Your Year Of Living OCD: 2011 style! - Page 2

6. Epidemic (1987)

The middle film in Lars Von Trier's "Europa" trilogy.  I enjoyed a lot of the ideas, especially how it seems to have been made solely to constantly throw off the viewer; the title appears in the top left corner the entire time, characters will break out with laughter or scream at seemingly random moments, characters turn to face the camera, disturbing, offbeat mise en scene, and a mixture of reality and fantasy (or, possibly, not).  Ultimately, though, this feels like an exercise rather then a full thought out film.  Udo Kier turns in a great performance, and honestly, all the actors are solid (including Von Trier, who basically pays himself through part of the film and a scientist in the other part).  The ending is fantastic but I don't think it quite saves the film.  I can't recommend it totally, but if you like Von Trier, check it out. 

Have not seen before
Saw it already.

# - MOVIE - (Director, Year) - Format - Location if Applicable

1. INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan, 2010) - BluRay - It was all right. Nah, I'm just kidding. I really loved this, though the movie I'd compare it most to at this moment would be BLADE RUNNER. That was a movie that I wasn't completely blown away by the first time I saw it, but as years have gone by, it's grown in my estimation and is one of my favorite movies of all time. My first viewing of Inception -- which wasn't ideal, as I kept pausing it to have the girlfriend explain it to me -- was a far more potent experience than my first of BLADE RUNNER or even THE MATRIX. I found myself marveling at just how good it looked, and I think my awe at the cinematic acrobatics on display -- music, editing, production design, sound -- kept me from emotionally connecting with those final moments. It might make the second half of my top ten of the year, but I'm sure this is one I'll be returning to before the month is out.

Did the movie end with the protagonist and antagonist having a sledgehammer fight under an elevated train? No.
Would the movie have been better if that happened? Nah, because the snow siege and the hallway fight more than made up for it.
Grade: A.

2. ARMY OF SHADOWS (Jean-Pierre Mellville, 1969) - Theater - Film Forum

Holy shit, this movie. I mentioned this when I blogged about it for my Criterion project, but this film devastated me. Like I thought I was going to have to stop on the way home to compose myself. I cannot stop thinking about it, turning it over in my head, and the film that I keep comparing it to is MUNICH. Just a masterpiece. Might become one of my favorite films of all time.

Did the movie end with the protagonist and antagonist having a sledgehammer fight under an elevated train? No.
Would the movie have been better if that happened? Maybe, because at least it would have given us a good guy and a bad guy. There are no good guys here, there are only men grappling with their souls in the face of an overwhelming evil. No easy answers. Only a man who refuses to run.
Grade: A+

Ongoing Total:

Overall: 2
New: 2
Previously Seen: 0
In Theaters: -5

7. Bluebeard (2009)

Catherine Breillat's retelling of the classic fairytale has two stories (second film I've watched in the row to do that); one is two sisters reading the Bluebeard story to each other (it scares the older girl).  The other is the actual story, which a few modern twists.  Breillat is an interesting director.  She's very confident in her images and they're incredibly striking.  There are a few that have stuck with me long after viewing the film; mostly they're incredibly stark and violent images presented in an almost passive way.  Too many modern movies try to make anything violent incredibly jarring and in your face.  It's much creepier to present it simply, and she does that here to great effect.  It feels like a very personal film.  Her movies often feature sibling rivalry and the two sisters are named after Breillat and her sister (they were both actresses at one time).  Bluebeard's wife has a mixture of both of their first names.  I admired the use of the fairy tale structure but I also wondered why she used such a classic story to frame a personal film.  At times, it seems like a distancing device.  I wanted to be let into her head a little more.  Her next movie is based on Sleeping Beauty, and while I didn't think this film was perfect, I'm curious to see where she goes next. 

Seen before

SEEN IN CINEMA

Seen for the First time

5. When Harry Met Sally.

This is one of those films I can watch again and again. Just about the most perfect Rom-Com ever made.  (I haven't Seen Annie Hall yet).

I'll jump in on this.  Only gonna post movies I haven't seen before.

#1 – Easy A

#2 – 127 Hours :

Might need to see it again because I really didn't enjoy it.  I had read the book years ago and I know that tainted my perception of how the movie should have played out.

#3 – The Ghost Writer :

Takes awhile for the tension to really build up, but it didn’t feel slow in the slightest.  Enjoyed it a lot.  

#4 – Nashville

#5 – Kontroll :  (In Progress)

Rewatch:

The Driver: Solid B-movie from Walter Hill with Ryan O'Neal trying to act like a badass, Bruce Dern as an asshole cop and Isabelle Adjani as the yummy female lead. Some of the greatest car chases I've ever seen.

First Time:

Welcome Home Brother Charles: The film is largely boring until it takes a hard right into weirdo territory, you'd think a film about a man strangling people with his dick would be kinda fun but you have to wade though 45 minutes of low budget student film to get to it.

The Big Clock: It's a pretty tense thriller, Ray Milland and Charles Laughton square off and they're both pretty good. The set design on this film is amazing.

The Virgin Suicides: Very atmospheric film, good performances from Kirstin Dunst and Kathleen Turner. I definitely preferred this to Lost in Translation. Trip Fontaine is a badass name.

Golddiggers of 1933: Plot's nothing to write home about but those Busby Berkely numbers are stunning.

8. The Woman in the Window (1944)

The film noir Wizard of Oz, directed by the master director Fritz Lang.  One of the films that helped define the term; it opened in France in 1946 along with The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, Laura, and Murder My Sweet.  The French must have been freaking out.  It reminds me a lot of the Hitchcock flick Spellbound, mostly because of it's preoccupation with dime-store psychoanalysis (Freud was a big subtext for movies around this time).  Robinson's character is a "criminology professor" who laments with his club boys about growing old and settling into middle-aged, family-man malaise, and then meets a femme fatale (played wonderfully by Joan Bennett) who shows him some art work back at her place.  Next thing you know, a jealous former lover bursts in and starts strangling the good professor and Robinson is forced to defend himself by shoving some scissors into the John's spinal column (a plot point that's unfortunately telegraphed from the opening scene, which features Robinson lecturing his classroom about the different mindsets men must have to commit homicide while Sigmund Freud looms ominously on the chalkboard behind him). 

