May Musings

Just to stir things up a bit I’m trying to list the films by “streamer.” I know that some of you simply can’t get Kanopy (which is a shame because it’s free) but some of the films I list under that umbrella can also be found on other streaming sources (often for $). You probably don’t want to take the time, but join any other library that does let you sign up. Fandango is good too because there is no monthly service charge. Most of their films are fee based but other venues like Prime and Apple carry the same films and charge the same amount. Netflix is the only steady one. Pay a monthly fee and watch whatever you want for free. Sadly many streaming services are now making us choose ads or ad-free. Pay more and live ad free or do the retro thing of enduring ads because it’s a good time to go pee or make popcorn.

Kanopy

“Driveways”(2018) Brian Dennehy’s last film and a lovely goodbye from him. This is a small independent film that treads on the sentimental but never gives in to it. It’s a well acted and poignant character study.

“Let’s Get Lost” (1988) fashion photographer Bruce Weber made this film the year legendary jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker died. It’s a brutally honest compilation of interviews, recording sessions, and home movies over thirty years. His drug addicted life was a paradox of gorgeous, unforgettable sound and the pain inflicted on those who loved him. It’s a compelling portrait of a once beautiful and charismatic music icon.

Netflix

“Nuovo Olimpo” (2024) Loving this film was an easy one for me: Rome, gorgeous men, movies, and a Douglas Sirk soap operatic sensibility. What more could I ask for? Like Sirk-ian dramas of the 50’s (“The Magnificent Obsession”, “All That Heaven Allows”, “Imitation of Life”) the film is lavish in costume and set design as well histrionically sentimental. Fabulous. Unlike Sirk, whose homosexuality was coded through heterosexual characters (e.g. Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman as the star crossed lovers), Director Ferzan Ozpetik (who is making films in more enlightened times,) chooses two men as the protagonists. If you read more about Sirk, it will become clear that his cinematic influence as well as his life is inspiration for the film. Great popcorn movie. And oh those Rome sets!!

PBS

“Miss Austen” (2025) A lovely seven part series that focuses on Cassandra, Jane Austen’s sister. It has the usual BBC repertory cast which promises strong acting. The costumes are subdued and seem authentic but don’t take over the stage. Although the book it is based on is fiction, much of it is true.

(American Masters) “Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse” (2025) Do not miss this compelling documentary about the author of “Maus”, the graphic novel about Spiegelman’s parents and the Holocaust. It’s an excellent overview of the roots of subversive “comix” and the lives and work of the very much alive Spiegelman and his wife, New Yorker art editor, Françoise Mouly.

Fandango

“All We Imagine as Light” (2025) A well deserved winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, the film is very beautiful, sad and intriguing. Director Payal Kapadia has captured a portrait of India, that we don’t ordinarily see. The three protagonists work as nurses in a rundown hospital in Mumbai. Pravati, the oldest of the three is evicted from her apartment and decides to return to her hometown, a quiet seaside village south of the city. The other two women accompany her to help with the transition. The film has a dreamy quality but it is also a portrait of the complexities of Indian society. We see a modern city still immeshed in old rules with Muslim and Hindu cultures at an impasse of intermingling, women working and living on their own but still having to abide by the strictures of the traditional society.

And now for a shameless mother’s promo. Most of you have already listened to it, but if not, here is an episode from my son and daughter’s Kalw radio show “Relativity”. This particular episode is about my gallerist Aunt Rose, an amazing and daunting figure. They are hoping for future shows to highlight other people’s fascinating family figures (like the person whose father donated his brain to science). So listen and if you enjoy it, send them a few bucks and if you like, a suggestion from your own family as a subject. (plus you get to hear my voice!!) Here’s the link:

https://therelativityshow.com/rose