Track the Films You Watch (2006)

And I thought Sympathy for Lady Vengeance was superior to both SFMV and Oldboy.

added:

title: missing in america
rating: d
comments: ugh, a sappy, hugely uneven attempt to tug at my heart. i appreciate the war-vet-suffers-at-home angle, but this pulled unnecessary punches, just to try to get us to cry. watch saving private ryan or full metal jacket instead.

title: serenity
rating: b
comments: goofy, but in a good way. some snappy dialog, good fx, and likeable characters make for a good popcorn flick. may have to check out firefly series now.

To continue the ChanWook Park theme.....

Oldboy 1/2 out of . I finally got around to seeing this and while it is very good, it does fall short of the hype. There is much to admire about the film particularly the set-up, the hammer fight and the (double) revenge theme. However some aspects lessen the impact - the lazy plot presentation, the lead character's behavior after the major revelation. Still "Oldboy" stands as a powerful experience and is one of those movies that demands to be pondered.

Devil's Backbone 1/2 out of . Guillermo Del Toro's ghost story/drama is a satisfying and moving experience and confirms him as one of the most exciting current filmmakers. For a historical drama, the evocation of place and time must feel authentic which it does in "Devil's Backbone". And Del Toro guides us through the layers of the story, character and emotions without ever hitting a wrong note.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

Viewed 1/9/2005 (first viewing)

Finale to Park Chan Wook's Vengeance trilogy is arguably the best of the lot. A young girl is forced by her boyfriend into taking a kidnapping/murder rap for him and plots revenge while in prison. Then she's released and puts her plan into action. Elegantly styled and not as violent as Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy, with a haunting finale.

out of


Feet First (1930)

Viewed 1/9/2005 (first viewing)

Still wending my way through the Harold Lloyd collection. This middling comedy has Lloyd as a shoe salesman who impersonates a leather magnate in order to impress the girl he loves. The climatic building-climbing sequence - a reprise of Lloyd's Safety Last set piece - seems out of place but is pretty good in and of itself.

out of


The Idiot (1951)

Viewed 1/10/2005 (first viewing)

Akira Kurosawa's sluggish adaptation (even after a studio gutting) of the Dostoyevsky novel still has enough brilliant passages and moments to make it worth a look.

out of


R-Point (2004)

Viewed 1/10/2005 (first viewing)

Korean ghost story set during the Vietnam War. A squad of soldiers is sent to a remote island to search for a missing platoon, but finds only vengeful ghosts... A bit hard to follow at times, but generally well-done and effective.

out of


A Hole in My Heart (2004)

Viewed 1/10/2005 (first viewing)

Difficult-to-watch film from Lukas Moodysson about four miserable people holed up in a small apartment: a porn director, his two leads, and his reclusive son. An incisive look at lost, frustrated people, but not for all tastes.

out of


Camille (1936)

Viewed 1/11/2005 (first viewing)

Greta Garbo soaper, based on a novel by Alexander Dumas. Here Garbo is a Parisian socialite who sponges off wealthy men for a living. When she falls in love, will her past come back to haunt her?

out of


X2 (2003)

Viewed 1/12/2005

Revisited the sequel to X-Men, in anticipation of the upcoming third installment. One of the best comic book adaptations.

out of


The 400 Blows (1959)

Viewed 1/12/2005

Finally dove into Criterion's Antoine Doinel set by revisiting this French New Wave classic.

out of


Antoine and Colette (1962)

Viewed 1/12/2005 (first viewing)

Francois Truffaut's short follow-up (initially part of the anthology film Love at Twenty) to The 400 Blows finds the 17 year old Antoine Doinel desperately in love with a girl who doesn't quite feel the same way. Heartfelt look at young, unrequited love hits the right notes.

out of


Ride the High Country (1962)

Viewed 1/13/2005 (first viewing)

Started in on the Sam Peckinpah Western set. Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott are aging gunslingers who come into conflict while guarding a gold shipment. A thoughtful meditation on the different paths people take during their lives, with the requisite shoot-em'-up climax. One of Peckinpah's best.

out of


Now or Never (1921)

Viewed 1/14/2005 (first viewing)

Harold Lloyd short finds the comedian roped into chaperoning a bratty child during a train trip. Pleasant and funny, if not particularly memorable.

out of


High and Dizzy (1920)

Viewed 1/14/2005 (first viewing)

Another Harold Lloyd short. This one features the bespectacled one as an aspiring young doctor who has a hair-raising encounter with a sleepwalking patient. The building ledge sequence would lated be expanded upon (and used to much greater effect) in Safety Last.

out of


Camille (1921)

Viewed 1/14/2005 (first viewing)

Silent antecedent to the Greta Garbo vehicle stars Rudolph Valentino as Armand, with Alla Nazimova as a more vampish Camille. Interesting version.

out of


Matewan (1987)

Viewed 1/15/2005 (first viewing)

Lengthy but engrossing drama from John Sayles chronicling the 1920-21 Coal Wars, in particular the events leading up to the Matewan massacre.

