Watched about 25 minutes of THE GRADUATE (1967). Not sure why the movie was such a huge topic of its day. It's a really good movie, in the way of conveys what little story there is and draws you in to the character's mindset and it has a nice kind of metallic tranquality to it all. Rather melancholy. I'm not sure how that translated into the box office and critical smash it was and has remained. I guess people in 1967 were yearning for a film that exposed some raw emotion to reflect what was going on in the hearts and minds of the nation's people. Not many films have succeeded in that front in recent years, although that may just be me. Sheelane Woodley was asked why THE FAULT IN OUR STARS was such a smash success and she remarked that there's at least one element in the film that everybody can identify with. Everyone but me, I guess. I felt the first 5 or so minutes of the movie could have been greatly expounded upon without all the nonchalant cool. I guess the film was shying away from all that because so many people go through that themselves or have watched someone go through it and didn't need it replayed in a motion picture. Hence, the movie was lost on me. I knew a guy briefly who was in a Bible Study Group that I had recently started attending and he passed on. I can't say I grieved his loss. It was a little of a shock seeing him go on from here. What shocked me more is the lack of emotion I felt toward it. I am happy for him, that he is now in the arms of The Father. I'm sure there are those in this world who sorely miss him. Another guy in my men's group was good good friends with him and really had a bit of difficulty getting on without him. I'm not sure what his relationship with his family was/is like. But anyway.
When I think of films (more recent ones) that stir up emotion, aside from the 2-3 punch of FORREST GUMP and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, both now "old" movies (really, I'm not old, but I am getting there sooner than I tend to want to admit to myself), I think of MYSTERIOUS SKIN (2005 -- again, I swear I'm gonna be an old fart in another 15 years...geesh!). But the subject matter of MYSTERIOUS SKIN alienates (no pun intended --...) much of the audience that it might have if it were some other movie............
I ordered THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK. I started watching that movie when it was on Netflix a couple times but didn't get far through it. From what I remember of it, it seems like it'd be a good film to watch while trying to get to sleep. It seems to have this wintry chilling effect. Maybe I'm wrong. It's interesting that the movie landed Al Pacino his permanent status as Hollywood legend via Francis Ford Coppolla promoting him to star in THE GODFATHER based on having seen him in it. Just kinda weird. It's like FF Coppolla was the only one who saw the movie until news broke out that Al Pacino got hired b/c of his work in it. And I'm certain most people who saw and enjoyed THE GODFATHER still don't have much if any interest in seeing THE PANIC IN THE NEEDLE PARK.
Mmm...odd place to end this post. Seems there was more I had to say on this train...maybe.
I started typing this a few days ago on my phone. Just couldn't figure out where I wanted to go with this.
xx
No comments:
Post a Comment