Anyone who has followed my love of film for as long as they've known me are probably aware that I have an immense love for Asian cinema.
We are currently seeing a huge resurgence with South Korea as the immense success of films like Parasite, Minari, and the TV series Squid Game have led to significant interest in their culture. I also wish we could something of a surge for Japanese cinema as well.
In the past, filmmakers like Yosujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Hiroshi Teshigahara not only helped shape and define Japanese or Asian cinema as a whole...but world cinema in general. I hold great admiration and respect for all of these filmmakers.
In recent years, one of the preeminent Japanese artists who has garnered much attention is that of Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who gained prominence in 2018 with Asako 1 & II and this year, he has a one-two punch of Wheel of Fortune & Fantasy (more on that film another time) and Drive My Car, which is an adapatation of a Haruki Murakami short story.
There is one major connection to Drive My Car that instantly pulled me in: Anton Chekhov.
I feel like very few theatre artists from the history of the medium are as difficult to master and as remarkable to study as Chekhov. Many in recent years have written his plays off as being dry and stuffy but something about Chekhov always spoke to me dating back to years ago when I saw a magnificent production of Uncle Vanya that starred Derek Jacobi, Laura Linney, Roger Rees, and Amy Ryan (yes...Holly Flax is a stunning theatre actress in case you weren't aware).
Drive My Car tells the story of Japanese actor/theatre director Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who has accepted an offer to take on a two-month residency at a theatre company in Hiroshima. There, he will stage an experimental, multi-lingual production of Uncle Vanya.
The movie begins two years prior where he and his screenwriter wife Oto (Reika Kirishima) are having problems with their marriage following the abrupt death of their young daughter, but she still serves as a source of inspiration of him when preparing for his own artistic endeavors. In one fell swoop, he discovers she is having an affair with a younger actor named Koji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada) and then after choosing not to confront her about it, she dies of a brain hemorrhage.
This is the place that Yusuke is in when he goes into rehearsals for Uncle Vanya and it is further made complicated when his deceased wife's younger lover Koji walks in for an audition.
Yusuke also still relies on his wife's creative sensibilities to prepare and requests the theatre company to give him lodging an hour away from Hiroshima so that he can have time to listen to a cassette tape in the car that features Oto. He hires a driver to take him to and from Hiroshima, a young woman named Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) with whom he develops a rather deep rapport on their commutes together.
Drive My Car is one of those movies that I knew upon hearing about its plot that I was going to respond to it rather strongly. The question was how strong it would be as some films aren't bound to live up to their reputation.
Critics have been embracing this film, even to the point that both the NY Film Critics Circle and the LA Film Critics Circle awarded the film Best Picture of the Year.
Critics aren't always right but sometimes, I love when they acknowledge great cinema even if it isn't in English...something the Oscars never did truly until they embraced Parasite.
Drive My Car lived up to its praise for me and it will definitely contend for a top slot on my Best of the Year list (battling with a film like The Worst Person in the World for example).
The film is very long: 3 hours. It is certainly one that you have to make time for as you will have to be sitting there reading subtitles for quite a bit. That may not be for everyone...just like you would have to practically bolt me down in a chair a la A Clockwork Orange to watch the latest Spiderman movie.
Drive My Car is also one of the best portrayals of grief I have ever seen...especially in how it relates to art. It sort of reminds me of Krystof Kieslowski's Blue in that respect. In that particular movie, Juliette Binoche's character Julie starts to overcome her grief by listening to a piece of music that her late husband was trying to compose. Here, Nishijima's Yusuke is trying to hold onto his wife by repeatedly listening to her cassettes while having her lover in the same rehearsal space as if he is trying to understand what exactly was going on truthfully in her mind.
He also finding a new connection with Watari on their car rides and both of them reveal a lot about their own grief and their regrets in life.
He also helps bridge the connections between the actors he is directing as many of them cannot connect due to language barriers between them...including one who is deaf.
The whole movie feels like a lesson on how to overcome grief and how to build connections with others whether it be simply because you are taking an hour-long car ride twice a day or you are staging a production of a very difficult piece of theatre.
This was a world that I felt blessed to be watching even if it may have been uncomfortable and difficult at times to witness.
When I first heard that there was a movie entitled The Worst Person in the World, I thought it was an intriguing title. You don't quite know what to expect from a movie with such a title.
I could almost envision it as some kind of R-rated Judd Apatow comedy that would be reminiscent of the criminally underrated and now ended FX series You're the Worst.
Instead, I was little bewildered when I discovered that it was considered a romantic dramedy about a young female Millennial navigating through life whether that be not knowing which career path or major in college to choose or not knowing what man she wants to be with.
It even seemed stranger to have that title paired with the movie poster. See below:
On top of this, the film was a huge success at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival where its star, Renate Reinsve, won the Best Actress Prize.
With this pedigree, I was very interested in viewing the film along with the fact that it was considered the final installment of Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier's "OSLO" Trilogy which had consisted of Reprise and Oslo, 31 August which were both very well-made films.
It was a close call, but I think The Worst Person in the World serves as Trier's finest work to date as he delivers a film that felt so real and cathartic while also feeling almost fantastical and surreal in others.
