Track the Films You Watch (2005) - Page 14

Jim_K · 03-03-2005, 06:01 AM

Haggai

I responded to your thread in software as it's more appropriate there.

First time viewings in Red
Out of

Coffy (1973) (7/10)
Pam Grier is a nurse by day and vigilante by night, out to get the pushers that cooked her little sister. Most of the acting is crude and this is a bit over-the-top but it’s a fun genre film.

Foxy Brown (1974) (5/10)
Another Pam Grier revenge flick. Didn’t care for this one as much as Coffy. Most of the raw energy seems missing.

The Beast With Five Fingers (1946) (6/10)
A dismembered hand terrorizes the inhabitants of a dead pianist’s estate. Above average horror flick for the era it was made in.

Jim_K · 03-03-2005, 06:24 AM

Quote:

I've given up on the dating. I can't make myself do daily updates and I can't keep the proper dates straight after the fact.

Haggai · 03-03-2005, 08:29 AM

Thanks, Jim.

I had never kept track of the movies I watched until this year's thread. I actually really like being able to see what movie I saw on a particular day.

Jim_K · 03-04-2005, 06:39 AM

First time viewings in Red
Out of

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) (6/10)
Paul Newman stars as boxer Rocky Graziano in this bio-pic directed by Robert Wise. Above average but this is no Raging Bull.

Desk Set (1957) (5/10)
A very by-the-numbers Hepburn/Tracy romantic/comedy, this time in an office setting. Been there, done that.

If (1968) (5/10)
A precursor to A Clockwork Orange as Malcolm McDowell leads a revolt in an English boarding school. A product of it’s time & based on it’s reputation, a bit overrated.

SteveGon · 03-04-2005, 08:31 AM

The Cat Returns (2002)

Viewed 3/3/2005 (first viewing)

Engaging animated fantasy produced by Hayao Miyazaki. An awkward young girl saves the life of a cat and discovers that he is the prince from the kingdom of cats. Then the grateful king shows up and insists that she marry his son! Short and sweet.

out of

Le Samourai (1967)

Viewed 3/3/2005 (first viewing)

Cold, calculating police procedural from Jean-Pierre Melville. A tight-lipped hitman (Alain Delon) is picked up by the police after killing a club owner but gets off after providing an alibi. He's then marked for death by his nervous employers and tailed by the still-suspicious cops. Tops of its kind.

out of

Bob Turnbull · 03-04-2005, 02:55 PM

Public Enemy - I must say I was surprised at how entertaining this was...I picked up the Warner Gangster set without ever having seen any of these films and just knowing their reputation. I feared that perhaps they would come across a bit too dated, but that wasn't the case. Oh sure, it's a somewhat different slice of gangster life than Goodfellas, but that doesn't mean it can't be an enjoyable experience watching the ups and downs of an old style gangster's career. Looking forward to the rest of the set (whenever I get to it).

The Red Shoes - I can't praise this film high enough. Absolutely stunning and gorgeous to look at. The centre piece is obviously the 20 minute ballet sequence that plays out not only the Red Shoes ballet, but the larger story of the movie as well. Though I've always been able to appreciate the artistry of ballet, I'd never have been mistaken for a fan of it. I was totally captivated during this sequence though and thought it was great that it wasn't just a filmed version of the ballet, but an extended and at times dream like view of what the dancer herself might be visualizing. The rest of the story was great fun as well. Grandly melodramatic, but I strangely didn't mind that and felt it worked to the film's advantage. This was a rental, but I now own this in the collection and can't wait to view it again...

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey - I didn't quite go ga-ga over this doc as much as some others have (it's a little slow moving and scattered at times), but there are some great stories here. In particular, sections with theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore...She wishes to be thought of as a classically trained musician instead of someone who plays a curiosity. You can see her point as she performs a few beautiful passages. There's some great interviews with Brian Wilson as well.

Blow-up - By the end of this film, I still wasn't sure whether I liked it or not...But as time went on, I noticed I kept thinking about it and what I had seen. So much, that I've ordered it and look forward to viewing it again. There's certainly some odd sections that don't work for me. Specifically the part where the photographer romps with the 2 young models. Though I can see how it fits in with the general concept of the film (what you perceive may not really be the truth), I felt annoyed through that whole sequence. Otherwise though, there's some beautiful shots and quite interesting scenes that play with the concept. I loved the editing of the entire section where he blows up his photos and thinks he has uncovered something.

Out Of The Past - Classic film noir. Robert Mitchum is the coolest. You can see him spiral down and you know he knows it. And yet whenever you see his femme fatale on screen, you fully understand why he can't do anything but stay on that downward path...Great film.

Night Of The Hunter - This one caught me by surprise a number of times...Mitchum again, but this time in a really off the wall performance. I felt he was a bit over the top sometimes, but then again he was playing a psycho serial killing priest - so I don't really have any concrete comparisons...B-) Though I need to see this again, I felt the ending let me down somewhat. After some great setups and stunning black and white cinematography (the childrens escape down the river and the discovery of what happened to their mother), I couldn't help feeling it fizzled a bit once the children meet up with the Lillian Gish character. Still an overall classic that deserves the rep I had heard about it.

The Yes Men - Documentary following a couple of stunts pulled by The Yes Men - a couple of guys and their friends who protest against big corporations by pretending to be members of the WTO. Amusing and very ballsy at times with a couple of "I can't believe they did that moments". I don't think they fully succeeded in framing their point terribly well, but you at least get the feeling they have one...

Infernal Affairs - Quite enjoyable cop/gangster thriller. Like with many of the Hong Kong films, I find it to be a mix of great action with occasional bouts of dramatic cheese (great big gooey globs of it). Cool story though - two moles pitted against each other (one cop mole, one gangster). I kind of felt it peaked early during the first tension filled bust of the drugs coming in off the boat, but it was still a fun ride throughout.

The Most Dangerous Game - Short and sweet version of the classic man hunting game on a remote island. It actually may have benefitted from being a bit longer if they could have played up the cat and mouse angle a bit more to prove the worth of both the hunter and the huntee.

Daniel-A · 03-04-2005, 03:05 PM

This will be my post. Need to track down all of what I've watched so far.

Seth Paxton · 03-04-2005, 05:59 PM

nevermind, found the 2005 only (primarily) thread