Saturday, May 08, 2021
- Commentary: All of the following are movies I'd love to have in my collection but they are either unavailable, doubtfully available or their prices put them in my wait-until-later category. As a means of defining terms [The prices below don't include tax, which is sometimes collected and sometimes not, depending on the shopping outlet.]:
Cheap: Below $6 U.S. [Yes, Virginia, it's still possible to find DVD/blu-ray bargains below $6 U.S. I'm awaiting the delivery of one as I type this. No, it isn't an "old" movie. It is a 2017 movie.]
Reasonably priced: Between $6 and $10 U.S.
Moderately Priced: Between $10 and $15 U.S.
Pricey: Between $15 and $20 U.S.
Very Pricey: Anything priced above $20 U.S.
- The L-Shaped Room: Available and very pricey in blu-ray, moderately pricey in DVD.
Not available for check out through local library system.
This movie made an impression on me because I was not even a teenager when I first saw it and was unable to follow it, but images from the movie haunted me. The circumstances of my first viewing were that my parents wanted a night out, so they decided to take my three sisters and I to a movie, a double feature at the outdoor-with-a-canopy theater at one of the local military bases. The first was a Disney cartoon which I don't remember. I've never much liked cartoons, even then. The second, though, was this moody, almost impressionistic black and white drama that transfixed me, even though I had no understanding of it. Its importance was further underlined when my older sister absolutely understood the gist of the movie, took offense and whisked us away from our seats and into the snack bar where waited until she was able to contact our parents and demand that they take us home. I internally chuckle, now, when I think of the incident. At the time, though, the evening seemed delightfully calamatous to me, so the movie at the center of it left an impression. I have, of course, since watched the movie with an adult sensibility. I don't find the story particularly compelling, but I love the cinematography and the interplay of the characters, all played by excellent actors.
- Khartoum: Available and pricey to very pricey.
Available for check out through local library system.
My affection for this movie has nothing to do with the movie, itself. The reason I ever saw it was that during the summer of 1966 my family was vacationing in the States. We always spent a good third of that time in Hawaii, going and coming. The film was released during that year and was playing in a theater in Honolulu. My father and I were at loose ends, the rest of the family having gone shopping, and he asked me to accompany him on foot to a theater in the area showcasing the movie. I enthusiastically agreed. I remember nothing of the story, although the cinematography kept my eyes glued to the screen and made me feel like I was doing something exciting. My father adored the movie. He attempted to explain it to me afterwards. His explanations didn't help me, but I didn't care. I paid as close attention as I could to what he was saying, asked questions, and basked in the warmth of his tutelage. Since that time, of course, the movie has been raked over the coals by some, deservedly, and celebrated, despite its faults, by others (such as, for instance, Martin Scorsese). Since then, my only viewing of the movie, though, I have had fond memories of watching it in the theater with my father and raptly attending to his discourse as we meandered along the Ala Wai back to our hotel. I would love the chance to replay those memories as I replay a disc of the movie.
- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Available and pricey to very pricey.
Available for check out through local library system.
I've seen this movie a couple of times since its release. I can't tell you, (and likely will never know) why I find this movie riveting. It's a strange and scrambled meditation with a disjointed-in-life character at its core. Maybe it's the way Forest Whitaker (an astounding actor) plays the character that attracts me. Maybe it's the mundane logic of the story played against Ghost Dog and his wildly out-of-place character. I'm not sure. What I do know is that, when I remember the film, I wonder what Pearline and Raymond are doing, now, and how their encounters with Ghost Dog changed their life trajectories.
- The Ballad of Narayama: Availability pending, almost impossible to find in U.S. playable edition, very pricey.
Not available for check out through local library system.
Yes, I own a copy of another interpretation of this story, done in Kabuki style, which is excellent and I love. This 1983 version is done in classic movie style. It's a version of this story I haven't seen, but I've seen the first movie version of it and would love to see this version and own it. Knowing how much I enjoy the story in Kabuki style, I'm sure I'd enjoy the story in movie style, as well, and probably find it resonating more deeply with me, since I am of the screen generation, not the stage generation.
- Memories of Tomorrow: Availability pending, almost impossible to find in U.S. playable edition, has yet to be priced.
Not available for check out through local library system.
I've never seen this movie, but I know a great deal about it and have been trying, since I became aware of it, before my mother died, to obtain a copy. Aside from featuring a universally applauded performance by Ken Watanabe (one of my favorite actors), it is the story of a dynamic man who develops dementia in later midlife and its effect on him and his family.
Frankly, I'm surprised that Criterion hasn't yet taken on the challenge of reproducing and distributing this movie. Although their editions are pricey, this is one movie for which I'd be glad to pay, even at Criterion prices and especially because of their stellar treatment of movies on which they focus.
- 5/20/21 NEWS! NEWS!: The Wrong Man and The Best Man just became available, one "Reasonably Priced" and one "Moderately Priced", so, of course, I ordered them. The first will arrive this Saturday; the second, in a few weeks. I guess, in a bit, I'll be taking them off this list, giving them their very own spot, and adding them to the list at the left. Gee, I wonder if the movie gods are reading this movie journal!?! Just in case, thank you movie gods, for watching over my collection. You've made my day, as you make my collection.
- 7/14/21 MORE NEWS!: I now own The Apartment. Look for the listing to the left, as well as the listings the the aforementioned two movies.
- 7/15/21 YET MORE NEWS!: I now own Deep Cover. Look for the listing to the left. I've also added yet another category, specific to Deep Cover: police-procedural. Check it out to the left. So far, Deep Cover is the only movie in that category. I don't think I have any more, although I'll have to check, laboriously, movie by movie.
- 7/16/21 EVEN MORE NEWS!: I now own Frances Ha. Look for the listing to the left.
- 12/5/22 MORE NEWS!: I now own Cure. I've transferred what I said about it here to it's official write-up. Look for the listing to the left.
# posted by gail @ 08:20 email...
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All material copyright at time of posting by Gail Rae Hudson