The film is split up into 12 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue.
Renate Reinsve plays Julie, who is a medical student living in Oslo who suddenly has an epiphany and decides to major in Psychology. However, not long after having this epiphany, she soon realizes that maybe she will take up photography.
While at a party with her boyfriend, she encounters acclaimed graphic novelist Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lee, whom Trier has used in his previous films) and despite their 15-year age difference, they hit it off and end up sleeping together.
Soon after, we see Julie and Aksel have remained a couple and that she is now trying to pursue a writing career as well. Aksel is ready to settle down and have a family, but Julie isn't so sure she is ready for that.
On a whim, Julie crashes a party after attending a publishing event with Aksel and encounters a young barista named Eivind (Herbert Nordrum) and despite both being involved with people, they spend the night together even though they don't officially cheat...at least not at first.
From there, Julie sort of seems to go into a spiral of sorts as to who she wants and what she wants out of life.
The Worst Person in the World just feels very honest and open about how it wants to portray relationships...especially in today's society. Julie is a character we may not always agree with...or perhaps a character we may see ourselves in for better or for worse...but you still have a desire to see her happy. You want her to find bliss and her sense of self...and I think a lot of the success of that is due to Trier's work and also that of Reinsve. I had never heard of Reinsve prior to this film but if there were any justice in the world, she would get an Oscar nomination and contend for a win with this performance.
I did relate to Julie in some ways. I am at a point where I feel fairly lost in various aspects of my life and that I don't know how certain things may pan out. I will also say I haven't made some of the best choices...but I don't shame myself for some of them. I don't think Julie as a character should either.
You could say that when you do something bad that you might just immediately jump to the old adage: "Oh no, I feel like the worst person in the world".
Odds are, you probably aren't.
And Julie isn't either.
If I were to nitpick anything with this movie, they probably could've trimmed a smidge off the running time to help the pacing, plus I have some mixed feelings about the ending. Still though, I found this movie to be a rewarding experience that left me thinking about my own life and what I should try to aim for in the coming decade...or if I want to be a little more realistic, the coming year.
I am glad I watched this movie on 12/30/2021 because it does serve as a nice boost as we approach the beginning of 2022.
In addition to that Oscar nom that I would send towards Renate Reinsve, this film should also get nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay.
Very few movies have truly made me feel rather cathartic in a way that this one has. It might not have been perfect, but it is great when a movie can make you feel very alive and take stock in your own life and your goals.
So, for that...
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is rated as follows:
It is interesting to look at the trajectory of Adam McKay's career and how he has managed to reinvent himself.
25 years ago, McKay was hired by Lorne Michaels to be his new headwriter for SNL at one of the worst times in the show's history...and his contributions helped save the show. His first season as headwriter ended up being one of the best in SNL history: 1995-1996, which was the first season of such cast members as Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, and Cheri Oteri.
Following his SNL departure, he teamed up with Will Ferrell (with whom he wrote some truly classic sketches on SNL such as "Wake Up & Smile" or "Bill Brasky") and made some of the more prominent comedies of the 2000s such as Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers.
Then...he decided to take a little detour.
In 2015, he achieved critical acclaim and awards attention for his semi-comedic look at the 2008 Financial Crisis entitled The Big Short. However, right off the bat, the film did seem to divide people who didn't take to its cynical and humorous tone. I actually was part of the group who responded highly to the film, even to the point where I actually wanted it to win the Oscar for Best Picture at the time.
In 2018, he made Vice, a movie that took a less than serious approach at telling the story of one of the worst people to ever hold the office of Vice President, Dick Cheney. Once again, acclaim and award nominations were sent McKay's way, but the film seemed even more divisive with critics and audiences alike. I probably liked that film more than hated it, but I can't say I was overly enamored with it.
I wasn't sure what to expect with Don't Look Up other than it was probably going to divide people. Perhaps what did surprise me was how sharp the divide seems to be.
While these scores aren't always the best gauge, Don't Look Up currently has the following:
Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 55% (which is considered a rotten score)
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 77%
Metacritic: 50%
Letterboxd: 3.2/5
So yes, Don't Look Up has divided people more harshly than any of McKay's "serious comedies" to date...and where do I fall on that spectrum?
I am right in the middle.
Don't Look Up is essentially a film that acts as a mirror to society, particularly how portions of the country are willfully ignoring everything from COVID to Climate Change. When a PhD candidate named Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) makes a discovery of a previously unknown object that is approaching Earth, her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) calculates that it will hit Earth in just over 6 months and cause extinction.
From there, they are tasked to warn the President of the United States, Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) who is basically the female Trump all the way down to having a child, in this case her son Jason (Jonah Hill) working in her administration. As one might expect, they don't seem overly concerned about the apocalypse until they realize they can spin it for their own benefit to avoid a scandal.
Before I discuss further plot details and the performances, I want to discuss McKay's direction and screenplay as I feel like this is where most of my issues lie.
The movie has about as much subtlety as a sledgehammer to your face...and one might argue that it needed to be as such. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how frustrating it is to listen to the complete and utter nonsense and ignorance from the Right. Instead, I sort of felt like a lot of the film came off as smug and that it thought it was being cleverer than it actually was.
