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Classic of the Week: Harold and Maude (1971)

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Harold and Maude is an American black-comedy drama film directed by Hal Ashby. It incorporates themes of dark humor and existentialst drama. The story follows the adventures of Harold Chasen (Bud Court), a young man who is obsessed with death, and who rejects the life his disconnected mother (Vivian Pickles) gives to him. Harold develops a friendship and then romatic relationship, with 79 year old Maude (Ruth Gordon) who teaches Harold about the importance of living life gto the fullest. 

Harold is so intrigued with death, he reenacts suicides, drives a hearse, reads obituaries and goes to funerals of random people, most of whom he doesn’t know. Maude is elderly, but doesn’t act like it all. She loves funerals too, but also steals, drives too fast, breaks the law by speeding, running stop signs and red lights and blasting music. She is young at heart, which is why Harold falls in love with her. Harold wants to marry her, but his mother refuses to allow him, given Harold and Maude’s 60 year age gap and the fact she doesn’t have many years left in her life, despite her seemingly perfect health. 

This is film is billed as a dark comedy, but I see almost no humor. I don’t think suicide is something to laugh at, real or not. I also don’t think someone’s loved one dying is funny either. I see this movie as more of a drama with romance thrown in. The scene where Maude coaxes Harold into them stealing a car and she speeding away is pretty funny, but other than that, no humor. 

This movie is a bit disturbing. Just the fact the lead character is obsessed with dying and ways to die is unsettling and the fact he falls for an elderly woman. This silm is far too dark for a PG rating. I can’t imagine letting an eight year old watch it and them understanding and enjoying it. Too dark, or really just plain inappropriate for kids. 

Harold should have been institutionalized, as his love for death is deeply disturbing. Maude should not have been allowed to drive, or even let outside, since she likes to prey on much younger fellows. The acting is great throughout. But this film is far too dark. Had there had been more light, more sun, it would likely been  at least a little more enjoyable. I just don’t understand all the hoopla with this movie and why it is a film school staple. It has hardly any redeeming qualities aside from the excellent acting and Cat Stevens soundtrack. It is slow, dark, boring and depressing. No wonder it was a box-office bomb when it was first released. 

The movie’s soundtrack is by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. The theme song is the feel good “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” by Stevens and after seeing this film, one will never hear this song the same way again. They will only associate this song with the film and it dark themes and sad scenes. 

Great acting and music doesn’t help in the enjoyment department, as this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I found myself feeling so uneasy and so bored, I was glad when it was over.  

Don’t waste your time on this movie. It may be a classic, but it is far from being a masterpiece. 13+ 1.5/5 

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Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

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Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2022 American coming of age crime film directed by Olivia Newman, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Delia Owens. It stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr. and David Strathairn. 

Catherine “Kya” Clark is an imagainative girl grwing up in a North Carolina marsh on the coast during the 1950’s. Her poor family live in a shack with their alcoholic and abusive father who gambles their money away. After her mother and sibling leave one by one, due to the abuse, Kya is left alone with him. Over time he softens up and then leaves her without word, a fews after the only day she spends in school. Now at the age of seven, she is completely alone, but learns how to survive, and the only way she makes any money to buy gas for her boat and food is to sell mussels she digs up herself. The other residents of Barkley Cove know little about Kya, nicknaming her “The Marsh Girl.” 

On the same day her father leaves her, Kya takes his boat as far as the ocean and gets lost trying to find her way home. Luckily she runs into an older boy named Tate Walker who shows her the way home safely. He was a friend of her older brother, Jodie and had known Kya since she was very little. Tate begins visiting her in the marsh and they become good friends as teenagers. He teaches her to read, write and even loans her books. Both share an interest in natures and they eventually start a romantic relationship. However, she gets left behind when Tate goes away to college and fails to keep his promise of visiting her on the fourth of July. 

Over the next few years, as her knowledge and skills of biology grow, Kya sends her artwork and research to a publisher, as Tate encouraged previously and the payment from the book helps her keep her family’s property. The publishing of the book leads her to seeing her brother Jodie again, now a military veteran. He tells her that her mother wanted to reunite with her children became sick leukemia and died. Jodie promises to visit her when he can. 