out of


Les Mistons (1957)

Viewed 1/16/2005 (first viewing)

Francois Truffaut's first film, a short wherein five boys harass the older girl they've fallen in love with.

out of


Stolen Kisses (1968)

Viewed 1/16/2005

Third in the Antoine Doinel series picks up with Doinel getting kicked out the army. He then finds work at a detective agency and tries to resume his relationship with an old flame. Good-natured and rambling, if not quite up to its predecessors.

out of


Dr. Jack (1922)

Viewed 1/16/2005 (first viewing)

Harold Lloyd beats Robin Williams to the punch by about 80 years by playing a clownish doctor who treats his patients with humor and real affection. Just okay until the uproarious climax.

out of

Only the Lonely (1991) 1/2
One of John Candy's most enjoyable and exceptional films . It's a tender MARTY-esque story of a big lovable momma's boy still living with mom who falls for a timid girl and then has to risk offending his domineering mother when he decides to get married and devote his life to her. Candy is both funny and sweet, and the rest of the cast is excellent, beginning with Maureen O'Hara (making a glorious return to films after her retirement) as Candy's abrasive mom, and the odd but cute Ally Sheedy as the girl who Candy's enamoured with. Anthony Quinn is also a welcome presence as the nextdoor neighbor, and James Belushi provides humorous assistance as Candy's friend.

War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
Sequel to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN has the wounded giant officer from the original film now reduced to a more typical snarling mutation, making a lot of annoying loud noises and generally causing a ruckus. Standard '50s monster fare.

01/14/06

Jackie Robinson Story, The (1950)

Surprisenly very entertaining bio of Jackie Robinson (who plays himself) and his struggle to become the first black baseball player in the majors. I was really caught off guard by Robinson who gives a very good, low key performance. Ruby Dee as his wife is also very good as are the supporting players. The film only runs 75-minutes, which means it’s not as thick with information as I would have liked but the movie runs at a great speed and shows the importance of Robinson very well. Hopefully Spike Lee will get his Robinson story off the ground someday.

Glory Road (2006)

Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) leads Texas Western to the NCAA Championship game where he starts five black players against Adolph Rupp and the University of Kentucky. Don’t go into this thing expecting a history lesson and you should leave having a pretty good time. Lucas is very good in the role of Haskins, which also had him gaining over thirty pounds. The supporting cast of kids do nice work and it’s rather interesting seeing John Voight under all that make up to the play the legendary Rupp. The “black vs. white” story takes a lot of liberties but it remains fun throughout.

01/16/06

Return of Masseur Ichi, The (1962)

Blind masseur Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) discovers the weakness of a lord and must fight off various assassins who fear he will give away that secret. This was a pretty interesting samurai film from director Kazuo Mori, which relies a lot on fantasy but most of all is just all action and nice swordplay. Katsu makes for a wonderful lead and the supporting roles are filled nicely. The cinematography stretched out the full 2.35:1 looks incredibly sharp and the fights are well staged even though I have a somewhat hard time seeing a blind person doing all that.

Coo Coo Nut Grove, The (1936)

Warner short spoofing a Hollywood nightclub with various famous faces including Clark Gable, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields and Laurel & Hardy doesn’t have any laughs outside the funny looking celebs.

Malibu Beach Party (1940)

Jack Bunny (haha, Jack Benny) throws a party at his beach house where he bores the guests, which include Bette Davis and Clark Gable. Not a single laugh to be found and the slave/servant in blackface really doesn’t come off too well.

Hollywood Steps Out (1941)

Another short from Tex Avery has Gable, Grant, Bogart, Cagney, Robinson, Stewart, Three Stooges and various other stars going out for the night. There are plenty of wonderful jokes throughout this short including a hilarious twist ending where Gable, whose been chasing a girl throughout the film, is thrown for a shock when the girl turns out to be one of the Marx Brothers.

Big City (1937)

Incredibly off the wall and insane drama from MGM has an independent taxi service battling with a union led taxi service. When the union side has their placed bombed one of the indie guys (Spencer Tracy) has his wife (Luise Rainer) suspected and shipped out of the country. This film is all over the map that you could put it in any genre including a romantic comedy, a screwball comedy and an action film. Tracy and Rainer deliver very good performances and their chemistry together is right on the mark. They make for a very romantic couple and Tracy’s big crying scene is incredibly touching. It’s also great seeing NYC back in the day plus there’s a scene inside Jack Dempsey’s restaurant, which leads to a street fight with Dempsey himself plus other famous athletes including Jim Thorpe, Man Mountain Dean and various others.

Curse of the Stone Hand (1964) BOMB

Here’s another history lesson for you fine folks, this time we take another look at the incredible hack Jerry Warren who really is the worst director ever. What Mr. Warren would do is buy foreign movies, cut them in half, hire John Carradine to film a couple new scenes and then add narration over the foreign elements of the film. Warren would then release these films as something “new” but they always turned out horrible and that’s no different here. A mysterious stone hand is causing people to kill themselves but who cares? The “stone hand” only shows up twice and really doesn’t play a part in the film. Warren took a Mexican film and another one from Chile to edit together and on their own both films appear to be quite good but with 2/3rds of them edited out there’s really nothing this film is good for.

