A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019) Review

Title: A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Year: 2019
Director: Marielle Heller
Country: US
Language: English

Considering many of childhood heroes have proven to be creepy (Pee Wee Herman from Pee Wee's Playhouse) or one of the most awful people imaginable (Bill Cosby) it was only natural for the public to be skeptical about Fred Rogers; a children's television host who seemed angelic with his public persona of being good natured. Morgan Neville's documentary Won't You Be My Neighbour? (2018) actually showed us that Rogers was indeed a good man. This film seeks to repeat the same facts in an engaging story that, surprisingly, doesn't centre around Rogers. 

After a jaded magazine writer (Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks),  he slowly overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbor.

Marielle Heller crafts a very different biopic, straying from the traditional formula. Rather than showing Rogers' entire life (as seen in biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody) or a section at the end of his life (such as Judy)  A Beautiful Day manages to demonstrate why we were so captivated with Rogers and how his influenced changed viewers in the form of his interactions with writer Lloyd Vogel. The film is essentially an extended episode of the show; often having Lloyd confront his issues as a character in the show. 

Lloyd's arc is such that it clashes with Mr.Rogers. Lloyd has trouble being self-reflective, whereas Mr.Rogers tries his best to be in-tune with his emotions. Granted, some of the films' sentiments do come off as psychology 101 & treat a serious issue a bit too lightly, but we can appreciate what the film tries to say. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood encourages its audience to self-reflect and not steep in anger for too long. 

I enjoy films that call for self-examination, not matter how overly sentimental they appear to be. More pictures ought to be about WHY we are attracted to an individual, rather than be a boring play-by-play of their life. It's a bit too sweet and simple for me to call this a great film, but its a worthy one-time viewing if only to remind onself that there are genuninely good people in this world. 

Knives Out (2019) Review

Title: Knives Out
Year: 2019
Director: Rian Johnson
Country: US
Language: Emglish

My major complaint who Whodunnit? novels & movies is that the ending is either ridiculously obvious (it was the shady character all along!) or unfairly hard to detect (it was the random character we're throwing in because we desperately need a twist!) Knives Out (2019) is a clever, comedic take on the Agatha Christie formula wherin a crime is committed among wealthy elitists and its up to a remarkably intelligent detective to solve it. 

In Knives Out,  renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate.

Playing with the tropes and conventions of the murder mystery, Rian Johnson's picture is both a satire of the genre and an enquisite example of how to do them correctly. Knives Out etches a tale that is more than entertainment; the characters reflect 2019 America and racial prejudice that derives from class division. The Brazillian maid is the #1 suspect and, as the film goes on, even the most liberal of family members turn on her. 

Marta's (Ana de Armas)  place in this film reminds me of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) in Alfonso Cauron's Roma (2018). They are both told that they are a part of the family, but they aren't really a part of it. They are treated like an outsider when its convenienct for the family. 

Containing a remarkable ensemble cast, which helps in not revealing the villain, the actors fine performances are made even better with a clever and slick script filled with scathing dialogue. Plenty of this picture is written to subert expectations in a humourous way; Benoit Blanc, a clearly french name, happens to have the thickest southern drawl you'll see outside Foghorn Leghorn.

Social critique, humor and suspence blend together to create a fun picture that will bring about interest in murder mysteries in a way that Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express (2017) failed to live up to. Knives Out is a great picture. 

Rise of Skywalker (2019) Review

Title: Rise of Skywalker
Year: 2019
Director: J.J Abrams
Country: US
Language: English

In 2015 J.J Abrams launched a new trilogy in the Star Wars Sega with The Force Awakens. It left me unimpressed, essentially rehashing the entire plot of A New Hope, except with underwelming characters. In 2017 Rian Johnson retconned everything with The Last Jedi, answering all of Abrams' mysteries with a "doesn't matter". Who is Snoke? Doesn't matter cause we killed him off. Rise of Skywalker manages to retcon the retcon in attempt to copy-paste  Return of the Jedi.

