DailyView: Day 242, Movie 337

After watching the 2003 movie Monster starring Charlize Theron this morning, I went flailing down the rabbit hole. I watched a 1992 documentary by Nick Broomfield called Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer that looked upon the life of the subject from the movie, Aileen Wuornos, popularly known as the first female serial killer.

However, as I was looking over the information on the documentary, I discovered that Nick Broomfield made a second doc with Aileen Wuornos as a topic, this time entitled Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer. I figured this would put a bow on the day’s topic and so down the rabbit hole I went.

Whereas The Selling of a Serial Killer was showing how the people in Aileen’s life, her adopted family, her lawyer, were using the tale to make money, there was less of that here. Steve, Aileen’s original lawyer does make a return to the documentary during a hearing to attempt to get a new trial for Aileen on grounds that his representation was ineffective (and Steve was considerably less out there than he was in the first doc) but we also go to see Nick Broomfield take the stand to defend the doc itself.

There was a lot of rehashing the first documentary in the early part of Life and Death of a Serial Killer, but it found its voice about midway through as Nick was granted several interviews with Aileen herself and he came out with some golden moments.

She said that everything she had said about self defense was not true, that everything they had said about her killing in cold blood was true and that she wanted to make sure that she was not lying as she was preparing to meet God after the execution.

Then, the most gripping moment came when she thought that Nick was no longer recording. She whispered to him that she had to say these things and that it was self-defense because she wanted Nick to continue her message about the crooked cops that she believed allowed her to continue to kill people.

At this point, the film began to focus on the fact that Aileen had left reality, that she had gone crazy, but that the execution would still press on. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush continued to push for the execution (it was implied that he was doing so because of an upcoming election). A state appointed psychologist was sent into see Aileen and, according to Nick, spent 15 minutes with Aileen and determined that she was mentally fit to face her execution.

Watching the lunacy come and go from her face during the times Nick was interviewing her was amazing. She was obviously paranoid about the police and their responsibility in her crimes. Nick had talked to her birthmother and when he mentioned her to Aileen, she transformed into pure hatred. Her eyes were dark and frighteningly full. It was the most uneasy moment of the entire doc.

After spending just a little time with her on the screen, I can not understand how anyone could consider her mentally capable. I suppose in a legal manner, that she knew what she was doing was wrong was what would have been used to determine but watching her change from friendly woman happy to see Nick to a raving firebrand whose eyeballs seemed to be bulging from her skull.

Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Her final words were read in a statement: “I’m sailing with the Rock, and I’ll be back. Like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mothership and all. I’ll be back, I’ll be back.”

DailyView: Day 242, Movie 336

After watching Monster with Charlize Theron this morning, I was interested in learning more about Aileen “Lee” Wuornos and the true story that Monster was based upon. I found a documentary from 1992 on YouTube from filmmaker Nick Broomfield.

This documentary spent more time dealing with the time period of Aileen Wuornos was in prison and was awaiting for her time on Death Row, with the murders she committed being used as a background to the story.

Part of the documentary focused on the people who were in Wuornos’s life, a religious fanatic Arlene Pralle, who legally adopted Wuornos and wound up giving the accused serial killer advise that may not have been in her best interest. We also meet Wuornos’s attorney, Steven Glazer, was a bizarre and clearly questionable lawyer for Wuornos. His continual guitar playing and song singing made this guy look vey much like a reaper.

In fact, there sure seemed to be a focus here on a group of people who were more concerned in cashing in on the infamy of Aileen Wuornos than they were in giving her the best representation possible or support in the final days of her life. It seemed very much so that these people were vultures attracted by the corpse that would be America’s first female serial killer, as Wuornos was dubbed.

The interview at the end of the doc with Aileen was compelling and she said some things that made a lot of sense. I am not saying that she came off as innocent, because she did not, but there are some factors, especially with the testimony from her first trial, that could have changed the outcome of the trial.

We heard a lot more from other people about Aileen and they all felt as if they had their own motives for doing what they were doing. Honestly, Aileen came off in her own interview as easily manipulated and maybe even somewhat confused. The fact that she was on record making negative comments in courts including swearing and threats did not help her case at all.

This doc makes a great companion piece to Monster and gives the case even more potential depth.

DailyView: Day 242, Movie 335

This was a tough one to watch the day after Christmas.

Monster is the story of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute that became a serial killer, who would lure men in and kill them for their money and cars. Patty Jenkins wrote and directed this biopic about Wuornos (Charlize Theron) and her relationship with Selby (Christina Ricci).

I’m not sure the definition of a serial killer fits in this case, at least from what the movie lays out, but the deep, layered performance from Charlize Theron was easily the standout part of this movie.

Theron is practically unrecognizable as Aileen, a battered and abused woman looking for a way to survive in life. After meeting Selby, Aileen attempted to leave the hooking profession and go straight, but her lack of skills and education doomed that dream immediately and Aileen’s brashness and bluntness rubbed people the wrong way.

So when she returned to turning tricks to raise money to support Selby and herself, she found herself in a violent encounter with a man who had a gun. This first incident was self-defense, but she seemed to realize that she could get ahead killing these men.