01/18/06

Dr. No (1962)

James Bond (Sean Connery) takes on the mad scientist Dr. No who plans on derailing the U.S. space program. I’m pretty sure I saw this years ago but I didn’t remember too much of it while watching it. Connery is terrific as Bond and is the main reason for watching this. His chemistry with Ursula Andress makes for some fun moments. The film would have been better with a faster pace and the ending is a letdown but overall this is a good film.

He's right down there, but for me the worst director of all time (so far, from what I've seen) would be Andy Milligan.

I haven't seen a Milligan film but at least he actually shot his own films instead of buying 2-3 foreign films, editing them together and then adding narration so he doesn't have to dub the foreign tracks. No THAT is lazy.

Michael, I watched EAST OF EDEN today. Are you ready to give me February's recommendation?

So how big is this stone hand? And is the stone hand cursed or does it perform curses?

Munich (2005) - As well made as any Spielberg film but one that left me mostly cold. I disagree with its political and philosophical point of view thus causing each scene to exist in a context that renders it meaningless. The film is at cross purposes, seeking to say that an endless cycle of tit-for-tat violence is ugly and senseless and yet portraying much of that violence in the terms of an entertaining Hollywood thriller. - C

Vidas Secas (1963) - Vidas Secas, or Barren Lands, launched the Brazilian Cinema Nuovo. It is a neo-realist type film adapted from a novel about an itinerant family and their faithful dog, Baikelea, who find work herding a rancher's cattle (In a DVD extra, an NYU professor compares the film to Ford/Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath). While trying to remain happy together admidst dreams of living like "normal" people, grinding poverty and a precarious social standing remain omnipresent in their lives.

The film includes a number of striking shots and long takes, illuminating the family against lonely backdrops of dry land and grey skies. The underlying story and characters are too naturalistic for my taste. The little drama present in the film is ill-defined, leaving me wondering why the two major events of the film occur. The plight of the family is a moving one, yet the film's execution made it a mostly dry experience. There were several times when I felt I was supposed to feel something, only I wasn't. - B-

The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) - A remake of the 1978 James Toback film Fingers, Beat is the story of a man involved in shady real estate deals and small scale thuggery who rediscovers his love of music and begins a quest to become a concert pianist. A French Hustle & Flow, if you will. A solid character piece in which a man's business and personal life runs counter to the dream burning within. If the "2 years later" epilogue resolution is not entirely satisfying, it also does not negate the effectiveness of the character's evolution and the scenes where music soothes the savage beast. I also enjoyed the soundtrack's mix of techno and classical music. While not as successful as his previous film Read My Lips, Jacques Audiard has established himself as a director to pay attention to in the future. - B

added to master post:

title: ghostbusters
rating: a
comments: seen this many times, but it's been a while, plus i got to see it in hd this time. snappy dialog and great comedic timing. bill murray at his best (as far as comedies go).

Glad to see you enjoyed it. I picked that since you were a fan of Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE so.....


For February, since you're a fan of Herzog/Kinski's NOSFERATU, I'll recommend an earlier film they did together with AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD. The Anchor Bay DVD contains a German track as well as an English track so you can pick which one to watch the film with but I'd recommend the German track.

Now let me know my next title and I'll try to make it the first one I view with my new projector next month.

This is a Jerry Warren film so you can't ask logical questions.

Brook I'm not sure if we agree or disagree on MUNICH (although I loved the film). I agree the film left me cold and flat out depressed but I felt that's what the film was trying to do. I thought the violence was some of the most haunting and disturbing I had ever seen, which is why I didn't feel this was in any way a Hollywood thriller. To me Spielberg finally grew a pair with this film.

Okay, I've placed the Herzog film at the top of my queue (you're not gonna make it easy for me, are you?)

Here's an easy one for you -- YELLOW SUBMARINE.

I was actually going to make it THE BIRTH OF A NATION but put it off since it's a shorter month. However I wish I had now because tomorrow I'm going to D.W. Griffith's 131st Birthday Party in Lagrange, KY. From 10am till 4pm nothing but Griffith films on the big screen. I'm not sure what they're going to play yet because I just heard about it this morning but I can't wait. I called the manager this morning and apparently he has some original prints, some of which haven't been released on VHS or DVD. I'm hoping he'll hook me up with something because he was shocked when I told him I was coming and was only 25.

East of Eden (1955)
I never read John Steinbeck's original novel, but I enjoyed this very emotional movie which was James Dean's first. To be honest, sometimes his over-emoting gave me unintentional chuckles, but I was still affected by this story of a tormented young man who has always been hated by his bible-thumping father, and his desperate efforts to gain his old man's approval. At first I ws prepared to despise Cal (Dean) myself and wondered what was so wrong about his dad's feelings towards him. But as the story progressed, I was won over to Cal's corner, and the powerful climax especially pushed this movie over the border of a "good" film to an "exceptional" one. Good characters and performances all around, nice cinematography.