This is further exacerbated by the run-time as I feel like McKay could have had his editing team trim about 20-25 minutes off the film to make it run more smoothly.
Performance wise, DiCaprio and Lawrence do quite well with what they were given, and I especially loved Cate Blanchett as Brie Evantee, the co-host of a morning show called The Daily Rip who ends up having an affair with DiCaprio (it took me a second to recall that this was an Aviator reunion).
Lawrence, in particular, gets a runner in the film that is so random but hilarious that I actually might consider it my favorite part of the movie. Very early on, Lawrence is sitting at the White House with DiCaprio and they are there with Dr. Teddy Oglethrope (Rob Morgan) and a Pentagon General who offers to go grab snacks and water for the group. Upon his return, he moans about how pricey the kitchen is to which DiCaprio and Morgan give the General money for his purchases...only later to realize that the kitchen supplies are free. This sends Lawrence's Diabisky into a bit of a tail-spin and she will bring it up to people at random times throughout the movie. It offers nothing directly to the plot and yet it was perhaps my favorite thing about it because it seemed like the kind of theme that McKay would've written an SNL sketch about.
The film does manage to find sturdy footing by the time it reaches its final moments. When it is obvious that doom is inevitable, people rush to be with their families or, in the case of Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry (who plays her co-host on The Daily Rip, they drink their sorrows away in an empty bar.
McKay manages to find a slight bit of intrigue in the small role of Yule played by Timothee Chalamet. Yule is something of an outsider who admits to having been raised an Evangelical Christian. While he looks down on his religious upbringing, he tells Diabisky that he found a way to work around it and maintain some form of faith.
I was also raised in an Evangelical environment, and I struggle quite a bit with how that world made me feel. However, there was a certain comfort to seeing Chalamet's character turn to faith in his final moments. When he says a prayer at the table surrounded by DiCaprio, Lawrence, Morgan, and Melanie Lynskey (playing DiCaprio's wife June), it brings a levity to the film that was much needed and then once we realize that the destruction is about to hit the house, I actually got a bit of a chill when their actions freeze but we see the water about to burst in from every angle.
As a whole, Don't Look Up was a film that was not a slog to sit through by any means, but it was a little too long and the first half got a bit exhausting with its brash tone. The final third is where the film really began to shine, and we also had a pretty solid ensemble of actors to see us through.
Season 5 of The Simpsons is one of those seasons of television where I feel like the show needed to find a way to change and grow but in the process, it would somewhat suffer in the quest to find a way to keep the series fresh.
Season 5 was the first season in which the bulk of the writing staff was filled with newcomers with only a scant few remaining from the previous seasons like John Swartzwelder and George Meyer.
The new showrunner was David Mirkin, a veteran television writer who was a fan of the show despite not having written for it. Mirkin was known for being more of a brash and cynical comic writer and after stints on showrunning a more genteel sitcom like Newhart, you can tell his sensibilities might not have been as suited for a show such as that.
After coming off of working on Chris Elliott's cult hit Get a Life, Mirkin nabbed The Simpsons gig and hired several new writers who would go on to do very good work on the show, particularly Greg Daniels who would go on to co-create King of the Hill and develop the American version of The Office.
I have talked a lot about how the early years of The Simpsons had a more frequent sentimental tone at times that might seem surprising in retrospect considering how much the show got a lot of negative feedback from more conservative viewers as it aired, but I would say Season 5 is when the show tends to slip away more from that tone and delves more into brasher, faster comedy that is often more cynical.
I also think Mirkin tended to delve more towards concepts and plot devices rather than character driven stories...and while these can still be good, I feel like the bigger and brasher plotlines sort of jarred me when I revisited the season for the first time in over a decade back in 2016.
The season isn't bad by any means...but it is probably one of my least favorite seasons from the first 8 seasons of the series.
Most of these top 10 selections are episodes that could easily be flipped around because most of these episodes don't make feel as passionate as most of the episodes have so far from the previous seasons.
I will say that my #1 selection is an episode that I do consider to be a classic.
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#10 - Deep Space Homer
Written by David Mirkin
I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to put this episode this episode on my top 10 of the season, but I felt it was worth singling out as not only was it a prime example of the show going in a different direction, it also was the only episode to be credited solely to David Mirkin.
Yes, in the grand scheme, Homer going into space is an absolutely ludicrous plot line and one that would be referenced by the iconic Frank Grimes in the legendary "Homer's Enemy" from Season 8...but Mirkin does manage to balance the absurdity well with a solid family dynamic.
Plus, you gotta love Homer going after the flying potato chips while The Blue Danube plays. Gotta love when something evokes 2001: A Space Odyssey!
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#9 - Burns' Heir
Written by Jace Richdale
This is one of the episodes that just seemed to be primed to happen from the moment they began developing Burns as a character...or rather, the most diabolical and hilarious villain out there.
When Burns almost drowns in his bathtub when Smithers leaves him alone, he realizes he doesn't have an heir to take on his immense wealth. Smithers, who has devoted his life practically to serving Burns, assumes he would become heir but Burns feels Smithers will get the better prize: getting buried alive with Burns when he dies. That is easily one of the best Burns/Smithers moments in the show's history.
