freakboy on film: ANNIE (1982)

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This post is part of the IT'S IN THE NAME OF THE TITLE BLOGATHON, hosted by Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews & Rebecca from Taking Up Room.

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🎵Annie…Annie’s her name, if you please.  If you don’t believe me, ask any one of the fleas…🎵 Oh wait, this song is about Sandy the dog.  We’re here to talk about Annie. 

Yes, I own this!

What do you think when you hear the name Annie?  Curly ginger haired orphan?  Freaky pupil-less comic strip eyes?  Fashion icon?  Ovaltine?  Depression era feminist?  A secret decoder ring?  A somewhat bloated big-screen adaption of a Broadway hit?  All of the above? 

Little Orphan Social Climber!

Annie is a sweet, rough and tumble orphan living under the inebriated reign of Miss Hannigan.  All she dreams of is her parents returning with the other half of a locket she was left with.  After escaping the tyranny of Miss Hannigan, saving a dog from street urchins and then being returned to  the orphanage, Annie’s life is about to change.  Grace Farrell is there to temporarily bring an orphan to her employer’s mansion for the sake of his public image.  Annie jumps at the opportunity and is soon singing and dancing into the heart of business-minded Daddy Warbucks.  

Fire my hairstylist!

Adoption seems immanent, but Annie wants to find her parents, so Daddy Warbucks offers up big bucks to find them.  Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan, her brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily are plotting to get Daddy’s big bucks.  Rooster and Lily are going to pretend to be Annie’s parents by using the other half of her locket that Miss Hannigan had the whole time.  What happen’s next?  You’re gonna have to watch to find out! 

Miss Hannigan knows how to make an entrance!

How in the name of John Waters and Andy Milligan can I love ANNIE?!?!  Is it the endearingly charming performance  of Aileen Quinn in the title role?  Is it Albert Finney as he transforms Daddy Warbucks from a hard-nosed businessman to a hard-nosed businessman with a heart?  Could it be Carol Burnett’s scene-stealing turn as the drunkenly hilarious Miss Hannigan?  What about the dynamic singing duo of Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters as Rooster and Lily?  Maybe it’s all of the above, and the other orphans, along with some seriously catchy tunes! 

Villain fashionistas!

I watched ANNIE a lot as a kid.  I think I enjoyed the idea of being swept away from the monotony of day to day life into a very different world.  I probably also enjoyed the adult humor sprinkled throughout.  My love of this film continues to baffle me, but perhaps i should be proud.  ANNIE stands as a testament to my eclectic cinematic taste.  Whether this taste is good or bad, I’ll leave it for you to decide. 

Daddy Warbucks is judging me!

SIDE NOTE: As a kid, I didn’t know who John Huston was, but I now appreciate his direction of ANNIE and I believe he would’ve made a great Daddy Warbucks. 

In conclusion…
What’s in the name Annie?  A little song…a little dance…a little drama…a little comedy…a little suspense…and a whole lot of heart!  If that didn’t make you throw up a little in your mouth, then grab a glass of Ovaltine and enjoy ANNIE! 

You know you want to!

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  In S1E5 of HATERS BACK OFF, Miranda is excited to play “Annie” in a disturbingly funny backyard production!  Don’t know about HATERS BACK OFF?  Click the pic ⬇️ to learn more about my favorite Netflix series…

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My books… viewAuthor.at/JohnLHarmon

The Blackening vs. Asteroid City

As you know, thanks to my Jesus Revolution vs, Cocaine Bear post, I enjoy experiencing a cinematic whiplash double feature.  One weekend, back in the days of VHS and rental stores, I even rented Psycho IV: The Beginning and The Rescuers Down Under, which left the video store owner very confused. 

I was recently browsing through the increasingly shrinking movie area of Wal-Mart when I spotted two films.  With my Mad Scientist Glasses on, I could decipher the titles, but I double-checked with my sister for confirmation. 