From there, the plot unfolds in ways that are both predictable and not.  Robinson's professor is faced with a dilemma.  Does he try to cover up the murder or not?  He doesn't even know Bennet's name, nor she his.  Nobody saw them together and there's little that connects her with the John.  He murdered the guy in self-defense, but if the police found out, it wouldn't look good and either way he'd be ruined (he has a family, after all).  From there, Lang directs a series of sequences that pile on the suspense.  How many people see Robinson acting suspicious in the middle of the night with a body in his car?  Quite a few.  What's worse, one of his club buddies is the assistant DA, who invites him along to the sloppy crime scene just to get him out of the house!  Robinson is terrific as he gets the screws put to him, but he and Bennett are blown away by a sleazy blackmailer that pops up in the third act, played with relish by Dan Duryea.  This being an early noir, Lang doesn't have all the elements in place, but that actually helps the movie in retrospect; it seems less stale then some of its fellow noirs and I actually thought the movie was going in a direction it doesn't come close to touching.  The final production-code approving twist made me groan out loud, but Lang kept me interested throughout with his shadowy mise-en-scene that features Freudian essentials like clocks and mirrors.  Recommend for noir fans, but watch out for the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.  You'll see what I mean.  

4. Mission Impossible 2 - What a shitty movie.  Lines that make you go, "Huh?"  Banter that sounds like someone trying to write banter.  Cruise blue-steeling through the first quarter of the movie and then just looking plain annoyed the rest of the time.  Doofy Doofus Dougray.  Poor guy.  Poor villain.  Probably pouts and broods more than Timothy Olyphant in Die Hard 4.  Really odd scene of homoerotic tension been him and Richard Roxburgh (where he basically has his right hand man bent over at his crotch).  Ving Rhames shining Cruise's shoes.  Swimfan director flying helicopters and being Australian.  Characters constantly spouting exposition.  Woo's usual hero/villain parallels playing like a comedy (Hunt's gonna jump in from the top!/I'm gonna jump in from the top!).  Zimmer recycling Lisa Gerrard's voice the same summer he did Gladiator.  Last of the Mohicans scene.  Entire shootouts that feel entirely inconsequential because of the PG-13 (lots of bullets and people just stumbling... did they trip!?)  I could go on and on and on.

Yet why don't I hate this movie?  Hahahaha.  Timing.  Right age.  No taste.  I can't help but like this.  It's Woo doing his schtick without the drama to back it up.  But I LOVE Woo's schtick and in this movie, it's kinda fascinating to see him try to milk a sequence that has nothing to milk (Thandie Newton's first approach to Dougray Scott/Ving Rhames hacking a satellite so that Cruise can see it!... this is tension!?  EPIC SCARF GRAB!!).  And despite the fact that it feels like nothing is at stake during the motorcycle chase, I just love the way Woo shoots and cuts it.  I get a kick out of it.  The sequence also gets a bit of extra juice these days because it was shot for real.

11.  Vampyr (1932) - Pretty close to great.  Dreyer does a really great job of establishing an effective oppressive atmosphere of dread and menace, leaving the viewer unsettled throughout.

12.  Walkabout (1971) - Well, aside from not being able to understand a word out of that little kid's mouth (and not being able to turn on subtitles due to watching it on Netflix), I really liked this one.  It meanders, but never once felt boring or uninteresting.  The film was engaging and well-paced, and the cinematography was pretty gorgeous, especially all those shots of the Australian Outback, which is at once lovely and foreboding.  Plus...Agutter.  Sigh.

13.  She (1935) - A bit offensive at times, and the dance number goes on a bit too long, but overall, it's just good old fashioned campy fun.  Helen Gahagan was drop dead gorgeous as the title character, and watching Randolph Scott hoist a guy over his head and toss him down on his pursuers was a hoot.

9. The King's Speech (2010)

Some movies feel like their titular characters, and the King’s Speech is no exception.  It stutters a lot.  We see Firth give a speech in the opening scene.  We only listen to the first few lines, but the movie clearly communicates all we need to know; he bombs due to his terrible stutter.  But then we are treated to scene after scene of him bombing throughout the film, and each scene is shot the same way; low angled fishbowl lens that’s meant to give us an idea of what the King’s mental state is. But we’re never really allowed into his head.  His speech therapist (a fun Geoffrey Rush) is more like a “therapist” therapist; he works on breathing exercises but he’s more interested in bonding and getting to the heart of the King’s troubles.  But all that boils down to his demanding daddy issues and a mean childhood nanny.  Clearly the man was more complicated then that. 

If the film allowed Rush to help Firth succinctly, we wouldn’t have much of a movie.  So, alas, we’re treated to endless senses of Firth screwing up and the whole thing plays out like a romantic comedy, inserting drama into situations until the formula ways it down into the realm of the ridiculous.  The two have a tense early meeting, followed by a moment of brief success, followed by a training montage (seriously, there’s a training montage) followed by a bickering break-up followed by apology and more success (and more montage) followed by the classic romcom “misunderstanding” (‘You mean to say the speech therapist isn’t even a DOCTOR!  And he’s AUSTRALIAN to BOOT!”) followed by a sweet final bonding moment followed by a triumphant ending.  And just once, I wished the movie had the courage to allow us to hear King George VII screw up an entire speech, not just the first couple of lines.  It would make the predictable triumphant climax mean a little bit more.  This is not a bad movie; (Firth is good, the subject is interesting) but it’s certainly not a great one; the formula is stale, Helena-Bonham Carter is wasted and at the end of the whole thing you’re still left wondering when the Blitzkrieg will begin.

