Collection: Time Out magazine's Top 100 films
=============================================

:: Title
Time Out magazine's Top 100 films

:: Date
1920-2017

:: Description
This is a collection of movies that the magazine Time Out has listed as being
among the top 100 movies of all times.

:: References
https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-100-best-movies-of-all-time

:: Collections
Collection: Time Out magazine's Top 100 films


movie: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)
========================================

:: Title
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

:: Date
1920-02-26

:: Description
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (German: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920
German silent horror film, directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans
Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Considered the quintessential work of German
Expressionist cinema, it tells the story of an insane hypnotist (Werner
Krauss) who uses a somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) to commit murders. The film
features a dark and twisted visual style, with sharp-pointed forms, oblique
and curving lines, structures and landscapes that lean and twist in unusual
angles, and shadows and streaks of light painted directly onto the sets.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
serial murder [The story centered around a sequence of murders.]
how to murder someone and get away with it [it seems using a somnambulist was supposed to be a way to get away with murder]
what it is like in a psychiatric institution [We saw crazy people in an asylum and learned that the entire story was narrated by an inmate. There were two occasions of someone being forced into a straitjacket.]

:: Minor Themes
incorporeal spirit [according to the man in the beginning, a spirit of some kind tormented them]
love triangle [two young men professed that they were both in love with the same woman]
delusion of grandeur [Jane thought she was a queen]
precognition [Cesare could see everything, we heard, and he foretold someone's death.]


movie: Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror (1922)
============================================

:: Title
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

:: Date
1922-03-04

:: Description
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (German: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des
Grauens), or simply Nosferatu, is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film,
directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The
silent film, shot in 1921 and released the following year, was an unauthorized
adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897); the Stoker Estate had refused
permission. Various names and other details were changed from the novel: for
instance, vampire became Nosferatu, and Count Dracula was renamed Count Orlok.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
vampire [Count Orlok - i.e., Dracula but for copyright issues]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Thomas and Ellen]
coping with a loved one being in peril [Ellen was distraught when Thomas embarked on a perilous journey to Transylvania in the 19th century, and even more so when he failed to return on time]
fear for one's life [we saw Thomas gradually coming to understand what he was up against until one night he was simply shivering in a corner hugging his cross for protection]
human vs. the occult [the people on the ship came to see what they faced and were overpowered; later Ellen found a ruse to snare the vampire with her womanly innocence or some-such nonsense]
epidemics in society [people thought the vampire victims had died of the plague and we saw how society handled the situation with crosses drawn on doors and angry mobs]

:: Minor Themes
what it is like in a psychiatric institution [We saw Knock incarcerated in a psychiatric ward.]
coping with the death of a spouse [Ellen died in her husband Thomas' arms.]


movie: Battleship Potemkin (1925)
=================================

:: Title
Battleship Potemkin

:: Date
1925-12-21

:: Description
Battleship Potemkin (Russian: Бронено́сец «Потёмкин», Bronenosets Potyomkin),
sometimes rendered as Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 Soviet silent film
directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. It presents a
dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the
Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against its officers.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battleship_Potemkin

:: Ratings

:: Choice Themes
the Russian Revolution of 1905 [The sailor's mutiny was both inspired by revolutionary upheaval in Russia, and became the catalyst for uprising in Odessa.]
revolution in society [the sailor's mutiny was both inspired by revolutionary upheaval in Russia, and became the catalyst for uprising in Odessa]

:: Major Themes
standing up to a boss
duty vs. self-preservation [the men finally choose to mutiny and revolt rather than eat rotten meat and get summarily executed]
military related work [We saw what it might have been like aboard a Russian battleship in 1905.]
heroism [Vakulinchuk was the hero that finally spoke out at the sailors' oppression at the hands of their officers, and then he was killed for it]

:: Minor Themes


movie: The General (1926)
=========================

:: Title
The General

:: Date
1926-12-31

:: Description
The General is a 1926 American silent comedy film released by United Artists.
It was inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story of an event that
occurred during the American Civil War. The story was adapted from the memoir
The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger. The film stars Buster Keaton
who co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_General_(1926_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
infatuation [Johnnie and Annabelle were besotted with each other]
engaged couple [Johnnie and Annabelle are referred to as fiancées]

:: Major Themes
American Civil War [the story followed southerners fighting against northeners in the first year or so of this civil war]
civil war [we saw the American Civil War]
patriotism [Johnnie in particular was eager to fight for his country and his woman]
heroism [Johnnie became a hero after he singlehandedly went behind enemy lines to save Annabelle and return with important information]
coping with a loved one being in peril [Johnnie was distraught when Annabelle was carried off by enemy soldiers]

:: Minor Themes
coping with romantic rejection [Johnnie was distraught after he was rejected by Anabelle for having been rejected by the army]
father and daughter [we saw Annabelle with her dad from time to time]
what it is like in a combat zone [There was a protracted battle at a collapsed bridge.]


movie: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
========================================

:: Title
The Passion of Joan of Arc

:: Date
1928-04-21

:: Description
The Passion of Joan of Arc (French: La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928
silent French historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan
of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne
Falconetti as Joan. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially
for its production, Dreyer's direction and Falconetti's performance, which is
often listed as one of the finest in cinema history. The film summarizes the
time that Joan of Arc was a captive of England, depicting her trial and
execution.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_Joan_of_Arc

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
facing one's own execution [Joan expected she would be tortured and killed for not complying]
sacrifice for one's beliefs [in th end Joan went willingly to her own burning rather than forswear her king and faith]
duty vs. self-preservation [Joan was pressured to forswear her divine mission in order to save her life but she refused]

:: Major Themes
faith vs. reason [Joan held to her faith in the visions even when the learned men argued logically that it must be of the Devil because they said so and they were wiser than Joan]
capital punishment [The story lead up to a burning at the stake.]
Christianity [the story centered on activities of the Catholic church in England in 1431]
war [the backdrop of the trial was the war with France, in which Joan had been a commander, but was now captured by the English]
abuse of authority [the secular powers of England sought to disgrace Joan (thus to score a point against France) and pressured pliant members of the Church to excommunicate Joan for that purpose]
loyalty to a cause [Joan maintained her loyalty to king and God throughout]

:: Minor Themes
the psychology of torture [Joan was shown the torture chamber to scare her straight]
coping with being tortured [we were shown closeups of torture devices and must ponder what it would be like]
good and evil in religion [churchmen claimed her visions were sent by the Devil, but Joan maintained they were sent by God]
the soul [the whole exercise was nominally for the sake of saving Joan's immortal soul]


movie: City Lights (1931)
=========================

:: Title
City Lights

:: Date
1931-01-30

:: Description
City Lights is a 1931 American pre-Code silent romantic comedy film written,
produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the
misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl
(Virginia Cherrill) and develops a turbulent friendship with an alcoholic
millionaire (Harry Myers).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Lights

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>
5 <paul>

:: Choice Themes
infatuation [The tramp became besotted with the blind flower girl and she with who she thought was a wealthy man.]

:: Major Themes
coping with a disability [The flower girl was blind.]
desire vs. conscience [Should the tramp help the blind flower girl to regain sight knowing she will likely find him repulsive?]
friendship [The tramp and millionaire were fast friends when drunk.]
sacrifice for a loved one [The tramp entered a boxing contest in order get the money the flower girl needed to pay her rent.]
rich character vs. poor character [A penniless but cheerful tramp was contraposed with a suicidal millionaire.]
theft [There were two robbers in the millionaire's home and then the tramp was accused of the crime and ended up serving a prison sentence as a result.]
the sport of boxing [There was an extended episode of pantomime boxing.]
tragic love [Tramp and flower girl's love appeared to be impossible as she would eventually come to know him for the penniless bum that he was.]
social inequality [A penniless tramp and a blind flower girl struggled mightily, while a hard partying millionaire wanted for nothing except happiness.]
alcohol abuse [The millionaire was a raging alcoholic.]

:: Minor Themes
suicide [The tramp saved the millionaire from taking his own life twice over.]
talking someone out of suicide [The tramp twice pantomimed the millionaire out of taking his own life.]
grandmother and granddaughter [The blind flower girl lived with her grandmother.]
master and servant [We saw the millionaire ordering his butler around.]
coping with being ill and indisposed [The blind flower girl came down with a fever and was instructed her grandmother to give her careful attention.]
facing being evicted from one's home [The blind flower girl and her grandmother were on the verge of being evicted from their room for not being able to come up with the rent.]
lucky charms [The tramp appealed to another boxer's lucky horse shoe and lucky rabbit's foot before his bout.]
cure for blindness [The flower girl's sight was restored by a Viennese doctor who had recently discovered how to cure blindness.]
childhood pranks [Two kids were tormenting the tramp by shooing peas at him on the street.]


movie: M (1931)
===============

:: Title
M

:: Date
1931-05-11

:: Description
M (German: M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder— M – A City Searches for a
Murderer) is a 1931 German thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring
Peter Lorre. The film was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou and was
the director's first sound film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_(1931_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the desire for justice [we saw how the mindless mobs yearned for righteous vengeance against the child killer and heard, in conclusion, that none of that would bring the kids back to life]
the desire for vengeance [we saw how the mindless mobs yearned for righteous vengeance against the child killer and heard, in conclusion, that none of that would bring the kids back to life]

:: Major Themes
children and candy from strangers [a number of children were tempted by a strange man who then killed them]
serial murder [The story was about a serial child murderer and the hunt for him.]
law enforcement [We saw an idea of what the police might be up to in a town in Germany in the 1930s.]
capital punishment [The story ended with a debate about whether the killer should be put to death even though he was not in control of his own actions.]
vigilante justice [An innocent man was harassed by putative vigilantes. Later a crime syndicate decided to take the law into its own hands because in the courts the killer would get away with insanity.]
facing organized pursuit [the murderer found himself chased by both police and the criminal underworld]

:: Minor Themes
coping with a loved one being missing [we saw Elsie's mother worry about Elsie being missing]
mother and daughter [we saw Elsie's mother worrying about Elsie]
organized crime [Crime gangs were upset about the surge in police activity prompted by the killings.]
coping with the death of a child [Various mothers grieved over their murdered children near the end of the film.]


movie: Duck Soup (1933)
=======================

:: Title
Duck Soup

:: Date
1933-11-17

:: Description
Duck Soup is a 1933 pre-Code Marx Brothers comedy film written by Bert Kalmar
and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin,
and directed by Leo McCarey. First released theatrically by Paramount Pictures
on November 17, 1933, it starred what were then billed as the "Four Marx
Brothers" (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo) and also featured Margaret
Dumont, Louis Calhern, Raquel Torres and Edgar Kennedy. It was the last Marx
Brothers film to feature Zeppo, and the last of five Marx Brothers movies
released by Paramount Pictures.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Soup_(1933_film)

:: Ratings
2 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
form of government [Central to the story was how a rich person caused a clownish person to be made leader of a small country.]
the senselessness of war [the story seemed to tell us that leaders are selfish fools who bring us all into meaningless idiotic conflicts]
male lasciviousness [a number of male characters were pursuing females and making sexually charged jokes]

:: Minor Themes


movie: It Happened One Night (1934)
===================================

:: Title
It Happened One Night

:: Date
1934-02-22

:: Description
It Happened One Night is a 1934 pre-Code American romantic comedy film with
elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in
collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette
Colbert) tries to get out from under her father's thumb and falls in love with
a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). The plot is based on the August 1933 short
story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams, which provided the shooting title.
Classified as a "pre-Code" production, the film is among the last romantic
comedies created before the MPPDA began rigidly enforcing the 1930 Motion
Picture Production Code in July 1934. It Happened One Night was released just
four months prior to that enforcement.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Happened_One_Night

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
infatuation [Ellen and Peter became besotted with each other over the course of their lengthy journey]

:: Major Themes
father and daughter [Ellen ran away from her domineering and abusive dad it seemed, although later he turned out to be amicable]
coping with a spoiled brat [Peter with spoiled heiress Ellen]
coping with unwelcome romantic attention [Ellen spent the first part of the film worrying about real and imagined sexual advances]
facing organized pursuit [Ellen was running from numerous detectives hired by her rich father]

:: Minor Themes
engaged couple [we briefly saw Ellen with her sleazeball to-be]
honor [Peter saw it as a point of honor, principles, to ask for no more than his expenses back in the end]


movie: Modern Times (1936)
==========================

:: Title
Modern Times

:: Date
1936-02-05

:: Description
Modern Times is a 1936 American comedy film written and directed by Charlie
Chaplin in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the
modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate
employment and financial conditions many people faced during the Great
Depression — conditions created, in Chaplin's view, by the efficiencies of
modern industrialization. The movie stars Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry
Bergman, Tiny Sandford and Chester Conklin. It is notable for being the last
time that Chaplin portrayed the iconic Little Tramp character.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Times_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
capitalism [the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized]
workers' rights [the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized]
dehumanization [the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized]
unemployment in society [the Tramp flitted from job to job; signs of unemployment were everywhere; and Ellen's father was unemployed]
cracking under pressure [the Tramp finally went nuts due to excessive stress working in the factory]
rich character vs. poor character [we saw various upper class people (factory owner, store manager, prime minister) contrasted with various lower class ones (the Tramp, unemployed, petty criminals)]
theft [Ellen got by by stealing food. The Tramp took things when he could and also in order to be put back in jail.]
compromising one's ethical principles vs. great need [there were numerous instances of poor down-and-out people stealing food because they couldn't afford it, including Ellen at one point stealing a loaf of bread]
infatuation [the Tramp and Ellen became besotted with each other after he stepped in to save her from the police]
husband and wife [after watching a happy married couple, Tramp and Ellen decided to act in a similar idealized manner]

:: Minor Themes
facing job insecurity [Ellen's father was depressed for not having a job]
revolution in society [the Tramp got mixed up in a Communist demonstration that clashed with the police]
what it is like in prison [We saw an idea of what it might have been like in prison in the time and cultural context of the film.]
communism [the Tramp got mixed up in a communist demonstration]
human self-sacrifice for another [the Tramp tried to take the fall for Ellen when she was caught stealing a loaf of bread]
the hospitality industry [The Tramp was employed in a restaurant and we saw what it might have been like for employees there in the cultural context.]


movie: La Grande Illusion (1937)
================================

:: Title
La Grande Illusion

:: Date
1937-06-08

:: Description
La Grande Illusion (also known as The Grand Illusion) is a 1937 French war
film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak.
The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers
who are prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape. The
title of the film comes from the book The Great Illusion by British journalist
Norman Angell, which argued that war is futile because of the common economic
interests of all European nations. The perspective of the film is generously
humanistic to its characters of various nationalities.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Illusion

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
prisoners of war [the story followed some French air-force officer who had been taken captive]
human vs. captivity [the story followed some French air-force officer who plotted to escape from a German officer prison camp]
the senselessness of war [underlying the whole story was the idea that war is stupid in addition to terrible]

:: Major Themes
World War I [some real events and features of WW1 appeared]
solitary confinement as a punishment [Maréchal nearly went mad in solitary confinement.]
patriotism [there was  some talk and many allusions to this sentient]

:: Minor Themes
bird in a gilded cage [early there were comments about how well the Germans treated their prisoners]
class prejudice in society [von Rauffenstein revealed his disdain for lower classes when he spoke to Maréchal, a fellow aristocrat]


movie: The Rules of the Game (1939)
===================================

:: Title
The Rules of the Game

:: Date
1939-07-07

:: Description
The Rules of the Game (original French title: La Règle du Jeu) is a 1939
French comedy-drama satirical film directed by Jean Renoir. It features an
ensemble cast of Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio,
Julien Carette, Roland Toutain, Gaston Modot, Pierre Magnier and Jean Renoir
himself. Renoir's portrayal of the wise, mournful Octave anchors the
fatalistic mood of this pensive comedy of manners. The film depicts members of
upper-class French society and their servants just before the beginning of
World War II, showing their moral callousness on the eve of impending
destruction.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rules_of_the_Game

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
obsessive love [especially André for Christine]
jealousy [various men over Christine; Schumacher over Lisette's cheating]
love triangle [André, Christine, Robert and maybe Octave; Schumacher, Lisette, Marceau]
life in late modern France [we saw a parody on upper class French snobbery and immorality, vis à vis each others as well as servants, in inter-war France]

:: Major Themes
rich character vs. poor character [French aristocrats were contrasted with their various attendants]
choosing between lovers [Christine flitted between one and the other]
femme fatale [Christine appeared to match this stereotype, though she mostly feigned innocence]
extramarital affair [the various liaisons between married people appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary for 1930s French aristocrats]

