An Education (2009)

F for Fake (1973)

No Direction Home

Martin Scorcese examines Bob Dylan's ascendancy as a young artist. The film's use of rare archival footage and extensive interviews with Dylan, Suze Rotolo, Bob Neuwirth and Joan Baez make this an extraordinary film for Dylan fans, who up to this point, had little access to Dylan's perspective and had to piece together what happened by reading various biographies. Scorcese makes interesting choices as a filmmaker, juxtaposing footage from different eras out of chronological order. Today's Dylan reflecting on his childhood in Minnesota is interspersed with footage from Eat The Document of his 1966 tour. His early influences are represented by archival performances and his journey to New York City is well-covered, as are the Newport Folk Festivals, going electric and his early British tours. Scorcese does a great job showing just how much pressure Dylan was under to be a spokesperson for a generation by including lengthy press conferences that document how absurd things got. To his credit, Dylan clearly states he didn't know the answers to all the questions that people expected him to have and didn't see that as part of his job as an artist. As people's expectations got higher, so did he. His drug use is not discussed, but archival footage shows him getting skinnier and more and more out of it the more famous he became. The movie takes us to July 1966, when Dylan's infamous motorcycle crash occurs, after which he would not tour for eight years. The film includes cool clips of other 20th century icons such as Pete Seeger, Allen Ginsburg, Johnny Cash and Andy Warhol. Essential viewing for anyone interested in understanding Bob Dylan as a cultural phenomenon, popular musician, poet and artist.

Casablanca

Tonight I saw Casablanca as part of "Dine Out for OFS". I enjoyed it and have seen it often over the years. Here's how I viewed it tonight:



Casablanca as a militarized, romantic, masculine (patriarchal) tale of "the greater good" over-ruling individualism (symbolized by romantic love)....

+ultimately Rick (Bogart) pulls the strings, disallowing Ilsa (Bergman) agency showing (not telling) that real men know what's best for us all.

+Dramatic storyline follows Rick's (Bogart) struggle as an amoral individualist (a man out for himself, a man without a country it seems) who has been betrayed/ emasculated and made a fool of by "woman" symbolized by Ilsa (Bergman)--by the end of this tale he places his loyalty the public good and "what's right" over what he wants (the girl); but as the girl has already humiliated him (what a castrating bitch! beware of women calling the shots and make sure you keep a strong handle on them or they will stab you in the back!) this is only right and natural (as the frogs would say) and he is back on track; a part of society again, rejecting domestic bliss for fighting the good fight--manhood is defined against the home (female) and he is a warrior; a hero.

In this story, strength=the ability to overcome emotions & desire in service of the greater good (your country, the state, what is right). The warrior must become invincible to women. The hero must march off to his destiny and be willing to leave love behind. A real man should be willing to sacrifice personal happiness and to suffer in silence.

Interesting to view this as a wartime fable. Fascinating that this story functions as a sentimental romance that upholds macho ideas about manhood and transfers the sentimental, romance from a man/woman storyline to a man-as-fighter storyline.

The scene in the bar when the Germans are singing and Bogart has the band start playing is pivotal in the action of the plot and demonstrates the transfer of sentimental love of woman to sentimental love of country.

I've always enjoyed watching this movie. The acting is great, the screenplay is hilarious, it's well-filmed and well-constructed at every level. I also identify with the theme of putting the greater good over individual happiness, but as a woman I am troubled by the way Bergman's character is robbed of her power. I have thought about this a lot, but this is the first time I remember viewing it as disseminating militarized gender roles that functioned to serve the interest of the country at the time the film came out.

Imagine all the young couples going to see this as they were getting ready to march off to war. Many were never reunited. The stoic, suffering man as dignified symbol of strength serves the war effort nicely, as does the weakened, domestic female whose needs necessarily come second at times of war. Conclusion: there is dignity in sacrifice, besides women are not trustworthy anyways!

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Les diaboliques (1955)

Tonight at 10:30: The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virgina

DANGEROUS MINDS 003: metzger/nitzberg from DANGEROUS MINDS on Vimeo.

Saturday November 8 at OFF

Hoppity Goes To Town Directed by Dave Fleischer

Showtime 11:00 AM

Followed by Locals Only, A Shorts Program
Showtime 1:00PM

Back to the Garden, Presented by local director Kevin Tomlinson

Showtime 3:30 PM

Sometimes a Great Notion, directed by Paul Newman

Showtime 5:30 PM

Saturday, November 7 at OFF

Here are my picks for Saturday at the Olympia Film Festival
Etienne! will be presented by the filmmaker, Jeff Mizushima

I am also excited to check out this Alice in Wonderland story:


Also tomorrow: Seattle director David Russo will be in attendance for a screening of his film, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF LITTLE DIZZLE

Olympia Film Festival: Nov 6-14

Tonight is opening night of the Olympia Film Festival. Every year the festival offers shelter from the storm. This year it's starting less than a week after we had to move the clocks back from Daylight Savings time and just yesterday our winter rains started in full force. In fact there was a brief thunderstorm this morning, which is pretty rare.
DJ Shannon was under a tent, kicking out the soul jams to help us celebrate as the night began but the dancing in the street was mostly confined to the sidewalks, where people gathered under the covering of the marquee. There were some technically difficulties at the beginning of the show, but things got sorted out and Tom Schiller was on hand to present his full length feature film, the imaginative and beautifully shot, Nothing Lasts Forever (1984), along with some pretty funny short films starring some of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live.