Digging into the Warners Peckinpah collection, only one previously viewed movie for me in the set:

The Wild Bunch (1969) 10/10
One of the all-time great movies, with top notch action, major character relationships, and minor character bits as well. The familiar Peckinpah scholars on the commentary track point out that little details could be missed in almost any scene, as there's always so much going on. One part that I hadn't remembered from before was the tremendously multi-layered performance by Angel's former girlfriend in just the one scene she gets, where she simultaneously expresses anger, pride, and sorrow at the choices she made since she last saw Angel, before he left their village.

The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) 4/10
Pretty surprised by how uncompellingly lame I found this one to be, as I understood it to be fairly well liked by Peckinpah fans. I laughed at almost none of the comedy: who is this ridiculous preacher guy? Why are we suddenly following his adventures with some cartoonishly naive woman? What's with the fast-motion Keystone Kops business? And I found little reason to care about the bittersweet romance near the end either. The only thing I definitely enjoyed was Stella Stevens' sweetly loveable performance, made all the more endearing by her stupefying hotness.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (preview version) (1973) 7/10
The excellent supporting cast might be the best thing about this movie, which I guess didn't turn out the way Peckinpah had really intended. Some good scenes here and there keep it interesting, but one obvious problem is the poorly done sound mix, with background noise frequently dropping out during exchanges of dialogue. I'll get to the new 2005 edit at some point; Glenn Erickson says that it improves the pacing, so I'll see what I think about that.

Ride the High Country (1962) 8/10
The two leads are both terrific, Randolph Scott in particular, as aging cowboys with a long history together. I didn't think the romance between the young cowboy and the girl was all that interesting, but the fiery Hammond brothers are a whole family's worth of great characters, and the entire wedding night sequence is superb. I didn't quite buy some of the plot points, but it works well overall.


And a couple of TCM viewings:

The Hurricane (1937) 9/10
John Ford's excellent tropical island action/romance/disaster movie was adapted from a novel by Mutiny on the Bounty authors Nordhoff and Hall. Somewhat surprisingly, the titular event doesn't happen until the last third of the movie, and the injustice done to the main character is portrayed as stemming from racism and colonial brutality, which seems pretty progressive for a 1937 film. The script does get kind of over-the-top at times, but most of the story is very good, and the supporting cast is outstanding. Ford keeps it exciting and suspenseful, and the special effects at the end are terrific.

Also re-watched You Only Live Once, which I commented on in this post from last year's thread, after I saw a theatrical screening.

Mike,


I was pleasantly surprised to see that you've managed to catch up with another Bunuel film - VIRIDIANA (1961) - and, obviously, I couldn't agree more with your rating! I'm looking forward to reading your comments about it...

Hey, Mario! It's good to hear from you again! Even though it took the viewing of a Bunuel film to lure you out, welcome back.

Wow, Mario is back. Just got your e-mail as well. I'll post more on that film when I update things with my latest viewings.

I just got home from that D.W. Griffith "birthday party". I was a bit disappointed when I got there that the newpaper printed "movies on the big screen" when it was actually a rather small television but I did watch ONE EXCITING NIGHT, which is a pretty rare Griffith title. It also happened to be the worst film I've seen from the director but more on that later.

Now for some fun stuff.

I ran into a couple major film buffs and it was great talking to people who knew more than me. Everyone there was shocked at my young age and the funny thing was several asked me if I was in the wrong section. Before the two film buffs got there I was asked if I wanted to give an "intro" to Griffith's work, which I gladly said yes to. I spoke from around 10am till 10:45am, then we started that first film. I think things went over quite well, although I was nervous as hell.

I saw some very cool things including a few top hats worn by Griffith and original one-sheets for AMERICA and THE BIRTH OF A NATION. The owner paid over $17,000 for that BOTN poster!! Another great item was Griffith's cigarette holder, which was given to him at the Academy Awards (can't remember the year). I also managed to see the house Griffith bought his mother back in 1911 as well as where Griffith is buried. An interesting story is that Griffith died broke and was buried in a "poor graveyard". When Hollywood heard about this two years after his death they paid for the body to be moved to his hometown where they also built a big tombstone explaining who he was.

I only watched the one film because those other guys and I got talking outside the event. I also stayed an extra hour talking to the owner of the museum and we're going to try and track down other films/articles on Griffith so that this event will be bigger and we're also going to try and make these film screenings a weekly event. I'm going to be helping tracking down some of these rare films so hopefully I can get people to help. I've posted at a few forums so hopefully someone will come through.

I also got to chat with a man who actually knew Griffith, which was pretty interesting to say the least. I didn't know it but Griffith got his start writing for the Courial Journal, which is still going strong in Louisville. Learned a lot about the director and hope to learn more if we can get this event off the group like we're hoping to.


