Happy New Year!
Hope you’re all staying safe and have a hefty stockpile of bubbles to get you through tonight, and perhaps some cinnamon buns in the freezer to bake off in the morning. I have the former, not the latter, but it’s not too late for my associate Allison to read this email and get going on some bun dough. Here’s her favorite recipe, in case you want to play along.
I had high hopes of getting to the theater this to catch all the buzzy award-contender movies I hadn’t seen yet but those plans were obviously dashed (record cases in Chicago, alas). I’m holding out hope that things will settle down and I’ll be able to catch a sparsely-attended matinee soon enough
I’ve had a chill work week and my associate Allison has a full two weeks off so we’ve been digging into Holiday Mode by leaving the projector screen up overnight and waking up to watch movies first thing. It’s a very cozy way to start the day.
We finished out our Christmas-movie viewings with CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, several nights in front of the YULE LOG (both classic and birch), A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, and HARRY POTTERS 1, 2, 4. Delightful, all. Oh, and the last thing I saw in theaters before isolating myself from all crowds was catch SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME with Ned. I won’t punish you with spoilers, but I will say I loved it and we had a blast. Pairs great with peanut M&M’s.
Five or so years ago I checked out several pieces of David Hockney media out from the library: a couple books of essays and conversations, and the DVD of a documentary called, simply, HOCKNEY. It was a lovely, and loving, portrait of the painter in his older age, a bit of a retrospective and biography but more of an essay to “take stock.” I’d heard of another film about Hockney that was much more well-known, but also harder to find, the 1973 fantastical documentary A BIGGER SPLASH. We settled in to watch it the other night, and I perhaps foolishly expected the same joy, or peace, or insight, that I’d felt watching the 2015 doc. But instead this film was, obviously, a portrait of the artist as a young man, not his wiser, older, reflective self. In fits of conversation and scenes of Hockney and his friends as themselves, or fictionalizations of themselves, the film constructs an erotic and restless mutation of Hockney’s young life. In particular, the film watches him cope with his split from his muse, Peter Schlesinger, and concurrent attempt to complete his now-famous piece, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures).”
We watched the Japanese anime psycho-thriller PAPRIKA the other morning. The film follows a team of scientists and engineers as the fight to find the terrorist who has stolen their new invention, the DC Mini. With this wearable device, users can enter each other’s dreams, but in the wrong hands it can enable mind control and other nefarious projects. Yikes! Lucky for us, the dream detective Paprika is on the case. I have a hard time with “mind-fuck” stories like this (blame my small, dumb brain) but I was sufficiently dazzled by the animation and score to enjoy this morning watch. An essential watch for sci-fi fans who want to see the inspiration, or contemporary, for modern classics like INCEPTION and THE MATRIX.
Ella picked FUNNY FACE for the movie night this week and it was absolutely fabulous/delightful/charming…or should I say….s’wonderful, s’marvelous, s’awfully nice. From the first frame the Audrey Hepburn/Fred Astaire classic is a total smile-maker. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time. Shame on me for only having seen Audrey Hepburn in one other movie, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S. I think this kid’s got potential! She’s sparkling and adorable in this and I felt a moment of realization regarding her impact on not only film and fashion, but, let’s be honest, American beauty ideals. Can she sing? No! Does it matter? No! Not one bit! More Audrey! Now! Great performances aside, the movie is bolstered by the one-two-three punch of Hubert de Givenchy, Edith Head, and Richard Avedon. A deeply fun and satisfying watch.
Another morning watch this week was THE GRAND BIZARRE, an hour-long piece of video art from Jodie Mack. With hyperspeed animation and skittering graphics (all set to a techno pop score), Mack delivers both a travelogue and a record of commercialism and textile production. A very cool watch, even if you just dip in for some of it, a la stumbling into the video room at the Art Institute.
Okay….but…JENNIFER’S BODY, guys! Haaaahahahaaaaaa!!!!!! I missed the boat on this when it came out, and it seems like many did, as it received extremely poor reviews but has since (particularly in the last three years or so) gained cult status and earned a well-deserved resurgence and respect. This twisted, campy, feminist horror film is pitch perfect. Director Karyn Kasama and writer Diablo Cody play with pop culture, teen culture, and horror movie tropes at every turn and we are their happy puppets. I really can’t name a missed opportunity here. I’m listening to the soundtrack (Panic! At The Disco, Silversun Pickups, Dashboard Confessional….) as I type and dialogue from Cody’s brilliant screenplay keep popping into my head and making me giggle. Adam Brody as an indie rock Satanist?!? Those thrills aside, the movie is a redemptive take on sexuality, female friendships, predatory men, and the “hysterical woman.” Enjoy!
Hope you continue to have a restful holiday. As always, I’d love to know what you’re watching! Hang in there!
Nina