Fin

Visit me at my new website, 

By Rich Watson 

Ten and a half years ago, I started this blog. That’s a fair-sized chunk of my life. What began as an exercise in journalistic writing grew into something much more. I’ve made friends as a result of WSW, gone a few different places and done a few things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

This blog was always meant to be a way for me to put my writing skills to good use—but now my writing goals have changed. 

If you’ve followed WSW long enough, you know I’ve struggled with becoming a fiction writer. I’ve had a novel manuscript for seven of those ten-plus years and you’re probably as sick of hearing me talk about it as I am with rewriting it, but I’m closer to done now than I ever have been. I want to pitch it to a publisher. I want to build a career off of it. I wanna try at the least.

Which is why I’m starting a new blog. By Rich Watson will be where I take everything I’ve learned about blogging to the next level. It won’t look like WSW, but I like to think the feel will remain. I hope you’ll join me.

The movie industry has changed dramatically as a result of The Virus. Streaming services have multiplied and frankly, there are way too many of them out there to keep up with. I’m missing out on new movies I could’ve and would’ve seen had the theaters not closed. 

The theaters here in New York are back now, which is good, but even so, a part of me feels like I may have lost my mojo for film blogging. Too much has changed too quickly, but even if that weren’t true, I don’t want to maintain two blogs, nor do I want to stick to the oldies format for this one.

So I’m afraid this is a wrap.

To everyone I thanked at my tenth anniversary party, consider yourself thanked again, in addition to a few more shout-outs: Don & Katha Cato at the Queens World Film Festival, the LAMB movie blogger collective, my guest bloggers Andrea McEnaney and Maria Ramos, and most of all—you. 

Because you helped make WSW possible.

And that means a lot.

Thanks for reading.

Rich Watson

Queens, New York

2021

What’s left of the 2020 theatrical landscape

Going to the movies may not be a good idea right now, but discussing the status of the few big movies left on the year’s roster is worth noting at least. Keep in mind this list can and probably will change by the time you finish reading this post.

New York, LA and San Francisco theaters remain closed, with no indication as to when they might re-open, but an estimated 70% of American theaters are currently up and running. Assuming they make it to the end of the year, 2021 will be jam-packed with movies—but first they have to hold on a few more months in a climate where The Virus has not abated yet and audiences remain trepidatious about going to the movies.

Tenet hasn’t been the savior everyone had hoped for. According to Box Office Mojo, so far it has made $41 million domestically (but $243 million internationally), which would be outstanding for most movies, but Tenet had much higher aspirations. So what’s left this year?

Black Widow, the Candyman remake, The King’s Man and Spielberg’s West Side Story moved to next year. A horror movie, The Empty Man, will bow the 23rd of this month.

No Time to Die, the new James Bond movie, continues to hold firm to its November 20 date, as does Soul, the new Pixar animated film; lots of folks thought it would also go to Disney+. It still might do that; who knows? [UPDATE: It did.] [UPDATE: No Time to Die has been pushed back to April 2021.]

Free Guy, the Ryan Reynolds movie that looks like a live-action Wreck-It Ralph, is set for December 11, while Kenneth Branagh’s new Hercule Poirot movie, Death on the Nile, will go a week later, the same week as the Dune remake (UPDATE: Dune moved to October 2021) and the much-delayed Wonder Woman 1984 is now set for a Christmas Day release.

And as for 2021? So far it looks sort of like this, but of course this too could change.

If you decide you must go to the movies (and if you can), I don’t have to remind you to be smart about it: mask up, check your local theater in advance to make sure it’s taking all the necessary precautions, make sure you’re socially distancing yourself from others in the theater and at least think twice about that bucket of popcorn. And no matter where you go, be it to the movies, work, school or dinner: stay home if you’re sick, especially now that we’re heading into colder weather. We’re not out of the woods yet.

After the jump: an important announcement.

WSW at ten

It doesn’t seem possible that I’ve made this blog last ten years. When I began, I had unexpectedly returned from living in the Midwest. It was supposed to have been a permanent move, but it didn’t work out that way, and I needed something to get over my sense of failure and disappointment. This blog was the answer.

I had dreams of popularity and success, and while I didn’t become the next Harry Knowles, that was okay. I made some good friends and I rekindled my interest in writing, and that proved more than enough. And I saw some pretty good movies along the way too.

I like to think my blogging style has evolved over the years to the point where I know what I’m doing. I tried everything in the beginning; I was pretty desperate to please and I believed I had to put out content almost every day. I know my limitations better now.

