John Otteni

Criterion Month Day 13: Walkabout

Walkabout (1971)

We sure do love Australia here at Mildly Pleased. So much so that not only have we covered every Australian-produced film in the Criterion Collection (there are only four), but we’re now onto British films made in Australia. Yes, to my surprise, Walkabout, which I always assumed was as Australian as a kangaroo playing a didgeridoo, is actually a British film made by British people, based on a British book, and starring two British children. So, Walkabout isn’t a film about Australia as much as it is a film about an outsider’s perspective of Australia. However, it’s precisely this perspective that makes the film stand out.

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Criterion Month Day 11: The Cremator

The Cremator (1969)

I’m a simple man. I see a movie labeled as “horror” in the Criterion Collection, I watch. What makes The Cremator a horror film? Going in I assumed it was because… well, cremation. What I didn’t know until now is that the scariest thing about The Cremator isn’t cremation, it’s Nazis. God, I hate those fuckers. This film hates Nazi’s too and shows us why they suck through one man’s slow descent into madness.

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Criterion Month Day 9: The Exterminating Angel

The Exterminating Angel (1962)

I’ve been watching a lot of The Zone lately (that’s what I call Twilight Zone) and let me tell ya man, this movie fits that mold just like a glove. Or maybe more like a crazy wacky glove that you can’t take off. Regardless, this one has been on my list for a long time. Was it everything I could have asked for? Yeah, I guess. Let’s get into it and then not be able to get out.

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Criterion Month Day 7: The Virgin Spring

The Virgin Spring (1960)

Last spring, I watched the 2009 remake of Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (underrated). While sitting there, witnessing Garret Dillahunt’s head explode in a microwave, I found myself pondering the earliest incarnation of the rape and revenge film. I had always assumed it was the original The Last House on the Left from 1972, a film so controversial, it ended up on the infamous “Video Nasty” list where it was banned in the UK.

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Criterion Month Day 2: Unfaithfully Yours

Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

Preston Sturges is a freak, y’all. I didn’t know what this movie was about goin in. Something madcap? Sure, but a guy straight up having murder revenge fantasies at work? You okay, Preston? It’s a macabre premise, even for today. It made me realize that I’ve never actually considered what a “Screwball comedy” is supposed to be. Because it’s not just a comedy. It’s a spoof. Like how Sturges’ iconic Sullivan’s Travels is a spoof on the film industry, Unfaithfully Yours is a spoof on the mystery/romance/thriller. Often morbid, often hilarious.

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Oscars Fortnight Day 7: Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves (1990)

The 63rd Academy Awards (1991)
Nominations: 12
Wins: 7

One of the my favorite aspects of doing these Oscar retrospectives is looking back and trying to see why a particular film resonated with audiences (or at least the Academy) in its time. Why were people so into Dances with Wolves? And why did the Academy give Kevin Costner’s overbearing western epic the top prize when there was another painfully obvious choice. I’m of course referring to Goodfellas, which I would argue is among the most celebrated and quoted crime films of all time. Meanwhile, I’m not sure if Dances with Wolves would even crack a top thirty of the greatest westerns of all time.

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Oscars Fortnight Day 5: The Goodbye Girl

The Goodbye Girl (1977)

The 50th Academy Awards (1978)
Nominations: 5
Wins: 1

I never thought the final push I’d need to watch this movie would be from a reference in a post-apocalyptic TV show about mushroom-zombies, but here we are. I am of course referring to the HBO show The Last of Us which earlier this season had a scene where a community of survivors had a movie night and what movie did they pick? Let’s just say somebody is a Richard Dreyfuss fan.

The thematic connection is clear if you’re familiar with both properties. Both that particular episode of Last of Us and The Goodbye Girl feature a child character who fears the adult they are growing attached to is going to abandon them. It’s a nice touch but conversely, I can’t imagine any child would ever want to watch this movie. Unless kids really get a kick out of Richard Dreyfuss’s flamboyant take on Shakespeare’s Richard III.

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