Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I have to say that never occurred to me. And thinking back...Hmmm, I still don't really see it. What were some of the indicators for you that this was the case? Or have you exhausted that conversation by now? I thought that the second group of girls pretty much put an end to him with that final freeze frame boot to the head (by Rosario Dawson), but I can't say that I have any strong convictions...

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Tarzan Escapes (1936)

My least favourite of the first six Weissmuller Tarzan flicks. This one has cousins of Jane who are determined to bring her back to civilization under the guise of a large fortune that she will inherit but must go back to England to claim it. This one could have been better but re-writes and editing made the film alot weaker.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Tarantino talks a lot of trash but during one interview he mentioned that he would go to grindhouse films and every once in a while they'd have the reels messed up. He claims one time that the second half of the movie was shown before the first half.

With that in mind...

With the first group of girls, Russell doesn't play around with them. As soon as he gets the chance he kills them without mercy. In the second half, he plays around with them the entire time and never attempts to kill them even though he has plenty of chances. Even when the chase originally ends, Russell gets out of the car, laughing and smiling as if he were just playing a game. Of course, they catch up with him and give him the beating of a life time.

To me, Russell killed the first group without mercy because this happened last. He played around with the first set of girls and it nearly killed him so he doesn't take any more chances like that. He kills them first where they don't have a chance to do anything to him. You'll also notice that his car is "death proof" only in the first half. He has a chamber in it to kill the girl in the passenger seat and he also has it where no one could pull him out. I think the car being "death proof" in the first half is just another reason as to why the two halves are out of place.

You can read more in the official thread where there's even more questions brought up but it doesn't make much sense to me for him to kill without mercy and then joke around with the girls. I think getting his head kicked in would be the reason he'd go out stalking and kill without mercy.

So, I think the film ends with him killing the first set of girls and in the end he's in the hospital where he'll eventually go free and kill again.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

01/28/08

Hoi Holloi (1935) Del Lord

Trading Places for its day finds two rich men making a bet that one can turn some bums into smart gentlemen. The three men turn out to be the Three Stooges and they get their shot at a fancy party. There are some good laughs here including a scene where Larry loses his shoe on the dance floor but overall this is a pretty standard short. I did notice that the sound effects were heavily used here for the first time.

Ants in the Pantry (1936) Jack White

The Three Stooges are working as exterminators but when business is slow they decide to plant the insects themselves, which just leads to trouble. All the jokes here are rather hit and miss with most of them being misses but this short is still pretty entertaining. There's a "cut the hards" scenes, which was borrowed from the Marx Brothers but it's pretty funny here as is another scene where the boys start a dance after a guy gets a mouse down his back.

American Gangster (2007) Ridley Scott

Set in the 1970s, a detective (Russell Crowe) tries to bring down a notorious heroin kingpin (Denzel Washington). 2009 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first gangster film and I'm not sure if one small sub-genre has given us more great films. This is an incredibly little picture that packs quite a punch with its violence, moral lessons and storytelling. The film clocks in twenty-minutes short of the three hour mark but there's not a single second that comes off boring and there's not a single second where something great isn't going on. We've seen the rise of gangsters before but director Scott does a terrific job at making it feel fresh and new. The cinematography is terrific, the soundtrack great and the film has an authentic feel throughout. What really makes the film special is the screenplay takes time to look at Crowe and Washington outside their jobs. We see how the two men work but we also get to see how the two of them deal with stuff in their personal lives. The film takes its time telling the story but this is a big praise because we get to see more than one dimensional characters. Both Washington and Crowe deliver great performances and I might even go as far as to say it's the best of both of their careers. Both come with that calm and cool grace that most actors try for but fail at delivering but that's not the case with these two. How neither of them got an Oscar nomination is beyond me but I think time will be very friendly to both of them. Another strong aspect is the supporting cast, which includes Ruby Dee, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and a terrific Armand Assante. There's a lot of intense dialogue from start to finish and near the end with get a classic shootout but the best moments of the film might take place at the very end when Washington and Crowe finally share the screen together. For the most part the film is very fast paced but it slows down at the very end when the two stars come together and their little chat gives one a lot to think about what they've seen.

01/29/08

Half Shot Shooters (1936) Del Lord

Seventeen years after the end of WW1, the Three stooges find themselves poor and hungry so they accidentally sign up for the Army to cause more trouble. There are a few gags here that work but most of them miss. One of the best gags has Curley pulling his shoe up and another has the three firing off a canon, which hits their Admirel's boat.

Pain the the Pullman, A (1936) Del Lord

The Three stooges board a train heading for a new job but their pet monkey causes all sorts of trouble. Once again, this short is pretty good but there are still plenty of misses in the joke department. The best moment is when the boys are trying to get into their bed but it's up to high so they have a little trouble. The monkey also gets a few nice laughs.

False Alarms (1936) Del Lord

The Three Stooges are about to be fired at their fire fighting jobs but the Captain gives them one more shot, which they take advantage of by destroying his new car. This is certainly a step up from the previous couple shorts as this one here returns to the fast paced roots of the earlier movies. The stuff with the fat girl was very funny and the boys antics are a lot funnier here including a great sequence where the wreck the car.

Whoops I'm an Indian (1936) Del Lord

Lazy short from The Three Stooges has them wanted by the law so they dress as Indians but then run into a man whose wife left him for one. The jokes here are pretty standard and routine and there really weren't any laugh at loud moments. The fishing scene is probably the highlight but even this wasn't that funny.

Slippery Silks (1936) Del Lord

The Three Stooges inherit a rich silk shop but of course they manage to screw it up. The second half of this short, taking place in the silk shop, is rather unfunny, although we're treated to another food fight. The first half has the boys in a wood shop causing all sorts of damage and this is here all the laughs are to be found. Curley falling into the nails and all the gags with the glue are among the highlights.

Amateur Porn Star Killer (2007) Shane Ryan

Each and every year horror fans start hyping up a film saying it's one of the best of the genre and so on. The skies usually falls down as these hyped movies turn out to be shit but that's not the case here. I had never even heard of this movie until I got bored and kept walking around the video store and noticed the naked woman on the DVD cover. I read the mini-reviews scattered across the front and back cover so I decided to give the film a shot and it was certainly worth it. The film is more psychological drama than horror but no matter which genre the film works.

