by Sam Juliano
First off I want to apologize for my tardiness in getting to all the previous week’s comments under the Monday Morning Diary of January 26. Today I will get to them all, including the news ones under this thread. The past week was hectic, as I attempted to address as many of the remaining books that I thought deserved discussion in the Caldecott Medal Contender series. This arduous task took up most of my time. I still want to review several of the remaining books, but I will do this at a leisurely pace, since the Caldecott race officially ends this morning at around 9:00 EST, with the winning Newbery, Caldecott, Sibert and Belpre medals and honor books set to be announced at the ALA winter meeting in Chicago. I probably will do one review a week, though this will depend on what time I can commit to it. (there were about a dozen books that I simply ran out of time to cover, but doing them after the awards is just as fine the way I see it). I want to thank all those who supported this series from the outset, and gave of their own time to click on ‘likes’ and to comment on many or most of the 51 entries that posted since early November. John Grant, Laurie Buchanan, Frank Gallo, Peter, Jim Clark and Sharon Lovejoy have been absolutely extraordinary, though many others including Tim McCoy, Judy Geater, Pat Perry, Celeste Fenster, Sachin Gandhi, Kimrap (from China), Joel Bocko and David Noack have been invaluable as well. Thanks to you all for your enthusiasm, and for finding the supreme artistry in field of remarkable riches. I have never written so much in such a limited time window, and the experience allowed me to exhaustively consider the field, while giving me an outlet at a time of intense and unconscionable personal grief. Yes, Wonders in the Dark remains primarily a film site, and this focus will reassert itself over the coming months, but books, music and theater will continue to have a voice in what was always planned as an arts site from the time the place opened up back in 2008.
The Super Bowl was incredible. Who would have thought a team (Seattle) could blunder so badly by throwing a pass from the one yard line on second down. The New England Patriots had no business winning that game but there you have it – it was handed to them on a silver platter. I am sure the Pats fans are in celebration mode, as well they should be.
Snow is falling again in the metropolitan area, and there are predictions in place for eight inches and school closings. Oh my. Lucille and I saw only one film in theaters this past week, TIMBUKTU, which was nominated for Best Foreign Film. Some brilliant lensing and power moments, but not quite the masterpiece some are labeling it. Certainly the scenes of people buried to their neck getting stoned, and some animal slaughter are off-turning, but there is a powerful and topical message here.
Timbuktu **** (Saturday night) Film Forum
Super Bowl? And no mention of the weekend’s tennis or cricket? 🙂
We have 8-10 inches of snow here, so have no plans to go out.
hahahaha John! To be honest my heart is actually with baseball. As to the snow, would you believe they are now looking at more this coming Sunday into Monday?! This is shaping out to be quite a winter. Ugh. Have a great week my friend!
Looking forward to checking out the rest of the Caldecott series in the near future! And yes, that was one hell of a Super Bowl, with a very cathartic ending. 😉
Thanks so much Joel. I’ll be reviewing more books as a spillover from the last series in the coming weeks at a more leisurely pace. As always many thank for your support throughout my friend. Yes that was an unbelievable ending to the Super Bowl, though I know you are very happy. 🙂
Sam — You’ve got a STANDING OVATION from me on the stupendous Caldecott Medal Contender series. It was a complete and total delight — thank you!
Thanks so very much for all your incredible, overwhelming and truly remarkable support for the series both here and on Facebook Laurie. Thanks yous are simply insufficient my friend!! Have a a great week!
Great work on the Caldecott series Sam. And more still to come? Excellent my man. What a day with all the snow in this area.
No way the Patriots should have won that game.
Thanks Frank!! Yes, I will be doing more reviews, but as I explained to Joel, I will do them at a more manageable pace. First up with be the surprising THIS ONE SUMMER that won a Caldecott Honor. I am with you on the Pats! Have a great week my friend!
Hello Sam and everyone!
