Blindspotting had been placed on my “to watch” list for the summer after I saw Dan Murrell’s video featuring all of his blu-rays.  It sounded interesting, but it was not until I watched Hamilton on Disney + and was awed by the performance of Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson that this film bumped to the front of the list.

Long time friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal wrote and starred in this film that dealt with some big time racial issues as well as a friendship and how far a friendship can be pushed.

Collin (Daveed Diggs) has just gotten out of prison and is on probation.  He met up with his lifelong friend Miles (Rafael Casal), whose volatile nature threatened to place Collin back in trouble.

When Collin witnessed a police shooting, the pressures of his life began to engulf him.

Daveed Diggs is a superstar in the making.  He is just spontaneous, quick-witted, charismatic and simply glows on the screen.  He is one of those actors who you cannot wait for what he does next and his performance here is powerful and poignant.

The story has so much going on that you can feel the weight each moment places on Collin.  As an audience member, you can sense how each situation drags Collin down more and more.  You are just as frustrated with Miles because you see how destructive he can be, but you know the connection between them is special.

There are some uncomfortable moments that range from feeling uncertain to downright fearful and these moments work extremely well.  You are never quite sure what was going to happen next and, while you are on this path, you are remarkably entertained.

I’m not sure how I missed this film in 2018 because I thought it was fantastic.  I remember seeing trailers for this, but it is possible that it did not come to any of the local theaters I attended.  Either way, if you have a chance to watch this, the film is tremendous and amazingly relevant.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

I had decided to revisit a film that I saw years ago, but that fit perfectly in with the intention of the day.  1776 was a comedy/drama/musical that adapted a Broadway stage play of the same name.  I can remember seeing this as a younger man and not truly understanding what was going on.

The musical details the days proceeding the approval of the resolution of independence up until the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Of course, the film takes plenty of liberties with the actual facts involved in the Continental Congress, but none of these historical inaccuracies should be worrisome.  This is not a documentary.  It is a piece of entertainment and thus is more concerned with the drama of the situation than the complete truth.

However, it was stated that much of the dialogue in the film came, over the years, from letters and correspondences from the individuals in the Congress.  Some of the characters were given traits and characteristics derived from these notes.

Our main characters involved here include John Adams (William Daniels), Dr. Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva) and Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard).  Adams, considered “obnoxious and disliked,” was the driving force behind the resolution for independence.  Adams and Franklin seemed to have a fascinating relationship played through the film with some good humor.

In opposition to the resolution was Pennsylvania Congressman John Dickinson (Donald Madden).  The film does a very good job of creating an air of conflict within the body that builds tension throughout.  I found myself unsure of the outcome despite clearly knowing my American history.

As a musical. I would venture to say that most, if not all, of the songs are catchy and entertaining, yet very unmemorable.  In fact, as I type this up, none of them are songs that remain in my head.  I did enjoy the humorous song “But, Mr. Adams”  as performed by Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Roger Sherman (Rex Robbins), and Robert Livingston (John Myhers).

With today’s world as it is, the sequence involving the debate over the slave trade language in the Declaration of Independence was an uncomfortable section to watch.  The song, “Molasses to Rum” as sung by South Carolina Congressman Edward Rutledge (John Cullum) was legitimately tragic and spoke to the long time basis for the systematic racism included in the very birth of the USA.  While this is one of the scenes that the timing of in history is inaccurate, the movie scene is undoubtedly compelling and powerful and one where the general humor found throughout most of the movie is appropriately suspended.

1776 is engaging and light-hearted, until it isn’t.  It does a solid job of balancing these tones and keeping the movie moving at a solid pace.  Unfortunately, the music is pedestrian, especially when compared to other musicals (such as Hamilton, a film placed in the same general time frame).  Still, much of the film provides a smile and a fun time.

One more musical tonight before the big Hamilton release tomorrow is one that I had not seen before, but had a couple of great songs that I had always liked.  It was a multiple Oscar winning musical called Cabaret.

Berlin, 1931.  Weimar Republic.  Cambridge University student Brian Roberts (Michael York) arrived to complete his German studies.  He rents a room in an inexpensive rooming house where he can teach English.  At this rooming house, Brian meets Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), a performer at the Kit Kat Club, a cabaret club run by the all-knowing Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey).  Brian and Sally hook up and drama ensues.

