Should I be checking papers? Well yeah. Am I? Sure I am. Believe it.
Or, if you don’t believe it, come over here and check out my top films list for 2013. I know what you’re thinking. Cath, another part of the The Hobbit comes out this week. You’re going to see About Time tonight. And what about Walking with Dinosaurs? Walter Mitty? 47 Ronin? Hmmmm????
I got one answer for you. Editing, baybee, editing. I suspect that of those films, Walter Mitty could make the cut. And if it does, I’ll refer you back here.
A couple of reminders of the mighty Tamago list. The only criteria is that I have to have seen it for the first time this year. That doesn’t mean that it needs to have come out this year. It means that any random stuff that I’ve seen for the first time could be in here. Got it? And these are in no particular order of preference. Here we go.
1. Cirque de Soleil’s Amaluna. A brilliant blending of mythology and beauty, this powerful Cirque performance is a breath-taking re-envisionment of The Tempest. You should be able to find it on video, but if a performance comes near you, by all means, it’s best that way.
2. Frozen. Yeah, usually I don’t go this commercial. But it’s the first Disney tale in which the tension is mostly internal to characters, and the women truly make all the decisions. Daughters should see this film.
3. The Frisco Kid. If you would like to see a young Gene Wilder and a young Harrison Ford interact their way across the Old West in a sprightly comedy with dramatic undertones, you could watch this.
4. Jeeves and Wooster Season 3. Fry and Laurie hit their stride portraying the title characters after 2 seasons, and I love the cast of Bertie’s friends in New York. Plus, Laurie gets a chance to do his jazz thing. Worthy.
5. Luther Season 3. Because John Luther, portrayed by Idris Elba, walks the moral tight rope like no other cop.
6. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. What a weird little film. 40s woman falls in love with doomed sailor. When the doomed sailor is James Mason, well, it works.
7. Rose of Versailles. I’d never seen it. The anime leaves a bit to be desired, but Oscar’s story is pretty strong. Also, Marie Antionette’s portrayal is fair.
8. The Sorcerer and the White Snake. Hong Kong brings us another action film beauty. It’s the visual poem of my year.
9. Star Trek 2: Into Darkness. Yes, I know. There are lots of problems with this. But I am a sucker for the alternate timeline/history reboot, so there’s that. And I like Spock’s “Khan!” in the face of the rest of the universe.
10. Summertime. Katherine Hepburn filmed in Venice by David Lean. A poignant story about loneliness. You really need to see this film.
11. The Troll. If you can find this short film, watch it. It’s a gorgeous romance.
12. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? I’ve wanted to see this film for a long time, and it’s nice to see both Depp and diCaprio actually act, before the Hollywood machine ate them and spat them out, processed. The relationships in the film and the situations are complicated.
***
Soon!
Books!
