(For Day 6 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to describe a flavor using certain words, and… I wasn’t feeling it, so here’s an off-prompt submission.)
There’s one way to heaven, but many ways to hell, And if you arise, it doesn’t matter how you fell. The darkness is sticky, not easy to dispel; Tragedies stay in it, and those are sure to sell. But winners find a constant, corny light in which to dwell. Those are both the options; what story will you tell? __________________________
MPA rating: Approved (a solid G)
I already knew from The Glenn Miller Story that Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson shared winning chemistry, so it’s no surprise that that held true in the first of their three film romantic pairings The Stratton Story. Based on the life of MLB pitcher Monty Stratton, the film chronicles his early talent in rural Texas that caught the attention of a wandering scout (Barney Wile), his Major League success as he wooed his eventual wife Ethel (Allyson in fine girl-next-door form), and the hunting accident that halted his career but led to an inspiring comeback.
Stewart is never less than appealing as a poor boy making good despite the reservations of his mother (Agnes Moorehead), though the first half of the film alone doesn’t leave much of an impact. The second half, dealing with Monty’s injury and recovery, is painfully realistic in showing his depressive struggle, but the upswing is pure based-on-a-true-story inspiration that won the film an Oscar for Best Motion Picture Story. While not as well-known in the baseball movie pantheon, The Stratton Story deserves to be.
Best line: (Ethel, trying to encourage Monty from his despair) “Nothing’s really changed. You’re still the same fella I’ve always been in love with. I’ve made out much worse than you. You lost your leg, but I lost you.”
(For Day 5 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to choose a row from a list of word/musical style combinations, so I opted for “lord have mercy”/outlaw country classic/”clock.” So imagine this being sung by one of those deep, old-fashioned country voices.)
I was driving down a road outside Ebbing, Missouri, The miles on my mind but not much of a worry, And there I saw a trio Of billboards I couldn’t ignore.
They were calling out the cops for not catching a killer. A girl had suffered there, a reminder until her Justice had been won, And never would peace come before.
And I thought, The clock’s a-tickin’ for the good and the bad, For a mother who’s grievin’ and a heartbroken dad, For the monster and the officers that led to that ad On a road outside Ebbing, Missouri. And I wish There was more time for the hurting to fade, For the evil to be punished and the debts to be paid, But we only got so much to find peace, I’m afraid, And it’s sad… Some folks ain’t in a hurry.
I keep hoping every day that that killer’s been collared, So folks in that town can build on something more solid Than loss with no answer And pain with no face to be blamed.
We want justice right now, and I hope that they get it, But devils like that, I know just where they’re headed. I don’t want to join them, Just so my hate can be named.
And so still, The clock’s a-tickin’ for the good and the bad, For a mother who’s grievin’ and a heartbroken dad, For the monster and the officers that led to that ad On a road outside Ebbing, Missouri. And I wish There was more time for the hurting to fade, For the evil to be punished and the debts to be paid, But we only got so much to find peace, I’m afraid, And it’s sad… Some folks ain’t in a hurry. _______________________
MPA rating: R (for frequent language and some violence)
Martin McDonagh is known for the biting edge in his black comedies, which is generally not my cup of tea, so this is my first foray into his work. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri certainly fits that expectation, a Midwest spectacle of ever-escalating bitterness fueling its character drama. Frances McDormand won her second Best Actress Oscar for playing Mildred Hayes, whose teen daughter (Kathryn Newton) was raped and murdered, and the lack of apparent progress in the police investigation leads her to commission three billboards blaming Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). Partly because Willoughby has cancer, this action rubs the entire town the wrong way, particularly racist cop Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell), initiating a battle of wills with no possible winner.
