5 of the movies are from before 1964 (before I was born)
13 of the films were made between 1964 and 1997 (before marriage)
8 of the films were made since 1998 (since I've been married)
Each post contained my thoughts on the film, a positive and a negative Rotten Tomatoes review, a comment referencing what the film had to say about resilience, which was the theme of the A to Z challenge this year, a comment regarding whether this film might be in my top 100 films of all time (a list I'm in the process of revising), and any connections the film might have with other films in the challenge.
At times I wondered when quoting negative and positive reviews of each film whether people might be confused about how I felt about the film. Other times I felt a little bit of guilt in posting a negative review of a film I adored. However, my intention was to show the reader the spectrum of opinions that a movie no matter how well done can engender. In the end, I was gratified that I could find well-reasoned arguments on both sides regarding the quality or lack thereof for each of my selections.
For the most part, this was another good year at the challenge. I did not interact with as many other blogs as I would have liked to. I don't think I looked at any blogs other than my own for the last week of the challenge. Each year I tell my wife that I should have all the posts written before the challenge starts. I never get anywhere near that goal. This year I had a few fully prepared in advance, but I had set up each post in advance and had added good chunks of information ahead of time. For example, I had the graphics copied to the individual posts about 2 weeks ahead of time and the Rotten Tomato reviews were linked usually the Sunday before the week they appeared. I also in retrospect was wise because I finished Z and Y completely before the challenge, so when Friday hit and challenge fatigue was at its highest, I was essentially finished with the challenge.
FAQ
Did each film represent your favorite film with that letter?
No, some films were, and many films were not. Adventures of Robin Hood is one of several A movies that are in my top 100, whereas Arsenic and Old Lace will probably not make my top 100. Arsenic and Old Lace was the one I chose to feature.
Did you have certain criteria for choosing each film?
I wanted each movie to have had a theatrical release, and I wanted it to be a movie I had previously seen and enjoyed, Other than that I did not have specific criteria.
Did you rewatch each movie in anticipation of the challenge?
No, but I did rewatch some prior to writing my post and watched others on or near the day the post dropped. I watched You Can't Take It With You this afternoon with my wife as a post-challenge treat.
Closing Remarks
I think that there should be a week or so between the end of the challenge and the beginning of the reflection period. Reflection shouldn't be rushed and rest and reflection walk happily together. Of course, I want my reflection to be near the top so more people can read it, so I eschewed the rest and am finishing my reflection on the challenge before the challenge has officially finished.
In that vein, I would not start the A to Z Road Trip until Memorial Day. On the positive side, I think it's grand that there will be at least one post a month on the challenge blog for the rest of the year. I did one of those posts in February 2022 and would be honored to step in again if asked.
Next Year: I plan on an A to Z look at characters from The Chronicles of Narnia. Each year since 1983, I have been reading all the books at least once and this year when I do I'll begin making a list of which characters will appear here in 2024.
2016 was a big year at the movies for Walt Disney Studios. According to Box Office Mojo, they had 5 of the top 7 grossing films released in that year. It was also a big year for animated children's movies with 3 of the aforementioned top 7. Zootopia was 7th on the list grossing 341.3 million in the U.S. alone.
By gkaidan - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42701886
Zootopia - Disney Enterprises Inc.
Zootopia features Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) as the voices of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde a bunny on the Zootopia police department, and a fox, a hustler, and a condog (a male fox is called a dog, look it up.).
This movie follows the standard buddy cop movie plot. A by the book, play by the rules cop is partnered with an informant who flaunts and plays fast and loose with the laws. As they learn to work together they go deeper and deeper to uncover a vast conspiracy.
This plot also underlies the main theme of the movie that biases and prejudices don't really show what the true heart of a person, or in this case an animal is.
Positive Tomato: Sure to speak to kids d grown-ups alike, Zootopia unfolds a poignant lesson about how prejudice can hurt people, but also how it can be overcome. And it does all this in a wonderfully fun film. Kristy Pucko - Pajiba
Top 100: I enjoyed this film quite a bit, but it is nowhere near my top 100, I doubt it would even make the top 200.
A to Z Connections: Bonnie Hunt who voices Judy's over-protected Mom also appears in Dave as a very eager White House tour guide. She co-starred, co-wrote, and directed Return To Me.
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 1 more time this month.
