Ryan McNeil
Much was watched this week, but like last week, the stretch was defined by two screenings at The Lightbox. However unlike last week, this week both of the selections were ones that are very near & dear to my heart.
Thursday got the proceedings underway with a glimpse back at my childhood. That afternoon, flanked by good friends and a lot of children enjoying their March Break, I was finally treated to a big screen showing of FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR. This live action Disney film was one that I watched on video endlessly as a kid. It included lines I repeated, adventures I wanted to take, a song I adored, and creatures I wanted to keep. However, up until now, it was only ever a movie I experienced from the comfort of my couch.
Looking at what I loved as a child with adult eyes will never cease to amaze me. Even though I can see the cracks, and see the flaws, I still can’t help but give myself over and remember who I used to be and why I used to love what I loved. Hell, I even dressed like the lead character in this movie – and not because I wanted to copy him, but just because that was how I dressed.
Had I rewatched this at home, I might not have got given myself over to it as much. In the dark of the matinee though, I was nine years old again.
The next day brought upon one of my all-time favorites, and the culmination of the Michael Mann series. Friday night finally gave me HEAT on a big screen.
If NAVIGATOR was dotted by moments of forgotten details, HEAT was the opposite – a movie I could virtually recite. Yet finally being in an audience to absorb it allowed me to revel in the visual beauty of it, the glorious sound of it, and the over-the-top Pacino-ness of it all. It’s something of a sprawling film, and experiencing it full-scale for the first time really underscored its epic nature.
What’s more, seeing those heists play out on a big screen is an amazing reminder of how good Michael Mann is at staging an action scene…especially compared to the frenetic, bombastic action scenes of most of our current franchise offerings.
Like FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR, my night spent with HEAT felt joyous and comforting. It was as if I’d been away from home for many years and someone sent me one of my favorite local taste treats.
Funny thing – I’ve talked to several people who don’t even consider going to screenings of movies they’ve seen many times. For me, as this week proved, they can sometimes feel like the most rewarding and joyous experiences.
Here’s the week at hand…
Screenings
FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR – Anyone know why Paul Reubens used a stage name for this bit of voice acting?
HEAT – Oh Al, you glorious ham.
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
A GUY NAMED JOE – Why doesn’t every movie star Irene Dunne?
’71 – Easily one of the better movies I’ve seen this calendar year.
RUTHLESS PEOPLE – Another idol on The Lefthand Shelf of Doom.
THE SPIRIT – The things I do in the name of podcasting…
AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY – I suddenly feel the desire to paint.
IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY – What the bloody hell was that?
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
300 – About halfway into this rewatch, I thought to myself “Why do I own this movie?”
THE THING – This on the other hand, I do believe I need to acquire a copy of.
First-Timers: Diary of a Pregnant Woman, The Fire Within, Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling, Du cote de la cote, and later on, Alphaville.
Re-Watches: 9 to 5, Finding Nemo, Police Academy 3: Back in Training, Police Academy, Goldfinger, My Summer of Love, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, and Ride with the Devil.
Oh geez, The Spirit is pretty awful isn’t it? I liked the first few minutes because visually it really nails Frank Miller’s comic art, but everything after that was just the worst.
First time:
Redbeard – rare Hong Kong movie, not the Kurosawa one
Klansman
Rise of the Legend
And I re-watched:
The Stand – the ’90s mini-series, all six hours. I’ve actually been slowly re-watching this for the last couple of weeks, but I finally finished it the other day.
I remember that version of The Stand! I had actually just finished reading the book for the first time when it aired on TV. Part of me sorta wants them to remake it since you can get away with so much more on TV now and effects have come so far.
…come to think of it, I think I read they ARE remaking it in some capacity!
And SPIRIT was drek. There will be more on that tomorrow.
I swear I left a comment here. Dafuq? Anyways, 300 is fun! I need to buy it.
Firsts: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion– Can’t believe it took me so long to watch this. Totes my kind of movie.
All Good Things– Only the Gos can make Robert Durst hot.
Focus– The leads deserved better.
Cinderella– Lovely!
Thirteen– So dark.
Rewatched: Can’t Hardly Wait– Podcast.
The Heartbeats– There IS too much slo-mo but I love it.
I Killed My Mother– How did a 19 year old make this?
La Haine– Podcast.
Run Lola Run– Podcast.
You just think it’s fun cause you got a thing for Mssrs. Butler and Fassbender and all their abb-y glory in this movie 😉
I’ve really been meaning to revisit THIRTEEN since Sarah brought it up on the last podcast. I saw it back when it first dropped, but I’m really curious to see how it holds up.
PS – During the Q&A I attended with Alan Cumming they played the complete “Time After Time” sequence. So awesome!