The Great Movie Conquest of 2022: March

For this month's installment, I reached out to something like ten or so roommates I lived with over the course of three or four years. You can thank them for finally making me watch Baby Driver.

Despite everyone in my TMA 391 class abounding in love over Baby Driver, I wasn't expecting it to do much for me. Heist movies aren't really my niche, and I don't love Ansel Elgort. The sum total of my knowledge of the film pre-viewing was Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James (?), driving, and a "really dope soundtrack." I guess the blank slate gave the film a lot of room to grow because I really enjoyed the film. I just want to know where they got the idea for "Baby" as a character. So much to unpack there.

Initially, I thought that About Time trapped itself in a premise with no tension since the entire film is about a guy who can press rewind on any given episode of his life, but I was grateful the story found a way to give his actions some weight, and it ended up taking me to a very profound place.

Knowing what I do about Werner Herzog, it's no surprise to me that he would be so fascinated by someone like Timothy Treadwell and make him the subject of one of his projects. I had a complex reaction to Grizzly Man that I've tried articulating a good half dozen times in this piece, to no success. I'll have to give it a try some other time.

Of the two reviews that I put out this month, only one of them was a theater experience, and I resent that very much. Turning Red was such a welcome addition to the Pixar canon, I've already gone back to give it a second viewing. The Lost City, meanwhile, was nothing to journal about, but I guess it filled a need.

I actually ended up seeing most of the nominees for this year's Oscars. (I've still only seen like two of the BP nominees from last year, and I only caught those in the last few months.) The two that I hit this month were Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley and Sian Heder's CODA. The former I thought was well-made, but not particularly to my taste, even with Bradley Cooper. I mostly like Del Toro when he's making monsters --like actual monsters, not just metaphorical ones.

CODA, meanwhile, was arguably the best item I've hit while doing this challenge. The film punched some really strong emotions without going for easy hits. I wasn't even counting on it taking home the big trophy on Sunday, but I was not complaining. I'm really excited to see what all the attention this movie is receiving will do for Apple TV+ as a service.

As I was reaching out to my old roommates for suggestions, they would sometimes preface their lists with, "I don't really know movies," or "you're the film guy, don't know what I can offer here." This was, of course, a non-issue. They had a plentitude of good suggestions.

But it did get me thinking about why we give more intellectual weight to certain kinds of films--why we might think that our favorite films don't "have a lot to offer." In my experience, when someone expresses this opinion, or one like it, they're usually admitting that they feel insecure about their tastes being too mainstream.

Without getting into an essay's worth of pontificating on the arbitrary divide between "high art" and popular entertainment, it's worth acknowledging here that intelligent discussion isn't limited to films in the criterion collection. The alchemy between the language of film and the complexity of the human heart is available across any range of film. Even a "brainless action pic" like the Clash of the Titans remake can elicit a complex response from me that will gestate over the span of several years. I always advocate for seeking out films that aren't in your comfort zone, but that's not as straightforward as devaluing superhero movies.

Looking forward, the votes are in for April, and I will be focusing on films from Japan for the upcoming month. (Will this be the day I finally see Seven Samurai?) Thanks to everyone who shared their voice.

Then in May I will be anchoring my viewing on a specific actor. I've narrowed the options down to the two handsomest devils in old Hollywood, James Stewart and Cary Grant. You can cast your votes here.

This is all just one really long way to say ... we are one quarter of the way through the year. Congrats.

--The Professor

Time to Move Ooooooon to April

March's Harvest:

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Guest in the House (1944)

About Time (2013)

Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Hell's Kitchen (1939)

Sunday in the Park with George (1986)

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)

Diner (1982)

Brute Force (1947)

The Green Mile (1999)

Turning Red (2022)

Baby Driver (2017)

Moby Dick (1956)

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Monos (2019)

Vertical Limit (2000)

The More the Merrier (1943)

My Führer (2007)

CODA (2021)

Dangerous Crossing (1953)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Grizzly Man (2005)

Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

The Lost City (2022)

Man of La Mancha (1972)

Peter Pan (1924)

Free Guy (2021)

Chronicle (2012)

Shane (1953)

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