Movies You Should See: The Sad World Of "Welcome To The Dollhouse"

 

The 1995 film “Welcome To The Dollhouse” is one of the darkest coming of age comedies you will ever see. Unlike other coming of age stories, it refuses to romanticize anything, and instead focuses on the parts of childhood other films overlook. 

It is in many ways the anti John Hughes, as it covers many of the same aspects of Hughes, but skips over the fun of it all. 

The plot is about a 12 year old girl named Dawn, who is something of the forgotten child of her family. At school she is ridiculed, and even gets in trouble when she hits a teacher. She also has a crush on an older boy in the neighbourhood named Steve, an aspiring musician. 

The performance of Heather Matarazzo, at age 12 here, is very, very good. The material here is tough, and the film doesn’t offer anything uplifting, as the subplot involves the kidnapping of her little sister. Yet, she and her equally nerdy brother, actually don’t seem to overly care that her sister is kidnapped. Her sister, a dancer, is obviously the favorite of her parents. This film is refreshingly cynical. 

“Welcome to the Dollhouse” was given four stars by Roger Ebert, and used to run on the IFC channel a lot back then. It was one of the first films I saw that was a coming of age story that took a totally cynical take on childhood, which films usually try to find something good to say about. Not to say childhood is bad, but this was the first film I saw that focused on the downer aspects of it. It also captures how kids, even young ones, talk, and in a way adults often like to forget how they actually can talk.

There are scenes that are quite funny, but it’s also realistic and funny. This film is true to life. 

This film launched the career of Todd Solondz, who is known for dark watches, yet writes such good scripts that he attracts some big actors to his little indie films like Allsion Janney. He would go on to make “Happiness”, “Weinerdog” and “Palindromes”. He is considered iconic in the world of indie filmmaking. It’s worth a watch for a different type of coming of age tale. 

Princesses Not Allowed: Best Movies For Your Daughters To Watch With Strong Female Leads

You and your daughter might be stuck in the house and have nothing more to do then watch Netflix.  However, with your daughter stuck in the house, you might want to get her off her  cell phone. You might also want to watch a movie that has something more uplifting then simply female wish fulfillment to show your daughter. Nothing is wrong with a princess meeting her prince, but that’s not the only type of story your daughter should see. Where are the movies that not only are fun for daughters to watch but give them something more to think about than simply looking at a boy? Maybe a girl who also kicks some butt?

Let's talk about the best movies to watch with your daughter.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Japanese studio Studio Ghibli’s films have become not only great animation, but a great place for strong female characters. The best place to start with Studio Ghibli is their 1989 film, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, based on a beloved Japanese children’s novel.

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” is both a total delight of a film, as well as a coming of age adventure story whose lead is a pre-teen girl who happens to be a witch.  In this world, when a witch reaches thirteen, she leaves home and goes off to find a new town.  With her talking cat, Jiji, she finds a new town, works at a bakery, and delivers baked goods for them on her flying broomstick.

There’s even a plot about a first crush. She meets Tombo, a geeky town boy who right away falls for her. However, one of the great things about the crush story here is he isn’t just into her as a girl, but he is fascinated by the fact she can fly.

Kiki’s world is populated with other strong female characters. Kiki starts to work at a local bakery, which is owned by a woman named Osono, while her husband, Fukuo, is the baker. His wife is obviously the brains behind the bakery. She is the head of the store, and her husband, a big bulking guy, has no problem with her being in charge. There’s also Ursual, a young woman she befriends, who lives in a cabin outside the town, where she does beautiful artwork.  

Kiki herself finds her powers aren’t only magical, but also her ability to be a independent girl, and that’s an important message. 

In the United States, Kiki’s Delivery Service is currently streaming on HBO Max and in Europe, Netflix. Also available on DVD and Blu Ray.

Lilo and Stitch

“Lilo and Stitch” on paper sounds like a goofy knock off of “E.T.”, as it’s a girl meets a dog-like alien story, but the two sisters at the center of the story are so strong, it becomes more of a story about the power of sisterhood.

Lilo is a young girl on the island of Hawaii, who had lost her parents. However, when a little blue alien named Stitch crash lands near her home on the island of Hawaii, she quickly makes friends with the newcomer.