Film: You Can't Take It With You (1938)
Director: Frank Capra
You Can't Take It With You is your standard issue 1930's screwball comedy with the Frank Capra touch. The below video does a great job in 9 minutes of recapping and reviewing the film.
The son of a Wall Street banker falls in love with the granddaughter of the person blocking the banker's money-making scheme. Stars Edward Arnold, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.
Positive Tomato: It's one of the most amusing and satisfying pictures to be seen in months, and certain to be an enormous hit with audiences. Edwin Schallert - Los Angeles Times
Negative Tomato: It may be disappointment that any Frank Capra comedy should be heavy and overdone which makes You Can't Take It with You seem such a dud. Otis Ferguson - The New Republic
Resiliency: You Can't Take it with you is the oldest movie on this list. It is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. That its themes would still resonate with audiences today shows how resilient film can be.
Top 100: This is one of those movies that I would tell you I think it would be my the top 100 and then wind up with 125+ films on my list. It is definitely worthy of consideration and may end up making my actual list.
A to Z Connection: This is the third film featuring my favorite director Frank Capra in the challenge along with Arsenic and Old Lace and It's A Wonderful Life. It is also the 3rd film featuring my favorite actor Jimmy Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life and Vertigo). Speaking of 3s, it is the third film along with the aforementioned Arsenic and Old Lace and A Man For All Seasons to be adapted from a broadway play. This is the 5th and final Academy Award winner for Best Picture on my list. The other 4 are A Man For All Seasons, Chariots of Fire, Ordinary People, and The Kings Speech. The Kings Speech has also been produced on Broadway, but in this case, the play was adapted from the film, not vice-versa.
Welcome to the 164th edition of the Playful Math Education Carnival
I am Dave your host for this month. This is my first time hosting this carnival and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. But in true growth mindset lingo, I don't know what I'm doing yet. As Dr. Teeth says in The Muppet Movie, "There ain't nothin' to it but to do it."
Thanks to the incomparable Denise Gaskins for giving me a chance to host. Before we get into gear just a little bit more about me ...
I started this blog 14 years ago back when I was a home educator and this blog was named Home School Dad. During that time I was a frequent participant and host of the Carnival of Homeschooling. I loved that carnival and especially loved hosting it. I also loved all the great math ideas I would see in Blogs like Denises.
When I was a home educator, I would often teach math games classes at our local home school cooperative. 5 years ago when I became a substitute teacher I would love to see all the great ideas that the teachers I was subbing for and all the wonderful resources that are out there.
This winter I became a building sub in my district. When I'm not in for another teacher I go from class to class and am an extra set of hands, this usually will happen during Math and ELA instruction and I was hoping to share a lot of the games and activities the teachers use in today's post.
Unfortunately, almost immediately into the semester I started subbing for the P.E. teacher for almost 2 months, and now I'm subbing in a special-ed classroom for the rest of the year, so I haven't gleaned as many ideas as I hoped I would. I think though I have assembled some good stuff for this month's edition. So let's give it a go.
She began by telling us some info about the number 163 so I'll start by giving you a little info about 164.
164 hours is about a week. In fact, if you take 164 hours (6 days 20 hours) and add 164 minutes (2 hours 44 minutes then add 164 seconds (2 minutes 44 seconds) you would have a total of 6 days 22 hours 46 minutes and 44 seconds which would be approximately 1:15 minutes less than a week.
164 is what I call an A square B number. It is the product of 41 times 2 squared.
Here is an idea I use as a parlor trick but have also been bringing into the classroom. This can be done on the whiteboard or smart board with one individual or you could have each student do it on their own whiteboard, paper, or computer
First, have the student write their date of birth month date, and year.
Our example student was born ten years ago 4/28/13
The next thing I have the students do is write in one column 4-year increments from their birthday until the day before their birthday 4 years later.
Our example student:
4/28/13 - 4/27/17
4/28/13 - 4/27/21
Once you cannot add any more increments of 4 years then you go by single years
4/28/21 - 4/27/22
4/28/22 - 4/27/23
Hopefully, while you are explaining this you'll get a student or two who will tell you that they don't have to do all that, the birthday person just simply needs to multiply their age times 365 and that will show how many days they've lived.
