Stuff I've Been Watching May 2022

Winning Time. Season 1. 2022. United States. Via the HBO Max app. 8 May.

I, personally, enjoyed this somewhat fictionalized dramatization of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team circa 1979. However, many of the people who were part of the team and still alive are not excited about this show, Jerry West, in particular.

The Red Shoes. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. 1948. United Kingdom. Via the Criterion Channel app. With Monika. 11 May.

One of the best pictures from Powell and Pressburger. Watching this movie, I am swept away but also deeply impressed by the technicolor photography.

Drive My Car. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. 2021. Japan. Via the HBO Max app. 14 May.

Be aware that this is a three hour long slow thinking person's movie. I enjoyed it and have sought out other Hamaguchi movies to watch on the small screen.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. 2022. Japan. Via the Criterion Channel app. 17 May.

An anthology movie made up of three shorter movies.

Titane. Directed by Julia Ducournau. 2021. France. Via the Criterion Channel app. 18 May.

It is hard to say what this movie is: body horror, a feminist revenge movie, a story about a reunion of father and son. Titane is not a movie for everyone; most will find it deeply uncomfortable.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril. Lone Wolf and Cub #4. Directed by Buichi Saigon. 1972. Japan. Via the Criterion Channel app. 19 May.

A very kinetic movie with a great deal of action and fake blood.

Black Narcissus. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. 1947. United Kingdom. Via the Criterion Channel app. With Monika. 21 May.

Perhaps the most impressive use of matte paintings in a post World War II movie. I am still astounded that Powell and Pressburger filmed this picture in and around London.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons. Lone Wolf and Cub #5. Directed by Kenji Misumi. 1973. Japan. Via the Criterion Channel app. 22 May.

Another entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series.

The Funeral. Directed by Juno Itami. 1984. Japan. Via the Criterion Channel app. 24 May.

An early film from the late great Juzo Itami. He is probably better remembered for Tampopo or A Taxing Woman, but the Funeral is very much worth seeing. Somehow the movie is both a straight presentation of a traditional Japanese funeral and a comedy.

The Flight Attendant. Season 1. 2020. United States. Via the HBO Max app. 25 May.

A murder mystery with an unteliable narrator/detective. Hat tip to Rand and Erin Bellavia for point me to this show.

Survivor. Season 42. 2022. United States. Via the Paramount + app. With Monika. 28 May.

Clearly, Survivor is not the culturally important show it was twenty years ago. But Monika and I do enjoy it week to week. It is a character driven drama that happens to have a competition.

West Side Story. Directed by Steven Spielberg. 2021. United States. Via the Disney + app. With Monika, Michal, and Marta. 29 May.

Another very kinetic movie with great dancing and colors. And they even bring Rita Moreno back for a small role.

We Own This City. 2022. United States. Via the HBOMax app. 30 May.

Another great project from David Simon about police corruption in Batimore. If you want to watch something that makes you feel good, look elsewhere. Perhaps the closest we will come to a sequel to The Wire.