soup
A film primarily set on a train (Nat'l Train Day, May 8): Unstoppable
A film from Romania (Independence Day, May 9): Why Me?
A film from Howard Hawks (born May 30): El Dorado

Freebie: Cries and Whispers, Playtime, Spiral, Le Jour se Leve, Blue Miracle



One of the best months I've had recently with lots of great, interesting films. My favorite first-time watch was easily Le Jour se Lève, but Tokyo Story was pretty close.

Worst was probably Spiral.

Here is the challenge for JUNE 2021:

A film with the number 6 (Six, Sixth, etc.) in its title:
A film with a title that starts with the letters K or L:
A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #6 (i.e. 16, 506, 761):
A film from the 1960s:
A horror film:
A film with the word "Summer" in its title:
A film about LGBTQ+ lifestyles (Pride Month):
A film with a repeated word in its title (Repeat Day, June 3):
A film from Sweden (National Day, June 6):
A film with Peter Lorre (born June 26):

As usual, recommendations are more than welcome!

In addition to I Lost My Body earlier, I've added the following:

A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #5 (i.e. 15, 405, 854): Moonstruck (#1056) (1987) I've seen this before, but the first time I saw it I had probably either not yet moved to my forever home, NYC, or maybe I had only just arrived. For important context, I grew up in a very (middle-class) WASPish family in Texas before moving here in my mid-20s. Well, in the intervening time I've been married for almost 15 years to a woman from Jewish (on one side) and Italian and Irish Catholic (on the other side) families. So you can imagine that this movie landed somewhat differently: Before, it was like an anthropological film about a species of aliens. Now, it's like hanging out with my in-laws. That's not (necessarily) a bad thing, but it sure is different! It's a fun movie, and the final set piece is a joy.

A film from the 1950s: Kanał (1957) This was excellent. I really wonder if Ridley Scott had seen this because many of the scenes in the sewers (kanał is Polish for sewers) strongly reminded me of Alien. It also features female characters who are not just adornments (though I acknowledge that the actor who plays Daisy is absurdly good-looking) but fully-realized self-motivated people. And as we follow this crew of resistance fighters at the end of the Warsaw Uprising, the tension ratchets ever-up as they desperately attempt to evade their Nazi pursuers. Superb, gripping stuff.

A fantasy film: Crumbs (2015) Strange science fiction romantic fantasy about a future Earth where the odd detritus (or "crumbs") of our modern life have taken on mystical, iconic status (a Michael Jordan photo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurines, and toy plastic swords all play a part) and a scavenger named Candy attempts to find a way to a hovering spacecraft that he hopes will provide salvation for him and his love, Birdy. Although not everything works, and some choices (especially the very conclusion) are somewhat baffling to me, I'm always going to pull for movies that are marching to their own drumbeat. And it's on the short side so the commitment is not great. If you like weird, this is worth your time.

A film with a bird in its title (Bird Day, May 4): The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) This definitely falls in the category of films that are much more about tone and atmosphere than plot, which shouldn't be examined too closely (Italian police: "You, a civilian who might be a suspect want to investigate on your own? Sure, why not?!"). I'm still relatively new to giallo, but I enjoy the heightened drama of it and the almost defiant commitment to style over substance.

A film from Romania (Independence Day, May 9): The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) There seems to be some debate over whether this is a dark comedy or just a drama. The absurdly misleading Romanian poster suggests that the producers at least wanted to market it as a comedy, although that poster makes it look like a movie version of Scrubs, which, well maybe if it were a Scrubs movie written by Jean-Paul Sartre. Anyway, it is a dark comedy, but very dark. Like, makes Fargo look like The Three Stooges dark. A lonely old man feels ill, calls for aid, and then, accompanied by a dedicated paramedic, must navigate the kafkaesque workings of the Romanian health system. It is grimly comic and poignant, and, despite its length, never dull.

Not one bad movie this month. Not one! But Kanał and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu are the best of the bunch.

Nice loot! I almost went with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, but 1) even though it's on Tubi, it wasn't available in Puerto Rico. I would've had to see it on my work laptop, and 2) Duck Soup is shorter, plus it gave me a chance to finally watch a Marx Brothers film and also watch a comedy, which is a genre I find myself pushing aside a bit these days.

I have Tubi on my phone and Les enfants du paradis is not on it.

@Thief, do you have access to TCM?

(Turner Classic Movies, that is. Not Texas Chainsaw Massacre )