The Kid Brother/First week of school

The Kid Brother
*****/5
with Harold Lloyd

It is a testament to the intelligence of my film history teacher that this was the first film he showed us. Knowing that many of his students had either not seen silent films before or did not think they liked them, he chose one of the most accessible silent films he could think of.

I think now would be a good time to point out that my school recently came into possession of an actual movie theater. So all of my film history screenings will be taking place on a 40 ft wide screen with stadium seating and the best quality print available. This being said, it was nearly overwhelming to sit in the dark theater, the projector turning on, and red velvet curtains drawing open to reveal a pristine print of this 1927 film (actually the DVD version). It was nostalgia for something I've never experienced. I think the curtains did it.

The Kid Brother is totally hilarious. It was the first Harold Lloyd film I'd seen. It had a great sensibility and a lot of impressive visuals, although I wasn't nearly as surprised by its quality as many of my classmates. One of the first comments from the class was that although it was harder to focus on at first, by the end of the movie, he was totally absorbed and into the film. So far, most of the students in my year seem to be a lot less pretentious than the ones in Stu's year. He was surprised when I told him that student's comment, saying that no one in his film history class would ever admitted to not having a full comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of silent films.
But this class greatly enjoyed the picture, and its final frames were met with compulsive applause from everyone.

The teacher, Gene Stavis, says that the entire first semester of the class will be devoted to silent films, and by using this one to warm the class up, I think it might go easier.

As far as The Kid Brother goes, it was a great comedy with inventive jokes (although by the end, some of the sight gags were a little predictable) and a compelling story. One of my favorite things about it is how basic the story was. In fact, it was almost a hackneyed idea, but it served the comedy very well. I was pretty amused after the film when another student described the plot as "substantive" because it was a very very typical plot. But all of the characters were carefully developed, so it seemed complex. The film also is a great "first" film for students of film history because it contradicts so many of the things that people assume about silent film, as Stavis said. The acting is subtle, the slapstick is believable, the plot is compelling and easy to follow.

Recommendations:
The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection

Shameful Neglect and A New Chapter

I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to updating.

Since the last time I've posted, I have been trying to fill some of the holes in my film knowledge. The New Wave, on either side of the Atlantic, has been pretty neglected, so I dug into that and others. I don't think it's possible to really document the volumes of films I've watched, but I can rattle off some big ones that I had not already seen.

Bonnie and Clyde
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Serpico
The 400 Blows
nearly all of Jean-Pierre Melville's catalog (Le Samourai being the most outstanding)
nearly all of Terry Gilliam's catalog (Brazil and 12 Monkeys being the ones not to avoid entirely)
about 7 or 8 Ingmar Bergman films
Cocteau's Orphic Trilogy
Late Spring
Le Bete Humaine


I'll spare you a recitation of my Netflix account history, and I will probably make separate entries for the ones that affected me most deeply.

I also saw some bad movies, Public Enemies, and Christopher Nolan's first film Following come to mind. Perhaps they deserve their own entries as well.

I have also been reading up on different facets of filmmaking. I think for the interest of cohesion, I will give that its own post also. Who would have thought all these posts! But as I enter into my first year of film school (next week) I think it will be beneficial to keep a record of my thoughts on films and other things. I will be seeing a lot of films and be given a lot of information. Perhaps I can use this newfangled blog thing to keep my head straight.

Last, but not least, I have been watching tons and tons of anime. There are some very strange trends in anime right now. Definitely my current favorite is Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!! It's a bizzare parody that borders on pornagraphic but with the most biting humor I've ever seen. It plays on expectations ("Maybe it's because Mom's watching over me from above. Just kidding!") and gives gratuitous fan-service, and still manages to dish out one of the most compelling plots a short series has offered in a long time. Not recommended for people unfamiliar with anime stereotypes or without a working knowledge of Sailor Moon or La Blue Girl. Ohhhh man, I can't wait til next week.