Track the Films You Watch (2006) - Page 12

Haggai · 02-05-2006, 02:15 PM

Blackboard Jungle (1955) 7/10
Pretty good in the first half, and reasonably involving overall, although the second half goes really heavy on the preaching and lecturing. Like in the very last scene, which is pretty intense and mostly well done: the big climactic moments are followed by the entire story halting for about a minute, simply to allow Glenn Ford to explain the exact meaning of what just happened to the entire class! The performances are good, definitely Ford in the lead.

Lust for Life (1956) 7/10
Not the greatest script ever written, as the emotional outbursts often seem to come out of nowhere, but I liked the visual representation of how the various paintings were created, plus Anthony Quinn in his supporting role as Paul Gauguin. Strangely, I had often heard about how Quinn's performance is the shortest ever to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, sometimes listed as being less than 10 minutes of total screentime. But he's actually in it for about 25 minutes! Pretty mystifying how that bit of mis-information got started.

The Aristocrats (2005) 8/10
Anything that can make me laugh as often as this one did certainly deserves a good rating. The importance of timing, inflection, and performance in the telling of a joke is about as convincingly demonstrated here as I've ever seen anywhere else. The interweaving of comedians talking about how the joke can be told with other comedians doing their own versions of it works very well.

The New World (2005) 6/10
As expected with Terence Malick, practically every scene is beautifully filmed, and particularly nice to see in a theater with a big screen. The young girl who plays Pocahontas is quite good, obviously not that experienced as an actress, but I really liked her screen presence. Unfortunately, almost nothing going on with the characters or the narrative held much of any interest for me, so I never felt engaged with what was happening.

Samurai Rebellion (1967) 9/10
Masaki Kobayashi's samurai social drama has a lot of parallels with his earlier Harakiri, although this one has some great female characters in the mix as well. The scene where the young wife snaps and goes after the lord and his mistress seems a little bit silly to me in its freeze-frame stylization, but the intense build-up of the drama and the photography/mise-en-scene is great throughout the whole movie. I prefer Harakiri a bit because of Nakadai's extraordinary lead performance, plus a somewhat more powerful ending, but this one is also great. Donald Richie discusses some very interesting similarities and differences between the two films in his liner notes for Criterion.

Jim_K · 02-05-2006, 04:47 PM

First time viewings in Blue

Dark Command (1940)
Above average John Wayne Republic western about the Civil War era Kansas/Missouri border raids.

Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Cecil B DeMille’s adventure tale of ship salvagers off the coast of mid 19th century Key West stars John Wayne, and Ray Milland.

The Heiress (1949)
Olivia De Havilland in a knockout performance as the homely and timid daughter of a wealthy doctor who is duped by golddigger Montgomery Clift. Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins are also excellent in supporting roles.

The Last Frontier (1955)
Anthony Mann Western has wild man fur trapper Victor Mature joining up the Union at a frontier fort then butting heads with psychotic Colonel Robert Preston.

We’re No Angels (1955)
Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov star as a trio of Devil’s Island escapees helping out a local shopkeeper in a French colonial settlement. Wasn’t bad but for a comedy there wasn’t many laughs.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
George Stevens directs this famous tale of a group of refugee Jews hiding out from the Nazi’s in an Amsterdam attic. Quality production & fine acting but a bit overlong.

The Reivers (1969)
Odd coming of age film as a young boy stowaways in a auto stolen by plantation handyman Steve McQueen.

The Day of the Locust (1975)
John Schlesinger’s opus on 1930’s Hollywood decadence is a bit too repulsive and off the wall for my liking. Gains back a star for the Conrad Hall cinematography.

Mikey and Nicky (1976)
1970’s gangster flick stars John Cassavettes on the run from the mob enlisting the help from his buddy Peter Falk. Amazingly enough nothing much really happens in this meandering story.

Bad Taste (1987)
The title says it all in Peter Jackson’s uber low-budget splatter-fest about flesh eating aliens. Not really my kind of movie but I gave it a shot anyway.

Ulee’s Gold (1997)
Beekeeper and family patriarch Peter Fonda gets entwined in his convict son’s screwed up life.

The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Tedious story of inmate abuse at an asylum run by cruel nuns.

Ray (2004)
The performance of Jamie Foxx is the highlight of this bio flick about the life of the legendary Ray Charles.

Corpse Bride (2005)
Tim Burton’s return to claymation fantasyland is very enjoyable as a betrothed young man mistakenly proposes to a…well corpse. The only quibble was that the songs come up lacking compared to the more musical A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Dark Water (2005)
An emotionally disturbed Jennifer Connolly and daughter move into an apartment with spooky…..um…… plumbing problems. Was fairly suspenseful until the ridiculous finale.

The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Antonio Banderas returns as the masked avenger. Throw in some marital problems with Catherine Zeta Jones and the kiss of death for movie sequels – an obnoxious kid. Flashes of entertainment but lacks much of the charm of the first film.

Oliver Twist (2005)
Roman Polanski’s update on the Dickens classic. Watchable, but I kept comparing it to David Lean’s superior 1948 version.

Bob Turnbull · 02-05-2006, 05:24 PM

Blackboard Jungle is the only one of the 7 Controversial Classics I still haven't watched. I've always heard that it's a wee bit preachy, so it hasn't been high on my list to pull off my shelf. I guess I should get around to it.