:: Minor Themes
obsession [woman about sea salt]
racism in society [a few antisemitic remarks were made]
coping with living in a foreign culture [men expressed sympathy for Christine as she was Australian living in France and (we heard) didn't speak the language]
murder [The story ended with a cold blooded murder which was conveniently swept under the rug in order to avoid a scandal.]


movie: His Girl Friday (1940)
=============================

:: Title
His Girl Friday

:: Date
1940-01-11

:: Description
His Girl Friday is a 1940 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard
Hawks, starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant. It was released by Columbia
Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper editor named Walter Burns who is
about to lose his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson, newly engaged to
another man. Burns suggests they cover one more story together, getting
themselves entangled in the case of murderer Earl Williams as Burns
desperately tries to win back his wife. The screenplay was adapted from the
play The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. This was the second
time the play had been adapted for the screen, the first occasion being the
1931 film also called The Front Page.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Girl_Friday

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
love vs. career [Hildy chose marriage and left her career, Walter had lost a marriage because he choose his job]
honest character vs. deceitful character [Bruce by contrast to Walter]
love triangle [Walter, Hildy, and Bruce]
choosing between lovers [Hildy between Walter and Bruce]

:: Major Themes
engaged couple [Hildy and Bruce]
journalism [The story centered on a bunch of journalists and their work. Hildy was a passionate journalist trying to tear herself away from the profession but being pulled back.]
capital punishment [An innocent man about to be executed for murder.]
facing one's own execution [Earl Williams was about to be hanged]

:: Minor Themes
husband and wife [Walter and Hildy, Walter described their failed marriage]
divorce [Walter described how he and Hildy came to divorce]
old flames [Walter met his ex, Hildy, something was rekindled and the story turned into a love triangle]
electioneering in society [There was talk about how an upcoming election might be manipulated.]


movie: Citizen Kane (1941)
==========================

:: Title
Citizen Kane

:: Date
1941-05-01

:: Description
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film by Orson Welles, its producer, co-
screenwriter, director and star. The picture was Welles's first feature film.
Nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories, it won an Academy Award for
Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Welles.
Considered by many critics, filmmakers, and fans to be the greatest film ever
made, Citizen Kane was voted as such in five consecutive British Film
Institute Sight & Sound polls of critics, and it topped the American Film
Institute's 100 Years ... 100 Movies list in 1998, as well as its 2007 update.
Citizen Kane is particularly praised for Gregg Toland's cinematography, Robert
Wise's editing, Bernard Herrmann's music, and its narrative structure, all of
which have been considered innovative and precedent-setting.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
what if I was super rich [Mr. Kane became the richest man in the world, perhaps, and yet he didn't quite find happiness or contentment, we think]
purpose in life [time and again, Mr. Kane deliberated about what he should do or like to have done with himself]
coping with personal failure [Kane with election; Kane with marriage; Susan with opera career; Kane with life]

:: Major Themes
figuring out what to do with one's life [Kane's story is of a man who has all the options open to him but can't figure out what is really important]
disintegrating romantic relationship [we saw how Kane's marriage to Emily began with love and ended in divorce]
vanity [we are told that Mr. Kane loved no one and nothing but himself]
integrity [time and again we came back to the topic of printing truth in the news, shades thereof, or outright lies for this or that motive]
selfishness [time and again Kane was called selfish and self-loving]
the need to prove one's self [we heard that Kane was constantly driven by a need to prove himself, one way or the other]
husband and wife [Kane's parents; Kane and Emily; Kane and Susan (especially)]
romantic love [we pondered whether Kane actually loved any of his women, especially Susan - when she left him he was, perhaps, more concerned for his image]

:: Minor Themes
mother and son [Mary and Charles Kane]
father and son [Mr. Kane and young Charles Kane]
discipline of a child [we learn that the mother sent Charles away in part because the father wanted to "thrash" him]
extramarital affair [Kane had an affair with Susan while still married to Emily.]
family vs. career [when confronted at his mistress' place, Kan had to choose between staying with his well-connected wife and their kids or fighting for his public image alone]
class prejudice in society [Kane was chided for wanting to hand the working class privileges as if handing them rewards]
professional politics [We saw Kane on the campaign trail with the Presidency in the crosshairs, after failing the become mayor of New York.]
cracking under pressure [Susan couldn't keep on being a failing opera singer and attempted suicide (probably) when Kane pressured her insistently]
reminiscence about one's youth [It is revealed, at the end, that Kane's dying word had in fact been a reference to a sled he had when he was eight and separated from his parents.]
collecting objects [Kane was an obsessive purchaser of art objects which he kept in his museum-like home "Xanadu".]
journalism [Kane was exceedingly enthusiastic about running newspapers to manipulate public opinion.]


movie: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
================================

:: Title
The Maltese Falcon

:: Date
1941-10-03

:: Description
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir directed and scripted by John Huston in
his directorial debut, based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Dashiell
Hammett. It stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary
Astor as his femme fatale client. Gladys George, Peter Lorre, and Sydney
Greenstreet co-star, with the latter appearing in his film debut. The story
follows a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three
unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel-
encrusted falcon statuette.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(1941_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
private investigator occupation [Following PI Sam Spade, we saw an idea of how PIs may have worked in 1940s America.]
trust in a potential foe [story centered on whom Spade could trust, especially Brigid]

:: Major Themes
murder [Sam and the police were investigating several murders relating to the Maltese Falcon.]
femme fatale [Brigid was described in those exact terms]
infatuation [Spade and Brigid may or may not have become besotted with each other: they were both stone cold players]

:: Minor Themes
male-male rivalry [Spade and Wilmer sort of got into a pissing contest which Spade decisively won]
extramarital affair [Spade had clearly fooled around with Miles' wife before she became a widow]
coping with unwelcome romantic attention [Spade with Miles' besotted widow]
law enforcement [We briefly saw a couple of police investigators at work.]
collecting objects [The Fat Man, Gutman, obsessively wanted to get his hands on the elusive Maltese Falcon to sell it to people who were passionate about collecting such things.]
obsession [The Fat Man, Gutman, was obsessed with getting his hands on the elusive Maltese Falcon and had spent years of his life on this quest.]


movie: Double Indemnity (1944)
==============================

:: Title
Double Indemnity

:: Date
1944-07-03

:: Description
Double Indemnity is a 1944 film noir crime drama directed by Billy Wilder, co-
written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and
Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novella of
the same name, which originally appeared as an eight-part serial in Liberty
magazine, beginning in February 1936.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Indemnity_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
how to murder someone and get away with it [the whole story was of an elaborately planned murder]

:: Major Themes
spouse murder [The story centered around a spouse murder planned by Phyllis.]
husband and wife [Mr. and Mrs. Dietrichson]
insurance fraud [The story centered around insurance frauds.]
extramarital affair [Walter got involved with Phyllis who was married to a boring husband.]
infatuation [Walter got instantly besotted with Phyllis]
romantic love [Phyllis proclaimed her love for Walter]
stepmother and stepdaughter [Phyllis and Lola]
love triangle [at least insinuated were: Phyllis, Nino, Lola, Walter]

:: Minor Themes
the art of salesmanship [Phyllis commented on how good a salesman Walter was]
choosing between job opportunities [Walter eventually turned down an opportunity to be an insurance investigator rather than salesman]
practitioner vs. theorist [we saw useless front office person Mr. Norton bumble and get pawned by down-to-earth professional Keyes]
father and daughter [Mr D and Lola]
mother and daughter [Lola spoke about her mother briefly]
murder [Lola told that Phyllis had somehow murdered Phyllis' mother]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Nino and Lola]


movie: Rome Open City (1945)
============================

:: Title
Rome, Open City

:: Date
1945-09-27

:: Description
Open City or Rome, Open City (Italian: Roma città aperta) is a 1945 Italian
neorealist drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. The picture features
Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani and Marcello Pagliero, and is set in Rome during
the Nazi occupation in 1944. The title refers to Rome being declared an open
city after 14 August 1943. The film won several awards at various film
festivals, including the most prestigious Cannes Grand Prix and was nominated
for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at the 19th Academy Awards.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Open_City

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
World War II [the film showed Nazi occupation of Rome around 1943-44]
what it is like to live through a military occupation [We saw every day life for various people in Rome suffering Nazi occupation.]
resistance movement [The story centered on the resistance to Nazi occupation of Rome.]

:: Major Themes
coping with being tortured [the film started and ended with people screaming from being tortured by Nazis]
engaged couple [Pina and Francesco]
the Nazi stereotype [the various Nazis in the film were ruthless, efficient, sadistic, and zealous]
facing organized pursuit [Giorgio was on the run from Nazi military police]
betrayal [Marina's betrayal of her boyfriend Giorgio was central to the story]
selling out for money [Marina's betrayal of her boyfriend Giorgio was central to the story - she got a fur coat and (presumably) money for the trouble]
sacrifice for one's people [Giorgio and Don Petro suffered torture and died rather than betray their resistance movement]

:: Minor Themes
Christianity [the priest at the center of the story alluded to Christian rituals from time to time]
parent and child [we heard various parents berate their children when they came home late]
stepfather and stepson [Francesco spoke briefly to Pina's son who would have to call Francesco "dad" tomorrow]
mother and son [Pina and Marcello]
prostitution vs. poverty [Marina and Pina did what they had to in order to get by during a time when they would otherwise have been on the brink of starvation, we heard]
remorse [Marina fainted when she saw that her betrayal had lead to Giorgio being tortured to death]
facing one's own execution [the final scene was a lengthy one where Don Pietro walked out and sat down to be shot dead by a Nazi firing squad]


movie: The Red Shoes (1948)
===========================

:: Title
The Red Shoes

:: Date
1948-09-06

:: Description
The Red Shoes is a 1948 British drama film written, directed, and produced by
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and starring Moira Shearer, Anton
Walbrook, and Marius Goring. It follows a ballerina who joins an established
ballet company under an acclaimed director, ultimately testing her dedication
to her craft when she must choose between her career and a romance with a
composer. It marked the feature film debut of Shearer, an established
ballerina, and also features Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massine, and Ludmilla
Tchérina, other renowned dancers from the ballet world. The plot is based on
the eponymous fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, and features a ballet
within it by the same title, also adapted from the Andersen work.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(1948_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
obsession [Lermontov's obsession with dancing, and with Vicky in particular, lead to her suicide; Vicky's obsession with dancing played a part as well]
love vs. career [Lermontov did not approve of his artists falling in love and considered their careers to be compromised if they did. He force the stark choice between love and dancing upon Vicky. Julian, simultaneously, reneged on his opening night in order to win Vicky back.]
the entertainment industry [The story centered on a renowned ballet company.]

:: Major Themes
suicide [torn between her love of dancing and her lover, Vicky was finally driven to jump in front of a train]
music [Especially Julian was a passionate composer for the ballet that was central to the story. He wrote the score for the enormously successful "Red Shoes" performance.]
dancing [Vicky was crazy about dancing to the exclusion of all else, until she fell for Julian and gave it all up.]
husband and wife [Vicky and Julian quickly got married]
romantic love [Boronskaya fell in love and was sacked for it; Vicky and Julian fell in love and were driven out of the company for it; Lermontov despised people who sacrificed their art for something so base]

:: Minor Themes
benefiting from someone else's work [Professor Palmer had stolen Julian's work, and Julian discussed this with Lermontov who concluded that Palmer was the more pitiable]


movie: Bicycle Thieves (1948)
=============================

:: Title
Bicycle Thieves

:: Date
1948-11-24

:: Description
Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette; sometimes known in the United
States as The Bicycle Thief) is a 1948 Italian drama film directed by Vittorio
De Sica. The film follows the story of a poor father searching post-World War
II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was
to be the salvation of his young family.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Thieves

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
desperation [Antonio and his family were desperate to get the bike back that he would not loose his job and the dowry his wife had pawned]
father and son [Antonio and Bruno sought the stolen bicycle together]

:: Major Themes
what it is like to be impoverished [A poor family was at he point of desperation.]
facing job insecurity [The poor family was unemployed and ecstatic at the prospect of getting a job.]
husband and wife [Antonio and Maria]
theft [We saw the sad consequences to a poor man when his bicycle was stolen.]
great need vs. breaking the law [Antonio in desperation tried to steal another man's bicycle at the end]
unemployment in society [we saw an image of an impoverished post-war Italy with mass-unemployment]

:: Minor Themes
fortune telling [The wife had visited a seer of some sort and later Antonio did too.]


movie: Singin in the Rain (1952)
================================

:: Title
Singin' in the Rain

:: Date
1952-03-27

:: Description
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed
and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald
O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. It offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood
in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the
transition from silent films to "talkies".

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singin%27_in_the_Rain

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the entertainment industry [We saw a parody on what things might have been like in Hollywood filmmaking around the end of the silent film era.]

:: Major Themes
female-female rivalry [Lina Lamont and Kathy Seldon, Lina had it especially in for Kathy]
romantic jealousy [Lina was jealous of the love Kathy received from Don]
coping with time passing you by [especially Lina Lamont became a has-been when her voice turned out to be incompatible with sound-films]
coping with an arrogant jerk [Lina was a terrible person, especially to Kathy]
coping with an incompetent coworker [the director and everyone else were exasperated with Lina's terrible voice as well as her general stupidity]
infatuation [Don Lockwood and Kathy Seldon]
facing financial ruin [movie studio and its stakeholders faced ruin after they produced a truly awful film]
social change due to new technology [we saw how a small movie studio adept at making silent films, struggled to adapt to film with sound]
acting [Cosmo Brown and Kathy Seldon in particular expressed their love of acting.]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Don and Kathy]

:: Minor Themes
unrequited love [Lina feigned love for Don who hated her guts (though he pretended for publicity)]


movie: Tokyo Story (1953)
=========================

:: Title
Tokyo Story

:: Date
1953-11-03

:: Description
Tokyo Story (東京物語, Tōkyō Monogatari) is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by
Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama. It tells the
story of an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children.
The film contrasts the behavior of their children, who are too busy to pay
them much attention, with that of their widowed daughter-in-law, who treats
them with kindness.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Story

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
husband and wife [Shukichi and Tomi]
father and son [Shukichi, Koichi, Keizo]
mother and son [Tomi, Koichi, Keizo]
father and daughter [Shukichi, Shige, and Kyoko]
mother and daughter [Tomi, Shige, and Kyoko]
parental disappointment in a child [The story showed how two parents found disappointment in their childrens' moral character.]
father-in-law and daughter-in-law [Shukichi and Noriko]
mother-in-law and daughter-in-law [Shukichi and Noriko]

:: Major Themes
coping with the death of a parent [The story concluded with the contrasting ways in which people handled the death of Tomi.]
coping with the death of a spouse [Shukichi mourned his wife Tomi during the latter half or so of the story.]
loyalty to one's family [the story was a commentary on how this cherished Japanese value has been eroded in modern times, perhaps because of Western influences]
coping with the death of a family member [The story centered around the death of Tomi, and the various family members’ reactions in the aftermath.]

:: Minor Themes
grandfather and grandson [the grandparents met their cranky grandchildren]
grandmother and grandson [the grandparents met their cranky grandchildren]
the horrors of war [second son went missing in the war and comments were made about bombings]
alcohol abuse [Shukichi was accused of being to fond of drinking, or had been so in the past at any rate]


movie: Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
================================

:: Title
Sansho the Bailiff

:: Date
1954-03-31

:: Description
Sansho the Bailiff (山椒大夫, Sanshō Dayū) (known by its Japanese title in the
United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji
Mizoguchi. Based on a short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai, which in turn
was based on a legendary folklore, it follows two aristocratic children who
are sold into slavery.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansho_the_Bailiff

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
mercy [father's last words were of mercy, Sansho was merciless, his son Taro showed mercy]
slavery [the story demonstrated the inhumanity of slavery]

:: Major Themes
brother and sister [Zushio and Anju]
father and son [Sansho and Taro]
cruelty [Sansho and adult Zushio especially]
human self-sacrifice for another [sister for brother; brother for old woman; brother sacrificed his status by freeing slaves]
the need for freedom [we saw the miserable lives of people who were slaves their whole lives]
coping with the death of a family member [Zushio reacts to the deaths of his sister, father, and mother in turn. HIs emotions are at the center of the story.]

