Track the Films You Watch (2008) - Page 54

PatW · 09-01-2008, 02:02 PM

Burnt Offerings (1976)

Creepy horror movie directed by Dan Curtis of Dark Shadows fame. What prompted me to watch this was the presence of Bette Davis in the cast but it was disappointing that she wasn't utilized more. The performances on the whole were good but somehow the film left me unsatisfied due to the weak ending. Still worth seeing.

Jurassic Park (1993)

A favourite of mine from the 90's directed by Spielberg from a book by Michael Crichton. This was a fun movie from beginning to end. I can remember seeing this in the theatre and jumping a mile in my seat at the T-rex's roar. What was great was I hadn't seen anything quite like it up to that point. The Michael Crichton book was a favourite of mine and I was glad how well done it was when brought to the screen. Most of the acting was top-notch with fully drawn characters that were interesting, surprising for a film of this type. But this is Spielberg, so I shouldn't be surprised. The special effects were well done. I can remember getting a lump in my throat with the first appearance of the brachysaurus. When this film was over many in the audience exclaimed that Spielberg was a genius. I heartily agree with that statement. Though Spielberg has done better films this one puts a big smile on my face everytime I see it.

Bill McA · 09-01-2008, 02:44 PM

August Recap Total Seen: 54

Theatrical Viewing in RED

Best 1st Time Viewing: Twenty-Four Eyes, Mamma Mia!, Twisted Nerve

Also Notables: The Innocent, Boy A, Gone Baby Gone, The Dark Knight

2008 Films

College (Deb Hagan) (Cinema) 2/5
The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan) (Cinema) 4/5
Doomsday (Neil Marshall) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd) (Cinema) 5/5
Mirrors (Alexandre Aja) (Cinema) 2/5

2007 Films Viewed in '08

3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who (Murray Lerner, Paul Crowder) (DVD, Library loan) 4/5
Boy A (John Crowley) (Cinema) 4/5
December Boys (Rod Hardy) (Cable) 3/5
Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck) (Cable) 4/5
Love in the Time of Cholera (Mike Newell) (DVD, Library loan) 2/5
Molière (Laurent Tirard) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Quiet as Kept (Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Rogue (Greg Mclean) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Stardust (Matthew Vaughn) (Cable) 4/5
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Jake Kasdan) (DVD, Own) 4/5
The Water Horse (Jay Russell) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Wild Hogs (Walt Becker) (DVD, Library loan) 1/5

Pre-2007 Films Seen for the 1st Time

L'Amour Dangereux (Trop Plein d'amour) (2003|Steve Suissa) (DVD Rent) 3/5
Angel-A (2005|Luc Besson) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Crowded Streetcar (Manin Densha) (1957|Kon Ichikawa) (Cinema) 2/5
The Devil-Doll (1936|Tod Browning) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Eugenie... the Story of Her Journey Into Perversion (Eugenie) (1970|Jess Franco) (DVD, Own) 2/5
The Horse (1973|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 2/5
I Wake Up Screaming (1941|Bruce Humberstone) (DVD Rent) 2/5
The Innocent (L'Innocente) (1976|Luchino Visconti) (Cinema) 4/5
Jargo (2004|Maria Solrun) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Max mon Amour (1986|Nagisa Oshima) (DVD, Own) 3/5
My Brother's Wedding (1983|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Several Friends (1969|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 2/5
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset (Otoko wa Tsurai Yo: Torajiro Yuuyake Koyake) (1976|Yôji Yamada) (Cinema) 3/5
Twenty-Four Eyes (Nijushi no Hitomi) (1954|Keisuke Kinoshita) (DVD, Own) 5/5
Twisted Nerve (1968|Roy Boulting) (DVD, Own) 4/5
U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (2005|Mark Dornford-May) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
When It Rains (1995|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Where the Green Ants Dream (Wo die Grünen Ameisen Träumen) (1984|Werner Herzog) (DVD Rent) 3/5
Without Conscience (Verso Nord) (2004|Stefano Reali) (DVD Rent) 3/5