Moving on, Burns and Smiters decide to hold auditions to find an heir. Lisa is rejected on the basis that she is a girl...which she is obviously peeved about in addition to the whole charade in the first place...but as is to be expected, Bart is chosen to be Burns' heir.
By episode's end, Bart will learn a lesson about greed and wealth and the importance of family but the real punch in the face is Homer's piece of advice: "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try".
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#8 - Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badassss Song
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
When I think about The Simpsons, I often marvel at the universe that was created for it. These characters are all fantastic (some less than others but I will go off the majority for the moment) and I think it is amazing how many great comic pairings were born out of the writers room.
One such pairing is that of Bart and Principal Seymour Skinner, perhaps a more endearing version that is reminiscent of Rooney and Ferris Bueller's relationship in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
After getting Skinner fired by accident, Bart soon regrets his actions and tries to find ways to get Skinner his job back.
Sure, this many not completely change everything in their relationship, but you see a certain warmth there between these two that had been arch enemies since the show premiered.
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#7 - The Last Temptation of Homer
Written by Frank Mula
Sigh... every now and then, I am willing to acknowledge that an episode is good. However, it does bother me how often that the writers did choose to dive into the well of "Homer is tempted by another woman" storyline...something that they STILL do from time to time. In fact, Olivia Colman recently did a guest spot a season or two ago as a woman pining for Homer.
In this outing, we get a pretty attractive lady named Mindy (voiced by Michelle Pfieffer) who seems to share a lot of Homer's opinions and loves about life. The major difference between Season 3's episode "Colonel Homer" and this outing is that here he actually is able to admit he is drawn to Mindy and loves how much he has in common with her. So, in some ways, this episode hits in a stronger way than other iterations of it have.
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#6 - Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
I will always proclaim myself as card-carrying member of the Lisa Simpson fan club. She is the character I was always drawn to the most and she (in addition to Marge) would provide great "straight man" support to the people around her.
This episode is another one of those "Lisa takes a stand" outings that became commonplace after Season 3's "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington".
Lisa has always loved the Malibu Stacy doll, but she is quite appalled with the new version which can talk and gives off a very demeaning vibe towards women.
From here, she chooses to take on the company and wants to develop her own doll: Lisa Lionheart.
As to be expected, despite getting to create the more feminist-friendly doll in the end, she ends up losing to Malibu Stacy all because they released a version in which she wears a hat.
Does anyone still wear a hat? Apparently, Malibu Stacy now does.
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#5 - Homer & Apu
Written by Greg Daniels
As the first episode credited to eventual American Office creator Greg Daniels, "Homer and Apu" holds the distinction of being the first Simpsons episode I can vividly remember watching.
When this episode aired in February 1994, I was coming off a rather violent case of Pneumonia that left me feeling incredibly weak for quite a while. I can still recall details from that time even though I was only 5 years old.
I obviously knew of The Simpsons but never actively watched episodes due to my young age. For all I know, I probably did watch several episodes prior to this one but as memory serves (even if it may be to my detriment), this was where I remember watching and wanting to keep up with the show.
Apu has become something of a problematic character in recent years and, if I am being honest, I think it was wise to let him go. Frankly, he was never a character I loved as much as others in the first place.
This episode probably represents him at his best. It all comes down to his big song and dance number that he shares with the Simpsons family: "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?"
Also, one of my favorite Simpsons lines of all time comes from this episode. After the song and when everyone thinks the world is back in order again, the family realizes that Apu does indeed miss the Kwik-E-Mart which leads Homer to exclaim:
"Hey, he's not happy at all. He lied to us through song! I HATE WHEN PEOPLE DO THAT!"
Also, the subplot of James Woods taking over the Kwik-E-Mart as a means to prepare for an acting role feels like precursor to Family Guy and their desire to basically copycat anything The Simpsons ever did.
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#4 - Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Written by Jeff Martin
A minute-long Barbershop Quartet song about a popular car decal manages to sweep the nation and bring great adoration to Homer, Barney, Skinner, and Apu?
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" sets up the story that in 1985-1986. Homer and his friends formed a Barbershop Quartet called "The Be Sharps" which was intended to be play off of The Beatles, even down to one of their most famous album covers.
During this time, the group wins a Grammy and gets to perform at the Statue of Liberty's Centennial Show...and of course, they soon end it all.
One thing the show does comment on, which could be viewed a cheap ploy, is that Bart asks why Homer never brought this up before...especially considering Bart was actually around 5 years old when this all happened. Conveniently, Homer never answers his questions.
The episode ends with another Beatles callback. After not having performed in public for years, The Be Sharps perform on the roof of Moe's Tavern unannounced for the public below which is a reference to the iconic rooftop concert The Beatles did about a year before they broke up for good (which you can finally see that full concert in Peter Jackson's truly magnificent Beatles Documentary Get Back on Disney+).
While the people love it, George Harrison drives by and dismisses it because it has already been done.
While this episode may have been dismissed by many at the time of its airing as being something too outlandish or that it was too cheesy in its plot, its fanbase has grown over time.