I will go ahead and have them make the calculation but then I'll go back and have them write out a 2nd column showing how many days they actually lived in a 4 year period:
4/28/13 - 4/27/17 1461
4/28/13 - 4/27/21 1461
4/28/21 - 4/27/22 365
4/28/22 - 4/27/23 365
I will then have them add the 2nd column up and compare it to their calculation. (1,462 to 1,460). At some point, a student will realize the first calculation did not account for leap days. I would then ask is this how many days our birthday friend has lived? I will then remind them that they lived today so they have lived 1.463 days.
Movies and Math
I have spent most of this month blogging about movies for the A to Z Challenge.
Katherine Johnson - One of the Nasa computers featured in Hidden Figures
Click here for a brief biography of Katherine Johnson from Mathigon
April 11th was my 25th wedding anniversary
and it made me wonder if there were any math milestones in April.
It turns out that April 11th, 1936 is the day Konrad Zuse (who looks in the picture below like a combination of baseball broadcaster Harry Carey and cartoonist Charles M Schulz.) filed a patent for the automatic execution of operations while working on the first German computer, the Z-1.
On April 11th 2020 mathemetician , John Conway died of complications to Co-vid 19. The above referenced link to April 11th,1936 contains this quote which I think is apropos to a Playful Math Carnival :
...You get surreal numbers by playing games. I used to feel guilty in Cambridge that I spent all day playing games, while I was supposed to be doing mathematics. Then, when I discovered surreal numbers, I realized that playing games IS mathematics.
Her journaling prompt about variations of tic-tac-toe got me thinking of other pen-and-paper games like the dot game. I did some research and learned about a game called Chomp.
By Lord Belbury - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86379139
I'm sure that all of you out there are probably more familiar with it than I was., but just in case here is a video describing the gameplay.
While researching this game I got to thinking of the 1999 classic book The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fraction Book.
I don't write many math posts on my blog, but if I did I would write posts entitled "Why do all the good children's books go out of print?" If I were a bookstore owner I'd always have 3 copies of this book on my shelf.
Teachers who don't have access to this book can borrow it virtually from Internet Archive.
I decided to make a version of Chomp for fractions. I call it Fraction Chomp, but I'm very creative with my titles. It's played exactly like described in the video except all grids should have pieces that are divided by 12 (examples 3by4, 8by3, 6by8,...) The players "chomp" a fraction of the pieces off the grid. The fractions they can use or 1/2 1/3/ 1/4 and 1/6. The play continues until one player can not make a fraction of the remaining pieces that is a whole number.
Imagine a 3 by 4 grid ...
The first player chomped 1/3 of the pieces leaving 8 left.
The 2nd player might chomp 1/4 of the remaining pieces leaving 6 left.
The first player would then chomp 1/3 and 4 would remain.
At this point if the second player then chomps 1/4th of the pieces he will eventually win since their opponent will have no choice but to chomp 1/3 allowing the second player to chomp 1/2 and the first player will lose.
However, if player 2 chomps 1/2 of the remaining 4 pieces they would lose as player 1 would also chomp 1/2 the remaining pieces for the victory.
The second link isn't a game but could still be fun in a group. It is from the blog Emergent Math and asks the question: Is The Subway Footlong Pass Worth It?
April was National Poetry Month
I participated in an online progressive poem.. Each day in April A poet added another line to a poem and posted it on their blog. Here is a link to the poem as of April 28th.
This got me to thinking about poetry and math in 2 different ways.
1. Progressive Story Problems
Have one of the students write a story problem. Then have a second student write another story problem that starts somehow with the answer to the first problem. A man has 6 horses 2 goats and 2 sheep. How many more horses does he have than the other animals combined? The answer is 2 Horses. The next question might start with 2 horses weigh as much as 10 sheep. The horses weigh a combined 2000 pounds what is the average weight of the sheep? The next question could start with about 200 pounds of anything and so on and so on.
2. Fibonacci Poem Problems
A Fibonacci Poem or Fib is a poem whose syllables follow the Fibonacci sequence
They are typically 6 lines and follow the pattern
1 syllable
1sylabble
2 syllables
3 syllables
5 syllables
8 syllables
Here is one I just wrote about my favorite ball team's current streak of ineptitude
I've enjoyed hosting for the first time. Next time I won't sign up for my busiest month of the year and I will start preparing much earlier than I did, Next month's carnival will be at Nature Study Australia
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 2 more times this month.