Monster is a powerfully painful story of a woman who never had a chance. Charlize Theron is completely lost in the role, and she creates a tragic character out of this horrendous person who wound up being executed in 2002. Christina Ricci adds her own excellent work to the quieter role of Selby, whose relationship with Aileen drove the narrative.

The scene where Aileen killed a name named Horton (Scott Wilson, Herschel from the Walking Dead) was a painful and horrible scene. The man Horton was such a kind hearted man who was just trying to help this woman whom he saw as needing his assistance and, because her gun slipped out into sight, she had to kill him. It was a gut wrench of a scene.

Charlize Theron rightfully won the Academy Award for this performance. She transformed into this woman, having very little of Theron’s known beauty. The transformation is mind boggling and the performance was chilling. Theron’s talents should ever be doubted.

DailyView: Day 241, Movie 334

This movie has been on the watch list since the DailyView began back in April but the timing never worked out. When I extended the DailyView to be 365 days, I placed the image of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon on the banner so that I would make sure not to skip it.

Walk the Line is the biopic of country/rock music legend, Johnny Cash with a heavy part of the biopic focusing on the relationship Cash had with his eventual wife June Carter Cash.

Johnny Cash faced a lot of conflict in his life which led him to his marriage with June. Johnny went through drug problems, a violent temper, father (Robert Patrick) issues, the death of his older brother (Lucas Till) when he was a child, divorce, jail. Johnny Cash dealt with his demons with his music and the relationship to June Carter and she stuck by him despite his bad behavior.

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were brilliant in these roles, both receiving Oscar nominations for them. Witherspoon took home the Academy Award for June Carter. The film absolutely rested on the powerhouse performances by both of these two actors in the challenging life of the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer.

The music was excellent as well. Both Phoenix and Wetherspoon did their own singing for Walk the Line, the soundtrack winning a Grammy. Their roles are not an imitation of the iconic duo, but they bring the essence of John and June Carter Cash to the screen in many elegant and some not-so elegant ways.

A shout out should also go to Ginnifer Goodwin for her efforts in the role of Vivian Cash. She brought some serious acting chops into that role (and eventually went into Storybrooke as Snow White in Once Upon a Time). Goodwin was tremendous opposite Phoenix as Johnny’s first wife.

It was about time that this film made the DailyView. It is an exceptional biopic. There have been some controversy that they ignored a lot of Johnny Cash’s life and omitted some of the political aspects of his world, but it is not as if there was not already rich material to use. Walk the Line is excellent.

DailyView: Day 241, Movie 333

I meant to watch this first thing this morning for the DailyView, but I woke up to the internet connection being out. Not sure how long the internet would be out, I watched one of the Studio Ghibli films off DVD. However, it was not too long after I finished watching that movie that the internet returned. So I wrote the review for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and then I went to Netflix for El Camino Christmas.

I had seen the Rotten Tomatoes score for the film and it was at 40%. My expectations were low.

I really enjoyed this movie. I found it funny, filled with some awesome characters with a fantastic cast.

Eric Norris (Luke Grimes) arrived in El Camino, Nevada hoping to find the father who deserted him as a baby. Unfortunately, his trip led him to a drunken former vet Larry Roth (Tim Allen). Meanwhile, crooked local law officer Carl Hooker (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his idiot partner Deputy Billy Calhoun (Dax Shepard) arrest Eric on suspicion of meth dealing, and Carl beats Eric up trying to get a confession.

To avoid the potential police brutality charge that was coming, Billy let Eric loose. Eric was seen by Carl and they engaged in a car chase. This ended up with Eric inside a Liquor store with Carl, shot in the leg by Larry, the owner of the store Vicente (Emilio Rivera), liquor store worker Kate Daniels (Michelle Mylett) and her five-year old son Seth (Ashton Essex Bright), turning into a hostage situation.

Sheriff Bob Fuller (Yearwood Smith) is out front with Billy, keep control of the crazed situation that was only being escalated by the local police intervention.

I really enjoyed this movie as it went from straight comedy to a thriller with some tense moments. It even takes some time to take the potentially one note Carl and give him some character motivation that makes sense and creates an understanding of why Carl is the way he is. Vincent D’Onofrio is great as always and brings a level to Carl that a less talented actor may not have been able to do.

Tim Allen is better here than I have seen him in a long time and he plays a character unlike any other Tim Allen character I have seen before.

This was dark and funny, with engaging characters in a terrible situation. It was not what I expected, but I like this a lot.

DailyView: Day 241, Movie 332

I woke up this Christmas morning to the Internet service I subscribe to out completely. That put the DailyView into uncertainty. I had intended to watch the El Camino Christmas on Netflix (which will come later this afternoon), but that is yet to come. Because of the lack of streaming, I pulled out my Studio Ghibli DVD and looked for one of the remaining films I needed to see.

I picked The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

What a sad and joyous experience that was. It was a long film, one of the longest animated movies that I have seen, and it was a gorgeously animated film, with images of amazing artistic skills and glorious hand-drawn art.

