Fast Times at Ridgemont High: 1983, dir. Amy Heckerling. Seen on DVD (Nov. 6).
Fast Times at Ridgemont High finally got back in print on DVD, so I didn’t have any more excuses for never having seen it. That’s right. I had never seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High. My boyfriend had That Look that he gave me earlier in the year when I found out I had never seen Caddyshack, so the movie went to the top of our rental list and we got it immediately after the new DVD released. We had this beautiful shiny new DVD from Netflix that we may have been the first people to watch.
I don’t know why I had never seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High, except that I was too young to see an R-rated movie when it first came out in theaters. I don’t know why I didn’t include it in the paper I wrote on teen melodrama for a graduate film class—either it must have seemed like too much of a broad comedy or else it was entirely off my radar. I’ve seen scenes from the movie, and mostly what I knew about was Sean Penn as Spicoli, and that it was directed by Amy Heckerling.
(I used to keep close track of movies directed by women, back in the day. I ought to do that again … I noticed all the movies starting to be nominated for awards for 2004 and realized that women are entirely missing from the director and screenwriting lists, and the acting roles didn’t look that choice either. Greeeeat.)
The Getaway (1972)
The Getaway: 1972, dir. Sam Peckinpah. Seen on DVD (Nov. 3).
Sure, Ali McGraw was pretty. I won’t debate that. But why all the fuss? For one thing, her acting annoys the crap out of me. I haven’t seen Love Story and probably won’t unless there is a god of vengeance who will be very displeased in me for not believing in him and, when I die, will subject me to a continuous and unavoidable watching of the worst weepers in cinematic history. I’ve seen clips of the movie, as we all have, and it is enough to assure me that I am not missing some great performance by Ms. McGraw.
She is particularly annoying in The Getaway, and I don’t think we can blame it all on the usual misogyny in Sam Peckinpah movies. I think a better actress would have handled the role in a less snippy and whiny way. Faye Dunaway leaps to mind.
But yeah, all the roles for women in early 1970s American films were rotten, I won’t argue with that. The Getaway is certainly no exception. Sally Struthers plays this babyish chick who thinks nothing of throwing over one boyfriend for another man, and right in front of the boyfriend, too. I can’t think of a woman I’ve liked in a Peckinpah movie except for Ida Lupino in Junior Bonner. I can’t think of a woman I’ve liked in an early 1970s film except for Ruth Gordon in Harold and Maude.
If You Could Only Cook (1935)
If You Could Only Cook: 1935, dir. William A. Seiter. Seen at Alamo Downtown (Nov. 2).
I saw If You Could Only Cook on my birthday, which was also election night. I was surprised by the turnout. Who knew there would be so many people in Austin who would prefer an obscure Jean Arthur movie to watching election results? But apparently there are a lot of film geeks in town, or at least people who love charming little 1930s romantic comedies.
If You Could Only Cook is one of those charming little movies. Jean Arthur, a victim to the Depression-era economy, is trying to find a job so she won’t have to sleep on a park bench. You can imagine that this might have some relevance to today’s viewers. Herbert Marshall, a big-name automobile designer, somehow ends up on a park bench with her and is so taken with her that he pretends he’s out of work, too. They find a job listing for a married couple to work as cook and butler and decide to apply together.
You can see where this is going, can’t you? Of course you can. No surprises, and somewhat artificial, but delightful just the same. The dialogue is often sharp and funny, and the overall tone is frothy and lighthearted.
The Incredibles (2004)
The Incredibles: 2004, dir. Brad Bird. Seen at Galaxy Highland (Dec. 11).
As anyone who writes about film will tell you (and already has, because it’s a good excuse), it is much easier to write about bad films than good ones. You can do all sorts of imaginative and amusing things with a review of a big stinker. As a result, bad reviews are generally more memorable.
Good reviews … well, how many times can you say, and for how long, that a movie is good? You always end up using the same adjectives, and it is difficult to convey your extreme enthusiasm for a movie.
The Incredibles was very very good and you should all go see it, you will have a wonderfully entertaining time.
There. I’ve told you what I think. Am I done now?
movies this week: my sister got lucky
How can you tell my sister has a boyfriend? Because she didn’t realize that Ocean’s Twelve is opening this weekend.
If you know about my sister’s fervent and devouring love for everything even remotely related to George Clooney, you realize something major had to distract her. Like a real-life person to dote upon. I mean, she even saw the remake of Solaris, just to get a good look at Mr. Clooney’s bare ass. (She says no one’s ass was worth sitting through that movie.)
Her new boyfriend is a film geek, which amuses me to no end. My sister, whose favorite movies include Ever After and 10 Things I Hate About You (nothing wrong with those, either), has been calling me up to tell me they just saw Being There, or Blood Simple, or Adaptation. She liked Adaptation but I believe she fell asleep during Being There, much to her new guy’s disappointment.
dig those crazy clementines
I think there is a conspiracy to take over the world, in the manner of Pinky and the Brain or any James Bond villain, and it involves clementines.