**Edit to add: When the "tour guide" walked away I snuck back to the top hats and tried both of them on. I just had to do it.

Wow Michael, what an awesome story .

Yes but I think I've gotten myself in over my head. I called the museum back and asked if they'd be interested in a book that listed all of Griffith's films, the year they were released, trivia plus the actors in them and they said yes. I took a little nap and when I woke up I remembered that Griffith had over 500 films so it's going to take me a while to do this thing.

I did post that "help wanted" thing and have had seven people offer to donate some items, which is a great start.


01/19/06

I Vitelloni (1956)

Federico Fellini film about a group of young men who are in no hurry to grow up and leave their small, lifeless town. It’s easy to see the major influence this film had on American Graffiti but overall I was a bit letdown with my first Fellini film. Going by various books this here is often highly rated, although I noticed in the HTF Director’s Guide that there were several who didn’t rate it so highly. The performances by the entire cast are wonderful and the cinematography is brilliant throughout. The biggest problem I had with the film is that it ran out of gas around the one hour mark and it really didn’t pick back up until the “search” at the end of the film.

01/20/06

Night of the Skull (1973)

Spanish giallo has a family brought together for the reading of a will only soon a maniac wearing a skull mask shows up and starts knocking them off. This is from Jess Franco and this certainly ranks as one of his better made films, technically speaking. Franco creates a very thick atmosphere that helps the film move quite nicely and the mystery is well written and plays out very well. The performances are a lot better than normal especially Lina Romay who’s given the chance to act here. The first murder sequence is very well done and the look of the killer is nice. Not your typical Franco film but a good one.

01/21/05

Viridiana (1961)

A young woman about to take her vows to become a nun is sent back to her homeland to visit her dying uncle. The uncle tries to seduce the young woman, which causes her to turn her back on the Catholic Church. She then decides to stay in her homeland to help those less fortunate but she’ll soon find herself betrayed by each one of them. This was my third film from director Luis Bunuel and it’s easy to see where all the controversy started with this film but at the same time I get the feeling Bunuel was just trying to be controversial for the sake of being controversial. The actual “message” of this film is quite lame and stupid but I was able to overlook this because the film itself, with its story, is very good with a remarkably sharp and somewhat shocking ending. The performances are all very good especially that by Silvia Pinal who plays the title character to perfection. The recreation of The Last Supper was also a nice touch as was the wonderful song the closes out the film.

Spider Woman Strikes Back, The (1946)

Rare and forgotten Universal horror film has a nurse going to a creepy house to take care of a blind woman. The blind woman actually has her sight and is poisoning cows so that she can run the farmers off. Sound dumb? It’s actually very dumb and the title is quite misleading, although I guess they were trying to cash in on the Sherlock Holmes film. This is the type of film where you keep waiting for something to happen but it never does. The performances are all rather dry as is the direction but it does move at a nice pace making the 57-minutes go by very fast. Jack Pierce is credited as the makeup artist yet there’s no makeup in the film!

One Exciting Night (1922)

D.W. Griffith’s only venture into the “old dark house/mystery” genre is a rather strange film that also mixes in comedy but in the end it just doesn’t work. A baby is born in Africa and sixteen years later she is about to gain control of an estate, although she doesn’t know this. Soon someone shows up on the scene committing murders but who is it? On the whole this is a very average film due in large part to its incredible running time, which nearly reaches two and a half hours. The final hour of the film contains about twelve different endings where you think the film is over but it keeps going on and on and on. Henry Hull delivers a good performance but the rest of the cast is rather lame. The biggest highlight is a hurricane at the end of the film, which contains some of the greatest special effects of its time. There’s a moment when a servant takes shelter by a house only to have the house tear apart and fly away while the actor is standing there.

Those Awful Hats (1909)

D.W. Griffith comedy about a movie crowd getting angry because the women’s large hats are blocking the screen. This is shorter than most of the shorts from this period but it’s a very funny little gem.

Adventures of Dollie, The (1908)

The first (of 400+) film directed D.W. Griffith is about a pair of gypsies who kidnap a three-year-old girl. When the girl’s parents come looking for her the gypsies hide her in a barrel, which they accidentally drop in the river. Griffith’s skill is certainly in full display here as his use of editing is right on the mark as he builds suspense of the girl going down the river. A wicked sense of humor is also on display here.

Enoch Arden Part 1 (1911)
Enoch Arden Part 2 (1911)

Two-part film from Griffith with part 1 about a strong fisherman who marries and has two children but when he can’t afford to pay the bills he decides to take a dangerous voyage to sea. In part 2, feared dead Enoch’s wife marries another man only to discover, years later, that her husband is still alive. Both films are certainly melodrama at its highest but there’s a certain tender charm running through part one and a strong sense of threat throughout part two. When originally released this was shown in two parts but movie crowds wanted to see them together so theater owners edited the two films together and charged double price on tickets. When Griffith and other studios learned of this they decided to sell all two-reelers for double the price to make sure the theater owners weren’t making extra money.

