Jupiter's Wife (HU DVD 4016) is a documentary about Maggie Cogan, a homeless woman living in Central Park with her pack of dogs who attracted the curiosity of filmmaker Michel Negroponte. From googling around, it's unclear if this film really deals with the seriousness of homeless and mental illness. Maggie is described as beguiling and witty, but some reviewers question whether this film was enabling and exploitative. After the film was released, she briefly had her own apartment, but it sounds as though she eventually returned to Central Park.
Jupiter's Wife won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance among other awards. Here's our summary:
This is the story of Maggie, a beguiling homeless woman living in New York City’s Central Park. In her forties, Maggie’s vibrant personality and unconventional persona attract attention since she has 6 dogs and carries a huge backpack full of her personal belongings. A captivating jumble of cryptic stories, Maggie’s conversations are laced with intriguing claims - including the claim that she is the daughter of actor Robert Ryan and that she is married to the Roman god Jupiter.
Today's random DVD is The Magic Christian (HU DVD 7940) starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. This black comedy is completely littered with celebrity cameos (see Wikipedia), and looks fully ridiculous. But supposedly it's terribly madcap! So I suppose that's fine. Also, I mean, Peter Sellers in anything, really. How can you resist?
Here's our summary:
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, happens upon a young orphan in the park and, on a whim, decides to adopt him. Together they set off on a series of madcap escapades.
We also recommend Waiting to Exhale (DVD 2276), His Girl Friday (DVD 1341), Thelma and Louise (DVD 1169), Tiny Furniture (DVD 9713), and Hidden Figures (DVD 13951). I was curious, so I googled "Films with no women," and--I admit this should have been obvious--they're mostly big prison, ship, and army films. I wasn't able to find any without men, though.
There are so many interesting American female characters that it's hard to isolate just a few. Let us know if you have a particularly interesting example!
You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.
Welcome to Module 3 of Democracy on Film, which covers Civil Rights! This small selection does attempt to expand the concept of civil rights outside the African American Civil Rights Movement with the inclusion of Harvey Milk and Smoke Signals, but the struggle for rights and equality in our diverse country is so multifaceted that no cinematic introduction could do it justice.
Module 3: Civil Rights
Introductory Lesson: The Camera as Witness
Chapter 1: King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis. 1970. Streaming video
http://proxyau.wrlc.org/login?url=http://american.kanopystreaming.com/node/114212 Chapter 2: Intruder in the Dust. 1949. DVD 8854 Chapter 3: The Times of Harvey Milk. 1984. DVD 1267 Chapter 4: Smoke Signals. 1998. DVD 1657
We also suggest Eyes on the Prize (DVD 2301 - 2307), a 14 part documentary series about the African American civil rights movement. Spike Lee's Malcolm X (DVD 165) is worth seeing, as is Selma (DVD 12221). We do have a campus use only copy of American Revolutionary : The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, but I wasn't able to find very many great movies about Asian American or Hawaiian American civil rights issues. Any suggestions out there?
You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.
Today's random DVD is Mario Van Peebles' New Jack City (HU DVD 1097). A 1991 action gangster film, Wikipedia makes it sound like there's some disagreement about just how anti-gangster this film is, and Time Out London called it "a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation." The IMDB trivia page on this one is pretty epic too, my favorite example being:
On Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Chris Rock claimed that for several years following his acclaimed performance as a crack addict, drug dealers would approach him and put crack and cocaine in his pocket; joking that "they thought it was a documentary." He stated that, although he knew people who used crack at the time, he never did and, in his 1997 memoir "Rock This" had only smoked marijuana twice. (from imdb)
Here's our summary:
Gangster film about a young, rich, smart drug baron who thinks he’s untouchable, and the tough, street-smart cops determined to bring him down.
And here's the trailer, with some epic trailer-voice:
Ok, so if you know me at all, you already know what the punchline is going to be. But shaving serves all kinds of purposes in movies. There's something about the obscuring/revealing in shaving that directors really love. And it's omnipresent...like, this doesn't even count all the bathroom cabinets that open to reveal shaving cream, and there are plenty of camp pranks missing. From comedic, to terrifying, to bordering on sensual, here are five films featuring shaving cream.
1. The Great Dictator (HU DVD 3796)
Chaplin rhymic shaving.
2. Sweeney Todd (HU DVD 13869)
What kind of monster wouldn't put Sweeney Todd on this list? The movie version with Johnny Depp (HU DVD 4111) is...um...kind of lame. But I strongly recommend the filmed stage production.
3. Hard Day's Night (HU DVD 5740)
Beatles shenanigans.
4. Skyfall (HU DVD 5001)
I'd say this scene is some kind of...demonstration of vulnerability...something...