A man (Shane Ryan) lures a 13-year-old girl (Michiko Jimenez) to a hotel room for what she thinks is to make an amateur porn movie but soon, as she begins to feel uncomfortable, she knows something else is going on. The set up is simple but the style is what really pushes this film over the edge. This is another film that tries to be a snuff movie and it actually works here but I'm sure a lot will blow their brains out. The whole style of the film is that the movie looks like a real, low budget movie with splices on the print, the darkness goes up and down, tape rolls and other things. This will annoy most but it does work in making the film look and feel like a real snuff movie. It's ugly to look at and sometimes the audio is hard to hear but this just captures what a real snuff film would probably look like. The film is meant to be a warning to women about going places with men that they don't know and this simple idea works very well. The film runs 71-minutes and 68-minutes of that time is shot in "real time" as we see the two enter the room, start talking, slowly taking their clothes off and so on. There's a real oral sex scene and the film isn't shy about the nudity but all of it is done in a grungy way, just like what we'd expect the snuff film to be.

The film runs very short but with the lack of any real editing it just adds to the movie. Apparently this was shot in a couple hours for $45 and it looks it. That's not a bad thing either. The film opens with a small scene in the car and then we hit the hotel room where we get a forty-minute scene done without any edits and then another thirty-minute scene without edits. The film plays very smoothly and you really get the feeling that you're watching a real video that's uncut. Star and director Ryan does a very good job in both departments and his acting was pretty damn good. He does a great job at playing this creep who starts off like a girl's dream but slowly turns to the psychopath that he is. Jimenez gives a terrific performance as the young virgin who gets in over her head. I was rather shocked at how great she was and considering there aren't any edits or double takes, the fact that she was able to stay in character and go with the story ranks this performance as one of the best I've seen in 2007. Shane, the director, does a terrific job with the visual style, although again, the bad quality will probably bug some. If we're going to call this a horror movie then it's one of the best I've seen in a very long time and like the films of the 70s, its point is to shock you and that it does very well.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

King Kong (2005)

A re-telling of that giant ape story this time in the capable hands of Peter Jackson. I think we all know what the story is about so I won't go into that here. The cinematography and special effects are great but the story is over-long. When I saw this in the theatre I was fascinated but with repeat viewings parts of it are boring. It took too long to get to the meat of the story. Ann and her relationship with Kong are well fleshed unlike her relationship with Jack Driscoll. Adrien Brody is an amazing actor but I think he's miscasted as the romantic lead. The menace was taken out of Kong and he was nothing more than an over-grown teddy bear with fangs. I prefer the protrayal of Kong in the original movie. I thought Jack Black of okay as Carl Denham but the last sentence uttered by him at the end of the movie was just plain lame. Still an enjoyable movie.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Oh Christ! I can't remember the last time I turned a film off in utter boredom and annoyance....but this made me do it.

Before Kong even escaped an entire movie, based on nothing at all but SHOUTING and SCREAMING and CGI CGI CGI CGI, and PLOT POINTLESS OVERBLOWN SPECTACLE had bashed into my brain and ripped out my eyeballs with all this 'look what we can do with our little computer play set' rubbish that still managed, despite all the ear shredding, retina blasting......AGAGAGAGAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAGAGAGGGAGAAAA HHHHAAAAAHGGGG..... to be utterly tedious.

Mega budget boredom unheard of played out before my eyes and I fucking hated the fact that the now slimline Jackson in the flesh had turned into a fat, overblown, obnoxious, self-indulgent hack as far as being a Director was concerned.

All the discipline he had shown (for the most part) in his "LOTR" epics had gone here.
Instead he simply threw 90 minutes of dodgy, pointless, CGI hell at us (before we rwally GIT to the 'Kong' plot!) on that damn annoying island with absolutely no worth at all. Either as plot progression OR as simply effective thrills.

It was BAD CGI, used too much, in the wrong way, for too long and Jackson it seems could care less about making a film and more about the Playstation adaptation to come.

Knowing how King Kong plays out due to the other, half the fucking length to tell the exact same story, versions I turned it off in New York as I had seen the clips and could not sit through anymore of this overblown, bloated, self-indulgent CGI garbage passing itself off as a movie.

Jackson needs to seriously go back to his low budget, lean, mean, roots.
As quite frankly not only would the Jackson who made such lean classics as "Bad Taste" and "Meet the Feebles" be ashamed of the Jackson who had crapped out "King Kong", but the guided and disciplined Jackson who made the epic "LOTR" movies would also be ashamed at this bloated monstrosity he had become.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

You mean you didn't get to see the Kong ice skaing sequence with our loving and affectionate leading lady? Lucky you!

Here are my thoughts on this thing:



Peter Jackson has said he's a great fan of the original 1933 classic, and yet he's gone ahead and "re"-re-made it, this occasion being even more needless than the first time it was attempted in 1976. As far as I'm concerned, the best way for a filmmaker to express his alleged respect for an original classic is to just leave it the hell alone. That said, I did approach this over-inflated wink to Kong with an open mind, because I've been wrong before about a minority of these unnecessary re-do's in the past. But not this time.

KING KONG 2005 (and oh, how I despise having to always go through the trouble of adding a specific year onto a movie's title nowadays just to be able to decipher which of the renditions I'm speaking about) is only "fair" at best, and nothing more. The movie is way too long, because it "feels" too long. This is a story that easily could have lost an hour and emerged all the better for it. The first hour in particular is too padded and chock full of extraneous subplots we don't need.

Jack Black is a horrible choice as Carl Denham (the man who brings Kong to New York) but he does do a capable job of portraying the character as a sleazy and unlikable sort of louse. But the question then arises as to whether or not one wants to see Carl Denham portrayed as completely unscrupulous or not. Personally, I don't.