Lilo’s older sister,  Nani, is trying to fill the dual role of an older sister and parent figure. She is a strong role model in this film, as she always seems to try her best, balancing her life as a caretaker to her younger sister while living her own life.

Stitch learns to be a part of Lilo’s family,  while his struggle helps Lilo learn that anyone can be family.

“Lilo and Stitch” is available for streaming on Disney Plus, and on DVD and Blu Ray.

The Powerpuff Girls Movie

Let's talk about female superheroes, which has made a comeback in movies in recent years. You might remember the TV series “The Powerpuff Girls” from the 2000s on Cartoon Network. There was a movie based on the popular series in 2002.

It starts with a professor seeing his city, the city of Townsville, overrun with crime and chaos. He decides as a scientist, the town could use something nice, so he goes to his lab to create the perfect little girl. However, while adding to his formula, sugar, spice, and everything nice, he also by mistake adds chemical X. So, he ends up creating three perfect little girls, but there’s a twist. They also have superpowers.

The origin story presented in the movie is taken seriously as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup try to fit in. As they screw up and get scammed by future arch-nemesis, Mojo Jojo, they also have to prove to the city they are heroes.

The Powerpuff Girls Movie and the original TV series are streaming on Hulu in the United States, as well as DVDs. In the UK, the movie is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

In more recent years, the classic “Star Wars” saga has become more female-centric starting with 2015’s “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, directed by J.J. Abrams. The center of the new “Star Wars” trilogy is a young woman named Rey, played by Daisy Ridley.

While your younger one might be confused by some of the lore of the continuing story of “Star Wars”  the central story of Rey is new to the “Star Wars” universe. The young woman at the center of the story is finding her roots, and her story is a female empowerment story. She has to find where she fits into the universe of “Star Wars”.

However, even if you're not a “Star Wars” devotee, it’s a really good watch with you and your daughters.

The film is available to stream on Disney Plus and is on DVD and Blu Ray.

Mulan

Disney’s 1998 animated film “Mulan” is the story of a girl who pretends to be a boy to join a group of warriors for the Chinese empire. Girls aren’t allowed to join, but pretending to be a boy, she shocks everyone with having greater skill than even the guys in the army. Along the way she is joined by a wisecracking dragon, Mushu, voiced by Eddie Murphy.

This film is considered one of Disney’s most female-empowering films. The film touches on both girl power, and Chinese culture. A live action remake is scheduled to be released this year, and this film is a good one to watch before you take your kid to see it.

The film is available to stream on Disney Plus and is available on DVD and Blu Ray.

Whale Rider

The 2003 New Zealand film, “Whale Rider” is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 2000s. It’s about a 12-year-old girl named Niki Caro who is convinced she is a great tribal leader. However, her grandfather, while still having great affection for his granddaughter, is stuck in his old ways and doesn’t believe a girl can be one. Niki sets out to prove him wrong, and she does.

Quiche Castle Hughes, the young actress, was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance, making her the youngest actress at the time to ever be nominated for one, until she was surpassed by Quvenzhane Wallis at age 9 in 2012.

Whale Rider can be streamed on Amazon Prime, and is available on DVD and Blu Ray.

There are various other movies you can watch with your daughters, but these action/adventure ones are a fun and good place to start. Like any other way to educate kids, the first way to educate is to entertain, and these movies being action/adventure will convey positive messages to girls about being strong without boring them or seeming forced. Make her a warrior, not a princess.

Movies You Should See: The Everyday Becomes A Work of Art in "American Splendor"

Roger Ebert called this movie, in his review, “just plain brilliant” and “American Splendor” is just plain brilliant. The story of the late Harvey Pekar, “American Splendor” acts as both a fictional adaptation of the story behind the cult comic book series, and a documentary at the same time. You might be asking yourself how that can be? Well, the movie cuts between the reenactment with Harvey Pekar played by Paul Giamatti, and his wife, played by Hope Davis, and the real Harvey Pekar sitting in a white room, talking about the actual story. It’s meta before meta was really a thing. It’s also one of my favorite films.