Sorry, I'm way too distracted by Daniel Craig to philosophize.
5. Jurassic Park (HU DVD 4901)
My favorite can of shaving cream in film is, of course, the super-spy can of Barbasol in Jurassic park. It gets to do so much work! Hiding stuff, comic spraying noises, etc. Also, this ridiculous dick move:
For a bonus 6th pick, I'm going to add Shrek (HU DVD 13517) but I can't remember which of the films this shot came from. It's stuck with me thought, because it's paired with a scene of Shrek shaving, and this is supposed to be...funny? Because only ogre women have facial hair? I'm sure all those waxing, tweezing, shaving, lasering, electrocuting, and chemical depilatory products for women are marketed exclusively to ogres.
Module 2 of Democracy on Film is called The American Laborer. American identity is highly bound up with the idea of labor, and this selection of films is a great introduction.
Module 2: The American Laborer
Introductory Lesson: The Common Good
Chapter 1: “Black Fury” (1935, d. Michael Curtiz) -- Not in the collection...YET!! Chapter 2: “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976, d. Barbara Kopple) -- DVD 2032 Chapter 3: “At the River I Stand” (1993, d. David Appleby, Allison Graham and Steven Ross) -- Streaming Video Chapter 4: “Salt of the Earth” (1954, d. Herbert J. Biberman) -- HU DVD 5560 Chapter 5: “Norma Rae” (1979, d. Martin Ritt) -- HU DVD 440
I'm kind of surprised that On The Waterfront (HU DVD 7750) didn't make this list. But, for further study, we recommend Matewan (DVD 1651), a film about the Battle of Matewan. We also recommend Native Land (DVD 10448), a 1942 documentary film about labor organizing featuring Paul Robeson. Unfortunately, it looks like we don't have a filmed version of the Lynn Nottage play Sweat(PS3564.O795 S94 2017) which won the Pulitzer for Drama. But we do have, for a portrait of the alienation of the American laboror in today's workforce, the truly classic Office Space (DVD 2344).
You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.
Masked Rider The First (HU DVD 11528) has got to be one of the more intriguing things I've pulled off the shelf in a while. Like a lot of live action movies based on anime, the plot sounds completely bizarre when you read it. According to Wikipedia, the movie is based on a popular manga that also became a TV show.
I mean, based on the trailer, it looks like bug themed Power Rangers?? I don't know. Just weird.
Here's our summary:
Transformed into a locust-human hybrid by a nefarious organization known only as Shocker, a once-normal man makes it his mission to bring down the group that destroyed his life once and for all.
This week, we're taking a look at five different scenes in which characters hang upside down. I'm sure there's some bigger philosophical point to be made about inversion as in Alice in Wonderland, about the ways in which hanging upside down represents helplessness--to the ideal of beauty? to a torturer? to love?--for the characters, or possibly even the inherent physical comedy of characters in this ridiculous position. But out of sheer laziness, I will be pursuing none of those arguments in this blog post.
1. Jungle Book (HU DVD 6643)
This scene with Kaa has Mowgli hanging all kinds of ways, and it is so artfully animated that I remember it frame for frame. Insanely well executed animation to produce this very humorous example.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HU DVD 6047)
It happens so fast in the movies that you might miss it, but one of the ways James bullies Severus is with the jinx Levicorpus:
3. Spiderman (HU DVD 7121)
The kiss. You know the one.
4. American Gigolo (HU DVD 4640)
Apparently this movie established Giorgio Armani in Hollywood, but I see no Armani in this scene. I've watched it several times. For research.
Appropriate for a country of immigrants, Module 1 of Democracy on Film focuses on the immigrant experience. Immigrant stories are incredibly diverse, just as immigrant experiences are diverse. We also should make sure, as always, to take a close look at who is telling the immigrant's story.
Module 1: The Immigrant Experience
Introductory Lesson: From Penny Claptrap to Movie Palaces—the First Three Decades
Chapter 1: “The Immigrant” (1917, d. Charlie Chaplin) -- HU DVD 8502 Chapter 2: “The Godfather, Part II” (1974, d. Francis Ford Coppola) -- HU DVD 2542 Chapter 3: “America, America” (1963, d. Elia Kazan) -- HU DVD 7756 Chapter 4: “El Norte” (1983, d. Gregory Nava) -- HU DVD 10144 Chapter 5: “The Namesake” (2006, d. Mira Nair) -- HU DVD 3499
Martin Scorsese's own Gangs of New York (HU DVD 590) is definitely a film I'd add to this list. Dancer in the Dark (HU DVD 285) is an incredible movie that highlights the exploitation of immigrants. For an offbeat pick, I'm actually going to pick DVD 14853, The Last Command, which is the story of an exile working as a film extra. It highlights his relationship to his country using film/storytelling in a really interesting way.