Adrien Brody's hero might as well have been written out of the film; he's given very little to do and serves no real purpose. So that takes care of that. Naomi Watts was the best cast of this new crew, though her modernized character here displays far too much fondness for the big lug and not nearly enough primal fear (if any at all!). One of the more cringe-worthy sequences from the other 1976 retread was when Jessica Lange asked King Kong what his astrological sign was, and then called him a "male chauvinist pig ape!" and told him to "eat her and choke on her!". Well, this new Peter Jackson movie doesn't fare too much better in this department, as there's a ludicrous scene where Naomi tries to win Kong over by dancing, doing cartwheels, and even juggling rocks for the monster ape! Another silly moment occurs later in New York City where Kong and his lady take time out from what's supposed to be the gorilla's intense and deadly rampage to do a little cutsey ice skating in Central Park. "Kong On Ice" -- Oh, brother.

The CGI effects were hit and miss -- King Kong himself was very realistic and appeared incredibly detailed at times, but a lot of the jungle scenes looked cartoonish. Either way, there were far too many assaulting effects sequences which tend to bore rather than thrill. Too much overkill in the case of a multi-dinosaur stampede. By the time we mercifully got to the third act in Manhattan I was so numb from CG overindulgence that I was beyond fascination. And though I realize that we have to suspend our disbelief while watching a fantasy such as this, it's still inconceivable to me that Watts' damsel-not-in-distress wouldn't have broken an arm or snapped her neck during some of those violent swings to and fro while in Kong's hand during the gorilla's many violent battles. Heck, she could have been hurt or killed even by innocent play from Kong, though her laid back demeanor would never give you a hint that this ever crosses her mind nor concerns her. This is especially true for the puke-worthy climax where Watts risks her life atop the Empire State Building to protect Kong, in an ending that can't hold a candle to the first film's.

I have to wonder where the "love" for the original film is evident, when Peter Jackson is too ashamed to use the original 1930's dialogue, even though he intentionally set his story in that same decade! Men back then on ships often said things like "you women are nothing but trouble", but here Jackson caves in to the 21st Century by using this type of talk as a laugh, only allowing it to be spoken in the context of a fictional film Denham is making with his actors. Similarily, the extravagant "native dance" that was so effective in the '33 classic is now resigned to a hokey and gimmicky stage number on Broadway. Some of the original dialogue is uttered by Jack Black, but he's no Robert Armstrong and in his hands it comes out as forced and obligatory.

This was worth looking at once, but it's not something I'll ever want to see again. It's too big, too bloated, and complete Overkill. In fact, if you would have told me that someone else made this film other than Peter Jackson and was a director who wasn't necessarily a big fan of the original '33 classic, I'd believe you.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Over-passionate aren't we? We can't all like the same things or else life would be boring. Your cup of tea might not be mine.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

[quote=PatW]Over-passionate aren't we?

We can't all like the same things or else life would be boring.

Did I mention you? Did I say you were wrong? Did I attack you in any way at all?
Did I say we should all like the same things?

No.
I just gave my view. As you gave yours.

In fact the only one stating how I should approach anything is YOU with that first sentence.
A bit over-passionate in how someone else writes about their feelings on a film aren't we?
I guess I can hate and get angered by "king Kong" as much as I like and with as much passion as I like. Can't I?


Er...right...groovy. I never said it had to be though did I.

Blimey, its like walking on bleedin' eggshells around here if anything a bit more 'passionate' than an 'Entertainment Tonight' cue card is posted.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

[quote=42nd Street Freak]
Calm down, for God's sakes. I was just making an off-handed remark. I'm sorry if my remarks got you upset. I should have put a smilie face after my remark.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I'm curious why you say this Dave...Apart from some squabbling between long time members about minutiae, I've always felt this thread (hell, the entire forum) is a safe haven for making your film views (even if highly unpopular) known. You may be challenged or disagreed with, but it's almost never done via emotional outburst (well, almost... ). Keep the passion though...

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Yes, by all means.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

To be fair, Joe and I haven't gotten into a single argument all year. I think we went the last four months of last year so I'm sure this is a record for us. I'm sure we'll end up fighting again in the near future via some remake but until then it's peace.

I've been on a lot of forums and this one here is certainly the easiest to post on. I started this "Track" thread six years ago at another forum because it's good to see what other buffs are watching plus it's a good way to get introduced to other films. If we all agreed all the time then it would get quite boring. I can be a major ass a lot of the times but I never hold any little fight personal and I hope no one else does either. It's clear people are passionate about their movies and when a favorite gets bashed things can get heated but hopefully in the end everyone still respects one another.


Re: KONG

I gave it and had a really hard time sitting through it. My father and I went to see it and we both hated it. He called it the worst movie he had ever seen and if I watched it again I'd probably lower my rating. I agree that it was way too loud, unoriginal and just downright never ending. As someone else said, taking a 90-minute film and expanding it to 3+ hours was just crazy. I've always felt the original KK ran too long so this thing was just terrible. I haven't watched the 1976 version in years but I remember it running the best. I might try and watch this version again later in the year.

Of course, THE LOST WORLD is the best version of this treatment IMO. I'd also watch SON OF KONG over the original.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Rambo (2008)

Have to agree with many others... RAMBO delivered BIG-TIME!! Just got back from an afternoon show with only about five people in attendance; this was a film where I bet audiences CHEERED appreciatively in a crowd! Nope, there was not much of a plot at all and it didn't need it. You pays yer money and ya gets what you wanted -- a nonstop thrill-a-minute, bloody, gore-soaked, depraved, roller coaster ride of action! At only a tad over 90 minutes, there is not fat on this meat -- but you have to know what you're in for. I also liked the ending, which I won't reveal but I thought was perfect.

I am VERY impressed with what Stallone was able to do with both the John Rambo and Rocky Balboa characters at such a later point in his life, and against all odds and skeptics (myself among them).

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Cimarron (1931)

Not very highly thought of today as one of Oscar’s wisest choices, Cimarron is actually a highly entertaining early form of the Hollywood Epic. Spanning over 35 years in the life of a family of settlers in Oklahoma, Cimarron boasts impressive production values and an enthusiastic lead performance by Richard Dix.

