Movies At Random: Jupiter’s Wife

Jupiter’s Wife (HU DVD 4016) is a documentary about Maggie Cogan, a homeless woman living in Central Park with her pack of dogs who attracted the curiosity of filmmaker Michel Negroponte. From googling around, it’s unclear if this film really deals with the seriousness of homeless and mental illness. Maggie is described as beguiling and […]

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Movies At Random: The Magic Christian

Today’s random DVD is The Magic Christian (HU DVD 7940) starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. This black comedy is completely littered with celebrity cameos (see Wikipedia), and looks fully ridiculous. But supposedly it’s terribly madcap! So I suppose that’s fine. Also, I mean, Peter Sellers in anything, really. How can you resist? Here’s our summary: […]

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Democracy on Film: The American Woman

Module 4 of Democracy on Film covers The American Woman, both through her eyes and through the eyes of others. Module 4: The American Woman Introductory Lesson: Ways of Seeing WomenChapter 1: Suspense. 1913. — Check out YouTube, as it’s out of print. Where Are My Children on Treasures III: social issues in American film, 1900-1934. […]

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Democracy on Film: Civil Rights

Welcome to Module 3 of Democracy on Film, which covers Civil Rights! This small selection does attempt to expand the concept of civil rights outside the African American Civil Rights Movement with the inclusion of Harvey Milk and Smoke Signals, but the struggle for rights and equality in our diverse country is so multifaceted that […]

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Movies At Random: New Jack City

Today’s random DVD is Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City (HU DVD 1097). A 1991 action gangster film, Wikipedia makes it sound like there’s some disagreement about just how anti-gangster this film is, and Time Out London called it “a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation.” The IMDB trivia page on this […]

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Five Films Featuring…Shaving Cream

Ok, so if you know me at all, you already know what the punchline is going to be. But shaving serves all kinds of purposes in movies. There’s something about the obscuring/revealing in shaving that directors really love. And it’s omnipresent…like, this doesn’t even count all the bathroom cabinets that open to reveal shaving cream, […]

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Democracy on Film: The American Laborer

Module 2 of Democracy on Film is called The American Laborer. American identity is highly bound up with the idea of labor, and this selection of films is a great introduction. Module 2: The American Laborer Introductory Lesson: The Common Good Chapter 1: “Black Fury” (1935, d. Michael Curtiz) — Not in the collection…YET!!Chapter 2: […]

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