I watched the English dubbed version of the film, so I heard some voices that I recognized such as Mary Steenburgen, Chloë Grace Moretz and James Caan.

The Bamboo Cutter (James Caan) was cutting down bamboo when he found a tiny princess. He took her home and gave it to his wife (Mary Steenburgen). The princess turned into a baby and started to grow quicker than normal. As she ages, she meets local kids and becomes close with them. Eventually, her father finds gold in the bamboo and he decided that he needed to take her to the capitol so she could become a proper princess in the upper class of Japanese society. Being dubbed Princess Kaguya in a naming ceremony, Kaguya started to rebel against the expectations of being a princess.

The story is an adaptation of one of the oldest Japanese folklore tales. The story is beautiful and the characterization is wonderful. It shows the way that women are treated in Japanese society, as well as in many other areas of the world as well.

It was too long. However, it is such a beautiful piece of art and a lovely and very sad film. It is a commitment to watch, but it is worth the time.

DailyView: Day 240, Movie 331

I was not expecting to see this movie start off with a scene from World War II. White Christmas is a classic Christmas film that has only a tangential connection to the holiday, but features Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in all their glory.

After saving his life during the war, Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) convinced musical star Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) that they would work better as a theatrical pair when the war was over. With great success, they stop off to see a new group, the Haynes Sisters. Judy (Vera-Ellen) and Betty (Rosemary Clooney). They hit it off and they wind up at the same place in Vermont. an inn owned by their beloved former General, Thomas Waverly (Dean Jagger). The unexpected lack of snow has caused financial struggles for the General. Wallace and David decided that they would help the general out by putting on their show.

There was a lot of great music. Again though, the only Christmas music is White Christmas which is done at the beginning and at the very end.

The dancing is brilliantly choreographed, especially the first dance scene with Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen. That dance routine to “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” is so spectacular.

The film is totally sweet and I can see where some people may think it was too much. There were typical misunderstandings involved in the plot that cause problems that could be overcome with just some communication. Thanks a lot, Mary Wickes (who played the nosy Emma).

There are some great parts tot eh film. It might be a bit too long, but the music and dance were fantastic and Bing Crosby, and especially, Danny Kaye were wonderful.

DailyView: Day 240, Movie 330

Christmas Eve brings a little treat I found on Netflix. Bill Murray in a Christmas special featuring a group of celebrities, music and some funny comedy.

Bill Murray starts off in the middle of a blizzard in a hotel where he is scheduled for a live Christmas special, but the spirit was hardly jolly within him. Paul Schaffer was with him, happily playing the piano.

A series of celebrities showed up to sing, even if they could not truly sing. We have Maya Rudolph, Chris Rock, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy Poehler, Julie White, Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones, David Johansen, and the band Phoenix.

There were several songs that were just off enough that they worked very well. I loved the whole Bill Murray/Chris Rock duet “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Chris Rock’s entire antipathy of the moment was only out shadowed by the electricity going off.

With the live special cancelled, Murray took it to the bar and there was just some joyous performances. The French indie pop band Phoenix performed a wonderful song called “Alone on Christmas Day” with Murray jumping in and out of the frame.

There was a fun section that occurred in Murray’s mind after he passed out from too much drinking. This moment included the arrival of George Clooney and Miley Cyrus. Clooney was a hoot in the song “Santa Claus wants Some Lovin”.

In the end, I enjoyed this film, a homage to the old variety show format. I was also impressed with the voice on Maya Rudolph, who I do not think I have heard sing before. A Very Murray Christmas was witty and fun, a real surprise for the season.

DailyView: Day 239, Movie 329

We are just two days away from Christmas, so there is no better time to watch a Halloween horror anthology film than now. Okay, maybe instead I am watching this movie, 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat because it is leaving HBO Max at the end of December and I want to watch it. A little bit of October in December never hurt anyone…except perhaps a whole bunch of characters in this movie.

Trick ‘r Treat had several small stories all taking place in the same town of Warren Valley, Ohio on Halloween night where a certain add trick-or-treater named Sam (Quinn Lord) seemed to be enforcing the riles and customs of All Hallows’ Eve.

There are several stories that were being told in a non-linear narrative, jumping around showing how they may be tied together. These include a school principal Steven Wilkins (Dylan Baker) who, along with his annoying son Charlie (Brett Kelly), appeared to be some form of serial killer (though the film does not go into much detail on this bit of the tale), a group of kids pulling a trick dealing with an old legend of a bus crash, Kreeg (Brian Cox), Wilkins ill tempered neighbor and his hatred of Halloween and mysterious background, as well as Laurie (Anna Paquin) and her sister Danielle (Lauren Lee Smith) who were attending a surprise party.

These stories appeared separate but they did continue to mix across during the narrative. There were some real gross out moments (I hate vomit scenes) and several extremely creepy moments. The irony is thick through Trick ‘r Treat and it keeps you intrigued to see where it was going next. It also makes you wonder why this town is such a mecca for the mysterious.

The framing of the film was much like a comic book, which DC Comics put out a graphic novel of the film (which was initially supposed to be a four issue weekly series but had to be redone when the film was delayed).

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy Halloween!