Re-Visits

3 Women (1977|Robert Altman) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Across the Universe (2007|Julie Taymor) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964|Don Sharp) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Effi Briest (Fontane Effi Briest) (1974|Rainer Werner Fassbinder) (DVD, Own) 2/5
Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1) (2001|Takashi Miike) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Killer of Sheep (1977|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Last Wave (1977|Peter Weir) (DVD, Own) 4/5
Manhunter (1986|Michael Mann) (DVD, Own) 5/5
Mark of the Vampire (1935|Tod Browning) (DVD, Own) 2/5
My Brother's Wedding (Director's Cut) (2007|Charles Burnett) (DVD, Own) 4/5
The Pirates of Blood River (1962|John Gilling) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Salò o le 120 Giornate di Sodoma) (1975|Pier Paolo Pasolini) (DVD, Own) 5/5
The Stranglers of Bombay (1960|Terence Fisher) (DVD, Own) 3/5
The Terror of the Tongs (1961|Anthony Bushell) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Time (Shi Gan) (2006|Ki-duk Kim) (DVD, Library loan) 3/5
Trafic (1971|Jacques Tati) (DVD, Own) 3/5
Woman in the Dunes (Suna no Onna) (1964|Hiroshi Teshigahara) (DVD, Own) 5/5

Brian.L · 09-01-2008, 05:10 PM

August Recap

Movies seen: 21 (First timers: All of them!)
Average rating = 2.45/5
Median rating = 2.5/5

Not a heck of a lot to to talk about this month. Plus I'm in Argentina in an internet cafe. Chow.

ALL RATINGS OUT OF

(FIVE) STARS

First time viewings in bold.

8/01- Shotgun Stories (2008)

8/03- The Libertine (2005)

8/04- Before the Rain (Pred Dozhdot) (1994)

8/05- Doomsday (2008)

8/07- The Bank Job (2008)

8/08- Never Back Down (2008)

8/09- Semi-Pro (2008)

8/10- Son of Rambow (2008)

8/11- Wizards (1977)

8/11- The Eye (2008)

8/12- Redbelt (2008)

8/13- Bad Education (La Mala Educación) (2004)

8/14- Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

8/15- The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)

8/17- Blow Out (1981)

8/20- Smart People (2008)

8/23- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

8/23- Iron Man (2008)

8/27- Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007)

8/28- The Great Debaters (2007)

8/29- The Fan (1996)

Favorites (first timers): Son of Rambow, Redbelt

Brook K · 09-02-2008, 04:02 AM

August Recap

A week's vacation at the beach where I saw no movies (actually reading a book for the first time in ages), cut down on my totals for this month, as did the kids being gone visiting relatives for a couple of weeks, leaving me free to get out of the house and pursue my gaming hobbies. The Olympics played their part too, I still have around 15 hours on the DVR! Thankfully, many of you were kind enough to cut down on your posts to this thread, making catching up not too difficult.

Martin, I really liked what you wrote about Kurosawa and, much as I love Ozu, or even modern directors like Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike, Kurosawa remains my first and greatest love in Japanese cinema, and one of my 3-4 favorite directors period. Enjoyed your and Mario's discussion on this and several other topics as well.

Well, despite my lack of viewings this month, I did complete my viewings of some Hitchcock films I hadn't seen (mostly from Warner's box set of a few years ago). While a number of them were fine films, the only one that really rivaled The Master's best work was the underrated (if the Hitch thread in Polls is any indication) I Confess, a film filled with Hitch's takes on his own Catholic upbringing and featuring another exceptional Montgomery Clift performance. (despite Hitch's distaste for Clift's "Method" style)

Total Films Seen: 18

Best First Time Viewing: I Confess

Honorable Mentions: The Wrong Man, Brand Upon the Brain!, The Dark Knight, Rope

2008 Films (Based on NY/LA Release)

The Counterfeiters (2007, Stefan Ruzowitzky) (DVD Rent) - B-
The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan) (Theater) - B+
Redbelt (2008, David Mamet) (DVD Rent) - C
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008, Mark Waters) (DVD Rent) - B
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008, Dave Filoni) (Theater) - C+