I also still stand by the fact that the "Baby on Board" song is a classic...but I also say that as someone who has a softspot for Barbershop Quartets.
They make me want a single plum floating in perfume served in a man’s hat…haha…
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#3 - Rosebud
Written by John Swartzwelder
It is kind of fitting that aside from my #1 selection, this and my #2 selection were both written by John Swartzwelder, who was one of the only remaining writers who had been with the show since its premiere and would remain until season 15.
Swartzwelder's cerebral sensibilities are strongly felt throughout his time on The Simpsons and there is no ignoring how many stellar episodes he had contributed. Here, he delves back into the world of Burns and a great attempt at giving the show's evil villain a comical desire to find his childhood teddy bear. To be expected, the bear manages to fall into the hands of little Maggie who promptly falls in love with it.
To further add to the hilarity of the episode, the show is in great form as a parody with Burns' quest to find his bear becoming a similar quest to that to find the meaning of "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane.
One random tidbit: I very much adore the quick bit where Homer has what is obviously Barney and Friends on TV and it shows Barney the Dinosaur singing a song in which the only lyrics are: "Two plus two is four" repeated over and over again.
And lastly, this episode has one of the best ending moments to the series in its history...but I will save it for the end of this post.
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#2 - Bart Gets Famous
Written by John Swartzwelder
The fifth season of The Simpsons does seem to put Bart off to the side a lot more compared to previous seasons. When the series first premiered, Bart was such a stand-out character that he had a lot of Conservative Americans up in arms (I have already told the Bush Sr. story multiple times so if you don't know what I mean, Google it!). Now I feel like this is the portion of the series where they began to focus more on other characters at more of a fair rate which I think is a huge plus.
Though, "Bart Becomes Famous" was perhaps this new writing staff's biggest success this season...and yes, a lot of that was due to the fact that Swartzwelder was at the helm.
This episode is also the show in very early meta form and the concept of Bart becoming famous as Krusty the Clown's new sidekick complete with a hot catchphrase: "I didn't do it", is in line with Bart's catchphrase frenzy with lines like "Eat my shorts" or "Aye-carumba!".
That catchphrase concept leads us to another ending which is a pure classic. I would rather let the actual clip speak for itself:
"What kind of catchphrase is that?!"
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#1 - Cape Feare
Written by Jon Vitti
This was simply no contest...and I feel like the majority of fans would agree with this selection.
Not only is this episode quite possibly the definitive Sideshow Bob outing, but it may very well be the show's definitive parody of another piece of entertainment...that being the film Cape Fear, mostly the 1991 remake directed by Martin Scorsese.
Everything about this episode is simply perfect:
-The animation styles used to evoke Cape Fear.
-The obtuseness of the jury on letting Sideshow Bob be released from prison.
Quote:
Lawyer: What about that tattoo on your chest? Doesn't it say 'Die Bart, Die"?
Sideshow Bob: No, that's German for "The Bart, The".
*Courtroom murmurs approvingly followed by a Juror stating* "No one who speaks German can be an evil man!"
-Homer not being able to understand the concept of a new surname as they get put into Witness Protection.
-The whole new credits sequence where The Simpsons becomes The Thompsons.
-The iconic and legendary rake sequence with Sideshow Bob which is the DEFINITIVE example of how a repetitive joke can actually go from being funny to just plain ridiculous and back to being funny again.
-Homer scaring Bart unintentionally with a butcher knife and a chainsaw even though his original intention was just to offer Bart some brownies.
-Sideshow Bob being foiled thanks to his love for Gilbert & Sullivan.
This episode was technically the final episode to be produced under the writing staff that consisted of the majority of the original team. What a truly stunning and hilarious episode for them to go out on!
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IN CONCLUSION:
So yes, Season 5 of The Simpsons is a bit of a conundrum for me. In some ways, it was needed because the show probably would've descended into a stale territory for more quickly than it did but at the same time, the tonal shifts take a lot to get used to at times. However, when they did succeed strongly at nailing the more brash and cynical comedy, it gave us some truly hilarious results.
Not sure what else to say, but to quote the great ending of the "Rosebud":
"Marge, I'm confused. Is this a happy ending or a sad ending?"
I feel like my love of the Christmas season truly began with my obsession for the first two Home Alone movies. I would watch them every single day to the point where I am sure most of my immediate family could quote the film along with me.
There was just something so comforting about the idea of Christmas: the togetherness, the snow, the music, the presents, the food, the candy, the decorations...and it has persisted to this day.
Even when I look around me and see so many people knocking the idea of the holiday season (and believe me, I can understand the commercialized aspect being truly horrible), I have never tired of the festivities.
For several years, I worked in a sort of retail/customer service environment and normally with that comes an incessant amount of Christmas music being blared over the speakers. While those around me often begged to have it turned off or have had certain songs be ruined for them, I viewed the music as a way to find a sense of comfort while a lot of lunacy would be occurring around me.
On my old blog, I did a post of my top 10 favorite Christmas songs but I decided to redo the list for my current blog. To be honest, I only remember a few of the songs I chose for the list so I am pretty sure there will be some new selections on this one.
