Day 97

FILM CRITIC

Over a period of up to three months, watch at least five of the following and write a review of each one.

10 - A Silent Movie

The Cat and The Canary

I can't say that I have ever watched a silent movie, so I wanted to start this badge with this type of film. I searched Kanopy for 'silent films', and The Cat and The Canary seemed like the kind of film I would enjoy. It certainly did not disappoint.

Set in a scary looking, possible haunted mansion, 6 people are brought together to discover who will inherit from the will of Cyrus West, a millionaire and the owner of the house. When the heir is announced, strange things start to happen. Perhaps the house is haunted by the ghost of Cyrus! People disappear, secret passages in the walls are found, a random man from the local asylum appears looking for an escaped lunatic, and no-one seems to know what's going on.

I am surprised that I enjoyed this film. I was expecting to be bored and struggle to watch 80 minutes of silence. When watching anything now, I find myself being distracted by my phone or my crochet, and I tend to listen rather than watch. But I had to watch this film because I'd miss something vital if I wasn't paying attention. The film was interspersed with the occasional intertitles, giving pieces of dialogue.

Because we couldn't hear what the characters were saying, the acting needed to be over dramatic. The facial expressions were extreme - ultra wide eyes for surprise, deep deep furrowed brows for anger, the broadest smiles for happiness. Arms were flung about wildly in fear, and body movements were repeated to ensure the viewer understood what was going on. The music was dramatic from the start, but changed depending on the sense the scene needed to portray.

The plot was intriguing and kept you guessing, there were some funny scenes, and some scary scenes.  But without sound, it was difficult for the character development to be successful. It was almost as though the characters had to be stereotypes or caricatures in order for the audience to understand their personality. For the time (1920s) the special effects were brilliant. I don't understand filmography, nor do I know the proper terminology, but there were some scenes where it was as though the film was overlaid with another film. It was very clever and gave the film another dimension.

I did enjoy it. And I enjoyed being 'forced' to watch it with my complete attention. After this, I may even watch more silent movies!

INDOOR GARDENER

I haven't really been paying attention to this badge. My succulents and cactus are doing fine, but I didn't know what other plants to take care of. But today, in Morrisons, my other half saw an indoor rose for sale, for only £1. So I'm going to attempt to keep that alive for 3 months!

FITNESS

15 minutes of hooping.

TV CRITIC

01 - Choose five different TV shows to watch over a four week period. The shows should span different genres, and not all be shows which you would normally choose.

02 - Write reviews of each show. What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it? What did you learn? Did you discover something of interest which surprised you?

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

A couple of people at work recommended this programme, so I thought I'd give it a go. I just watched the first episode today - 'Lot 36'. From the off, this series feels like it's going to be 'Are You Afraid Of The Dark?' but for adults, and as I enjoyed those programmes as a child, I think I will enjoy this series.

'Lot 36' is set in a storage unit. The manager sells off the units, contents included to the highest bidder if the owners abandon them. The main character, Nick, already owns one lot in the unit and then wins lot 36. He opens it up to find a lot of stuff he considers junk, as well as an old table, some books, and a wreath made out of human hair, which he takes to a woman who would be interested in these curiosities. The table, he discovers used to be used for seances, and the books are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he can only find three books when there should be four. Along with an antiques expert, Nick returns to his lot, and they look for the book. As they search, they discover a secret door leading to something unexpected, dangerous, and scary.

It wasn't as scary as I'd hoped, but it was certainly dark and disturbing. And the acting in this episode wasn't great, but the story was good enough for that not to be an issue. I'm looking forward to the next episode.

WRITE EVERY DAY

GOOD HABITS

Laundry.

Mail.

Teeth.

50 squats.