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johnverderber
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Pollyanna (1960)
A surprisingly mature live-action Disney picture from the 60s, beautifully cast
Don't be fooled by Disney's reputation for middle-brow, saccharine and hackneyed live-action product during this period (with the exception of MARY POPPINS, of course). POLLYANNA is a well-made, superbly cast comedy-drama adaptation of the famous children's book. It is sort of the anti-Disney live-action film in its values: challenging small-town values and religious hypocrisy, and any sweet moments are decidedly un-goopy. In fact, you'll shed honest tears. I really can't say enough about how well-suited the stars are to their roles: Jane Wyman as a frigid ice queen? Wonderful. Karl Malden as a clergyman searching for the soul he lost? Perfect. Agnes Moorehead and Adolph Menjou as aging wackadoos who come around and acquiesce to a dear little girl's charms? Perfect. Hayley Mills is darling. Nancy Olson is swell. It's wonderful. It's on Disney+. Watch it!
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968)
The most important show in the history of television
When we are children, we are sponges. We soak up what we're told and the examples set by adults, other peers, media-- Fred Rogers was... is all three. He set an exemplary message. It's not just a message of kindness, of empathy, of community... it's a message of being-- being happy, sad, confused, excited, mad... it's a message of being human. It's knowing that feelings are real, manageable, and worth exploring-- in ways that don't hurt you or anyone else, of course.
SESAME STREET, the second most important show in the history of television, teaches this, plus educational concepts like letters, word, numbers... But Fred Rogers and his NEIGHBORHOOD program, in the least glitzy, most frighteningly and beautifully honest way possible, instills an even more important foundation in the sponges that are children. It instills empathy, and the expression and management of feelings. A refresher course for adults isn't a bad thing, either! It's good for them to watch now and then, too.
And it's a good feeling to say, Thank you Mr. Rogers! Thank you!
Song of the South (1946)
Well-intended, but unfortunate, misguided and often dull
I don't doubt that Walt Disney and his staff had good intentions in using the Uncle Remus stories as the basis for a film, but despite the nice story about the little white boy befriending the kindly old black man and being swept up in the magic of his storytelling, what is antiquated and, yes, offensive is the dialect. Even in 1946, such stereotypical minstrel show dialogue for the black characters-- especially Uncle Remus-- could have been avoided, or at least, toned down mightily. But it's so prominent and so off-putting, and so blatantly highlighting an ugly stereotype, that the live action sequence become hard to watch. This is what makes the film so unfortunate.
That, and the fact that the live action sequences are mostly dull. Baskett is wonderful and warm as Remus, and the children are cute enough, but even in CITIZEN KANE, Ruth Warrick wasn't the most compelling screen presence, and the writing in general is hackneyed and slapdash. The animation sequences are, however, perfectly entertaining, sharply animated, and feature those catchy songs. As a historical document for film and animation students and scholars, I think SONG OF THE SOUTH is worth looking at just for how the Disney staff combines the live action and animated cartoon mediums in a seamless way that would be perfected almost twenty years later in MARY POPPINS (and even more perfected in 1988's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT.) Perhaps that warrants a wider release on BluRay or on Disney+. However, as general entertainment beyond the notion of film history, the film is mostly unfortunate.
Judy (2019)
Well made and well meant, with more
Oh dear, there's no scene with Judy chasing poor Joey down the hall with a knife; no scene where she lies on the floor in her own regurgitation spewing nonsense (well... almost); no sordid tales of Garland's sex life... And that's fine. I'm no Garland apologist. The woman was not entirely a showbiz martyr, but she was a one of a kind talent, devoted to those who loved her, friend, family and fan alike-- at least as devoted as she could be, and not deserving of mud-throwing anymore. It's been fifty years since she died for heaven's sake.
So, no: there is nothing new or revelatory to learn about Garland in this film, which is fine. What else to we need to know? It's a competently written, gorgeously produced film. As for Zellweger, she's actually even more impressive than I thought she'd be. And no, the singing isn't Judy, but she does a more than credible job with it, and sounds leagues better than she did in CHICAGO. Her commitment is incredible, and her performance is beautiful.