I managed a paltry 73 movies I hadn't watched before last year, so maybe listing them here will inspire me to do better. So, here we go.

Saw In Theaters

Saw At Home

1. Exit Through The Gift Shop - Did not expect to enjoy this nearly as much as I did. Brilliant. Faked or not, Banksy and Thierry are fascinating and entertaining characters.
2. The King's Speech - Best use of cursing I've ever seen on film. As good as Firth is (and he deserves all the praise he's been getting), Rush matches him every step of the way.
3. TiMER - Really surprised by this one. I checked it out because of Emma Caulfield (I'm a big Buffy fan), but wasn't expecting much. It's an inventive and well-thought out premise, and Caulfield is, of course :), excellent. It's by no means a great movie, and the male lead isn't very good, but it's a lot of fun, and it asks some interesting questions about love and relationships.
4. Inglorious Basterds - Finally got around to seeing this. While I don't think it's Tarantino's masterpiece (I still think Kill Bill owns that distinction), it's still crazy entertaining. I'd heard Waltz was great, but wow...he goes in the pantheon of villains. The scene with he and Shoshanna in the restaurant had me shaking, and I even knew she wouldn't get caught.
5. David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer - Disappointing. I love Cross as a comedy actor, and this was my first go at his stand-up. There are a few great joke (particularly the "yea bitch" game), but most of it is pretty stale (his stuff on religion is nothing we haven't heard before, and honestly it's just boring).
6. The King of Kong - So, so great. Seriously, I had no idea what to expect from this, but it's amazing. It starts off a bit slowly, but it just keeps getting better and better. Is it wrong that I felt tears start to well up at the end of a movie about setting video game high scores? Steve Wiebe's battle against Billy Mitchell and his sycophants is something we can all relate to, because everyone has had that moment when they knew they were in the right and felt like everything was stacked against them. Watching Wiebe's daughter say "some people kind of ruin their lives to be in [the Guinness World Record Book]" is really heartbreaking.

seen before
SEEN IN CINEMA
First time viewing

5. The A-Team: A birthday purchase, love this film more second time around a damn near perfect big screen adaption of the TV show.

6. 500 days of Summer:  Pretty much the anti Rom-Com. A smart enjoyable flick that I enjoyed the hell out of.

Have seen before
Have not seen before
In theater = CAPS

5.  THE GREEN HORNET -- fun, if relentlessly goofy superhero flick.  Won't please the purists, but I kind of dug it. 

6.  The Man From Laramie --  Jimmy Stewart, American Badass.   I really liked this one.  Ununusally three-dimensional villians.  Good stuff. 

10. The Baxter (2005)

Right after talking about the formulaic King's Speech which has a romcom meets Rocky plot, I watched Michael Showalter's The Baxter, which attempts to look at the romantic comedy genre from a new angle.  Baxter's are the second-best guys, the ones left on the alter when the hero returns or who can't quite seal the deal with the girl they bring to the prom, leaving the door open for the cool guy or the jock to come in and sweep the lady off her feet.  Showalter plays the Baxter here, a nerdy accountant who's fond of reading the dictionary for fun and orders white wine spritzers when at a club.  Elizabeth Banks is his unlikely leading lady and Michelle Williams plays the woman everyone knows he should end up with (including Showalter's Elliot, who seems to be neglecting her most of the time simply because he needs to for sake of the plot).  We learn the outcome of this story from the get go; Elliot's bride leaves him at the alter when her high school sweetheart shows up.  We also learn that Elliot and his temp-secretary (Williams) are perfect for each other not long after (she reads the dictionary too!) so it's apparent early on that despite Showalter's attempt to skewer the romcom genre, this will just be another example of people we know should be together remaining apart until the end for the convenience of the plot.  But what's worse here is that we know from the get-go that Elliot won't end up with his perfect bride, so by the end of the film, when it's clear that Banks is leaning towards her former flame, the whole thing starts really running out of gas.  Just because the movie is self-aware of the formula doesn't mean the formula doesn't seep in.

Still, I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the movie, mostly because of the performances.  I'm convinced that Michelle Williams is one of the best actresses of this generation; girl can do it all, and Banks is an underrated comic actress.  VIP points to Justin Theroux who is very funny as the perfect high school sweetheart.  It's a cute movie with some nice moments and a few nice surprises, even if it's potential isn't quite matched by its execution. 

Williams is fucking adorable in The Baxter. There is no other way to say it.

SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME

REWATCH

FAIR GAME - Decent flick. Best way I can describe it is as a political thriller minus the thrills. Solid performances as always from Penn and Watts.

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - Man, this flick was all over the place. Didn't think too much of it, but I did enjoy seeing Lange get almost fisted.

A PROPHET - Wow. Worth every bit of praise it received. Fantastic film.

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN - I feel damn lucky to not have grown up in an inner city school district.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS - My girlfriend and I are attending our first Sundance next week and I got the 25th Anniversary Sundance DVD collection for XMas. She had never seen The Usual Suspects and I hadn't seen it in years so I jumped at the chance to share it with her. I was worried that it would hold up with so much distance between viewings, but it's still an an amazing film.

HAROLD AND MAUDE - Another film I shared with the friendgirl. Such a classic. I had forgotten how great the music was.

I'm moving my list to the list in my sig.  A little neater that way.

I'm tracking my stuff here

http://www.listal.com/list/movies-of-2011

If anyone is interested. 

Despite what Tati might think this isn't a competition. I'm kind of vaguely envious of the general quality of your list. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

Despite what Tati might think this isn't a competition.

Agree! Gotta let a movie roll around in your head for a couple hours, maybe even a day. Unless it's shit, then cleanse that palate.

