MoviePass was always too good to be true, and this last stretch could be a challenge
Hey there, folks, and welcome back toThe 300, a recurring feature on my impossible attempt to watch 300 movies in theaters in the year 2018. I’ll be watching new releases, classics, hidden gems, and festival films to experience the wide world of cinema in all its forms. I hope there’s something here for you to enjoy and share as well.
As always, there are three rules for The 300:
As we hit week 30, I’ve surpassed 200 movies. I wish I’d caught a few more movies atJapan Cutsthis year, since the programming sounded phenomenal as usual. The film tally would have been a bit higher this week, but problems with MoviePass over the weekend (i.e., they ran out of money) kept me out of the theater. Yesterday’s $5 price hike and restrictive policies on new blockbusters are intended to save the company money, but I’m not sure how long these changes will keep MoviePass afloat. It has always been too good to be true, and I have worried about the eventual collapse for a while (The 300 Week 18).
The changes to MoviePass will likely result in a glut of cancellations from people who a) just want to see the latest big studio picture within the first two weeks of release and b) people who live in smaller cities or towns that do not have many theater options. I also expect cancellations from people annoyed by surge pricing, which now seems to apply to all showings of a movie through the weekend at major theaters, including early morning shows. The surge charge has been as high as $8 in some cities, which is a comparable price to a matinee ticket purchased without MoviePass.
Looking at my own numbers, 96 of the 201 movies I’ve seen so far were released before 2010. Since I love catching indies and repertory screenings, my moviegoing habits won’t be impacted too much by the new restrictions. As a friend joked the other night, there’s probably a picture of me on a dartboard at MoviePass HQ. They probably have special urinal cakes with my face on them as well.
198 of 300: Tremble All You Want (2017)(aka 勝手にふるえてろ; Katte ni furuetero)
Director: Akiko OhkuStarring: Mayu Matsuoka, Daichi Watanabe, Anna Ishibashi, Takumi KitamuraCountry: JapanSeen at Japan Society (New York, NY)Japan Cuts 2018Saturday, July 28th
Tremble All You Wantfully inhabits the mindset of its heroine, with both whimsical and downbeat results. Yoshika (Matsuoka) is a 24-year-old introvert who’s never had a boyfriend and still harbors a crush on a boy from high school. Her life is surrounded by quirky characters with whom she overshares her relationship struggles. There’s anAmélie-like air to so much of the movie, with its obsessions over small gestures and quotidian rituals. Yet there’s a certain point when the whimsy that dominates the film unveils an underlying sadness. We inhabit Yoshika’s world so closely, and by pulling back just a bit, we understand who she is outside of her own head.
I can see the latter half of the movie turning off viewers who were captivated by the sheer playfulness that came earlier. But I think Akiko Ohku is doing something interesting with this contrast in mood encapsulated in a single character. This is an exploration of solitude, but Yoshika contains multitudes. We’re allowed to see the dark side of someone’s crippling introversion, how someone with so much to offer may be holding themselves back, and how we rarely match up to the idea of ourselves. Even if you don’t care for where the movie goes, Matsuoka’s layered performance is endearing and keeps the movie watchable.
199 of 300: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)(aka 風の谷のナウシカ; Kaze no Tani no Naushika)
Director: Hayao MiyazakiStarring (English dub cast): Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma ThurmanCountry: JapanSeen at Prospect Park Bandshell (Brooklyn, NY)BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! FestivalSaturday, July 28th
I’ve been slacking on watching free movies this summer. I can’t think of a better inaugural movie under the stars thanNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the film that established the cinematic sensibilities and themes that define Hayao Miyazaki’s career. It was also the first collaboration between Miyazaki and composer Joe Hisashi, whose music effortlessly complements the Miyazaki aesthetic. InNausicaä, we have a quintessential Miyazaki protagonist: a pacifist, an environmentalist, a dreamer, and a flyer. Even when confronted by the dangers of the natural world, her first instinct is to talk rather that fight. The entire movie seems to be built on a single choice: compassion or annihilation.
The pacifism even extends to Lord Yupa. We’re told by many people about his prowess with a sword, yet he’s slow to draw steel during conflict. When he finally does (Chekhov’s badass), it’s a glorious display of his control; rather than hacking and slashing everyone to pieces, he is so good that he intimidates people into a bloodless surrender. True power inNausicaäis rooted in a concern for the other in its different forms—your fellow human being, the creatures that share the world, even for the world itself. All this playing out in a park as a few stray fireflies dotted the summer air with a gentle glowing green.