“American Splendor” is based on a comic book series written by Pekar, a file clerk from Cleveland, Ohio. The whole comic book series was based on his actual life. His story, though, becomes very unusual in a lot of parts. How did this file clerk become an icon of alternative comic books? It all happens because he meets real life alternative comic cartoonist Robert Crumb. He tells Crumb that the everyday stuff that happens to him can be a comic. Why not? Real life is pretty complicated stuff, he says.

What follows is scenes of the real Perkar talking, a great monologue by Giamatti to the camera and a live action/animated sequence where the animated Pekar yells at the real one in a thought bubble. “American Splendor” is an underrated film, but a great one. Though, the movie did receive an Oscar nod for best adapted screenplay, so there’s that.

I feel like with “American Movie: The Making of Northwestern” being my previous entry in this series, this is an interesting follow up. Working class American joes becoming part of the counterculture is a theme of both of these films, and both are brilliant examples of this.

Movies You Should See: The Obsessive Artist And The Obsession At The Center of “American Movie: The Making of Northwestern”

 

Movies You Should See is a collection of essays covering movies you may or may not have heard of, but either way, you should consider seeing. I started this series during COVID because I couldn’t go to the movie theaters, but now that I can, I still feel it’s important to continue to highlight movies people should consider seeing. There are so many great movies out there that you may not have heard of, and I have a good knowledge of them. I have seen many great movies that are independent, or classics that aren’t as widely seen, that I would like to put a spotlight on. Enjoy this series.

“American Movie” is a documentary from 1999, about a quirky obsessive from Wisconsin named Mark Borchardt. His whole life has been about wanting to make a movie. His dream is to film his screenplay titled “Northwestern”, but instead due to lack of funds, decides to film a short film called “Coven”. 

“American Movie” is very much a movie of its time, the late 90s, and it shows. Mark hangs out with his fellow obsessive friend, a guy named Mike, who as he puts it, “likes to party, but doesn’t party anymore,” as he plays his guitar. It’s a movie that doesn’t sound like much on the surface, but actually has a lot going on. Through the movie, we see Mike try to make his dream come true, but as an indie guy in Wisconsin, far from Hollywood.

A documentary by Chris Smith, who is better known today for the acclaimed Netflix documentary “Bad Vegan”, and the Jim Carrey documentary “Jim and Andy”, about Carrey preparing to play Andy Kaufman, “American Movie” speaks to anyone who not only had a dream, but is obsessive about the type of art they want to create. He borrows money from his uncle, he has an ex-girlfriend who has multiple kids with him, and he comes off like a screw up. However, I can't say that he’s lazy.

The film comes off like a bit of a “Spinal Tap” for the indie film crowd, at times, as some of it is really funny. One scene has Mark assure a cast member he will be safe when he does a stunt where his head is slammed into a cabinet, and well, things don’t go well. However, unlike the mockbuster, “Spinal Tap”, this film is real, and you aren’t laughing at Mark, as well as admiring his attempt to do something.

“American Movie” is considered a cult classic from the independent film era of the late 90s, where this type of filmmaking was becoming more mainstream. Documentary filmmaking was becoming a very profitable niche at the time, largely thanks to the influence of Michael Moore, and Chis Smith even appears  in the 1997 Moore follow up to “Roger and Me”, “The Big One”.  This film was part of that early wave of documentary filmmaking that was starting to inch into the mainstream.

This film is considered a cult classic, but not enough people beyond the small world of film people know about it, and more should. It was a love letter to anyone who tried to attempt anything, and failure is really beside the point.

"Top Gun: Maverick" Is Top Of The Year

★★★★

Tom Cruise is the last movie star. You don’t see many movie stars like him anymore. You have well known actors, and some people who approach the full package of movie star like qualities, like Matthew McConaughey, where they have the over the top good looks and charm, but that’s far and inbetween these days. 

“Top Gun: Maverick” is the sequel to “Top Gun”, which came out in 1986, so when I saw the poster for “Top Gun: Maverick”, I thought it was likely going to be another run of the mill reboot. There’s a lot of those these days, but “Top Gun: Maverick” is a surprise. It’s not so much a reboot as a continuation of a story of Tom Cruise’s Maverick character, as well as being its own thing. It can be seen though, without seeing the original, and you won’t be lost. However, the biggest thing about “Top Gun: Maverick” is it feels like a  love letter to pure blockbusters, a bygone era of movies.