Joe, I think you're in for a treat. I remember almost a year ago, a guy I used to know recommended Aguirre as my first Herzog. I was floored by the film and haven't looked back since, as my Herzog DVD sets and my copy of Herzog on Herzog can attest to. I only hope that you can get as much out of it as I did.

Michael, I agree, quite an awesome story. I'm very jealous, because I've never been able to find any real film buffs around here, and I'm young (21) like you, which I'm sure wouldn't help much either. But it sounds like a good night and a great experience. I actually haven't seen any Griffith yet. I know, I know...But my library does have a handful of his stuff on DVD, so I'm sure I'll get to it pretty soon.

Also, I was underwhelmed with I Vitelloni too. I'd seen 8 1/2 before that and loved it, but I Vitelloni just didn't do much for me. I've seen a few more Fellini films since then and they've all been very good, except for La Strada and Nights of Cabiria, which are both amazing.

First time viewings in Blue

Annie Oakley (1935)
Barbara Stanwyck plays the famous sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

The Beast of the City (1932)
Interesting pre-code gangster flick stars Walter Huston as an honest police captain fighting both police corruption & the mobsters.

Desperate Journey (1942)
Errol Flynn leads the crew of a downed RAF bomber as they wreak havoc behind the Nazi lines. Lightweight but entertaining.

Sanshiro Sugata 2 (1945)
Hard to believe this was directed by Kurosawa but this yawner continues the adventures of Judo master Sanshiro Sugata. Pretty much a carbon copy of the first film.

The Last Hurrah (1958)
Spencer Tracy plays an old time political boss running for his last election.

Diary of a Madman (1963)
Vincent Price is possessed by an evil spirit which forces him to murder. A pale shadow to Price's much better AIP/Corman productions of the same era.

The Crazies (1973)
Lousy low budget Apocalyptic horror from George Romero has a virus set loose in a small Pennsylvania town. The acting in this one is notably downright atrocious as it makes the thespians in his Living Dead films look Oscar worthy.

Rhapsody in August (1991)
Uneven Kurosawa drama can't make up it's mind to focus on an elderly grandmother and her tales of survival after the Nagasaki bombing or her half American nephew Richard Gere.

Madadayo (1993)
This snail paced finale to an interesting filmmaking career, is a middling tale of a retired professor's ongoing bond with his former students. Well now I can say for certain that the last truly great Kurosawa film was Ran.

Whisper of the Heart (1995)
This Anime coming of age romance was written (though not directed) by Miyazaki. Lacks the sense of wonder that you'd find other Miyazaki films.

Lord of War (2005)
Ironic tale chronicles the rise and fall of an arms dealer played by Nicholas Cage from the early 1980's through present day. I found the fate of Nic Cage's character a refreshing change of pace though it goes against every rule of proper storytelling.

The Constant Gardener (2005)
After his wife's murder, a British diplomat tries to uncover a conspiracy. Features a haunting atmosphere & top notch performances by Ralph Fiennes & Rachel Weisz.

Grizzly Man (2005)
Herzog's documentary about naturalist Timothy Treadwell who lived among wild grizzly bears for 13 years and inevitably got devoured by one. A sometimes fascinating look at a nutcase through the lens of his own video camera. Some of the meandering secondary interviews brought it down a peg but all in all it's a good documentary though it is a bit over-hyped.

Forgot a couple

First time viewings in Blue

The Horsemen (1971)
Omar Sharif stars as the son of an Afghanistan chief who is disgraced after loosing a riding contest and injuring his leg. The old world conflicts with the new as he refuses medical treatment, instead risking his life on a perilous journey. Strangely un-compelling though an interesting look at this culture post 9/11.

Slaughterhouse Five (1972)
Strange Donnie Darko-ish Sci-fi tale about a man abducted by aliens who randomly jumps in time while simultaneously living three different lives. It’s as weird as I made it sound.

Yeah, I Vitelloni is fun for the characters and the cinematography, but it meanders quite a bit. Since you liked those aspects of it, Mike, I'm quite sure you'll really like La Strada and Nights of Cabiria, La Strada in particular, since the main characters in that one (definitely the female lead) are reminiscent of silent movies in a lot of ways. 8 1/2 is one of my all-time favorites, but it's so random and weird on first glance that it's probably better to absorb more of Fellini's style through his more straightforward great movies (like the two I mentioned above) before trying that one.

Mike,


That's a great story about your being asked to make a public address on D.W. Griffith. It sucks that you only got to watch one movie at that event and not in ideal circumstances but, at least, even if you ended up being disappointed by it, you managed to watch a film I've been longing to see myself for years, not least because it is so rare to see Griffith dabble in the horror genre; of course, later on he also made THE SORROWS OF SATAN (1926) with Adolphe Menjou as the Prince of Darkness! Unfortunately, I have never watched that one either...