McDonagh intentionally avoided softening Mildred’s rough edges, so, while she may be the protagonist, she’s far from a hero. She’s stubborn to a fault in refusing to take down the billboards, lashing out against even friendly advice (her screed against a priest is a low blow), yet McDormand allows the underlying grief to peek through enough to make her misdirected rage understandable on some level. Harrelson is also excellent as Willoughby, playing both the most sympathetic character and the most directly targeted by Mildred’s anger. The rest of the cast is also impressive, even smaller roles for Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, and Lucas Hedges, but Sam Rockwell was singled out for a Best Supporting Actor win. As Dixon, he plays a racist slacker for much of the film, yet is given some much-needed perspective when deprived of his power; it’s interesting that his turnaround comes after Willoughby calls him a “decent man,” despite much evidence to the contrary, as he tries to live up to such unearned belief.
Ultimately, Three Billboards eschews easy answers or a happy ending, perhaps its most sadly realistic direction, but allows room for growth. It’s full of angry people doing and saying hateful things, yet the few moments of humanity do shine the brighter, like a small act of forgiveness in a hospital room. The rural setting is also beautifully shot and complemented by Carter Burwell’s serene score. Though it’s not a film I’d care to see often, Three Billboards shines in its unpredictably tragic story and brilliant performances.
Best line: (Willoughby) “Hate never solved nothing, but calm did. And thought did. Try it. Try it just for a change.”
(For Day 4 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem about living with a piece of art, which made me imagine what a blind person might think of a painting on the wall.)
My eyes cannot see; believe me, I’ve tried To get even traces of color or light. It’s something so simple for everyone else But such a high hurdle for me. There hangs in my bedroom a frame, rather wide; I walk by and feel it sometimes to my right. Where others see picture, I know only shape, Floating before me mysteriously.
They say it’s a seascape and try to describe, But surely mere words aren’t enough to compare. The angle, the shadows, the ambient mood – It’s more than just waves upon sand. I’ll never quite fathom this image’s vibe, But I can imagine what’s possibly there. And maybe reality can’t hold a candle to What I can see with my mind and my hand. ________________________
MPA rating: Approved (should be PG)
Set in between his more acclaimed roles in Lilies of the Field and In the Heat of the Night, A Patch of Blue is a less famous Sydney Poitier film but yet another thought-provoking showcase of his acting talent, as well as that of Shelley Winters and young ingénue Elizabeth Hartman. Hartman plays a blind girl named Selina, kept as little more than a servant by her abusive mother (Winters, who won her second Oscar) and drunkard grandfather (Wallace Ford in his final film before his death), with no attempt to introduce her to the wider world. After convincing them to let her spend time in a park, she meets friendly office worker Gordon (Poitier), whose unseen skin color matters far less than the kindness he shows her, leading her to want more out of her sheltered life.
Domestic abuse is hard to watch, even in movies, and the belittling cruelty Selina endures at the hands of her own family is no exception. Between Hartman’s naive innocence and Poitier’s natural charm, their growing bond is very sweet as a stark contrast to her home life, even though Gordon is keenly aware of the racial stigma (and age difference) standing in the way of romance between them. Ultimately, things play out encouragingly but realistically, highlighting that simple caring can transform someone’s life.
Best line: (Selina) “I think you’re beautiful!” (Gordon, smiling) “Beautiful? Most people would say the opposite.” (Selina) “Well, that’s because they don’t know you.”
(For Day 3 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem that explains why I am a poet and not something else, like, say, a lawyer for example.)
I am a poet, though the world may not know it, And I am content in my chosen art. Though lawyers deflower big bucks by the hour, What I write is not rote and still carries some heart.
I’d much rather goad out a lyrical ode Than deal with the labyrinthine legal code.
I’d much rather dwell on a shrewd villanelle Than look for a loophole that’s hidden in hell.
I’d rather spend time masterminding some rhymes, Than living off custody battles and crimes.
I’d much rather stick with a nice limerick Than share the repute of a leech or a tick.
I’d rather arraign an offending quatrain Than claim an objection I hope they sustain.
I’d sooner do sonnets or write a rondeau Than need to know Latin to sound like a pro.
I’d rather debate with a versatile verse Than argue in prose with a need to rehearse.