Yancey Cravat (Dix), an adventurer and explorer by heart, takes his wife Sabra (Irene Dunne) and young son to settle in Osage, Oklahoma near the turn of the nineteenth century. Already something of a celebrity, he sets up shop as an attorney and newspaper publisher and vows to discover the murderer of the previous publisher. Later he will be involved in a deadly shootout, come to the defense of a woman of ill repute, and abandon his family for years on end. Meanwhile, his wife, at first regretful of her decision to leave the comfort of her well-off family in Wyoming, comes to love her life in Osage, and must raise her two children in a town and time when bad hombres will take literal pot shots at street vendors just as a “joke.”

Leonard Maltin, in his Classic Movie Guide, claims this film has aged poorly, partly due to Dix’s “overripe” performance. I couldn’t disagree more. While Dix does go overboard, thundering and flailing about in a courtroom closing scene, most of the time he is charming, charismatic, and convincing as a man nearly everyone seems to love and respect. Even a notorious outlaw, while roaming the unsettled lands looking for goods to pilfer, gives Cravat and his family a pass. If we’re to accept such massive admiration for one individual, then Dix’s choices while playing Yancey seem valid. He smiles, speechifies, gestures, laughs heartily, and basically plays a larger-than-life character in an overall effective manner. Only such an effective interpretation could make us still feel for this guy during the times he leaves his family without keeping in touch with them.

By contrast Dunne’s Sabra is the anchor of the family, not wanting to leave the town of Osage and the life she has made there. She struggles to keep the family together and the paper running, resulting in her own celebrity status. The ultimate fate of her character is a delightful surprise.

Add to the aforementioned strong supporting performances from Edna May Oliver and George E. Stone, and Cimarron, while not a great film, is nevertheless an entertaining early form of the Hollywood Epic.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Grand Hotel (1932)

Grand Hotel is one of only two Best Picture winners (the other being Driving Miss Daisy) in Oscar history where the director was not nominated. In the case of Grand Hotel, the reason for such an oversight is most likely due to its all-star cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, and Lionel Barrymore. This is certainly a “stars” picture, the kind of film that Robert Altman would later excel at: an extraordinary cast in overlapping stories that ultimately come together in a haunting climax.

At the Grand Hotel in Berlin, where, “Nothing ever happens,” Baron Felix von Geigern (J. Barrymore) plans to steal some jewelry from ballerina Grusinskaya (Garbo.) Before the theft, Geigem has time to flirt with Flaemmchen (Crawford), who’s been hired by desperate businessman Preysing (Beery) as a temporary secretary, and to make friends with Otto Kringelein (L. Barrymore), a dying former employee of Preysing who wants to live the good life in the time he has life. The film chronicles how these characters interact for the next twenty four hours or so.

The joys in this film are numerous: the excellent performances, the chemistry among the key characters, the snappy dialogue, the sumptuous production design, the fluid camera, etc. Each character is distinct and not a stereotype. John Barrymore, who just three pictures ago had played the villainous Svengali, this time out plays the charismatic ladies’ man and it’s easy to see him as a matinee idol of the silent days. Garbo runs the gamut from depressed to joyous. Lionel Barrymore is heartbreaking as the common man trying to enjoy the things his meager wages previously prohibited. But it’s Joan Crawford’s turn as the temp in search of a better life that steals the film – her first flirtatious encounter with Geigern, her sympathetic dance with Kringelein, and her reaction to a tragic turn of events give her ample moments to shine, and she never disappoints. Even though each character goes through some change during Grand Hotel’s running time, Crawford seems to have the most dimensions to play and her role is the richest because of it.

A truly great film, Grand Hotel is certainly a deserved recipient of the Academy’s highest honor. An unbeatable cast brings this multi-faceted story to life and is highly recommended to fans of Golden Age cinema.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Cavalcade (1933) 1/2

Opening on New Year’s Eve 1899, Cavalcade covers the next 33 years in the lives of the Marryot family – husband and wife Robert (Clive Brook) and Jane (Diana Wynyard) and their two sons. As well-off members of London society, we see their fortunes change as the Boer War, the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, and other various world events affect them in sometimes tragic ways. The Marryot’s servants Ellen and Alfred Bridges (Una O'Connor and Herbert Mundin) meanwhile experience some life-changing events of their own.

Cavalcade’s problem is that, while competently acted and handsomely designed, it is not terribly involving. Wynyard’s character is something of a snob, and it’s hard to warm to her. When certain tragedies befall her, the viewer should be moved – but this viewer wasn’t. By cramming 33 years in under two hours, the film becomes a series of vignettes but never builds any momentum emotionally. The audience becomes mere observers instead of part of the story. And because certain characters criticize war and technology and give the proceedings a “message,” Cavalcade ultimately feels more like a history lesson than a film. The result is that Cavalcade is cold and distant, and only partially involving.

It Happened One Night (1934)

The first comedy to take the Best Picture Oscar, It Happened One Night remains one of the finest examples of the romantic comedy. Clark Gable has one of his best roles as Peter Warne, a down on his luck reporter who stumbles upon a big story – he’s sharing a bus ride with an heiress, Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), who’s run away from her disapproving father. They strike a bargain that he’ll help her make it to New York to rejoin her new husband (Jameson Thomas) if she’ll give him the exclusive story about her disappearance. Of course, they fall in love. But how can they hope to be together?

All the elements of the romantic comedy are here: the “meet cute” scene where she inadvertently takes his seat on the bus; the initial dislike for one another; the great misunderstanding that prolongs the story; etc. But what makes this film soar is that is genuinely funny and certainly romantic.

There are many classic comic moments in It Happened One Night – Gable’s wordplay with a bus driver (“Oh yeah?”) to avoid a fight; Gable and Colbert’s first meeting; Gable and Colbert acting like a bickering married couple to fool some private detectives; Colbert giving Gable a lesson in hitchhiking; Gable’s tricking a would-be blackmailer into thinking a kidnapping plot is afoot; and the final gag involving the Walls of Jericho are but a few examples.