I’m also less concerned with comparing myself to my peers. They blog for different reasons than me and they have different methods and goals. That’s fine. There was a period where I felt more competitive, like I had to be on a similar plane to them in order to be taken seriously. That might’ve been part of the reason I became a classic film blogger for a year. I’ve been forced to become one again this year but much more on my own terms this time. I like that.

WSW has made my world a little better in the past ten years. But my world today is extremely different than it was in 2010.

The WSW 25 for the 2010s

I was going to save this for August, when the tenth anniversary of WSW will come around, but I think I’ll put it up now instead. These are the 25 movies that, to me, best represent the previous decade in film, culled from my annual Top 10 lists. You’ll notice this list isn’t ranked; there’s no way I could decide which of these is the “best,” and it doesn’t matter much. Agree? Disagree? Let’s talk about it.

Day One of the Butlers & Maids Blogathon is served

The Butlers & Maids Blogathon is off to a fine start. I’ll collect today’s batch here and Paddy will collect the rest tomorrow. Thanks once again to everyone who’s taken part and I hope you enjoy the posts. My entry, in case you missed it, is for the movie The Innocents.

Movie Movie Blog Blog II
Another Fine Mess

Taking Up Room
Benny and Joon

RealWeegieMidget Reviews
The Others (trailer)

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films
If You Could Only Cook

Caftan Woman
Personal Maid’s Secret

Another Old Movie Blog
Sullivan’s Travels

The Midnite Drive-In
Clue

Grand Old Movies
two Jeeves movies

The Story Enthusiast
Imitation of Life (1934)

Critica Retro
Murder by Death

Old Hollywood Films
The Fallen Idol

Parasite

Parasite
seen @ Kew Gardens Cinemas, Kew Gardens, Queens, NY

When I began WSW over nine years ago (!), I was more up on new releases than I am now. You could say I believed it was part of my responsibility as a film blogger. Hanging around classic film bloggers over time made me think otherwise, and now I no longer pay as close attention to things like who’s getting cast in what movie, what project a given director is eyeing, or what the weekend box office take for the latest franchise movie was.

So when I saw that this foreign movie I had only recently heard of called Parasite was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, it took me completely by surprise—but if I had been following the Oscar race year-round, like I used to, chances are I could’ve seen it coming. This was the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes. It has a score of 99 at Rotten Tomatoes. It won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and has been nominated for a ton of other awards around the world.

This film is a huge hit. I had thought the Academy was being enlightened and progressive by nominating it for its top honor, and they kind of are, but I think in this case, it might have been simply too big for them to ignore.

Still getting used to the name Bong Joon Ho, the director and co-writer (I keep saying “Boon Jong” instead). He’s been around awhile—months ago I saw his SF movie Snowpiercer on Netflix. I thought about doing a post on it, but never did. No real reason.

I’ve watched quite a few movies on Netflix I haven’t blogged about. That might be another way WSW has evolved: used to be I felt I needed constant content to stay visible, so I would blog four to six times a week, on everything I saw, but a pace like that was unsustainable for me. Some bloggers can do it. I can’t.

Snowpiercer had Western stars like Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton in it (a sign of how well known he is already), but Parasite was made in his native South Korea, with Korean actors. The premise is original and delightfully subversive: a dirt-poor, unemployed family figures out a way to infiltrate the household of a rich family by posing as strangers and secretly getting the established staff out, one by one, which leads to different problems. There are plans for an HBO miniseries that will expand the original story further.

Once I figured out the basic premise, I really got into the story. It’s funny in places, and the climax is a gory bloodbath, so it’s hard to classify this movie. I’ve seen it described both as a black comedy and a thriller; I lean more toward the latter but really, it’s its own thing. The class struggle is obviously a major theme, but it’s not like it preaches. Every character is unsympathetic to one degree or another, and the friction between the two families produces the movie’s memorable moments. I’m reminded of the work of Luis Bunuel, or to a lesser extent, Mike Leigh, crossed with Tarantino. I’d have to see more of Bong’s work to know whether or not this is typical of him.

Not much more to say. Good acting, good set design—the contrast between the families’ homes is sharp—great screenplay, obviously, good score. This is everything you would want in a movie.

The Master cordially invites you to the Butlers & Maids Blogathon

Ladies and gentlemen, the Master of this web log extends his greetings to you all and hopes you will join him on 22-23 February for what promises to be a rather dashing soirée, if I may be so bold. The only requirement for admittance is a post from you on the subject of butlers and maids in cinema and television history. Although that is the theme, rest assured, posts on other domestic servants—chauffeurs, cooks, gardeners, what have you—shall also be accepted.