Tom Cruise comes back as Maverick, older, but still able to fly those stunt daredevil planes. In the opening, he goes to fly a plane for a group in a control room, who are being told by a rear admiral (Ed Harris), he is planning on shutting down the aircraft flight. Maverick shows up and decides to fly the plane himself to defy the admiral and save the project. As he says to the crew, if he goes down, they all go down together, because the people’s jobs rely on the plane flying right. Even after he crashes, he is assigned by the army to return and command a group of young aviators.

While there, he meets up with an old flame (Jennifer Connelly), a bunch of new cadets, including one (Miles Teller) who he feels guilty over, because his father went down with the plane back in the original film. He also meets with a new captain, the ever strict Beau Simpson (Jon Hamm), who’s keeping an eye on Maverick and the group of young cadets. This leads to Maverick training them for a dangerous mission.

Cruise’s guilt over the young cadet, leads to a good dramatic performance by Cruise. You can see the pain in Maverick, as he tries to deal with his guilt throughout the film. However, this isn’t a depressing film. It’s an uncynical, and straightforwardly told film. No winks to the camera, no commentary on hidden themes, and movie heroism that is pure. The movie obviously loves its characters and the genre of film it is. 

The film even has moments that are touching, like when Maverick goes to visit Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer). Val Kilmer has throat cancer in real life, as he types out most of his dialogue on a computer, and Maverick gives him a big hug. It’s a heartwarming scene, and a stand out in the film.

This film is such a throwback, in such a good way, and it’s played straight. Hollywood right now is basically going for issue oriented movies, and things Hollywood used to celebrate, are now being replaced by cynicalism. I know I sound like an old conservative saying this, and I’m not. Films with issues attached to them are important, and I’m not dismissing that, but sometimes you just want to cheer for the hero of a film with no strings attached. 

Tom Cruise has made a point of this movie being seen in theaters, and has reportedly turned down millions in right away streaming deals to keep this movie on the big screen, and this is a movie you should definitely see on the big screen.

This also leads to the issue of the Oscars. A lot of critics are already calling for “Top Gun: Maverick” to be nominated for best actor for Cruise and best picture in general. The Oscars has had this habit of nominating nothing but issue oriented pictures recently. There’s nothing wrong with pictures which deal with real life topics, but there needs to be a better balance. People aren’t rushing to see movies like they used to, and it’s not just the pandemic. It’s also the lack of fun at the movies. The other biggest grossing movie of this year was “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”, which was a straight family film, and was simply adorable. “Top Gun: Maverick” is also a film you can see with your family. While I don’t expect “Sonic” to be nominated for Oscars, and I liked that movie, I think it would be rotten to deny “Top Gun: Maverick” its rightful Oscar nods. It’s easily one of the year's best pictures.

"Power Of The Dog" Is A Slow Burn But A Rewarding Watch

 ★★★1/2

Jane Champion’s “Power of the Dog” is a “slow burn”, but a rewarding watch. A film that is a “slow burn”, means not too much happens on screen, but you get the sense it’s leading somewhere that resolves everything, despite the lack of major events. It’s more like a long stretch to an event than a series of them leading to the resolution. I’m reminded of other “slow burn” films like the 1997 Iranian film “Taste of Cherry”, the 2002 Belgian film “The Son” or the 2001 French film “The Piano Teacher”, based on the Nobel Prize winning novel. 

The story in “Power of the Dog” is simply about two brothers who own a ranch in 1925 Montana, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons). Phil is a bitter man, who just, at this point, is burned out, bitter and just wants the jobs on the ranch done. George is more good natured, who sees his life as more run of the mill. He does his job well, herding cattle, and just living out his life. He’s an everyman for 1925 Montana. While going to a local bar, he meets a woman named Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her quiet but seemingly kind hearted son named Peter (Kodi Smit-McPee). Before you know it, Rose and George are married, and in a very traditional marriage, except for the fact that everytime Rose sees George’s brother, Phil, things don’t go well.

Everytime Phil sees Rose, he does little things to make her life hell. It’s little things like when she plays the piano, he plays the bango, to show who is in charge in a small way. It’s not so much a power dynamic in this regard, because of a woman's role in this time period, it is partly that. However, Phil would be mean to anyone.

