by Sam Juliano
While prognostications of a mild winter have surfaced in recent weeks, stateside we are now immersed in the atmospheric glories of the autumn season with colorful leaves, brisk temperatures and Thanksgiving preparations in full swing. Football fans are engaging in the heart of their season, while denizens of the arts are at the height of their obsessions. The past few days have been unconscionable on the world stage, what with the barbarism in Paris, but there are no words that can accurately gauge what we are all thinking.
A final decision has finally been reached on the manner of administration that will be applied to the execution of the late Spring/early Summer Greatest Science Fiction films countdown. After discussing the matter with some others at the site and reviewing the general sentiments of the likely writers we have decided to stay the course. That is we will have an open vote for all those on the current e mail chain, and any others attending the site who wish to cast a ballot. No doubt this will mean there will be in upwards of 35 to 40 ballots in the final mix and an open schedule for all writers to claim. This method will follow in the footsteps of the hugely successful musicals, comedies, westerns, romances and childhood/adolescent countdowns that been staged at Wonders in the Dark over the last four and a half years. I urge all prospective participants at their convenience to survey the science fiction field in the coming months. I plan to send out some copies of relative rarities to the interested parties as soon as I begin to take this project more seriously after the holiday season. Ballots will be accepted on the chain beginning on April 1st, and ending on the final day of that month, at which point they will be tabulated by Angelo D’Arminio Jr. The projected starting date for the countdown will be May 21st. We are figuring for this poll, a Top 50. This would mean the project would run till around mid August or so.
The Caldecott Medal Contender series has been moving forward quite nicely, with several of the reviews being posted and shared enthusiastically with the author-illustrators on Facebook and other channels. I am not sure how many reviews will actually be written at this point, but I will sort that out as it progresses. The page view totals have spiked dramatically over the past two weeks, in large measure because of the reviews of Ida Pearle’s The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House and Sergio Ruzzier’s Two Mice. The former review has amassed a total approaching 400 page views in the three days since it published.
Lucille and I were proud to witness our darling daughter Jillian’s high school play “Fine Dining” staged on Thursday and Friday nights at Cliffside Park High School. Jillian played “Gladys” in the production’s second segment “Stephen King Goes to Lunch.” Jillian is only a freshman, so we are anticipating some wonderful times ahead. (pictures below)
Lucille and I saw two films in theaters this past week, and both were widely praised in the critical circles:
Brooklyn ***** (Saturday afternoon) Montclair Bow-Tie Cinemas
Spotlight **** 1/2 (Saturday evening) Chelsea Cinemas
John Crowley’s Brooklyn, an Irish-British co-production adapted from an acclaimed novel by Nick Hornby and starring the extraordinarily talented Saoirse Ronan, may well be the film of the year. An aching and unbearably poignant romance set in the 50’s and involving a young Irish woman who emigrates to Brooklyn to find romance is classically filmed and splendidly detailed, and boasts what is surely the best score of the year by Michael Brook. Unsentimental, timeless, old-fashioned and provocative the film is slowly and powerfully enveloping.
Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight is a stunning newspaper film, procedural, and investigative work into one of the most shocking scandals of our time – the clergy abuse scandals that rocked the Catholic Church and the nation. No real lead, but a bevy of superlative supporting performances. The final scroll of the city where sex abuse occurred is mind-boggling, but this thriller and mystery is altogether riveting.