:: Minor Themes
mother and son [Tamaki and Zushio]
mother and daughter [Tamaki and Anju]
master and slave [we briefly saw interaction between Sansho and some of his slaves]
master and servant [Tamaki and maid]
suicide [Anju killed herself]


movie: Pather Panchali (1955)
=============================

:: Title
Pather Panchali

:: Date
1955-08-26

:: Description
Pather Panchali (Bengali pronunciation: ; transl. Song of the Little Road) is
a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray
and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is based on Bibhutibhushan
Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name and is Ray's directorial
debut. It features Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Uma
Dasgupta and Chunibala Devi. The first film in The Apu Trilogy, Pather
Panchali depicts the childhood of the protagonist Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his
elder sister Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and the harsh village life of their poor
family.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pather_Panchali

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in British colonial India [film was set in rural Bengal around 1910 and followed the lives of some more or less ordinary people]
facing financial ruin [Apu's family was very nearly broke and their poverty was much the cause of Durga's death]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Harihar and Sarbajaya]
brother and sister [Apu and Durga]
theft [Sarbajaya, Indir and Durga were variously accused of stealing.]
the role of the elderly in society [we saw how Indir had trouble finding welcome and was chased off by Sarbajaya]
coping with the death of a child [Harihar and Sarbajaya mourned the death of their son Durga.]
coping with the death of a family member [Apu was torn up over the death of his sister.]
human childhood [the film focused much on the experiences of youngsters Durga and Apu as they played or faced challenges of childhood]

:: Minor Themes
struggling artist character [Harihar wanted to be a poet and a playwright, but could barely make ends meat by working as a pujari priest.]
what if I was accused of a crime that I didn't commit [Durga accused of stealing a necklace, wrongfully or so we were lead to believe.]
coping with a moocher [Sarbajaya with Indir]
coping with a loved one being gravely ill [Everyone worried about Durga when she became sick.]
poetic justice [Sarbajaya mistreated Indir because she mooched but was in the end reduced to much the same situation herself]


movie: The Searchers (1956)
===========================

:: Title
The Searchers

:: Date
1956-05-16

:: Description
The Searchers is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision Western film directed
by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, set during the
Texas–Indian wars, and starring John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War veteran
who spends years looking for his abducted niece (Natalie Wood), accompanied by
his adoptive nephew (Jeffrey Hunter). Critic Roger Ebert found Wayne's
character, Ethan Edwards, "one of the most compelling characters Ford and
Wayne ever created".

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the desire for vengeance [Ethan in particular was consumed with hatred for the people who killed his family]
coping with the death of one's entire family [Ethan and Martin had their family wiped out by Comanche Indians.]
obsession [Ethan and Martin became obsessed with finding the missing women and taking revenge; this five year quest endangered Martin's relationship with Laurie]

:: Major Themes
engaged couple [Martin and Laurie]
racism in society [Ethan frequently expressed his hatred of Indians in general.]
life in the American Wild West [we saw some domestic life in 1860s America]
uncle and nephew [Etan and Martin]
heroism [Ethan was a stereotypical self-effacing hero]

:: Minor Themes
brother and sister [esp. Martin and Debbie]
uncle and niece [Etan and Debbie]
love triangle [Martin, Laurie, Charlie]
patriotism [points were made about how Ethan remained loyal to the Confederacy despite its defeat]


movie: Aparajito (1956)
=======================

:: Title
Aparajito

:: Date
1956-10-11

:: Description
Aparajito is a 1956 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit
Ray (1921–1992), and is the second part of The Apu Trilogy. It is adapted from
the last one-fifth of Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel Pather Panchali (1929)
and the first one-third of its sequel Aparajito (1932). It starts off where
the previous film Pather Panchali (1955) ended, with Apu's family moving to
Varanasi, and chronicles Apu's life from childhood to adolescence in college,
right up to his mother's death, when he is left all alone.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aparajito

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in British colonial India [film was set in urban Varanasi around 1920 and followed the lives of some more or less ordinary people]
coping with the death of a parent [It seemed the point of the story was to show how Apu lost his parents.]
coming of age [second half of story dealt with Apu turning into a man and standing on his own two legs]

:: Major Themes
human childhood [we saw young Apu play in Varanasi]
husband and wife [Harihar and Sarbajaya]
mother and son [Sarbajaya and Apu]
coping with the death of a spouse [Sarbajaya mourned Harihar.]
what it is like in high school [Apu went to two Indian schools that were probably neither quite "high" schools.]

:: Minor Themes
coping with a loved one being gravely ill [Everyone worried when Harihar fell ill.]
father and son [Harihar and Apu]
single motherhood [we briefly saw Sarbajaya tend to young Apu alone, before the story fast forwarded in time]
career choice [Apu between being a priest or a scholar]


movie: The Seventh Seal (1957)
==============================

:: Title
The Seventh Seal

:: Date
1957-02-16

:: Description
The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical
fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the
Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and
a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who
has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood
Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Book of Revelation, used both
at the very start of the film, and again towards the end, beginning with the
words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven about the space of half an hour". Here, the motif of silence refers to
the "silence of God", which is a major theme of the film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Seal

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Collections
Collection: Ingmar Bergman

:: Choice Themes
coming to terms with one's own death [Antonius Block played chess with death to give himself more time but knew that he would soon die.]
is there a purpose to life [central to the story was metaphysical questions of life, death, faith, and meaning]

:: Major Themes
life in medieval Europe [we saw an idea of what medieval Sweden might have been like - various incongruities notwithstanding]
Christianity [the story incessantly invoked Christian mythology]
husband and wife [Mia and Jof; Antonius and Karin; Lisa and Plog; Jons and mentioned wife]
epidemics in society [we saw medeival Swedish society ravaged by the plague]
coping with a crisis of faith [Antonius Block lamented that it was so hard to maintain faith what with all the evils in the world.]
witch-hunt [superstitious villagers wanted to burn a woman as a witch for having caused the plague]
romantic infidelity [Lisa ran off with Skat from her husband Plog.]
the religious end of the world [The plague was said to harbinger Armageddon.]
the afterlife [protagonists wanted to know what awaited them after death: heaven, hell, or nothing at all]
death incarnate [Antonius Block played chess and debated philosophy with the grim reaper]

:: Minor Themes
painting [A painter explained why he choose his motifs.]
the theater [We saw an traveling acting band perform for unappreciative peasants.]


movie: Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
====================================

:: Title
Sweet Smell of Success

:: Date
1957-06-27

:: Description
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film directed by Alexander
Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin
Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the
novelette by Lehman. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New
York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The picture was produced by James Hill
of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. The
supporting cast features Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco, Edith
Atwater, David White and Emile Meyer. The musical score was arranged and
conducted by Elmer Bernstein and the film also features jazz performances by
the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Mary Grant designed the costumes.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Smell_of_Success

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
coping with personal failure [Falco had failed to keep a promise to break up a relationship, and now his career was in jeopardy]
desperation [Falco was getting desperate his career was going down the drain]
the desire to advance one's career [Falco was desperate to succeed as a press agent]
journalism [We saw how feature columnists might have worked with press agents in the 1950s.]
ruthlessness [Falco was notably unscrupulous, as were various of his acquaintances]
integrity [Steven was said to be overflowing with integrity; by contrast Falco had none]
brother and sister [J.J. and Susan]
jealousy [J.J. was weirdly jealous over Susan with her boyfriend]
infatuation [Susan Husnecker and Steven Dallas]

:: Minor Themes
coping with unwelcome romantic attention [cigarette girl, Rita, explained how an interview had turned into an unwelcome advance; later Otis did the same to her]
blackmail [Leo was unsuccessfully blackmailed by Falco.]
friendship vs. career [Falco subjected Rita to Otis' attentions in order to advance his own professional project]
womanizing man [Falco was said to be an oily man with the ladies]
suicide [Susan tried to jump from her balcony]
becoming a nicer person [in the end, Falco seemed to reach his limits of sleeziness]
the entertainment industry [Press agent Sdiney Falco approached artists as putative clients.]


movie: Paths of Glory (1957)
============================

:: Title
Paths of Glory

:: Date
1957-12-25

:: Description
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick,
based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I,
the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French
soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal attack, after which Dax attempts to
defend them against a charge of cowardice in a court-martial.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paths_of_Glory

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the horrors of war [we saw pitiful soldier dying in droves on the Maginot line]
coping with disagreeable orders [there was a long string of people who were uneasy when told to attack an impenetrable position, kill comrades, etc.]
compromising one's ethical principles for personal advantage [various but prominently General Mireau choose advantage, and Colonel Dax stuck with his principles]

:: Major Themes
the desire for glory in battle [in particular General Mireau exhibited this eponymous theme]
the desire to advance one's career [in case of General Mireau, glory in battle was coupled with career advancement]
loyalty to a leader [the question of loyalty in obeying illegal orders permeated the story]
what it is like in a combat zone [We saw numerous images from the trenches and the no-man's-land at the Maginot Line.]
what it is like in a legal proceeding [We saw a lengthy, and patently unfair, court martial.]
the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law [the court martial stretched the boundaries of how law might be interpreted in 1916, as it convicted three relatively innocent men to set an example]
guilt and evidence [the court martial stretched the boundaries of how law might be interpreted in 1916, as it convicted three relatively innocent men to set an example]
facing one's own execution [we saw three men await their own biased trial and inevitable execution]
ruthlessness [the ambitious General Mireau was particularly ruthless in ordering his own men to death in a variety of ways]
duty to disobey illegal orders [An important component of the story is that an artillery commander was ordered by General Mireau to open fire on their own positions. The commander refused to obey this patently illegal order unless given it in writing, something the general could not do.]
courage in the face of death [the story centered on ordinary soldiers' ability (or the limits thereof) to face mortal danger with stoicism]
cowardice [the men of the 701st regiment were accused, unfairly, of cowardice as they failed to charge an impenetrable position]
loyalty to a subordinate [Colonel Dax was extraordinarily loyal to his men]
sacrifice for one's beliefs [Colonel Dax took extraordinary risks in standing up for his men and thereby angering his commanders]
standing up to a boss [Colonel Dax, Captain Rousseau, Corporal Paris all stood up to their immediate commanders]

:: Minor Themes
Christianity [we saw a priest console the condemned men]
legal occupation [We saw a lengthy, and patently unfair, court martial.]


movie: Some Like It Hot (1959)
==============================

:: Title
Some Like It Hot

:: Date
1959-03-29

:: Description
Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American black-and-white romantic comedy film
directed and produced by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis,
and Jack Lemmon. The supporting cast includes George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E.
Brown, Joan Shawlee, and Nehemiah Persoff. The screenplay by Billy Wilder and
I. A. L. Diamond is based on a screenplay by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan
from the French film Fanfare of Love. The film is about two musicians who
dress in drag in order to escape from mafia gangsters whom they witnessed
committing a crime (inspired by the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Like_It_Hot

:: Ratings
2 <mikael> [nothing but shortsighted stereotyping and lowest common denominator comedy]

:: Choice Themes
male lasciviousness [there were a number of men who chased every skirt they saw]
womanizing man [there were a number of men who chased every skirt they saw]
gold digging [The women mostly just wanted rich husbands.]

:: Major Themes
alcohol in society [the story was set in prohibition America and there were conspicuous amounts of drinking going on]
coping with unwelcome romantic attention [backbone of the comedy was horny people coming on to unwilling others]
struggling artist character [The story followed two troubled musicians who joined a girl band undercover.]
organized crime [Central to the story was a gang of Chicago mobsters who had executed a number of people by machine gun.]
mass murder [Chicago mobsters had machine gunned a bunch of people and were now chasing two witnesses to the gruesome act.]
infatuation [Joe and Sugar; maybe Osgood and Daphne/Jerry]
gender bending [especially Jerry took to his female persona with conspicuous enthusiasm]

:: Minor Themes
law enforcement [We saw the police force in action chasing bootleggers during prohibition.]


movie: The World of Apu (1959)
==============================

:: Title
The World of Apu

:: Date
1959-05-01

:: Description
The World of Apu is a 1959 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by
Satyajit Ray. It is the third part of The Apu Trilogy, about the childhood and
early adulthood of a young Bengali named Apu in the early twentieth century
Indian subcontinent. (The first two parts of the trilogy are Pather Panchali
and Aparajito.) The film is based on the last two-thirds of the 1932 Bengali
novel, Aparajito, by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Apu

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Major Themes
facing financial ruin [Apu had to leave school and got evicted for not having mone]
coping with the death of a spouse [Apu's new bride died suddenly and he was devastated.]
father and son [Apu was in the end reconciled with his son whom he had spent five years neglecting]
paternal love [we heard that Apu conspicuously felt no love for his son. then we saw him discover it.]
career choice [Apu choose life as a vagabond instead of various more honorable and profitable pursuits]
creative writing [Apu was an intense writer until he threw it all away.]

:: Minor Themes
friendship [Apu spoke at length to his friend about writing and other things]
marriage ceremony [Apu attended an elaborate Indian wedding ceremony]
arranged marriage [mother put stop to the ceremony when she found the arranged groom to be mad and they quickly arranged for Apu to take his place]
contemplating suicide [Apu nearly threw himself under a train]


movie: The 400 Blows (1959)
===========================

:: Title
The 400 Blows

:: Date
1959-05-04

:: Description
The 400 Blows (French: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French New Wave drama
film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in
DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of
the defining films of the French New Wave, it displays many of the
characteristic traits of the movement. Written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy,
the film is about Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent in Paris who
struggles with his parents and teachers due to his rebellious behavior. Filmed
on location in Paris and Honfleur, it is the first in a series of five films
in which Léaud plays the semi-autobiographical character.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_400_Blows

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
adolescence [Antoine appeared to be a not altogether atypical troubled teenager]
dysfunctional upbringing [we are given to understand that Antoine's behavior may have been cause by a lack of love and attention from his parents, neither of whom really wanted him]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Julien and Claire]
mother and son [Claire and Antoine]
stepfather and stepson [Julien and Antoine]
running away from home [Antoine tried to run away from his parents]
theft [Antoine stole a bottle of milk, and then a typewriter, and got caught trying to return the latter.]
youthful indiscretion [Antoine got caught stealing a typewriter and was sent to a juvenile center]

:: Minor Themes
skipping school [Antoine played truant together with a friend]
romantic infidelity [The mother was seen kissing another man.]


movie: Breathless (1960)
========================

:: Title
Breathless

:: Date
1960-03-16

:: Description
Breathless (French: À bout de souffle; "out of breath") is a 1960 French crime
and drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard about a wandering
criminal (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and his American girlfriend (Jean Seberg). It
was Godard's first feature-length work and represented Belmondo's breakthrough
as an actor.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathless_(1960_film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Major Themes
murder [The otherwise petty criminal Michel killed a police officer and was thenceforth on the run from the long arm of the law.]
romantic love [we saw Patricia and Michel deliberate with themselves on whether and how they loved each other]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Patricia and Michel were like a couple for the duration of the film]
facing organized pursuit [Michal was on the lam from the police]
theft [Michel was a professional car thief, and not above lifting money from unguarded purses either.]
compassion vs. self-preservation [Patricia had a personal ethical dilemma regarding whether to betray her lover Michel to the police after the police had threatened her]
exploiting a lover [Michel exploited his women for money, and possible Patricia exploited her men for other reasons]


movie: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
================================

:: Title
Lawrence of Arabia

:: Date
1962-12-10

:: Description
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British epic historical drama film based on the
life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam
Spiegel through his British company Horizon Pictures and Columbia Pictures,
with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson and starring Peter
O'Toole in the title role. The film, a British and American co-production,
depicts Lawrence's experiences in the Ottoman Empire's provinces of Hejaz and
Greater Syria during World War I, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and
Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council. Its themes include
Lawrence's emotional struggles with the personal violence inherent in war, his
own identity, and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and its
army, and his new-found comrades within the Arabian desert tribes. The film
also stars Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Anthony
Quayle, Claude Rains and Arthur Kennedy.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
cultural exchange [Lawrence went to live and ride with the Beduins in Beduin fashion, to win their hearts as it were, during the joint British-Arab campaigns against the Ottomans.]
the desire for glory [Lawrence wanted to be a prophet of war or something]

:: Major Themes
when in Rome [Lawrence notably adopted many Arab customs]
what it is like in a combat zone [We saw attacks on Feisal's camp, the cities of Aqaba and Damascus, and there was a raid on train to boot.]
there is strength in unity [Lawrence taught the Arab tribes that they had to work together or they would be weak and exploited]
honor [Lawrence had many discussions that had to do with honor, for example with Sherif Ali about stealing his compass]
conflict of cultural norms [Lawrence had trouble with some Arab customs, such as blood feuds and killing people for various seemingly barbaric reasons. This is particularly apparent when Lawrence is forced to execute his friend.]
heroism [Lawrence became a great hero in the eyes of some Arabs almost as much as in his own]

:: Minor Themes
passion for vehicles [Lawrence died speeding on a motorcycle, face ecstatic with the thrill.]
what if I were stranded without food and water [during Lawrence's trek to Faisal, and then Aqaba, we imagined what it'd be like to get lost in the desert]
coping with opposing a friend [Lawrence was forced to execute the man he saved from the desert at great risk]
personal ethical dilemma [Lawrence killed his friend Gasim in order to save the peace between the tribes]
taking someone's picture steals their soul [Sheik Auda thought an English photographer was trying to steal his soul by using a camera]


movie: Dr Strangelove (1964)
============================

:: Title
Dr. Strangelove

:: Date
1964-01-29

:: Description
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, more
commonly known simply as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 political satire black
comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between
the Soviet Union and the United States. The film was directed, produced, and
co-written by Stanley Kubrick, stars Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling
Hayden and Slim Pickens. Production took place in the United Kingdom. The film
is loosely based on Peter George's thriller novel Red Alert (1958).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
nuclear weapons [the story centered on the use of atomic bombs during the cold war]
duty vs. conscience [various people involved had to struggle with the decision of whether to follow apparent orders and procedures even though it would likely lead to an accidental nuclear war]
nuclear holocaust [the implication of the story was evidently that a nuclear war of civilization destroying magnitude would ensue]

:: Major Themes
the Cold War [though not discussed as such, the story clearly featured what we now describe as the Cold War]
military retaliation to discourage [Plan R was a retaliation plan]
patriotism [there were many patriotic American anti-communists]
ethnic hatred [The Russophobic generals can pretty much be blamed for the nuclear holocaust that was about the begin.]
trust in a potential foe [the two Presidents had to face this dilemma; Mandrake was confronted by an officer who thought he was a "prevert" but who eventually had to trust Mandrake]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Strangelove.]