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid)  returns with his "final order"

I enjoyed parts of The Last Jedi, mainly the lessons of recovering from failure,  the cutting of family ties and the feeling that anybody in the galaxy could be special. Who are Rey's parents? Doesn't matter! Rise of Skywalker tells us "actually this does matter!" although J.J Abrams answers are poor at best. It's as if he made it up on the day of filming. Rise of Skywalker is far more concerned about making the fans happy and fixing plotholes than making a coherent picture. 

It is difficult to become emotionally invested in this picture as characters die, then seemingly come back the next scene. C3P0 says "I'm saying goodbye to my friends" and the next scene he's chatting with R2D2. The frantic pace of the picture, wherin Abrams rushes from one scene to the next, makes the conclusion to this trilogy feel like it was made by a compulsive adhd teenager who is addicted to energy drinks. 

Po, Finn & Rose (who is now a background character) go nowhere in this film. Finn has something to say to Rey, but Abrams forgets about it. I do find the scenes involving Palpatine entertaining and worthwhile, although that doesn't give everything else a pass. It's dissapointing since Blockbusters have actually gotten better in quality lately; the MCU is impressively well written. Tough to see such big budget movies so sloppily made. 

Ten Best Films of the Decade (2010-2019)

The 2010's were a great decade for me personally; I created this website and gained 100,000+ viewers, I graduated University, I got married, I published a book, I checked Toronto Film Festival and West Edmonton Mall off my bucketlist. I became a cat-person and am the proud father of two adorable kitties. 

While the first half of the 2010's were a slog when it comes to "great" films, I feel the second half (2016 onward) produced quite a notable number of masterpieces. Even the superhero genre, which I hated at the begining of the decade, won me over as I have re-watched Avengers: Endgame (2019) many times. This sounds really weird to say, but, I think I like the MCU more than I do Scorsese movies. 

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019, Celine Sciamma) 

2. A Hidden Life (2019, Terrence Malick) 

 3. The Favourite (2018, Yorgos Lanthimos)

4. Roma (2018, Alfonso Cauron)

5.Death of Stalin (2017, Armando Ianucci) 

6. Moonlight (2016, Barry Jenkins) 

7. Son of Saul (2015 Laszlo Nemes) 

8. 12 Years a Slave (2013, Steve McQueen)

9. The Great Beauty (2013, Paolo Sorrentino) 

10. Certified Copy (2010, Abbas Kiarostami)

Jo Jo Rabbit (2019) Review

Title: Jo Jo Rabbit
Year: 2019
Director: Taika Waititi
Country: New Zealand
Language: English

"Things are getting bad. Our only friends are the Japanese and, between you and me, they don't look very Aryan." 

Satire is an effective tool against the Nazis. Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967) effectively took the power out of Hitler by making him an effeminate nitwit. 52 years later and there ain't any neo-nazi passionately singing "Springtime for Hitler". Undoubtedly, there will be no nazis praising the efforts of Taki Waititi's Jo Jo Rabbit. The film is an impressive endeavor that ultimately demonstrates that even little kids know better than to side with such nonsense. 

Jo Jo Rabbit follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic.

Jo Jo Rabbit is a coming of age drama romance comedy war movie that succeeds other satire like The Producers because it not only humiliates nazi-ism by showing how stupid their ideology is, but also demonstrates their sociopathic barbarism & treats the protagonists of the film with the utmost respect and sincerity. This material could have easily fallen into poor taste with any other director, but Waititi is a master. It's like he's walking a tightrope while doing a fire baton juggling act.

Winning the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival (I was in Toronto when it was announced that Jo Jo Rabbit had won) Waititi's message of anti-hate proves powerful and good natured. It's a sentimental film that gets across the message that nazis, and anyone who associates with that ideology, is a self-centred self-serving asshole. Jo Jo eating soup while his imaginary friend Adolf dines on Unicorn, oddly enough, gets that point across very well. 

Waititi's picture asks us to be curious, discuss and emphasize with different religions, races, genders, sexual preferences etc. rather than hate simply because we do not understand out of fear. Like To Be or Not to Be (1942) and Great Dictator (1940) I have a feeling Jo Jo Rabbit will be remembered for decades to come. 

