This is the third-to-last day of Summer Under the Stars 2020. At the beginning of the month I was full of joy and excitement for the perspective of spending the next few weeks with iconic stars and watching tons of classic movies, something that has always brought me joy, every day. And I did enjoy quite a few of those days, I did see some amazing films. But overall, this month has been pretty tough and mostly disappointing. And even though I am NOT AT ALL excited for the Alain Delon day, I acknowledge that most of my frustrations and my unhappiness was caused by external factors. I have been very upset since this morning, when I learned about Chadwick Boseman’s death. My heart breaks for his family. With that added onto everything else that has been going on, I just do not find that much joy in escaping into movies. Honestly, I do not want to do anything. I am going to try to watch as much as possible tomorrow and the day after, because this is what this challenge is all about, but I really wish I was doing it with a more cheerful attitude.
Grand Prix (1966), dir. John Frankenheimer
This year, during the Oscar season, I was really annoyed with the movie Ford v Ferrari. It just felt so bland to me, and taking into consideration how many movies were completely left out of the race, rewarding mediocrity once again seemed like a punch in the gut. Sure, Ford v Ferrari was not the only offender, probably not even the worst one, but today, after watching Grand Prix for three hours, I just do not think there is a need for more race movies. Let us award something else instead.
Swingin' at the Seance 