It's also good to know that you've managed to chalk up another good Jess Franco title to your credit. In case you're unaware of it, NIGHT OF THE SKULLS (1973) is the very film which turned our mutual friend, Francesco Cesari, into a lifelong Franco nut; in fact, it was also one of the earliest Francos I've watched myself thanks to him...

When I noticed that you had watched and loved VIRIDIANA (1961), my brother asked me to tell you not to forget about the other Bunuels you have in your collection but I told him I didn't want to force the issue; however, I see that I didn't have to worry about any of that since you immediately jumped in with BELLE DE JOUR (1967). There's very little I can add to your comments on the former except to say that, in my opinion, VIRIDIANA is not only one of Bunuel's greatest achievements but also the best Spanish film ever made. It's also good to learn that Criterion have postponed their DVD edition of the film in order to include an interview with the fabulous Silvia Pinal; she later appeared in 2 more Bunuel masterpieces - THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962) and SIMON OF THE DESERT (1965) - and one can only hope that Criterion also holds the rights to them!

With regards to I VITELLONI (1953), I've only watched it once myself several years ago but I managed to get it on DVD just a few days before I came to the U.S. I didn't realise you had never watched a Federico Fellini film before but, while I will second Haggai's recommedations for LA STRADA (1954) and NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (1957) as being even better films, I have to say that I VITELLONI is a film I liked a lot back then. In fact, I've often said that I prefer the films Fellini made up to 8 1/2 (1963) to the ones he made after it - and a recent first time viewing of FELLINI'S CASANOVA (1976) only haelped to reinforce that view!

By the way, when I learned that you intended to pursue World Cinema more fully this year, I thought of sending some recommendations your way but I see that you're managing very well on your own! At any rate, don't hesitate to ask in case you get stuck...


Joe,

I can only second Michael and David's recommendation of AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD (1972) which is not only Herzog's masterpiece, in my opinion, but is also one of the most sheerly beautiful films I've ever seen - a truly awesome experience. I'm looking forward to your views on this one...as well as, hopefully, BELLE DE JOUR since you have previously watched Bunuel's EL (1952) after reading Michael's positive comments over here.

I was hoping to see THE BIRTH OF A NATION or INTOLERANCE on the "big screen" but since my TV turned out to be bigger, I'm glad there were some film buffs there to talk to. I forgot to mention it but one of the men interviewed Gish back in the 60s and still has the audio tape, which he's going to let me listen to when we meet for lunch.



I was somewhat shocked to see so many negative reviews for this title including Troy who gave it a pretty negative review. Oh well, I think it's good to see a serious film from Franco that doesn't need lesbians, nudity and sex to be interesting.



I'll post my comments later but I loved BELLE DE JOUR except for the "crazed lover", which ended up playing a big part in the film. Like the boyfriend in LAST TANGO IN PARIS, I thought he just took away from the real interesting aspects of the story. What happened in the streets
Warning Spoiler! Click to show was pretty stupid IMO. The ending didn't make any sense but I guess it wasn't suppose to.


These two were up next on Netflix but I pushed them back for Bergman's HOUR OF THE WOLF and MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA since I'm going to be moving to Louisville next Wednesday. I decided to push those two back until I got my projector, which should be a few days after I move.



You can always recommend those "forgotten gems". I think I've got the majority of the "bigger" titles on order from Netflix so they should be showing up over time but I'm having to fight off the urge of watching more silents since I didn't finish that Lloyd, Keaton or Fatty sets that I got late last year. Not to mention some real gems I've got coming in from various friends.

01/22/06

Belle de Jour (1967)

A beautiful woman (Catherine Deneuve) marries a doctor but can’t be intimate with him so she starts working during the day as a prostitute. Here’s another surreal film from director Luis Bunuel, which I enjoyed quite a bit but I think a second viewing would make it better to me. The biggest highlight is the brilliant performance from Deneuve, which is among the greatest I’ve seen from any actress. The way she plays the “frozen” wife is terrific and her breakthrough is done wonderfully as well. Perhaps this will change on a second viewing but I thought the film went on a bit too long and the various mind games weren’t really needed. The stuff with the crazy lover really bored me and I thought it led to a pretty stupid ending.

Samurai 1 (1955)

A wild orphan runs off to join the war but after a bitter defeat he finds himself being sought after for murder. He is rescued by a monk who then forces him to train as a samurai. The first forty minutes of this thing really, really bored me with its rather confusing storyline but once our hero is captured the film really picked up and in the end I was highly entertained by this thing. I hope the two sequels are better but this here wasn’t too bad. Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.

Ferdinand the Bull (1938)

Pretty stupid Disney short about a timid, flower lover bull who’s selected to be in a bullfight. No laughs, awful narration and an overall boring short, although some of the animation is nice.

Chicken Little (1943)

One of the best Disney shorts out there. A fox tells Chicken Little that the sky is falling so that all the chickens will leave their safe area. There are wonderful characters throughout and plenty of great laughs as well as a downbeat ending, which certainly isn’t the norm for a cartoon.

