Disney Watch: Encanto (2021)

Watched:  01/08/2022

Format:  Disney+

Viewing:  First

Directors:  Jared Bush/ Byron Howard/ Charise Castro Smith

Disney has really doubled down on the "here's a big ol' metaphor, but we're also going to explicitly spell it out" style of storytelling that Pixar's been doing for a while.  That's not a dig.  You're playing to an all-ages audience that needs some hand-holding, and in general, for who these movies are for, I think it works.

I'm not surprised I liked Encanto (2021).  I'm honestly far more surprised when I am not onboard with a Disney film or find it just "meh".  After deconstructing the idea of the Princess movie with Frozen and Tangled, and doing some fun character stuff with Wreck It Ralph, essentially doing a family dramedy is a good pivot.  And it's kind of remarkable we're in an era where we aren't depending on wicked stepmothers and cheesed-off sorceresses to tell a story.  Sometimes the conflict can be person vs. themselves.  But this one also has baked in protagonist vs. society and fate, I guess.  

There's a lot going on.

Re-Watch Watch: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Watched:  01/07/2021

Format:  Hulu

Viewing:  Second

Director:  Josh Greenbaum

Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021) is now on Hulu, and you owe it to yourself to watch this movie.

This may be my favorite comedy (movie) of the last 15 years.  Which maybe says something about me?  I don't know.

PODCAST 178: "Zulu" (1964) - A SimonUK Cinema Series Episode w/ Ryan

Watched:  01/04/2021

Format:  Tubi

Viewing:  First

Decade:  1960's

Director:  Cy Endfield

For more ways to listen

SimonUK and Ryan hold their ground against impossible odds in a trap of their own making! We talk the 93rd ever best British film, bringing our tiny squad up against the overwhelming force that is a film epic all about Britain's red-coats and the sun never setting on the empire and whatnot. It's a movie of it's time in some ways, and maybe more progressive a film than you're figuring for 1964.

The Signal Watch PodCast · 178: "Zulu" (1964) - A SimonUK Cinema Series Episode w/ Ryan

Music:

Zulu Suite - John Barry

SimonUK Cinema Series

The Signal Watch PodCast · SimonUK Cinema Series

Sidney Poitier Merges With The Infinite

Screen legend Sidney Poitier has passed.  One of a handful of actors who truly helped change the world.

Peter Bogdanovich Merges With The Infinite

Peter Bogdanovich, director, historian and Hollywood icon has passed.  

TV Watch: Queer Eye - ATX Edition

So, back in 2019 word got out that Netflix's reboot of Queer Eye was coming to my hometown, Austin, Texas.  I've seen most of the original series from the early 00's and all of the reboot series.  Given Austin's unique physical and political location, I thought - yeah, that'll work.

Austin sits on the edge of the Texas Hill Country, and while the eastern portion of town is mostly flat to rolling fields, the further west you head through town, the higher the hills.  It's a mix of lovely green trees and white limestone, and in the more densely populated areas, people do try to make the most and beautify through art and color.  Most of the new skyline defining architecture I find intensely boring, but there are a few stand-outs (the new Google building is amazing).  All of which looks swell on camera.

Doc Watch: Beanie Mania (2021)

Watched:  01/01/2021

Format:  HBOmax

Viewing:  First

Director:  Yemisi Brookes

Hoo-boy.  I think I have more to say about the topics covered in Beanie Mania (2021) than I have to say about the film itself.  

But, so.  

Beanie Mania covers the 1990's Beanie Baby fad and tulip-like frenzy around the little doorstops that became an obsession with some people at the time.  There are interviews with people who were Beanie celebrities, former employees of Ty (the company that made the bean bags), with distributors and a last, passing glance at how YouTubers are maybe reviving Beanie Mania.  

It collects news stories and people who were there at the time are remarkably candid about what they did and why and what was happening.  And many of them are still in the Beanie Business, which is still a thing, I guess (look, eBay has taught us secondary markets are there for *everything*).  There's no gory murders of sex scandals, but it is fascinating to remember that this really was a nation-wide obsession for a minute there, and that it really tapped into so many parts of how we can project our hopes and dreams into something as ridiculous as a bean bag made to look like a frog.

Movies 2021 - By the Numbers

Well.  I watched, for me, *a lot* of movies in 2021.  A number of things contributed to this.

1.  My teams were incredibly bad.  The Chicago Cubs decided to implode in late-June/ early-July, then trade away many of their franchise players.  At some point, we just stopped watching the Cubs, which gave me back like 12 hours of screentime per week.  The UT Longhorns football team did, uh, did not meet expectations, which gave me back my Saturdays in the Fall.  

2.  We did a lot of Watch Parties.  It was fun!  But it locked me in to many, many Friday and Tuesday nights with a fresh movie.

3.  We did a bunch of podcasts.

4.  I didn't watch a lot of new TV shows.  Ted Lasso, sure.  But I wasn't actively seeking new stuff and was happy watching movies instead of committing to a TV series.  

5.  I mean, I didn't have a job for a few months.  Friends, that certainly frees you up.

6.  I don't have kids.  Turns out when you don't have kids, you can do whatever the @#$% you like.

If you like, review the spreadsheet on your own.  I could probably break the numbers down more - but, no.

So.

How Many Movies Did I Watch?

Last Film of 2021: Another Thin Man (1939)

Watched:  12/31/2021

Format:  TCM

Viewing:  Unknown

Decade:  1930's

Director:  WS Van Dyke

Technically, I finished this movie at 12:30 AM on 01/01/2022, but I'm calling it as my last movie of 2021.  I make up the rules here, so deal with it.  

TCM started a Thin Man marathon at 7:00 PM Central on New Year's Eve, and we watched the first two movies in parts between episodes of Queer Eye's Austin season which debuted on 12/31, and is worth it's own post.  But once Jamie went to bed, I was free to hang with my pals, Nick and Nora.  

Another Thin Man (1939) needs no write-up from me.  Or at least isn't getting one on New Years Day, but it's a very fun movie.  I definitely suggest watching the Thin Man films in order, just to follow the progress of the series, but any time with William Powell and Myrna Loy is a good time in my book.

2021 - A Year That Was

So.  2021.  It's been, once again, a hell of a year.

I just saw word that Betty White had passed, and we're all, rightfully, a bit put out.  As I said elsewhere, don't be sad Betty White is over, be happy that she happened at all.

Still, it's... a bit on the nose, 2021, to take Betty White from us just a few days shy of what would have been her 100th Birthday.  She was owed that cake and party.  We all needed her to have that cake and party.

I've personally had worse years in many ways, but 2021 was not a banner year.  Some of you know that I was layed-off in the summer and took a bit before I got back to work.  But when I do my annual "let's do the movies by the numbers" and you're like "holy god, that's a lot of movies" - friends, I had a lot of time on my hands that I did not want.  

Whenever I'm sad in this post, I'll post Hannah Waddingham to cheer me up.  

See, feeling cheerier already.