Hope and Glory, Queen and Country, Charles Laughton Festival and live music on Monday Morning Diary (February 23)

With our terrific friend, the talented author John Grant (Paul Barnett) and his wife Pam at Joey’s in Hewitt

 

HOPE AND GLORY director John Boorman at Film Forum on Wednesday night for a Q & A of his fabulous new film QUUEN AND COUNTRY

 

by Sam Juliano

Allan Fish is back, and this is cause for celebration for all of us here at Wonders in The Dark!  Physically he is rebounding wonderfully, and he is back on the movie trail.  The very best news in a very long time, and a time to give thanks!!

The Oscar show was a mixed bag.  Birdman is a very good film for sure, but definitely not more deserving than Boyhood nor Selma, and the results of the entire marathon presentation were so predictable.  I managed to win my own Oscar pool at our annual party attended by over 30, with 21 of 24 correct predictions, but the year wasn’t very challenging.  The best aspects of the show were the speeches by Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore and the screenwriter of The Imitation Game, and Lady Gaga’s buffo rendition of the songs from The Sound of Music.

It was great to connect with my great friend, site regular and author John Grant (Paul Barnett) and his lovely wife Pam at Joey’s in Hewitt, New Jersey on Friday night for a chat at the musical show performed by singer and guitarist Gene Focarelli.  Just a wonderful time with dear friends, with all but Melanie in attendance.  the food was fine, and the music -song standards from the 60’s and 70’s- excellent.

We all got to see renowned film director John Boorman at the screening of his new film Queen and Country on Wednesday night.  The 82 year-old director, offered up some fabulous deadpan humor during his introduction and Q & A after the showing.  We had seen his masterpiece Hope and Glory two nights earlier on Monday.  On Saturday night we saw a double feature in the Charles Laughton Film Festival, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables:  

Read Full Post »

John Boorman’s Deliverance, Excalibur, Zardoz, Point Blank and Matthew Vaughn’s The Kingsman on Monday Morning Diary (February 16)

 

by Sam Juliano

Frigid temperatures that have dropped to below zero with the wind chill factored in have given those of us in the northern New Jersey/metropolitan area the coldest numbers in over two decades.  Snow mounds still on the ground since the past snowfalls seemed destined to hang around for quite a bit more the way things stand.  Of course, our issues are relatively minor when you compare then to what our good friends in the midwest have had to endure over the last three months.

I have been spending some time watching episodes of old classic television series as a result of some pollings we’ve conducted on Facebook over the last months.  I’ve watched some shows from The Time Tunnel, Hogan’s Heroes, F Troop, Family Affair, Leave it to Beaver and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.  They have brought back so many precious memories.  I plan next to watch some Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, while continuing with the aforementioned shows.

We’ve attended the John Boorman Festival at the Film Forum this week, taking in four films (with two more planned fro the coming week) over three days.  Boorman will be making a personal appearance on Wednesday before his new film QUEEN AND COUNTRY screens.  We have already bought our tickets.  We also watched the new release of THE KINGSMAN, though the showing is late Sunday night, and I will have to come back to this thread in the morning to revise with a rating:

Read Full Post »

Virunga, Hard to be a God and Book Event on Monday Morning Diary (February 9)

by Sam Juliano

The Caldecott Medal and Honor books were announced on Monday morning, February 2nd.   Dan Santat’s The Adventures of Beekle took the gold, while a record-breaking six (6) honor books were named:  Lauren Castillo’s Nana in the City, Jennifer Bryant and Melissa Sweet’s The Right Word, Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre’s The Noisy Paint Box, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s Sam and Dave Dig A Hole, Yuyi Morales’ Viva Frida and Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer.  The seemingly heavily-favored The Farmer and the Clown wound up will no acknowledgement.  I was very pleased with the results, even if like everyone else some personal favorites didn’t make it.

Lucille and entire brood accompanied me to Manhattan’s Books of Wonder on Sunday afternoon for a panel discussion involving four author/illustrators.  Elizabeth Rose Stanton, the author and illustrator of Henny, Toni Yuly (Night Owl), Matt De La Pena (Last Stop on  Market Street) and Migy (And Away We Go).

