I've Seen Parts #34

The Shape of Water - Snow Dogs

Jun 04, 2021

Firstly, if you’re here because a burning bush instructed you to come with hundreds of thousands of your friends, or if you’ve suddenly come to reading this on your iPad with Delta Airlines WiFi on a plane that, when you check the in-flight navigation, is headed toward an indiscriminate destination in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean labeled “Daddy,” let me kindly direct you to the About page.

I don’t know about you, but I woke up on Tuesday feeling especially proud. It is the month where all Queer and Straight join hands and shoot rainbows from our holes, brought to you by Kraft Singles!! I have been to one Pride March in my life, and it was the big one. I did not not like it, but it felt largely incorrect, somehow, like a celebration that was happening on someone else’s terms. This June, I’m urging everyone to not allow your queerness to be coopted and corporatized, to refuse to see your identity monetized and sold back to you. This is not a platform I am developing and ushering into the world here in my weekly film newsletter, but it’s worth saying, because this time of year, especially, is when we should remind ourselves that the spectacle of most Pride celebrations, photo-ops, and paid partnerships are important only in their revelation that queerness is synonymous with power—we have the numbers and we have the networks. In the next few weeks, they’ll be shot up with rainbow contrast dye and revealed by the imaging of capitalism, but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist and it doesn’t mean they don’t contain far more potential than we’re expected to believe they do in our allotted thirty days of trendiness. Our support has never been top-down, and certainly isn’t now. There is so much more.

The Shape of Water

dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2017

I am blanking on where I first saw this. A theater? The Manlius one? I know I then watched it again with my family on the day of my father’s birthday, which was also, if you can believe it, the birthday of my ex, to whom I had not spoken since we broke up in the Fall (it was Spring). To not draw out the saga, I texted him to wish him well, and was proud of myself for that, my heart warmed by this quaint tale about inter-species romance.

Shark Tale

dirs. Rob Letterman, Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, 20014

Watched this with my neighbors. As is expected, I only remember the car wash scene and accompanying song. I could not tell you the plot of this movie if my life depended on it, and graciously it does not.

The Shawshank Redemption

dir. Frank Darabont, 1994

Didn’t know that this was one of the very select few Stephen King adaptations that works until I read the novella for a screenwriting workshop and then watched this to see how it compared. In my grad school personal essay/statement, I suggested that my experience of being closeted was like staring at a poster of Rita Hayworth on the wall not realizing the potential for escape just behind it. Some programs did not offer me admittance.

She Dies Tomorrow

dir. Amy Seimetz, 2020

This is the first pandemic release I remember anticipating and then watching—on my McAir :[—and in August I was tired of every review belaboring how prescient this film was because of the contagion and dread it addresses before Covid made all afraid of each other/afraid.

Sherlock Holmes & Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

dir. Guy Ritchie, 2009; 2011

I thought these were fun (is there a more disengaged reaction?). Jude Law as Watson was definitely scratching at the itch I had growing up where I was always more interested in sidekicks than the main event (I like to think sidekicks have innate queerness written into them, and there has certainly been theory written about this).

Sherlock, Jr. & Seven Chances

dir. Buster Keaton, 1924; 1925

I think Sherlock, Jr. was the first collegiate film screening I ever went to. I’m not sure if it’s in this film or not, but during one of the stunts where Buster Keaton climbs up a ladder and falls, he concussed himself really badly and had brain damage for the rest of his life— this, or my entire education is founded upon myth (imagine academia being founded on a myth or two…).
I forgot I’d seen Seven Chances until right now while writing this. It was a screening for a class I TA’d., and it got some laughs from the bunch of eighteen year-olds, which I’d forgotten was possible.

The Shining

dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980

The other Stephen King adaptation that works, even though King himself famously hated it. I can’t weigh in because I never read the source material, even though I did read a lot of Stephen King in high school because I didn’t realize popular fiction could be anything else. I wish I had more to say about this iconic film but I don’t, other than once I was in a lobby in Ireland and the carpet there was the carpet from this.

Shirley

dir. Josephine Decker, 2020

Saw that this had landed on Hulu last summer and might have shrieked. Josephine Decker is the only one allowed to talk. Every time Michael Stuhlbarg shows up on a screen I say “aw,” and every time Elisabeth Moss shows up on a screen I say “uh oh.”

Shooter

dir. Antoine Fuqua, 2007

Somehow I’ve seen this more than once, and both times were probably between 2007 and 2009. I like to imagine that there is a film synopsis for a film about a woman named Abbey or Shaye or something that reads: “starring Kate Mara (Shooter).”

Shoplifters

dir. Hirokazu Koreeda, 2018

This was so good. Watched it on Kanopy, probably.

Short Term 12

dir. Destin Daniel Cretton, 2013

So much ripe talent in this film, and I had no idea who any of them were when I watched in on my McAir in my dorm room.

Shrek, Shrek 2, & Shrek the Third

dir. Vicky Jenson, 2001; dirs. Conrad Vernon, Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, 2004; dir. Chris Miller, 2007

Shrek is culturally definitive, everything else is trying to keep pace. Shrek 2 was somehow just as good, but in a different and slightly less seminal way. Shrek the Third I saw at maybe the Hollywood Theater in Syracuse with my mom, but I don’t remember any of it except for a stage production. Had a Shrek game on PS1 that was fun to play, but hard when you had to swing on chains and not fall in lava.