Film: X-Men: First Class (2011)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Positive Tomato: Great action, riveting drama, real dilemmas, and interesting characters... X-Men: First Class is fun all the way. Nikhat Kazmi - The Times of India
Negative Tomato: Worst of all, the movie doesn't even look that great for all the money that went into it. David Harris - Spectrum Culture
The A to Z Challenge has, well, it's challenges. One of those challenges is choosing topics for certain letters. X is a very difficult letter to pick a topic for. When I was in Highschool the movie Xanadau came out. I remember watching it, but I don't remember much else about it, except I didn't think it was very good. I was planning on reluctantly watching it again, but then I remembered the X-men franchise and decided that any of those movies would be better than watching Xanadu again.
I did not see this movie in the theatre but watched it on t.v. a few years after it came out. It tells the story of how Professor X and Magneto formed the X-Men and then went on their separate ways. It Stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kevin Bacon.
I think it was clever to set the film during the Cuban missile crisis, the height of the cold war. There are some aspects of the movie I wasn't too fond of, but overall it's decent entertainment.
Resiliency: Xavier has 2 major setbacks handed to him at the end of this film. As this movie was set in the past and is based on well-known comic book characters, we know that Professox X had the resilience to get beyond both setbacks.
Top 100: I will have 2 possible 3 superhero movies in my top 100, this will not be one of them.
A To Z Connection: This is one of two movies in the challenge that concerns itself with genetics (Gattaca).
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 3 more times this month.
Film: When A Man Loves A Woman (1994)
Director: Luis Mandoki
Positive Tomato: Here is a wise and ambitious film about the way alcoholism affects the fabric of a marriage. Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times
Negative Tomato: Does her husband notice her addiction? How could he not? Does he care? Who knows! Jonah Koslofsky - The Spool
I've decided to alter the format of today's entry a little bit. I'll still tell you a brief synopsis of the 1994 Rom Dram but after that I'm going to type a transcript of a conversation I had with my wife earlier this week about the film. The movie stars Meg Ryan and And Garcia as a working couple with 2 children. Ryan has a drinking problem and the film examines the couples relationship as she seeks treatment and he copes with the aftermath of her addiction.
Dave: Amy we've talked a lot about qualities that movies my top 100 list would have and one of them is re-watchability. You definitely think When A Man Loves A woman is rewatchable. What makes it that way?
Amy: It's a really good movie. It's a good depiction of both an alcoholic and an enabler and how those two things together make a storm.
Dave: How does that make it rewatchable?
Amy: Watching the pain get resolved. The dual depiction gives it a unique perspective.
Dave: What do you think of Andy Garcia's character?
Amy: We see him as a tough guy at the beginning of the movie who has to help Mag Ryan and realize that he is as powerless as she is in rectifying the situation.
Also, watching the way he loves his children and communicates with them is very beautiful
Dave: Do you believe that this is a Meg Ryan vehicle, and that the title is a little misleading?
Amy:No, I think they beautifully create a movie where there are two equal stars. I think Andy's story is just as gripping as Meg's.
Dave: Were you a little surprised that I didn't have When Harry Met Sally as my W?
Amy: Yes! You like that movie a lot more than this one. But then again, I don't fully understand your selection process.
The conversation veered to different paths from there.
Resiliency: If I would have asked Amy about the theme of resiiency in this film, I think she would have said something like that this movie examines the resiliency of this marriage through the lens of addiction and recovery. I didn't aske her, so we may never know.
Top 100: This movie would definitely be in Amy's top 100. I like the film and enjoy watchingit with her, but at this point I would not consider it for my top 100.
A to Z Connections: Like Ordinary People, this movie depicts a family in crisis. Vertigo and Gattaca along with When a Man Loves a Woman were all primarily filmed in california.
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 4 more times this month.
Film: Vertigo (1958)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
By Saul Bass - http://aliceovolk.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/vertigo-1958-usa-movie-poster-art-by-saul-bass-james-stewart-in-alfred-hitchcocks-vertigo1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25318666
I haven't seen this movie for a while so I went tot he library today and checked it out and am watching it as I make this post. I've been watching for an over an hour, and am at the point of the movie where the pieces should be coming together but they are not.
Positive Tomato: One of Hitchcock's finest achievements, layering drama, a love story, adventure, and hair-raising suspense into a psychological murder-mystery that simply has no peers. Mike Massie - Gone With The Twins
Negative Tomato: Even such a master-craftsman as director Alfred Hitchcock sometimes forgets that more than enough is too much, as he proves in this photogenic San Francisco suspense-mystery, which is still badly in need of the cutter's shears. Clyde Gilmour - Maclean's Magazine
Jimmy Stewart starring in his 4th Alfred Hitchcock film plays a retired detective who is asked by an old friend to protect his wife from herself, but all is not as it seems.