Tomorrow morning at 10 AM they are showing The Muppet Movie!
The full schedule is here

Summer Hours (L'Heure d'été)

Mala Noche

UP

Russell: A wilderness explorer is a friend to all, be it bird or fish or tiny mole!
Carl Fredricksen: That doesn't even rhyme!
Russell: [offended] Yeah, it does!

Anvil The Story of Anvil

Steve 'Lips' Kudlow: Family's important shit, man.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Daisies

Waterfront Woman

400 Blows

Judge: I think we should place your child under observation in a special home.
Gilberte Doinel: Could it be by the sea, Your Honor?

The Limits of Control

Blonde: The best films are like dreams you're never really sure you had.

Stick It

Burt Vickerman: Where is this deduction coming from?
Head Vault Judge: Her bra was showing, Burt. It is an automatic deduction if an undergarment is showing, Burt!
Burt Vickerman: She's flipping through the air, Doris, she's spinning! Of course her bra popped out! That rule is ancient!
Head Vault Judge: Apparently so is her bra.
Burt Vickerman: [to Mina] Your bra was showing.
[to audience]
Burt Vickerman: One-tenth off because her bra was showing!
[audience boos]
Joanne: [hugs Mina] Even I think that's low. And I should be happy, I mean, I want to win!

Some Came Running

Two Women

"I am a human being!"

People Who Do Noise

Daisies (Sedmikrásky)

The House Is Black (Khaneh siah ast)

“There is no shortage of ugliness in the world. If man closed his eyes to it, there would be even more.”

A Taste Of Cherry (Ta'm e guilass)

"I believe in a cinema which gives more possibilities and more time to its viewer--a half-fabricated cinema, an unfinished cinema that is completed by the creative spirit of the viewer, [so that] all of a sudden we have a hundred films."

Star Trek

Spock: Father...
[the elder Vulcan turns and is revealed as Spock Prime]
Spock: I am not our father.
[Young Spock, now recognizing who he is, approaches]
Spock: There are so few Vulcans left. We cannot afford to ignore each other.
Spock: Then why did you send Kirk aboard, when you alone could have explained the truth?
Spock: Because you needed each other. I could not deprive you of the revelation of all that you could accomplish together, of a friendship that will define you both in ways you cannot yet realize.
Spock: How did you persuade him to keep your secret?
Spock: He inferred that universe-ending paradoxes would ensue should he break his promise...
Spock: You lied?
Spock: Ah... I - I implied.
Spock: A gamble.
Spock: An act of faith. One I hope that you will repeat in your future in Starfleet.
Spock: In the face of extinction, it is only logical that I resign my Starfleet commission and help rebuild our race...
Spock: And, yet, you can be in two places at once. I urge you to remain in Starfleet. I have already located a suitable planet in which to establish a Vulcan colony. Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor: Put aside logic. Do what feels right.
[Spock Prime turns and leaves]
Spock: Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say...
[Shows Vulcan hand salute]
Spock: Good luck.

X-Men Origines: Wolverine

William Stryker: Your country needs you.
Logan: I'm Canadian.

Sin Nombre

Rudo Y Cursi

Fresa y chocolate (Strawberries & Chocolate)

"I knew he was homosexual, because they had chocolate ice cream, and yet he ordered strawberry."

Millenium Mambo (Qian xi man po)

Good Morning (Ohayô)

"I Love You"

West Side Story

Action: What are we doin', poopin' around with dumb broads for?
Graziella, Riff's Girl: I and Velma ain't dumb! Are we, Velma?
Velma, Ice's Girl: No thank you.
[snap]
Velma, Ice's Girl: oo
[snap]
Velma, Ice's Girl: Ooo-belee-oo.
Graziella, Riff's Girl: And you can punctuate it...
Velma, Ice's Girl: Ooo.

La Collectionneuse

Attack of the Giant Leeches

“I wouldn’t touch that critter for all the money ever made! And if you seen it you wouldn’t neither!”

Zombie Revolt

Las doce sillas

Ritual in Transfigured Time

Frankenstein

The Bride of Frankenstein

Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light)

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (Umbrellas of Cherburg)

Madame Emery: Where were you?
Geneviève Emery: With Guy.
Madame Emery: What were you doing?
Geneviève Emery: Mother, he's leaving. He'll be away for two years. I can't live without him. I'll die.
Madame Emery: Stop crying. Look at me. People only die of love in movies.

The Wrestler

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: The only place I get hurt is out there. The world don't give a shit about me.

The Pool

Vampyr-Der Traum des Allan Grey by Carl Dreyer

Shaken in his innermost being, Allan Gray returns once again to the Library and opens the old book. "The shadows of executed criminals are the attendants of the Vampyr, but also living humans can be forced into submission by their horrible reign. A story from Hungary describes how a village doctor, who had pawned off his soul to the Evil One, became the helper of a Vampyr and thus an accomplice in a long string of hideous crimes in the area. In that case the Vampyr had chosen perhaps the most dangerous man imaginable to be his associate."

TV Party: Cramps Live at Napa State Mental Hospital

This weeks after hours movie club started with a Cramps TV party:

TV Party: Lord Peter Whimsey

A big fan of Dorothy L. Sayers, I've been getting into the Lord Peter Whimsey television series.

So far watched:


Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1973)

and


The Five Red Herrings (1975)

Just starting:


Murder Must Advertise (1973)