Martin Scorsese, as part of his efforts to bring visual literacy education to middle and high school students, recently put out the list of movies included in "Portraits of America: Democracy on Film."
As described in the announcement:
Offered free of charge to elementary and high schools, “Democracy on Film” is made up of eight modules addressing different aspects of the democratic experience, including immigration, labor, civil rights and the press. Within each module, scholars, educators and filmmakers examine movies that reflect American democratic ideals.
For any educators out there, each module of the film list looks like it includes additional curriculum materials. Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting each module, and offering some supplementary resources from our collection.
We're big fans of starting media literacy young, and this is a great program for kids. It's also a wonderful resource for adults seeking guided/thematic viewing. We look forward to exploring these titles with you!
Pulling this random DVD off the shelf turned into a Wikipedia rabbit hole for me. Today's highlight is The Iceman Interviews (HU DVD 11721). If you don't know who Richard Kuklinski is, you can read up on him on Wikipedia.
An abused young man. A hair-trigger temper. A trail of dead bodies. [...] Renowned forensic psychologist Dr. Park Dietz gets up close, personal and even confrontational with psyche of one of the most dangerous men alive. Bringing together the earlier THE ICEMAN TAPES: CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER and THE ICEMAN: SECRETS OF A MAFIA HITMAN with the newly released Dietz interview, this new special edition, THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS is the ultimate compendium of the mind of a murderer. Includes Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski's riveting on-camera confession, exclusively for HBO, of the murder of police officer Peter Calabro. Making news in February 2003, Kuklinski accepted a plea bargain for a concurrent 30-year term to his 60-year prison sentence and implicated Sammy "The Bull" Gravano in the crime. THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS - this new special edition is guaranteed to run chills up and down your spine all over again.
With minimal creativity you can find these interviews online, but for anyone who'd like to stay on the right side of the law, we have the DVD in media services. Here's the ultra-chilling cover:
Not happy viewing. But still interesting, and important to understand.
I feel like I say this every month, but we got so much good stuff in March. I mean, we got Stranger Things (HU DVD 15001) and Westworld (HU DVD 14987)! Not to mention Bladerunner 2049 (HU DVD 1065). I'd especially like to highlight Faces, Places (HU DVD 15052) which is this super cool French documentary(-ish?) movie with JR and Agnes Varda. Trailer below.
Happy viewing!
***
7 faces of Dr. Lao - HU DVD 15041
500 : the impact of the reformation today - HU DVD 15058
Architects of denial - HU DVD 15056
Bābā ʻAzīz : le prince qui contemplait son âme - HU DVD 15042
Battle of the sexes - HU DVD 15046
Blade runner 2049 - HU DVD 1065
Boulevard nights - HU DVD 15054
BPM (Beats per minute) - HU DVD 15059
Brawl in cell block 99 - HU DVD 15043
Brigsby Bear - HU DVD 15021
Dawson City : frozen time - HU DVD 15050
Dietro gli occhiali bianchi - HU DVD 15053
Extant. The first season - HU DVD 15008, Discs 1 - 4
Extant. The second season. - HU DVD 15009, Discs 1 - 4
Faces places - HU DVD 15052
Feel like going home - HU DVD 14979
Funeral in Berlin - HU DVD 15030
Godfathers and sons - HU DVD 14983
Good time - HU DVD 15048
Good work : masters of the building arts - HU DVD 15019
Harriet the spy - HU DVD 15000
In battle against the enemy of the world : German volunteers in Spain - HU DVD 15057
Julian Schnabel : a private portrait - HU DVD 15025
Junior Bonner - HU DVD 15029
Kilometre zero - HU DVD 15026
La tía Tula - HU DVD 14986
Lost in Paris - HU DVD 15040
Marjorie Prime - HU DVD 15023
Maudie - HU DVD 15047
Mother! - HU DVD 15022
Newman - HU DVD 15044
Omar Mukhtar, lion of the desert - HU DVD 15027
Only the brave - HU DVD 15024
Philips - HU DVD 15038
Piano blues - HU DVD 14985
Pour le mérite - HU DVD 15045
A quiet passion - HU DVD 15049
Red, White & Blues - HU DVD 14984
road to Memphis - HU DVD 14981
Roberto Clemente - HU DVD 15010
Roman J. Israel, Esq - HU DVD 15051
She - HU DVD 15028
The soul of a man - HU DVD 14980
A star is born - HU DVD 15055
Stranger things. Season 1 - HU BLU 15001, Discs 1 - 2
Stranger things. Season 1 - HU DVD 15001, Discs 1 - 2
Warming by the devil’s fire - HU DVD 14982
Westworld. Season one, The maze - HU DVD 14987, Discs 1 - 3
