submitted by wombat to blorp 9 points | 1 comments

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For this Special Thursday Cinema Night, first up is Pather Panchali (1955) (that means “Song of the Little Road” in Bengali), a rural-themed Indian drama from the most renowned Indian director of all time, Satyajit Ray; we have previously watched his films The Big City (1963), The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (1969), and The Kingdom of Diamonds (1980). We also watched Pather Panchali itself a few years ago, but we never saw the equally-acclaimed sequels, and I figure we should rectify that. Based on the 1929 novel of the same name, it follows the life of an impoverished boy in rural India as he struggles to make ends meet with his mother and sister. It is considered atypical for Indian films of the time for its Italian-neorealist-esque tone, eschewing the usual song and dance numbers in favor of gritty, grounded drama. Also features a soundtrack by famed Indian musician Ravi Shankar. This is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time; it is currently ranked #136 on the Letterboxd Top 500.

BONUS: Between the features, we will watch Buster Keaton’s 21-minute slapstick short The Blacksmith (1922). This time, Buster plays the incompetent apprentice of a blacksmith, suddenly forced to run the shop by himself after his boss goes to jail. Hilarity ensues as his attempts to master the machinery around him go awry.

Last is Toy Story 5 (2026). Yes, Pixar made a fifth one. This time, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang must deal with a new threat to their existence: screens. What happens when kids no longer care about dolls and playsets, and just want to stare at an iPad all day? Will kids ever learn social skills and make friends again in this bleak digital hellscape? I guess we’ll find out. Director Andrew Stanton also helmed Finding Nemo (2003) and WALL-E (2008). This has already been a smash hit at the box office, and is sure to be one of the highest-grossing films of the year; it has also received excellent reviews, so let’s check it out. Hope it’s better than Hoppers (2026). A decent-quality camrip has just appeared, so that is what we will watch.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Blorptube, right here:

blorp.bot.nu/o/visual_cuisine

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Pather Panchali: letterboxd.com/film/pather-panchali/
• The Blacksmith: letterboxd.com/film/the-blacksmith/
• Toy Story 5: letterboxd.com/film/toy-story-5/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Pather Panchali: www.doesthedogdie.com/media/43560
• Toy Story 5: www.doesthedogdie.com/media/1664490

CWs for Pather Panchali:

• Cruelty to animals.
• Bugs.
• Snakes.
• Death of child.
• Child abuse.
• Death of family member.
• Smoking.
• Sad ending.

CWs for Toy Story 5:

• Drug addiction.
• Claustrophobia.
• Natural bodies of water.
• PTSD.
• Anxiety attacks.
• Nervous breakdown.
• Flashing lights.
• Screaming.
• Fat jokes.
• Honking horns.
• Screeching tires.

Links to movies:

• Pather Panchali: tankie.tube/w/9CytpoRE4WPdwUZWUninRD
• The Blacksmith: tankie.tube/w/d2FWr71SbWVz72A2ZprRuK
• Toy Story 5: tankie.tube/w/pSyFe2qndwGDXr1uBtNbNy