What I've Been Watching: March 14-March 17
To document the beginnings of this quarantine, I'll briefly illustrate what I've watched thus far and my thoughts. It's cloudy today, and I have nothing to do.
GILDA (1946), a post-WWII American picture starring Rita Hayworth as one of cinema's best bad girls. Gilda is trapped between two men, an old flame and her new husband (who happens to be the old flame's boss). Enigmatic and transfixing in equal measures, Hayworth is far and away the reason to see the film. She's armed with snappy dialogue, luxurious costuming, and some delicate song-bird moments. Stream on the Criterion Channel, or rent on Amazon Video for $2.99.
12 MONKEYS (1995), considered to be minor Terry Gilliams, is still quite admirable. A haunting meditation on the nature of time and sanity. It's got some odd pacing, but it all works. It's hard to question things like pacing and narrative when what's on-screen is clearly brilliant. Stream on Showtime, or rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.
[REC] (2007), a found-footage Spanish horror film, is good. Unfortunately, I could only find the English-dubbed version of the film, but it clearly influenced many films to come after its release. Characters a bit thin, but everything here is really a vessel for the zombie/creature-feature at its core. And in terms of form and technicality, it's very exciting to watch. Rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (2005), one of Noah Baumbach's earliest works, theorizes that family is not a collective, but instead composed of individuals who, for the most part, are very different from each other. Good script, nuanced performances, and a lovely third act. Stream on Netflix.
BARCELONA (1994), part of legendary filmmaker Whit Stillman's unofficial trilogy composed of The Last Days of Disco and Metropolitan (all better than this film, though Barcelona is unquestionably good). Like The Squid and the Whale, the film's centerpiece is its banter, its dialogue-heavy script where people babble endlessly about things both inconsequential and heavy. This one is riotously funny, however. Stream on Vudu, or rent on iTunes for $1.99.
GILDA (1946), a post-WWII American picture starring Rita Hayworth as one of cinema's best bad girls. Gilda is trapped between two men, an old flame and her new husband (who happens to be the old flame's boss). Enigmatic and transfixing in equal measures, Hayworth is far and away the reason to see the film. She's armed with snappy dialogue, luxurious costuming, and some delicate song-bird moments. Stream on the Criterion Channel, or rent on Amazon Video for $2.99.
[REC] (2007), a found-footage Spanish horror film, is good. Unfortunately, I could only find the English-dubbed version of the film, but it clearly influenced many films to come after its release. Characters a bit thin, but everything here is really a vessel for the zombie/creature-feature at its core. And in terms of form and technicality, it's very exciting to watch. Rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (2005), one of Noah Baumbach's earliest works, theorizes that family is not a collective, but instead composed of individuals who, for the most part, are very different from each other. Good script, nuanced performances, and a lovely third act. Stream on Netflix.
BARCELONA (1994), part of legendary filmmaker Whit Stillman's unofficial trilogy composed of The Last Days of Disco and Metropolitan (all better than this film, though Barcelona is unquestionably good). Like The Squid and the Whale, the film's centerpiece is its banter, its dialogue-heavy script where people babble endlessly about things both inconsequential and heavy. This one is riotously funny, however. Stream on Vudu, or rent on iTunes for $1.99.
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