The Master is aided in this endeavor by Madame Caftan Woman who, I am told, will provide a preview of her spring fashions in caftanwear from Paris. Her post will be about the film Personal Maid’s Secret, starring Ruth Donnelly.

Champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be served promptly at six, with dinner and dancing to follow—oh, and the Master wishes to add that he has learned his lesson from last time and promises to leave the mashed potatoes on the plate where they belong.

Please accept one of these invitations. There are more on the end table out on the veranda as you leave.

((Thanks to Ruth for the banner assist.))

Second Sight Cinema
Ruggles of Red Gap

Movie Movie Blog Blog II
Another Fine Mess

Strictly Vintage Hollywood
Sunset Boulevard

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films
If You Could Only Cook

A Shroud of Thoughts
Our Man Godfrey

Old Hollywood Films
The Fallen Idol

Hometowns to Hollywood
Higher and Higher

The Midnite Drive-In
Clue

Citizen Screen
Rebecca

Taking Up Room
Benny and Joon

Grand Old Movies
Thank You, Jeeves!
Step Lively, Jeeves!

Pale Writer
Cluny Brown

Critica Retro
Murder By Death

Another Old Movie Blog
Sullivan’s Travels

The Story Enthusiast
Imitation of Life (1934)

RealWeegieMidget Reviews
The Others

Links out

I announced it on Twitter and perhaps you’ve already noticed the change here, but for the record: WSW now moderates comments. This is a change I had thought about doing before, but I didn’t believe it was truly necessary until the spammers started getting bolder. I don’t want this; we’ve gone this far without needing to moderate comments, but I believe it’s better this way, at least for now. You (and you know who you are) have always provided insight and wit to go along with my posts. You’re not the problem and never were.

———————-

My third 5K run turned out well, but it didn’t feel that way. I beat my personal best time by perhaps three minutes, but the whole run felt tougher than usual. It was windy, but not gusty, the sky was mostly cloudy, and there was no hint of rain or snow. I just felt like the whole thing was a harder push than usual, like I was pushing harder than before. I slowed to a walking pace a lot, and I had to remind myself to not get comfortable. And once again, the presence of so many other people changed my mental approach, making me think of the competition instead of my own game... but I still set a personal record. I did something right.

———————-

Last month Virginia and I went to an unusual twin bill of Georges Melies films: A Trip to the Moon and Kingdom of the Fairies. Both silents were accompanied by original live scores by composer Kyle Simpson and his chamber orchestra, held at The Dimenna Center for Classical Music in Manhattan. A university professor, musician and conductor, as well as a composer, he briefly talked of his love for film in general and how with this project, he sought to create scores that would match the story and themes of these movies, and I thought he did. His scores made both films feel almost contemporary. In addition to the movies, there was an “undercard” of film scores by Phillip Glass and Alexander Borodin, performed by the Red Line String Quartet. I’ve always liked Glass’ music. I’ve seen it performed live before, but not like this. It felt different, yet recognizable as his work. Virginia loved the whole thing, of course.

Links on the other side.

Ach du liebster!

It’s been awhile since Liebster Awards have been passed around. This time it’s Rebecca from Taking Up Room who has seen fit to bestow one on Yours Truly; thank you, Rebecca—so it’s time to play the game once more. Let’s look at her set of questions...

1. If you were a plant, what kind would you be and why?
This would make for a better question for my writer friend Sandi. She’s the one who loves flowers. I don’t know; I guess I’d be the kind that can defend itself from predators in some fashion, whether with spores or better yet, with roots. I tried watching Day of the Triffids last year and I totally could not finish it. Normally, when a horror movie scares me, it’s in a fun, “let’s play along with the movie” kind of way. Triffids wasn’t like that. Not for me, anyway.

2. What’s a talent you wish you had?
Whistling! I don’t know why I can’t do it and it’s not for lack of trying. I can make a note or two, but it’s always off key and sounds like a broken whistle. Never sounds the way I want it to.

Ninth inning

Nine years is way longer than I ever would’ve expected WSW to last. The usual thanks and words of humility apply once again. If you’ve been at all entertained, or educated or amused by my blog, then I’ve done my job. I hope I’ve done it well.

Classic Movie Tag

Raquel wants to know about her readers’ classic movie viewing habits, and I haven’t written anything in awhile, so I’ll play along. If you haven’t visited Out of the Past lately, it has grown considerably in the past year or two. Raquel has developed it into a smart, professional and dare I say essential blog for learning about Old Hollywood. More than any other blogger I know, those movies, that industry, that era, truly inspires her.