Liked last year's format; not sure I will keep up as well this year. Here's 2011:

1. POINT BLANK (1968) - John Boorman brings his stylized, off-kilter sensibilities Richard Stark's "The Hunter" (remade in 1999 as Payback, The Last Mel Gibson Movie I Liked). Was caught off guard by how much this inspired Soderbergh's The Limey, down to and especially the stream of consciousness flashbacks and frequent time-shifting. Different enough from the source that the ending surprised me, and Angie Dickinson was a knockout. I swear Lee Marvin has like ten lines in the whole film.

2. DARK STAR (1974) - John Carpenter's first film (actually a student film expanded to feature length after being sold to a distributor), this thing used to play at 3AM on Channel 2 in NY all through my childhood. Today its lived-in spaceship setting peopled with hairy amateur actors makes it feel like a mash-up of Clerks and Moon. I was especially surprised at how much Moon drew from the film visually, especially with Pinback's diary. Not without its moments, and Carpenter scoring anything is always fun to hear.

3. JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK (2010) - Frank and candid, and a surprisingly touching look at how we try in vain to author our own legacies. The small segment on Flo Fox killed me.

4. AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970) - Dry and slow, but overall effective with a strong climax, and an important link in the slasher genre (though not at all a slasher film itself). Borrows the "whodunit" elements of giallo, edging it closer to the original Friday the 13th, and has a nice xenophobic horror vibe that you can trace forward to stuff like Deliverance and the hillbilly locals of a couple Platinum Dunes remakes.

5. THE FIGHTER (2010) - Parts of this movie knocked me for a loop on account of some addiction issues in my own family that've been going on for over 20 years. Can't really be objective about the movie just yet. It seems like a very mainstream tale elevated by the supporting roles and the direction.

6. I SELL THE DEAD (2008) - A re-watch, though it didn't feel like one, as my first viewing was of a substandard theatrical screening of a DVD; audio mixed for television just doesn't sound right in theaters, and it compounded the thick accents in the film, as well as the moody photography. It's really worth a look; an 85 minute love letter to Amicus, Corman, The Doctor and the Devils, and other disreputable gems of old.

7. RUTHLESS PEOPLE (1986) - Easily the first time I've seen it in 20 years; forgot it was a Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker production. Wish they'd done more like this, along with the spoofs for which they became famous.  Still holds up, with only the fashions and interior design truly sticking out as dated (though that's part of the fun for me). Bill Pullman is the hidden gem, but everybody's good, down to the weary, irritated cops.

8. IN THE LOOP (2009) - Equal parts hysterical and horrifying. Really hoping politics isn't like this. Sorry I'm late to this one.

9. RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) - Been at least ten years. Little moment I noticed for the first time: as the guys sit around talking Madonna, Steve Buscemi looks around for the waitress, agitated and fiddling with his empty coffee cup.

10. MR. MAJESTYK (1974) - I seem to be watching this every month. Still my favorite Charles Bronson.

11. GOOD HAIR (2009) - All I can say is I HAD NO IDEA. Black hair is serious shit. And now I know I do serious damage to anything from cloth to metal with hair relaxer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

I'm tracking my stuff here

 

http://www.listal.com/list/movies-of-2011

 

If anyone is interested. 

Totally jumped on that, thanks Spike.

At the moment I'm trying for a movie a day and a trip to the cinema once a week. The only reason I've got so many films is that I've done a few Chud watches over XBox Live. The Spider-Man trilogy was literally watched from 1am until 8am and Bad Boys/Terminator 2 was another double bill. I think if I watched something immediately after Last Day or Loose Cannons or Assembly I'd lose a lot of the film because they're all films which plant ideas and germinate over time. 

Edit:

Glad I could help Dickson. 

Count me in.

First viewing

Theatrical viewing

Re-watch

TV

January 4, 2011

#1: Absolute Power (Eastwood, 1997) - A decent potboiler that got shit on in the script stage, but Eastwood's directorial eye is dead on and the turns from Clint and Gene Hackman are top notch. The opening scene where Hackman tries to rape Jan from The Office is disturbing in that context but so terribly clumsy. Anti-climactic as well, but it's decent.

January 5, 2011

#2: Black Rain (R. Scott, 1989) - Still my favorite of Ridley's work outside of Alien and Blade Runner, a visually breathtaking and thrillingly brutal cop thriller. Michael Douglas is fantastic, and it's got the best karaoke scenes this side of Lost in Translation.

January 6, 2011

#3: Black Sunday (Frankenheimer, 1977) - Convicting, ballsy action-thriller at the end of the disaster era and on the cusp of the golden age of action movies, deftly made by Frankenheimer with a notably disturbing turn from Bruce Dern and Robert Shaw at the top of his swag game. Many spectacular action sequences here, and the gritty realism it's crafted with only makes the film more relevant in the post-9/11 world.

January 7, 2011

January 8, 2011

January 9, 2011

#4: Eye for an Eye (Schlesinger, 1996) - Death Wish for the more liberal Clinton era, a standard revenge story well made by John Schlesinger about the new complications and resources of vigilante justice. Despite the third act's glaring hiccup and Sally Field's miscasting, the creepiness of Kiefer Sutherland's baddie and reliable turns from Ed Harris, Keith David, Joe Mantegna, and Philip Baker Hall anchor it.

January 10, 2011

#5: Twins (Reitman, 1988) - a lighthearted, fun blockbuster, one of the few blanks I still had among what Schwarzenegger films I've seen. Danny DeVito is at the top of his game, and I could seriously listen to the former Governor of California sing "Yakety Yak" for an eternity.

January 11, 2011

#6: Young Guns II (Murphy, 1990) - "I'll make ya famous!" It's not like the first one set the world on fire, but the sequel is an enjoyable companion to the first one, history and silly Emilio Estevez old-age makeup be damned. Jenny Wright's ass is perfect and James Coburn is a great scenery chewer, but it's William Petersen as Pat Garrett that steals the movie.

#7: The Frisco Kid (Aldrich, 1979) - It's not the best Western comedy that Gene Wilder has made and it's 15-20 minutes or so longer than it should be. But I would be lying if I didn't say that the man is brilliant in his role and Harrison Ford kills in one of his first post-Star Wars roles, and their chemistry is even better.

