Month: October 2020

Flying During a Pandemic

Things I haven’t seen in many months: Those fun post-it note illustrations on office windows. Because the kind of offices that have that kind of fun aren’t open right now. However, the airport supplied me with a nice view of Mt Hood, plus an airplane flying around the mountain.

No, thank you, airport, for being so uncrowded.

Aside from the fact that I could have caught a deadly virus and died, flying during a global pandemic was heavenly. It erased the number one thing I hate about traveling by air: feeling like cattle.

The seats in the waiting area had stickers on every other seat to promote social distancing. The plane was mostly empty. I had my entire row to myself, plus the row across the aisle, plus the row behind me. It was glorious. And I got some great pictures of the mountains.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 Feels Like Now

Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch and Sacha Baron Cohen backed by a wall of protesters in the Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Directed by Aaron Sorkin
Written by Aaron Sorkin

The review:

It’s baby boomer nostalgia written and directed by our favorite walking and talking baby boomer: Aaron Sorkin.* But this is baby boomer nostalgia that all generations should catch up with because holy cow, the parallels with today. This film has a tight script,** great performances,*** and manages to balance ten-plus main characters in ways that let them have their moments.****

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*You know, walking and talking like in The West Wing. I had hoped that Sorkin was born after 1965 so I could have said: …baby boomer nostalgia written by everyone’s favorite Gen Xer that includes political parallels that will seem familiar to the millennials and Gen Z-ers. But alas. Sorkin was born in 1961 and he’s too old to be a Gen Xer, so no dice with that sentence.
**The intro of the many players is handled in a robust and amusing fashion.
***Tom Hayden and Abbie Hoffman are the main players, and to my great surprise Hoffman was played by Sacha Baron Cohen. I had no idea!
****I liked seeing the different approach to protesting that the various groups brought. It’s common to hear about “the protesters” during the 60s, but they didn’t act as one body.

Questions:

  • What part of this film reminded you of today?
  • Which of the seven (eight) did you identify with most?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Sacha Baron Cohen admitted he was terrified of having to do an American accent for the film. He had used a few different variations of the accent before for comedic reasons, but never for a dramatic role. He knew Abbie Hoffman had a unique voice, having a Massachusetts accent but also having gone to school in California, and was worried he would “sound wrong.” Aaron Sorkin had to reassure him that the role was “not an impersonation, but an interpretation,” which Baron Cohen claimed did not help much.

Other reviews of The Trial of the Chicago 7:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I think the institutions of our democracy are wonderful things that right now are populated by some terrible people. —The Trial of the Chicago 7. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

All Movies Watched on Kanopy April–Present

Kanopy. Quality films for free.

Here are five movies I’ve loved that you can watch right now. For free!

Five Really Great Movies on Kanopy Now

  • What We Do In The Shadows. If you are like me and don’t love horror films, this might be your perfect ’tis-the-season movie. Because this mocumentary about vampire housemates is a lot of fun. Plus, it’s brought to you by Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Boy, Jojo Rabbit, Hunt of the Wilderpeople)
  • Lost in Paris. If our senses of humor are aligned, you will adore this very odd film that is also a great example of the burlesque comedy tradition. Follow one Canadian woman as she tries to find where her missing grandmother in the city of light. (Note burlesque comedy tradition in France is very different than burlesque in the US)
  • The Messenger. It’s that quiet Ben Foster along with Woody Harrelson in a film about the men who deliver the bad news to families of fallen soldiers. I just thought of a scene from this film last week, and it has been four years since I’ve seen it. The film sticks with you, is what I’m saying.
  • Support the Girls. Aw, I need to do a list of Regina Hall films she’s great in. Here, she plays a manager of a sports bar on a day when nothing goes right.
  • Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone. If you are looking for a documentary short, this was my top of the 2020 Oscar-nominated slate. The Academy and I were in agreement, as this was the winner. It’s 39 minutes of your time and you will have a lot of feelings. I ended up feeling hopeful.

Recommended

  • Memento

Good

  • Girlhood
  • The Watermelon Woman
  • Picture of Evan Rachel Wood, Callum Rennie, and Ellen Page in the film Into the Forest
  • Picture of Dominique Fishback and Tatum Marilyn Hall in Night Comes On
  • Drawing of the stars of the Hitch-Hiker: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, and William Talman
  • A depiction of a reel of film with the faces of Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, Keanu Reeves, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Billy Bob Thornton

Skip

  • Lady Macbeth
  • The Beat Beneath My Feet
  • A picture of Francisco Solorzano and Patrizia Hernandez with a sketch of NYC brownstones behind them
  • A picture of Kristen Wiig in the film Welcome to Me.
  • A picture of Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle in the film A Quiet Passion

Walk to Mocks Crest Park

In perusing dates-that-are-free choices, I discovered there is a park in North Portland I’d never heard of, much less visited. Matt and I set out to discover it. On the way we found this mystery.

With some treasure. Inside, there were painted rocks with googly eyes.

Though it was a long-ish walk to get there and we got there in time for the last gasps of the sunset, the view did not disappoint.

The combo of Forest Park (the reason the hills on the other side of the river haven’t all been developed with their own twinkling lights) and a working river limits our options for dramatic sunset pictures.