Much like that list, I am not going to do a ranking but instead do it as an alphabetical list. I feel like it would be hard for me to narrow down a single song as #1.
Here are ten HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Angels We Have Heard on High
Carol of the Bells
Christmas Day
Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Oh Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Someday at Christmas
Underneath the Tree
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
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THE LIST:
Caroling, Caroling (As sung by Nat King Cole)
-This first entry is one of those songs I feel is so closely associated with a particular performer that I can't think of a single cover from another artist.
Caroling, Caroling is often one the first songs I play when the holiday season begins and I have never quite understood why. I do think a lot of it could just be related to the fact that Nat King Cole is one of the greatest singers to have ever lived, but it is also a Christmas song that manages to blend that sort of archaic stuffy sound that older Christmas songs had but with sort of a childish jubilance all the same time.
I also feel like the "Christmas Bells are Ringing" line had to have been an inspiration for Jonathan Larson when he wrote Rent.
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The Christmas Song (as sung by Nat King Cole)
-Back to Nat once again!
This perennial classic was once dubbed "the most performed Christmas song" by BMI and unlike my previous entry, I feel like the idea of this being the most performed Christmas song checks out. Nearly every artist has covered it, but I still think the version(s) done by Nat King Cole is/are the Gold Standard as he recorded it first in 1946, again in 1951, 1953, and 1961 which is usually considered the definitive version due to its glorious orchestrations and clearer audio.
Maybe anyone who is 93 or older will be offended that they don't get a Christmas wish. Maybe that will be the next big controversy: THE CHRISTMAS SONG IS AGEIST!!
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The Christmas Waltz (as sung by Frank Sinatra)
I have always been a sucker for anything in 3/4 time...or rather, the "waltz" time. I feel like THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ is one of those songs that does get covered fairly often but it isn't quite as overdone or heard as much as various others.
I first noticed the song years ago on the legendary album CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT that was put out by The Carpenters as it was the first full song on the album after the Overture. It helped set the tone of the album perfectly.
I also very much loved the somewhat haunting rendition done by Frank Sinatra. Both are included below!
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (as sung by Judy Garland/Frank Sinatra)
This classic was written for the equally classic 1944 MGM movie musical MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS starring some woman named Judy Garland.....
As the story goes, Garland objected to the song's original lyrics which were certainly rather darker in tone. In fact, the whole tone of the song in the movie is a lot more somber whereas in recent years, the song is covered in more of a sweet and sentimental light.
The original opening lines were: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last; next year we may be living in the past".
Even after the revisions, many chose to further revise the lyrics...such as "we'll have to muddle through somehow" becoming "hang your shining star upon the highest bough" to simply make the song more cheerful.
Nevertheless, the original Judy Garland version remains my favorite. So much so that I only listen to it on Christmas Eve and Day as a special event. Call me crazy, I guess. I am also quite fond of the Sinatra version as well, which I will include here.
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Home for the Holidays (as sung by Perry Como)
I don't think I am alone in saying that as a kid, there was nothing more thrilling than the last day of school before a big break. I most especially loved being able to come home from school knowing that Christmas break was upon me.
As for actually going home for the holidays, I haven't done so since 2017. It isn't really by choice, but my past jobs never really allowed me the time off...or they were fairly new jobs that didn't give me the ability to take off. I probably could've traveled this year but....you know....COVID.
I do love this song and I opted to choose it for its more upbeat tone. I do want to single out another song that has a similar theme but sung in a melancholier manner: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.
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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (as sung by Perry Como)
For many years, I actually considered this to be my favorite Christmas song. I would even be willing to say it would still contend for that slot.
As written by Meredith Wilson (the man who also gave us THE MUSIC MAN), this song certainly captures that joy of watching as your surrounding begin to take on a festive glow.
My favorite version of this one has to be the original done by Perry Como:
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Mistletoe & Holly (as sung by Frank Sinatra)
Much like I said with Caroling, Caroling and Nat King Cole, I feel like Mistletoe & Holly is one of those songs that I always think of being closely associated with Frank Sinatra and I don't often hear covers of it by other artists.
There is something sort of quietly cloying and classy with this one. In fact, the whole Christmas album by Sinatra: A Jolly Christmas with Frank Sinatra, is one of the best out there in opinion as it does take on a sort of classy, smoky feel that isn't common with most holiday albums.
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Oh Holy Night (as sung by Mahalia Jackson)
First of all, I will say right off the bat this is the only Christmas song on this list that actually deals with the religious aspect of the holiday. I do want to commend a few other classic hymns that I do like: O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL, and JOY TO THE WORLD...but there is simply an ultimate winner at this party.
There is something epic and majestic about O HOLY NIGHT that never ceases to amaze me when I hear it...and I love it even when Eric Cartman sings it and makes it about presents and pie.
As it stands, I will give a shoutout to the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson for her rendition.
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Silver Bells (as sung by Doris Day)
You could say that this song is something of a companion piece to IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS in the sense that both tap into the sense of wonderment in how everything around you has been taken over by the sights and sounds of the season.