Ten Best Films of 2019

2019 has been an incredible year for movies; even the Mainstream Hollywood pictures have been phenomenal. Every genre, except Musical because Cats, had a remarkable showing. I was introduced to many great directors; from Ari Aster (Midsommar) to Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century) I went to Toronto Film Festival in September and my experience was so breathtaking that I'm considering going again in 2020. 

The following list was difficult to make, as I had enjoyed plenty of pictures in 2019. I could make a list of the top 50 and I'd still be leaving movies out. If you haven't seen any of these 10, I encourage you to do your best to seek these out:

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)

2. A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick)

3. Jo Jo Rabbit (Taika Waititi)

4. Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)

5. The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers) 

6. It Must Be Heaven (Elia Suleiman) 

7. Uncut Gems (Safdie Brothers)

8. Devil Between the Legs (Arturo Ripstein)

9. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho) 

10. The Twentieth Century (Matthew Rankin)

BONUS!

11. Dolemite is My Name (Craig Brewer) 

Uncut Gems (2019) Review

Title: Uncut Gems
Year: 2019
Director(s): Safdie Brothers
Country: US
Language: English

Josh and Benny Safdie greatly impressed me with the Robert Pattison crime picture Good Time (2017); a film about a criminal who, after a heist goes wrong, has to bust his disabled brother out of jail. I have been excited to see their follow-up, Uncut Gems, ever since it was announced; nearly seeing it at Toronto Film Festival in September (had to leave earlier than anticipated). My expectations were high and I'm glad to say I wasn't dissapointed in what I saw. 

A charismatic New York City jeweler (Adam Sandler) always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. 

Uncut Gems is a chotic picture about both awful and wonderful people. Abrasive, assertive,  scheming, provacative, deceptful; it's difficult to decipher whether we should root for them or be utterly appalled. These shades of grey are what makes the story compelling, keeping us glued to the screen as we behold Sandler's grand disastrous mess of compulsive choice after compulsive choice.

Uncut Gems' cinematographer, Darius Khandjt, creates a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere that keeps us on edge as we are forced to endure Sandler's unstable world. The heavy score plucks at our nerves, giving us goosebumps and making us feel a little irritable. Both build with the story to an inevitable fate. We know Sandler's wreckless behavior will be halted by serious consequences, we just don't know when. 

Certainly going to make my Top Ten of 2019, the Safdie Brothers can seemingly do no wrong when making pictures about America's sleazy hustlers and con-men. Equal parts comedy and drama; Uncut Gems should appeal to a whole host of viewers. 

Monos (2019) Review

Title: Monos
Year: 2019
Director: Alejandro Landes
Country: Columbia
Language: Spanish

It has been called "Apocalypse Now on Shrooms" and been described as a mad thriller that reminds one of Lord of the Flies, Alejandro Landres' Monos made its debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award. Since then it was inducted as the official Columbian entry at the 2020 Academy Awards. It won't win, not when its going up against Bong Joon Ho's Parasite, but it's still a remarkable feature regardless. 

This film takes place on  remote mountaintop, where eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow.

Fear, power and pride. These are the emotions our characters live through as they run roughshot on a dreadful landscape that seeks to consume their souls. Their complete freedom from authority manifests itself into wild and bizarre rituals that are made even more vivid with Meca Levi's tense musical score. Jasper Wolfe's cinematography is beautiful, capturing the dream-like state of their existence. 

From the beginning we sense that this story is headed towards a clataclysmic climax wherin doom and destruction is inevitable. Director Alejandro Landes was clearly inspired by the volatile situation in his home country of Columbia, though he makes great effort not to tie the characters' conflicts with any specific geographical reference point. 

Monos is a remarkable picture that seems to be getting overlooked in the grand scheme of cinema. It is a familiar tale (re: Lord of the Flies) told in a far more abstract and surreal way that will prove to be both inspiring and challenging. Audiences will find themselves under its spell long after the picture finishes. 