That’s right, clementines. The seemingly harmless tiny oranges that are suddenly taking over all the grocery stores, at least in my neighborhood.
They look so tempting. Cute little oranges that are so easy to peel! Who could resist? But you can’t buy them individually, you have to buy a ton of them in a miniature five-pound crate or box that costs from $5 to $7.
twenty gaps on DVD: the ongoing updated list
Last updated January 31, 2008 with info on Midnight, Easy Living, and The Major and the Minor.
Awhile back, I wrote an essay about 20 gaps in the DVD market. It’s in three parts starting here if you want to reread it. I was frustrated that so many of the movies I wanted to see were not available to me on DVD.
I thought it would be useful to track all the movies listed in that essay to see which ones have been released on DVD since that time. Some of the news is encouraging—I frankly did not think I would be seeing Harold Lloyd movies on DVD anytime soon—and some gaps are still frustrating, like the status of The African Queen.
This information applies to US (Region 1) DVDs only. Some of these movies are available on DVD in other countries/regions, but you would need a multi-region DVD player (with PAL capability for UK movies) to watch them.
I will update this page regularly as I receive new information about upcoming releases. If you learn anything about these movies being released on DVD, please email me with the information, citing your source, and I will post that information here.
Remember, the best way to help get more of these movies released on DVD is to buy or even rent similar movies that are already available on DVD. If lots of people are buying the Marlene Dietrich Glamour Collection, maybe Universal will release A Foreign Affair, and so forth. The Amazon links below are affiliate links for this site, so buying the DVDs by clicking these links helps support my Web site.
Continue reading twenty gaps on DVD: the ongoing updated list
holiday greetings
It has been quite a festive holiday preparation weekend chez Jette and Beau. I assembled and decorated the pink and sparkly Barbie tree, which is topped this year by a finger puppet of the Abominable Snowman that my sister gave me last Christmas. I also kept Drinky Snowman and put SpongeBob next to a curvaceous bikini-clad woman. At the foot of the tree, Eloise’s pet turtle Skipperdee rests atop a hot-pink-and-silver tree skirt. Keep it fun, that’s my motto. My boyfriend looked on in amusement during breaks from coding Holidailies, which is his idea of festive holiday preparation.
I put on appropriate tree-trimming music, too. My boyfriend requested that I skip the Muppet music. I have some Christmas CDs that aren’t Muppet-y, but they weren’t quite what I wanted. I finally put the following four CDs on random in the CD player, where they provided excellent background music for the evening:
oh, I do believe
I don’t need to write a letter to Santa Claus this year. I received my Christmas gift already. I could not ask for more.
On March 1, 2005, Warner is releasing the following movies on DVD in the US (aka Region 1): Bringing Up Baby (a two-disc special edition), Dinner at Eight, Libeled Lady, Stage Door, To Be or Not to Be (Lubitsch), and a new two-disc special edition of The Philadelphia Story.
(This info is courtesy of DVDAnswers, which also has images of the DVD cover artwork. Thanks, guys.)
I am all Natalie Wood and Tiny Tim right now. I am suddenly filled with the holiday spirit. I may put up the Barbie tree this weekend.
Next year we’re getting all these lovely movies on DVD plus Harold Lloyd movies plus more Sam Peckinpah and all kinds of other cinematic goodness. I am going to post an entry soon that updates my list of twenty gaps on DVD so you can see just how many of those movies have been released since I wrote it, or are being released soon, and the number of releases is truly gratifying.
Who knows, someday we might even see Holiday on DVD in the US. Not just the 1938 version, but the 1930 one too. “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.” Or so they say in the movies.
Holidailies: registration is open
Holidailies is now open for registration. Please read the About page before registering because some things are a little different this year.
We have a short registration period and it will close next week so go register right-damn-now. Last year the portal had so many registrants that I closed it early. I don’t think I will close it early this year, and if I do you can still sign up for Holidailies at Home, but I just wanted to give you all fair warning. Do not procrastinate.
Between the time when the form went live on the Web last night and the time when I checked my email this morning, we had 43 people sign up. Wow.
The portal will open for posting on Dec. 7. It’s a great place to visit if you are looking for good stuff to read. And new stuff appears regularly! Sometimes I think the whole project is just a big present for me, because so many of my favorite online journallers and bloggers participate and post good stuff all month long. (My all-time favorite was Roe of metrocake, now at ultramegawow, who used to post gorgeous pictures of holiday decorations in NYC every day. I still miss that.)
Email me if you run into problems with registering, but so far it all seems to be running smoothly.
I am thinking of adding a tagline for Holidailies this year. It’s no longer “Updating daily in December” because I ran late. But how about “Updating daily from Hanukkah to Epiphany”? My boyfriend thinks it’s a bit lame but then he didn’t like my Army of Darkness joke either.