1. What’s one classic movie that you recommend to people over and over and over again?

You really can’t go wrong with Billy Wilder and The Apartment. Equal parts comedy and drama, complex characters, a story that feels modern without coming across as too highfalutin’, featuring one of the greatest actors in American cinema, Jack Lemmon. I still haven’t written a post for it in all the years of this blog, which seems odd, but maybe now I don’t have to.

2. What was the last classic film you saw and what were your thoughts about it?

I guess that would be Marty.

3. Name a classic movie genre you love and one you dislike.

I’d imagine the film genres of the past are still in use today, but when I think of Old Hollywood, one thing that comes to mind are the rom-coms. From the European sophistication of Lubitsch to the battiness of Sturges, they’ve been as ubiquitous as they have been versatile. Fred and Ginger dancing the Continental. Powell and Loy trading bon mots as they uncover whodunnit. Spencer and Kate redefining the battle of the sexes. Rom-coms have never been done better than in the classic era.

As for a genre I dislike, well, “dislike” is too strong a word, and Paddy will no doubt slap my wrists for saying so, but while I appreciate Westerns, I still haven’t developed a great love for them. Yet.

4. Name a classic movie star with whom you share a birthday or a hometown.

How about five? (Okay, they’re not all from the old days.)

5. Give a shout out to a friend or family member who shares your love of classic movies.

I’ve talked about how Sandi and I have watched old movies together. For any newcomers here, Sandi is one of my writer buddies. She writes mostly poetry. She also lives here in Queens and she’s become a good friend. She’s a TCM fan and she’s absolutely devoted to Errol Flynn. I tried to tell her about Becky once, but Sandi bows to no one in her love of Flynn!

6. Name a classic movie star who makes your heart skip a beat or whom you admire greatly.

Oh, you mean my crushes? (Again, not all of them are classic era.)

7. Describe one memorable experience watching a classic movie.

Wow. Take your pick. The time I watched a DVD with friends on a ratchety player? The unsettling things I learned about my mother based on a movie we watched? The thrill of seeing a great film in an old movie palace?

8. Describe the craziest thing you’ve done because of your passion for classic movies.

Besides starting this blog? I suppose devoting all of 2015 to classic film seemed pretty far out for me. At the time, I had given serious thought to making the switch permanent. This seemed like a reasonable compromise that would give me an idea of what bloggers like Raquel go through. Among the things I learned in the end was I preferred blogging about Old Hollywood only part of the time.

9. What’s something classic movie related that you love to collect?

Nothing, other than books. I’m currently reading one about the making of All About Eve, which I’ll write about soon. Check the “books” label on the sidebar for other film books I’ve read.

10. What’s your favorite way to share your passion for classic movies?

This blog.

The Richard Matheson Blogathon continues!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Richard Matheson Blogathon. Debbie kicked things off yesterday; today, I'll collect your links. Here's my post on the movie Duel, in case you missed it. Thanks again for taking part!

MovieRob
Loose Cannons
What Dreams May Come

Moon in Gemini
Amazing Stories: The Doll

Critica Retro
House of Usher

It Came From the Man Cave
Burn Witch Burn

He is legend: The Richard Matheson Blogathon!

One of the finest genre writers of the 20th century, Richard Matheson thrilled audiences worldwide with his screenplays, teleplays, novels and other writings in the fields of suspense, sci-fi/fantasy and horror. His contributions to The Twilight Zone are among the most popular in that show's history. The movies based on his work, including The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Last Man on Earth, are still watched and discussed today. And now he's the subject of this year's WSW blogathon.

I'm delighted to team up with Debbie from Moon in Gemini to bring you this one. The usual rules apply: comment here or at Debbie's blog to let us know what you wanna write about, and we'll gather up your posts, on March 9-10. Duplicates are AOK for this one! (One each.)

Matheson's literary work, his screenplays, teleplays, any movies inspired by his work, his career in general, are all fair game.

I'm going to write about the movie Duel. Debbie will write about the Amazing Stories episode "The Doll."

We got a whole bunch of banners this time, including the Kolchak one up top...

New year's links

The Christmas/New Year's week was very good. Virginia and I spent Christmas Night at another holiday dinner with friends. On New Year's Eve, she and Sandi were part of a large chorus that performs a NYE show every year.

Afterwards, a whole bunch of us rang in the new year at the same bar and grill where Virginia and I first got to really know each other a year ago (we consider it our anniversary), so NYE has taken on an added significance for me. Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have her in my life?