The Twentienth Century (2019) Review

Title: The Twentieth Century
Year: 2019
Director: Matthew Rankin
Country: Canada
Language: English

During a time in which everyone and their grandmother is shouting about Scorsese, I receommend a fairly new film-maker to discuss instead; Matthew Rankin. His shorts are visual oddities that seek to astound the senses, while making Canadians feel simultaneously patriotic and unsettled. Mynarski Death Plummet was my introduction to his great work. The Twentieth Century is his first feature length film, garnering much acclaim wherever it is shown. 

The Twentieth Century is a bizarre biopic that re-imagines the formative years of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) as a series of abject humiliations.

Films centred around Canadian nationalism have been...non-existent, that is,  until 2019! Rankin plays it loose with history (as film ought to) and maniacally skewers both the former leader and the carefully protected image of Canada itself. It has been described as "A bizarro Hertiage Moment" and indeed that could not be closer to the truth. This picture has set out to be utterly gonzo. 

Shot on 16mm and borrowing its art style from trends of the early 1900's, Twentieth Century has a visual look that sets it apart from every other film in 2019. It's German expressionism meets Surrealism meets Monty Python. The minimalist sets add to the fever dream feel of Rankin's remarkable, and incredibly funny, picture. 

Based on actual people, events, and words in King's own diaries, Rankin presents us with a compelling reconstruction of history that turns the public reputation of Canada on its head. I adore how unconventional Twentieth Century is and I hope Rankin makes more feature length films in the future. 

Judy (2019) Review

Title: Judy
Year: 2019
Director: Ruper Goold
Country: US
Language: English

Perhaps I'm a bit of a biased reviewer in regards to this biopic because I am utterly fascinated by the career of Judy Garland. I love Meet Me in St.Louis (1944), was swept away by For Me and My Gal (1942), and constantly revisit A Star is Born (1954). I've read her biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland and I've even seen her variety series The Judy Garland Show (1963-1964). I've been looking forward to seeing Zellwegger as the iconic actress for the better part of a year. 

Upon learning of her declining health and bank account, Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.

An adpation of Peter Quilter's play End of the Rainbow, Rupert Goold's  Judy is a tale of tragedy and hope. Of attempting to overcome one's demons (in Judy's case, alcoholism) while also being consumed by them. It feels more honest and humble than last years' major biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, treating Garland like a human being with a considerable amount of flaws. As Garland says in the film "I'm only a superstar when I'm onstage for an hour, the rest of the time I have to deal with the same problems everybody else has."

Though I feel Zellweger's performance has been over-hyped, there is no doubt that she deserves a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. She achieves in making Garland a sympathetic character- despite the "you did this to yourself" trainwreck moments. Few actors could touch our hearts just 20 minutes after the character drunkenly bullies their audience onstage. 

Judy (2019) is not the most structurally fluid film, sometimes awkwardly transitioning from one scene to another & also seemingly forgetting about secondary characters (the fight with the husband is never resolved). I also think the film leans too heavily on Judy's demons; the Wizard of Oz star had plenty positive moments throughout her life that are not featured here.

It's hard to rate this picture, as I would rather people spend their time watching one of Garland's MGM musicals than Judy (2019). It's a decent - but flawed - biopic that, while entertaining, doesn't give you a true understanding of her genius the way her movies do. 

Meet Me in St.Louis (1944) Review

Title: Meet Me in St.Louis
Year: 1944
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Country: US
Language: English

Vincente Minnelli's greatest musical, Meet Me in St.Louis, represents the pinnacle of MGM's Movie Musical Golden Age. Made during the height of World War Two and during the musical revue era of pictures, this film is a cavalcade of nostalgia and warmth. This era, the early 1900's, is a time that is both relatable yet distant. Its a period of time that can now only be experienced in Cinema and history books. 

In the year leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.

A slice of wholesome Americana; the horse-drawn carriages, old fashioned clothing, roaring fireplaces all give the picture a whimsical feel. Not so much plot driven as season driven, Meet Me in St.Louis strolls at a leisurely pace while also hitting the right musical, comedic and dramatic beats throughout its fairly breezy run-time. 

