Monday: Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Henri worked at a bank for 30 years before he was let go. To support his wife and child he found a new way to make money. He marries rich women and then once he has their money he kills them. At any one time he could have several wives. When he is in a pinch for money he just has to pay them a visit, get their money and kill them. The stock market crash causes him to be more careless. Two women disrupt his otherwise perfect system. He knows he will soon get caught. I thought this movie was ok. Charlie Chaplin plays Henri. He also wrote and directed it. It is a dark comedy. This was controversial at the time because the story is based on a real serial killer, or bluebeard as they were called then. I suppose it would be controversial now as well.
Tuesday: Convicts 4 (1962)
John was on death row for killing a innocent man by accident. On the night of his execution he is commuted to a life in prison. Although he is happy to be alive he still wants freedom. He spends several years trying to escape. A prison guard has new ideas about how to treat prisoners. He thinks if shown compassion they can change. John is his trial prisoner. He gets John to behave better and channel his emotions through art. John becomes a talented painter. And he is rehabilitated. This movie is good.
Wednesday: Tap (1989)
After serving time in prison Max comes back his old neighborhood. He stays across the street from the tap dance school that belonged to his father and that he spent most of his life in. Max is a talented dancer but he doesn't see a future in it. His life of crime comes calling soon after he gets back. He also reconnects with his ex-girlfriend and her father who run the school. Max has to decided whether to return to his old life of crime or see how far tap dancing can take him. I thought this was a good movie. It is interesting to see a whole movie centered around tap dancing.
Saturday: One Night in Miami (2020)
On February 25th, 1964 Cassius Clay becomes the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world. His friend Malcolm X has put together a party for him to celebrate. But it turns out the only other people invited are Sam Cooke and Jim Brown. The others are in a mood to celebrate, but Malcolm would rather talk about civil rights. They spend the night arguing and talking about their place in the movement and what they are doing. Malcolm is outspoken and controversial in his approach. Cassius is making strides in boxing and plans to convert to Islam. Sam tries his best to fit into the white world that rejects him. Malcolm believes he could do more with his music. Jim is also outspoken as famous football player turning his attention to acting. This is a really good movie. The acting is amazing. The performance that stand out to me is Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X. Regina King directed it. Oscars all around I say. This is a fictional story, but they were all in Miami on that night. Such a gathering was possible.
Sunday: Yi Yi (2000)
This is a Taiwanese film. Ting-Ting is a teenager living with her family in the city of Taipei. When her grandmother goes into a coma her family struggles to cope. Her mother (who is the daughter of the grandma) has the hardest time and ends up going to a temple in the mountains. Her brother gets picked on for the unique way he sees the world. Her father struggles with his business. He ends up running into an old girlfriend. They hadn't ended on the best of terms. They spend time together while he is in Japan on business. After some arguing they work through their issues but go their separate ways. Ting-Ting becomes friends with the new neighbor named Lili. Lili's parents are struggling with unfaithfulness. This affects Lili with her relationships with boys. After casting him aside Ting-Ting starts to date Lili's ex. But it is clear he is still obsessed with Lili with disastrous results. This movie was alright. It is really long.
Also happy 2 year anniversary of this blog!
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