Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive GOLD-en RIIIIIINGS!
(ahem) Sorry. ‘Tis the season. Here’s a tease and then the top ten.
In order to become a swordsmith, Kevin had to be something of a Renaissance man: equal parts historian, artist, scientist, mathematician, and detective. Some of his replica swords are not just visual swords; they are authentically produced with metals that are scientifically accurate to their era. He will replicate the ancient process by digging his own ore out of the ground and smelting his own iron in an early type of charcoal furnace. History is not just the final object but the steps and processes that lead to it.
The Craftman’s Legacy, Eric Gorges
Today is a freebie and I was going to do my favorite substacks but it was hard to pick betwixt them. I may do that one randomly in the future. Going to go with “My Favorite New-to-Me Movies Watched in 2023”. I had trailers and moving scenes all embedded, but YouTube decided to be a total grinch and only allowed one.
A Man Called Otto. Based on the Swedish novel, Otto is about a widower named Otto (spoiler alert) whose punctiliousness and despair at the world has led him to trying to destroy himself. Connections with new neighbors keep preventing this.
Falling Down, 1993. Kirk Douglas plays a frustrated man who slips over the edge and tries to get ‘home’ to his ex-wife and child, taking out his frustrations with modernity along the way. Instant favorite, and one to rewatch.
American Graffiti, 1978. It’s like Dazed and Confused, but set in the 1960s. GREAT soundtrack, solid acting from Richard Dreyfuss and co. Enjoyed seeing Harrison Ford as a singing hick with a penchant for drag-racing.
Mr. Holland’s Opus, 1995. I’ve been wanting to watch this for ages, and knew I’d love it because I’ve watched clips from it on youtube so often. MHO begins with an aspiring composer taking a gig as a high school music teacher to keep bologna in the fridge while he’s pursuing his dreams. Instead, he finds Time and Responsibilities growing around him, in addition to the enormous challenge of raising a son who is hearing impaired. The challenge is both practical and emotional, as Mr. Holland is at a loss with how to relate to someone who can’t hear the music that so possesses his own soul. Very emotionally-laden film that ends with an appropriate crescendo.
Mon Oncle, 1958. An interesting French film about a young boy being raised in a brutalistic modern house by materialistic parents, who much prefers time spent with his uncle, a cheerful chap in a comfortable suit who lives in the old town. Loved the “modernity is inhumane” theme, as we frequently switch between the flawed but lovely to the perfect, clean, and brutal.
The music from it has been stuck in my head for months.
Stand by Me, 1985. A coming of age story about four young boys who hike into the woods trying to find the body of a kid their age who had gone missing. Interesting relationship between Will and Gordie, reminiscent of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s characters in Good Will Hunting – in that the ‘dumb, tough’ friend is extremely supportive of his friend’s intellectual/creative gifts and urges him to look for a life beyond where they grew up. There’s a lot of emotion in the boys’ relationships, which is unusual – I don’t know of many movies in which children, especially boys, get their souls plumbed the way we see here.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964. A beautiful French musical about young love, heartbreak, and human resilience. Everything is sung.
The Founder, 2016. A story about the origin and expansion of McDonalds, fueled by Ray Croc. I think he’s meant to be the villain. Great acting, loved the classic cars. Nick Offerman’s presence is an automatic 4 stars.
Mr. Right, Anna Kendricks. Watched for Anna Kendricks. Anna stumbles upon her boyfriend doing the tango with another woman and has a meltdown, but then meets a clown-assassin. It’s hilarious and it has Anna Kendricks. (And Anson Mount, if you’re nuts for Strange New Worlds like me.)
Cry-Baby, 1990. Another John Waters film, this one resembling a low-budget Grease. The nice square/soc girl fall and the drape/greaser boy fall for each other. The soundtrack has a lot of rockabilly, and has cameos from Iggy Pop and David “Yes, Ozzie and Harriet’s Son, David” Nelson.
Reading Freely 
I’ve only seen two of these–Stand By Me and Mr. Holland’s Opus. Enjoyed them both. Here’s my TTT: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2023/12/05/top-ten-tuesday-freebie-week/
They were wonderful. I commented on your blog, or tried to. “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” sounds fun!
Now that’s a feel good movie list that I am definitely saving. I still have to watch A Man Called Otto, but I’d recommend Random Harvest if you’re looking for a slow nostalgic fare on true loves and what not 🙂
Thank you for the reccommendation! I commented on your blog but it may have gone to spam. WordPress and Firefox have not been good partners as of late.
I really liked ‘Falling Down’ and ‘American Graffiti’. My dad introduced me to Jacques Tati films & I LOVE that guy. Totally hilarious. ‘Mon Oncle’ was brilliant. But if you liked that you should also check out ‘Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot’ (Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday) which introduced the character of Monsieur Hulot featured in Mon Onlce.
We have watched three Hulot movies — Mon Oncle, Mssr Hulot’s Holiday, and Playtime. Playtime was interesting because he had a very diminished role, but there’s a hotel grand opening that turns into a fiasco and then a drunken party — thoroughly entertaining. We’re going to watch Traffic tomorrow, I think.
I’ve only seen American Graffiti (Thanks, Dad!) and Stand By Me. Both were excellent.
Mr. Holland’s Opus was excellent!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Astilbe
We saw a musical production of Cry-Baby at a local college, and I found a copy online—I’ve yet to watch it.
I’ve added Mon Oncle to my watch list. Thank you!
I’ve only seen three of these—Mr. Holland’s Opus, A Man Called Otto, and Stand By Me—but I love all of them. The Founder sounds interesting to me. I’ll have to look for that one.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I really enjoyed A Man Called Otto, watched it with my parents earlier in the year.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/12/05/top-ten-tuesday-449/
I watched A Man Called Otto earlier this year too. I liked it well enough, but I don’t think it was as good as the original Swedish movie adaptation. If you haven’t seen A Man Called Ove from 2015, you’ll have to try it. I’d definitely like to know what you think of it in comparison. Thanks for visiting my blog earlier!
I plan to!