:: Minor Themes
first strike tactic [the generals advocated a first strike in order to decimate the Russian ability to retaliate]
conspiracy theory [the besieged general thought that fluoridation of water was a communist plot]
evil hand [Dr. Strangelove had a black gloved hand that, awkwardly, made Nazi salutes and tried to strangle him.]
male lasciviousness [Dr. Strangelove seemed to convince the primarily male audience that survival in mines for 100 years would not be so bad, when he pointed out that they'd have to select about ten of the most attractive females available for every one man to service sexually]


movie: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
========================================

:: Title
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

:: Date
1964-02-19

:: Description
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (French: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is a 1964
musical romantic drama film directed and written by Jacques Demy and starring
Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo. The music was composed by Michel
Legrand. The film dialogue is all sung as recitative, including casual
conversation, and is sung-through, or through-composed like some operas and
stage musicals.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Umbrellas_of_Cherbourg

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
romantic love [first Guy and Geneviève; then Roland and Geneviève; then Guy and Madeleine]

:: Major Themes
mother and daughter [Emery and Geneviève]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Guy and Geneviève]
long-distance relationship [Guy and Geneviève from her perspective when he went to the Algerian war]
teen romance [Geneviève was 16 and Guy probably not much older]
unplanned pregnancy [Geneviève got pregnant the night before Guy went to the war]
choosing between lovers [pregnant Geneviève was in love with Guy but married Roland - for money and respectability]

:: Minor Themes
The Algerian War [Guy went to fight in this and told briefly of his experiences after]
aunt and nephew [Guy lived with his aunt]
facing financial ruin [Emery was on the verge of loosing her umbrella shop and had to sell a perl necklace to get by]
the role of war veterans in society [we saw that Guy had some trouble re-adjusting and heard that he had a pension]
coping with the death of a family member [Guy grieved for his dead aunt.]
old flames [Guy met Geneviève by chance many years later]
husband and wife [Guy and Madeleine in Part 3]


movie: The Battle of Algiers (1966)
===================================

:: Title
The Battle of Algiers

:: Date
1966-08-31

:: Description
The Battle of Algiers (Italian: La battaglia di Algeri; Arabic: معركة
الجزائر‎, romanized: Maʿrakat al-Jazāʾir) is a 1966 Italian-Algerian
historical war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and starring
Jean Martin and Saadi Yacef. It is based on events by rebels during the
Algerian War (1954–62) against the French government in North Africa; the most
prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was
shot on location and the film's score was composed by Ennio Morricone. The
film was shot in a Roberto Rossellini-inspired newsreel style: in black and
white with documentary-type editing to add to its sense of historical
authenticity. It is often associated with Italian neorealist cinema.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Algiers

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
The Algerian War [the film depicted the beginning of the FNL and their struggle against French rule in Algiers]
revolution in society [we saw the beginning of the Algerian people's uprising to throw off the yoke of French colonialism]

:: Major Themes
terrorist or freedom fighter [The viewer is shown acts of terror carried out by early FNL members.]
ethnic hatred [The colonial French inhabitants of French Algiers came into violent conflict with their less affluent Muslim native neighbours and there was an ever worsening spiral of bad blood.]
hate begets hate [we saw how acts of violence were answered by further violence in an escalating spiral of hate]
justification for torture [Colonel Mathieu spoke at length about why torture was necessary to protect the innocent]
coping with being tortured [a rebel had just been tortured for information in the first scene; later we saw gruesome shots of torture]

:: Minor Themes
betrayal [tortured rebel was ashamed over having betrayed his comrades]
capital punishment [A man was guilotined.]


movie: Persona (1966)
=====================

:: Title
Persona

:: Date
1966-08-31

:: Description
Persona is a 1966 Swedish psychological drama film, written and directed by
Ingmar Bergman and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. The story revolves
around a young nurse named Alma (Andersson) and her patient, well-known stage
actress Elisabet Vogler (Ullmann), who has suddenly stopped speaking. They
move to a cottage, where Alma cares for Elisabet, confides in her and begins
having trouble distinguishing herself from her patient.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_(1966_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Collections
Collection: Ingmar Bergman

:: Choice Themes
human nature [At the core of the story was the idea that we all play-act our way through life, that we are all conceited liars through and through.]
human self-reflection [Both women were analyzing their own innermost feelings.]

:: Major Themes
lesbianism [Alma had wet dreams involving Elisabet]
mental illness [Elisabet had shut herself off from the world and refused to speak]
love-hate relationship [Alma and Elisabet were torn between affection and loathing]
unrequited love [it seemed Alma pined after Elisabet who merely studied her as if studying a bug]
celebrity worship [Alma idolized the actress Elisabet]
acting [It was suggested that Elisabet compulsively studied people in order to become an even better actress.]
parental love [Elisabet's lack of love for her baby was revealed as central towards the end]
mother and son [Elisabet and her son indirectly - Elisabet did not want the child and may have longed for its death]

:: Minor Themes
the power of art to influence people [A nurse mentioned this in her attempt to bond with someone.]
the Vietnam War [there were clips from this conflict shown]
sexual debut [Alma described her first sexual experience]
suicide [Elisabet's withdrawal was said to be in lieu of suicide]
husband and wife [Elisabet and her husband more or less directly]


movie: Andrei Rublev (1966)
===========================

:: Title
Andrei Rublev

:: Date
1966-12

:: Description
Andrei Rublev is a 1969 Soviet biographical historical drama film directed by
Andrei Tarkovsky and co-written with Andrei Konchalovsky. The film was remade
and re-edited from the 1966 film titled The Passion According to Andrei by
Tarkovsky which was censored during the first decade of the Brezhnev era in
the Soviet Union. The film is loosely based on the life of Andrei Rublev, the
15th-century Russian icon painter. The film features Anatoly Solonitsyn,
Nikolai Grinko, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Sergeyev, Nikolai Burlyayev and
Tarkovsky's wife Irma Raush. Savva Yamshchikov, a famous Russian restorer and
art historian, was a scientific consultant of the film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Rublev_(film)

:: Ratings

:: Choice Themes
life in medieval Russia [The film meant to show what Russia might have been like around 1400.]

:: Major Themes
Christianity [we saw a monastery, religious paintings, and heard many biblical quotes]
career choice [Andrei between monastery and going to paint with Theophanes]
social oppression [We saw the Jester tortured for making fun of the state, and pagans slaughtered.]
resentment [Krill resented other people's success, especially Andrei's]
jealousy [Krill was jealous of Andrei, the Jester, and others who possessed talent]
painting [Central to the story are a couple of master painters: Theophanes the Greek, and the eponymous Andrei Rublev.]
the horrors of war [we saw a village brutally massacred by Tartars in episode 6]
vow of silence [Andrei Rublev took a vow of silence in monastic Christian tradition.]

:: Minor Themes
divine madness [Durochka said to be a holy fool.]


movie: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
==============================

:: Title
Bonnie and Clyde

:: Date
1967-08-13

:: Description
Bonnie and Clyde is a 1967 American biographical crime film directed by Arthur
Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the title characters Clyde
Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Also featured were Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman,
and Estelle Parsons. The screenplay was written by David Newman and Robert
Benton. Robert Towne and Beatty provided uncredited contributions to the
script; Beatty produced the film. The soundtrack was composed by Charles
Strouse.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
facing organized pursuit [the gang was pursued time and again]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Clyde and Bonnie]

:: Major Themes
female attraction to bad men [Bonnie fell for Clyde because he was a violent criminal]
humans in group [we saw the group dynamics within a gang of criminals on the run]
bank robbery [The Bonnie and Clyde gang robbed a number of banks.]
murder [The gang eventually became wanted for murder.]
second guessing one's self [Bonnie, Clyde, Blanche all commented on what they had done to end up where they were]

:: Minor Themes
husband and wife [Buck and Blanche]
economic downturn [we saw America during the Great Depression.]
getting along in spite of disagreement [Bonnie vv. Blanche]
the desire for fame [Clyde and the rest of the group were occasionally delighted or bemused by their own infamy]
loyalty [C.W. was notably loyal to Clyde but then betrayed them]
feeling of inadequacy [Clyde had trouble getting it on in bed and it made him grumpy]


movie: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
======================================

:: Title
Night of the Living Dead

:: Date
1968-10-01

:: Description
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent horror film written,
directed, photographed and edited by George A. Romero, co-written by John
Russo, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven
people who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in western Pennsylvania, which is
besieged by a large and growing group of "living dead" monsters.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Dead

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
human vs. zombie [a group of people tried to survive when the dead cam back to life]
zombie [recently deceased people came back to life as some sort of zombies called ghouls]

:: Major Themes
hysterical woman stereotype [Barbara was mostly frozen while Ben did all the work, then she went classical hysterical on remembering her brother, then she fainted, then she was mostly catatonic]
the dangers of radioactivity [it was theorized that a nuclear satellite was the cause of the mass zombieism]
ironic twist of fate [Ben ironically survived alone in the very cellar he had stopped everyone from taking shelter in; then ironically he was shot in the head by his would-be rescuers]
courage in the face of death [Ben was remarkably courageous by contrast to Harry]
cowardice [Harry was remarkably spineless by contrast to Ben]

:: Minor Themes
brother and sister [Johnny and Barbara]
remembrance [grandfather's grave]
helping a stranger in need [Ben criticized cellar guy for no coming to aid]
clash of wills [Ben vs. Cooper]
cooperation [a big deal was made about Harry's stubborn refusal to cooperate]
husband and wife [Harry and Helen Cooper]
father and daughter [Harry and sick girl]
mother and daughter [Ms Cooper and girl]
coping with the death of a family member [Barbra was distraught after her brother Johnny got killed by a walking corpse.]
what if someone I knew returned from the dead [Barbara saw her late brother and was dragged to her death by him]


movie: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
==========================================

:: Title
Once Upon a Time in the West

:: Date
1968-12-20

:: Description
Once Upon a Time in the West (Italian: C'era una volta il West, lit. "Once
upon a time (there was) the West") is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western film co-
written and directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Henry Fonda, cast against type,
as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Claudia Cardinale as a newly
widowed homesteader, and Jason Robards as a bandit. The screenplay was written
by Sergio Donati and Leone, from a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci
and Leone. The widescreen cinematography was by Tonino Delli Colli, and the
acclaimed film score was by Ennio Morricone.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_the_West

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in the American Wild West [we saw an idea of what it might have been like during the time of railroad expansion]

:: Major Themes
what if I had to fight to the death [there were several revolver duel standoffs featured at length]
criminal gangs [Both Chayenne and Frank lead bands of murderous outlaws wearing signature dusters.]
coping with the death of one's entire family [Jill arrived just in time to find her entire new family slaughtered.]
the lust for gold [Chayenne, Jill, Frank, Morton were all lusting for whatever they could get]
figuring out what to do with one's life [Jill about staying, selling, going back, remarrying]
the desire for vengeance [we finally learn that Harmonica was lusting after revenge on Frank the whole time]
choosing between lovers [Jill had several prospective future husbands]

:: Minor Themes
prostitution [Jill told Chayenne what it was like: "just another filthy memory".]
unrequited love [we learned that Jill was besotted with Harmonica who did not return the sentiment because of having death in him or something of the sort]


movie: The Conformist (1970)
============================

:: Title
The Conformist

:: Date
1970-07-01

:: Description
The Conformist (Italian: Il conformista) is a 1970 political drama film
directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, whose screenplay is based on the 1951 novel
The Conformist by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant,
Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin, Enzo Tarascio, Fosco Giachetti, José
Quaglio, Dominique Sanda and Pierre Clémenti. The film was a co-production of
Italian, French, and West German film companies.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conformist_(1970_film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
husband and wife [Marcello; Anna and Giulia; Anna and Quadri]
political assassination [Marcello was ordered to kill an anti-fascist hiding in Paris]
duty vs. compassion [Marcello about killing Anna's husband]

:: Major Themes
love triangle [Marcello, Anna, Giulia, Quadri]
fascism [Marcello worked for Mussolini's fascists in Italy]
extramarital affair [Giulia with Anna, during his honeymoon with Giulia]
infatuation [Marcello fell first for Giulia and then for Anna]
patriotism [Marcello's lack of enthusiasm for his government was noted]

:: Minor Themes
engaged couple [Marcello met his fiancée before marrying her]
mother and son [Marcello saw his mother]
Christianity [there was a Catholic confession]
what it is like in a psychiatric institution [Marcello visited his father in an assylum.]
father and son [Marcello and dad in asylum; Marcello and young son]
sexual norms in society [priest and fiance spoke about premarital sex, sodomy, etc.]
coping with opposing a friend [Marcello about letting Anna be murdered in front of his eyes]
homosexuality in society [we saw a couple of notable gay encounters]


movie: The Godfather (1972)
===========================

:: Title
The Godfather

:: Date
1972-03-15

:: Description
The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola
and produced by Albert S. Ruddy, based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel of
the same name. It stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a
fictional New York crime family. The story, spanning 1945 to 1955, chronicles
the family under the patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando), focusing on the
transformation of Michael Corleone (Pacino) from reluctant family outsider to
ruthless mafia boss.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
organized crime [The whole film centered on the life and activities of one Sicilian mafia family in America.]
the desire for vengeance [A man came to the don for extra-judicial vengeance on behalf of his daughter. Michael for his father and later his wife.]
vendetta [The Corleone and Tattaglia crime families got a good old Sicilian vendetta going.]
loyalty [the whole story circled around various people's loyalty or disloyalty to the Corleone family, especially: the sons, Luca Brasi, Tom Hagen, and the baker remained remarkably loyal]

:: Major Themes
murder [There were numerous murders in the film.]
brother and brother [Michael, Fredo, ...]
father and son [the Don with his various sons]
coping with a loved one being in peril [the Corleone kids when their father was mortally wounded]
corruption in society [political connections were alluded to, and there was a bought police chief]
betrayal [Sonny was outraged at Paulie Gatto's betrayal of the Don, so had Paulie executed; Fabrizio betrayed Michael in Sicily and Apolonia died for it; Tessio betrayed the Corleones to Barzini after Don Vito died; Carlo was revealed to have arranged Sonny's execution]
coping with the death of a child [Don Vito Corleone was devastated after his son Sonny got killed.]