Saw In Theaters

Saw At Home

   7.  Humpday - Not sure what to make of this one. I didn't really enjoy it that much, but it's at least interesting. I didn't buy a lot of what it was selling, but the relationship at the center was really convincing.

   8.  Beautiful Girls - The world created here would make a great TV show. I could spend a lot more time with these characters. Natalie Portman does such a great job playing beyond her years that she makes a story sweet that could have been kinda creepy. Also, this is the first time I've ever enjoyed Rosie O'Donnell, so there's that.

   9.  Wonder Boys - Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr. and Frances McDormand, how could it not be good? Ugh. It took about 15 seconds for this movie to alienate me with its completely unnecessary narration, and it never won me back. Just terribly forced and unfunny.

 10.  The Damned United - Almost like the soccer version of "The Social Network". Michael Sheen is a tour de force.

 11.  Man on Wire - Beautiful and awe-inspiring. A great story brilliantly told, and Petit is just a natural entertainer.

 12.  The Hurt Locker - Tense and gripping for almost its entire run time. I could've done with about 20 minutes less run time (the whole plot trying to avenge the little kid), but on the whole it's thrilling and Renner gives a great performance. Loved the epilogue.

 13.  Big Night – Really enjoyable little film. There are some great understated comedic moments, and Shaloub and Holm both bring their A game.

I loved the little tangent where the brothers go back and forth about whether it's proper to say "it will rain outside." For whatever reason, that just amused me to no end.

Also: "Do you know what happens in that restaurant every night? RAPE! RAPE!... The rape of cuisine."

Have seen before
Have not seen before
In theater = CAPS

7.  A Night To Remember -- If James Cameron made the Airport of Titanic movies, then this one is the United 93.  

8.  Persona -- Wow!  Really blown away by this one.  Bibi Anderssen has got to be one of the most beautiful women ever captured in black and white.   Such a strange, disturbing bit of psychodrama.

9.  The Bravados -- In this western, Gregory Peck goes after the men who raped and murdered his wife.  Starts as a standard revenge flicks, but winds up going in some interesting places.  Bonus:  Lee Van Cleef with a full head of hair!  
 

11. Scarlet Street (1945)

From the same team that brought you one of the original film noirs, The Woman in the Window (which I watched a few days ago) comes Scarlet Street.  Made one year later then Woman, Fritz Lang directs again and the principle players are all here; Edward G. Robinson plays a dedicated bank clerk and part-time painter.  Joan Benett is a cruel production code version of a prostitute (much more fatale of a femme then she was in Woman) and Dan Dureya is her thinly veiled pimp.  Watching the movie so close after the other one is bizarre.  I almost expected the whole film to be revealed a dark fantasy from Robinson’s professor character in the previous movie.  In the battle of noirs, this one wins; it’s much darker and downright bleak compared to its predecessor.  None of the characters are likable, not even Robinson’s clerk who comes across way too much of a schmuck to care about.  The way he constantly asks Bennett to marry him while she obviously manipulates him and presents his artwork as her own forces you to pity him, and then slowly despise him with every passing frame.  You feel like smacking him in the face with a cold fish.  What a sad, confused little puppy dog of a man. 

The last fifteen minutes feels like Lang wanted to apologize for the ending of The Woman in the Window; it goes far beyond Woman’s original unhappy ending to a point where not even unemployment and death offers any escape.  This is one of those noirs that revels in guilt; characters are literally haunted by it, but their great punishment is that they’re unable to escape them, not even by taking their own life.  The film simply won’t let them, it casts them up on the screen as if it’s their giant silver gravestone, their stardom their epitaph, their projections ghosts in a world that has forgotten about them.  Even if they wanted to kill themselves, we wouldn’t let them because they’re trapped in a movie where they live to be wicked, even as they tried to be good.  It’s a fascinating, nasty movie and certainly gutsy for the time period.  Is it better than the gangs previous collaboration?  I’d say there’s pros and cons to each, but like I said before, Woman might get the groundbreaking credit, but Scarlet is the true black-hearted noir.  She’s the other movies wicked twin sister; it’s just a matter of whether you prefer sugar or spice. 

Seen before

SEEN IN CINEMA

Seen for the First time

7. Adventures in Babysitting:  A stalewart from my childhood that is still as good today. The dude playing Thor however is rubbish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

 

7. Adventures in Babysitting:  A stalewart from my childhood that is still as good today. The dude playing Thor however is rubbish.

 Wasn't that young Vincent Di'Nofrio?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

Despite what Tati might think this isn't a competition.

 

Agree! Gotta let a movie roll around in your head for a couple hours, maybe even a day. Unless it's shit, then cleanse that palate.

That's my plan. I'm also writing at least a hundred words about every movie I see, to force myself to pay closer attention and to train myself to put my thoughts into words.

To continue this discussion. I ended up watching THE HAPPENING last night, thankfully with friends. DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I DID. 

12. Following (1998)

Christopher Nolan’s first movie lays down a lot of groundwork for the same themes that will continue to dominate the rest of his filmography.  He’s obviously very interested in what makes human beings work; Memento probes into identity and memory, Insomnia into guilt, The Prestige into image and perception, The Batman films into fear, chaos and order and Inception into imagination and creation.  He often features a divided, conflicted protagonist (sometimes duel protagonists) who share some of the same interests and traits but often end up on the opposing each other due to specific differences.   Many of his films feature characters listing rules, as if they can order their universe if they express that they understand it enough.

In Following, Nolan’s nameless protagonist tells us that he’s obsessed with stalking people.  He picks someone out, keeps his distance and tries to observe them from a safe vantage point.  He’s a writer and he thinks this will help him with his work.  Then he meets Cobb (after following him), who tells him he’s a professional thief and invites the protagonist along on some burglaries. 