At Noirish, the renowned writer John Grant has penned a superlative review on the 1935 film “Crime Unlimited”: https://noirencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/crime-unlimited-1935/
At FilmsNoir.net Tony d’Ambra has posted a full list of films noir in US Library of Congress National Film Registry: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/list-of-films-noir-in-us-library-of-congress-national-film-registry.html/
Stephen Mullen offers up a terrific post on music titles “Take Some Time and Learn How to Play” at The Listening Ear: http://listeningear.blogspot.com/2015/11/take-some-time-and-learn-how-to-play.htm
Joel Bocko has published a superlative review on Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” at I Lost It At the Movies: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-favorites-civil-war-81.html
At Mondo 70 Samuel Wilson has written a probing piece on “The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq” which I saw at Tribeca last April: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-kidnapping-of-michel-houellebecq.html
At It Rains…….You Get Wet Robert Tower offers up a delightful post titled “Reprise: The “Fidel Castro” of Parties” in honor of his daughter’s upcoming ;sweet sixteen’ birthday: http://le0pard13.com/2015/11/13/reprise-the-fidel-castro-of-parties/
At Filmacability Dean Treadway has offered up a brilliantly authoritative examination of the year 1961 in the cinema: http://filmicability.blogspot.com/2015/11/1961-year-in-review.html
At Tuesdays with Laurie, our great friend Laurie Buchanan offers up a terrific post titled “Showing Up”: http://tuesdayswithlaurie.com/2015/11/10/showing-up/
At Overlook’s Corridor Jaimie Grijalba has concluded another magnificent Horror Madness countdown, concluding in grand fashion with the 1952 Finnish film “Valkoinen Peura”: https://overlookhotelfilm.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/october-overlook-madness-31-valkoinen-peura-1952/
Over at Attractive Variance Jamie Uhler’s monumental post on horror films watched during October leads the way: https://attractivevariance.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/october-2015–horror-wrap-up/
At Movie Classics, Judy Geater is leading up with a terrifically comprehensive review of Mark Robson’s 1954 “The Bridges of Toko-Ri”: https://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/the-bridges-at-toko-ri-mark-robson-1954/
David Schleicher has penned an excellent essay of the new James Bond film “Spectre” at The Schleicher Spin: http://theschleicherspin.com/2015/11/11/inspecting-spectre
Our longtime friend the film maker and movie lover extraordinaire Jeffrey Goodman has posted the thirty-first four film roundup at The Last Lullaby, one that includes a Maurice Pialat film: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2015/11/favorite-four-part-thirty-one.html
Jeff Stroud’s latest post at The Reluctant Blogger is a spirited one titled “Blank Page”: https://jeffstroud.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/blank-page/
Over at Patricia’s Wisdom, the terrific book reviewer and friend Patricia Hamilton has penned a terrific piece on “Stolen Years: Stories of the Wrongfully Imprisoned”: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2015/11/stolen-years-stories-of-the-wrongfully-imprisoned-reuven-fenton/
Over at Ferdy-on-Films, Roderick Heath has penned a fantastic essay on “Crimson Paek”: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/2015/crimson-peak-2015/26446/
J. D. Lafrance’s offers up a terrific review of the new James Bond movie “Spectre” at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2015/11/spectre.html
Shubhajit Lahiri has penned an excellent review of Wim Wenders’ 1975 “Wrong Move” at Cinemascope: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-wrong-move-1975.htm
Terrill Welch’s incomparably beautiful Creative Potager blogsite leads up with “Paiting and then selling paintings are done on a different breath: http://creativepotager.com/2015/10/06/painting-and-then-selling-paintings-are-done-on-a-different-breath/
Sachin Gandhi has penned a terrific review on the Brazilian “She Comes Back on Thursday” at Scribbles and Ramblings: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2015/10/she-comes-back-on-thursday.html
At Enic-Cine, our good friend Murderous Ink in Tokyo has written yet another fabulous piece of scholarship – the third part of “Ozu, Pickles and Rice Bran”: http://www.enic-cine.net/ozu-pickles-and-rice-bran-part-3/
At The Seventh Art the exceedingly gifted writer Srikanth offers up reviews on two Hindi films under the banner grouping titled “Love in the Time of Gonorrhea”: http://theseventhart.info/2015/08/02/love-in-the-time-of-gonorrhea/
Been hearing great things of ‘Brooklyn’. Definitely on my must-see list, Sammy. Thanks so much for the linkage and kind words, my friend. 🙂
Robert, I greatly look forward to your report on BROOKLYN. Always my pleasure my friend. Have a terrific week.
Heard so many good things about Brooklyn and Spotlight. Can’t wait to catch them. Also looking forward to the sci-fi countdown! Glad to see some resolution.
Aaron, I hope we will be comparing notes on both BROOKLYN and SPOTLIGHT soon. As to the science-fiction countdown,yes it is a relief that we now can prepare for the next step. Have a fabulous week my friend. And Best Wishes for that monumental endeavor almost ready to go at CRITERION BLUES!
Thanks, Sammy. Looking forward to your entry!
Aaron, I think my entry is due up on this coming Friday, and I will be right on schedule. 🙂
My girlfriend really wants to see Brooklyn, but it isn’t showing near us yet. The reviews have been incredible. I loved the young actress as the girl in Atonement. Congratulations on your daughter’s performance. Such things matter more than anything.
Happy to hear I will be able to cast a ballot for the science-fiction poll after all.
Tim, it is presently playing in Montclair, New Jersey (where I saw it) as well as in several Manhattan theaters. Yes the reviews are as wildly favorable as any film released this year, and they are well deserved. Glad you mentioned ATONEMENT, which is a special favorite of mine. And so true what you say about my daughter’s high school play.
Yes you will indeed be voting again for another countdown my friend. I wish you a wonderful week.
Sam –
As you know, I’m one of the most ardent followers of your annual Caldecott Medal Contender series. If it had calories, I’d be Miss Roly-Poly Rotunda Buns!
I saw photographs of Jillian in “Fine Dining” on your Facebook page. yes, Yes, YES!
BROOKLYN is on our must-see list!