:: Minor Themes
boyfriend and girlfriend [Michael and Kay]
husband and wife [Michael and Kay]
father and daughter [the Don and Connie]
intimidation [the horse's head scene has become an iconic example of intimidation]
marriage ceremony [we saw the Don's daughter's wedding, late Michael and Apollonia]
illegal drug trade [The Don turned down an offer to get involved in drug trade.]
love at first sight [Michael was as thunderstruck at the sight of Apollonia Vitelli]
domestic violence [Connie is mistreated and beaten by her new husband.]
putting differences aside [the Don exercised self-restrain and sought to bury the hatchet even as his son Sonny's lay slain in the morgue]
hysterical woman stereotype [Michel proclaimed Carlotta hysterical and had her taken upstairs to await a Doctor]


movie: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)
================================================

:: Title
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

:: Date
1972-06-25

:: Description
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (German: Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von
Kant) is a 1972 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on his
own play. The film has an all-female cast, and it is set in the home of the
narcissistic protagonist Petra von Kant. It follows the changing dynamics in
her relationships with the other women. Petra's story is told in a theater-
like fashion in four different acts, each depicting the states of mind of the
main character hinted visually by her clothes and hair. The film was entered
into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bitter_Tears_of_Petra_von_Kant

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
obsessive love [Petra explained her obsession with possessing Karin]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Petra spoke of her ex husbands at length and other marriages were compared and contrasted]
romantic relationship [Petra and Karin had a passionate tryst]
disintegrating romantic relationship [we heard of past break-ups, and then we saw Karin break up with Petra]
coping with an overbearing jerk [Petra acted like so to Marlene; Karin acted like so to Petra]
lesbianism [Petra proclaimed her love for Karin and they embarked on a relationship; Petra's mother thought a woman loving another woman was mighty queer]
young character vs. old character [23 year old Karin was contrasted with the mature Petra]
coping with getting dumped [Petra was ceremoniously dumped by Karin, and took to the bottle]
alcohol abuse [Karin spoke of her alcoholic dad, Petra admonished Karin then drank excessively herself]
female sexuality [all women spoke at length about their romantic feelings]
depression [Petra became depressed and drank excessively after Karin left her]
the nature of love [Petra and Karin debated what love and romance are]
sadomasochism [especially Marlena was masochistic and apparently enjoyed being dominated by Petra; Petra was subjected to a similar treatment by Karin]
the fashion industry [Petra was a successful designer who lived for her work - and we saw an idea of what her life might be like.]
femme fatale [Karin explained that she seduced and used men (and Petra) for her own purposes]

:: Minor Themes
pity [Petra objected to being pitied]
reminiscence about one's youth [Karin spoke of her deprived childhood.]
coping with the death of a parent [Karin spoke of her father killing his wife and himself.]
man vs. woman [PAtra talked about the disgust she had developed for men]
mother and daughter [Petra and Gaby; Petra and her mother]
divorce [Petra spoke of her divorce at length and implored Karin to get one]


movie: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
===================================================

:: Title
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

:: Date
1972-09-15

:: Description
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (French: Le Charme discret de la
bourgeoisie) is a 1972 surrealist film directed by Luis Buñuel and written by
Jean-Claude Carrière in collaboration with the director. The film was made in
France and is mainly in French, with some dialogue in Spanish.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discreet_Charm_of_the_Bourgeoisie

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes

:: Minor Themes
illegal drug trade [A diplomat smuggled cocaine.]
ghost [Liutenant relayed a childhood story in which he met his late mother]
patricide [Lieutenant relayed a childhood story in which he poisoned his foster father.]
alcohol abuse [a young girl was clearly drinking too much and too eagerly for she became sick twice and it was commented on]
terrorism [A woman outside the embassy was said to be a terrorist and later showed herself to be so.]
poison murder [There were at least two murders by poison.]
social inequality [the cast of upper class snobbs were occasionally contrasted with working people, such as the chauffeur, the maid, or the bishop acting gardner. the terrorist woman espoust communism.]
corruption in society [we saw a corrupt ambassador of "Miranda"]
husband and wife [ambassador and wife (we think)]
the desire for vengeance [the bishop avenged his parents' murder with a shotgun]
coping with being tortured [a young man was tortured by the police in an electrified piano]
astrology [the zodiac, and astrological signs, were briefly discussed on two occasions]


movie: Aguirre the Wrath of God (1972)
======================================

:: Title
Aguirre, the Wrath of God

:: Date
1972-12-29

:: Description
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (German: Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), known in the UK
as Aguirre, Wrath of God, is a 1972 epic historical drama film written and
directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role. The
soundtrack was composed and performed by West German kosmische band Popol Vuh.
The story follows the travels of Spanish soldier Lope de Aguirre, who leads a
group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in South America in search of
the legendary city of gold, El Dorado.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguirre_the_Wrath_of_God

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
obsession [the obsession with El Dorado lead Aguirre and his people to doom]
El Dorado [The conquistadors were searching for this fabled land and city of gold.]

:: Major Themes
duty vs. desire [Aguirre eventually lead a mutiny when the expedition leader showed signs of wanting to turn back]
facing bloodthirsty savages [the group was perpetually fighting or fleeing indigenous people in the Amazons, sometimes cannibals]
charting unknown territory [a group of conquistadors were exploring to them unknown lands in the Amazons]

:: Minor Themes
coping with starvation [we saw the group get very short on food, especially salt]
father and daughter [Aguirre and Florés]
engaged couple [Pedro de Ursúa and Doña Inés]
coming to terms with one's own death [At the very end we saw the men realize how doomed they were.]


movie: Dont Look Now (1973)
===========================

:: Title
Don't Look Now

:: Date
1973-10-16

:: Description
Don't Look Now (Italian: A Venezia... un Dicembre rosso shocking, lit. "In
Venice... a shocking red December") is a 1973 English-language film directed
by Nicolas Roeg. It is a thriller adapted from the short story by Daphne du
Maurier. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland portray a married couple who
travel to Venice following the recent accidental death of their daughter,
after the husband accepts a commission to restore a church. They encounter two
sisters, one of whom claims to be clairvoyant and informs them that their
daughter is trying to contact them and warn them of danger. The husband at
first dismisses their claims, but starts to experience mysterious sightings
himself.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
coping with the death of a child [John and Laura lived and loved after they lost their daughter to a pond.]
husband and wife [John and Laura]

:: Major Themes
communicating with the dead [a blind woman could, we understand, see and communicate with John and Laura's dead daughter]
serial murder [Behind everything else the police in Venice were investigating a series of murders, then it seems John became another victim in the series.]

:: Minor Themes
Christianity [Laura kissed the ring of a bishop in Venice]
father and daughter [John and Christine]
father and son [John]
remote viewing [John somehow sensed his daughters drowning in a pond outside and ran to save her, albeit too late.]


movie: Chinatown (1974)
=======================

:: Title
Chinatown

:: Date
1974-06-20

:: Description
Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski
from a screenplay by Robert Towne, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
The film was inspired by the California Water Wars, a series of disputes over
southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century, by which Los
Angeles interests secured water rights in the Owens Valley. The Robert Evans
production, released by Paramount Pictures, was the director's last film in
the United States and features many elements of film noir, particularly a
multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(1974_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
corruption in society [was saw a lot of corruption related to water management and a dam proposal in Los Angeles]
private investigator occupation [The story centered on the work of PI Jake Gittes.]

:: Major Themes
romantic infidelity [Hollis Mulwray was in fact not cheating and we learn that Evelyn Mulwray was.]
murder [A number of people were killed to cover up shenanigans around water management in Los Angeles.]
mother and daughter [Evelyn and Katherine]
infatuation [Jake became besotted with Evelyn, who reciprocated but was clearly more dedicated to her daughter-cum-sister]
coping with the death of a family member [Evelyn dealt with the fact  that her husband had been killed under mysterious circumstances. Katherine saw her mother, who was also her sister, shot dead.]

:: Minor Themes
husband and wife [Mr. and Mrs. Mulwray as told by Evelyn]
incest in society [Gittes had a child by his own daughter]


movie: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
==========================================

:: Title
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

:: Date
1974-10-11

:: Description
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American slasher film directed by Tobe
Hooper and written and co-produced by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn
Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, who
respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the
proprietor, and Leatherface. The film follows a group of friends who fall
victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead.
The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider
audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate;
although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by
the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
what if I fell into the clutches of a homicidal maniac [Especially Sally spent much of the story more or less at the mercy of a family of deranged cannibals]
what if a killer was after me [Especially Sally spent most of the story being chased by one or the other of the cannibals]

:: Major Themes
cannibalism [The story portrayed a family of man-eating men.]
brother and sister [Franklin and Sally]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Kirk and Pam]
serial murder [A cannibal family had killed untold unsuspecting travelers and now set about doing the same to the main characters as they fell into the cannibals' hands.]

:: Minor Themes
be wary of strangers [the younglings picked up a hitch-hiker and one of them got slashed with a razor for the trouble]
helping a stranger in need [the younglings debated whether to pick up a hitch-hiker and ill-advisedly landed in favor of doing so]
coping with a disability [Franklin struggled with his wheelchair from time to time]


movie: A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
=========================================

:: Title
A Woman Under the Influence

:: Date
1974-11-18

:: Description
A Woman Under the Influence is a 1974 American drama film written and directed
by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual
behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and
family. It received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best
Director. In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant", one of the first fifty films to be so honored.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Woman_Under_the_Influence

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
coping with a problematic family member [everyone were struggling to figure out how they should act around Mabel because of her odd behavior]
institutionalizing a loved one [the story pivoted on Nick's decision, seemingly with support from the rest of the family, to have Mabel committed once she started to be dangerously eccentric]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Nick and Mabel]
parent and child [both Nick and Mabel with their three children - the kids had very presence]
mother-in-law and daughter-in-law [Nick's mother was rather cruel to Mabel]
dealing with children [we saw a lot of parenting of varied quality]
alcohol abuse [there was frequent allusion to drinking, and bouts of excessive drinking, which certainly cause some problems]

:: Minor Themes
romantic infidelity [Mabel had a one night stand with some stranger]
coping with having a headache [Mabel had bad headaches, we heard]
mother-in-law and son-in-law [Mabel's mother was rather hapless and did very little]
father-in-law and son-in-law [Nick had brief exchanges with Mabel's father towards the end]
the need for a purpose in life [we heard that Mabel threw herself into the motherhood thing and found little else of meaning]
dancing [Mabel's fascination with dancing came out during her mental illness episodes.]
suicide [Mabel tried to cut her wrist near the end although little was made of it]


movie: Jeanne Dielman 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
===============================================================

:: Title
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

:: Date
1975-05-14

:: Description
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is a 1975 arthouse film
by Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman.

Jeanne Dielman examines a single mother's regimented schedule of cooking,
cleaning and mothering over three days. The mother, Jeanne Dielman (whose name
is only derived from the title and from a letter she reads to her son), has
sex with male clients in her house daily for her and her son's subsistence.
Like her other activities, Jeanne's sex work is part of the routine she
performs every day by rote and is uneventful. But on the second and third day,
Jeanne's routine begins to unravel subtly, as she overcooks the potatoes that
she's preparing for dinner, and drops a newly washed spoon. These alterations
to Jeanne's existence prepare for the climax on the third day, during which
she murders a client.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Dielman_23_quai_du_Commerce_1080_Bruxelles

:: Ratings

:: Choice Themes
gender issue [the film is called a feminist masterpiece and showcases a woman's lot in contemporary Belgium - dreary housework and degrading sexwork]
prostitution [Jeanne sold sex to provide for herself and her son after she became a widow.]

:: Major Themes
mother and son [Jeanne was taking care of her son]
equal career opportunities for women [Jeanne had a lousy career and resorted to sex work after her husband died]
single motherhood [Jeanne took care of her son all alone]
murder [The three days of Jeanne's otherwise dreary life culminated in a sudden murder.]

:: Minor Themes
the nature of love [there was an esoteric discussion about love]
husband and wife [Jeanne spoke of her relationship with her late husband]
coping with the death of a spouse [Jeanne did not seem much affected by it but did talk about the death of her husband.]
aunt and niece [Jeanne talked about her and her aunts (or were they her son's aunts?)]


movie: Nashville (1975)
=======================

:: Title
Nashville

:: Date
1975-06-11

:: Description
Nashville is a 1975 American satirical musical ensemble comedy-drama film
directed by Robert Altman. The film follows various people involved in the
country and gospel music businesses in Nashville, Tennessee over a five-day
period, leading up to a gala concert for a populist outsider running for
President on the Replacement Party ticket.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_(film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
professional politics [We a variety of politicians and associated staff as the story lead up to a gala concert for a populist outsider running for President on the Replacement Party ticket.]
human life in historical North America [The viewer is shown a mild parody on what political and cultural life in Tennessee might have been like in the 1970s]

:: Major Themes
the desire for fame [especially Winifred was an aspiring country singer]
coping with being famous [several famous (and less famous) people were pestered, particularly by Opal]
journalism [Opal was a BBC journalist and a parody.]
extramarital affair [Linnea cheated on her husband with the singer Tom]

:: Minor Themes
Christianity [we heard evangelical singing, invocations of trusting in God, and scenes from a church]
patriotism [the film started with a conspicuously patriotic American song]
political apathy in society [the campaign van blasted out a message about people not bothering to vote]
music [There was a lot of music but only occasional comments about it.]
uncle and niece [Mr. Green and L.A. Joan]
husband and wife [Del and Linnea]
mother and son [Linnea and deaf boys; Martha and Kenny]
father and son [Del and deaf boys]
parenting a physically disabled child [Linnea was interacting with her deaf children]
promiscuity [L.A. Joan flirted with every man she laid her eyes on.]
coping with unwelcome romantic attention [Tom pestering Linnea on the phone]
coping with the death of a spouse [Mr. Green broke down upon hearing that his wife had expired.]
gender issue [Sueleen wants to sing but finds herself booed off stage then made to perform a striptease]
womanizing man [Tom seemed to be a caricature womanizer]


movie: Jaws (1975)
==================

:: Title
Jaws

:: Date
1975-06-20

:: Description
Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based
on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name. In the film, a giant man-
eating great white shark attacks beachgoers at a New England summer resort
town, prompting police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to hunt it with the
help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter
(Robert Shaw). Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays
Brody's wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first
drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during
principal photography.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
facing a ferocious beast [the people on Amity island faced a man eating beast of a shark]
obsession [typical obsession-leads-to-disaster story: first the mayor's obsession with tourism leads to deaths, then Quint's obsession with getting the shark by himself ultimately leads to his death]

:: Major Themes
the desire for vengeance [Quint especially wanted vengeance on sharks and the Shark, we think, in part because he is made to resemble Captain Ahab]
law enforcement [We saw the work of police chief Martin Brody.]
public safety vs. public prosperity [The mayor and business interests on Amity Island insisted on keeping the beaches open for the 4th of July despite the imminent danger of further shark attacks.]
pleasure in nature [Hooper and Quint were both exceedingly passionate about sharks, albeit in different ways.]

