Skip to main content

Childhood Fantasy and the Classic Tale

  No restaurant this week because my sister was sick.

Monday: Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)
      I was reminded of this movie last week and went on YouTube to see if there were any clips to watch. Turns out the whole movie is on YouTube for free, so I decided to watch it. I had this movie on VHS growing up. It scared me but also fascinated me. It is an animated film about a boy who travels to Slumberland on his flying bed. He becomes heir to the throne. He befriends a character named Flip who gets him in trouble. They open a forbidden door and the king of Slumberland gets taken to Nightmare land. Nemo and his friends must go there to rescue the king. I'm afraid to say this movie does not hold up over the years. The characters' voices are annoying and some of the themes seem overly simple. The animation is still good. I still like get anxious when the train is going to hit the house and when the nightmare invades the castle. There are some entertaining moments but overall it is only ok.

Tuesday: A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
      I have seen more classic movies than I have read classic books. I will push myself to watch a movie that I wouldn't normally watch because it is a classic. I can't say the same for books. I read what I want to read. So a good way to learn about these classic books is to watch the movie adaptation. The story of A Tale of Two Cities centers around Lucie Manette and her father who she discovers has been released from Bastille after serving almost two decades. She brings him home to England. On the way she falls in love with Charles Darnay. She also befriends a lawyer named Sydney Carton. The story then follows them as they deal with the French Revolution, which put everyone at risk. Sacrifices are made so everyone can get out alive. This movie is really good. At the beginning I was worried it was going to be boring. As soon as Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman) comes into the story it all comes alive. He brings warmth and compassion into an otherwise dark time.

Wednesday: Boy Erased (2018)
     This movie is about a college freshman who gets outed to his parents as being gay. His dad is a pastor and his mother is very religious. They send him to a gay conversion program. The film shows how horrible these programs are and the lasting effect they have on the people who are sent to them. He tries to remain strong as his parents struggle to accept him. The movie was ok. Joe Alwyn, who plays the main characters' first same sex love interest, is doing pretty well this year. He is also in Mary Queen of Scotts and The Favourite. Which have also gotten award attention this year. And he has only done 6 movies so far, so he is off to a good start.

Friday: Stan and Ollie (2018)
        This movie is about Laurel and Hardy, who were a comedy duo in the classic Hollywood era from the 1920s to the 1940s. At the beginning of the movie they are at the height of their career. Then it jumps to 16 years later in 1953. They are touring around the UK. The movie shows them struggling with age and their lose of fame. It is interesting to learn more about Laurel and Hardy. It was well acted. I liked it ok.

Saturday: Double Feature- Fast Time at Ridgemont High (1982) and The Wife (2017)
            Fast Times at Ridgemont High follows teenagers as they deal with work, love, and school. There is a lot of comedy but some more serious moments too. I think it does represent what high school is like for the most part. It is ok. What I found most entertaining was seeing well known older actors when they were young. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Sean Penn is the constantly high surfer dude. Also seeing a young Forest Whitaker and Nicholas Cage. When I see Judge Reinhold all I can think of is him in Santa Clause as the step dad.
        The Wife is about a husband who wins the Nobel Prize in literature. He travels with his wife and son to Sweden to accept the award. We see the couples' relationship now as well as when they met when they were younger. It is not all that it seems with his success. His wife has more to her story than she is letting on. She grows tired of being in his shadow. It is a good movie. I can see why Glenn Close is winning so many awards. I will always see her as Cruella de Vil. And I will always see Jonathan Pryce, who plays the husband, as Governor Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tornado Wrangler and the Amish Safe House

 Wednesday: Just One of the Guys (1985)       Terry is a high school student with dreams of being a journalist. She loses a summer job at the Sun Tribune to two male classmates. Terry believes she lost because she's a girl. Frustrated and still determined to get the job she comes up with a plan. She dresses up as a boy and registers at the other high school in her town. She will then enter her article in the contest. Her article was rejected again. Terry realizes it really is the article that needs work. While finding a new topic she makes friends with another student, Rick. She helps him to get a date to the dance. The closer they get to the dance the more Terry realizes she has feelings for him. I thought this movie was alright. The actor who plays Rick is the brother-in-law of my neighbor. Friday: Witness (1985)        An Amish widow, Rachel, is taking her son to the city for the first time. While at a train station her son witnesses the murder...

Musical Connection and the Bakery

 Friday: Flora and Son (2023)     Flora is a young single mother. She struggles to get along with her 14 year old son Max. Her ex, who used to be in a band, is little help. Max is constantly getting in trouble. He has a case manager who is running out of options from keeping him out of jail. One day Flora finds a guitar. She gives it to Max thinking music will be a way to keep him occupied and off the streets. He rejects it. So Flora decides to take guitar lessons herself. She finds an American man, Jeff, who does lessons online. Flora starts to really get into her lessons. Then she learns that her son it making music on his computer. He is really good. They finally have a connection and their relationship gets better. I thought this movie was good. Saturday: Dumb Money (2023)       This is based on a true story. Keith is a financial analyst. He has a youtube channel where he talks about the stalk market and things like that. He notices the stock in the sto...

Black Cat and the Glam Rocker

 Tuesday: Woman of the Hour (2024)       This is based on a true story. Set in the 70s, Sheryl is an aspiring actress in Hollywood. She books a gig as a contestant on The Dating Game . She hope it will give her exposure. She ends up picking Rodney Alcala. He seems like a great guy. Little does she know he is a serial killer. I thought this movie was alright. I had heard about him before on a podcast I listen to. It was interesting to see it from her point of view.  Thursday: The Black Cat (1934)       The movie, as the credits say, is suggested by the Edgar Allan Poe story. Peter and Joan are newlyweds on their honeymoon in Hungary. They ends up sharing a train compartment with a doctor named Vitus. They gets off at the same stop and take the same taxi bus. There is an accident. Luckily they are near Vitus's destination. The home of famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig. He reluctantly lets them in. Joan was hurt in the crash. While she is recovering Pe...