The World Before Your Feet

The World Before Your Feet is a wonderful documentary about Matt Green, a young man who decided to walk every block of every street, park, cemetery and public space in New York City. This is about 8,000 miles so it is no small feat. The film is rated PG-13.

I enjoyed this film very much, partially because I am a walker myself, and also because it tells the story of this man so well, and shows New York City in a way tourists and even residents don’t get to see.

This is his passion, and Matt researches where he walks. He has a blog at I'm Just Walkin' and has found people all around New York City to be kind and supportive of his endeavors. I especially liked the segments where we get to see things in the city that are alike. His walks are ongoing now for five plus years. It is amazing to me how he has found a rhythm of sorts in where he sleeps, what he eats, his relationships, and how he schedules his time for this unusual goal.

In some respects, the last film I reviewed, Free Solo, is along the same lines of this man’s quest. Both men are determined and exacting in their plans to do what others wouldn’t even dream about, for perhaps reasons that aren’t even in their personal awareness.

Are you a walker? Have you watched The World Before Your Feet? What did you think of Matt’s goal and discoveries?

The World Before Your Feet - Official Trailer

Free Solo

Free Solo is the Academy Award winning Best Documentary for 2019. It is about Alex Honnold, a rock climber who set a goal for himself to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without the use of the usual safety gear. The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

I knew about rock climbing. It is not a sport I choose to engage in. But I am fascinated by people who are single minded in their purpose, and have a strong desire to achieve what seems to be the impossible. Alex is just such a person.

Amazing to me was the incredible cinematography that created this inspiring film. The filmmakers are themselves rock climbers, and so they could position themselves on the rock face near where Alex was climbing for filming.

Free Solo is not just about the climb itself, it reviews how Alex became the man he is today, his childhood and early youth. It also explores how someone who takes the risks he does has perhaps a different brain chemistry than we who stay at home and just watch him do it. Actually, I watched the film in the theater, and if you can see it on the big screen I recommend it. Perhaps it will come to an art cinema near you. The scenery is so magnificent, and it made me want to visit Yosemite even more. Sadly, I have not yet been to that National Park; it’s on my must do list.

Have you engaged in extreme sports? Did you see Free Solo? Does Alex inspire you to achieve your goals with new determination?

Free Solo - Official Trailer

Isle of Dogs

Isle of Dogs is an animated film, with screenplay and direction by Wes Anderson. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature Film, and Best Original Score by Alexandre Desplat. Isle of Dogs is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some violent images.

I have been a fan of Wes Anderson’s films since Rushmore. Perhaps you too have watched some of his films. (My favorites are The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom.)

I was interested in how his unique sense of humor would translate to an animated film. Many of the actors he often uses in his films provided the voices for the characters (Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray among others; Bryan Cranston is the voice of the dog Chief).

In Megasaki, Japan, dogs have been banished to Trash Island at the behest of Mayor Kobayashi after an outbreak of dog flu endangers the citizens. One loyal dog owner, Atari, goes in search of his beloved pet Spots, and he encounters danger and intrigue at every turn. 

The story moved right along, and I loved watching Isle of Dogs. There’s a bit of social commentary in this tale as well as some subtle warnings about the environment. The music is beautiful and fitting to the action, and made the animation really come to life.

Did you see Isle of Dogs? What did you think stood out more: the animation itself, the story, or even how the music accented the storyline? What are your favorite Wes Anderson films?

Isle of Dogs - Official Trailer

Christopher Robin

I felt like the film Christopher Robin didn’t know whether it was made for children or for adults. I remember reading Winnie-the-Pooh in my childhood. I haven’t read it in decades, but I was curious about this film. Ewan McGregor is Christopher Robin all grown up, with a job, a wife, a daughter, and all the adult responsibilities such a life involves.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. I was curious how the stuffed animals would be integrated into a live action film. Christopher Robin is rated PG for some action. That action is really the best part of the film and occurs mainly in the second half. The first part is quite slow moving, and I really had to have faith it would get better in order to continue watching it. 

Christopher returns to Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie-the-Pooh in search of all their old friends.This is where the Visual Effects really were stellar. These stuffed animals come to life, especially in the action sequences. I marveled at how it could have been done, the creatures interacting with live actors, situations and props. It really was quite wonderful.

Christopher’s young daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) steals the show with her passion and faith in her preoccupied father. Some of the best quotes from the book are in this film, and should make you consider what is really important in life: doing nothing, eating honey, enjoying your friends and family. I recommend this film if you enjoyed and remember Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, or if you want to see some truly special visual effects.

Did you read Winnie-the-Pooh? Did you see the film and did you like the twist it put on now adult Christopher Robin?

Christopher Robin - Official Trailer

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

I watched the Coen brothers film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, on streaming Netflix. It seems people either love or hate a Coen brothers film, and I cautiously tuned this one in. The movie is about the American West, and features six vignettes about very different situations. It was based on the book of short stories of the same name, and the screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen.

The film also received a nomination for Best Original Song, When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings, which I thought was very appropriate for the story it was featured in (which is the first tale). The film was also nominated for Best Costume Design.

I was captivated by this film and the stories it told. It is rated R for some strong violence. The film’s locations included New Mexico, Nebraska, and Colorado. 

The six stories are diverse. The first story, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, is the most offbeat. Tim Blake Nelson plays a singing cowboy with some fancy gun slinging skills.

Near Algodones features James Franco, who makes an appealing bank robber. (Algodones is an area north of Albuquerque.)

Liam Neeson is a cold hearted entrepreneur with a one-man freak show in Meal Ticket.

In All Gold Canyon, prospector Tom Waits finds what he’s looking for, but can he keep it?

On a wagon train to Oregon, the heartbreaking, sad tale of The Gal Who Got Rattled is told very well.

A couple of bounty hunters on a stage coach is taking their latest catch, The Mortal Remains, into a creepy hotel. It is visually quite stunning the way it is filmed, as are the other panoramic views of the west in other tales.

I recommend this film. And initially I didn’t think I would like it much, but the storytelling is really first rate. Did you see this anthology of short films, and what did you think of the way the Coen brothers presented the tales?

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Official Trailer