Absolute Wannabe

So this movie is totally holiday appropriate. Not. I have to admit something. This is the first movie I've watched for the blog that I've not totally understood. And that's okay. I'm not going to understand every movie I watch after one viewing. This may be one I revisit and come back to later. I will say that Battleship Potemkin , a 1925 silent Soviet propaganda film by Sergei Eisenstein, was fascinating to me. I've discovered over the last few months that I really enjoy silent films. Granted, the others I've seen are works by Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin with a very different tone than Potemkin , but I still think the absence of sound can amplify the message of a film. A silent film also relies on music, which I love. Though the musical score usually changes over time, any score with a silent film really makes the audience remember why music is important to a film's message. What I did get out of this film about mutiny and massacre was a mes...

If you're looking for inspiration for your next haircut, look no further than The Adventures of Robin Hood. Here's the Trumpet Player Style: The Sir Guy:                      And the iconic Prince John:           I was really excited to see this movie. I've loved the Robin Hood story since I was little. When I was in elementary school, I had a cassette tape of the Robin Hood legend that I got in a kid's meal that I would play constantly before going to bed.  Robin Hood has all the characteristics of a hero that I admire: a higher purpose, a loyal following, skill, and a quick wit. Watching Errol Flynn's interpretation of the iconic character reminded me of others like Luke Skywalker and Spiderman that I've loved all my life.  This movie holds up over 70 years later in an age of superheroes and big, expensive effects (both of which I love, by the way). I can see peopl...

Here's a thought: If there isn't a guy named Charlie who gets continuously yelled at, is it really a classic Hollywood movie? This week, I watched the 1961 classic Paul Newman film The Hustler .  I thought I was going to hate it so much, but (spoiler alert) I didn't. I have to admit, this isn't my kind of movie. Usually, I really hate sports movies because of how similar the plots usually are. However, The Hustler  does the exact opposite of everything that makes me angry about sports movies. The movie starts out with Newman's character, Fast Eddie Felson, on the quest to make his life legendary. He's arrogant and naive and driven. In other words, he's the protagonist in a sports movie. Instead of progressing in his quest to win, he actually grows as a character. Eddie falls in love with Sarah, a hard drinking, enigmatic woman who stands up for herself and what she wants. She gives Eddie a run for his money, living fast and working for what she wants...