Pelican and the Snipe, The (1944)

Another disappointing Disney short, this one about a small snipe who watches over a pelican who flies in his sleep. No laughs, boring narration and an overall slow pace.

Musketeers of Pig Alley, The (1912)

D.W. Griffith film, which is considered to be the first gangster movie ever made. Griffith does a nice job showing off poor people back in the day and seeing NYC in 1912 is another added bonus. The performance by Dorothy Gish is very good and the supporting players are nice as well. The shootout in the alley remains exciting to this day.

Kongo (1932)

Remake of the 1928 Tod Browning/Lon Chaney film West of Zanzibar pretty much follows the same story. A paralyzed madman (Walter Huston) rules a colony in Africa and plans on getting revenge on the man who crippled him by torturing his daughter (Virginia Bruce). This pretty much follows the story of the original right from the start to the end and that includes the infamous twist in the story but that doesn’t hamper matters too much since Huston gives a terrific performance. He makes a great villain, although he doesn’t quite reach Chaney’s level and there are several times when you can see him moving his legs when you shouldn’t. The biggest advantage of this remake is that it keeps the brutal attitude of the original. This is a pretty graphic film with dope addicts, body burning, various murders, rape, sexual assault and even a tad bit of nudity can be witnessed. This is certainly a very strong film for its time but I’d recommend watching the Chaney version first. The Chaney film and this one would make a great double-feature DVD from Warner. Conrad Nagel co-stars.

High and Dizzy (1920)

Wonderful Hal Roach short has Harold Lloyd getting drunk and then having to save his sleepwalking love by climbing a tall building. I must say Lloyd isn’t very good at playing a drunk because it was easy to see him “acting” but the situations he gets himself into were downright hilarious and rank as some of the best laughs I’ve seen from him. The highlights are certainly at the start when Lloyd tries to pretend he has more clients than he really does and the “coat around the pole” scene.

Michael, I take it you saw Kongo on TCM? I've been wanting to see it, but keep missing TCM's screenings.


Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

Viewed 1/17/2006 (first viewing)

Solid documentary on the downfall of Enron and the corporate greed that caused it.

out of


Kamikaze Girls (2005)

Viewed 1/17/2006 (first viewing)

Cute little flick about the friendship between two very different girls: one is shy and obsessed with France's Rococo era, the other is a tough, troubled biker chick. Stylistically reminiscent of Amelie.

out of


The Constant Gardner (2005)

Viewed 1/17/2006 (first viewing)

Above average conspiracy thriller has already been talked about enough...

out of


Bang Rajan (2001)

Viewed 1/18/2006 (first viewing)

Exciting Thai film recounting the battles between a Siamese village and an invading Burmese army in 1765. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the Siamese villagers managed to hold off the invaders for several months, fighting eight battles before being wiped out. Not without its flaws, but pretty good considering its low budget.

out of


Yesterday (2003)

Viewed 1/18/2006 (first viewing)

Beautifully-filmed African drama about a young mother who discovers she has AIDS. She then determines that she will live long enough to see her daughter off to her first day of school. Well done all around.

out of


The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

Viewed 1/19/2006 (first viewing)

Faithful adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "unfilmable" story, produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Doesn't always escape its low budget/amateur status, but a good try. Bonus points for filming it as a black and white silent feature - a brilliant conceit.

out of


Hot Water (1924)

Viewed 1/19/2006 (first viewing)

Harold Lloyd feature follows the misadventures of a family headed by Lloyd. Some solid laughs, but a middling effort from the comedian.

out of


Saraband (2003)

Viewed 1/19/2006 (first viewing)

The latest (and supposedly the last) film from Ingmar Bergman reunites the characters from his much earlier film Scenes from a Marriage. Probably too talky for some, but superbly done.

out of


Dead Friend (2004)

Viewed 1/20/2006 (first viewing)

Okay Korean ghost story about an amnesiac college student haunted by disturbing dreams and the ongoing deaths of her high school friends. Slick chiller is too confusing at times and features an appearance by the ubiquitous creepy dead girl. Worth a look for Asian horror buffs.

out of


Billy Blazes, Esq. (1919)

Viewed 1/21/2006 (first viewing)

Harold Lloyd short stars Lloyd as an amiable gunslinger who cleans up a town in the Old West. Nothing special, but has its moments.

out of


Why Worry? (1923)

Viewed 1/21/2006 (first viewing)

More Harold Lloyd. This time Lloyd is a hypochondriac millionaire who wanders blissfully unaware into the middle of a Latin American revolution.

out of


Champion (1949)

Viewed 1/22/2006 (first viewing)

Pretty good drama with Kirk Douglas as an up and coming boxer and his ruthless rise to the top.

out of


No Regrets For Our Youth (1946)

Viewed 1/22/2006 (first viewing)

Early Kurosawa film about a young woman who must make a new life for herself after her husband is tortured to death by a repressive government. One of the master's better early movies.

out of