 Ironically, Phil is somewhat nice to Rose’s son, trying to teach him traditional roles of a man on a ranch. Despite that, Rose does not want her son spending time with Phil. George, being a traditional man, wants Phil to be nicer to his wife, but also somewhat more obvious to the depth of their hatred for each other.

Benedict Cumberbatch, best known these days for his role as Doctor Strange in the Marvel movies, gives an amazingly complex performance as Phil, a full and rich character who has multiple layers. Some of his layers are understandable, as to why he is so mean, and some not so much why he has to be so mean. As does Kristen Dunst, who shows her quiet discomfort with Phil, with a simple stare or action, and little dialogue. Jane Champion’s script is very tight, and well written, and the way she shoots the film is lush, as you would imagine Montana in the 1920s to be.

This movie is a slow burn, as I said above, but it all leads to an ending which may or may not shock you, depending on how you follow the film. However, it’s a rewarding watch, and sure to be an Oscar contender. It can also be an unpleasant watch, as it’s a character study of an unpleasant person taking control of what are otherwise two good people. All the movies I mentioned in the first paragraph, are studies of unpleasantness, and this film is as well. It’s worth watching. 

Movies You Should See: The Unapologetic Stupidity of “Caddyshack”

 Movies You Should See is a new weekly series of essays covering movies that aren’t current but everyone should see if they are serious about seeing great films. Some of these films you likely heard of, some may have been before your time but can easily be found on physical media or streaming and some are more obscure than they deserve to be. Either way, these are films I feel you very much should see if you are serious about being a viewer of film as both an artform and an important medium. That doesn’t mean there won’t be films on here that aim to be nothing more than entertainment, but these films in this series aim to be great entertainment, and not just a time killer on a screen. With the COVID situation, my ability to go to the theaters cut short, I will start this series.

The 1980 comedy “Caddyshack” isn’t your usual recommended movie,  and that’s because it’s an unapologetic film for its own stupidity. The making of this film sounds as entertaining and messy as the film itself, but what you get is a movie whose cast is the who’s who of the upcoming decade of comedy all in the same place, that makes the movie worth it. The cast is made up of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight and a young Michael O Keefe. As well as these pros of 80s comedy, there’s also a main cast member who’s a literal puppet, the gopher who Bill Murray’s clueless groundskeeper is trying to kill. One of the co-writers is Bill Murray’s brother, Brian Doyle Murray,  and it’s the first film directed by Harold Ramis, who would go on to be a legendary comedy director. Yet, you can tell, in his first film, he has no idea what he’s doing.

The film doesn’t quite work, yet somehow it still does, because when it does, it’s funny, really, really funny. Half the movie is a unfinished story about a young caddy (Michael O Keffe) who works ther wants to go to college, and the other workers who are as hapless, horny and irresponsible as he is.   The other half of the movie is about Bill Murray as a groundkeeper trying to kill a gopher, Chevy Chase being a new agey golfer, and a rivalry between Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight’s characters.

At times, “Caddyshack” seems like two movies at once and neither really quite finish their stories, but it doesn’t really matter. When you finish laughing at the parts that work, you don’t care and it has staying power. There are so many internet memes rooted from this comedy way back in the 1980s, including the gopher dancing to the theme by Kenny Loggins, Rodney Dangerfield dancing to the boombox in his golf bag, Chevy Chase’s new age saying when he hits the ball, Bill Murray trying to put a hose in the ground, Michael O’ Keefe’s young caddy riding his bike to work, and Ted Knight making a face and saying his famous “Well, we are waiting” line. The characters are great, and memorable, and despite the movie being a messy story,  the things that work, work so well, that it trumpets the rest of the film.

“Caddyshack”, in my opinion, is one of the funniest movies ever made, and it’s joyfully stupid and unashamed of it. Sometimes we all need that, and “Caddyshack” does stupid better than many movies that followed, by the likes of Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey, who try to follow that format. I think that’s because “Caddyshack” just goes for it, and doesn’t child it’s audience for enjoying the dumbness of the whole thing. If anything, that’s the strength of the film more than the actual film itself.