365 Films- Post 3
This is day three of my 365 film challenge. Today I'll be talking about films 11-15. If the blog suddenly loses pressure oxygen masks will drop from compartments in the ceiling.
11. World's Greatest Dad
12. Call Me Lucky
13. Best of Enemies
14. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
15. Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
This is one of Robin William's best performances. The film is a great indictment of celebrity culture and the way humans act around death. Everyone wants a piece of you after you're gone, even if they despised you when you were around. As dark as the concept of this film is, it is consistently funny all the way through. I found this film to be much more honest about artistic accomplishment than most other media. Sometimes you have to just "luck" out in order to get any kind of recognition.
Standout Moment: When Robin Williams' character tells his story on the Oprah-like show. His performance is perfect in that moment.
Call Me Lucky (2015)
Part two in my Bobcat Goldthwaith double feature. Call Me Lucky proves that he is just as good at directing documentaries as he is at directing comedy. I had no clue who Barry Crimmins was before watching the feature. Expecting a lighthearted film about a stand up comedian, I was pleasantly surprised at the breadth of the story. Not only is Crimmins a great comedian and important figure in underground comedy, but he has used his past trauma to cause real change in America and overseas. This is one of the must watch films of last year. I can't say enough good about it.
Standout Moment: I don't know if I can pick just one for this film. It is really great from start to finish.
Best of Enemies (2015)
Our present, whether it be bad or good, is never too far away from the past that shaped it. This film was entertaining, but it was also depressing to see the beginning of cable news, politics being a difference of morality rather than policy, and the fall of intellectualism as an accepted part of American culture. The 60's were a tough time, and this film demonstrates the divide that was destroying the country. What's most depressing, though, is that it looks all too familiar. It is true what they say, history repeats itself.
Standout Moment: Buckley's big explosion on air, and the aftermath of his actions is incredibly riveting.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
I find new things to laugh at every time I see this movie, and the number of times I have seen it have to be well into the hundreds at this point. My oldest son added about 30 more views to that number last year when he discovered it for the first time. This film holds a very special place in my heart. I bought it knowing nothing about Monty Python. I was around 13 years old and the cover of the VHS just really spoke to me. I took the movie down to the 9 in. TV/VCR combo in my Grandma's basement, settled into a bean bag, and hoped for the best. An hour and a half later, my life was changed. The end of the movie was unlike anything I had ever seen, in fact the movie itself was unlike anything I had ever seen. They didn't seem to care about structure, story, characters, or anything really, and yet it was still one of the funniest things I had ever watched. This film poked holes in my 13 year old world, and I am forever thankful.
Standout Moment: This time around I really noticed the music editing. Perfectly chosen songs utilized in the very best way.
Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter (1993)
This is the kind of documentary that I just eat up. I love stories of underrated artists working on their own terms and making a lasting impression. The film itself is a really nice balance of her work, her history, and herself as a real life character.
Standout Moment: The interviews have a lot more back and forth than what is normal for these types of docs, it was a refreshing break from what one would expect from the medium.
That's it for tonight, join us tomorrow for films 16-20.
Josh D.
5181 Productions