It’s interesting that Cobb is the name of a significant character in both Nolan’s recent film and his first.  Both characters are thieves, but like Nolan, they’re more interested in learning about people.  Cobb breaks into houses, but he seems more preoccupied with invading their privacy.  If Inception is a look into Nolan’s creative process, Following feels more like a warning; the nameless protagonist follows people, but keeps his distance.  It’s only after meeting Cobb that he begins to get closer, and that’s when his world falls apart.  Perhaps that’s why none of these characters matter to us and we feel nothing for them; we’re held at a distance continuously.  Nolan does a lot with a little (this is a very low budget first film).  But it’s telling that after the final neo-noir plot twist clicks into place, the movie ends abruptly.  We don’t care about these people and Nolan forces us to keep our distance.  We couldn’t follow them even if we wanted to, and we don’t. 

13. The Crazies (2010)

A slick remake of the George Romero cult-classic.  Romero has gone on record saying he disowns this version but it has more energy then anything he’s done since Creepshow.  Directed by Michael Eisener’s son (!) Breck, the movie features all of the same ideas presented in Romero’s unnerving original and amplifies them.  The Crazies has a rocky start with some predictable jump scares and strange stylistic choices, but once it gets going it grabs you by your throat and wont let go.  No, there isn’t much of a fresh spin on the originals dark, political subtext, but like the Dawn of the Dead remake, it’s a fun, fast-paced, scary update of Romero’s slower-paced but powerful and dread-filled moralizing.  Extra points for good use of Timothy Olyphant in a feature film.  That doesn’t happen often enough.

January 12, 2011

#8: Krull (Yates, 1983) - Horses that catch fire when they gallop. If there's anything Peter Yates will be remembered for, it's the car chase in Bullitt and, obviously, this particular feat. One of the silliest fantasy films ever.

#9: Vampires (Carpenter, 1998) - One of the few Carpenter films I hadn't seen, and I legitimately loved it. I'm not kidding. James Woods is badass on a galactic level and the gory carnage is nonstop fun.

It sure was but he seemed like he didn't want to be there.

I'll jump in on this.  Pretty much my only new years resolution was to see more movies, I've been ridiculously busy the last few weeks so I sadly haven't been able to meet that yet but I've luckily caught some good ones thus far:

First viewing

Seen it

1) Akira Kurosawa's Dreams:  This was, I'm ashamed to admit, my first Kurosawa film so I don't know how it compares to the rest of his work but I loved it.  An absolutely gorgeous film that really conveighs the sense of a dream without throwing it into your face (much like Inception).  It also happens to be increadibly moving for an anthology film, which not alot of people cannot pull off.  Sunshine In The Rain, The Peach Orchid, The Tunnel and The Watermill Village were the standout stories for me but really it all just flows so well, I highly reccomend it.  And again, the film is a visual treat in every way.  One of the first to make me seriously consider a jump to Blu-Ray.

2) A Knight's Tale:  This movie has no business being as fun as it is.  Just a treat to sit through for me with a cast that really gels well together, a great use of Classic Rock songs and jousting scenes that really are exciting. Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell chewing scenery like bubblegum and a love story which wierdly feels natural all things considered.  Not the best film ever but I'll always watch it if it's on.

3) Ghostbusters:  Not much to say about this that hasn't been said already but I put this movie on after a really crap day and it elevated my mood almost instantly.  As close to a perfect film as you can get IMO.  One of my all time favourates.

4) 500 Days of Summer:  I really, really enjoyed this.  With the script it could have easily turned into just another shameless Rom-Com but I think Marc Webber handles it extremely well and the leads manage to convey an emotional honesty that I could relate to.  I'm suddenly not so aprehensive about the Spider-Man remake.

5) Redbelt:  I'm banging my head that it took me so long to see this.  What a treat this movie was, Eijofor just owns every moment he's onscreen and proves himself as a leading man over and over.  I've heard it called Mamet's samurai movie and it shows, with Eijofor's character and especially in the ending which I won't lie, almost had me in tears.  The fight scenes are also very well done but what suprised me most was that they weren't big set pieces like many films would have. The climatic fight focuses less on the actual fight than the crowd's reaction to it for instance.  Just loved it completely, I want to watch it again right now.

I've never really kept track of the movies I've watched but I've enjoyed reading all of yours and figured I'd dump mine here as well. First timers are in bold.

1) Dragon Tiger Gate-  Some solid action scenes and looks pretty, but is hampered by a dull story and boring characters.

2) Manhattan - Absolutely gorgeous film. If I could pick one movie that I would love to see on the big screen someday, it would probably be this.

3) Little Shop of Horrors- Hadn’t seen this since I was little, and it still holds up quite well. Favorite Song : “Skid Row”

4) Ghost in the Shell - Giving Anime another shot. Convoluted, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

5) Night of  the Demons (Remake) - Ok. Enough boobs, lesbians, gore, and demon threesomes for me to give it a pass.

6) The Quick and the Dead (Raimi) - Grows on me each time I watch it. Stone is a bit weak, but Hackman is on fire here.

7) The Big Store - Not good. It’s saved by a couple of decent bits (Harpo playing the harp in front of trick mirrors, and the Italian family losing their kids ), and an ok climax. But seriously, Tony Martin. Fuck that guy.

8) The Burning-  Enjoyed it quite a bit. Some dead spots, especially early, but some nice gore effects by Savini and a collection of early performances by Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter, and Fisher Stevens. Worth it for the raft murdering scene.

9) Replicant -  The movie reaches its high point early on when Van Damme, playing a newly birthed clone, jumps around a hospital room like he’s Mr. Peepers.  It was also nice to see Van Damme break out his DOUBLE TEAM wig to play the villainous “Torch”.

10) Gates of Heaven - Fascinating, funny, and heartbreaking look at how human beings deal with death.  The old couple toward the end of the movie talking about their dog passing away destroyed me.