But the tender moments abound too – the impromptu camp out in the hay; Gable’s description of the right woman for him; and Gable’s frantic, secret trip to New York to make their plans to run away together possible are played with just the right dose of sentiment. Ultimately we want this couple to have their Happily Ever After.

Frank Capra won his first of three directing Oscars for his efforts here. Capra perfectly balances the comedic and romantic elements of Robert Riskin’s terrific script, and throws in a rousing rendition of "The Man on the Flying Trapeze" performed by various bus passengers as well as amusing character bits (such as the sleazy Oscar Shapeley) that are something of a Capra hallmark. The swift pacing carries the audience from one unpredictable scene to the next.

The lead actors won their only Oscars for their work here, and their chemistry ultimately makes the film truly stand out. Gable is not his usual dashing self here, but a drunk and desperate type who doesn’t have noble intentions. But he’s a lovable rogue, and he wins the audience over with his charm and ultimate gallantry (he won’t take the reward money, just his out-of-pocket expenses). Colbert is essentially the straight arrow here, but she holds here own in the fake argument scene with Gable and is ultimately sympathetic as someone who hasn’t been allowed to live life on her own terms.

It Happened One Night was the first of only three films (so far) to take the Big Five (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay; the other two are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs) and it’s easy to see why this little film (shot on a tight, four-week schedule) won the hearts of voters. It Happened One Night remains must-see viewing for those who love great movies.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I agree withyou on Cimarron, it's much better than it's reputation suggest, Irene Dunne, especially is outstanding.

Calvalcade is the only BP winner I've not seen.

and I just realized how much Spaceballs borrows from It Happened One Night.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

His Girl Friday (1940)

Fast talking Howard Hawkes comedy stars Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant as divorcing news editor and reporter who tries to win his former wife back. The mile a minute dialogue and acting makes this a very entertaining movie. Cary Grant never ceases to amaze me. Even in a bad movie which this isn't, he's good. This guy has perfect comic timing. He definitely is my favourite comedic actor. Both Russell and Grant are great together. Ralph Bellamy is adequate as Bruce Baldwin the man Russell is set to marry. Funny enough this is the forth Bellamy film I've seen recently. Great screwball comedy.

Stardust: The Bette Davis Story

Very interesting bio-pic about this wonderful star's life. Peppered with interviews both old and new, film clips and reminiscences this is one of the better biographies. This film was a great education, not knowing too much about this great stars life.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Recap Total Seen: 64

Theatrical Viewings in RED

Best 1st Time Viewing: War and Peace

Also Notables: DarkBlueAlmostBlack, Jesus Camp, Pitfall

2008 Films

nothing...


2007 Films Viewed in '08


Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (Matt Maiellaro, Dave Willis) (DVD, Library loan) 4/5
Ghost Rider (Mark Steven Johnson) (Cable) 1/5
How She Move (Ian Iqbal Rashid) (Cinema) 1/5
The Messengers (Danny Pang, Oxide Pang) (Cable) 3/5
Norbit (Brian Robbins) (Cable) 3/5
Pride (Sunu Gonera) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Reno 911!: Miami (Robert Ben Garant) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Shooter (Antoine Fuqua) (Cable) 3/5
Shrek the Third (Chris Miller) (DVD, Own) 3/5


Pre-2007 Films Seen for the 1st Time


10th & Wolf (2006|Robert Moresco) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Appleseed (Appurushîdo) (2004|Shinji Aramaki) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Astronaut Farmer (2006|Michael Polish) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
The Astronauts (Les Astronautes) (1959|Walerian Borowczyk, Chris Marker) (DVD Rent) 2/5
Bathing Beauty (1944|George Sidney) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Blue, White and Perfect (1942|Herbert I. Leeds) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004|Mary McGuckian) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Brothers (Brødre) (2004|Susanne Bier) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Close To Home (Karov La Bayit) (2005|Vidi (Vardit) Bilu, Dalia Hager) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Comedy of Power (L'Ivresse du Pouvoir) (2006|Claude Chabrol) (Cable) 3/5
Curious George (2006|Matthew O'Callaghan) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
DarkBlueAlmostBlack (Azuloscurocasinegro) (2006|Daniel Sánchez) (Cable) 4/5
Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005|Michel Gondry) (Cable) 1/5
DiG! (2004|Ondi Timoner) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Easy to Wed (1946|Edward Buzzell) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Entr'acte (1924|René Clair) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Eragon (2006|Stefen Fangmeier) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Eve & the Fire Horse (2005|Julia Kwan) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
A Family Secret (Le Secret de Ma Mère) (2006|Ghyslaine Côté) (Cable) 3/5
Fascination (2004|Klaus Menzel) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Goto, Island of Love (Goto, l'île d'amour) (1968|Walerian Borowczyk) (DVD Rent) 2/5
Haven (2004|Frank E. Flowers) (Cable) 1/5
Home Movies (1940|Basil Wrangell) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Jesus Camp (2006|Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) (DVD, Library loan) 4/5
Joan the Woman (1917|Cecil B. DeMille) (DVD Rent) 3/5
Just My Luck (2006|Donald Petrie) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
The Lake House (2006|Alejandro Agresti) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Main Street Today (1944|Edward Cahn) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005|Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
More (1969|Barbet Schroeder) (DVD, Own) 2/5
Mouse Trouble (1944|William Hanna, Joseph Barbera) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
My Favorite Wife (1940|Garson Kanin) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Pitfall (Otoshiana) (1962|Hiroshi Teshigahara) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Sleepers West (1941|Eugene Forde) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Soigne ton Gauche (1936|René Clément) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (Sophie Scholl - Die Letzten Tage) (2005|Marc Rothemund) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Stephanie Daley (2006|Hilary Brougher) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Strike (Strajk - Die Heldin von Danzig) (2006|Volker Schlöndorff) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
War and Peace (Voyna i Mir) (1967|Sergei Bondarchuk) (Cinema) 5/5
The Witch's Mirror (El Espejo de la Bruja) (1962|Chano Urueta) (DVD Rent) 3/5
Young Triffie's Been Made Away With (2006|Mary Walsh) (Cable) 3/5