Have a terrific week!
Laurie, there is no more ardent follower of it in fact! I love that analogy you pose! hahaha!! I know you were quite please with the photos of Jillian, and I thank you for that. You will adore BROOKLYN, methinks, Have a special week my friend.
Yes I am going to put Brooklyn on our watch list as well Sam. So pleased to hear you are getting some autumn colour. Our leaves have turned mostly brown and fallen off in our usual fall rains. But today was lovely and the last big artist day for me of the year with close of the local Studio Tour. Our most resent favourite film has been “5 Flights Up” (2015) and though it hasn’t been necessarily favourably reviewed it struck a cord with us and was an enjoyable relaxing, sometimes funny, well acted watch.
Terrill, I’d wager the farm you will adore BROOKLYN, and hope it will become available soon. I’ll certainly keep watch should it surface. I know your neck of the woods is gorgeous this time of the year. Wonderful to hear about that latest burst of creativity! I am sorry to confess I haven’t seen 5 FLIGHTS UP, and no the reviews were split. Still, I have loved many films that received divided reviews and vice versa. I know Freeman and Keaton are usually reliable. Many thanks for that my friend. I wish you and David a fabulous weekend!
The quick rundown from me –
Spectre – ***1/2 – way better than most critics have given it credit for. Old-fashioned, action-packed and a little bit silly Bond but with impeccable direction by Mendes and beautiful set design and cinematography.
The Peanuts Movie – ***1/2 – I loved how they didn’t try to modernize anything – just good ol’ Peanuts and the kids seemed to love it.
Room – **** (borderline ****1/2) – a definite top ten contender. Brie Larson should get an Oscar nom and the kid who played her son was also amazing. You really felt like they went through this harrowing experience.
Thanks so much for the terrific capsules David! Oddly enough I still haven’t gotten to any of these three just yet, but will be seeing ROOM over the weekend as per concrete plans. Your report on that film is precisely what I am expecting, and I know Larson could win an Oscar in a close race with Ronan, who is also expected to garner a nomination. I know SPECTRE has had a tough go critically, but I respect your opinion. My family loved PEANUTS, so again I am not surprised by your appraisal. Have a great week my friend!
Quite the ratings this week Sam! I hope to see Brooklyn soon.
Jillian is a sweetheart.
Frank, hope to be comparing notes on BROOKLYN soon. Thanks so much for the lovely words regarding Jillian. Have a great week my friend!
Sam, congratulations on Jullian. Sounds like you have some very exciting times ahead!
I was also excited to read of your very positive experiences with BROOKLYN and SPOTLIGHT. I am interested in seeing both of them and looking forward to running them down.
This week the only viewing I was able to see was Glazer’s UNDER THE SKIN. While I can certainly appreciate his formal talents and his unquestionable originality, I have to admit it is not completely my thing.
Looking forward to a strong close of the year. Hope you are having a wonderful week!
Thanks so much for the very kid words about my daughter Jeffrey! Yes, this past week featured two of the best films of the year, with BROOKLYN possibly my poll position choice to this point. I can’t wait to share notes with you my friend! UNDER THE SKIN impress many greatly but also was a downer for a good number. I liked it, but it wasn’t top ten material last year. There are four or five films I am really looking forward to including Todd Haynes’ CAROL this weekend, and also ROOM with Bree Larson that I need to catch up with. Having a fine week thank you, the very best to you and yours my great friend!
Hello Sam and everyone!
Looking forward to the sf countdown and hoping that you have a great week!
The movies I saw last week were:
– Absolutely Anything (2015, Terry Jones) ***1/2 Funnier than advertised. Better than expected. Underwhelming for Monty Python standards. I’ll write a longer review for my blog.
– Almayer’s Folly (2011, Chantal Akerman) **** This is not a good film to see when one isn’t feeling too well with oneself. The decay of the morale and the intentions of a man, that in the end we understand because he’s closer to us than Nina ever comes to. A wonderful portrait of modern racism through understanding. Many more things all wrapped in this weird Chantal Akerman film, with a stunning opening sequence and an Akermanesque ending.
– Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974, Kazuo Hara) ****1/2 Co-Teaching a class on Documentary filmmaking has opened my eyes in terms of how much can be done with the media, and thus I’ve become more careful in the way that I look at them in terms of the possibilities that they have and how they work in terms of their intentions and all the techniques and tools that the filmmaker has at hand and what he or she does with them. Kazuo Hara is maybe the one filmmaker that can get me out of my job, on how only watching his filmography one may be set in terms of classes on how to make documentaries. He makes a chronicle of past, present and future sex life, and he makes it personal, he makes it wonderfully close to himself, and his son, his ex-wife’s lovers and the children of the future are amazing almost archaic symbols of those events related to sex displayed on screen. The sequence of the birth, with its image without a firm focus and the microphone standing at the side is maybe the most important image that has ever been put on screen in the history of cinema. One wishes that the rest of the film achieved that kind of masterful tone at all times, but at least we had what we had.