200 of 300: Hanagatami (2017)(aka 花筐)
Director: Nobuhiko ObayashiStarring: Shunsuke Kubozuka, Takako Tokiwa, Mugi Kadowaki, Shinnosuke MitsushimaCountry: JapanSeen at Japan Society (New York, NY)Japan Cuts 2018Sunday, July 29th
To appreciateHanagatami, I feel like people will need to watch a few of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s films first. Obayashi is the director of cult favoriteHausu, but his subsequent films have been so varied.Hanagatamibrings the anarchic experimentalism ofHausutogether with the anti-war sentiments ofBound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoastand the glacial existential ruminations seen inSeven Weeks. It’s a long movie and I felt every minute of its nearly three-hour runtime, but there are moments so undeniably moving that I can allow its unevenness. An appreciation for an artist’s career and sensibilities can make certain aesthetic decisions more acceptable.
The film takes place in Japan before WWII as a group of teenagers grapple with the forthcoming conflict. All of the teens are played by actors well into their twenties and thirties, which is both funny and fitting—war does make children grow up prematurely. A series of melodramas unfold and overlap, and the movie is steeped in characters dealing with mortality and budding sexuality. Most of the characters are already dying or will die.
Some of the green-screen work and digital effects look too chintzy, such as the CG cherry blossoms or clumsily composited seascapes in the background. While the overt artifice is the point, I wonder if Obayashi’s health scares were part of the decision to make the film so fast and improvisational. One of the characters is described as possessing “an aimless vitality,” which may be the right phrase forHanagatami. It is a movie that meanders and yet there are moments of overwhelming life.
201 of 300: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Director: Christopher McQuarrieStarring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon PeggCountry: USASeen at Cinépolis Chelsea (New York, NY)Tuesday, July 31st
There are two Tom Cruises. Both are found in varying degrees inMission: Impossible – Fallout, which is one of the best action movies of the year. Christopher McQuarrie’s direction is so crisp and clean, and so well edited and varied (notice the music and lack-of-music to differentiate the back-to-back vehicle chases in the Paris sequence, for instance). Even though I was sitting in the front row, I could tell exactly what was happening, where everyone was, and the sort of spectacle that was unfolding before me. The plot is a convoluted pretext for the set pieces, which are all ticking clocks, last-second saves, and contingency plans manufactured on the fly.
The first Tom Cruise is the international movie star who exudes a magnetic charisma and does many of his own stunts even well into his 50s. He sprints like hell, he fights rather well, and he rides his motorcycle with a reckless, helmetless confidence. Tom Cruise is essentially riffing on the Jackie Chan model of action stardom. That may be whyFalloutreminded me a lot of Chan’s globetrotting movies from the 1980s-1990s by way ofThe Dark Knight.
The second Tom Cruise is the crazy-ass cult member who has been surrounded by sycophants for decades, feeding his ego and convincing him that he can do no wrong. We get glimpses of this other Cruise when the movie slows down to discuss Ethan Hunt as a character. (The name Ethan Hunt is so smoothly yet blandly “action hero,” much like the name Tom Cruise.) Characters pledge featly to Ethan, thank him for who he is and doing what he does. Cruise is occasionally bathed in a soft, messianic light in certain scenes. It sours the movie a little since it feels like it’s some sort of crass deification of Tom Cruise, but it’s only a bit sour—the tart portion of otherwise delicious summer candy.
The 300: By the Numbers Breakdown
At the 30-week mark, let’s take a look at some numbers as we enter the final stretch of this endeavor. You can compare the progress made to the breakdowns fromThe 300 Week 20andThe 300 Week 10.