I had heard of The Blackening and knew I wanted to see it.  I knew nothing of Asteroid City, but even without being able to decipher the smaller text on the blu-ray cover, I was certain it was a Wes Anderson film.  Going against my usual “wait for streaming or the $5 bin” attitude about new films I didn’t see in the theater, I purchased both titles.

screenplay by Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins / directed by Tim Story

THE BLACKENING is a clever piece of social commentary wrapped up in a suspenseful and hilarious horror film filled with characters you actually hope live to the end!  I did figure out the twist, but this did not diminish my enjoyment in the slightest!  Oh, and I hope Antoinette Robertson becomes a major household name!  Seriously, see her in The Blackening and in her brilliant role in the Netflix series of Dear White People!  

story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola / directed by Wes Anderson

ASTEROID CITY wants so hard to be a clever, quirky, sci-fi nostalgia trip , populated by a buttload of familiar actors, but writer/director Wes Anderson has drank his own Kool-Aid, resulting in a big bland piece of meh.  Seriously, the only time I reacted to Asteroid City was when a character flicked on a lighter after pumping gas.  The low-key ridiculous scene felt like an amusingly authentic 1950’s American moment.  Oh, and I did ask my sister during a different scene if Tom Hanks is in this film.  SPOILER ALERT: He is. 

In conclusion…
I think you can guess which film I’m keeping and which one I’m donating to the library.  

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

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My books on Amazon… viewAuthor.at/JohnLHarmon 

freakboy on film: CHRISTINE (2016)

No, this isn’t the Stephen King story about a killer car, but I was almost expecting it to be when my sister and I sat down to watch.  Our onscreen cable guide is notoriously awful at confusing movies with similar, or even not-so-similar titles.  I mean, several years ago we had to tune in to see if the Hallmark Movie Channel was really showing CANNIBALS IN THE STREETS, but that’s another post for another day. 

written by Craig Shilowich/ directed by Antonio Campos

As for CHRISTINE, my sister had been checking channels and asked if I had heard of this film from 2016.  I answered no and I asked what the synopsis said.  She told me it was about a TV reporter who commits suicide on air during a live news broadcast.  This was startling enough, but then my sister explained it was based on real events that happened in 1974.  I admit morbid curiosity is why I decided to watch, but I wasn’t prepared for what I experienced.

The plot follows Christine Chubbuck as she goes about her days and nights, no one fully aware of what is going on in her mind.  Besides professional frustrations and medical issues, she is obviously struggling with undiagnosed depression.  Her mother keeps referring to the “moods” Christine gets in, but doesn’t know how to help.  When coworkers try to reach out, she shuts them down.  It’s really difficult to watch this intelligent woman imploding and eventually succumbing to her internal suffering.  Even knowing how it ends does not diminish the emotional impact of her story.  

Rebecca Hall portrays Christine as a fully realized, complicated person.  Sometimes she is sweet and funny, but other times defensive and angry.  Then there are times she is so full of sadness that it hurts.  Especially when Christine is putting on puppet shows as a volunteer at a children’s hospital.  What starts out as uplifting turns into an unheard cry for help. 

I know this isn’t the typical type of film I typically review, but I felt Christine’s story might help someone suffering from depression.  Maybe someone will recognize themselves or someone else and begin to pull back from that edge.  Honestly, I saw some of myself in Christine with her “moods” and her tendency to shut people out.  I know these are things I need to work on.

In conclusion…

CHRISTINE doesn’t glamorize depression or suicide and doesn’t give easy answers.  It just shows you one person’s struggle and it’s tough to watch, but worth your time. 

CHRISTINE is currently streaming on NETFLIX. 

NOTE to U.S. Readers….

If you are contemplating suicide, or know someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 to connect with a trained counselor. 

 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  I have a couple of blogging challenges on the horizon, so my typical film reviews will return soon.

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My books & blogs… 

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html 

freakboy on film: LOST IN SUBTITLES

I used to be a purist.

A non-English film was watched in its original language with English subtitles.  

Then December 2016 happened.

 

My chunk of vision loss made me an impurist.  

English language dubs seemed to be my only option.

It was just one more of my favorite things forever altered. 