I enjoyed The Aristocrats for the same reasons you did too Haggai. I loved all of George Carlin's serious descriptions of how he approaches comedy. Some people don't think that comedy can be (or even should be) analyzed, but I've always liked the attempts to break it down to its components - even if it doesn't always work. It's similar to the music genome project and its attempt to break down songs by their "DNA". Not always successful nor meaningful, but it's damn interesting and occasionally points you to other noteworthy things. One of the most interesting parts of The Aristocrats was actually my least favourite comedian - the ventriloquist guy. It showed that just having a "potty mouth" doesn't necessarily make you funny. He had none of the flair and personal spin the others brought to the joke...Like Drew Carey's final flourish.

Can't wait to see Samurai Rebellion as I love both of Kobayashi's other Criterion released titles - Kwaidan for its spectacular imagery and Harakiri for its intense storyline.

So much to catch up on, but I'll just throw out some general comments on recent posts and my own viewings...

Too bad you didn't like Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance that much Haggai. I thought it was even better than Oldboy (which I still really liked) because of it's almost perfect mix of black humour, horrific occurences and "what the heck is gonna happen next" plot.

Picnic At Hanging Rock - While I firmly understand George's (and anyone else's) dislike of the film, I really enjoyed it. It certainly didn't have a basic plot or resolution, but I got caught in its dream like feeling. It's one of those films that I approach as I would certain pieces of modern or surrealist art - it may not necessarily represent anything concrete, but can still wash over you with images and feelings that stick with you.

Having said that, I just saw Breathless for the first time and though many consider this to be an "art" film, I didn't like it much at all. I can't quite say why, as I liked the different approach to editing and the use of camera, but I really disliked both of the main characters and the entire mid-section of the film (where they are both lounging in bed at the girl's apartment - reminiscent of the mid-section of Contempt).

Never said I was completely consistent with my tastes...

Recent documentary viewings have been quite good. End Of The Century, Deadline, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room and The Wild Parrots Of telegraph Hill all did a fine job of showing interesting people in varying positions of influence. The Corporation was less successful as it tackled it's subject matter from a definitely biased stance and via scattershot methods. Though if even just a quarter of what they state in the film is true, well, I'll just leave it at that...

One last thing...I recently rewatched Ocean's Twelve and must say that I'm still really baffled as to why I'm one of the few poeple that really liked it (even more than its predecessor). It's not a conventional heist film, but still provides great heist film moments (banter between the characters, clever thefts, etc.). Not overly realistic, but consistent within its universe (OK, the backpack scene was stretching it a bit). It's story was also completely consistent - the second viewing shows that everything that happened made sense. And dammit, it was also a lot of fun. I can't help but feel that many people who hated it did so because of an irrational and intense dislike of Julia Roberts.

Joe Woz · 02-05-2006, 08:22 PM

First Blood (1982)

I decided to watch this again after reading some of Joe Karlosi's comments last month. This initial Rambo offering is a pretty decent film, especially the first half of it. Rambo as a Vietnam vet trying to come to grips with reality is a very sympathetic character. The small town sheriff and his minions eventually get what they deserve after pushing a bit too hard. They all learn a whole new meaning to the phrase "biting off more than you can chew." I love the smug attitude Richard Crenna brings to the role of Colonel Trautman, Rambo's wartime commander. Interesting that Rambo doesn't kill a single person through the entire film. The final act disappoints a bit but all in all, an enjoyable hour and a half.

Titanic (1997)

This has become one of my all-time favorite films. I have come to regret not seeing this on the big screen. An outstanding artistic and technological achievement. First rate performances by all...especially Leo and Kate. One of the joys of watching film is that, every once in a while, a film comes along that really sinks it's hooks into you, often times for reasons you can't really explain. For me, this is one of those films.

Dark City (1998)

I've seen this film twice now, and I'm still not quite sure whether I like it or not. Very original set design and special effects, but way the final act played out left me rather unimpressed. I need to watch this again sometime.

The Great Escape (1963)

A classic WWII epic that is always fun to see again. I usually find films that feature a multitude of stars to be rather distracting...such as THE LONGEST DAY and MIDWAY...but this is an exception.

The Third Man (1949)

Carol Reed's masterpiece catches your attention immediately with the unusual score and never lets go. Wonderful lighting effects and strange, unusual camera angles enhance this mystery as the story plays out.

george kaplan · 02-05-2006, 08:28 PM

Clueless

Irritating film about irritating people.

Adam_S · 02-05-2006, 08:34 PM

I must say, that for a movie praised to the sky, I also really dislike Clueless for the same reasons George listed.

george kaplan · 02-05-2006, 09:17 PM

I'm sure my personal experiences have something to do with it. Let's face it - these are basically the same kids who end up pledging Omega Theta Pi and Omega Pi Pi Pi, and I much prefer how they're dealt with in that movie.

Joe Karlosi · 02-06-2006, 06:07 AM

The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

Charlton Heston is quite good as the artist Michelangelo, the talented sculptor who did not want to paint when commissioned by Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) to decorate the massive ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At first he resists the order, but eventually feels a higher calling beckoning him to undertake the job. An interesting series of events shows the hardships of such intricate work and is held together by the strong lead performances of both Heston and Harrison and the strained relationship of their characters.

SteveGon · 02-06-2006, 11:23 AM

Walking With Monsters (2005)

Viewed 2/1/2006 (first viewing)

Prequel to the BBC documentary Walking With Dinosaurs explores the lifeforms that preceded the dinos. As with WWD, computer animation brings the animals to life. Fun and informative if you've an interest in the subject.