Well done on the projects Sam, this is wonderful! As always, you plowed through and made us all proud. Hope you get a chance to see “Wild Tales” (another Oscar foreign nominated film) when it hits theaters there, it was on my top 20 at number 6 and I highly recommend it to you!
Here are the movies I saw last week:
– Birdman (2014, Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu) ****1/2 Researching a bit, I’ve discovered that my impressions that this was mostly an adaptation of the works of Gabriel García Márquez already talked about. Or so I think.
Fucking Great Movie.
Anyone who says that this movie is about “how actors are really the hardest and most important workers of the world” and thus, a bad movie, is the one who can’t feel the nuances of the script. Same thing goes with the talk against critics: the final review is not a “YES, I WIN AS AN ARTIST”, but a reconciliation of the critic itself with its own duty, as she is a satire, we should embrace it, and just say how glad we are that in the end we can already feel that we are more human.
Excellent stuff here, even if at times a bit cold, may need a rewatch down the line.
– Bitter Lake (2015, Adam Curtis) **** While not inherently as complex as “All Watched Over…” this still manages to be an excellent and precise examinations of certain politics that I’d like to call “of disappointment”. We are disappointed in the things that have happened to us, but we are more disappointed because it isn’t our fault, but the fault of those that are more powerful than us. In this case, we are right now suffering the consequences of greedy and horrible people that preferred to be a little bit more rottenly wealthier than having safety in our every day life. Adam Curtis does it again, and the final comparisons with Solyaris make this film something deep and understanding, as well as highly artistic.
– Winter Sleep (2014, Nuri Bilge Ceylan) **** I’m sorry? I guess? I don’t know. I didn’t find the protagonist to be an asshole, the constant “I’m going to finish, but…” that was constant here and there from different characters in the end was mostly a joke but never truly annoying, and whenever it dealt with more silent issues and scenes, it managed to be breathtaking. The rest isn’t essentially bad, or even boring, hell, I’d say this is among the quickest watches I’ve had since I started this 2014 binge (that ends with this movie), but it didn’t move me. While I found identification with the protagonist in certain issues, he is a not-entirely-likeable being, much like any other people that I know from my life, and his struggles and worries while entirely personal to that person, they never truly feel like something that will crumble or have an effect on him, and not that the movie needs it, but the final scenes point to a change of sorts. Or not.
– Mar (2014, Dominga Sotomayor) *** If anyone here will watch this at Berlin, don’t bother. I’ve been championing Chilean cinema to outside audiences practically since I started watching cinema for serious reasons. This is misfire from the promising director Dominga Sotomayor, that only manages a few beats here and there, as well as a naturalistic approach to acting, but this mostly improvised film shows its own nature, when it shouldn’t.
– Wolf Children (2012, Mamoru Hosoda) ****1/2 Every time I rewatch this, my heart breaks again.
– Selma (2014, Ava DuVernay) **** This film is a great one, but I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, there’s an inclination from the director to frame King in front of lights around his head, as a Godly figure, and that bugged me, not because I don’t think he is important, but because I think that no one should have that treatment unless they are a symbol for that God, and that would happen in fantasy films more than in accurate historical portrayals. My final statement about historical facts is a rebuttal of those angry about certain events and how they are told, and I think that I don’t care about how the reactions and actual thoughts were, because I think they are part of a private world, that we may never know nothing about.
– Tokyo Tribe (2014, Sion Sono) ****1/2 I just want to learn Japanese so I can go to the 2024 anniversary screening with karaoke.
– Whiplash (2014, Damien Chazelle) **** A few things about this movie: The Cinematography is a FUCKING DISGRACE. It’s garbage, orange tint that makes everything a little bit the same to my weak and offended eyes, this was on par with the ugh-worthy cinematography of The Theory of Everything. The rest of the film? While in some ways a movie that doesn’t really choose a side in which to stand (because that would take balls, and an actual acknowledgment of how people would react at this movie, hence maybe becoming less of a success), the movie is maybe the best exercise in editing and how tension can be played with in the most asinine of contexts.
