{"id":187467,"date":"2023-08-06T11:44:16","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T15:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=187467"},"modified":"2023-12-15T20:33:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-16T01:33:03","slug":"july-2023-viewing-diary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=187467","title":{"rendered":"July 2023 Viewing Diary"},"content":{"rendered":"

July was busy. I bought a new car. My old one basically disintegrated around me, so much so that the mechanic didn;t even want me to drive it home from his shop. I found a new apartment, and the market where I am is horrific (thanks Airbnb). But I found a unicorn of a place. I’m still pinching myself. Walking distance to the beach. Within my price range. I have a YARD. and a PORCH. I’m still afraid to talk about it out loud. I move end of this month). I went on vacation. I worked on a huge piece that will be coming out next week. So the viewing diary reflects the busy-ness. Also in my spare time I’ve been so wiped out that I prefer to watch hour-long “documentaries” on YouTube about how Bam Margera ruined his life<\/a> (just one example), as opposed to digging into a movie. Not much brain space right now for anything else (oh, and I’m almost done with volume 3 of Proust’s magnum opus: It is 810 pages long and the majority of the entire book – not even an exaggeration – 600, 700 pages of it – are made up of the descriptions of two parties. It’s ridiculous! And amazing! So here’s what I watched in July. <\/p>\n

La Ricotta<\/strong><\/em> (1963; d. Pier Paolo Pasolini)
\nThis short film was part of a larger work, with multiple directors. “Subversive” doesn’t even really cover what’s going on here. Pasolini was hip and “criminal” and a trickster – Jean Genet-style, from the underworld with Catholic iconography in almost every frame. I love Orson Welles as the director of the movie-within-a-movie. <\/p>\n

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The Bear<\/strong><\/em>
\nWOW. I inhaled it. I basically forced Allison to watch it. I am in love with those characters, especially how the arc played out in Season 2. Season 1 established the context for each one, you get to know each member of that kitchen. Season 2 was a totally different format, with each character getting his\/her own episode. I was almost surprised by how wholesome – in the best sense – Season 2 was. Redemptive. Second chances: we all should be allowed them. Excellence: some people don’t even know they had it in them until they were encouraged (Marcus! oh my God!) I’ve watched Season 2 twice in a row. I am hoping there will be a Season 3, although now with the strike I’m not sure what will happen. SAG\/AFTRA\/WGA strong! I support the strike, it shouldn’t have to be said. <\/p>\n

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The Miracle Club<\/strong><\/em> (2023; d. Thaddeus O\u2019Sullivan)
\nI reviewed for Ebert<\/a>. Sentimental. <\/p>\n

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Clash by Night<\/strong><\/em> (1952; d. Fritz Lang)
\nAlways love re-visiting this one. Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan – as two hard-boiled hot-headed outsiders with outlaw emotional makeups – and Marilyn Monroe, who is adorable and natural and totally believable. A serious role. I also love the atmosphere established: this working-class fisherman’s beach town: the rickety bars, the rickety houses where tenants are on top of each other, no privacy, the beauty of the ocean and the squalor on land … Lang has a reporter’s eye.<\/p>\n

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The YouTube Effect<\/strong><\/em> (2023; d. Alex Winter)
\nI reviewed for Ebert<\/a>. Not sure why we needed this doc. There are exposes on YouTube itself that are far more in-depth but I suppose if you’re not in that world this new doc is a good way to get familiar with the algorithm (which we all should know about ANYway since it is running our damn lives.)<\/p>\n

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The Deepest Breath<\/strong><\/em> (2023; d. Laura McGann)
\nI still can’t get some of the footage in this out of my mind. Terrifying. I reviewed for Ebert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Unknown Country<\/strong><\/em> (2023; d. Morrisa Maltz)
\nI loved this film. I reviewed for Ebert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Barbie<\/em><\/strong> (2023; d. Greta Gerwig)
\nWent with my sister, sister-in-law and niece during our vacation. We listened to Sinead O’Connor the entire 37-minute drive to the nearest movie theatre. It was the day poor Sinead died. We made a spectacle of ourselves, laughing at every single thing Ryan Gosling did. What’s amazing about it is he played it earnestly. He’s on the level. He MEANS it. That’s why it’s so hilarious. I have some pretty major qualms with it – and with what is going on with it – the advertising, my God – but I can see why it’s a hit. I think back on Lady Bird<\/i>, which I did like … but my main take-away was: “The movie ends with a girl 1. going to church and 2. calling her mother. How old is the filmmaker again??” It’s an amazingly square ending coming from such a young filmmaker. I don’t mean to get generational-essentialist but … Gen X would laugh you off the block for this much status-quo-propping-up. I grew up with the kids in The Breakfast Club<\/em> who realized their parents were frauds and hypocrites and making their own rules, lol. Gerwig’s next two movies just perpetuate the sense of overall square-ness. Little Women?? Okay. In the immortal words of Huey Lewis, it’s hip to be square, but I guess I just have a different sensibility. I like outlaw spirits, always have. I like Greta Gerwig and I am happy for her success. I’ve been interested in her since her mumblecore days. But I’ve got qualms. However: the movie is a blast. I don’t find it subversive at all, though. Mattel branding is everywhere, how subversive can it be? So. That’s where we’re at with it! Cue: Dance number!<\/p>\n

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July was busy. I bought a new car. My old one basically disintegrated around me, so much so that the mechanic didn;t even want me to drive it home from his shop. I found a new apartment, and the market … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2627,4,31],"tags":[347,115,2544,2493,2546,2572,1124,2215,44,107,2637],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187467"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187467"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189716,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187467\/revisions\/189716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}