Dreaming on a Saturday Night

What follows is a recap of the afternoon/evening of last Saturday, May 30th, 2015, in three parts. It will feature two movie reviews and a brief discussion of a live talk given by Ira Glass of PRX and WBEZ Chicago's This American Life. 

The connection game last Saturday afternoon/evening...strong.

Blind Spot 2015: 12 Angry Men

Created and hosted by Ryan McNeil at The Matinee.

It's frightening to think about how our Justice System here in America fails on a daily basis. Just recently, I had an experience with it myself. Not me personally. But a guy I know, a man very close to me, received a prison sentence for a crime that certainly had more to it than his Grand Jury ever heard.

Not to say the crime in question in this case was as heavy as murder, as in the case of the unnamed 18-year-old boy that is the subject of debate in Sidney Lumet's 1957 film 12 Angry Men. But even so, Justice is supposed to be blind, it's not supposed to have a face. When 12 jurors enter into deliberation, it's impossible to have all parties blind. Human nature comes into play.

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies based on a Comic (Non-Superhero)

I totally got too busy to put something good together this week.

Which sucks!!! Because this week's category as part of Wandering through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks is a good one.

Deus Meus

Two Reviews in One by Kevin Powers

A few days ago, I saw Avengers: The Age of Ultron. 

At one point early in the film, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) have a conversation about artificial intelligence. Stark, or Iron Man, the billionaire weapons/technology magnate believes that its time to dust of this old idea he had floating around, like, literally floating around. 

That idea was Ultron, basically a technological brain that may have the ability not only to think but also to adapt, to reason, to feel. He and Bruce, who most definitely does not want to get angry though we want him to, are giddy talking about it. There is even an air of concern about the possibilities. Then, of course, since we're in a Marvel comic book movie, everything goes haywire and no ideas are to be discussed any more because that would get in the way of all the shit being blown up. 

Thursday Movie Picks: Foreign Language Movies - German

I am a bit lacking in my German cinema, this week's category on Wandering through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks Meme. I really just haven't seen that many. To the point where the films listed below are pretty much the only German-made movies I've seen. There are a few more but these are the biggies.

For my picks this week, I went with three films that I've watched very recently. All three quite dynamic. All three beautifully made. All three true depictions of the talent to be found in Germany.

Thursday Movie Picks: Work Place Movies

I teach kids for a living. 7th graders. It's hard.

I suppose working in a school is much like working anywhere else. We have our dramas, our follies, our disagreements. We laugh a lot, too.

We spend most of our day, though, with the future. We try our best to fill these kids with positivity and intellect and at least a little bit of drive and determination. I teach English. Pulling out themes and discussing them is what I was born to do. I know it. I think this is why I love doing these posts.

So, this week on Wandering through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks, it's Work Place Movies.

Thursday Movie Picks: Father-Daughter Relationships

"Fathers be good to your daughters." - John Mayer

That lyric is so deep I can hardly stand it.

Anyway, a father and his little girl...Nothing cuter. Nothing. The school I work at loans its gym out every year to host the town "Daddy-Daughter Dance." The Facebook posts reach levels of sweetness hardly bearable to a cold, childless soul like me. Of course, all these are little girls. I get to know the daughters in my town when they come to my middle school classroom as attitude-riddled, annoyed early adolescents. As far as movies go, I think I like that dynamic the best. The ones willing to answer the question:  What happens when that cute little girl is no longer a cute little girl? 

So, it's another week as part of Wandering through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks Meme.

Blind Spot 2015: Mean Streets

Created and Hosted by Ryan McNeil at The Matinee

I have tried to watch Martin Scorsese's 1973 tale of sins and sinners, Mean Streets, before. I failed to make it through it. I think I might have been under the influence of something and fallen asleep. I was in college at the time after all. Anyhow, I did it right this time. And on first full viewing alone, this film stands as a movie that doesn't totally work for me, or maybe at all. It's there visually, and I mean really there. Let's say this: On reaction alone, when this movie works, it really works. When it doesn't, it really doesn't.

The big opposition for me comes with the backbone of this thing, the plot, or lack of plot. I like the simplicity:  A small-time Little Italy tough named Charlie (Harvey Keitel) struggles with an unstable best friend, Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a secretive relationship with the epileptic Teresa (Amy Robinson), and, most importantly, his own demons, as driven by deep Catholic guilt. Charlie is on the up-and-up with made guy, Michael (Richard Romanus), and even with the higher-ups, including his uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova), but the obstacles in his path and his compassionate demeanor keep him from the kind of success he thinks he wants.

Thursday Movie Picks: Superhero Movies

I only truly love three "superhero" franchises:  Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, and the X-Men series, originated by director Bryan Singer, who came back for the latest piece in the latest trilogy, which is easily my favorite since the original.

Now, let me be clear:  I am not big on superhero movies, or even traditional comic books, for that matter. It's just not for me. I am not a fanboy as far as this sort of thing is concerned. And I honestly haven't seen a superhero movie pre-Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989).

I fell in with the wave of new special effects extravaganzas, starting with the franchises listed above. Singer, Raimi, and Nolan revolutionized the genre and have made it what it is today. I'm pretty sure every superhero will have had a movie by the end of this decade. Maybe that's good. I haven't liked much of anything outside of these three biggies, except for I sort of liked the original "Iron Man" (2008).

And so we're back with another week in Wandering through the Shelves Thursday Movie Picks Meme...

This time...Superhero Movies, or (How the second film in the trilogy is best).

The Five Senses Blogathan

I ran across this blogathon, hosted by Nostra at My Film Views, a while back and had planned on participating. I sort of forgot about it, then it started popping back up as of late on several blogs I follow. So, refreshed memory and all, I decided to jump in.