NOV 21, 2024 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT| By Esa George
I’ve been oddly on a movie kick, which is often a seasonal feeling. The crisp fall weather creeps up on me, obliging me (I pretend I am practically forced) to rest in bed and drag my computer closer and closer to my face over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour film. This November has been no different, and how do I make myself feel better for the hours I let go to waste? Someone else’s art consumes my brain while I am in a creative writing thesis block. My justification: it’s my birthday. November Scorpios know it: our birthdays last for days!
That tangent aside, here is what I have watched so far this November; here are all of my thoughts after countless hours of mindless watching instead of scrolling. Here’s to improving my media literacy for some older films. These are all in order by most recently watched.
“Rosemary’s Baby:” ⅘ stars
A film that makes you never want to know your neighbors or even be remotely cordial — don’t bring over a pie, don’t share anything about your life, don’t start drinking a fruit and herb smoothie that they insist will be beneficial for your pregnancy. Rosemary’s Baby puts you in a permanent state of suspense and discomfort, it makes you question how feeling pity for an older couple is not so much your responsibility…they just might be Satanists (not a spoiler, I promise).
“Harakiri:” 5/5 stars
This 1962 film is the very first Japanese samurai film I have ever seen, and it will not be the last. It is a slow-burn and a gorgeously shot film; even in black and white, the scenery is so full of emotional color. Following a revenge fantasy that unfolds itself into a reality, this old, retired samurai avenges his son-in-law’s horrendous death. Exposing the mockery and fallacy of honor in the home of Kageyu Saito, the head of the lyi clan; Hanshiro Tsugumo’s (the aging, masterless samurai) actions are sequences and words that should not be missed, as one of the greatest samurai films of all time, the message lingers with me that director Kobayashi is also conveying an anti-samurai sentiment. I will be watching more from now on. Specifically, “Seven Samurai”
“Come and See:” 5/5 stars
Now I know, and I can tell all of you: this is not a birthday movie at all. I skimmed reviews from Letterboxd, consistently calling this movie the greatest film of all time. I neglected to read closer as to why, and so I decided to dedicate the first three hours of November 10th to this 1985 Russian film set during World War II. We follow a young boy who suffers horror after horror and tragedy after tragedy. One of the most compelling performances I have ever seen in my life was from (then) 14-year-old actor Aleksei Kravchenko portraying Florya Gaishun, a young boy joining the resistance after the invasion of his village in Belorussia by German forces
As Remai Modern describes the films, the “continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.”
“Eraserhead:” ⅗ stars
A movie that I thought I had to watch because of the frequency at which it is referenced. I did not, in fact, need to watch this movie. I wish I had surrendered to the mystery instead, because trying to survey the internet for answers about what this movie meant produced only more questions for myself. The rabbit hole only deepened. And…I am so confused still? The baby was so cute, why were we supposed to be okay with the neglected baby? If you don’t know the baby I am talking about, go ahead and look up “Eraserhead baby” on the internet. As a David Lynch fan, I was disappointed and scored this film at three stars on Letterboxd. I might be offering myself up to some pretentious folks at this school. I don’t care!!
“The Penguin:” 4.5/5 stars
I am not a superhero fan nor a D.C. comics fan, but I will watch anything and everything that Colin Farrell is in. Ever since watching “The Lobster,” Irish actor Farrell has captured my heart. So, when I realized that it was Farrell behind the makeup for the anti-hero the Penguin (aka Oswald Cobb) I knew I had to watch it immediately. “The Penguin” is the newest, buzzing miniseries on HBO Max right now. It is thrilling, full of twists and turns, but take my advice and don’t get too attached to any character, because each episode could very well be their last. Following 2022’s “The Batman,” this series is incredibly bingable, my very first television binge-watch in maybe two or three years. And even marketed from a superhero franchise, there was not a single mention of a “hero,” and so it was perfect for me. Oswald Cobb emerges as a crime kingpin by the end of this series, and it is exciting to witness it unfold. There is nothing easier than rooting against this diabolical, selfish man, even though he is so good at it, you almost want to join his side.
“Being John Malkovich:” ⅘ stars
Charlie Kaufman has been my favorite screenwriter ever since watching “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” a film that I will behold in my heart as my catalyst to opining over movies. So, I finally got around to watching his 1999 film starring John Kusack and John Malkovich himself, directed by a then-young Spike Jonze (the director of the 2013 film “Her”). This movie is absurd…characters continually enter the brain of actor Malkovich, spending 15 minutes inside a tunnel that was discovered at the new office of failing puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) accidentally, then becoming an object of desire creating the demise of Schwartz’s character and greed. Questions surrounding the ethics of occupying someone else’s brain, even if famous and already a public figure, encircle the audience of this film. Malkovich is a strangely likable character, as it is inevitable to pity an actor for being a sort of puppet throughout the film, outsmarted by a career-puppeteer (John Kusack). Shwartz is eventually able to suppress the consciousness of the actual Malkovich, complicating the love triangle that visitors to Malkovich’s brain have created. My one complaint: I watched this film on a flight where I was already exhausted, and the entire premise was too bizarre for me to allow myself to become fully immersed in this very hypothetical world.
“Die Hard:” ⅘ stars
A movie that I have only heard about through the context of the debates surrounding whether it is a Christmas movie or not: I can now concur that it is a Christmas movie because it takes place during that time. It begins at a holiday party on the 30th floor of a building which will soon be destroyed. A terrorist attack unfolds, and the rest of the movie follows John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York cop, in his quest to take down the terrorist organization. McClane’s incentive for his heroic act and killing spree toward the villains? His wife is being held hostage amongst her coworkers on the 30th floor. He needs to save her and win her back — due to their separation and her and their kids’ relocation from New York to Los Angeles, following a great new job opportunity. I really enjoyed this film, however, it is a little outdated coming from the 2020s; as a 1988 film, there have just been so many other, better films now that offer the same suspense as this one.
I feel like this is an extensive list, but then I recall my best friend from my last fall semester spent in Berlin who watched two to three films each day, no matter the good weather, regardless of the plans, even while in this exciting city. His commitment to film, entertainment, and cinema is what reminds me I could always be watching more. There is nothing more satisfying than an ending like the ones above, and this December will be even more packed with films, especially with all of the long breaks from school we’ll be having.
That’s 1,215 total minutes spent on movies this month. Which is 20.25 hours…I could be doing better.