Take 575: Watching the National Film Registry

  2001: A Space Odyssey : Summary and initial thoughts One of the most influential films ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey  is more of an experience than a story. Using dialogue and traditional narrative techniques sparingly, this film truly absorbs the viewer, creating a feeling of being in  the action of the movie. The film follows three of what I suppose for the purposes of this post we shall call "episodes." The first takes place in prehistoric times after a monolith is dropped near a tribe of beings who, upon encountering the monolith, are able to evolve to using bones to hunt, as well as to smite and banish their enemies. The movie then cuts to millions and millions of years after this encounter and takes up the story of Dr. Heywood Floyd, who has been tasked with examining a recently uncovered second monolith. Before much investigating can be done, however, the monolith puts forth a radio signal. The film cuts again, to only a year or so later, and the ship Discover...

  All About Eve : Summary and initial thoughts What would you do if you realized someone was trying to replace you, not just at your job, but in your whole life? Would you fight it? Give into it? Seek revenge? These are the questions posed to aging Broadway actress Margo Channing (played by the iconic Bette Davis in one of her most recognizable film roles) when she realizes that the sweet young ingenue actress she has taken under her wing is actually a conniving, devious manipulator who will stop at nothing to take over Margo's life. The film opens at the reception for an award ceremony, at which rising theatre star Eve Harrington is being honored. Through the memories of other characters, we learn how we got here. At first, Eve (played completely on point by Anne Baxter) seems innocent enough, even cute, when she is introduced to Margot as her most ardent fan. She spins a harrowing story for the benefit of Margo, her boyfriend Bill, and their friends, playwright Lloyd Richards and...

  4 Little Girls : Summary and initial thoughts 4 Little Girls should be required viewing for every American. I don't care how old you are, what color you are, your political inclinations, or what part of the country you live in. I don't even care if you've never given the Civil Rights Movement a passing thought. You still need to watch this. Spike Lee's  4 Little Girls  follows the story of the 1963 16th Street church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young girls and caused over a dozen injuries. It led to the trial and conviction of Klansman Robert Chambliss, and it was a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. The bombing elicited a national reaction of shock and outrage that helped spur the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and it facilitated a shift in how white America viewed the Civil Rights Movement. Spike Lee treats these events with the gravity and dignity they deserve: he pulls no punches, leaves no stone unturned, engages with the ...

  Ace in the Hole : Summary and initial thoughts Though in its day a critical and commercial flop, Ace in the Hole , a film about a disgraced newspaperman who creates a media circus to try to get back on top, still has a lot to offer. Kirk Douglas plays Chuck Tatum, a reporter who has been let go from a slew of high-ranking papers because of his erratic and often abusive behavior. He finds himself working for a small-town paper in New Mexico, desperate for a big story to help him rekindle his career. He finds just the thing when he stumbles upon a man trapped in a collapsed cave. Tatum uses all his tricks to smooth-talk, bargain, and swindle everyone he meets for exclusive access to Leo, the trapped man, including the sheriff, the local press, and Lorraine, Leo's freedom-seeking wife. Tatum even goes so far as to force rescuers to take more time-consuming measures to free him, risking Leo's life in exchange for the story of a lifetime.  As the media circus surrounding the cave...