Then in 2018 I went to the theater to see A QUIET PLACE.  I was told there were not many subtitles, which I suppose that was sort of true, compared to a foreign language film.  I sat in the back row with my Mad Scientist Glasses on and it seemed I could decipher enough of each subtitle to figure out what was being signed by the deaf girl and her parents.  The screen was big enough with a good contrast between words and background.  I was initially surprised and excited. 

Despite this big screen reading revelation, I ended up hating A QUIET PLACE.  This made me worry that I missed something in the subtitles.  So I later borrowed the DVD from the library and watched it with Descriptive Audio, which reads subtitles.  Nope, I missed nothing.  I didn't need subtitles to know the parents are the real monsters.  First, they don't look out for their youngest child and then they selfishly risk the lives of their remaining children by bringing a baby into the extremely dangerous sound-sensitive situation. 

That crappy film gave me hope.  Maybe with a big enough screen I could enjoy my foreign and silent films again!  An opportunity arrived in July 2019.  My sister in Omaha asked if I would house and dog sit for the month while she was meeting her first grandchild in a different state.  I agreed and packed a couple of DVD's to experiment with on her bigger and newer TV. 

After situating a kitchen chair for optimal viewing in the living room, I held my breath and popped in AMÉLIE (2001), one of my favorite non-English films.  Something as magical as AMÉLIE seemed to be happening.  I was deciphering enough words to enjoy the whimsical film again.   I was fully with her as she discovered the tin box, setting off her do-gooder adventures.  This overjoyed me, until I started to think about it.  

I had watched AMÉLIE countless times before my chunk of vision loss.  Perhaps I could decipher a lot of the subtitles because of multiple viewings.  I knew I had to experiment further and chose a Netflix film I wanted to see that only had a Spanish language track.  The title of that film is lost to me now, just like its subtitles were lost to my half-blind eyes. 

I tried other films, including the sci-fi silent film masterpiece METROPOLIS (1927), which I hold in high regard, but had not watched it as much as AMÉLIE.  The results of my experiment were harsh.  A bigger, newer TV wouldn't make a difference with deciphering subtitles unless I knew in advance what was being said.

Still, there remains the possibility of enjoying non-English films in the theater.  Well, if the one theater, with three screens, in my town actually showed foreign films, but it doesn't.  A fact that irritates me, especially when I hear tweets galore about a film I am interested in.  PARASITE (2019), for example. 

I knew it wouldn't play in my town, but I got my hopes up when I saw the DVD at the library.  Surely PARASITE was such a critically acclaimed film that it would have an English dub.  Nope.  Just it's original Korean and a French dub. It's not like my DVD of AMÉLIE has an English dub, so I should've known.  However, I decided it was time for another experiment. 

I was going to watch PARASITE and see if I could follow the plot without the dialogue.  My sister was going to watch it with me in case I got lost and because she also wanted to see it.  I did ok at first, sort of.  I assumed that the low-income family had terrible cell phone reception and one of them got fired from a pizza parlor.  I asked and my sister explained what was really happening, which wasn't far off.  Then the plot got complicated and I got lost very quickly. 

"What's going on here?" I would ask and my sister would explain.  She occasionally read a subtitle aloud, but I didn't want her doing this throughout the entire film.  For the most part, after I grasped how the low-income family and the wealthy family were merging, I followed along, kind of.  My sister had to explain the peach allergy, the camping trip and the architect.  The result of that experiment was I need to watch a non-English film with someone I trust.

As for PARASITE...I liked it, but I feel I missed nuances in the characters and their relationships to one another.  If I find an English dub, or go back in time and find a theater showing it, I would watch it again.  Oh, and I will give the film extra points for not killing the family pets, unless I completely missed something during the birthday party massacre.  If I did, please don't tell me.

In conclusion, the frustrating thing about my eyes is being able to watch a film, while wearing my Mad Scientist Glasses, but still missing so much.  Descriptive Audio tracks help with English speaking films, but to my deepest pain and shame, English language dubs are essential in my post-December 2016 foreign filmic life. 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out,

JLH 

P.S. In case you missed UNHINGED...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/08/freakboy-on-film-unhinged-2020.html 

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The Collective a Eye for September is open with books, blogs, music & more...

