Jims of Wyzdom for 4 January 2019
Happy New Year, faithful readers!
Movies: I fear I have failed you…I did not know about this WWI film until too late for my last column. So, on Dec. 17 and 27 (only) this new film made by Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings” trilogy) in commemoration of the end of the war in 1918, titled, “They Shall Not Grow Old,” was shown. The main film archive in Europe gave Jackson complete access to 100-year-old films with which to construct a remembrance. They put the films through the magic machines capable of restoring even the worst-damaged film, colorizing it, and even putting some of it into 3D, and they added dialog and sound effects using recordings of veterans.
We saw it on Thursday (27th) at the AMC where they were having some problems with the projection, so we did not see any 3D but we did see the restored films and colorization which is just breathtaking. All I can suggest is for you to keep your eyes open because my bet is it’ll appear on PBS or the History channel—somewhere.
“Vice” If you loathe and despise Dick Cheney, this film is for you! It makes no attempt to be thoroughly objective, but the actors and script are jaw-dropping…and do not leave until at least 2/3 through the end credits!
Turner Classic Movies 2019 Schedule: As promised in my last column, here are the films that will be shown each month at the Regal Hollywood: January: (27) The Wizard of Oz; February: My Fair Lady; March: To Kill a Mockingbird; April: Ben-Hur; May: Steel Magnolias and True Grit; June: Field of Dreams; July: Glory; August: Hello, Dolly!; September: Lawrence of Arabia and The Shawshank Redemption; October: Alien; November: The Godfather, Part Two; and December: When Harry Met Sally. Each of these films will be celebrating a 25th to 80th anniversary. If you have a computer, you can easily access the theater website for show-times, though I will let you know before we get to that date.
Now, don’t explode on me…please…but the votes are now in and Film Forum for Spring will not be showing the two most popular films of 1939, The Wizard of Oz (need I say why?) and Gone With the Wind (it’s on TV and comes in at close to 4 hours). So mark January 27 to see “OZ” on an even bigger screen than we have in Classroom B! Watch for the Spring catalog for the 8 winners, opening with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and boy, do we ever need him now!
Nothing except possibly love and death are of importance, and even the importance of death is somewhat ephemeral, as no one has yet faxed back a reliable report. [Naturalist-Writer Gerald Durrell]
Opera: Next up for the Met in HD series is Adriana Lecouvreur, a new production featuring Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala under the direction of Sir David McVicar. Curtin at the Regal is 12:55m Saturday, January 12. The composer is Cilea, who gives us a story based on a real actress of the early 18th century in France. This would be a generation after Moliere re-wrote how a play should play, after Neo-Classicism lost its luster and theater began to seek out stronger, more naturalistic subjects and characters.
One of the delights known to age, and beyond the grasp of youth, is that of Not Going. [Writer J. B. Priestley]
One of the oddest things in life, I think, is the things one remembers. [Writer Agatha Christie]
See you soon!
Jim