Leyostone Tube Station
By Mike Quinn, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45941673
I just got to the point of the big plot twist, I had forgotten all about it. Things are getting interesting, I'm not sure how its going to end.
Resiliency: This movie is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word. The way the killer operates here is to steal all of Stewart's resiliency. He is unable to move forward so instead he moves backward.
Top 100: I just finished watching the film , and I am leaning towards the verdict of the negative tomato rather than the positive one. I mentioned in a previous review, that I don't know what my #1 Hitchcock film is, well It is not Vertigo.
I was disappointed in the ending. It made sense and it kept me guessing until the end. I just didn't like how it played out. One reason is that Barbara Bel Geddes isn't in the last act of that film and she made every scene she was in so much better by her presence. Bel Geddes who played the matriarch in the T.V. soap Dallas, plays an interesting role in this movie. I would have liked to see her utilized more in the film. Not to say that the star Kim Novak doesn't do a good job, she does. It's just I fount myself rooting more for Bel Geddes than Novak.
A to Z Connections: This is the second Alfred Hitchcock directed film in the challenge (North by Northwest).
There are 3 A to Z connections with It's A Wonderful Life:
They both star Jimmy Stewart.
They both have a scene where Stewart jumps into water to save someone who doesn't need saving.
Neither did well in their original cinematic runs and over the course of time became more and more well regarded. They are both in the top 25 of the American Film Institutes (AFI) Top 100 Film List
Hello and welcome back to A Month at the Movies, my contribution to the A to Z challenge for 2023.
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 5 more times this month.
Film: UHF (1989)
Director: Jay Levey
Weird Al's Apartment in UHF By Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47260199
I love parodies. I grew up listening to one of the greatest parodists of all time, Allan Sherman. My Mom and Dad would send out a Christmas Card each year where they would write our family's annual exploits to the tune of a Christmas carol. I myself have written a number of parodies and have posted many in my blog.
I even wrote a parody last Saturday to publicize my S is for Silverado post and put it on my Facebook page.
(Sung to the tune of Desperado by The Eagles)
Silverado, you are in my top eleven.
You star two great Kevin’s
Plus one Glenn, and one Glover
You’re a western
But so much more than your genre
Which is why I’m so fond a
This joy I’ve discovered.
But with no disrespect to Alan Sherman, my parents, or myself, my favorite parodist is Weird Al Yankovic.
When Weird Al first started out he would send his songs to Dr. Demento who would play them on his syndicated radio program. My favorite of which, and my all-time favorite Weird Al Song, is It's Still Billy Joel to Me, performed to the tune of It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by (Wait for it ....) Billy Joel.
I mean Weird Al had the audacity to rip Billy Joel's music while performing Billy Joel's music. I was impressed. In 1989, Weird Al set his sights on television and the movies at the same time by starring in and co-writing UHF a movie about a t.v. channel.
At the time most network television was broadcast on VHF (Very High Frequency) and most independent stations were broadcast on UHF (Ultra High Frequency). While some might argue about the quality of these frequencies. The quality of the programming was generally regarded as infinitely better on VHF.
Positive Tomato - The individual parts may be greater than the sum of the whole, but man, are those parts funny. Austin Trunick - Under The Radar
Negative Tomato - This is the dreariest comedy in many a month, a depressing slog through recycled comic formulas. Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times
If I were to give UHF a 6 or less-word film review it would be: Walter Mitty meets SCTV. The film is essentially a bunch of parodies with a plot sandwiched in between them. The movie begins with a pretty good Raiders parody.
Resiliency: Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) is the best part of this movie. He plays Stanley Spadowski who shows resiliency after being fired from the best t.v. station in town where he worked as a janitor and ended up getting hired as a janitor at the station Yankovic manages to host a wildly successful children's t.v. program.
Top 100: This movie straddles the fence between so dumb it's funny and so dumb it's dumb. It has many fine moments, but it is nowhere near making my top 100.
A to Z Connection: This is the 2nd film in the challenge about television (Quiz Show).
Hello and welcome back to A Month at the Movies, my contribution to the A to Z challenge for 2023.