Liza Minnelli staked her claim in the lead role as she was just brilliant.  She showed such range and an unbelievable amount of talent.  Then, Joel Grey, who played his role on Broadway, is the Greek muse of the 1930 German with the MoC.

The film deals with a ton of topics as well, from abortion to Nazism to antisemitism.  Plus, all kinds of sexual issues.  The controversy was gigantic for Cabaret and it did not shy away from anything.

Bob Fosse directed the film in his defining style.  He did win the Academy Award for Best Director for his work.  Both Minnelli and Grey won Oscars too.  Cabaret won 8 Academy Awards and became the film to have won the most Oscars without winning the Best Picture.

I enjoyed the film considerably and I was really impressed with the talent involved.

I have been looking forward to the arrival of Hamilton on Disney +, which is coming tomorrow and, to get in the mood, I chose to pick out a musical to watch.  After scanning through the list of musicals on Vudu, I stopped at the Academy Award nominated Chicago from 2002.

I had enjoyed Chicago when I saw it when it first came out and I especially enjoyed much of the soundtrack.  Although I prefer the version performed on the stage by Bebe Neuwirth, All That Jazz is a centerpiece of the show, here sung by Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) was a wannabe star who attempted to use her body and sex to get ahead.  On the night that headliner Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) killed her sister and husband, Roxie began an affair with Fred (Dominic West), who said he had connections.  When she found out that he was lying about that, she ends up shooting him dead.

Roxie wound up on Death Row with Velma.  While there, she pilfered Velma’s famous attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), as they battled with each other over which case could be more big time..

The music in Chicago is fantastic and the dance routines are amazingly choreographed.  The design of the sets and each musical number was spectacular.  The film has a definite feel of a stage show.  The costumes were stand out and worked in every scene.

The three main stars of the film were on fire.  Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere were amazing together and entertaining as these over-the-top characters.  There was also a impressive performances from John C. Reilly as Roxie’s sad sack husband Amos and Queen Latifah as prison guard Matron “Mama” Morton.

I did not expect to like this as much as I did the first time I saw it and this time was just as entertaining.  It certainly Razzle Dazzled me.

The next film in the Studio Ghibli watch is one listed as a TV movie and it was one that did not have the English dub.  Ocean Waves was the first Studio Ghibli film that was directed by someone other than Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata.  It was directed by Tomomi Mochizuki and, according to Wikipedia, it was meant to be done by the younger crowd at Studio Ghibli.

The story focuses on two friends, Taku and Yutaka.  They had been friends for years, but they both fell for the same transfer student, Rikako.  As the triangle progressed, the friends found themselves pitted against each other for Rikako’s affection.

I was not fond of this film.  Of course, the animation is beautiful as always, so that gives these animated films a plus no matter what.  However, the character of Rikako was unlikable and irritating.  I had a difficult time buying the fact that she would be someone that either of the boys would give two hoots about.

The story was simple, but I had a hard time investing into the relationship.  Since I did not accept the relationship within the triangle, there was not much else here for me to care about.

The music was nice as this was the first score that I was able to hear in the original form (since I have been doing the English dub versions of these films).  It was nothing that really stood out, but it effectively created the tone.

This was a fine film, but way under the level that I have come to expect from Studio Ghibli.  This feels like a typical Lifetime movie.

You’ve heard the one about when pigs fly, right?

Well, now I have seen everything.

Yes, the next Studio Ghibli film, once again from Hayao Miyazaki, is Porco Rosso, a film about an Italian World War I flying ace who has been cursed by being turned into an anthropomorphic pig.

That is what I said.

Porco Rosso is now a hired bounty hunter to track down air pirates.  Porco flies his recognizable red plane.  He winds up in a dogfight with an American pilot named Curtis.

I loved this movie.  It was the weirdest thing I have seen in a long time and it was funny, energetic and well written.  It has a feel of the old series called “Tales of the Golden Monkey.”

And to make it all the more awesome… the English dubbing on the Porco Rosso character was done by none other than Michael Keaton.  Seriously, could that be any cooler?

The flying scenes in this animation are just beautiful. The entire animation is amazing, much like all of the Studio Ghibli movies.