Though sweet, the film is dramatic enough to entice those who aren't just satisfied with nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. The sweet, such as Esther and John's romance, is often mixed in with the sour (Tootie causing trouble with a (implied)  jewish gentleman). The joyful Trolley Song is met with the tearful Have Yourself a Merry Christmas near the end of the picture. 

The cinematography of Meet Me in St.Louis is wonderful; the many interior wide shots through a window give the picture a diorama feel. Also, I love how the "musical" aspect of the picture isn't out of the blue. Every number feels natural and does a great job of heightening the emotion of the scene. This film might be one of the greatest ever made.

A Hidden Life (2019) Review

Title: A Hidden Life
Year: 2019
Director: Terrence Malick
Country: US
Language: English

My spouse and I watched A Hidden Life at Toronto International Film Festival, specifically at the Scotiabank theatre in downtown Toronto. This was the only film we had been in a long line in for as the other films we went to were more obscure; the line stretched for two blocks. The Scotiabank had an escalator to the second floor that seemed endless. I chose to take the elevator. This theatre surprisingly sold beer and wine during the movie. I had not seen that before. 

The Austrian Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl) , a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.

Touted as a "return to form", fans of Terrence Malick will be pleased that A Hidden Life has a more straightfoward linear narrative than Song to Song (2017) and Knight of Cups (2015). Malick's soundtrak echoes his usual selection of classical music, while his cinematography has an eye towards nature. Long shots of Austrian mountains will leave one in awe, while imagery of wheat will overcome the screen in due time. 

Malick's film is full of ideas of faith and spirituality, mainly suggesting that they come from within rather than from a church. Christian philosophy often contradicts Christian action. A Hidden Life is fascinating in its deep dive into philosophy that seems more relevant than ever before. Though its a film that subjects its protagonist to the same question again and again, its repetitiveness is what keeps its audience engaged. Could we withstand the same questioining? Would we repent if we slowly lost everything? 

Malick's film is remarkable, mainly because of its gorgeous breathtaking cinematography. The spirituality, although far more overt than Roma (2018) doesn't become too preachy & does engage its audience, encouraging to self-reflect and search one's innermost beliefs. 

The Report (2019) Review

Title: The Report
Year: 2019
Director: Scott Z Burns
Country: US
Language: English

From All the President's Men (1976) to Zodiac (2007) journalist procedural movies have proven very popular with audiences for many decades. Spotlight (2017), for instance, won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The Report's subject matter doesn't deal with anything too long ago; most audience members will remember the CIA's inhumane use of "Enchanced Interrogation Techniques" )aka straight up torture) on potential 9/11 suspects. 

Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver), tasked by his boss (Annette Benning) to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

The Report is fairly straightfoward; condensing vast quantities of information into an easy to digest narrative that acts as more a procedural drama than an intense thriller. As the run-time goes on, we learn not only about the torture, but the political machinations that almost suppressed Jones’ completed report. The growing moral outrage is complimented by the film's brooding expose. 

Scott Z. Burns' picture is a bit too restrained, attempting to just be a factual account of events that transpired. The problem with this approach is that there is a considerable lack of character development and emotion. We hear that Driver's character has had a difficult time with his family due to taking on the report- but we don't see it. In addition The Report feels very "by the numbers", it doesn't set itself apart from any other prodecural film. 

I mentioned films like Spotlight (2017) and Zodiac (2007) at the beginning of this review; those films are far more involved in the human drama of the subject matter than The Report is. The picture is adequate, obviously well acted, but doesn't show us anything we already didn't know. There are better films that are worth your time. 

Tunes of Glory (1960) Review

Title: Tunes of Glory
Year: 1960
Director: Ronald Neames
Country: UK
Language: English

Based on a popular 1956 novel by James Keenaway, Tunes of Glory was a work that few thought would make a good film adaptation. This is primarily because cinematic depiction of military was infused with exciting action and scenes of battle, whereas this material was primarily about a war of words, ideals and classes. Similar films did extremely poorly at the box office and seemed to vanish from the public's conscious. 

After World War II, Major Jock Sinclair (Alec Guiness) who rose from the ranks, is replaced by a peace-time Oxford-educated Commanding Officer (John Mills), leading to a dramatic conflict between the two.