As a kid, I viewed SILVER BELLS as a boring Christmas song, especially at the expense of a song like JINGLE BELLS or SLEIGH RIDE...but once again, age has made me fall in love with this one and it was this particular cover below by Doris Day that did it.
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White Christmas (as sung by Bing Crosby)
For my final selection, I had to go with what might be the most iconic Christmas song of all time. Do you think that's hyperbolic? One major factor in me making that claim is that the original 1942 recording done by Bing Crosby (who probably took a break from beating his children just to record the song...) is the highest selling single of all time. That is a record it has now held for nearly 80 years...and it is a feat that is quite impressive.
The song was written by the legendary Irving Berlin, perhaps the most songwriter most indelibly linked to the "Great American Songbook". After completing the song, Berlin was reported to have told his secretary:
"I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend. Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote."
Cocky, perhaps? Maybe...but hey, the song still remains a legend and I think he earned the right to be cocky.
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And with that, I bid you all a very Merry Christmas and a joyous Happy Holiday season.
There is a saying in Hollywood that basically goes: "I am an actor but what I really want to do is direct". You could argue that a lot of actors find great success working as director, but I think it can become more problematic with writers who choose to direct.
Someone like Aaron Sorkin made a big name for himself writing A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, and The Social Network. His work is known for being fast-paced and quippy with a political slant and a dream for an actor to sink their teeth into.
With great success comes great power in most cases so a few years ago, Sorkin was given the chance to direct his first film that was based around one of his own scripts: Molly's Game.
The results were respectful but nothing revelatory.
Last year, we got his sophomore directorial outing: The Trial of the Chicago 7 which managed to get more extensive praise and attention but, in the end, his rather pedestrian direction got snubbed for an Oscar nod. Honestly, I was thrilled for this as the final third of that film not only royally pissed me off, but the ending made me cringe with how cliche and overbearing it was.
You can tell with his latest offering, Being the Ricardos, that he is trying hard to add a little flair to his style...
Let's just get to the point, shall we...
Aaron Sorkin needs a lot of work as a director. He might get there but he just doesn't seem to have the ability maintain any kind of consistency in tone or being able to find a way to save scenes that end up dragging.
This becomes a whole other issue when you factor in that Sorkin is directing his own material. Some could argue that his script for Trial of the Chicago 7 was pure Sorkin in the worst possible ways (preachy, overbearing) but it is almost like the script to Being the Ricardos is lacking a lot of his trademark style to its disadvantage.
The film is set during a week of I Love Lucy production in which news comes out that Lucille Ball may very well be a communist.
Sorkin also bookends the film and sprinkles moments with "interviews" of older and wiser versions of the I Love Lucy writers which truly feel unnecessary and add nothing of value to the film other than it feels like a way for Sorkin to address things from the point of view of today's society.
The film also tries to focus on the history of Ball and Desi Arnaz as a couple, such as how they met and what led them to getting I Love Lucy on the air. They also briefly address Arnaz's penchant for meeting up with call girls behind Lucy's back.
Therein lies another problem with this film. Sorkin doesn't seem to know what he even wants to focus on or find a way to make any of them overly compelling. I would say that the moments between Ball and Arnaz in their early years together may make for the film's best moments, but they often feel out of place when you think the film is supposed to be about the Communist accusations.
Besides, in the end, the Communist accusations all get cleared with the help of our good friend J. Edgar Hoover......
Wait...so...J. Edgar Hoover is now a hero?
No...just stop...
Don't even try to give that man any credit. Go back and watch Judas & The Black Messiah and you will see the true horrors of that man.
As an acting ensemble, we get truly solid performances all around from the likes of Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance, J.K. Simmons as William Frawley, Alia Shawkat as Madelyn Pugh, and Tony Hale as Jess Oppenheimer.
Javier Bardem does well with Desi Arnaz but I feel like his accent work does falter at times. In the end, he was charming enough and it is hard for an actor of Bardem's caliber to give a bad performance.
It all comes down to Nicole Kidman.
Kidman got a lot of flak when she got cast in this role once Cate Blanchett dropped out (presumably over issues with Sorkin...good on her...). There is no denying Kidman is a fantastic actress and I would say that for the most part, she actually does well as Ball.
I wouldn't say she captures Lucille Ball in any kind of revelatory way, but she does manage to find moments where she captures the tone of Ball's voice and also that of the Lucy Ricardo cadence. I can see why some would find her miscast in the role, but I will commend her for what she was able to accomplish. It was a departure for Kidman and far from her worst work. She may very well get an Oscar nod and I wouldn't oppose it even if she may not make my personal lineup.
In the end, it was a mostly enjoyable film that suffered from an inconsistent and messy tone.
While at work earlier this week, I was having a discussion with a colleague who is not a fan of musicals in the slightest. I can always understand when someone may not like musicals...especially when they are often viewed in the manner of being overly frivolous.
She was curious about Stephen Sondheim as she was not really familiar with him but had a vague recollection of hearing his name before. I listed a couple of his more well known credits to her (lyricist for West Side Story, did the full score for Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods) and then mentioned how he was a monumental and revelatory figure in the musical world, and honestly theatre in general.
