07.07.25 – 20.07.25
So, the club president of the Film Club (me) was a bit depressed for week 3, so that didn’t go so well and it’s also been the Euros. And the club president (me) loves the Lionesses and football, so overall it’s been a mess! But England made it to the semi-finals and we play on Tuesday (22nd July)! 🙌
For Week 3, I also realised that some films are going to be hard to actually find… And that I need to make sure a film I choose isn’t the third in a trilogy 🫠
This means that I’ve made a pile of shame, which you’ll see further down in the post, and I’m going to have to look into DVD’s for some of these films. I think I shall be scouring some charity shops soon!
At this point, ignore the dates~
Hairspray (1988)
‘Pleasantly plump’ teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show’s former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber’s manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.
I know this film evokes a lot of ’60’s aesthetics, but it also feels so much of it’s time as well. It has that feel of homage that so many films have about a different time period – especially in the indie scene.
The conversations this film has about race, gender and equality are simultaneously absurd and powerful. The topics are well integrated into the plot and doesn’t feel disingenuous, despite there being the quirky humour which undercurrents everything. The only main issue I have is the ableist language/slurs used throughout the film. I understand that it’s not necessarily done in a harmful way, but it was uncomfortable to hear.
I love Corny Collins (Shawn Thompson) and that is true in every rendition. I enjoyed that he has always tried to push integration, alongside his perfect assistant Tammy (Mink Stole). Link Larkin (Michael St. Gerard) is so much cooler and more obsessed with our main girl Tracy (Ricki Lake) than the musical version. Babe turned full on activist within five minutes of meeting her!
And it’s consistent that in both renditions, Penny (Leslie Ann Powers) and Seaweed (Clayton Prince) are the power couple. Penny Pingleton, you can do no wrong 💖
🪳🪳🪳
Pather Panchali (1955)
A depiction of the life of an impoverished early twentieth century rural Bengali family.
Originally in this spot was Apur Sansar (1959), but when I sat down to watch it, I realised that it was the third film in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apu’ Trilogy.
The first film is Pather Panchali (1955) and while the plot is decent, the execution and pacing was not to my liking. The film meandered a lot and it was mostly the end that really gripped me and that was due to the distress I was feeling.
There were three main moments in this film that really struck with me. And they all surrounded the women of this family. Auntie (Chunibala Devi) is an elderly woman who is often forced to rely on the kindness of her relatives, and who are not afraid to call her a burden. Sarbojaya (Karuna Banerjee) is the matriarch working hard to keep her family together and healthy despite her husband being blasé about money while they live in poverty. Durga (Uma Das Gupta) is a young girl who is weighed down by expectations and who is consistently downtrodden by those around her, including her mother.
This film so painfully shows women’s dreams being ignored or downright ripped apart by the realities of poverty. We see three generations of women in one family and each one is often forced into a lonely, or at least socially excluded, existence.
Apu (Subir Banerjee) is a sweet and innocent boy, coddled and loved by his whole family. Considering how much this film focused on women, I’m not sure if I want to continue with the following two films, as I assume they will be more focused on Apu as he grows older. Or at least, I’m worried that he will turn into a typical man and cause more harm, accidentally or intentionally, to women.
I may continue, but after watching this film, I need to be in the right headspace as I have not sobbed so much watching a film in quite a while.
🕉️🕉️🕉️
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.
I wanted to love this so much and I think as a child I probably would have. This 1938 adaptation of the Robin Hood tale is full of colourful costumes, action scenes and comedy. However, watching this as a 30yr old woman, I could not stand Robin Hood (Errol Flynn).
At some points I truly was rooting for his demise. Like why was he so insufferable and rude to everyone he met. He also laughed so annoyingly.
The plot was fine, but didn’t actually have much substance and despite only being around 1hr and 40 minutes, it felt much longer. We rarely saw Robin helping people and he spends so much time stuffing his face. During a little feast they have in the forest there happens to be a large amount of peasants close-by for him to manipulate Maid Marian with. Why are they not enjoying the food? Aren’t his actions meant to be directly helping the poor? Why do we never see it?
And speaking of Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), she is perfect. She’s stylish and was mean to men. The only issue is that she fell in love with Robin.
I’ve already mentioned that the costumes were colourful, but I especially enjoyed all of Marian’s dresses. My main beef with films like this is set design. Why does Hollywood have this weird assumption that the aristocracy, literal princes, would be strolling about in bare castles? I get that it gives evil vibes with all the grey, but so does opulence in comparison to the peasants, which is what Robin Hood is all about. Give those walls the tapestries they deserve!!
Literally, save yourself the trouble and just watch Disney’s Robin Hood (1973). It’s superior and you’re lying if you say you didn’t have a crush on fox Robin as a child~
🏹🏹🏹
The Secret of Moonacre (2008)
When 13 year old Maria Merryweather’s father dies, leaving her orphaned and homeless, she is forced to leave her luxurious London life to go and live with Sir Benjamin, an eccentric uncle she didn’t know she had, at the mysterious Moonacre Manor.
Recently, I keep seeing edits of The Secret of Moonacre on TikTok which made me even more excited to watch it! Thankfully, I have it on DVD because finding this on streaming sites or renting is impossible.
The fact that this film doesn’t have an Oscar and has 23% on Rotten Tomatoes is criminal. I hadn’t watched this in years, but I still think about it occasionally. I love the idea of being a secret princess, let alone a Moon Princess who is the only one who can break a curse. This felt like it was personally made for 13 year old me in 2008.
I went into it with low expectations as I was worried that nostalgia may have elevated this in my memory way more than it should have. However, I was hooked immediately. It’s funny, Maria (Dakota Blue Richards) is sassy, Miss Heliotrope (Juliet Stevenson) is iconic, there’s a hot uncle (Ioan Gruffudd) and a hot bandit (Augustus Prew).
I loved the enemies to lovers relationship between Maria and Robin (aka hot bandit). I have always loved this trope, especially when the man is an idiot. He didn’t have many lines, but he listened!!
The costume design is stunning. I want every single outfit that Maria wears. The set design is so visually beautiful and whimsical. The score is really pretty and I loved how music was used in this film.
Does the plot have holes? Yes. Is the acting amazing? No. Do I care? 100% No.
I want this type of whimsical fantasy film to have a resurgence. I want questionable, but fun and charming special effects to have a comeback. I want film effects to regress so that I can enjoy myself more!
🪶🪶🪶
MONTH ONE THOUGHTS
I ended up watching 10 out of the 12 films in month one and to be honest, I’m still really proud of myself.
My overall average rating for Month 1 is 3.15⭐ with the films that I watched. And honestly, I’m so glad I have a re-watch each week as the new-to-me films I watched this past month were not my favourites and that is somewhat an understatement.
Without those I think I would have given up. However, I’m still glad that it made me pick things that I wouldn’t necessarily have ever picked for myself. This is a wonderful way of exploring my tastes more.
✨✨✨
Pile of Shame
If, for whatever reason, I don’t watch a film within the month, it will get added to this pile and I need to complete them within 60 days. I’ll then include them in whichever weekly wrap-up is due. For Breakfast in Pluto, it’s definitely a case of finding the DVD.
Obviously, the “Pile of Shame” isn’t something that I want to build or rely on! But it’s there as a back-up system when life just isn’t going my way.
MONTH TWO BOARD
The Month Two board is actually really exciting! I love every single re-watch and there is a great mix of new-to-me films. Some I’ve heard incredible things about!
For more information on Hayleigh’s Film Club, check out the announcement post ♥
Thank you for reading!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥
DramaRambles 🌸 
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