– Lavalantula (2015, Mike Mendez) **1/2 It starts out full of energy and with a very tongue in cheek tone that made it even charming due to its lackluster special effects, and the way that the actors inhabited the ludicrous premise and had fun with it, but as it climaxes towards something that resembles the big action set piece the abundance of not-good special effects make it unbearable to see at times, and the reunion towards the end becomes more taxing than charming.
– Night Without Distance (2015, Lois Patiño) **** This is actually really interesting and while I don’t fully understand every bit, I am glad I am seeing this innovative short making rounds out there.
– Syndromes and a Century (2006, Apichatpong Weerasethakul) ****1/2 Simple yet wonderful. I love how Apichatpong makes everything profound through simplistic visual elements, like the lateral travelings, that seem to circle totems of spiritual importance, religious or otherwise, and it’s in those simple moments that the film reflects a lot of its depth.
It’s hard to talk about what works in this particular work that made me transcend the images of Apichatpong that in other films have only become superficial, while still beautiful and complex in their decoding. Maybe it’s the fact that this movie is so honest about its condition as well as its intentions, it just wants to portray a feeling of lost connections, a memory that never seems to establish itself as reality, a dream that we swear wasn’t a dream.
Apichatpong is still a very obscure filmmaker for me, but I am excited to see what’s next for me in the ever developing and expanding filmography of A.W.
That’s all, have a great week Sam!
Jaimie, when the holidays are over and we move into January, I will begin to move forward on the e mail chain with information and ideas for the countdown. I’m sure it will be a fun project from the get-go! Once again I greatly appreciate your banner presentation, though with the exception of SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY -which I love as much as you- I have not seen your line-up. I respect the filmmaker greatly. I should really see the Ackerman for a number of reasons, and will try to. I look forward to your review of ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING. Thanks again my friend!
Hi Sam,
Such horrible news out of Paris last week has clouded everything right now. Here’s hoping that love and forgiveness wins out in the end and peace will break out.
Glad to hear that Brooklyn is great. You know I’m a huge fan of romance films so I have high hopes for this. I’m even a big fan of melodrama and don’t mind that at all. My wife and I will surely see that one when it comes to town. I remember seeing Saoirse Ronan in Hannah a few years ago and feeling like she was going to be doing great things in her future. She definitely seems very talented and looking forward to her career.
Saw a few films I didn’t care for:
Bridge of Spies: This was very bland filmmaking from Spielberg in my opinion. I found it lacking a sense of importance (I think the source material just doesn’t have much to it) and most of the story threads really aren’t given much attention…. the two Americans who are captured and their stories are given such little screentime. Overall, this film wasn’t worth watching.
Southpaw: A horribly cliched sports/boxing movie that contains all the annoying elements of that genre dumped into one film. Really amateurish film for people who don’t appreciate good cinema.
We are getting ready for Thanksgiving though and excited for a break next week! Hope all is well and have a great weekend!
Yes, it is difficult to think of anything else right now Jon. The horror is just unconscionable. And it doesn’t look like it will get any better anytime soon. Yes, I loved BROOKLYN, and strongly recommend it, though I’m not sure what you will respond with on it. It is definitely a film to bring the wife to absolutely. Ronan is a marvelous actress, as we first saw in ATONEMENT, and then as you note in HANNAH. As far as BRIDGE OF SPIES I am completely on the other end of the spectrum with you, as I found it anything but bland, and hardly unimportant. This is one of Spielberg’s best films, and in my opinion well deserving of all the praise it has been getting. Hanks and Rylance were extraordinary, and there was a strain of urgency throughout. But fair enough, I always respect your views. As to SOUTHPAW, I have not seen it, and won’t be soon rushing out to rectify that. 🙂 Yes, Turkey Day is upon us, and things are heating up on this end too. The very best to you and your beautiful family my friend.
Wow one of Spielberg’s best films?! Wow. I seem to be wanting something else entirely from cinema these days as you and I saw “very different films”. Oh well. I seem to be drifting into an ether where cinema seems just too status quo these days for my taste. I’m looking for something that I am not finding very often. The End of the Tour is the exception. That film energized me tremendously.
Jon, you will probably be surprised to know that Maurizio (not the biggest Spielberg fan remotely) also thought it was one of his best films. I would say maybe 6th or 7th on a Ten Best list, and obviously higher among his serious films. Oddly enough I didn’t like THE END OF THE TOUR as much as you, but over the years you and I have agreed far more than disagreed. 🙂