:: Minor Themes
husband and wife [Martin and Ellen]
father and son [Martin and son]
mother and son [Ellen and son]
coping with the death of a child [The second victim's mother was seen in mourning.]
fear of open waters [Martin was afraid of being on boats on water we heard from his wife]


movie: Barry Lyndon (1975)
==========================

:: Title
Barry Lyndon

:: Date
1975-12-18

:: Description
Barry Lyndon is a 1975 period drama film written and directed by Stanley
Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace
Thackeray. It stars Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard
Rossiter and Hardy Krüger. The film recounts the early exploits and later
unravelling of a fictional 18th-century Irish rogue and opportunist who
marries a rich widow to climb the social ladder and assume her late husband's
aristocratic position.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Lyndon

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in the Napoleonic era [The viewer is shown images of life military, aristocratic, and common in various places in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars.]
rise to prominence from humble beginnings [Barry's fortune rose and fell in stellar proportions as he became a drafted soldier and then a monied Lord.]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Barry and Lady Lyndon]
stepfather and stepson [Barry and Lord Bullington]
mother and son [Lady Lyndon and Lord Bullington; Barry and his mum]
the desire for prestige [Barry wanted everhigher status, first by marrying and then by getting a title]
father and son [Barry and his natural son]
coping with the death of a child [Barry and Lady Lyndon were distraught when their son died after a horse accident.]
what if I had to fight to the death [Barry and John fought a duel that Barry though was to have a lethal conclusion; later Barry fought Bullington; there was also a duel over gambling debts]

:: Minor Themes
love triangle [Barry, John, Nora]
infatuation [Barry with his cousin Nora; Lady Lyndon with Barry briefly]
what it is like in a combat zone [We saw a pretty horrid image of soldiers dying in droves.]
coping with the death of a friend [Barry died when his friend and benefactor died.]
the horrors of war [we saw a battlefield and some looting that was narrated with sarcasm]
romantic jealousy [It was said that Lady Lyndon had to be jealous of her maids when Barry shagged them.]
discipline of a child [Barry caned Bullington]
brother and brother [Bullington and Barry Jr.]
romantic infidelity [Barry became a serial philander once married]
facing financial ruin [Barry squandered most of his wealth vainly pursuing a title]
coping with a loved one being gravely ill [The parents were at Barry Jr.'s death bed.]
man vs. woman [we saw how bleak and demeaning a wife's life could be before Barry changed his ways]
mugging [Barry was subjected to highway robbery, literally]
suicide [Lady Lyndon attempted to kill herself]


movie: Taxi Driver (1976)
=========================

:: Title
Taxi Driver

:: Date
1976-02-08

:: Description
Taxi Driver is a 1976 American psychological thriller film directed by Martin
Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster,
Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris and Albert Brooks.
Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam
War, the film tells the story of a lonely veteran (De Niro) working as a taxi
driver, who descends into insanity as he plots to assassinate both the
presidential candidate (Harris) for whom the woman he is infatuated with
(Shepherd) works, and the pimp (Keitel) of an underage prostitute (Foster) he
befriends.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
vigilante justice [Travis shot a convenience store robber and several shady people involved with prostitution in various ways.]
the making of a monster to society [we saw how a disillusioned war veteran with a lousy job armed himself with a view to do something about the sleaze and corruption in NYC as he saw it, and tried to assassinate a Senator campaigning for president; we are told by the Scorcese to interpret the ending as indicating that we are back to beginning: i.e., Travis is a ticking time bomb]
heroism [Travis dreamed of being a hero, and in fact seems to have ended up as such in the end]

:: Major Themes
prostitution in society [Travis was conspicuously upset about the sleaze in NYC, notably street prostitutes (although he liked the x-rated cinemas himself) and tried to reform Iris the prostitute]
prostitution [Iris was a child prostitute who Travis decided to save, despite the former's reluctance to be saved. The story ends with Travis killing Iris' pimp.]

:: Minor Themes
the role of war veterans in society [film started presenting two ex-marines and their respective situation in New York]
professional politics [We saw Senator Palantine campaign office hard at work.]
infatuation [Travis and Betsy became instantly besotted with each other, albeit for a very short time]
romantic infidelity [A passenger tells how he is going to kill his adulterous wife.]
spouse murder [A passenger told of how he was going to kill his adulterous wife.]
homosexuality in society [group of taxi drivers discussed "fags" and the treatment thereof]
depression [Travis was depressed before he became a vigilante]
murder [In the end, Travis killed a number of people without much provocation - although the story also ended with an apologia for him.]
unrequited love [Travis was in love with Betsy even after she rejected him]


movie: All the Presidents Men (1976)
====================================

:: Title
All the President's Men

:: Date
1976-04-09

:: Description
All the President's Men is a 1976 American political thriller film about the
Watergate scandal, which brought down the presidency of Richard M. Nixon.
Directed by Alan J. Pakula with a screenplay by William Goldman, it is based
on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Carl Bernstein and Bob
Woodward, the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal for The
Washington Post. The film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward
and Bernstein, respectively; it was produced by Walter Coblenz for Redford's
Wildwood Enterprises.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_President%27s_Men_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
freedom of the press [central to the story was the government's cover-up and the threat to journalistic integrity]
corruption in society [we saw the Watergate scandal and the Nixon administration's shenanigans]
journalism [We saw how journalists at the Washington Post may have worked.]

:: Major Themes
cooperation [we saw how Carl and Woodward became a dynamic duo, after some initial friction]
integrity [the journalists and the Editor all debated issues related to integrity and proved to be remarkably upstanding in the end (story related by themselves, of course)]
risk taking vs. playing it safe [the journalists had time and again to choose whether to be content with a lesser scoop, or whether (riskily) to go after the White House itself]


movie: Annie Hall (1977)
========================

:: Title
Annie Hall

:: Date
1977-04-20

:: Description
Annie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen
from a screenplay he co-wrote with Marshall Brickman. Produced by Allen's
manager, Charles H. Joffe, the film stars the director as Alvy Singer, who
tries to figure out the reasons for the failure of his relationship with the
film's eponymous female lead, played by Diane Keaton in a role written
specifically for her.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Hall

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
remembering bygone days [Alvy was thinking on his past almost the entire story.]
romantic relationship [the story centered on Alvy reminiscing about his past relationships]
lovers' quarrel [Alvy reminisced about every spat he had had with every wife and girfriend, or so it seemed - especially with Annie]
disintegrating romantic relationship [Alvy reflected on how his various relationships had gone down the drain]

:: Major Themes
depression [Alvy seemed constantly on the brink of despair and thought about death and evil in the world constantly]
the entertainment industry [We saw what life may be like for actors, singers, comedians etc.]
feeling of inadequacy [Alvy came back to the topic of sexual inadequacy time and again; Annie came back to the topic of intellectual inadequacy]

:: Minor Themes
coping with aging [story started with Alvy reflecting on himself getting older]
coping with being famous [Alvy was accosted by people who wanted his autograph]
coping with an obnoxious chatterbox [in line at the theater, Alvy (hypocritically perhaps) complained about the vocal and opinionated man behind him]
conspiracy theory [Alvy once concocted and elaborate conspiracy theory in order to get out of having sex]
antisemitism in society [Annie's antisemitic grandmother showcased a type of sentiment present in America for her generation and social stratum.]
romantic jealousy [In spite of advocating for an open relationship, Alvy was jealous of the men Annie socialized with.]
arachnophobia [Annie and Alvy both exaggerated their fear of spiders briefly]


movie: Killer of Sheep (1978)
=============================

:: Title
Killer of Sheep

:: Date
1978-11-14

:: Description
Killer of Sheep is a 1978 American drama film edited, shot, written, produced,
and directed by Charles Burnett. Shot primarily in 1972 and 1973, it was
originally submitted by Burnett to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his
Master of Fine Arts thesis. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and
Charles Bracy, among others, in acting roles.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_of_Sheep

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in inner city America [we saw an idea of how low-income black people might have had it in urban America in the early 70s]

:: Major Themes
loser character [Stan felt that he was stuck in a life without prospects]
husband and wife [Stan and wife]
depression [Stan seemed to despair about his lot in life - his wife complained about him never smiling]
human childhood [we saw a lot of children playing various games children might play]

:: Minor Themes
choosing between job opportunities [Stan works in a monotonous slaughterhouse, was asked to go into crime or work in a grocery store]
mother and daughter [Stan's wife and daughter]
mother and son [Stan's wife and son]
father and daughter [Stand and daughter]
father and son [Stan and son]


movie: Apocalypse Now (1979)
============================

:: Title
Apocalypse Now

:: Date
1979-05-10

:: Description
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film about the Vietnam War,
directed, produced and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Marlon
Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam
Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper. Harrison Ford also makes an
appearance in a small role. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola and John
Milius and narration written by Michael Herr, was loosely based on the 1899
novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The setting was changed from late
19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. The film follows a river journey from
South Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Benjamin L. Willard (a
character based on Conrad's Marlow and played by Sheen), who is on a secret
mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Brando, with the character being based
on Conrad's Mr. Kurtz), a renegade Army Special Forces officer accused of
murder and who is presumed insane.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Now

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the horrors of war [point of the story seemed to be to show how gruesome, pointless, and terrifying things can get during a war]
military related work [We saw what it might be like for various military personnel in various stages of their career and at various locations during the protagonist's trek up the Serepok river, visiting various allied outfits along the way.]

:: Major Themes
the Vietnam War [the story was staged on the Vietnam war scene and we heard much indirectly and directly about the circumstances of the conflict]
leadership [we saw Kurtz making himself a Godlike figure, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore being gung-ho, the catastrophic absence of COs on two occations, as well as Chief aboard the patrol boat, and hands-off Captain Benjamin himself]
ruthlessness to quicken the end of the war [we heard, time again, that Kurtz' methods were abhorent but effective]
the end justifies the means [Kurtz was to some extent excused being ruthless because he seemed to get the job done]
descent into madness [we heard indirectly, and saw directly, some of the process that turned Kurtz from being a model soldier into a ruthless war criminal]

:: Minor Themes
what it is like in a combat zone [We saw the "air cavalry" invasion of a militant village.]
facing a ferocious beast [the protagonists were confronted by a tiger at one point]
coping with the death of someone [Some comrades in arms mourned when their fellows aboard the patrol boat perished.]
coming to terms with one's own death [Kurtz was apparently anticipating and permitting his own assassination.]


movie: The Shining (1980)
=========================

:: Title
The Shining

:: Date
1980-05-23

:: Description
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by
Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based
on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson,
Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
ghost [numerous ghosts haunted the Overlook Hotel, perhaps because of bad things that had happened there and because it was built on an ancient Indian burial ground]

:: Major Themes
what if I fell into the clutches of a homicidal maniac [Wendy eventually learns that her husband is stark raving mad and bent on murder, and that she is practically at his mercy snowed in as they are in a remote hotel]
telepathic ability [The Shining appeared primarily to be a form of telepathy, although it had other attributes.]
childhood imaginary friend [Danny had an imaginary friend named Tony, although Tony might in fact have been something else (this is not wholly clear)]
husband and wife [Jack and Wendy]
father and son [Jack and Danny]
mother and son [Wendy and Danny]
creative writing [Jack had trouble getting his writing career going again and sought seclusion as a means of kicking it off.]

:: Minor Themes


movie: Airplane (1980)
======================

:: Title
Airplane!

:: Date
1980-06-27

:: Description
Airplane! (alternatively titled Flying High!) is a 1980 American satirical
disaster film written and directed by David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams,
and produced by Jon Davison. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and
features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna Patterson. The film is a parody of the disaster film
genre, particularly the 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour!, from which it borrows
the plot and the central characters, as well as many elements from Airport
1975 and other films in the Airport film series. The film is known for its use
of surreal humor and its fast-paced slapstick comedy, including visual and
verbal puns, gags, and obscure humor.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane!

:: Ratings
2 <mikael> [a bunch of nonsense about nothing filled with slapstick]

:: Major Themes
romantic love [we saw how Ted and Elain got together in a flash back, and how they rekindled their love affair after the flight episode]
coping with post-traumatic stress [Ted couldn't fly because of some event in his wartime past]
fear of flying [Ted overcame his fear of flying in order to pursue Elaine]
overcoming a limitation [Ted overcame his fear of flying]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Ted and Elaine had been in flashbacks, and became again]
what it is like on a passenger flight [All sorts of antics occurred on a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago.]

:: Minor Themes
disintegrating romantic relationship [we saw retrospectively how Ted and Elaine's relationship broke down]


movie: Raging Bull (1980)
=========================

:: Title
Raging Bull

:: Date
1980-11-14

:: Description
Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by
Martin Scorsese, produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler and adapted by
Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from Jake LaMotta's memoir Raging Bull: My
Story. The film, distributed by United Artists, stars Robert De Niro as Jake
LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whose self-destructive and
obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite destroyed his
relationship with his wife and family. Also featured in the film are Joe Pesci
as Joey, LaMotta's well-intentioned brother and manager who tries to help Jake
battle his inner demons, and Cathy Moriarty as his wife. Nicholas Colasanto,
Theresa Saldana, and Frank Vincent all play supporting roles in the film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raging_Bull

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
the sport of boxing [we saw how professional boxing is conducted and heard talk about it]
brother and brother [Jack and Joey]
extramarital affair [Jake began an affair with 15 year old Vicky; later he worried about her faithfulness]
husband and wife [Jake and first wife; Jake and Vicky]
the desire for fame [Jake wanted to be world champion; Jake wanted to be cheered even when told to take a dive]
romantic jealousy [Jack was jealous over Vicky]
coping with a jealous lover [Vicky was annoyed when Jake acted jealous]

:: Minor Themes
domestic violence [Jack became violent and hit both his wife and his brother, although never to the extent that anyone considered involving the police.]
divorce [Vicky divorced Jake]
fall from grace [Jake had been world champion, then got divorced and went to prison.]


movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
=====================================

:: Title
Raiders of the Lost Ark

:: Date
1981-06-12

:: Description
Raiders of the Lost Ark (later marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of
the Lost Ark) is a 1981 American action adventure film directed by Steven
Spielberg, written by Lawrence Kasdan from a story by George Lucas and Philip
Kaufman. It was produced by Frank Marshall for Lucasfilm Ltd., with Lucas and
Howard Kazanjian as executive producers.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raiders_of_the_Lost_Ark

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
ancient puzzle [Indiana Jones raided a tomb with elaborate traps, and then solved an ancient riddle to find the Ark of the Covenant.]
good vs. evil [Jones and Marion were clearly on the side of the good Allies, fighting stereotypically wicked and brutish Nazis]

:: Major Themes
Christianity [the Ark of the Covenant is a Christian icon and in the end, God smote the wicked Nazis]
charting unknown territory [Jones likes to explorer ancient forgotten temples and raid closed off tombs]
becoming a nicer person [Jones mends some of his rapscallious ways and makes amends with Marion]
infatuation [Jones and Marion]
archaeology occupation [Jones was an archaeologist, as was one of the antagonists and some the professors we met in an archaeology department.]
World War II [we saw Nazi soldiers dominating in parts of the world]
the Nazi stereotype [some of the Nazis were caricatures]

:: Minor Themes
old flames [Jones and Marion]
academic occupation [Indiana Jones was an archaeology professor who, in between adventures, interacted with the academic world and his peers.]


movie: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
================================

:: Title
This Is Spinal Tap

:: Date
1984-03-02

:: Description
This Is Spinal Tap (stylized as This Is Spın̈al Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin
Di Bergi) is a 1984 American mockumentary film directed and co-written by Rob
Reiner. It stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as
members of the fictional English heavy metal band Spinal Tap (who are
characterized as "one of England's loudest bands"), and Reiner as Martin
"Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American
tour. The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands
and the hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as Gimme Shelter
(1970), The Song Remains the Same (1976), and The Last Waltz (1978). Most of
its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the entertainment industry [We saw a quasi-parody of what it might have been like in the rock music industry in the 1970s.]

:: Major Themes
the desire for fame [the band members wanted to be famous, among other things]
celebrity culture in society [although groupies wer conspicuously absent for most of the film, the idea of bands being idolized was topical]
falling out of friendship [Nigel fell out with and left the band, then later made up]
boyfriend and girlfriend [David and Jennie]
coping with being washed up [most of the film depicted the band in a slump: they had once been booked in arenas for 10,000 people but now got significantly smaller venues, cancellations, and less attention]
music [From time to time we saw the members of the eponymous rock group care about their music, not just sex and drugs.]

:: Minor Themes
sexism in society [the band's first album cover had been denounced as sexist because it depicted a greased up naked lady on her fours, smelling a glove]


movie: Come and See (1985)
==========================

:: Title
Come and See

:: Date
1985-07

:: Description
Come and See (Russian: Иди и смотри, Idi i smotri; Belarusian: Ідзі і глядзі,
Idzi i hlyadzi) is a 1985 Belarusian film directed by Elem Klimov filmed in
the Soviet Union, with a screenplay written by Klimov and Ales Adamovich based
on the 1978 book I Am from the Fiery Village (original title: Я из огненной
деревни, Ya iz ognennoj Derevni, 1977) by Adamovich et al.. The film stars
Aleksei Kravchenko and Olga Mironova. Come and See is generally viewed as one
of the most important anti-war movies ever made, and one of the great movies
in history with the most historically accurate depictions of the crimes on the
Eastern Front.patriotism

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_and_See

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the horrors of war [the movie showed German aggressions and atrocities committed on poor people in Belarus, as well as some rather nasty behavior by Belorussian militants]
atrocities of war [Nazis slaughtered innocent Belorussians, including children]
what it is like to live through a military occupation [We saw various Belorussian villagers under the iron fist of the brutal Wehrmacht.]