That’s all Sam, have a great week!
Thanks so much for the very kind words Jaimie! It was a project I won’t forget, and for a number of reasons, not the least of which it happened during one of the lowest moments of my life. I do fully intend on seeing WILD TALES ASAP, thank you! I have to look again at WHIPLASH – don’t quite remember the cinematography being that bad, but you could have a point. I am definitely a fan of the film though, and like everyone else thought Simmons was terrific. That is a very interesting analysis of SELMA, (especially what you say about the director framing King as a Godly figure) which I do consider one of the year’s very best films. I do consider WINTER SLEEP a brilliant film -one of the year’s best- but I greatly respect where you are coming from in your own astute analysis. BITTER LAKE does sound intriguing, I must say. I agree BIRDMAN is quite good, and much appreciate your fantastic discussion of it. I will avoid MAR. Thanks again for your spectacular wrap my friend!!
Definitely one of the best Super Bowls! I usually don’t even watch it, but I did keep switching back and forth and when it got the 4th Qtr. it was just too tense to avoid. We just spent a couple of days in Lakeland, really just outside of Lakeland, going to a place called the Circle B Bar Reserve. It once was a ranch as the name implies, but today it is a nature reserve run by the City of Lakeland. A fabulous place to photograph. We saw and photographed at least 22 species of animals and birds.
On the film front…
The Angry Silence (****1/2) British “Kitchen sink” drama that apparently was attacked as both left wing and right propaganda of the union movement in Britain at the time. You can read both interpretations into it; you can also read it as the price one pays for taking a non-conformist stand against the crowd. Richard Attenborough is superb as a worker at an engineering factory who refuses to walk out during an unauthorized strike. When transferred to another plant his reputation follows and continues to be ostracized.
Before I Go to Sleep (***) Uneven, yet I found the film to have a tense paranoid mood that plays out as a low key Hitchcockian thriller. It’s predictable, but still keeps you on the brink. Acting is strong with Nicole Kidman taking the top honors. She conveys a quiet desperation throughout that keeps her performance on edge.
Our Hospitality (*****) One of Buster Keaton’s best feature films. It’s the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s, or in this case the McKay’s and the Canfield’s. Filled with wonderful bits of humor and amazing stunts that will keep you on edge. Would be a nice half of a double feature along with Keaton’s The General.
Bowery at Midnight (*1/2) Bela Lugosi holds this cheap Monogram programmer from being a complete disaster, though barely.
Night Will Fall (****1/2) Potent and compelling HBO doc. Based on recently found footage about the German concentration camps put together by Sidney Bernstein with help from Alfred Hitchcock. The film was never finished.
Also re-watched All the President’s Men (*****) and The Lodger (1944) ****
Sounds like you and Dorothy had quite the unforgettable week John!! I hope you post some of those photos from Lakeland on FB. Yes the Super Bowl was incredible, though of course that final decision by Seattle’s coach to pass was utter insanity. A lot of people in these parts were not campy campers that the Big Bad Patriots prevailed. Ha! Agreed completely that OUR HOSPITALITY is one of the greatest of all Keatons!! It does go quite well too with THE GENERAL as you note. I loved your analysis of the quite excellent THE ANGRY SILENCE, a benchmark kitchen-sink British drama! Not a fan of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, though obviously you aren’t either. BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT is rather a disaster; I have not seen NIGHT WILL FALL. Completely agreed with the ratings of ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN and THE LODGER. Thanks so much my friend. Have a great weekend!
I have yet to finish the Caldicott series of reviews, but I am reading several at a time on my Friday afternoons of of online fun reading. It is a remarkable series and does belong on this page for sure
Well, amazing as it may seem, we got basic cable to see the Super Bowl and watch Downton Abby I enjoyed the game, my hubs could not stand it to miss the leap frog plays and the play off game of last minute success. The loss has not diminished the enthusiasm for the Seahawks one bit.