It's a fair look at what are indeed sad last months of a troubled lady, but handled with respect and affection. And that's fine by me.
Fosse/Verdon (2019)
Slick, inaccurate, and hopelessly de-rigueur
FOSSE/VERDON is right up my alley. I'm a musical theatre obsessive who has loved their work since childhood. Then why am I not thrilled with the series? Well, mostly because it's inaccurate and poorly written. The actors are wonderful, the production design is detailed and meticulous, and the episodes are mostly well directed. But the creative staff's obsession with, or rather fear of #MeToo has seeped into a mostly inaccurate bio-series. Bob Fosse no doubt was a difficult man filled with demons, and he did indeed clash with producers and collaborators. His treatment of Stephen Schwartz on PIPPIN was poor, and of Fred Ebb on CHICAGO borderline psychotic. (Not depicted in the series, by the way. The Schwartz and Ebb doppelgangers just stand around on the sidelines and mostly roll their eyes.) He was indeed a philanderer and, to put it mildly, a ladies man. But the joyless creep this series makes him out to be? No way. He's written as a humorless thug in order to appease Twitterverse and the click-bait press. If he's such a creative genius... where's the creativity? Depressive and brooding as Fosse was, there was a creative, humorous, nurturing side to him. It wasn't all manipulation and dexies. It's obvious from Sam Rockwell's performances that he's up to the task, but he's hampered by one-note scripts.
Not that Gwen Verdon isn't slightly slandered either. While Michelle Williams gets her right, the writing she's given is heavy-handed. And by the time she starts turning into a bitter, manipulative egomaniac-- or rather when the writers decide it's time to give Fosse a slight run for his money-- one can't help but think, Why am I watching this, and why did these people even like show business? Go fight each other somewhere else and make pottery.
The marriage psychodrama just isn't interesting after seven weeks (next week will be the eight and final installment). The writers, producers, stagehands-- all memorable and funny cameos in Fosse's autobiographical ALL THAT JAZZ-- are just set dressing. The "celebrities" like Liza and Neil Simon are played as borderline caricatures. Norbert Leo Butz is a credible Paddy Chayefsky, and one wishes Margaret Qualley had more to do but smile and twitch as Ann Reinking.
But hey, next week's the finale, and I guess I'm stuck with it now. Trying to make dead people pay for their sins from forty or fifty years ago is no fun, and distorts who they were. FOSSE/VERDON is a #MeToo pander-fest, and it shouldn't have been. There's no excusing bad behavior, but for god's sake, he's been dead for thirty years.
The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
Peculiar and fascinating... finally!
The best home movie ever made...a lost masterpiece...the sequel to CITIZEN KANE... Really? Yes, indeed. While it doesn't hold up to KANE or AMBERSONS, or Welles' true late-career masterpiece, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, as finished in 2018, is a fascinating, intricate, strange, beautiful film, only marred by Welles' bizarre attempt at pastiching... or is it parodying?... "modern" cinema from Europe in the "film within the film." What's most striking about the picture is the party scenes, particularly the strange dialogue and jittery editing. What's most moving about the picture are the performances of Huston and Bogdanovich, mirroring the Orson-Peter friendship that Orson eventually betrayed. Or was it Peter? Who knows? It's all vaguely a mystery... like everything about Orson Welles.
They All Laughed (1981)
THEY ALL LAUGHED is what movies are all about
A quirky, lovely, bittersweet, and ultimately gorgeous comedy. Marred initially by the tragedy of Dorothy Stratten's murder, and Hollywood's malice towards Peter Bogdanovich, THEY ALL LAUGHED might be the director's best film, and certainly the one where he uses all the tools that cinema has to offer to make a small, enchanting masterpiece. With mature and sensitive performances from Audrey Hepburn and Ben Gazzara, beautifully awkward work from Dorothy Stratten and John Ritter, not to mention stand-out, gorgeous performances from the gorgeous Patti Hansen and the adorable and lovely Colleen Camp, there is love and beauty in every frame-- love for these people, love for cinema, and love for New York.