Cinematic Distractions

[dulcedemon]

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022):
I seldom get everything I want from a movie. This is close to perfection. It's a heady blend of sci-fi, fantasy, fighting action, absurdist comedy, and family drama. The previews did not adequately prepare me for the actual experience. I'm glad. I liked not knowing exactly what I was getting into. Its unpredictability is refreshing.
Some of the actors are long time favorites of mine. Some of them are new to me but likely to become favorites, especially Stephanie Hsu. The most surprising was Ke Huy Quan. I did not realize who he was until after the movie. The whole time I was watching it, I was trying to figure out where I'd seen him before. I was a bit shocked when I looked it up afterward.
Without giving away too much, and frankly, much of it is difficult to explain, basically, the stresses of running a small business slated for a tax audit, elder care, a marriage on the verge of crumbling, and conflict with an estranged daughter shatters Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) and sends her careening through countless parallel existences in a vast multiverse.
I won't describe them all, but the most gorgeous among them is a tribute to Wong Kar-wai. Evelyn is so happy and prosperous in that one that it almost sucks her in for keeps. I'd like to see both Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan in an actual Wong Kar-wai movie. They just looked so natural in that environment.
Here is a new movie that I instantly loved, which contains a stunning tribute to a director whose movies I also love. It defied and exceeded all my expectations. Speaking of expectations, I doubt anyone expects a martial arts fighting sequence to involve big, floppy, dildos, but they should. It's one of my favorite scenes. As far as the little bit of controversy pertaining to the naming and treatment of a certain supporting character, I think it was overblown. The intention was clear to me.
James Hong is wonderful in the part of Gong Gong. Jamie Lee Curtis is like I've never seen her before as Deirdre Beaubeirdre. Fans of Mr. Robot should be on the lookout for Sunita Mani who appears as the leading lady in a Bollywood musical playing on televisions in the background of several scenes.

From Up On Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka kara - 2011):
This is almost too cute. It's entirely sweet and wholesome, but I liked it anyway. It's hard to go wrong with Studio Ghibli.
Umi is a high school senior, who gets up extra early every morning and rushes home from school every afternoon to help her grandmother run a boarding house. She is also charged with the care of her younger siblings. Her father was lost at sea during the war, and her mother is frequently away on business. Between work and school, she has almost no social life until she crosses paths with handsome and charismatic classmate, Shun (voiced by Anton Yelchin in the English version).
Shun enlists Umi's help in an effort to save an old building on school grounds from demolition. The building in question is a massive dilapidated wooden structure with a bell tower. It was probably new when their grandparents went to school. Its interior is a monument to every possible building code violation thanks to many unauthorized additions and modifications made by the students. It houses various student clubs and the school newspaper. For some reason, it's used solely by boys. There is no explanation as to why. There is no indication that the girls have separate but equal clubs or their own newspaper in another building. When Umi shows up to help, the boys are astonished to see a girl in the building. They erroneously conclude that she must be a groupie. That one weird sexist interlude aside, it's a charming love story.
The song Ue o Muite Arukō AKA: Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto gets a lot of play. I can't think of any other soundtrack in which it was used, but I'm confident no one has ever used it more effectively. That song has a dual meaning, which can be read about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyaki_(song), and both of its meanings apply to the story.
The main reason school administrators want to tear down the building isn't so much about code violations and structural deficiencies as it is their desire to sweep away any reminders of old Japan before its defeat, and before the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty took effect. The fact that the country is about to host the 1964 Olympics makes this desire all the more urgent. To people who don't know or can't understand the lyrics, it simply sounds like an upbeat pop tune, but it's more than that.
I look up as I walk so the tears won't fall.

The Sandman (2022):
I'm not sure what to say other than I highly recommend it, even if you haven't read it. I haven't read it, but my spouse has. Back in the day when it was new, he told me the gist of the story and showed me several pages, but I was more focused on the art than the story.
Based upon my vague recollection, The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) stepped right from those pages and onto the screen as affable and treacherous as ever. It's one of several superb casting decisions. I didn't like Rose Walker of the comic book, so that change was welcome. Another welcome change was Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), but my reason is petty. I resented the drooling fanboys holding up (literally) the comic book version as something I needed to aspire to in terms of appearance, the quintessential goth girl. Anyway, I bawled like a baby for a good chunk of that episode. My spouse even warned me ahead of time, and I still ended up full on trembling with chest heaving, ugly crying. I also cried over Fiddler's Green. I have mixed feelings about Lucifer Morningstar, which I guess leaves me neutral about the casting choice. I know the original vision was for David Bowie to play that part, but since he is busy being dead, obviously they had to go with someone else. Personally, I'd prefer a brunette. Mazikeen is Mazikeen though, seemingly no matter who plays the part or in what. In this case, it's Cassie Clare. Patton Oswalt lends his voice and levity to the part of Matthew the Raven.
I hope there will be more to come of this amazing series.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Season 01: Disc 02 (2012):
The person who recommended this was right. You need to give it a chance to get started. Things really start to cook with the second disc. It's still more Thin Man than Sherlock Holmes, but I take back what I had said about it being too girly.

