Zatoichi - Easy to see why Beat Takeshi's version of the Blind Swordsman has won several audience awards at film festivals. Cool, fun, surprising. As great as the film is, my favourite scenes were the ones that showed workmen pounding rhythmically away on their jobs to the same beats as the music. Very well done and almost as fun as the final dancing sequences (bringing all the actors back together).
My Voyage To Italy - Martin Scorcese's 4 hour journey through Italian cinema felt a lot shorter. I can't get enough of listening to someone passionately and knowledgeably discuss film. From the neo-realists to Fellini, Scorcese goes in depth on some of his fave Italian films he watched as he grew up. Some quite extended scenes from the movies in question and incredibly interesting insights.
I didn't count listening to the four commentaries on ROTK (16 hours!)or the nearly 22 hours of TV on DVD that I'm going through now though.
I don't count any of these either, and though everyone's entitled to have his own style, I think it's cheating to include non-feature documentaries, non-feature concerts, film shorts, cartoons, commentaries or repeat viewings. If I included everything, I'd have 900 by the end of the year! I also don't list a film as watched unless I see the entire thing in one sitting, straight through, no nodding off or anything.
I also enjoyed Takeshi's Zatoichi but there are probably 8 or 9 films of the original series that I'd pick over this one. Still I agree it was damn good.
First time viewings in Red
Revisit from my collection in Blue
Out of
Undercurrent (1946) (5/10)
Katherine Hepburn suspects her husband is planning to murder her in this very average mystery film. Robert Mitchum has a supporting role.
Where Danger Lives (1950) (5/10)
Robert Mitchum & Claude Rains fight over a gal in this mediocre noir picture.
The Village (2004) (7/10)
Don’t quite understand the bad reviews this one got, though I suppose if you were expecting a horror film you’d be disappointed. While I don’t think this is as good as M Night’s previous efforts it’s still an interesting ride in a Twilight Zone kind of way.
Also caught the first half of Cleopatra which I’ll probably end up finishing today.
Pre-orders - BLU-RAY: Akira, The Dark Knight, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Death Proof, King Kong, La Femme Nikita, Planet Terror, Raging Bull, Ronin, The Third Man DVD: .................
The life and death of a donkey as told by Robert Bresson. Beast of burden Balthazar doesn't have it easy, but neither does Marie, his first owner. Both suffer at the hands of a young hoodlum and the local miser, their innocent lives exploited by all the evils humanity has to offer. An ineffably sad film, but surprisingly, not really depressing.
out of
Cul-De-Sac (1966)
Viewed 1/16/2005 (first viewing)
Roman Polanski's strange black comedy about two wounded gangsters who burst in on the lives of a mismatched couple. Thematically similar to Knife in the Water, but not quite as successful. Still well worth seeing.
= Torture = Extremely bad, will never see it again = Bad, will never see it again = Not really good, but might want to see it again in a decade or three and higher = Good and will certainly see it again some time in the near or far future.
I only keep a record of titles I watched on DVD. I don't have cable anyway.
(5/10)
