February! It’s that time of year again for the Avian Academy to award the highflying aviacinema birdies and birdettes their Golden Owlets for their achievements in creating excellent and exciting avian films. Any film, from short amusing animations to the sweeping feature-length sagas, comes to fruition only through the cooperation of many, many diverse and specialized species of birds.
Once again, just like last year, Birdicron has caused many a disruption, not only in production, but also in distribution. Closed cinemas reopened this year, but flocks of beady-eyed birds did not rush to the large screen showings. Hollybush has stiff competition from the ever widening selection presented by streaming services of the likes of Netflicker and Primary. Those quarantining at home may loll about in their featherbeds and watch just about any film made, either new or old. I would recommend watching “Nighthawk Alley” from 1947 starring Tyrone Plover before watching “Nighthawk Alley” 2021 with Bradley Coopershawk, if only to compare the amazing changes to the techniques of creating special effects.
“Don’t Soar Up” is a cautionary tale for these times. Brainy science birds track the heavens and discover a huge, I mean huge, meteorite on a collision course with earth. What to do, what to do? These birds are no Chicken Littles. These sci-birds know of what they chirp. Telling the president, played in trumps by Meryl Peep, does no good; going to news talk shows is even worse as the hosts twitter and tweet as if the meteor is a giant joke. The sci-birds, played by Leonard Caprimullio and Jenny Wren, know what happened to their dinosaur ancestors, the pterodactyls and archaeopteryx. Any educated avian knows that meteors put an end to that saurian era.
No one takes these avian atmospheric academics seriously, calling them utter loons. Informing social media does send the impending disaster info winging its way around the world. The Grand Pootoo of orchestrating the internet world, played by an excellent Mark Razorbill, turns this dire situation into a moneymaking scheme, while Ms. Peep and her presidential entourage have the avian automatons gathering to chant “don’t soar up.” Sound familiar?
Avian cities are hotnests of commingling, of different birds trying to live in harmony. Yet birds tend to flock together and protect their own. The young especially perceive that they must control their own turf and create small aggressive flocks to accomplish this. In the remake “West Side Flyway,” the Jays and the Starlings claim the same habitat. When these flocks meet face to face, there’s much to-ing and fro-ing, flying about making threatening moves at each other. So graceful are these birds on the wing as they face off that they appear to be dancing. A vibrant film that seems to be celebrating the differences among species. Alas, just as in the here and now, tragedy ensues when Juliet Jay falls in love with Romeo Starling. This too can be compared with the original that swept ten Golden Owlets in 1961. Will there be a repeat?
Any year is not without its nest-busters. This year: “Spiderbird: No Time to Fly.” Spiderbird — no, this bird is not a spider — but he can act like one, spinning a web…not to catch prey but to save innocent prey that is under attack. There’s the daring rescue of a petite hummingbird caught in a tangled web. Each time the little hummer moves its wings or beak, the situation becomes worse. In flies Spiderbird who just like his namesake is able to carefully devour the entangling ties and soon the hummer is flying, his wings beating at 60 beats per second. This is only one of the feats performed by our hero.
“No Time to Fly” is another in the Bond, James Bond series pitting good against evil. And it soars about complete with daring flights, formidable feats and constant chases. This is Daniel Crake’s last Bond film. We are all waiting for the next — starring Ibis Elba!
What would Hollybush be without a biopic or two? “The House of Goosey” — what a story! — about a fashion family designing new plumages for those birds tired of wearing the same old, same old. This is not about the new designs, but about the family Goosey, played by an amazing gaggle of a cast.
Or a western? The “Power of the Cowbird” is the story of two wealthy brothers Phil and George Birdbank, their Montana ranch, their romances, their relationships. George is a wholly pleasant person: tall, lanky, laconic. Phil is rather nasty, bitter, taking immense pleasure in torturing others. Enter Rose (played perfectly by Kirsten Dunlin) and her son (newcomer Kodi Tit-McPewee). Tension rises as the relationships become more entangled than a braided whip. An intriguing update of the classic western directed this time by a woman, Jane Canvasback.
Other films in contention for Owlets are the evangelical (sorta) biopic, “The Eyes of Tammy Jay,” a new version of “The Tragedy of MaCaw,” the Japanese entry “Fly My Caracara.” And with Birdicron on the wane, may big screen theaters open to the forest and field flocks again.