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 6 more times this month.
Film: The Muppet Movie (1979)\
Director: James Frawley
One of our most famous family quotes goes like this. My wife was asked why she didn't like a certain movie. Perhaps it was Princess Pride, perhaps it was something else Her reply was:
"I like movies about real things, like the Muppets."
I don't remember if she was being serious or silly, but there is a degree of seriousness we can find in it. Just like Roger Ebert talks about in the review below, in a way, The Muppets are real.
Positive Tomato: Jolson sang, Barrymore spoke, Garbo laughed, and now Kermit the Frog rides a bicycle... If you can figure out how they were able to show Kermit pedaling across the screen, then you are less a romantic than I am: I prefer to believe he did it himself. Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times
Negative Tomato: while The Muppet Movie is certainly entertaining, the shift to a coherent, linear, feature-length narrative deprives the film the show's brilliantly structured inanity. James Kendrick - Q Network Film Desk
The Muppet Movie is a movie within a movie. We watch the Muppets screening The Muppet Movie, a movie about how The Muppets became rich and famous. For those who grew up watching The Muppet Show, we are familiar with the basic concept, Muppets and humans interacting together in the real world.
Resiliency: In the t.v. show the world was limited to the Muppet Theatre. In the film, The Muppets are in swamps, churches, county fairs, restaurants, bars, and Ghost towns, all on their way to Hollywood. Jim Henson and all the Muppeteers had to show great resiliency in performing and filming. Click here to get an idea of what Henson had to go through to film the opening sequence of the movie.
Kermit at the Smithsonian
Scooter and Steve Martin on The Muppet Show
On The Muppet Show, the Muppets did perform many musical numbers but the majority of these were either pop tunes or standards. The Muppet Movie is a musical and none of the songs existed until Paul Williams wrote them for the movie. If you ever wonder whether the Muppet Movie has any lasting impact, try to imagine a world without Rainbow Connection or Movin' Right Along.
Top 100: I have mentioned before that I basically have 3 favorite movies of all time that are essentiallly in a tie for my favorite film. In the Challenge so far, I have revealed that 2 of these films are It's A Wonderful Life and Ordinary People. The Muppet Movie is the third.
Hello and welcome back to A Month at the Movies, my contribution to the A to Z challenge for 2023.
This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter. You can skip over this part if you want to.
I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another. With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 7 more times this month.
Film: Silverado (1985)
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Silverado is exactly what a Western should be. In the 80's Westerns were few and far between and when Silverado came around in 1985 it revitalized the genre. The photography is breathtaking, The writing and the acting complement excellent direction and production by Lawrence Kasdan. This trailer gives you an idea of what to expect in this wild western romp of a movie.
Positive Tomato: This is a story, you will agree, that has been told before. What distinguishes Kasdan's telling of it is the style and energy he brings to the project. Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times
Negative Tomato: ...In other words, there's a lot less going on in Silverado than pleases the eye.Gene Siskel - Chicago Tribune
Scott Glenn as Emmett
Kevin Cline as Paden
Danny Glover as Mal
Kevin Costner as Jake
Brian Dennehy as Cobb
John Cleese as Sherriff Langston
The movie is very nuanced. In many ways it plays as a straight western filled with, scenic vistas and plenty of shootouts, saloons, and stampedes. It is both plot driven and character driven and has plenty of humor weaved in throughout the movie. One of my favorite bits that's thrown in just before a jail break sequence is when John Cleese is playing chess with his deputy on the day of a scheduled hanging. He is contemplating his next move, and he just turns the board around so he is now playing his deputy's pieces. Moments like these are unexpected in a movie that's not a comedy but they certainly enhance the picture.
Resilience: At one point in the film, Mal (Danny Glover) finds out from Sherriff Langston (John Cleese) that he can't stay (or be served food or aclohol) in that town because of his race. Mal states "that ain't right." and Langston replies that he decides what is right in his jurisdiction. Later when the 4 heroes are in Silverado they again encounter injustices. The 4 have the resiliency to stand up to "what ain't right" even when they are seemingly standing alone.
Top 100: Silverado is my all time favorite western and has really opened the genre up to me. Thanks to Silverado there are 6 or more Westerns that will make it on to my top 100. Silverado just misses out of my top 10 and is currently ranked at 11.
A To Z Connection: This is the 2nd film in the challenge to star Kevin Kline (Dave).
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