👁

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-collective-eye-september-2020.html 

Inside Library John (July 2020 in Hindsight)

I'll blame the oppressive heat ofJuly for my lack of creative output.  That way I won't have to dig too deep into my own mind and its shortcomings.  Truthfully, I keep hearing a very logical voice advising me to give up.  I haven't yet, but I wasn't inspired to do a video for The FreakOptic Files this month.  Hope that's just coinky-dink.

On a positive note, the library has reopened.  It was initially strange to once again be among the books I can no longer read, but it's beginning to feel natural again.  It's almost like the last 4 months never happened, with the exception of rearranged furniture and the front desk fish tank.  At any rate, downloading series & films from Netflix & Amazon to watch offline is so much more comfortable indoors.  Never mind there are now over 40 cases of COVID-19 in my county. 😬

In other good news, a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS exists in the Northwest!  I don't know if this copy is now a coffee addict on a search for Bigfoot, but I hope its readers find something to enjoy.  They tweeted me a very nice pic of my difficult-to-photo book.  Seriously, the glossy cover has given me hours of photographic frustration

Oh, and Laszlo is getting bigger and bigger. 

In conclusion, July has been a bit of a teeter-totter month.  I'll be fine as long as the person on the other end doesn't jump off while I'm up in the air. 

Catch me in August! 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH

P.S. I wrote what might be one of the more important posts for this blog in July...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/07/walking-after-sundown.html  

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My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html  

channel freakboy: HATERS BACK OFF! (2016-2017)

Miranda (Colleen Ballinger) wants to be famous more than anyone wants anything.  More than her sister Emily (Francesca Reale) wants to be an artist.  More than her Uncle Jim (Steve Little) wants to relive his high school Color Guard days.  More than her mother Bethany (Angela Kinsey) wants to recover from imagined ailments.  More than her neighbor/potential love interest Patrick (Erik Stocklin) wants to be a successful popsicle salesman and professional magician.

The problem is that Miranda suffers from a severe lack of talent.  She truly believes her terrible singing is truly amazing.  It doesn't help that her mother and Uncle Jim have encouraged this erroneous belief all of her life.  Now, with assistance from Uncle Jim and his 5-phase plan, Miranda begins by uploading a video to You Tube, even though this grab for fame may tear her family and friend apart.

I stumbled upon Netflix's HATERS BACK OFF! while searching for the Britcom MIRANDA, starring Miranda Hart.  I was disappointed to not find what I wanted but I ended up seriously enjoying what I found.  My sister and I didn't know what to expect when we sat down to watch the first episode of HATERS BACK OFF!  Honestly, we weren't quite sure what we had just watched when that first episode ended.  All we knew was that we laughed at the craziness surrounding these very different characters. 

I suppose these characters could be seen as unlikable or pathetic.  Sometimes they are and sometimes they are borderline caricatures.  Yet, somehow through hijacking a parade, crashing a funeral, staging a backyard performance of ANNIE, and holding a hospital fashion show, I often felt sympathy and even empathy for these characters.  Yes, I related to them because they live in their own little world, but are still not quite good enough.  

HATERS BACK OFF! is about the ultimate outsiders and I understand because I am one too.  Awkward, weird, occasionally off-putting and never quite succeeding, even with the best of intentions.  Miranda, Patrick, Bethany, Emily and Uncle Jim are my televised people.  Especially when one of them reaches for the sky, fails miserably, but keeps on trying.

In conclusion, my sister and I have watched the entire series three times since 2018.  So, if you want to experience something truly different and feel uncomfortable while laughing, then sit back, stress-eat wieners and enjoy HATERS BACK OFF! on Netflix!   

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  A blogpost from 2016 about my filmic people...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2016/06/freakboy-on-film-gentlemen-broncos.html  

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The Collective Eye is open with music & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-collective-eye-june-2020.html