Re-Visits


À Nous la Liberté (1931|René Clair) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965|William Asher) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Coma (1978|Michael Crichton) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Cujo (1983|Lewis Teague) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Les Enfants Terribles (1950|Jean-Pierre Melville) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Hitcher (2007|Dave Meyers) (Cable) 2/5
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965|William Asher) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Miracle Mile (1988|Steve De Jarnatt) (Cable) 3/5
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot) (1953|Jacques Tati) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Mysterious Island (1961|Cy Endfield) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Queen (2006|Stephen Frears) (Cable) 4/5
Straight Time (1978|Ulu Grosbard) (DVD, Library loan) 4/5
Union Pacific (1939|Cecil B. DeMille) (DVD Rent) 3/5
The World According to Garp (1982|George Roy Hill) (DVD, Own) 5/5

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)

Viewed 1/28/2008

Revisited Fritz Lang's final film, in which criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse rises from the grave - or does he? Doesn't match the first two Mabuse films, but nonetheless entertaining.

out of


Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Viewed 1/28/2008

A black hitman/modern day samurai finds himself pitted against the mobsters who've turned on him after ordering a hit on one of their own. Offbeat winner from Jim Jarmusch offers up lots of violence, quirky humor and meditations on the way of the warrior.

out of


The Invasion (2007)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Solid redo of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is slicker and heavier on the action than previous versions. The only subtext here is that we're all assholes - but hey, that's what makes us human. Eh, not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

out of


To Rob a Thief (2007)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Two thieves enlist the aid of Mexican day laborers to rip off a television huckster who's made millions selling phony health care products to poor immigrants. Very enjoyable Spanish-language heist flick, a real winner.

out of


Convoy Busters (1978)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Italian policier has a tough cop taking on corrupt officals and gun smugglers. Aimless but engrossing, with a rather abrupt finale.

out of


Attack the Gas Station (1999)

Viewed 1/29/2008 (first viewing)

Korean black comedy about a gang of four who rob a gas station and decide to stay the night, filling gas tanks and taking the profits. Tries to present itself as a social commentary on disaffected youth and authoritarian standards, blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, despite the copious violence there's a distinct lack of menace and tension and it all goes on too long.

out of


Confessions of a Superhero (2007)

Viewed 1/30/2008 (first viewing)

Engaging documentary on a quartet of would-be actors who walk the streets of Hollywood dressed as superheroes. A buxom, small-town prom queen is Wonder Woman, a homeless black man Hulks out, a George Clooney lookalike with a (possibly) shady past and quick temper dons the Batcape, and the son of actress Sandy Dennis and confessed Superman freak sports the big red S. A humorous (and sometimes sad) look into the psyches of people hoping to make it big in Tinseltown.

out of


Ma Mere (2004)

Viewed 1/30/2008 (first viewing)

Seedy tale of an amoral woman who drags her son into her depraved lifestyle. Thanks, mom!

out of


Zombie Rampage (1992)

Viewed 1/31/2008 (first viewing)

Micro cinema auteur Todd Sheets' debut feature has a gang leader (decked out in a suit and tie, natch) raising the dead (using the paperback edition of some evil tome) who then run riot in....Kansas City. Poorly recorded and haphazardly put together, this seems more like a collection of random scenes than a linear film. Still, if you've ever wanted to see a baby ripped apart by zombies...

out of


Horror Hospital (1973)

Viewed 1/31/2008 (first viewing)

Offbeat Brit horror has a hippie rocker retreating to a countryside health resort for some much-needed rest. Unfortunately the place is run by a mad doctor who loves to turn upstart youngsters into zombies! Biker goons, a dwarf henchman, blood, boobs and a limousine with a very special attachment make for an entertaining ninety minutes.

out of


Exhumed (2004)

Viewed 1/31/2008 (first viewing)

Ambitious film from Meat Market trilogy director Brian Clement. A triptych of tales centering on the undead, the first has a 19th-century samurai encountering the living dead while passing through a wood. In the second tale a lady private eye investigates a missing ex-wife and ends up involved with a rash of grave robbings. And in the post-apocalyptic future of the third part, mankind is losing a war against werewolves and vampires (with a few gladitorial zombies thrown in for good measure). As I said, ambitious. Unfortunately it's also confusing, ponderous (incorporating elements from the Meat Market films) and terminally underlit. Good try, though.

out of


Graveyard (2003)

Viewed 1/31/2008 (first viewing)

Clerks meets White Zombie in this tale of two book store clerks who work the night shift (!) and discover that their evil boss has put something in their coffee. Diverting little short.

out of


Miami Blues (1990)

Viewed 1/31/2008

Revisit. A psychotic ex-con flies into Miami, kills a Hare Krishna, then starts living happily ever after with a daffy hooker named Pepper. Meanwhile the seedy cop he ambushed (and whose gun, badge and false teeth he stole) is tracking him down and a violent confrontation is brewing! Criminally underrated crime drama, adapted from a Charles Willeford novel, is superbly cast with Jennifer Jason Leigh shining as the dipsy but determined Pepper, and Fred Ward perfect as the hardluck homicide detective Hoke Moseley.

out of


Suture (1993)

Viewed 1/31/2008

Intriguing thriller about about two half-brothers who look nearly identical, but who are played by black and white actors! White, affluent Victor, under suspicion in the death of his father, calls on working class Clay to come for a visit. Unfortunately for Clay, Vincent bombs his car in an attempt to make it look like he himself was killed. But Clay survives, thinking he's Vincent! Can he regain his real memories, or will he assume Vincent's identity permanently? And what has become of Vincent? Clever (but not perfect) little thriller in the Hitchcock mold.

out of

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Recap

Ratings range from BOMB to ****

Bolded titles are first viewings.