Shutter Island

dir. Martin Scorsese, 2010

Might have seen this in theaters or might have seen this on TV. My guess is that it was the latter, because my lack of memory when it comes to this movie means either I was distracted, uninterested, or actually on Shutter Island myself. My lover, who has never seen a film, is from the town where they shot portions of this.

Sicario

dir. Denis Villeneuve, 2015

If you had asked me to list Villeneuve’s filmography, I would have forgotten this one, but not because I didn’t like it. Certainly, my tolerance for this genre has diminished since I saw it, and I would most likely shrug off another opportunity to watch, but it made enough of an impact that I found out who Jóhann Jóhannsson was (RIP) by listening to the score.

Signs

dir. M. Night Shyamalan, 2002

I remember this blowing the lid off of whatever I thought genre was. The aliens were so scary because you barely saw them, and this was a point my dad made, I think, when he had us watch this. There are more Culkins than you and I think.

Silence

dir. Martin Scorsese, 2016

I watched this on the day before or after Thanksgiving when I was alone in my family home, dog-sitting. My neighbors invited me over for dinner because they felt bad for me, so I brought a salad I had made, since they were eating meat—are you eating this up? I had to pause this halfway through to go eat with them, which was actually needed because this film was so tedious— good, though, in that it was cinematic and felt emulative of something that I don’t really care about, but have respect for.

Silence of the Lambs

dir. Jonathan Demme, 1991

First watched this at my neighbor’s house (they are showing up a lot this week). I was told it would be scarier than I found it to be. One of the first assignments in grad school was a group effort to put together a shot-by-shot remake of the scene where Clarice and Dr. Lecter meet. No offense, but I will take Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal over Anthony Hopkins’s any day, and not just because NBC’s Hannibal was one of the gayest shows ever to air on primetime TV.

Silent Hill

dir. Christophe Gans, 2006

My friend likes this movie as horror-concept, so I watched it at his house with another friend— a lot I did not understand, and I was drinking.
This was not the same night, but once when I was over there with the same group, our friend came over to hang out and then thirty minutes later announced she should go because her boyfriend was waiting in the car. They are now engaged to be married.

Silver Linings Playbook

dir. David O. Russell, 2012

This film ignited something in me, or maybe just doused the already-burning fire with some gasoline. I had entered college on a pre-med track, and then within a month had changed my mind, knowing I wanted to at least minor in film. I’m not implying that this film was responsible—and besides, I think I saw it after this decision was made—but it caused me to say the word “screenplay” aloud. I haven’t seen it in many years and that is ok.

The Simpsons Movie

dir. David Silverman, 2007

My neighbors owned this movie on DVD, I think, and we watched it as a group. I have never seen an episode of The Simpsons on purpose.

A Single Man

dir. Tom Ford, 2009

It wasn’t until the second time I watched this, when I was really sad, that I realized the way colors would pulse in and out of prominence depending on desire, revivifying moments that would then flutter away. I paused this halfway through to go check out a library book before the library closed, and then read it alone in the bar next to my apartment before going home and finishing the movie. Would have been more fun drinking with Julianne Moore.

Sisters

dir. Jason Moore, 2015

I was excited to see this because of its reinstating of the powerhouse collab that is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, but was not blown away by this one. It’s not a new concept, but the trailer for this was like the highlight reel, from what I (don’t) remember.

The Skeleton Twins

dir. Craig Johnson, 2014

Bought this as a Christmas or birthday gift for my sister before either of us had even seen it. We watched it together and thought it was good, I think. There was even surprise gay in it, what a treat.

Sky High

dir. Mike Mitchell, 2005

I have a few wardrobe items that I have described to my friend as Sky High-forward, which just means the pieces include red and blue stripes.

Sleeping Beauty

dir. Clyde Geronimi, 1959

We’ve all discoursed about consent at this point (hopefully), but something we haven’t talked about is how attracted I was to Prince Phillip before I knew I was attracted to Prince Phillip, particularly when Maleficent’s little minions tie him up and gag him… (the bards are tuning their lutes, one has to restring).

Sleepy Hollow

dir. Tim Burton, 1999

Saw this was on TV and thought, “oh, this a cultural touchstone with which I am completely unfamiliar.” So I watched it, and now I’m living my life.

Slow West

dir. John Maclean, 2015

Streamed this on my McAir on by bed in London. Until I just did a goog, I thought I watched this because it was one of the Oscar-nominated films I was cycling through, but turns out I probably only watched it for Michael Fassbender.

Slumdog Millionaire

dir. Danny Boyle, 2008

I had “Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) ft. Nicole Scherzinger” on my iPod Nano and would listen to it on the bus.

Small Axe

dir. Steve McQueen, 2020

Some of these films staggered and some of them soared, but all of them, in tandem, extended some thread of joy from then to now, or now to then. I watched them all in my bed while home for the holidays.

Smart House

dir. LeVar Burton, 1999

A generation of my peers was promised these smart-house features would be a reality by now. What have we been doing instead? Stem cells? Who cares— I want to have any food item I desire prepared in an instant! My generation is one of humility, adored by all.

Smooth Talk

dir. Joyce Chopra, 1985

This film was mostly setup for what might have been an insightful allegory, but to me felt like... predation? Not cute? Was resuscitated by Laura Dern calling someone a fag.

Snow Dogs

dir. Brian Levant, 2002

One of life’s greatest mysteries is wondering if “Who Let The Dogs Out” was written for this, or was just a beautiful intersection of fate and curatorial acumen. What was this movie about?

PLEASE share your own experiences with any of this week’s films in a comment—I’ll include my favorite in next week’s email for my millions of beautiful fans* to enjoy.

I've Seen Parts