Movies by Decade
2010s– 1052000s– 121990s– 121980s– 201970s– 241960s– 101950s– 61940s– 51930s– 31920s– 4
Movies by Country
USA– 104US co-productions– 1Argentina– 2Argentine co-productions– 4Australia– 3Australian co-productions– 1Belarus– 1Belgian co-productions– 1Canada– 1Chile– 1China– 4Chinese co-productions– 1Denmark– 1France– 9French co-productions– 2Georgian co-productions– 1Germany– 2German co-productions– 1Hong Kong– 6Hungary– 1Indonesia– 1Iran– 2Iranian co-productions– 1Israeli co-productions– 1Italy– 1Italian co-productions– 2Jamaica– 1Japan– 14Japanese co-productions– 1Mali– 1Netherlands– 2Philippines– 1Polish co-productions– 1Russia– 1South Korea– 1Spain– 1Sweden– 1Taiwan– 1Thailand– 1UK– 7UK co-productions– 11Yugoslavian co-productions– 1
Multiple Films by the Same Director(s)
Susana Aiken and Carlos Aparicio(The Salt Mines;The Transformation)Robert Altman(Nashville;Brewster McCloud;McCabe & Mrs. Miller)Wes Anderson(Fantastic Mr. Fox;Isle of Dogs)Chang Cheh(Five Deadly Venoms;Shaolin Temple)Dorothy Davenport(The Red Kimona;Linda)Claire Denis(Let the Sunshine In;White Material)Terence Fisher(The Revenge of Frankenstein;The Devil Rides Out)Sebastián Lelio(A Fantastic Woman;Disobedience)Lucrecia Martel(The Holy Girl;The Headless Woman;La Cienaga;Zama)Hayao Miyazaki(Ponyo;Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)F.W. Murnau(Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans;Faust)Lynne Ramsay(We Need to Talk About Kevin;Ratcatcher;Morvern Callar;You Were Never Really Here)Paul Schrader(First Reformed;Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters)Steven Spielberg(The Post;Ready Player One;E.T.: The Extraterrestrial)Masaaki Yuasa(Lu Over the Wall;Mind Game;The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl)
I hope to see at least one more Altman movie on the big screen before the year is up.
Films by Women Directors
So in addition to The 300, I’m also doing52 Films By Women, in which I attempt to see 52 feature films in theaters that were directed or co-directed by women.
Currently I have seen 50 of 52.
Daughters of the Dust(1991), dir. Julie DashLoving Vincent(2017), dir. Dorota Kobiela and Hugh WelchmanSoft Fiction(1979), dir. Chick StrandDis-moi(1980), dir. Chantal AkermanThe Ties That Bind(1985), dir. Su FriedrichThe Salt Mines(1990), dir. Susana Aiken and Carlos AparicioThe Transformation(1995), dir. Susana Aiken and Carlos AparicioStrange Days(1995), dir. Kathryn BigelowThe Party(2017), dir. Sally PotterOh Lucy!(2017), dir. Atsuko HirayanagiScary Mother(2017), dir. Ana UrushadzeAva(2017), dir. Sadaf ForoughiWe Need to Talk About Kevin(2011), dir. Lynne RamsayRatcatcher(1999), dir. Lynne RamsayMorvern Callar(2002), dir. Lynne RamsayYou Were Never Really Here(2017), dir. Lynne RamsayThe Holy Girl(2004), dir. Lucrecia MartelThe Headless Woman(2008), dir. Lucrecia MartelLa Cienaga(2001), dir. Lucrecia MartelZama(2017), dir. Lucrecia MartelLove, Gilda(2018), dir. Lisa D’ApolitoNico, 1988(2017), dir. Susanna NicchiarelliIsland of the Hungry Ghosts(2018), dir. Gabrielle BradyCargo(2017), dir. Ben Howling and Yolanda RamkeO.G.(2018), dir. Madeleine SacklerState Like Sleep(2018), dir. Meredith DanluckAll About Nina(2018), dir. Eva VivesGeneral Magic(2018), dir. Matt Maude and Sarah KerruishThe Miseducation of Cameron Post(2018), dir. Desiree AkhavanRoll Red Roll(2018), dir. Nancy SchwartzmanTime for Ilhan(2018), dir. Norah ShapiroThe Feeling of Being Watched(2018), dir. Assia BoundaouiSay Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland(2018), dir. Kate Davis and David HeilbronerBlockers(2018), dir. Kay CannonAngels Wear White(2017), dir. Vivian QuLet the Sunshine In(2017), dir. Claire DenisSleepless Nights(1978), dir. Becky JohnstonRBG(2018), dir. Betsy West and Julie CohenOne Sings, the Other Doesn’t(1977), dir. Agnès VardaSummer 1993(2017), dir. Carla SimónWerckmeister Harmonies(2000), dir. Béla Tarr and Ágnes HranitzkyMarlina the Murderer in Four Acts(2017), dir. Mouly SuryaLeave No Trace(2018), dir. Debra GranikSmithereens(1982), dir. Susan SeidelmanOn Happiness Road(2017), dir. Sung Hsin-YinWhite Material(2009), dir. Claire DenisThe Red Kimona(1925), dir. Walter Lang and Dorothy DavenportLinda(1929), dir. Dorothy DavenportWanda(1970), dir. Barbara LodenTremble All You Want(2017), dir. Akiko Ohku
Top 5 Theaters for The 300
Metrograph– 46Quad Cinema– 23BAM Rose Cinemas– 22The Film Society of Lincoln Center– 15IFC Center– 11
*Cinépolis Chelsea– 26 (25 of these films were seen during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival)