Pre-2007 Films Seen for the 1st Time

Brand Upon the Brain! (2006, Guy Maddin) (DVD Rent) - B+
Days of Wine and Roses (1962, Blake Edwards) (DVD Rent) - B
The Deal (2003, Stephen Frears) (DVD Rent) - B
Dial M for Murder (1954, Alfred Hitchcock (DVD Rent) - B+
I Confess (1953, Alfred Hitchcock (DVD Rent) - A-
Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - B
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - B-
Rope (1948, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - B+
Stage Fright (1950, Alfred Hitchcock (DVD Rent) - B
Suspicion (1941, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - B
Tokyo Chorus (1931, Yasujiro Ozu) (DVD Rent) - B-
Torn Curtain (1966, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - C+
The Wrong Man (1956, Alfred Hitchcock) (DVD Rent) - B+

george kaplan · 09-02-2008, 09:05 AM

Woman of the Year

Not the best Tracy/Hepburn by a long shot, and someone dated in terms of plot, but still a very good movie. Nice rewatch.

Sanjuro

I like this better and better with every rewatching. There are too many great Kurosawas for this to jump ahead of (e.g., Rashomon, Throne of Blood, etc.) but I'm putting it right up there with those.

The Dark Knight

The first Batman film that I'll actually be buying and adding to my collection. This is, for a long time, a near perfect film, although near the end it does get muddled. Not sure if that's due to Ledger absence or something else, but overall, the film still gets a thumbs up.

The Sword in the Stone

Lightweight Disney animated flick could certainly have been much better, but it's good enough for what it is.

The Vikings

There are times when this film shows what it could have been, but for the most part, it doesn't live up to it's possibilities.

The Fallen Idol

This film takes way too long to get going. For a while near the end, it's got a lot of tension, but it's too little, too late.

The Fireman's Ball

Rewatched this, and still enjoyed it, but it's certainly a step down from other Czech films of the time such as Closely Watched Trains.

Michael Elliott · 09-02-2008, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mario Gauci

Hey, this thread is becoming a wasteland. WHERE'S EVERYBODY???

Working 12am till 9am (and sometimes 10:30am). It's hard to watch a Bergman film when you get home at those hours. Considering my favorite time to watch movies is after midnight it's becoming very difficult to try and switch things up. This months total is probably my lowest in seven years.

Mario Gauci · 09-03-2008, 04:00 PM

08/29/08: I’M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes, 2007)

To begin with, I’ve been a longtime fan of Bob Dylan’s music; I know of the various phases his career took, but still can’t consider myself an expert on him – in fact, I haven’t watched any of the documentaries about the elusive musician (despite owning DON’T LOOK BACK [1967] on VHS for some time) but did get to see him in three feature films, namely PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973), the concert movie THE LAST WALTZ (1978) and MASKED AND ANONYMOUS (2003).

I was aware of the acclaim garnered by Haynes’ fantasia on Dylan’s many ‘lives’ but I have to say I was left disappointed; it’s not that I expected the film to be clear-cut or comprehensive (after all, the protagonist is played by six different people!) but, at the end of the day, despite its over-generous length (135 minutes), one has come no closer to understanding the man than he was before – which renders the whole enterprise not only pompous but pointless! Besides, I don’t think the film benefited from renaming each personality – we’re not talking about David Bowie here! – or, for that matter, some of the milieux in which they ‘operated’: why make him a movie star, for instance, and what about the black kid or the Western outlaw figure (how was one supposed to connect one with the other unless he knew beforehand they were supposed to be all different facets of the same man)?!

Needless to say, the music is outstanding but, frankly, there’s hardly an indication of the impact Dylan’s music has had over the years (apart from his early crusading folk period); okay, so the crossover to Electric was initially controversial but it subsequently changed the face of rock music forever…and, yet, Haynes seems to take all of this for granted! Another thing that doesn’t work is the decision not to give each personality its own space but rather throw them all into the mix without rhyme or reason; it’s a pity, then, that Haynes seems to be catering here merely to the staunchest Dylan connoisseur!