By 1965, now 19 years old, Kya gets into a tryst with Chase Andrews, Barkley Cove’s popular quaterback, who promises her marriage. When Kya finds out that Chase is already engaged to another girl, furious, she ends their relationship. Meanwhile Tate returns to town wanting to appologize to Kyra for leaving her behind and rekindle their relationship, but she is unsure. Chase keeps to get Kya back and wants to contunue their sexual relationship, but she rejects him. He then violently hits her and tries to rape her but Kya successfully fights him off and threatens to kill him if he messes with her again. The threat is overheard by a local fisherman. 

Later Chase is found dead at the bottom of a fire tower, from which he had fallen. The tower is located in a muddy and wet bog that gets flooded at high tide. The surrounding area had no tracks from the killer and no fingerprints were found on the tower. A shell necklace Kya had given Chase was missing and he had be wearing it the evening of his death. The next day Kya is charged with murder and the townpeople jump to the conclusion that she is guilty. 

This film is like Fried Green Tomatoes meets To Kill a Mockingbird, which makes it sound like it would be a great movie, but it is good at best. Based off a bestselling novel that is actually really good, you’d think the film version would be too. The acting is eqally great from all the main cast, the scenery is absolutely beautiful and they costumes are period and setting perfect. The soundtrack is also really good. The main problem with this one is it is really slow for much of the movie. Many scenes seem to drag on and I found myself getting rather bored many times throughout. 

Had this film not been so slow, it would have been more enjoyable. Also, their is lots of kissing and sex, which I know this is also a romantic movie, but the director could have dialed that back a little, as we already knew the characters were in love without so much of that. This being mainly a murder myster film, made it fairly entertaining, but not captivating, though I love a good mystery and I like romance, as I am a hopeless romantic. 

I really wanted to love this movie as much as I loved the book, but I just didn’t. With the book, I couldn’t put it down, with this film adaptation, I was thoroughly bored for a good bit of it. I am so disappointed I couldn’t like the movie as much as novel. I just don’t understand why it had to be so slow, why so much making out and sex and unlike the novel, why such little time was spent investigating the death of Chase. This film will very likely not win any Best Picture awards, probably not any Best Director awards either, but could possibly win a Best Actress or Actor trophy or Best Original Song for Taylor Swift’s “Carolina.” 

Do I recommend this movie? Don’t waste your time and money with this one in theater. If you really want to see it, wait for it to go to Redbox or streaming. Another pretty disappointing film based on a phenominal book. 18+ 3.5/5 

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Dog (2022)

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Dog is a 2022 American comedy drama road film directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin both maing their directorial debuts. The film stars Tatum as an Army Ranger who must take the dog of his fallen commander to the funeral. The film also stars Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Q’orianka Kilcher, Ethan Suplee. Emmy Raver-Lampman and Nicole LaLiberte. 

U.S. Army Ranger jackson Briggs is commissioned with bringing Lulu, a Belgian Malinois military working dog, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington to Nogales, Arizona in time to attend her handler’s funeral. On the way, Briggs has to come to terms with his post-traumatic stress disorder as well as his trouble with making emotional connections. 

This movie is filmed mostly on the road. Tatum’s character, Jackson Briggs is at first very unlikeable, because he is a selfish, heavy drinker and tries to pick up random ladies. He leaves the dog in his truck, ususally tied up alone with no food, water or chew toys. The dog goes crazy with boredum, hunger and cabin fever and starts barking incessantly, tearing up items in the truck as well as destroying the seats. Eventually, Briggs learns how to handle Lulu and stops the negligence and abuse towards her and she becomes calmer and friendlier and even sweet to him and the two become best friends. 

Some of this film is tough to watch, as it can be offensive to dog and animal lovers, especially the way Lulu is mistreated for much of the story, also the way Briggs treats himself in the beginning by constantly drinking, trying to pick up ladies, drinking and driving and not wearing a seatbelt. But once you get past all that, the film is heartwarming and will make you tear up. This movie is so touching, it will make even a cat person cry. 

Channing Tatum is great throughout the movie, bring the humor, ugliness and love to the main character. This is definitely one, if not the best of his roles. Parts of the film are extremely offensive like I said, the animal abuse, and the scene where Briggs pretends to be a blind war veteren with his war veteran guide dog just to get a room at a fancy hotel and dinner and drinks at an expensive restaurant. The latter scene does have a very sweet part where it has Briggs with Lulu in a bathtub, giving her a bath. 