Tunes of Glory managed to be a critical and commercial success despite the public moving on from war films. Director Ronald Neame shows us his impressive ability to deconstruct a complex novel and present it to us in a more clear way without sacrificing the integrity of its themes, challenging philosophy, and complex characters. Our sympathies manage to lie with both characters, as Neames pacing slowly builds to a startling climax. 

Neame's script, as well as his cinematography, gives us a claustrophobic feel into an exclusive military caste. Much of the film rests on the fine performances of Alec Guiness and John Mills, who do a tremendous job. Portraying an alcoholic, Guiness could have easily overdone the drunkard aspect of his character, reducing Sinclair to a caricature, but thankfully he plays it with sincerity and we feel terribly sorry for him. 

The film is a remarkable accomplishment that could have only been successful with this director and these actors. I could not imagine anybody else playing Sinclair (Guiness) or Barrow (Mills). This character driven drama illustrates the good and evil contained within us all, ultimately giving us a vulnerable side of humanity that we often see in films from that era. 

Marriage Story (2019) Review

Title: Marriage Story
Year: 2019
Director: Noah Baumbach
Country: US
Language: English

Marriage Story reflects director Noah Baumbach's divorce from Jennifer Jason Leigh with the same emotional maturity as when he took on his parents' divorce in Squid and the Whale (2005).  It also reminds audiences of Scenes From a Marriage (1973), Husbands and Wives (1992), and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) with its painfully emotional use of the subject matter. 

In this film Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) are slowly coming to terms with their inevitable divorce. 

An emotional open wound that offers occassional moments of laughter, Baumbach creates two well-written characters that are equally compelling and imperfect. While some films would make their audience favour one parent over the other, Marriage Story gives them both a fair amount of respect and consideration. 

A grand mouring of lost love, the film is most scathing when we're analyzing the dirty business of divorce lawyers. Its the harsh cruelty of bureaucracy that tears away at our characters souls' and reduces them to a bickering emotional mess. Baumbach's script lays both parties bear; forcing them to communicate  more painful truths that perhaps could have fixed their marriage had it been brought up in the first place. 

I feel like Marriage Story really got the "communicating without understanding" part of toxic relationships the most correct. "We agreed to move to L.A", "that wasn't an agreement, that was an idea!" My parents would discuss things the same way & well, inevitably it did not end well for their relationship. I strive to do better communication in my own marriage, but sometimes I do slip up and try to learn from it. This film speaks great truth about relationships and you owe it to yourself to see it. 

Summer Stock (1950)

Title: Summer Stock
Year: 1950
Director: Charles Walters
Country: US
Language: English

Summer Stock (1950) represented the end of Judy Garland's career with MGM. She had frequent meltdowns on set, frequently arrived late or not at all, and relapsed on her long-term pill addiction to lose weight. Made 11 years after Wizard of Oz, Garland looked like she was in her 50's despite being not even 30. Gene Kelly, whose star was about to hit an all-time high, trusted her and believed that she could still be a great star. 

A small-town farmer (Judy Garland), down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe (run by Gene Kelly) invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister (Gloria DeHaven) 

"You gotta dig dig dig, dig for your dinner" Summer Stock is a real throwback to the "lets put on a show" musicals. Though hammy, as one can note by Phil Silvers' performance, it has a timeless charm that is bound to bring a smile to its audiences' Kelly's choreography, particularly a tap-dancing number in the middle of the film, pulls the picture out of "corny" territory and makes each viewing a real treat. 

Garland's famous "Get Happy" musical number is a sight to behold. Its an electrifying movie moment that fuses jazz and pop music into pure magic. Even at her worst Garland proves she is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. She could belt out a musical number like anybody else, bringing enourmous sexual energy out of a film that has some painfully flacid moments (such as Phil Silvers trying to figure out how to milk a cow) 

Judy Garland & Gene Kelly are a remarkable duo. I wish they had made more films together. While Summer Stock isn't the perfect film. some of the "comedy" is too dated and comes off as cringey, I must admit I had a really good time. Afterwards I re-watched the "Get Happy" sequence at least a dozen times.