Angel in Krakow ***
Adam's Apples ***
An Obsession ***
Asleep in the Deep ***
Attack the Gas Station **
Autumn ***
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1931) ***
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A ***
Black Rider ***
Blue Sunshine ***
Boxed In **
Cause for Alarm **
Clara **
Climates ***
Confessions of a Superhero ***
Convoy Busters ***
Corpses **
Dawn of the Dead (U.S. Theatrical Cut - 1978) ****
Days of Darkness ***
The Depression of Detective Downs ***
Die and Let Live **
Eastern Promises ***
Exhumed **
Fellini Satyricon ***
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai ***
Graveyard ***
A Guy's Guide to Zombies ***
Horror Hospital ***
Immortal Beloved ***
Inch' Allah Dimanche ***
Indebted **
Invasion ***
The Iron Horse ***
Jesus H. Zombie **
Lady Chatterly ***
The Limey ***
The Living Dead in Tokyo Bay **
The Locksmith ***
Ma Mere **
Mammoth **
Mario's Story ***
The Marquise of O ***
Meat for Satan's Icebox **
Miami Blues ***
Midnight Snack **
Oh, No! Zombies! **
Out of the Past ****
The Painted Veil (2007) ***
Raiders of the Damned *
Rats: A Sin City Yarn ***
September Dawn ***
Sonatine ***
Souled **
The State Witness ***
Stoned Dead **
Stray Dog ****
Sunshine *
Superfly ***
Susana ***
Suture ***
Thief ***
The Thin Man ****
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse ***
3:10 to Yuma (2007) *
To the Ends of the Earth ***
To Rob a Thief ***
Trepanator **
28 Seconds Later ***
The V Word ***
War of the Dead **
The White Sheik ***
Wiseguys Vs. Zombies **
Yo-Yo Girl Cop ***
Zatoichi (2003) ***
Zombie Love ***
Zombie Rampage *
Zombie Toxin **


Total films viewed: 77

First viewings: 66

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

To each his own, I always thought it much worse than it's reputation.

A Tale of Two Cities

Rewatched this great telling of the Dickens classic.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I didn't care too much for GRAND HOTEL when I watched it a couple years ago. I plan on going through all of Garbo's films later in the year so I'll throw this one in the mix. I think I had heard too many great things about it that I was left entertained but somewhat disappointed.


01/30/08

Lucifer's Mind (2003) Shane Ryan
Pure Exodus, The (2004) Shane Ryan
Cold Heat, The (2004) Shane Ryan
So, We Killed Our Parents (2004) Shane Ryan
Snake's Kiss Good-bye, The (2006) Shane Ryan

These five shorts are the early work of Shane Ryan who would go onto direct Amateur Porn Star Killer. These five films have a lot in common from their visual style to their taboo subject matters. Lucifer's Mind runs just over a minute and has various images, which are suppose to be in, as the title says, Lucifer's mind. The Pure Exodus has a woman showering in blood and deals with a strange killing. The visual style is good but there's not much of a story. The Cold Heat also looks great visually but the story isn't there to match it. The Snake's Good-bye Kiss once again features great visuals but the story doesn't come off as well as I'm sure Ryan wanted. So, We Killed Our Parents tells the story of brother and sister who kill their parents with a baseball bat because daddy was abusive to the son and raped the daughter. The style and story are good, if disturbing here and there's a twist that you certainly won't see coming.

01/31/08

Death to the Tinman (2007) Roy Tintori

Incredible short is meant to be a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of how the tinman lost his limbs, his girl and his cherished heart. This short is really bizarre in its visuals but its story is quite touching and very funny. If you're a fan of the film then you should really enjoy this thing, which gives you some background on the tinman. Seeing how he lost all of his body parts, due to a curse and an accident, are very well done and the overall screenplay is just smart from start to finish.

Dipsy Doodler, The (1938) Lloyd French

Warner Bros. short featuring Larry Clinton and his orchestra. There are three or four musical numbers here including some rather strange acts who have to be seen to be believed. If you enjoy 30s music then this film is slightly entertaining.

Every Sunday (1936) Felix E. Feist

Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin star in this MGM short about two girls who try and save a "concert in the park" series. If you're a fan of the two actresses then you'll certainly want to check this film out, which features the girls doing two duets. Both the songs are pretty good and the film moves just fine.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Recap

34 films seen, 22 for the first time

Best films seen for the first time (out of )

Mon Oncle 1/2
Sound of Music 1/2
Fat City

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Re-cap

83 movies seen

57 movies seen for the 1st time

Favourite movie seen in January: Rebecca

Notable new movies seen in January: High Noon, La Jetee, City For Conquest

January - 83 seen

1/1 Planet of the Apes (1968)
1/1 Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
1/1 Ghost Rider (2007)
1/2 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
1/2 We Are Marshall (2006)
1/2 The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
1/2 Catch Me If You Can (2002)
1/3 Collateral (2004)
1/3 White Heat (1949)
1/3 Shooter (2007)
1/4 Petticoat Fever (1936)
1/4 Fargo (1996)
1/5 Scoop (2006)
1/5 The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
1/5 Desire Me (1947)
1/6 The Roaring Twenties (1939)
1/6 Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
1/6 History of Violence (2005)
1/6 Planet Earth: Into the Wilderness
1/6 Planet Earth: Living Together
1/7 City For Conquest (1940)
1/7 Eastern Promises (2007)
1/7 Rescue Dawn (2007)
1/8 Demons From Her Past (2007)
1/8 Sunshine (2007)
1/9 La Jetee (1962)
1/9 Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
1/9 The Hidden Hand (1942)
1/10 Sunshine (2007)
1/10 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
1/10 Survivor (1999)
1/10 G-Men (1935)
1/10 Captain Courageous (1937)
1/11 The Kingdom (2007)
1/11 Reign Over Me (2007)
1/12 'Til We Meet Again (1940)
1/12 The Yearling (1946)
1/12 Like Mother, Like Daughter (2007)
1/13 Larceny Inc. (1942)
1/13 Skidoo (1968)
1/13 The Caine Mutiny (1954)
1/13 The Painted Veil (2007)
1/13 Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
1/14 Goodfellas (1990)
1/14 Mayor of Hell (1933)
1/14 Each Dawn I Die (1939)
1/15 A Slight Case of Larceny
1/15 Strange Cargo (1940)
1/15 Tequila Sunrise (1988)
1/16 The Seventh Victim (1943)
1/16 The Lost Angel (1943)
1/17 Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
1/17 The Last Gangster (1937)
1/17 Three Wise Fools (1946)
1/18 Abducted (2007)
1/18 The Edge of the World (1937)
1/18 Rebecca (1940)
1/21 His Brother's Wife (1936)
1/21 A Life Interrupted (2007)
1/21 Johnny Eager (1942)
1/22 Old Acquaintance (1943)
1/22 High Noon (1952)
1/23 Zodiac (2007)
1/23 The Heavenly Body (1943)
1/23 Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
1/24 Saboteur (1942)
1/24 Captain of the Clouds (1942)
1/24 Marked Woman (1937)
1/25 Laura (1944)
1/25 Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait
1/26 Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
1/26 Man of the Year (2006)
1/26 The People Against O'Hara (1951)
1/27 She's the Man (2006)
1/27 Wild Hogs (2007)
1/28 The Awful Truth (1937)
1/29 Sin City (2005)
1/29 The Red Pony (1949)
1/29 It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
1/30 Tarzan Escapes (1936)
1/30 King Kong (2005)
1/30 Lady Killer (1933)
1/31 Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
1/31 His Girl Friday (1940)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