:: Major Themes
infatuation [Flyora and Glasha]
coping with the death of one's entire family [Flyora returned to find his family and entire village, slaughtered by Germans.]
ethnic hatred [Belorussian learned to hate their Teuton tormentors who, in turn, thought of the Slavs as vermin]
the desire for vengeance [in particular,the events of the movie instilled in Flyora a burning desire to do to Germans what Germans had done to Belorussians]

:: Minor Themes
patriotism [Flyora was in the beginning eager to join up and fight for his country]


movie: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
=======================================================

:: Title
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

:: Date
1988-03-25

:: Description
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spanish: Mujeres al borde de un
ataque de nervios) is a 1988 Spanish black comedy-drama film written and
directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The
film brought Almodóvar to widespread international attention: it was nominated
for the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and won five Goya
Awards including Best Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Maura. It
was released on 11 November 1988.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_on_the_Verge_of_a_Nervous_Breakdown

:: Ratings
2 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
womanizing man [the story followed some women's pursuit of a man who had been with all of them and who was notoriously unfaithful]
hell hath no fury like a woman scorned [Lucia wanted to murder Ivan for having left her 20 years ago; Pepa acted crazy and broke things in her flat because Ivan left her]

:: Major Themes
romantic jealousy [various women of each other, but especially Lucia of Pepa and other of Ivan's women]
female-female rivalry [for example Pepa and Paulina over Ivan]

:: Minor Themes
terrorism [There was talk about Shiite terrorists hijacking a plane.]
what if I became accessory to a friend's crime [Candela discovered that her lover was a Shiite terrorist using her as cover for crime, and she thought the police was after her]
suicide [Candela tried to kill herself by jumping off the balcony]
murder [Lucia tried to murder Ivan.]
love triangle [Carlos, Candela, Marisa]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Carlos and Marisa]
aircraft hijacking [There was talk about Shiite terrorists hijacking a plane.]


movie: Die Hard (1988)
======================

:: Title
Die Hard

:: Date
1988-07-12

:: Description
Die Hard is a 1988 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan,
written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979
novel Nothing Lasts Forever, it was produced by the Gordon Company and Silver
Pictures, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film follows off-duty New
York City Police Department officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) who is caught
in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve during a heist led by criminal
mastermind Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
facing a mortal enemy [John faced several mortal enemies one at a time and killed them]

:: Major Themes
facing a hostage situation [John faced terrorists with hostages]
burglary [The terrorists were in fact trying to rob the corporation.]
murder [The terrorists committed several cold blooded murders.]

:: Minor Themes
law enforcement [We saw officer Powell on the job.]
husband and wife [John and Holly, estranged]
what if I told the truth and nobody would believe me [at first official didn't believe John when he reported the terrorists]
Christmas traditions [the film had Christmas music and referenced Santa Claus when we saw the message "Now I have a machine gun, ho, ho, ho."]


movie: Do the Right Thing (1989)
================================

:: Title
Do the Right Thing

:: Date
1989-05-19

:: Description
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and
directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee,
Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L.
Jackson, and is the feature film debut of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. The
story follows a Brooklyn neighborhood's simmering racial tension, which
culminates in tragedy on a hot summer day.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_the_Right_Thing

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
racism in society [There were endless streams of slurs against both blacks and asians. A guy in car and Pino disliked black people. Buggin' Out had it in for white people.]
life in inner city America [We saw an idea of how people lived in Brooklyn in the 1980s.]
hatred [there was hatred aplenty - most of it rooted in race]

:: Major Themes
brother and sister [Mookie and Jade]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Mookie and Tina]
police brutality [Rioting ensued when police officers killed Radio Raheem while trying to arrest him.]

:: Minor Themes
the role of the disabled in society [Smiley, a mentally disabled man who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell hand-colored pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.]
infatuation [Da Mayor with Mother Sister]
heroism [Da Mayor saved a boy from a car and the act was noted]
alcohol abuse [Da Mayor was several times berated for being a drunkard]


movie: Goodfellas (1990)
========================

:: Title
Goodfellas

:: Date
1990-09-09

:: Description
Goodfellas (stylized GoodFellas) is a 1990 American crime film directed by
Martin Scorsese. It is an adaptation of the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy by
Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film narrates
the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from
1955 to 1980.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
organized crime [We saw how Henry grew up to become a mobster, a mob boss, and a drug kingpin.]

:: Major Themes
murder [There were numerous murders.]
loyalty [there was a big deal about being loyal to Paulie and the mob, each other, spouses etc. - in the end Henry ratted on everyone to save his own skin]
husband and wife [Henry and Karen got married]
illegal drug trade [Henry started moving drugs mid-story.]
romantic infidelity [Henry had a mistress, which made his marriage turbulent.]
what if I was super rich [from time to time we imagine the luxurious life of being moderately rich]
romantic jealousy [Karen was jealous of Henry's mistresses.]
duty vs. self-preservation [there were various cases where people deliberated whether to betray their cronies in order to save their own skin - in the end Henry ratted on everyone to save his own skin]
drug abuse [mistress, Sandy, snorted a lot of powder. Later every other person seemed to be on drugs.]
romantic love [Henry and Karen had a complicated relationship but seemed to genuinely love each other]

:: Minor Themes
father and son [father beat Henry for missing school]
mother and son [mother disapproved of Henry looking like a gangster]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Henry and Karen were dating]
human aspiration [Henry wanted nothing better than being a gangster]
mother and daughter [we saw Karen argue with her Jewish mother]
what it is like in prison [We saw an idea of what prison might be like for wise guys.]


movie: Daughters of the Dust (1991)
===================================

:: Title
Daughters of the Dust

:: Date
1991-01

:: Description
Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film written, directed and
produced by Julie Dash and is the first feature film directed by an African-
American woman distributed theatrically in the United States. Set in 1902, it
tells the story of three generations of Gullah (also known as Geechee) women
in the Peazant family on Saint Helena Island as they prepare to migrate to the
North on the mainland.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughters_of_the_Dust

:: Ratings
3 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in Crow law era America [The viewer is shown how some Black people lived on their former plantation island in 1902, Georgia, America.]
slavery [the main characters were relatively recently freed slaves or family thereof; the story gradually revealed something about the slave uprising and mass suicide at Igbo Landing; we heard many times about slave ships coming to America]
family affairs [the story featured many typical little problems within the Peazant family]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Eli and Eula]
grandmother and granddaughter [Nana argued with various granddaughters about leaving the island]
leaving one's old life behind [the whole family struggled with the decision to leave their poor lives on the island and move to the mainland]
coping with having been raped [Eula had been raped and worried Eli might not accept the unborn child as his]
young character vs. old character [granddaughters vs. Nana]
coping with time passing you by [Nana's old fashioned superstitions and wisdoms were not much appreciated by her granddaughters and Nana felt she would not fit in on the mainland]

:: Minor Themes
American Civil War [the freeing of slaves some generations earlier was mentioned (older characters recalled being slaves)]
infatuation [Iona and St. Julian]


movie: Pulp Fiction (1994)
==========================

:: Title
Pulp Fiction

:: Date
1994-05-21

:: Description
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin
Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary. Starring John Travolta, Samuel
L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, it tells
several stories of criminal Los Angeles. The title refers to the pulp
magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century,
known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction

:: Ratings

:: Choice Themes
nihilism [American nihilism: the story demonstrates human life is banal, arbitrary and random.]

:: Major Themes
loyalty [Vincent worries about loyalty while he looks after his bosses wife; Butch double-crossed Marsellus but later saved him from the perverts; Vincent and Jules were sent to execute a group of treasonous drug dealers]
betrayal [Marsellus was betrayed by drug dealers, and Butch. Vincent stayed loyal.]
the desire for vengeance [Marsellus wanted revenge on Butch, on drug dealers, and on the perverts who raped him]
organized crime [We saw an idea of how a little crime syndicate may operate, with hit men and a mob boss.]
murder [The killing of Marvin is treated differently than the rest and a concern for the law is apparent.]
boyfriend and girlfriend [the relationship between Butch and Fabienne was featured at length; the restaurant robbers a bit]

:: Minor Themes
robbery [The story began with a side-story in which a couple were discussing robbery of banks, liqueur stores, and restaurants.]
illegal drug trade [The trading of narcotics was intermittently topical but not overall significant to the plot.]
duty vs. desire [Vincent was tempted with his bosses wife, but stayed constant]
romantic infidelity [The possibility of Mia's infidelity (with a henchman who was thrown out the window or with Vincent) was discussed.]
drug abuse [Mia overdosed after mistaking Vincent's heroin for cocaine]
husband and wife [Marsellus and Mia]
romantic love [Butch and Fabienne seemed genuinely besotted]
bondage sex [Vincent and Marsellus got trapped in a bdsm dungeon were Marsellus was raped]
coping with having been raped [Marsellus was furious after his rape]
mercy [Jules found religion and gave mercy to Ringo]
finding religion [Jules found religion after numerous shots at point-blank range miraculously missed him]


movie: Seven (1995)
===================

:: Title
Seven

:: Date
1995-09-15

:: Description
Seven (stylized as SE7EN) is a 1995 American crime thriller film was directed
by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Brad Pitt,
Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and John C. McGinley. The film
tells the story of David Mills, a detective who partners with the retiring
William Somerset to track down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins
as a motif in his murders.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_(1995_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
the deadly sins [the serial killer used the seven deadly sins from Christianity as his theme]
law enforcement [We saw the everyday lives of some police investigators trying to solve a series of murders.]
serial murder [The story centered on a serial killer trying to complete his masterpiece.]

:: Major Themes
young character vs. old character [young David Mills in contrast with near retiring William Somerset]
friendship [David and William became fast friends despite their initial friction]
what if I was at the mercy of a mad person [we heard the fate of various people who had found them selves captive and at the mercy of John Doe for extended time]
the desire for vengeance [the film seemed to lead up to the conclusion in which David was manipulated into killing John Doe in an outburst of vengeful wrath]

:: Minor Themes
boyfriend and girlfriend [particularly David and Tracy]
expecting parents [Tracy was pregnant and deliberated on whether to tell David]
corruption in society [the lawyer was said to be corrupt; Somerset mentioned police taking bribe from the press]
the desire to be remembered [John Doe explained that he wanted his work to be puzzled over for ages]
taking the law into one's own hands [David very briefly seemed to deliberate before he extra judicially executed John Doe]


movie: Toy Story (1995)
=======================

:: Title
Toy Story

:: Date
1995-11-19

:: Description
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy comedy film produced by
Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The feature film
directorial debut of John Lasseter, it was the first entirely computer-
animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. The
screenplay was written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec
Sokolow from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The
film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs
and Edwin Catmull. It features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don
Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, R. Lee
Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
there is strength in unity [the toys prevailed when they united, at Andy's house, then Sid's house, then in the moving van]

:: Major Themes
coping with being washed up [Woody felt like he was old and obsolete next to Buzz]
male bonding [through perils and shared adventure, Woody and Buzz went from enmity to comradery]
friendship [Buzz and Woody]
human childhood [we saw stereotypical childhood games and activities for two different boys: Andy and Sid]
male-male rivalry [Woody vs. Buzz]
putting differences aside [Woody and Buzz had to bury the hatchet in order to work together to get home to Andy]
a common enemy unites [when faced with a shared enemy, Sid, Buzz and Woody had to unite despite being enemies]

:: Minor Themes
mother and son [Andy and his mom briefly at intervals]
sadism [Sid was cruel and sadistic to both his toys and his sister]
brother and sister [Sid and his sister]
lesson in humility [Sid was apparently scared straight from his toy-torturing ways]
what if I told the truth and nobody would believe me [Woody tried to explain the situation to the other toys but they wouldn't believe him]
master and pet [Sid and dog]


movie: Heat (1995)
==================

:: Title
Heat

:: Date
1995-12-15

:: Description
Heat is a 1995 American crime film written, produced, and directed by Michael
Mann, starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer. De Niro plays Neil
McCauley, a seasoned professional at robberies, and Pacino plays Lt. Vincent
Hanna, an LAPD robbery-homicide detective tracking down Neil's crew after a
botched heist leaves three security guards dead. The story is based on the
former Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson's pursuit during the 1960s of a
criminal named McCauley, after whom De Niro's character is named. Heat is a
remake by Mann of an unproduced television series he had worked on, the pilot
of which was released as the TV movie L.A. Takedown in 1989.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_(1995_film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
risk taking vs. playing it safe [the film centered on Neil's decisions to walk away from heists, or proceed with them depending on "the heat" he was under]

:: Major Themes
romantic love [Neil and Eady; Vincent and Justine]
law enforcement [We saw various ideas of what it might be like in the LAPD and related departments.]
the desire for justice [Vincent was a driven police officer who wanted to see right done]
how to rob a bank and get away with it [Neil and his crew robbed a number of bank-like institutions]
facing organized pursuit [Neil and crew were chased and tailed by the police but knew how to deal with it]
love vs. career [Vincent neglected his wife for his job; Neil in spite of tough talk, risked everything for Eady in the end]
the desire for vengeance [there were minor incidents of revenge, but in the end Neil blew everything because he wanted to get back at Waingro]
loyalty [Waingro betrayed Neil; Charlene stayed loyal to Chris; Neil thought that Eady had betrayed him outside the hospital]
respect for an enemy [story came back to how Neil and Vincent came to appreciate each other's situation and intelligence - in the end the clasped hands]

:: Minor Themes
romantic infidelity [Justine cheated on Vincent in order to get closure.]
suicide [Vincent's step-daughter tried to kill herself in his bathtub]


movie: Secrets  Lies (1996)
===========================

:: Title
Secrets & Lies

:: Date
1996-05

:: Description
Secrets & Lies is a 1996 drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. Led by
an ensemble cast consisting of many Leigh regulars, it stars Marianne Jean-
Baptiste as Hortense, a well-educated black middle-class London optometrist,
who was adopted as a baby and has chosen to trace her family history – only to
discover that her birth mother, Cynthia, played by Brenda Blethyn, is a
working-class white woman with a dysfunctional family. Claire Rushbrook co-
stars as Cynthia's other daughter Roxanne, while Timothy Spall and Phyllis
Logan portray Cynthia's brother and sister-in-law, who have secrets of their
own affecting their everyday family life.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secrets_%26_Lies_(film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
mother and daughter [Cynthia and Hortense; Cynthia and Roxanne]
brother and sister [Maurice and Cynthia]
photography [Maurice was a passionate photographer.]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Paul and Roxanne]
husband and wife [Maurice and Monica]
romantic love [Maurice and Monica professed love in bed; Roxanne and Paul professed their love briefly]
in-law relationship [Cynthia and Monica had a turbulent relationship]
the need to know one's roots [Hortense was driven by a desire to know her biological ancestry]

:: Minor Themes
coping with personal failure [Maurice's former business partner showed up and begged for charity]
alcohol abuse [Maurice's former boss obviously drank to excess]
facing financial ruin [Maurice's former boss begged for money; Cynthia accepted charity from Maurice]
sister and sister [Roxanne and Hortense]
what if I found out I was a different person than I thought I was [Hortense discovered that her biological mother was in fact white]
coping with the death of a parent [Cynthia mourned her dad. Hortense mourned her mother.]


movie: Beau Travail (1999)
==========================

:: Title
Beau Travail

:: Date
1999

:: Description
Beau Travail (pronounced , French for "good work") is a 1999 French film
directed by Claire Denis that is loosely based on Herman Melville's 1888
novella Billy Budd. The story is set in Djibouti, where the protagonists are
soldiers in the French Foreign Legion. Parts of the soundtrack of the movie
are from Benjamin Britten's opera based on the novella.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Travail

:: Ratings
2 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
military related work [We saw an idea of what people do in the French foreign Legion, throughout the story.]
male-male rivalry [Galoup and Sentain were at each other's throats]

:: Major Themes
jealousy [Galoup at Sentain over the professional attention the latter received from their commander, Forestier.]
male homosexuality [we understand that there was a homosexual dimension to Galoup's feelings for Sentain and Forestier]
boyfriend and girlfriend [we saw Galoup and his girlfriend from time to time]
murder [Galoup plotted to murder Sentain, almost succeeded, and was court-martialed for having done it]

:: Minor Themes
discipline in the workplace [black guy had to dig a pit as punishment for deserting his post; a few points were made about obedience]


movie: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
=====================================

:: Title
The Blair Witch Project

:: Date
1999-01-25

:: Description
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written,
directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It tells the
fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C.
Williams, and Joshua Leonard—who hike in the Black Hills near Burkittsville,
Maryland in 1994 to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair
Witch. The three disappeared, but their equipment and footage is discovered a
year later. The purportedly "recovered footage" is the film the viewer sees.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
human vs. the occult [three young filmmakers were haunted by the ghost of a which while lost in a forest]
what if a killer was after me [three young filmmakers were lost in a forest and tormented by someone or something that, it transpired, sought their eventual death]
coping with being lost in the forest [three young filmmakers were lost in a forest]

:: Major Themes
group morale [we saw a variety of attempts to keep spirits up in the little trio]
cracking under pressure [chased by a witch and lost in the woods, all three people eventually lost their composures]
witch [if the antagonist was indeed the Blair Witch, she was likely supernatural]
serial murder [The legend involved a man who, prompted by the witch, abducted and murdered local children. The story seemed to end in the very basement where the murders had occurred.]