We saw two films in theaters, one an Academy Award nominated feature-length documentary, and the other a nearly three hour black and white Russian film.  We saw:

Read Full Post »

Timbuktu, Caldecott Medal Contender series and Super Bowl on Monday Morning Diary (February 2)

Screen capture from TIMBUKTU, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign language film

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.

Read Full Post »

Big Blizzard on Monday Morning Diary (January 26)

by Sam Juliano

As a monster blizzard bears down the NYC region (those in the midwest have been seeing this kind of weather right along) weather forecasts are calling for upward of two feet of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.    Hence most of the upcoming week will be one of digging out.  I can only imagine and dread what my friend John Grant will be getting up in his West Milford area abode.  certainly snow lovers will get all their fill and way more than that.

This past week has been spent home writing the final wave of Caldecott book reviews, and recovering from the final stage of a once terrible stomach virus, and continued depression over our unconscionable loss of a few weeks ago, a loss I am still in denial over.  In a rare occurrence, no new films were seen, though this is traditionally the worst time of the year for quality openings, what with all the attention paid on the Oscar nominees.  I do look forward to the Academy Award live action and animated shorts and to the documentary shorts.

Hence I particularly look forward to hearing what others have seen or done.

 

Read Full Post »

Jamie Grijalba’s Top 20 Films of 2014

by Jaime Grijalba.

Well, ain’t that one chubby beaver.

And with that tasty note, I want to inaugurate my official top 20 list of the best films of 2014 that I’ve managed to see before the announcement of the Oscar nominations, which is my own personal cut-off for this lists year after year. Now, be reminded that even if I go the extra mile to have more films on my plate, I still missed quite a few of the most interesting ones, specially regarding the awards, I haven’t seen the likes of Birdman, American Sniper, Inherent Vice, The Hobbit, Mr. Turner, among many others that have certain looks and likes that they might’ve gone in my list. Anyway, if you want any update on what I end up seeing and rating, I think that reading my 10 Days of Oscar, as well as having some attention to my Muriels ballot should be enough.

So, as many of you already know, and for those who don’t I tell you now, the criteria for my list is that any movie, Tv miniseries, short film, anything, released in 2014 counts for my list; no 2013 films that had a 2014 major release will count here, only 2014 ‘pure’ choices. Many of these films were seen in film festivals and won’t be available for some time, but count these as if they were preemptive recommendations on movies to look out for. On the rest, not much to say, just let’s start with the number 20 and then we shall go up, up and away to number 1, which this year, was the only masterpiece I managed to rate and see.

Read Full Post »

Caldecott Medal Contender: Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny

by Sam Juliano

The Bunjitsu Code advocates peace and tolerance, sharing,  daily effervescence, an appetite for the challenge and a keen sense of humor.  Adapting it without reservation will inexorably lead to a life of fulfillment and inner tranquility, perspective and humility, intellectual enrichment and continuing health.  In short, the code promotes all that matters the most in living the good life, one that equates with success achieved through application and an undercurrent of positive energy.  Those who adapt the code and follow it all the way through will never look down their nose at anyone else, will avoid a physical confrontation even at the expense of meaningless pride, will understand that there is always someone who knows more than you and will make themselves readily available to anyone who needs your help.  All of this will be negotiated with cheery demeanor and a sense of purpose.

By rights John Himmelman’s Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny, should be a double dipper in the same way that Nancy Willard and Alice and Martin Provenson’s A Visit to William Blake’s Inn  was back in 1984.  In the only such instance in the history of the American Library Association’s awards, the same book won both a Newbery and a Caldecott Medal.  True, the Caldecott was of the ‘honor’ variety,  but never before has a cover boasted a validation for both its words and its illustrations.  Himmelman’s wildly popular primary grade illustrated chapter book offers up fabulously riveting prose, and stylishly minimalist art that perfectly suits the book’s spirited action and philosophical underpinning.

Read Full Post »