This one caught me off guard and I really had a lot of fun with this one.  There is a lot to this, even more than what you might guess about a sea plane flying pig.  If you have not seen this one, check it out.

The next Studio Ghibli film is one that is quite different than the others.  This was not a magical fantasy with magical creatures.  No Tartaro.  No witches.  No Pandas.  It is just a story of memories, from a 27-year old girl to her younger years.  Memories that were basic, universal.

Unfortunately, again, the DVD was having issues with this movie.  It caused some glitches and skips around the one hour mark so I did miss a chunk of the story.

What I did see was an artistic masterpiece.  The animation was gorgeous and different than any of the previous films.  It fit the more realistic tone of the movie and was less of the style of anime.

It was a much more adult story and told a reflective story.  It is a coming of age story as well as a human drama.

Too bad I could not see the uninterrupted movie.

Hayao Miyazaki’s next film for Studio Ghibli turned out to be a charming and breezy film featuring a young witch named Kiki.

In Kiki’s Delivery Service, Kiki is a 13-year old witch and, in tradition with witch training, she leaves home to survive by herself for a year.  Accompanied by her black cat Jiji, Kiki finds a new town in which to live and, since she can fly exceptionally well on her broom,  starts up her own delivery business.  Unfortunately, Kiki has some problems with her own self-image and it causes her to struggle with her power.

This film is fun and very light-spirited.  While it is still a film targeting a younger audience, I actually found this much more entertaining , unlike the other Miyazaki films meant for young children.

Probably the reason behind that is the charming and friendly character of Kiki.  She is remarkably likable and filled with honesty and heart.  The new English dubbing version of the film has Kirsten Dunst voicing Kiki.  It also has Phil Hartman providing the voice of Jiji the black cat.

Here comes the regular animation comment.  It is absolutely beautifully rendered and could be considered a piece of art.  The animation seems to be getting better with every movie released by Studio Ghibli, which is saying something.

The plot of this movie is not that important.  This is a character piece, zeroing in on Kiki and her path to becoming a successful witch.  She has to deal with such problems as Tombo, a boy who takes an immediate shine to Kiki, weather challenging her delivery business and other kids who are keeping her an outsider.

Some of the supporting characters in this film are just sweet.  Osono and her bakery provides room and board for Kiki while her first delivery customer Melanie MacQueen becomes a close friend.

Kiki’s Delivery Service does not dive too deeply in the mythology of the world.  Everybody knows about witches and they are not seen as a negative thing.  In fact, most of the regular people look at Kiki with awe and amazement when she flies.   Most of the witch ideas such as the apprenticeship when she turned 13 are dealt with as if it is a known commodity.  That is not a bad thing, but it does not provide a world that is deep.

The film is sweet and charming.  The characters are enjoyable and easy to watch and the movie has some very positive messages of self-worth and friendship.

The next Studio Ghibli film on the list in Hayao Miyazaki classic My Neighbor Tortoro.  This is one of the most beloved anime films in international cinema and, after seeing what had come before this on my DVDs, I was excited about seeing it.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed with this movie.

Yes, the animation is beautiful.  I have a feeling that when looking at all of these Studio Ghibli films, that is a statement that I can include in every review.

The story was sweet and I think that children would love this movie.  There is a touch of magic in the film and the two girl characters, Satsuki and Mei, are very relatable.  The story was simple and is more about the two girls than any plot points that happen in the film.  There was a fun moment at the bus stop, but other than that, I was unimpressed.

Much like Panda, Go Panda, I found Mr Neighbor Tortoro to be too much targeted toward the very young children and that there was not much here for the adult in me.

I also found what plot points there was here were fairly dumb.  I had a definite issue with Satsuki and Mei’s father, university professor Tatsuo Kusakabe.  He was one of the worst parents I have seen in a long time.  Things were happening right under his nose, as he was too involved in his work.  His children were disappearing and he just went about his business.

The whole plot point where Mei gets lost was so inane as well.  There were so many spots where I was just laughing at what was happening and the people’s reaction to the situation.

Beautiful to look at, great to listen to (with a wonderful score) but unengaging for me.  My Neighbor Tortoro was not what I had hoped it was going to be.