A lawyer exerts to secure just desserts, And more power to them; such skill’s beyond me. For me, life is sweeter when measured by meter, Which doesn’t require a fancy degree. ______________________
MPA rating: PG
In the lead-up to the most recent Oscars ceremony, Turner Classic Movies had their annual 31 Days of Oscar event, playing a variety of Oscar-nominated films, many of which I only knew by name or reputation. One such movie was 1973’s The Paper Chase, following a first-year student at Harvard Law School named James Hart (Timothy Bottoms) who endures the stern tutelage of Professor Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman) while also wooing his daughter (Lindsay Wagner).
The film boasts an accessible erudition that feels like an honest depiction of law school, an ever-demanding taskmaster personified by Houseman’s no-nonsense professor, the kind that makes students desperate to prove they can measure up, even when they can’t. The scenes with Hart in class and bouncing off his high-strung study group are quite engaging, while the romance elements fall rather flat, partly because of a distinct lack of chemistry between Bottoms and Wagner’s characters. The final scene also left me a bit frustrated, fitting in a poetic sense but practically annoying like Rose’s last action in Titanic.
A long-time producer and acting teacher before becoming more widely known here, Houseman is considered the film’s main strength, having won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and going on to play the same role in the TV spin-off also called The Paper Chase. And though he is quite good, his stone-faced character never really wowed me as award-worthy, while I thought Bottoms, who wasn’t even nominated, deserved more attention for his portrayal of a harried law student. One thing is for certain, though: I’m glad I never tried to become a lawyer.
Best line: (Kingsfield, to Hart) “Mr. Hart, here’s a dime. Call your mother and tell her there is serious doubt about you becoming a lawyer.” (Hart, pausing on his way out) “You… are a son of a bitch, Kingsfield!” (Kingsfield) “Mr. Hart! That is the most intelligent thing you’ve said today. You may take your seat.”
(For Day 2 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem that directly addresses someone and includes elements like an unusual simile and an anachronism. As you may guess, the addressee here is some WWII Nazis taken by surprise.)
I say, chaps, don’t gawp at me like you’re in shock; You knew this was coming (or should have at least). You can’t go around gobbling up the whole bloc And starting up wars on the west and the east.
It truly was only a matter of time Before some resourceful dissenters arrived To answer each war crime with, well, even more crime Until your dear Reich has been quite unalived.
You looked oh so smug in your grey uniforms, That swastika bent like a crime scene in chalk, But you lie with the devil, then you get the horns, A regular arsenal, loaded and cocked.
So don’t be so stunned by the Colt in your face; It’s not so irregular when you come to it. There’s action that’s needed when Nazis give chase, And always somebody, like us, who will do it. ____________________
MPA rating: R (for strong violence)
Based on a Damien Lewis book about Churchill’s secret Special Operations Executive (SOE), The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sees director Guy Ritchie leaning into that cinematic axiom that Nazis make the best villains and by extension the best victims. At the height of World War II, debonaire commando Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) is recruited by one Brigadier Gubbins (Cary Elwes) and tasked with forming an elite espionage team to target Nazi operations with sabotage and guerilla warfare. Joined by a savage Dane (Alan Ritchson), an expert frogman (Henry Golding), and others, the team sets out to destroy an Italian supply ship in what would be known as Operation Postmaster.
The history of the SOE and the feats of the real-life war heroes are undoubtedly interesting, but this is obviously the Hollywood version of events. The film revels in its chance to dispatch Nazis with every sharp instrument at hand, yet, despite the danger involved, the action is so one-sided that there’s rarely any suspense for the fates of the main characters. That’s a shame too, because Cavill has an effortless charisma as the leader of the pack, complemented by the cool but ferocious Ritchson, and their characters might have shone even more with a slightly less glamorized script.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare makes popcorn entertainment out of an under-publicized chapter of WWII history, and it does so reasonably well. From the undercover seductions of Eiza González to the shoot-em-up carnage of a tropical rescue mission, it’s sometimes brutal fun, but it also feels like empty calories in a way such intriguing history shouldn’t.