WESTWORLD (1973)

If it weren’t for the cheap-looking sets and Dick Van Patten’s unwelcome comic relief this would be an instant classic. Haven’t seen the film in at least 20 years, and never in widescreen. Yul Brynner has a marvelous approach to the Gunslinger, alternately scary and, as his burnt-to-a-crisp cyborg reaches out to Richard Benjamin’s faux cowboy, sympathetic. Bizarre and unexpected with reactions (watch the way he takes a beaker of acid to the face), Brynner is gold here ... one of the great movie villains. Also surprising is Michael Crichton’s ability to build tension as director, and to stretch  a script that basically dispenses with story at the 60-minute mark and continues as one long, exciting chase. A unique combination of techno-thriller and 70s anti-western. 

FREEBIE AND THE BEAN (1974)

It’s a testament to James Caan’s screen charm that an obnoxious, racist, homophobic loudmouth cop like Freebie can still be appealing. Caan and Alan Arkin apparently hated each other, though from their (often hilarious and politically incorrect) banter we believe them as partners and friends. The forerunner for every goofy buddy cop movie to come down the pike -- and better than all of them -- with an obvious gay subtext that gooses the material. Incredible car chases, too.

Rewatch:

Ali-It's not perfect but that Rumble in the Jungle fight is still one of the best filmed boxing matches I've ever seen, the moment where Ali starts roaring back to life and Papa kicks in is just an amazing moment.

The Aviator-Still the best DiCaprio/Scorsese collaboration, Di Caprio's performance is really quite incredible, the dogfight sequence is astonishing and the plane crash over Beverley Hills is another stunning action sequence, Scorsese pretty much show's Bay how it's done.

The Man Who Wasn't There-A marvelous homage to James M Cain. I get a serious Lee Marvin vibe from Billy Bob while watching this, Deakin's work here is stunning, truly stunning

First time:

Dead Ringers-Interesting film from Cronenberg and a tremendous performance from Jeremy Irons. It's a credit to Cronenberg that Genevieve Bujold's character doesn't come across as evil or manipulative but actually quite tragic.

Criss Cross-Decent film noir with Burt Lancaster reteaming with Robert Siodmak. Good performance by Lancaster can't elevate the script, which treads alot of previous ground. Fun fact: It was remade by Steven Soderbergh and retitled 'The Underneath'

Saw In Theaters

Saw At Home

14.  Brothers – An ok drama, but nothing to write home about. There were some nice moments, and I think all 3 leads do a good job, but overall it felt too rushed to really connect with me.

15.  Natural Born Killers – I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. I wasn’t a huge fan of the seizure-inducing first half, though there were moments that really worked (the sitcom spoof in particular). The second half ends up being really enjoyable for the most part, and Woody Harrelson is great.

16.  Death to Smoochy – Loved it. Zany, hilarious, and packed with great lines. The stepdad song absolutely killed me. Why is there not more love for this? It worked like gangbusters for me. Ed Norton is so great playing hyper-earnest and naïve Sheldon.

17.  Red Riding – I need to rewatch this one. I was a bit distracted, and had a bit of a hard time following the detective work, so I think it'll be better the second time around. I did quite like the feel and atmosphere here, and I’m becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Andrew Garfield with each movie of his I see.

18.  Chaos Theory – Terrible, terrible movie. Boring, forced, contrived, bland, unfunny, and basically any other negative adjective you want to throw out there. How do you manage to make Ryan Reynolds boring? The guy is charm incarnate, and he’s completely wasted in this movie. I want my hour and a half back.

Have seen before
Have not seen before
In theater = CAPS

10.  Mother -- fantastic.  If I had seen this last year, it would have been in my Top 10.  The middle-aged American actress that snags this role for the inevitable English-language remake is a guaranteed Oscar contender.  

11.  Donovan's Brain -- Great premise, pedestrian execution.  That young Nancy Davis didn't have much screen presence.  I hope she married well. 

seen before
SEEN IN CINEMA
First time viewing

8. Titanic - I saw a lot of little things I'd never noticed before, like the first class dogs being walked to crap on the Steerage deck and fiorst class passangers taking high tea behind Rose and Jack looking at his sketch book.  Also Bill Paxton's couldn't give a shit attitude to any artifact that wasn't the Diamond.

9. Con Air.  We have just moved and don't have Sky installed yet, fuck it I don't need an excuse it's a great moive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll 

Saw in Theaters
Saw at Home
Have seen before
Have not seen before

Great!

I wanted to do this last year, but didn't get onto the thread with time. Now, I may be missing one or two, but this is basically what I've seen since January 1st.

1. The Last Of The Mohicans - Exquisite Michael Mann film. The climactic moments are still some of the most rousing 12 minutes of pure cinema I've ever seen. When Russell Means just destroys Wes Studi, few films deliver such a satisfying punch to the gut.

2. The Other Guys - I had a lot of fun with this. Not every gag works, but what does work is gold. I've rarely screamed with laughter as I did during the big scene involving The Rock and Sam Jackson. From the use of "My Hero" to the punchline. I'd say that one thing was the funniest comedy beat in any of last year's films.

3. Casting - The first Bolivian horror film. Really not very good. But I appreciate the intentions. It's a "found footage" type of thing involving a group of psychos who want to make the first Bolivian horror movie. They get an actress and proceed to torture her for real on camera. Acting is good by the lead and some of the effects are okay. But, at 75 minutes, it's barely a movie. And they forget that what makes a movie compelling is the depth you put into the characters. This is just shallow and gruesome.

4. Inal Mama - Bolivian documentary about the Coca leaf. Tries to present both angles (its medicinal, cultural value as well as its misuse for narcotics) but is too subjective and feels like pro Evo propaganda, which I hate. Plus, there's no narrative. It's just a collection of scenes. The film's ultimate point is not clear.

5. The American - Really liked this. Though I saw it when I wasn't really in the mood for a film of its style. It's like an Antonioni film. I loved its deliberate pacing and beautiful cinematic compositions.

