Watch It: Our week of Queue de Grâce

Fall is upon us! Just like that! Summer evaporated quickly here, with the birthdays of two boys. and suddenly we were all up in it. Soccer practice, Halloween plans, winter garden preparation, there's a chicken coop in the works; we need another project like we need a Cole in the head.

Our long-time family friend, musician, book boss, role model, and proud owner of the biggest cranium I've ever seen hatted, Cole Roulain, writes an excellent blog for grown-ups who like solid, thoughtful writing on the subject of film, vitagraph, american. If you're over the age of 18, or an exceptionally punk rock minor, give it a look. You won't be sorry.

One of the features on vitagraph, american is the "queue de grâce." Cole hands control of his viewing choices over to a friend for a week, and writes about each of the mandated selections. Often, this is a chance for him to illuminate films that may be obscure, misunderstood, or forgotten; sometimes it is used as an opportunity to force Cole to write at length about a Meg Ryan movie.*

*For those of you too young to know who Meg Ryan is, or why her movies might be hard for a fan of quality cinema to watch, consider yourselves lucky.  Run! 

I like to read his opinion on movies I've watched, because he brings a point of view that I can relate to, even if it's different from my own. Friends who make things and work hard to do them well are one of the best things to have in your life. They always make you think, which is never a bad thing, no matter what you may have heard.

Occasionally, someone is brave enough to allow Cole to choose their week's movies, which they write about. As a result, people from all backgrounds weigh in on a subject they might never have discussed publicly, having seen films chosen for them by a guy who really knows his stuff. Thomas took the challenge, and is a better man for it. He still mentions Godzilla. That wasn't just going to happen on its own.

When we accepted that summer was really gone, and we were certainly headed for colder darker days, we saw a chance to get in on some of this sweet queue action. I asked Cole to make a list of movies suitable for a family, a first for him, I believe. For seven consecutive days, in whatever grouping of parents and children we can manage, we will watch one movie per day, beginning next Monday, October 8. Each day, we will write about it, here, and I do mean "we." I plan to get input from any family member who will talk to me. It might get incomprehensible, but it promises to be interesting.

I present, our queue, all of which are streaming on Netflix:
The Mummy (1932)
The Red Balloon (1956)
A Town Called Panic (2009)
Go West (1925)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

So, tend to any last minute errands, and stock up on popcorn, because you only have a few days before the lights dim and the curtain rises on a week of watching it.*

*and writing about it, and perhaps grinding popcorn crumbs into it, and then probably vacuuming it.

Stay tuned!