We are having gallons of rain in a continuous pattern, Zip and I need to dry off and I need to warm up in a shower after our 2 miles. The Camellias are in full bloom, dew drops and bulbs and primroses are not too far behind.
Wow if you get an opportunity to see the National Geographic LIVE series make a beeline and gather the kids…we went to hear Brian Skerry last weekend on the oceans (big shark fan) and it was amazing and then he stayed to answer questions for 2 + hours – that was amazing. Movies, power point, individual pictures by the best. Last year we have 4 speakers this year only 1 scheduled – amazing and the audience raised enough extra funds for the middle schools to attend the afternoon session.
Thinking about you and your wonderful reviews…life changes so quickly and speaks to us so loudly What is the message we are supposed to glean? Here we go one step at a time
Thanks so much for checking them out Patricia. And thanks too for following the series from the outset!! It was quite a venture, and as you know yourself it takes a lot of commitment to reviews books, or anything for that matter. Yes that was quite a game for sure, and I was disappointed that such a bizarre call was made, enabling the Pats to win. Still I am happy you are all undaunted, and still stand by your team. You are getting a lot of rain and we are getting plenty of snow!! Ugh to that! The National Geographic series sounds great, and I would certainly want to see it with the family if the opportunity arises. Thanks for the terrific explanation! Yes, one step at a time is the only way to go, I quite agree. Thanks so much my friend, have a wonderful weekend!
Are you feeling any better these days Sam? This time of year is very difficult to stay healthy. Seems like every week someone in this house has an ailment of some sort. We usually just rotate the humidifier around the house to different rooms depending on who’s the sickest. Haha.
The Super Bowl was quite something Sam. It was a classic finish for sure and overall a great game. I’m not a particular fan of either team, but it was very entertaining. This has been an exhausting week. Lots of snow and treacherous travel early in the week, and exhausting days and work filled with stressful meetings. I’m glad the week is over but it’s hard to stay energized for anything beyond just recuperating in the evenings. This week I saw The Night Porter and La Cienaga on Criterion discs. Both were interesting, but nothing spectacular.
This weekend I’m aiming to pick up Gone Girl and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. I’m also about to watch Naruse’s Repast from 1951. I hope you enjoy your weekend Sam.
Thanks so much Jon!! Yes I am feeling better, but the emotional torment from our incalculable loss of early January continues as it will for a very long time. I can well sympathize with the sickness that has been running through your house. We had much the same about six weeks ago here. No fun at all. The Super Bowl was a great game for sure up until that final play. The snow has been a big problem here, sorry to hear it has impacted your own moving around, I can only imagine–you guys always get it far worse. I also saw both films you mention, and like you I found neither anything special. Not really a fan of THE NIGHT PORTER at all in fact. I love Naruse’s REPAST, as I am sure you will as well. Have a great weekend my excellent friend!
Sam, apologies I am just now responding.
I completely agree, the Super Bowl was incredible! Certainly one of the most memorable Super Bowls I have ever seen, up there with the Giants-Pats and the one where Dyson was tackled on the 1 yard line.
Quiet on the movie watching front here but have been pretty voracious with my consumption of Breaking Bad. About a quarter of a way through the show and cannot wait to see where it goes from here. I know you are a fan and I look forward to sharing my final reflections when I make it to the end of Season 5.
Hope you are having a great week. Thanks so much, Sam!
Jeffrey—I remain awestruck by your continued attendance and greatness of heart. Your support has been incomparable, your humility legendary!! Yes that was an unbelievable Super Bowl, with an ending for the record books, though Seahawks fans will always question their coach’s bizarre strategy at the end. Watching BREAKING BAD was one of the most unforgettable ventures of the past months–I can well see why it would have you riveted. That was the first television series in a while that I remember being hooked on hook, line and sinker! That final season was just spectacular stuff!! Have a great week my friend!! many thank as always. To say I am flattered would be the ultimate understatement!!