Picnic at Marty's

God bless you, Ted Turner, and your classic movies.
Discovered last week that I can cross a couple of my films off the 1001 Movies list by searching Turner Classic Movie's on demand selections. Over the last week, I've watched In the Heat of the Night ("They call me MISTER Tibbs.") White Heat ("Top of the world, Ma!"), Picnic at Hanging Rock ("Absolutely no catch phrase!") and today, Marty, which won a slew of Academy Awards, including one for McHale. That's how I knew Ernest Borgnine growing up, that and that he was in Willard, the rat movie which spawned the Michael Jackson love song. To a rat, not Ernest Borgnine. I was knocked over by Marty, which is the story of how a mom-pecked, friend-pecked and culture-pecked Italian butcher is able to find love at the Stardust Ballroom by taking the high road. It is an incredibly charming slice of life film. In no way would it be an Oscar winning film today, but it certainly is a simply-told tale of one really good 48 hour period in 1950s New York.
The other film I watched was Peter "Green Card" Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is about the real life turn of the last century disappearance of three teens and their teacher at a mysterious rock formation in the Australian outback. No gore, no sex, no violence, no overt thrills, but yet it elicits all of those emotions with good old fashioned story telling. Besides, it is a real life mystery, so there is no resolution, and not even any theories. But it does have Zamfir, master of the pan flute.
Also saw a couple of films on Hulu (though finding an actual free movie is pretty tough.) They have a whole section of Criterion Collection films. If my rich uncle died and left me a million bucks I'd be sad for the fictirious rich uncle, of course, but after paying back all of my family's student debt, I would sink some money into purchasing the entire Criterion Collection. These are the finest films ever made, beautifully restored. At any rate, one of them happens to be Gertrude, which is 2 hours of Norwegian angst. The actors barely look at each other during their loooooong bouts of dialogue, about how love is unhappiness, love is pain etc. It's by Carl Dreyer, who did the spectacular Passion of Joan of Arc about 40 years earlier. It got to be very Dieter after awhile. Also from Hulu, I saw the Evil Dead (now Cabin in the Woods makes sense!) and Boudou Saved from Drowning (pretty amusing) and Killing of a Chinese Bookie (important. not especially fun.)
Great week of film, for the most part. I'm getting pretty good and forestalling the necessity for Netflix!