Various Films part 1 & This Week's Statistics

Hello again, my friends! Recently, I'm in a film-watching mood. Like I'm watching two feature films and a short every day. They are gay-themed and not gay-themed, old and new, live action, animated, and documentaries. It happens every year around late November and it lasts throughout the Spring. So, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on those films with you. Let's go!

The latest one I've seen (a couple of hours ago), is Alfonso Cuaron's Roma (photo). The film, that boasts a fantastic 96% on Metascore, was named the movie of the year by the New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago critics association, among others. It was also named the movie of the year by the critics' poll of the Sight And Sound magazine and is expected to feature heavily on the Oscar race.

Now, a word of warning: don't watch it expecting to be swept off your feet the conventional way. The film, whose title is a homage to Federico Fellini, is a black & white collection of memories from the auteur's childhood in Mexico in the early 1970s. I say auteur because Cuaron literally owns the movie: he wrote, produced, directed, and edited it; he was director of (the extraordinary) cinematography; plus he designed the intricate sound pattern that the movie uses instead of a conventional music score. Not that songs aren't included at all, you just have to listen carefully to discover them. Among them, I Don't Know How to Love Him from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar:

It's the kind of film that in order to fully enjoy it, you have to lay back and let the experience envelope you. You will find a lot to cherish; moments large and small alike. The beating heart of the film is the maid/nanny/surrogate mother, Cleo, portrayed heartbreakingly by amateur first-time actress, Yalitza Aparicio.

Funny fact: in the age of #MeToo and cries against female objectification by the male gaze, it's interesting to note that the film's only nude is that of a man - and it's more ridiculous than sensual.

This is the film's trailer:

Now, let's talk about my gay-themed movie of the week. It's Mario (2018), a Swiss movie by Marcel Gisler. I loved it.

The film reminded me a sad truth that unfortunately still stands: with the exception of very few professions, there's a glass ceiling for openly gay people as far as the majority of jobs are concerned. You can be an openly gay doctor or politician (at least in the West) but it's very, very hard to reach the higher echelons of your chosen vocation when you're openly gay. More so if you are in professional sports.

Mario and Leon are two young football players (soccer to my American friends). They are both very talented and ambitious and since their team recognizes their potential as a team, they are housed together in order to bond better... Which they do, in more ways than one. What begins as physical attraction soon becomes love. Unfortunately, the dream cannot last - they are spotted in a tender moment by a jealous teammate who immediately reports them to the team's managers. The thing is, none of the higher-ups is personally offended by the two players liaison. They are, however, practical about it, which in a way is more brutal. If the relationship were made widely known, the players' trading value would greatly decrease. So, it is money that compels them to stand between the two lovers.

They are given a choice: they can continue being with each other on the down low, as long as they maintain a straight image, fake girlfriends included. They originally agree but not both of them can maintain the lie. One chooses the truth, while the other chooses a career. Both alternatives are painful but, as the film's final act demonstrates, hiding your truth from the world is the most painful choice.

Both leads are amazing in the role and have great chemistry. I especially liked Max Hubacher (Mario) for his controlled performance. This is a must-see for those who enjoy gay-themed movies. This is the movie's trailer:

Now, a short film recommendation: Gryning (2013), otherwise known as Stockholm Daybreak, is a seven-minute gay-themed Swedish film by Elin Övergaard. It's simple on the surface but complicated feelings are what drive the film forward. It is a highly accomplished work of fiction, starring two very attractive and talented young actors. Here, you can watch the whole film, with English subtitles:

I also watched some older films: among them, the German Foreign Language Oscar nominee from 1973 called Der Fußgänger (The Pedestrian), directed by film star, Maximilian Schell. The story of a highly successful industrialist in post-war Germany who was involved in the murder of a child in Greece during the German occupation in World War II could have been much better than it actually was. If Schell was as good a director as he was an actor, we would be surely talking about a much superior movie. Its lack of focus, however, stops it from reaching the artistic heights it was capable of.

The title music sounded very familiar, so I had an "of course!" moment when I saw that it was composed by Manos Hadjidakis. The Oscar-winning gay Greek composer, who was presented here is one of my favorites - and I was really glad to listen to his work once again. This is a scene from the film where Hadjidakis' music is most prominent:

There are two songs by Hadjidakis that are featured in the film. They are both from 1961, performed by Ζωή Φυτούση (Zoe Phetouse) in a Greek staging of Luigi Pirandello's play Tonight We Improvise. This is Το Μαντολίνο (The Mandolin):

... and this is Ο Ταχυδρόμος Πέθανε (The Postman Has Died):

Leaving Germany, we travel to Japan by way of the United States. If you were surprised that Wes Anderson (creator of The Grand Budapest Hotel) made an animated feature, then you obviously haven't watched Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) that featured the vocal talents of Meryl Streep and George Clooney. Almost ten years later Anderson made Isle Of Dogs, a stylish and quirky animated feature taking place in Japan. (Some spoke of cultural appropriation. I'm on the fence about that.)

Nonetheless, it is a very enjoyable and often moving 100 minutes of imaginative and inspired stuff, featuring many famous voices, i.e. Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, and Anderson's favorite collaborator, Bill Murray. It's a film that pleases children and adults alike.

This is the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band with the song I Won't Hurt You from the Isle Of Dogs soundtrack:

The last movie for today also mainly takes place in Japan. It is a documentary by Greek-American Louie Psihoyos called The Cove (2009). It was the Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. If you like dolphins, you'd love and also hate the film. You'll love it because it celebrates those graceful, intelligent, and sensitive mammals who have helped and befriended many a man - and you'll hate it because the film shows how the dolphins are tortured for gain and more than that are mindlessly slain. The movie plays like a thriller, as we follow a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, in their attempt to infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.

Just when I thought I couldn't love the movie any more came the song during the end titles, one of my all-time favorites, Heroes by David Bowie:

You can watch the whole film here:

Now, let's continue with our statistics; the number of visits this week dropped to the level of the week before last, which is not surprising since there were no new subjects during the week to boost visitation. The absence of new material gave you the chance to revisit older stories: George Maharis, Dave Clark, Peter Straker, Tevin Campbell, Simon & Garfunkel, and Labi Siffre were the week's most popular stories.

As far as countries are concerned, Australia is doing well, as well as the newcomers in the upper echelon (Romania, Moldova, and  Brazil). Among the major players, France, and Italy suffered minor losses, while the rest kept their percentages steady.

Here are this week's Top 10 countries:

1. the United States

2. the United Kingdom

3. Germany

4. Canada

5. Romania

6. Australia

7. France

8. Russia

9. Moldova

10. Brazil

Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Happy to have you all!

And here's the all-time Top 10:

1. the United States = 32.4%

2. France = 17.6%

3. the United Kingdom = 11.5%

4. Greece = 8.3%

5. Russia = 2.6%

6. Canada = 1.9%

7. Germany = 1.8%

8. Italy = 0.94%

9. Cyprus = 0.86%

10. Australia = 0.81%

That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!