It didn't do much for me either...I wanted to like it, but barely made it through. It sure had the cast, but I just didn't think they did anything of note.

What do I know though...I didn't really like It Happened One Night either.

Yeah, this one kind of baffles me too...It's actually listed in the otherwise terrific book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", but I see no reason whatsoever for its inclusion. It wasn't funny when it tried to be either.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Recap

Movies seen: 33 (First timers: 32)
Average rating = 2.67/5
Median rating = 3/5

A pretty strong month overall, as I was able to catch up with the majority of the "acclaimed" releases from the past months and make a pretty fair Best of '07 List. I'm not sure what everyone sees in Juno, the quirk ship capsizeth in the first 10 minutes, honest to blog, and no amount of faux emotional revelations and decent acting can overcome the forced "witty" dialogue and twee folk nonsense. On a brighter note, Persepolis is really good...better than Pixar's offering. King of Kong and Gone Baby Gone are both strong entries in their respective genres. And finally, DRAIIIIIIINNNNAGE.

ALL RATINGS OUT OF (FIVE) STARS

First time viewings in bold.

1/01- Smoke (1995)
1/02- Captivity (2007) ZERO STARS
1/02- The Birds (1963)
1/03- Gone Baby Gone (2007)
1/04- We Are Marshall (2006)
1/05- Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
1/05- There Will Be Blood (2007)
1/06- I'm Not There (2007)
1/07- I Know Who Killed Me (2007) ZERO STARS
1/08- Green for Danger (1946)
1/09- La Vie En Rose (La Môme) (2007)
1/10- The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
1/11- Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
1/12- I Am Legend (2007)
1/14- Persepolis (2007)
1/14- Juno (2007)
1/16- Heima (2007)
1/17- Severance (2007)
1/19- Away From Her (2007)
1/20- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) (2007)
1/21- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
1/22- After the Wedding (Efter Brylluppet) (2007)
1/22- The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
1/23- Home of the Brave (2006)
1/24- Rescue Dawn (2007)
1/25- Velvet Goldmine (1998)
1/26- Rocket Science (2007)
1/27- Venus (2006)
1/28- Saw IV (2007)
1/28- Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
1/29- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
1/30- Innerspace (1987)
1/31- Shrek the Third (2007)

Favorites (first timers): Persepolis, Gone Baby Gone, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, I'm Not There, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon), There Will Be Blood

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January Recap

A pretty busy month for me.

43 features (26 new, 17 revists)
13 shorts (9 new, 4 revisits)

Best new discoveries: Pelle the Conqueror, The Idiot, Fear Eats the Soul
Worst new discovery: The Children Are Watching Us

New viewings:
Innocent Sorcerors - 7
Goodbye South, Goodbye - 6
Warning Shadows - 7
The Five Senses - 8
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - 8
The Dam Busters - 8
Went the Day Well? - 6
Things to Come - 5
Pelle the Conqueror - 9
Angry Harvest - 8
Angel's Egg - 5
Ratcatcher - 8
Small Deaths - 7
Kill the Day - 7
Gasman - 7
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - 8
No Regrets for Our Youth - 8
Scandal - 6
The Idiot - 9
I Live in Fear - 8
The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting - 7
Presentation, or Charlotte and her Steak - 6
The Bakery Girl of Monceau - 8
Nadja in Paris - 6
Suzanne's Career - 8
My Night at Maud's - 8
A Modern Coed - 5
La Collectionneuse - 6
Claire's Knee - 7
Veronica and her Dunce - 4
The Children Are Watching Us - 3
Berlin Alexanderplatz - 8
The Call of Cthulhu - 7
Eastern Promises - 5
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - 9

Revisits:
Chungking Express - 8
Au Hasard Balthazar - 8
Talk to Her - 9
Fallen Angels - 7
A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit - 8
Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers - 10
Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave - 9
Cat Soup - 9
The Dark Backward - 3
Little Dieter Needs to Fly - 7
Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You For the Last Time - 8
One Wonderful Sunday - 8
Halloween (BR) - 7
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (BR) - 9
The Killing - 8
Lessons of Darkness - 8
Even Dwarfs Started Small - 9
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser - 9
Heart of Glass - 6
Stroszek - 7
F for Fake - 9

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Ed Wood (1994)

This is probably one of my favourite Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaborations tracing the early career of film producer/director's friendship with Bela Lugosi, his sexual quirks and finally those genius films that he directed. This is a totally fascinating look at this infamous director. I don't know how much of it is actually fact but it makes a great movie. I think this is Depp's best role yet. Depp protrayal of Ed Wood is quite outstanding. I can't think of anyone who could protray this part as well as he did. Martin Landau as Lugosi was also great is his part. The friendship between these two men was brilliantly played by both actors.
Though being known as one of the worst directors of all time, Wood has reached cult status. Though not familiar with alot of his works, Plan 9 was a particular favourite from my childhood. I enjoyed re-watching this film again and the memories it brought back.