The Comfort of Strangers (1990):
A couple on the road to Splitsville returns to Venice, Italy to try to rekindle the magic of their first visit. They aren't married, but they're toying with notion. One of their problems seems to be that they have toyed with the notion too long. There is somewhat of an age difference between them. He (Rupert Everett) is just young enough to give off a boy-toy snatched by a cougar on the rebound vibe. He is a pretty but pouty emo. He doesn't like her kids but lacks the guts to say as much. She (Natasha Richardson) is too worried about her how her kids are doing back home to relax and be fully in the moment.
As they saunter from tourist attraction to tourist attraction, she tries to mask her insecurity, while he tries to hide his resentment and boredom. They both fail to notice that they're being shadowed. The man following them is one half of a wealthy and horny middle-aged couple, played unnervingly by Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren.
When this man finally approaches them, he shares a disturbing account of his abusive childhood, which begins:
"Let me tell you something: My father was a very big man. And all his life he wore a black mustache. When it was no longer black, he used a small brush, such as ladies use for their eyes. Mascara..."
They are more repulsed than intrigued, but out of idle curiosity and a sense of propriety, they accept his invitation. Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren are well-paired here, and they both give memorable performances. As for the rest of it, I liked that it showed so many different, less touristy shots of Venice. It gave it a more fleshed out atmosphere. Before watching it, I wondered why I hadn't heard of it despite being a fan of both Walken and Mirren. I wonder no more.

The Lizard (Bi hu - 1972):
This is another fine Shaw Brothers' production. The plot is more or less Robin Hood without the archery. A thief steals from rich foreign dignitaries and gives to the local poor. He leaves behind a small, red, plastic lizard as his calling card, hence the moniker, The Lizard.
His everyday disguise is a rube junior cop with a stutter. His love interest is secretly a kung fu badass, and The Lizard's biggest fangirl, but everyone knows her as the sweet and dutiful granddaughter of a local cop. Unfortunately, grandpa's job is to bust The Lizard. Also, grandpa's boss is corrupt af. Worse still, grandpa's corrupt af boss wants to marry his granddaughter.
The most notable performances here come from the corrupt police chief, played by Lieh Lo, and Lydia Shum, who plays a local official's wife. Before watching this movie, I didn't know Lydia Shum by name. I only knew her as a distinctive looking, funny actress who overreacts and makes funny faces. I've seen Lieh Lo in several movies, the first of which was Five Fingers of Death (1972). I have it on VHS.
One other thing about this movie, and it might be only me, but I could have sworn that I heard snippets of Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd in the soundtrack. I thought I'd heard the intro to Alice Cooper's song Killer during the lavish party scene. I also thought I'd heard Pink Floyd, but the song that came to mind wasn't released until a few years after this movie was made.
It's a bit ableist in how they handle the stutter, but overall, it's not so bad. I didn't feel robbed of my time. I watched it twice for the casino scene, and the lavish party scene. Those two scenes are quite good. I did fast forward through a few of the fights the second time around. The brief nudity at the beginning of the movie was a pleasant surprise.

Duel in the Sun (1946):
How many racial slurs referencing Native Americans can one movie have? Duel in the Sun doesn't have them all, but it's not for a lack of trying. Not only is it fraught with racism but also sexual harassment and assault, and animal cruelty. It was derisively nicknamed Lust in the Dust, and some of the sexual scenes had to be cut to get it past the censors of its day. I recommend the Western comedy Lust in the Dust (1985) with Tab Hunter and Divine over this.
For those brave or curious enough to press on we have...
The Prelude!
The prelude is followed by...
The Overture!
Thirteen minutes after pressing play, the actual movie begins with an overview of a rugged landscape under a blood red sky. Enter Pearl Chavez (Jennifer Jones), the daughter of a Creole Southern gentleman and a Native American woman. Not quite sure what her dad does for a living, but he enjoys gambling his money away. Her mother enjoys dancing provocatively on the bar while her husband gambles, then goes home with someone else. Neither Jennifer Jones nor Tilly Losch, who plays her mother, are Native American, so of course there is brownface.
Circumstances arise that prompt Pearl's father to send her to live with the cousin he almost married, Laura Belle McCanles, played by Lillian Gish. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for her husband, the extremely racist Senator Jackson McCanles (Lionel Barrymore), and the younger of their two sons, Lewton (Gregory Peck). If you have ever wanted to see Gregory Peck play a racist and violent, predatory asshole, this is your chance.
Their older son, Jesse (Joseph Cotton), takes an instant liking to Pearl, but he conducts himself like a gentleman. He is polite, educated, and earns a good living as an attorney. His father prefers his scoundrel younger brother over him, which makes him kind of a mama's boy.
I want to say that both men vie for Pearl's affection. They do and they don't. Neither man could marry her without getting disowned by their father. That wouldn't bother Jesse, but inheriting the ranch is the only prospect Lewton has. It stops Lewton from marrying her. It doesn't stop him from raping her. I'm not giving away as much as it might seem.
Jesse and the Senator have an inevitable falling out unrelated to Pearl. Jesse packs his bags and splits for the nearest city. Joseph Cotton delivers one of the most satisfying slaps I've ever seen or heard in a movie. I played it back over and over again. The recipient certainly had it coming. It's one of the few moments I truly enjoyed. It's just an absolutely gorgeous slap. I wish I could put that slap in a box, gift wrap it, and send it to someone who deserves it.
A few supporting role highlights:
Butterfly McQueen as Vashti
Walter Huston as Jubal Crabby the Sinkiller
Charles Bickford as Sam Pierce
Harry Carey as Lem Smoot
It has beautiful scenery both real and painted. It has pretty horses, when they're not being abused. It has an over-the-top finale that embodies its nickname. It fades to black for almost three minutes complete with a reprise of the music from the prelude and overture.
(Seriously though, watch the other Lust in the Dust.)