6. Heaven - Speaking of Antonioni... Here's another deliberately-paced film with European sensibilities that I really enjoyed. Giovanni Ribisi was really good and I normally don't like him too much. The way Tom Tykwer chooses to tell the story results in some mesmerizing scenes.

7. Hereafter - After a very arresting opening, the film gets progressively less interesting. I'm not entirely sure what Eastwood is doing here other than dealing with his mortality (again). Having Matt Damon's character be really into Dickens is too obvious a way of telegraphing that they're going for a Dickenzian narrative. It doesn't really work despite great aesthetic work and solid performances. It's just corny. And, man! Jay Mohr got fat, didn't he? Is he in rehab or something?

8. Flash Gordon - This is a delightful movie. Camp rarely works as well as it does here. I don't think people appreciate it enough, despite its cult status. You hear the commentary for something like Batman & Robin - "Oh, we just wanted to make a fun campy movie and give the audience entertainment!" and then you watch this and want to punch people like Joel Schumacher in the nuts.

9. Ricochet - See this week's B-Movie Column.

10. Gamer - Terrible. Just an unpleasant movie that tries to pass itself off as a Verhoven. I enjoyed Crank as much as most. But I really think Neveldine/Taylor need to do a little more homework. Gerard Butler tries his best and Michael C Hall clearly has fun. But I didn't have any fun.

Have seen before
Have not seen before
In theater = CAPS

12.  I'm Still Here -- starts off as a kind of interesting Andy Kaufman-esque stunt, but goes on forever.  Might have been better as a short HBO miniseries instead. 

13.  Gwendoline -- Tawny Kitaen's peak performance.   Makes Barbarella look like Lord of the Rings.  Terrible, obnoxious movie that nonetheless is TOTALLY GREAT!  

14.  Resident Evil:  Afterlife --  looked beautiful in Blu-Ray, but otherwise, YAWN.   This series has basically devolved into a third-rate Matrix clone with only the occasional zombie attack. 

14.  Twilight:  New Moon -- punishing Chinese water torture of a movie.   I'm morbidly fascinated with this series, but these films are a real chore to sit through even with a group of heckling friends. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erix 

 

9. Ricochet - See this week's B-Movie Column.

Ha Ha Ha. 

Way to self promote. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

Ha Ha Ha. 

 

Way to self promote. 

I'm good like that.

First viewing

Theatrical viewing

Re-watch

January 13, 2011

#10: An Innocent Man (Yates, 1989) - Mild-mannered airline employee Tom Selleck gets set up by Sledge Hammer and his partner (not played by Anne-Marie Martin) when they bust into the wrong house. He goes to jail and mans up under the wing of F. Murray Abraham, learns the art of shanking, and then he's out of jail...and out for justice! A cool prison drama/action hybrid that's well crafted by the late Peter Yates, with an exhilarating third act with one of the best unending climactic fight scenes this side of Lethal Weapon and Black Rain. Ain't life a motherfucker?

#11: Ricochet (Mulcahy, 1991) - More on that in The B-Movie Column #2. If you haven't seen this, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

January 14, 2011

#12: Assassins (Donner, 1995) - Slightly overlong and convoluted but entertaining 90's action movie highlighted by a great villain turn from Antonio Banderas. The opening 20 minutes are better than the next 112, but Richard Donner knows how to do action and makes for a watchable experience.

#13: Number One with a Bullet (Smight, 1987) - Cannon attempted their own Miami Vice-type buddy cop movie in the late 80's with Robert Carradine and Billy Dee Williams, and in the process they made the worst buddy cop movie ever made. Veteran director Jack Smight shows all the talent of a group of high school freshmen remaking Running Scared with a camcorder you have to carry around your VCR with to use, the screenplay is horrible, and coming from the one guy who enjoyed Cop Out, it makes Loose Cannons look like Lethal Weapon in comparison. You've been warned. Fuck this movie. Do feel free, however, to read my rundown of the notable events from the film.

January 15, 2011

#14: The Green Hornet (Gondry, 2011) - Whatever possessed Sony to release this in mid-January needs a good backhanding because Michel Gondry, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg have made an utter blast of a summer blockbuster and one of the best superhero movies of the past decade. It's the sort of thing you'd expect from 90's Sam Raimi or Peter Hyams: slick, tightly paced, absurdly entertaining, and surprisingly, extremely violent. Gondry doesn't give in to being wholly mainstream and his style is omnipresent. As much an organic superhero film as it is an homage to late 80's and 90's summer blockbuster. Impeccably cast, with a very strong leading turn from Rogen and excellent supporting work from Jay Chou (if he doesn't explode here in the U.S. I'll be really pissed) and Christoph Waltz (on his way to being this generation's Alan Rickman and a fantastic villain). Could have used a little more Edward James Olmos, but that this movie turned out to be great is nothing short of a miracle.

#15: Virtuosity (Leonard, 1995) - Stylish, wildly candy-colored cyberpunk variation of Ricochet where Denzel Washington plays pretty much the same role he did in that film. Russell Crowe could have easily been a T-1000 clone but instead he's a blast as the escaped VR serial killer. Not bad as its reputation would lead you to believe.

Rewatch:

Thief: An amazing character study. Caan's performance is riveting, although it does tend to drag occasionally.

Crank and Crank: High Voltage: I do love these 2 films, they're basically B-Movies on Crack. Jason Statham is absolutely iconic, it's his Rambo.

First Viewing:

Charlie Chaplin: The Rink, One Am, The Pawnbroker, The Floorfactory. I greatly enjoyed these Chaplin shorts, I'd never really seen any Chaplin films before, the physicality he displays in One am is astounding, I was surprised at how much of an asshole he is in The Rink.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans: It was a pretty fun ride with Nic Cage going through various drugs in a weird odyssey. The iguana sequence was great, Nic giving weird looks to the camera while the fake iguana mugged in front of the camera was hilarious.