I wish this film hadn’t spent so much time on the road and more time was spent on his time in the Army with his Army dog. So much of the time that was focused on his Army time and Lulu’s handler’s time is told and shown in a scrapbook and a DVD of camera footage from Lulu’s collar camera (though we don’t get much of that). But the movie does a great job of going from making you uneasy to to warming your heart and making you believe in the power of dogs and how much impact they have on the lives of humans. 

Tatum is not an actor of a destinct range, but he knows what his viewers want and this film, he gives them more than what they expected. He has come a long way from the “Magic Mike” Tatum that made him a household name. He is doing more serious roles and trying not to become typecast like so many others. This is not a film that deserves any awards and at times it’s a bit slow, but it’s not bad or even boring despite that. 

On the surface it looks like just another road trip movie or another “Tuner & Hooch” but it’s not, though at as funny or entertaining, it’s story has layers and makes it worth watching. It makes you love dogs even more and believe in the power of love and friendship. You don’t have to be an Army supporter or dog person to enjoy this movie or get any deep emotions from it. It is a well done emotional film from beginning to end, though maybe not the best of this year so far, but likely not the worst either. I can’t say whether to watch it or skip it, this one is up to you, since I liked, but not loved it. I will say, Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin did fine job on this one. 13+ 3.5/5 

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Classic of the Week: Ordinary People (1980)

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Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford, in his directorial debut. It his based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton. The story follows the dissolve of an upper middle class family in Lake Forest, Illinois, after the accidental death of one of their two sons and the attempted suicide of the other.

Judging by the title of this film, it sounds like nothing more than just the story of an average American upper class family, but it’s so much more. It deals with love, tragedy, depression, suicide and marital issues. It is very slow for a good portion of the film, but some scenes are quite intense, especially when it shows how Jordan died and when Conrad is attempting suicide. This is a movie that many families, even today can relate to. So many families go through these things.

This film isn’t really heartwarming much at all, in fact, it is mostly heartbreaking. It is depressing, but truly moving and inspirational. It shows how a family copes with tragedy, how death has an impact on people and how suicide is never the answer. It also deals with marital problems, realizing that sometimes a person falls out f love with their spouse and that separation may the key for two people to be truly happy again. This movie also deals with mental illness, not just someone wanting to kill themselves, because of guilt, but also depression, anger issues, anxiety and insomnia.

This is a film that not just psychiatrists should watch, but anyone who has gone through any like the family portrayed in this story. At times this movie is very slow, almost boring, but it is still very good. All the main stars do equally outstanding in their roles, making it seem like their characters are real and you’re watching a biopic , rather than a fictional movie. So well done, even if some parts are very slow, it does get to the point of making you think of how you’d feel in their situation. Robert Redford did great on this one. 18 & up 4/5

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Classic of the Week: The Big Chill (1983)

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The Big Chill is a 1983 American drama and comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilley and JoBeth Williams. The story follows a group of baby boomers who attended the University of Michigan, reuniting after 15 years when their friend Alex commits suicide. It was filmed in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Despite coming together for a funeral, the friends still manage to share, laughter, memories, tears, music, love, friendship, food and drinks, anger, happiness and sadness. They cook, they eat, drink, dance and still have a good time. Maybe they should be mourning more the loss of their friend who was like a brother to them in college. A suicide is not something to celebrate, but maybe they are celebrating the good things about Alex.

All the acting by every lead star is equally outstanding. Every single character is unique in their own ways, making this movie better with every viewing. The fantastic soundtrack features R&B, soul, pop and rock from the 1960s and 70s . This film is equal parts sad, dramatic, funny and moving. You want friends like these.

This film is about friendship, love, death, music, emotions and life. One character is recently divorced, another has never been married, but wants a baby, another talks about how much he hates his job, despite its high pay. Despite it being 15 years after their college graduation, they group had still kept in touch. A couple of characters fall in love. One female character asks her husband to have sex with the female character that wants a baby, because she doesn’t think she’ll ever get married. He does it. There is lots of drinking, conversation, a few scenes of fighting, some making out, some sex, but lots of music.

This film teaches that family and friends are important, suicide is a serious issue, and music and coming together can heal. This movie is as striking as it is comedic, without being over the top. Wonderful throughout. 18+ 4.5/5