I talked about how he once said in an interview that he didn't necessarily want to make people unhappy but he wasn't interested in having his musicals be a place where you could forget your troubles. He wanted to make people think and challenge the audience. I also stressed he loved tackling topics that might make some do a double take when it is described to them. After referring to Sweeney Todd, I said the following:
"He even did a musical in which various assassins from over the years who either attempted or succeeded in killing a President all met in some kind of cosmic void together to sing about their dreams and goals".
Her response: "Wait...what?!?!"
And she was immediately intrigued.
So with that, welcome to my second installment of A Little Sondheim Music and I will be discussing Assassins, which is easily one of the best works in the Sondheim canon top to bottom. It is remarkable that it works as well as it does, especially considering the subject matter at hand.
The origins of Assassins began in 1979 when Sondheim was participating as a panelist at the Ostrow Musical Theatre Lab. While there, Sondheim read a script by a young playwright named Charles Gilbert Jr that was called Assassins. The play actually had nothing to do with what Sondheim and Weidman's Assassins would actually become as it involved a Vietnam vet who would soon become a Presidential assassin (sort of a Taxi Driver element there) but the opening scene would contain a darkly comedic bit in which a bright neon sign would blare out: SHOOT THE PREZ & WIN A PRIZE!
Sondheim, being known for wanting to always try bold subject matter and the challenges in which they offered, was highly intrigued by this scene and asked Gilbert permission to steal the Assassins title and this opening scene with the promise of giving him a "Based on an idea by" credit. Gilbert agreed and also hoped he could write the book for the musical. Sondheim declined as he actually hoped to write the show was his Pacific Overtures collaborator John Weidman.
I feel like describing Assassins in terms of its plot beyond the basic idea of "group of Presidential Assassins meet in some kind of dream world that transcends time and space" is a little hard to do.
The musical begins with a character called The Proprietor who begins singing the song "Ev'rybody's Got The Right" as he entices various misfits into purchasing gun's because they have right "to be happy" and to pursue "their dreams". Though The Proprietor seems more focused on enticing them to do one thing: "C'mon and shoot a president".
As various assassins from history pile in: Charles J. Guiteau (assassin of President Garfield), Leon Czolgosz (assassin of McKinley), Guiseppe Zangara (attempted assassin of FDR), Samuel Byck (attempted of Nixon), Sara Jane Moore and Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme (both failed at getting Ford), John Hinckley (attempted to kill Reagan), the Proprietor then introduces them to the pioneer of the field: John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
From there, Booth quickly departs from the group and we hear a loud gunshot and the proclamation "Sic semper tyrannis!" and we get our first introduction to The Balladeer, usually played by a young man with a folksy edge who symbolizes the idea of The American Dream.
Assassins was the one musical of his works that Sondheim felt came the closest to "perfect". In some ways, I can actually understand why he may feel that way.
I already stated that I felt this was one of his best musicals top to bottom, but I do have to reiterate that if you take the quality of the libretto and place it with the music that Sondheim wrote, this may very well be his most thought-provoking, hilarious, disturbing, and entertaining work.
It has been a dream of mine for a while to get a chance to perform in this piece. Several of the roles are fantastic but I have always been drawn to that of Guiteau, the man who assassinated President Garfield on the basis that God basically told him to.
If you have not heard any of the score, below is "The Ballad of Guiteau" which is sung by The Balladeer along with Guiteau himself as he is being led to his execution. Some of the dialogue and lyrics are directly taken from recitations that Guiteau made on the day of his hanging.
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I am also fond of how they pair some of the assassins together based on common bonds or similar interests, such as how Sara Jane Moore and Squeaky Fromme often share scenes together due to how both of them tried to assassinate Gerald Ford...but then you also get Fromme being paired with John Hinckley.
In "Unworthy of Your Love", Hinckley sings of how he wants to earn the love of Jodie Foster and plans to do so by assassinating Ronald Reagan. Fromme proclaims her love for her leader Charlie Manson and is trying to earn his love via trying to commit many violent acts.
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And another offering to single out is the Barbershop Quartet-esque diddy in which Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, and Moore all sing the praises of their "wonder" of a friend in "The Gun Song".
(also as an added bonus, this track bleeds into "The Ballad of Czolgosz")
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IN CONCLUSION:
Prior to the eventual 2004 staging of Assassins (which was fantastic), there were plans to bring the show to Broadway in 2001 but the 9/11 made the producers feel that then wasn't the right time.
The sad truth is that Assassins is far more potent these days than when it was first produced because of the harsh divisions we now share as a country that has gotten worse and worse in the last decade. Gun violence has been on the rise at such an alarming rate so one might look at something like Assassins and think it is highly inappropriate for its subject matter. However, this is a musical that needs to be seen by a much wider audience...and I would hope that it would make people uncomfortable.
Sure, it may have hilarious moments but this is one of those rare musicals that can you leave you feeling a little uneasy about the world we live in. Sondheim always wanted to make people think and provoke discussions...and with Assassins he truly succeeded.
Next up, I am going to pay a visit to a musical in which I based my title off of and that was based on an earlier, lighter offering from the Ingmar Bergman catalog: A Little Night Music which was based on Smiles of a Summer Night.