:: Minor Themes
working together under stress [the three young filmmakers were increasingly stressed out about getting lost during the trek, but tried to carry on filming nonetheless]
hexes and curses [The trio came across a variety of ominous symbols and figures that we imagine were used in witchcraft.]


movie: In the Mood for Love (2000)
==================================

:: Title
In the Mood for Love

:: Date
2000-05-20

:: Description
In the Mood for Love is a 2000 Hong Kong romantic drama film written,
produced, and directed by Wong Kar-wai. It tells the story of a man (played by
Tony Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) whose spouses have an affair together
and who slowly develop feelings for each other.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Mood_for_Love

:: Ratings
2 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
romantic love [Chow and Su sort of fell in love]
romantic infidelity [Chow and Su were both cheated on by their spouses.]
forbidden love [Chow and Su are in love but can't act on it because of being married to other people]

:: Major Themes
husband and wife [Chow and wife; Su and husband]
love triangle [Chow, wife, Su, husband]

:: Minor Themes
figuring out what to do with one's life [Chow debated writing a martial arts series, and then moving to Singapore]


movie: Mulholland Drive (2001)
==============================

:: Title
Mulholland Drive

:: Date
2001-05-16

:: Description
Mulholland Drive (stylized as Mulholland Dr.) is a 2001 American neo-noir
mystery film written and directed by David Lynch and starring Naomi Watts,
Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Mark Pellegrino and Robert Forster.
It tells the story of an aspiring actress named Betty Elms (Watts), newly
arrived in Los Angeles, who meets and befriends an amnesiac woman (Harring)
recovering from a car accident. The story follows several other vignettes and
characters, including a Hollywood film director (Theroux).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulholland_Drive_(film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes

:: Major Themes
what if I had amnesia ["Rita" remembered nothing after her car accident.]
organized crime [We saw the illicit activities of some powerful gangsters whose boss wanted to influence a movie director to pick a specific actress.]
murder [There were numerous murders and murder attempts.]
acting [Betty was an aspiring actress.]
coping with getting dumped [Diane was dumped by Camilla, or maybe it was a counter-dumping, but then Diane goes nuts (and possibly the whole weird movie ties into this retrospectively)]
girlfriend and girlfriend [Camille and Diane, and various alter egos perhaps]
romantic love [Betty proclaimed her love for Rita; Diane was obsessively besotted with Camille]

:: Minor Themes
coping with a tough customer [mobster spat out his painstakingly procured gourmet espresso]
husband and wife [Adam and wife]
romantic infidelity [Adam's wife was cheating on him.]
what if a killer was after me [mobster hitmen were chasing Adam for a bit]
dangerous driving [The story started with teenagers racing down the eponymous Mulholland Drive.]
lesbianism [Betty and Rita had a somewhat conspicuous tryst - the roundabout way in which they became intimate implies some social controversy although we saw no one else's reactions]
suicide [Diane killed herself in the end]
mother and son [Adam introduce his mother]
remorse [Diane presumably felt bad about having hired a hitman since she killed herself]
romantic jealousy [Diane was jealous enough of Camille's fiancée to hire a hitman.]


movie: Spirited Away (2001)
===========================

:: Title
Spirited Away

:: Date
2001-07-20

:: Description
Spirited Away (Japanese: 千と千尋の神隠し, Hepburn: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi,
"Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away") is a 2001 Japanese animated coming-of-age
fantasy drama film. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by
Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena
Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film and Mitsubishi and distributed by
Toho. The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito,
Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, and Bunta Sugawara. Spirited
Away tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a moody 10-year-old girl who,
while moving to a new neighbourhood, enters the world of Kami (spirits) of
Japanese Shinto folklore. After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch
Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a
way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
Japanese folklore [The film is filled with gods, spirits, and ideas from traditional Japanese folk traditions.]
coming of age [Chihiro was an insecure child taken to the magic land by her parents. She then had to put her fears aside, learn to work and face hardship in order to save herself and her parents.]

:: Major Themes
the lust for gold [Yubaba and the other denizens of the bathhouse were obsessed with getting treasure from customers]
mass consumerism [Miyazaki has himself stated that elements of the story are a commentary on modern human greed in e.g. the bubble economy of 1980s Japan]
compassion [time and again it was Chihiro's kindness and compassion that earned her the loyalty of allies who later helped her]
kindness [time and again it was Chihiro's kindness and compassion that earned her the loyalty of allies who later helped her]
magic powers [Yubaba and her twin sister were sorceresses with various magical abilities.]
mother and daughter [the story centered on Chihiro's quest to save her parents whom she missed]
father and daughter [the story centered on Chihiro's quest to save her parents whom she missed]
friendship [Chihiro made friends with various spirits who later helped her]
humans at work [there was some typically Japanese theme about working harmoniously at the bathhouse, pulling one's weight and fitting in]

:: Minor Themes
pollution in society [the stink spirit river god had been polluted with piles of human consumerist waste; Haku's background may have tangentially been the type of theme.]
husband and wife [we briefly saw interaction between Chihiro's parents]


movie: Lost in Translation (2003)
=================================

:: Title
Lost in Translation

:: Date
2003-08-29

:: Description
Lost in Translation is a 2003 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed
by Sofia Coppola. It stars Bill Murray as aging actor Bob Harris, who
befriends college graduate Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in a Tokyo hotel.
The movie explores themes of loneliness, insomnia, existential ennui, and
culture shock against the backdrop of a modern Japanese city.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_Translation_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
foreign point of view [We were shown Japanese culture trough the eyes of the Americans Bob and Charlotte.]

:: Major Themes
extramarital affair [Bob and Charlotte contemplated having an affair, or perhaps had a chaste but brief affair depending on one's view]
husband and wife [we saw the louse relationships in Bob and Charlotte's respective marriages]
communicating with someone who speaks a different language [the film returned to the problem of language time and again]
the entertainment industry [We saw an idea of what life is like for actors, photographers, directors, etc.]
alternate points of view [we saw how things natural to the Japanese may seem odd to foreigners]
boredom [both Bob and Charlotte were bored with their time at the hotel in particular, but perhaps with Japan in general]
male midlife crisis [we heard that Bob was undergoing a midlife crisis and his behavior seemed to support that]
friendship [Bob and Charlotte became fast friends, and borderline more as they kissed from time to time]
figuring out what to do with one's life [Mabel was struggling to decide what to make of herself]
infatuation [Bob and Charlotte became besotted with each other]

:: Minor Themes
disintegrating romantic relationship [at least Bob's marriage seemed to be cracking]
coping with being famous [Bob had a few annoying run-ins with fans and the like]
romantic infidelity [Bob had a one-night-stand with a singer from the bar, thus perhaps cheating on both his wife and on Charlotte it seemed the next day]
romantic jealousy [Mabel was jealous of the blond model that courted Mabel's husband, and of the red haired singer who slept with Bob.]
father and son [we heard indirectly of Bob and his son]


movie: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
================================

:: Title
Brokeback Mountain

:: Date
2005-09-02

:: Description
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee
and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short
story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana
and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne
Hathaway, and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex emotional and sexual
relationship between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in the American West from
1963 to 1983.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
boyfriend and boyfriend [Ennis and Jack]
male homosexuality [Ennis and Jack's relationship was clearly an embarrassment in the eyes of their society, and in the end Jack may have been killed for it or so Ennis imagines]
romantic love [Ennis and Jack; to a lesser extent Ennis and Alma, Jack and Lureen]

:: Major Themes
choosing between love and family [Ennis choose family over Jack, twice over]
human romantic relationship choice [Ennis and Jack both struggled with such choices.]
love vs. career [Jack persistently implored Ennis to leave his ranching jobs and come to Texas]
disintegrating romantic relationship [Ennis and Jack disintegrated at least once; Ennis and Alma eventually divorced]
extramarital affair [Ennis was unfaithful to Alma; Jack was unfaithful to Lureen]
husband and wife [Ennis and Alma; Jack and Lureen]
obsessive love [Ennis and Jack became so infatuated with each other that they nearly killed one another.]
loser character [Ennis complained of his poverty and go-nowhere job which he could not afford to lose - Alma left him because he could not support their family.]
coping with an overly private individual [various people complained about Ennis being tight lipped]
coping with the death of a lover [Ennis was crushed when he learned that Jack had died.]
romantic jealousy [Ennis was jealous of Jack's other lovers. Alma was jealous of the affection Ennis showed Jack.]

:: Minor Themes
father and daughter [Ennis and Alma Jr.]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Ennis and Cassie]
father-in-law and son-in-law [Jack had a complicated relationship with Lureen's father]
father and son [Jack and his boy were featured briefly]
mother and son [Lureen and her boy were featured briefly]
mother and daughter [Alma and her daughters were featured very briefly]
coping with a jealous lover [Ennis had a jealous outburst during which he threatened to kill Jack]


movie: There Will Be Blood (2007)
=================================

:: Title
There Will Be Blood

:: Date
2007-09-27

:: Description
There Will Be Blood is a 2007 American epic drama film written and directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair. It
stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a silver miner-turned-oilman on a ruthless quest for
wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Dillon Freasier
also feature in the film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Will_Be_Blood

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
life in the American Wild West [we saw a believable portrayal of the lives of various characters between 1898 and 1927 in the American west]
the lust for gold [Daniel wanted to make a fortune and derided people who were greedy but did not want to admit it, especially Eli]
family vs. career [Daniel several times prioritized making money over taking care of his son and ended up a miserable old man]

:: Major Themes
single fatherhood [Daniel and H.W. - we are told the mother died in childbirth]
father and son [Daniel and H.W.]
negotiation [Daniel bargained with various people - especially with Eli]
brother and brother [Daniel and Henry]
the desire for fame [Eli wanted to be a famous preacher and maneuvered to that end]
Christianity [Eli and his Church of the Third Revelation was central to the story]
misanthropy [Daniel told Henry he hated just about everyone and arguably the whole film was an illustration of how an openly selfish Daniel saw through the concealed selfish conceits of others]
the desire for vengeance [Daniel and Eli variously sought vengeance on each other]

:: Minor Themes
what if I was injured and far away from help [Daniel broke his leg and had to arduously drag himself out of the mine and back to help]
faith healing [Eli engaged in a bit of faith healing fakery.]
coping with a loved one being in peril [Daniel with H.W. when the pump caught fire]
coping with a disability [H.W. lost his hearing in an explosion]
parenting a physically disabled child [Daniel with H.W. after he lost his hearing]
hate begets hate [because Daniel beat up Eli, Eli beat up Abel]
loser character [Henry came off as a stereotypical looser.]
jealousy [Daniel discussed envy with Henry.]
murder [Daniel killed the man who was impersonating Daniel's brother, at the end he brutally killed Eli.]
husband and wife [H.W. and Mary got married]
fatherly disappointment in a son [Daniel disowned H.W. by telling him he's an orphan]
parent and child rivalry [Daniel disliked that H.W. intended to start a rivaling company.]
selling out for money [Eli was made to renounce his faith in order to obtain money]


movie: The Dark Knight (2008)
=============================

:: Title
The Dark Knight

:: Date
2008-07-14

:: Description
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, co-produced, and co-written
by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the
second installment of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's
Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine, Heath
Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. In
the film, Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman)
and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle
organized crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by an anarchistic mastermind
known as the Joker (Ledger), who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and
turn the city to chaos.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_(film)

:: Ratings
5 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
vigilante justice [Batman was contrasted with copy cat vigilantes. The police cooperated clandestinely with Batman as he is legally an outlaw.]
sacrifice for one's people [Batman contemplated giving himself up to save innocents in Gotham from further terror; in a sense it is also Batman's background story; finally he took the blame for Harvey's crimes so as to leave Gotham with a role model]

:: Major Themes
what if I was super rich [we must imagine ourselves in super rich Bruce Wayne's luxurious shoes]
love triangle [Bruce, Harvey, Rachel]
justification for torture [both Batman and Harvey tortured people for info]
the end justifies the means [Batman tortured, broke various laws, and set up a city-wide espionage system - all in the name of fighting crime]
psychopathy [The Joker clearly had no feelings for his many victims that he dispatched with glee.]
facing a hostage situation [in particular the episode with the boats, but there were various briefer hostage situations as well]
coping with the death of a lover [Harvey Dent sought to avenge his lover Rachel's death.]
coping with a loved one being in peril [various but Harvey/Bruce with Rachel, and Gordon with family]
the making of a monster to society [We saw how Harvey turned into the psychotic killer two-face.]

:: Minor Themes
bank robbery [The film starts with a straightforward bank robbery.]
coping with being disfigured [the joker was horribly disfigured and intermittent remarks were made about it; two-face also disfigured]
what it is like in a legal proceeding [We saw a brief testimony in court.]
choosing between lovers [Rachel to choose between Bruce and Harvey]
misanthropy [the Joker expressed his misanthropy especially during the interrogation]
mass surveillance [Bruce/Batman set up a mass surveillance system by co-opting people's phones.]
legal occupation [We saw a brief testimony in court.]


movie: Boyhood (2014)
=====================

:: Title
Boyhood

:: Date
2014-01-19

:: Description
Boyhood is a 2014 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by
Richard Linklater, and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei
Linklater, and Ethan Hawke. Filmed from 2001 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the
childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. (Coltrane) from ages six to
eighteen as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents (Arquette and Hawke).
Richard Linklater's daughter Lorelei plays Mason's sister, Samantha.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyhood_(film)

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
coming of age [we saw Mason and Samantha grow from pre-teens to young adults]
dysfunctional upbringing [Mason and Samantha had a turbulent upbringing with their mostly single mom]

:: Major Themes
brother and sister [Mason and Samantha]
mother and son [Olivia and Mason]
mother and daughter [Olivia and Samantha]
father and daughter [Mason Sr and Samantha]
father and son [Mason Sr and Mason Jr]
boyfriend and girlfriend [countless couples formed and dissolved]

:: Minor Themes
alcohol abuse [Bill drank and became violent]
disintegrating romantic relationship [Bill and Olivia broke up]
domestic violence [Bill hit Olivia and was generally violent.]
the birds and the bees [Mason talked to an uncomfortable Samantha about sex]
what it is like in high school [We saw Mason in some sort of arts high school.]
coping with getting dumped [Mason got dumped and they talked it over]
stepfather and stepdaughter [Bill and Samantha]
stepfather and stepson [Bill and Mason]
facing financial ruin [Olivia in particular was on the verge of ruin a few times]
is there a purpose to life [The Masons briefly talked about the meaning of life, and Olivia cried about it.]
child leaving the nest [Mason and Samantha moved away from Olivia.]
conspiracy theory [albeit in jest, we heard allusions to government surveillance conspiracy stuff]


movie: Get Out (2017)
=====================

:: Title
Get Out

:: Date
2017-01-23

:: Description
Get Out is a 2017 American horror film, written and directed by Jordan Peele
in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel
Howery, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, and Catherine
Keener. Get Out follows Chris Washington (Kaluuya), a young African-American
man who uncovers a disturbing secret when he meets the family of his white
girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Williams).

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Out

:: Ratings
4 <mikael>

:: Choice Themes
racism in society [the film showed how white American people can (still) be unintentionally racist towards black people]

:: Major Themes
interracial couple [the story centered on a black young man with his white upper-class girlfriend, meeting her family]
boyfriend and girlfriend [Chris and Rose]
brain transplant [as a macabre twist, we learn that the black people behaving strangely have actually had rich white people's brains transplanted into them]
what if I fell into the clutches of a homicidal maniac [Chris found himself tied up in the basement and being prepped for brain surgery]

:: Minor Themes
husband and wife [Dean and Missy]
father and daughter [Dean and Rose]
mother and daughter [Missy and Rose]
brother and sister [Jeremy and Rose]
father and son [Dean and Jeremy]
mother and son [Missy and Jeremy]
master and servant [we thought Georgina and Walter were servants to the Armitages]
photography [Chris was a professional and talented photographer.]
the fine arts and the humanities [Chris discussed his photography with a famous art dealer.]
what if I told the truth and nobody would believe me [Rod tried to convince the regular police that black people were bring kidnapped and used as sex slaves]
slavery [indirect references to actual slavery were made]
speculative hypnosis [Missy was able to hypnotize people, make them stop smoking, and send them to The Sunken Place.]