Best line: (Churchill) “If Hitler isn’t playing by the Rules, then neither shall we?”
(For Day 1 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to use a new-to-me music or art term, so I opted for the film-appropriate term chroma – “the intensity of a given color.”)
I wonder sometimes what I can see That nobody else can. How would I know? How would you know? Isn’t it normal for such to be so? Isn’t it true we rely on our eyes To fill in the gaps that are left by the wise? What differs is mystery.
I wonder sometimes what I can hear That nobody else can. Could I be wrong? Is that a song? And is there someone who might sing along? If I can only hit half of the notes, Who hears the other half, voice in our throats? Maybe they’ll lend me an ear.
I wonder sometimes what I can try That nobody else can. What can I play? What can I say That’s more than a fact we agree on today? I have a private monopoly on The unwritten song, the image undrawn, And the chroma of my sky. _________________________________
MPA rating: PG
Considering how long we had to wait and catch up on anime films sometimes years after their release, it’s a special modern treat for fans like me to be able to see them in American theaters only months after their Japanese premiere, complete with a choice of English dub or subs. I caught the English dub of The Colors Within back in January, comparatively soon after its August 2024 release in Japan, and it did not disappoint. Directed by Naoko Yamada of A Silent Voice fame, this low-key high school drama is a gentle-hearted tribute to music’s power to foster friendship and self-discovery.
Set in a Catholic girls boarding school, the film follows ingenuous student Totsuko Higarashi, who experiences a visual synesthesia where she sees people in specific colors, often awestruck by an invisible beauty that no one else can appreciate. Drawn to an especially stunning blue coming from fellow student Kimi, Totsuko’s interest in her leads to the two stumbling into forming a band with a local boy and instrument collector named Rui. As the trio practice in secret and write their own songs, they endeavor to work through their individual personal and family struggles.
The Colors Within is a thoroughly sweet film, where the conflict stays at the level of contending with school rules and familial expectations, and there’s a special delight to be found in the creative joy the three teens derive from their simple musical ambitions. Totsuko’s wide-eyed experimentation with lyrics and notes and the collaboration of the three as they bond are enough to spark anyone’s curiosity to maybe start a band of their own (if only it was that easy). And the result of their teamwork is three outstanding songs, courtesy of musician Kensuke Ushio, two of them catchy pop tunes and one peaceful and ethereal. Going above and beyond, the excellent dub even translated the songs into English, with Kimi’s voice actor Kylie McNeill showcasing the singing chops she also brought to 2021’s Belle.
One unique element to The Colors Within is its earnest portrayal of Catholicism. Totsuko prays frequently and worries about going to confession after lying, Rui plays a moving rendition of the “Tantum ergo” on a theremin, and the nuns teaching at the girls’ school are largely presented as affectionate and supportive rather than strict caricatures. While not really a plot focus, it’s nice to see Christianity shown in a positive light as simply a part of the characters’ lives, even informing Totsuko’s song lyrics performed near the end.
As for the animation, director Yamada has traded in her prior collaborations with Kyoto Animation for the equally acclaimed studio Science Saru, known for highly dynamic animations like Ride Your Wave or last year’s hit series Dandadan. Compared with those, The Colors Within is far more grounded, full of pastel softness and painterly details, highlighted at times by the more abstract colors that Totsuko is able to see on those around her.
All in all, The Colors Within is a coming-of-age charmer. Totsuko’s fascination with Kimi could be read as a budding girl crush, but considering the setting and air of innocence, I thought it was more of a wholesome friendship. As someone working on song lyrics and basic tunes of my own for my musical, I related to the band members gradually developing their style, and the climactic performance of the end product was a joy of sight and sound. Totsuko’s character development may be ultimately on the thin side, but the colors on display here are beautiful.
Rhyme and Reason 