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The latest draft of the novel is done but it's not ready to go out yet. I know this for certain; it's better than it was a year ago, but it's not where it oughta be yet, so I gotta tighten it up some more.

The good news is I've got some beta readers looking it over, though I could use a few more — especially baseball fans. If anyone out there is interested, e-mail me at ratzo318@yahoo.com and let's talk.

-------------------

A brief word about Penny Marshall: Laverne and Shirley was one of my favorite sitcoms and Big was one of my favorite films growing up. I vaguely remember being a bit surprised to learn she was becoming a director, but she turned into a very successful one indeed. As a comedienne, she was enjoyable and part of my childhood; as a director, she proved to have an even more special talent that deserved to flourish more than it did. She was a trailblazer for the likes of Kathryn Bigelow, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig and more. She'll be missed.

More after the jump.

This just in from the WSW newsroom...

In this month's link post I mentioned my friend Anna Crawford, who wrote a Halloween-themed piece. Well, she's agreed to make an appearance here, too, so look for her later this month. She and I were in the same writing group for a little over a year before she moved out of New York. I think she's a good writer, and hopefully, so will you.

The Neil Simon Blogathon begins here!

Today I take your links.

Tomorrow Paddy takes them.

Let's see what you got.

Post your links in the comments or tweet them to me @ratzo318.

Thanks for joining us in saluting this great writer.

My post is on Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films
California Suite

Caftan Woman
Simon on The Phil Silvers Show

Poppity Talks Classic Film
Seems Like Old Times

Once Upon a Screen
The Prisoner of Second Avenue

Hard (getting to) eight

...and it has been hard getting to the eight-year anniversary — at least this year! At the pace I'm on, I may not crack 100 posts in 2018, but that's okay. I've had other things to occupy my time lately, not the least of which includes meeting Virginia and falling madly in love with her. You're probably sick of hearing me mention her by now, but she's made all the difference to me this year — and it's not over yet.

Anyway, thanks once again for sticking around here, sporadic as I've been. I appreciate it, and all of you. Hey, I'm getting pretty close to double digits, aren't I?

Time has come today: the Time Travel Blogathon begins!

Whether you've come from the Middle Ages, jousting with knights in armor, or from the 25th century, hanging out with aliens, welcome to the Time Travel Blogathon! Today and tomorrow, I'll collect your entries, and Ruth will gather the rest on Sunday. Provide your link in the comments or tweet it to me @ratzo318. Thank you so much for participating. Enjoy the posts!

My post is for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, while Ruth writes about Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea.

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films
"The Odyssey of Flight 33" & "Once Upon a Time" from The Twilight Zone

The Midnite Drive-in
Beyond the Time Barrier and The Time Travelers
GI Samurai

I Found It At The Movies
Time After Time

Karavansara
The Time Machine (1960)

Caftan Woman
Repeat Performance

Thoughts All Sorts
The Lake House

Realweegiemidget Reviews
Somewhere in Time

SindrElf
Source Code

4 Star Films
A Matter of Life and Death

Taking Up Room
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Kate and Leopold

Once Upon a Screen
Back to the Future trilogy

Critica Retro
The Road to Yesterday

Life's Daily Lessons
Timeline

Voyages Extraordinaires
Twilight Zone episodes, For All Time and Somewhere in Time

Time is on your side in the Time Travel Blogathon!

I'm very excited to do this year's blogathon with someone who has pretty much become an expert at it: Ruth from Silver Screenings — and we've got one we think you'll dig for sure!

Time travel movies include more than just the Terminators and Back to the Futures of the world: think of A Christmas Carol or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court or Brigadoon. We're sure you can find similar movies from throughout all of film history, and we wanna see them in our Time Travel Blogathon. (Here's a list.)

You know what to do: let either Ruth or myself know what movies you want to write about and we'll collect all your entries on the weekend of March 9-11. Your banners are here (so nice to have great looking banners for a change, thank you Ruth!).

Ruth will write about one called Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea, while my film will be Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah!

The seven-year Rich

Every year I keep saying this, but only because it's true: I can't believe I'm still here writing this blog! Seven years of slaving over a hot keyboard has taken me places I'd never been before, led me to people I never thought I'd meet, even if only in a virtual manner, and it's even been therapeutic at times. Balancing this blog and my novel hasn't been as difficult as you might expect; writing is my thing now, and I wanna keep writing. So I guess that means I'll keep this blog going. Thanks as always for reading.