Fire Ants (2011): A lower budget but well done documentary on the invasive species of fire ants. They are a remarkable insect. As a girl I spent my summers in Alabama... so I've had plenty of encounters with fire ants- and they suck! Man and beast learn that the hard way. Bonus childhood memory: a young calf licking a fire ant mound and bucking around the pasture in pain.
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| Fire Ants Yup.. he's throwing a ball of fireants |
Monarchy (2006): British series about the monarchs of England. Of course, by telling the story of the monarchs, you also tell the story of England, so it is more of a 'life and times' thing. I love this documentary! I've seen it at least two times through. I like that the episodes are divided more by eras than by bloodline or centuries. There are very little re-enactments, but instead lots of well written commentary and shots of art, manuscripts, and locations where key events played out. Well done!
W.E. (2011): Drama that overlays the story of an unhappy wife in the late 1990s and Wallis Simpson (later Duchess of Windsor). This was another movie that pleasantly surprised me. I thought I wouldn't like it very much, but it had me hooked from the first shot. Things I loved: the mood and sets and costumes, all worked well (though I don't remember the 90s looking so classy). I also loved the great sense of a woman's touch on this film (it was co-written and directed by Madonna). I can always tell when a woman directs a film. With an overwhelming majority of films being directed by men, it's pretty easy to tell when scenes aren't driven by a male's fantasy or ego!
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| W.E. Wallis Simpson cutting a rug |
...And God Spoke (1993): Mockumentary about the making of a biblical epic movie. This movie worked sometimes and didn't other times. If you want to, give it a watch I guess. (That was my generation x attitude)
Arabian Nights (2000): TV miniseries about.. yup- the Arabian Nights! It's a solid job all around. Nicely filmed and a pretty good pace throughout, though it loses steam a few times.
Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (1982) --and--
Start Trek III Search for Spock (1984):
The second and third of the Star Trek movies. I guess I'm a purist, but there's nothing like tight young 1960s Spock. These movies were good, but don't expect the fun and sometimes silly sci-fi goodness of TOS.
Our Hospitality (1923): An early Buster Keaton movie. He finds himself (unwillingly) in the middle of an old southern feud. Gags ensue. It's not my favorite Buster Keaton film, but I love everything he does. There are some great great scenes in this one, but if you're new to Keaton, I would recommend The General or Steamboat Bill Jr.
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| Our Hospitality Buster Keaton!! |
Chaplin, The Movie (1992): Biopic about the great Charlie Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr. I'd seen this years ago, but it had been a while. Entertaining movie... but even at 2 1/2 hours it seems rushed to cover Chaplin's long and eventful life. Plus Chaplin was never my favorite (I'm a Buster Keaton girl; see above).
Mill and the Cross (2011): A painting comes to life. This imaginary period piece puts the viewer in the world of Breugel's painting, The Procession to Calvary. I love being surprised by a movie- I put this one on thinking I probably wouldn't like it, or that it would be slow, but I couldn't take my eyes off it from the first shot. With some very well done digital effects, it looks unreal!
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| Mill and the Cross The whole movie is gorgeous |
Raw (1987): Eddie Murphy's stand up special. This was funny stuff; a lot of good parts. Apparently, it set some record for the number of times the word f*** is used. What does it say about me that I barely noticed? What have I learned? Eddie Murphy's looked real good in leather pants.
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