But Mocks Crest Park paid off. I can see why more than one website grumbles about the number of spoony couples during the summer months.

Punks and Aliens Learn How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Alex Sharp and Elle Fanning in the film How to Talk to Girls at Parties

How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Written by Philippa Goslett and John Cameron Mitchell

The review:

Having gone into this film without knowing anything about it, I was surprised when a cute film about three kids into punk music took a very galactic turn.* While I found a lot of the alien stuff to be focused on worries of straight fourteen-year-old boys, I thought all the alien set decoration was very fun, especially when compared to the punks.** I don’t think this movie holds together very well, but it’s interesting to look at, I enjoyed both Fanning and Sharp, and there was a recurring joke about the alien music I found amusing.***

The verdict: Good?

(There were just enough elements to push this from Skip to Good, but it’s barely over the line. Proceed with caution.)

Cost: free via Hoopla, one of Multnomah County Library’s streaming services.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • Teen Spirit (a serviceable movie about music set in Britain and starring Ellen Fanning.)
  • Starman
  • Side note: this film is currently ranked #15 on the IMDB List “Most Popular Alien Disguised As Human Movies and TV Shows”
  • And, I have no other suggestions.

Further sentences:

*I found my way to this film because I enjoyed Alex Sharp in The Hustle and this was an easily accessible film he starred in, plus I like Elle Fanning. The summary of the film begins, “An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets…” Had I read that before watching, I would have been prepared for the strange alien turn. Because I was not, I was probably more amused at this film than I would have been.
**Or, for that matter, Enn’s home.
***Ethan Lawrence describing the aliens’ music at the record shop and to a DJ cracked me up.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite human/alien film?
  • You’ve just watched this film. Do you think you wasted your time?
  • Have you read Neil Gaiman’s original short story on which this was based? How do the two compare?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

American DJ James Murphy developed a new genre for the soundtrack, described as “extraterrestrial dance music”.

Other reviews of How to Talk to Girls at Parties:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Evolve or die, love. —How to Talk to Girls at Parties. Read the three sentence review. 3SMReviews.com

Coming of Age with Northern Soul

A picture of Elliot James Langridge in the film Northern Soul

Northern Soul

Directed by Elaine Constantine
Written by Elaine Constantine

The review:

Northern Soul is a fine niche* coming-of-age movie from the usual male point of view. I loved the setting and all of the grimy details, especially the intersection of drug use and the dance scene.** While it follows the usual coming of age/drug use trajectories, the enthusiasm for Northern Soul music makes this a fun watch.

The verdict: Good

Cost: free via Hoopla, one of Multnomah County Library’s streaming services.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The niche in question is Northern Soul music which Wikipedia tells me is “a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the English Midlands in the late 1960’s from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of black American soul music…with a heavy beat and fast tempo.” You can read more here, including the information about how the lesser or unknown tracks were the most popular Northern Soul music. A plot point hinges around this.
**At times, it seemed that the big pops of color were the uppers the characters were taking.

Questions:

  • What music was your coming of age music?
  • Would you have been into Northern Soul in the early 1970s? (Or were you?)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Was originally only meant to be playing in five screens across the UK but due to high demand it got a blanket release of over 160 screens

Other reviews of Northern Soul:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Listen, you! This is Northern Soul, not Northern Arsehole! —Northern Soul. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

All Movies Rented from Redbox June–Present

Five really great movies at Redbox right now:

(I’m not sure how regional Redbox is. Your mileage may vary.)

  • Wonder Woman. Why not prep for the eventual release of WW84, by catching up with (or re-watching) this film.
  • Us. If you, like me can’t really do horror, try this not-very-grisly but very suspenseful Jordan Peele flick.
  • The Wolf of Wall Street. Or perhaps you want to ensconce yourself in the horror that is rampant capitalism? Then try this Scorsese classic that has my very favorite Quaaludes scene ever.
  • Southside With You. Maybe you want some Obama nostalgia? Check out this imagining of Barak and Michelle’s first date.
  • Emma. Who am I kidding? We all need a comfort watch, so just go rent this again. Also Little Women.
  • Picture from movie The Assistant
  • Picture of Marsai Martin and Issa Rae stars of Little

Recommended

  • A picture of Hailee Steinfeld hugging the robot Bumblebee in the film Bumblebee
  • A picture of Alexis Rae Forlenza, Pete Davidson, and Luke David Blumm in The King of Staten Island
  • Picture of the cast of Murder on the Orient Express including Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Olivia Coleman and more.

Good

Older Cats

As other writers have observed, welcoming a pet into your life gives you companionship and also regular reminders about the life span. My two cats, ages sixteen and twelve, have both entered the elderly stage. And it’s the younger one who isn’t doing very well with this phase of life.

While Sentinel has been aging more or less gracefully (he’s taken prednisone for years to help with his vomiting) Antares has catapulted himself into some sort of herpes thing that has left him sickly and sad and in need of a lot of expensive medication. Plus, he has to start medication for his thyroid.

Having sick cats isn’t fun. Hopefully these medications will have him feeling better soon.