By the way, the acting is variable: Cate Blanchett’s much-touted Oscar-nominated performance is good albeit overly mannered, though only Christian Bale (who gets to play two separate incarnations of Dylan) approximates the musician’s famously nasal voice; Heath Ledger is typically brooding, but he’s matched in his scenes by Charlotte Gainsbourg as the Sara Dylan figure; if anything, Richard Gere is ideally cast as “Billy The Kid” – but, apart from the undeniable flavor his scenes give the film, they’re the most obscure in the whole scheme of things (I do like Roger Ebert’s thesis, however, that what was intended here was an allegory about Dylan’s perennial search for his true self…or something like that).

Still, perhaps the film’s biggest fault is that it’s too often a bore – surely, Dylan’s real life must have been a lot more compelling than what’s depicted/imagined here…

08/30/08: THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (Justin Chadwick, 2008)

Having studied European History in Secondary School, I’ve always been fascinated by the reign of England’s King Henry VIII – a period less noted for chivalrous deeds than bed-hopping antics, as he married no less than six times in order to secure a male heir to the throne (even if this caused a rift between the country and the Roman Catholic Church which endures to this very day). Unsurprisingly, all of this has made him ideal film material – personally, I’ve watched THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (1933), THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (1937), THE SWORD AND THE ROSE (1953), YOUNG BESS (1953), A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (both 1966 big-screen and 1988 TV versions), ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS (1969) and, of course, CARRY ON HENRY (1971); I recently acquired HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES (1972), which was adapted from a much longer TV series, but have yet to check it out.

This, then, gives a ‘novel’ twist to the most turbulent period in Henry’s life and reign – as we discover that, before making Anne Boleyn his Queen (whose offspring was Elizabeth I), he had been involved with her younger sister (who had actually borne him a son)!; incidentally, these events – based on a novel by Philippa Gregory – had already been adapted for the small screen in 2003…but someone thought that this little-known romance was intriguing enough to make it into a feature film. As it stands, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL is a sumptuous-looking production – despite being mostly restricted to interiors, and where the color scheme is actually quite subtle; for this reason, much depends on the acting – and the three leads (Natalie Portman as Anne, Scarlett Johannson as the titular figure and Eric Bana as Henry) are all given the opportunity to shine, thus overcoming their basic youthfulness for the roles. Two other notables in the cast are Kristin Scott-Thomas as the two Boleyn sisters’ mother and Ana Torrent (still best-known for playing the little girl in THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE [1973]) as the barren and jealous Queen Katharine.

Even so, the plot (which, reportedly, doesn’t play fair with history) defies credibility at times and tends too often towards melodrama. For one thing, Henry is depicted as something of a pawn in the machinations of an over-ambitious family; he’s also gullible (it’s Anne who pushes him into breaking with Rome!) and, least convincingly of all, is the fact that everything seems to happen simply because she refuses to sleep with the King before he makes her Queen (which then leads to a potentially campy scene in which Henry rapes Anne)! The less said, then, of the Queen’s attempt to entice her fey brother into impregnating her (soon after she loses Henry’s second child) – and how this is what ultimately led to Anne’s execution! – the better; incidentally, the film rather rushes through her tenure as sovereign (despite the title, she’s the real protagonist) – while the pivotal character of Sir Thomas More (the subject of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS) doesn’t figure at all in Church-rupture affair! That said, such narrative shortcomings don’t really impinge on one’s enjoyment of the film – hence the respectable rating accorded it.

At the end of the day, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL won’t dispel memories of the better cinematic versions of Henry VIII’s reign and (some of his) loves – but it’s nonetheless valuable as much for shedding light on an episode which had previously been all but overlooked as for its atypically frank detail of life at court.

08/31/08: THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT (Luigi Batzella, 1973)