Track the Films You Watch (2010) (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

It's certainly an odd one. I just can't see why Semon did what he did. I'd understand if he thought the books were horrid or if he felt he was doing something special but apparently he LOVED the stories. Apparently he had all the money he needed but the end results certainly isn't that impressive. I actually let a friend borrow the movie from me simply because of how strange and crazy it was.

It wasn't too shocking to learn that the woman who played Dorothy ended up being his wife so I think it's rather easy to see why and how she got the job.

 

[Martin Teller]

Paul F. Tompkins: You Should Have Told Me (rewatch) - My favorite comedian finally has his own DVD. I saw this when it aired on Comedy Central, but there's a bit more material on here. Also about 3 hours worth of bonus features, all very entertaining. In this performance, Tompkins moves away from his usual cultural esoterica and wry observations and gets more personal, culminating in a long routine about his mother's death. But his comedic chops are strong as ever, and his wonderful sense of delivery is fully intact. I just love the way he talks (and can't stand it when people try to crib his style, like one local comic who I won't name... okay, it's "Big Jim" Willig), I could listen to him all day. One really nitpicky thing, though. Stand-up shows are often cobbled together from different sets, everyone does it, no big deal. In this case, however, I really felt some of the cuts were a little rough. You could feel when different parts of the same routine were from different shows. I know it's a retarded thing to complain about, it's just that I noticed it, and you're not supposed to. No big deal, though. It's the material that counts, and the material is golden. Rating: 9
The Limping Man - I wanted to own The Scar, so I bought a double-feature DVD that also includes this film. Lloyd Bridges steps off an airplane in London and finds himself entangled in a twisted murder. It suffers from a common noir drawback: a terrific third act, but preceded by somewhat less interesting build-up. The music is also mixed too loud. But, there's some very good photography and a number of thrilling sequences. Most interesting is a rather meta moment where Bridges and Moira Lister (both fine performances, by the way) are able to sneak through a house because all the occupants are too enthralled by a television murder mystery to take notice. From this point until the climax it's a pretty engaging movie, and I was definitely warming up to it. And then, disaster. I'm going to spoil it, but trust me, I'm doing you a favor. It all ends with the most pointless, unjustified, inexplicable "it was all a dream!" twist ever. It completely crushed my spirits. I can't imagine why they thought it was necessary. Given how much of the story takes place outside of Bridges' viewpoint, it doesn't even make sense. What a waste of an otherwise reasonably entertaining (though far from exceptional) noir. As a sidenote, Helene Cordet performing a song during a magic act reminded me of a similar scene with Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire. Rating: 6
Rififi (rewatch) - The last of my recent purchases (for now) in a month where it seems like all I've done is try to keep up with my reckless spending habits. I thought this might be another one for the eBay stack, but it's grown on me an awful lot. Besides the much-ballyhooed heist sequence, the rest of the movie is excellent as well, right up there with Dassin's best work. A little slow, maybe, but it has so many great moments and marvelous touches. I did have an odd thought while watching it, something I don't think I've ever felt before. I thought, "I bet I'd like this a little bit more if it was in English." I tried to shake it off at first, but it lingered with me. Never mind that the film is based on a French novel, it just seems that the grittiness would be better suited to an American locale, and the hard-boiled dialogue would have more bite. Not that I'm calling for a remake, mind you. Rating: 8

 

[Martin Teller]

December recap:

20 new viewings (plus 2 shorts)
15 revisits

Best new discovery: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Worst new discovery: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


I think that's a first for me... both my best & worst new viewings are recent releases. A relatively slow month, mostly because of my injury, and also due to large quantities of Blu-Ray extras and "Twilight Zone" episodes. Not sure what January will look like, but I know I'll be drawing from the TSPDT 1000 list a bit.

 

[Sandro]

December Recap

31 films seen, 24 for the first time.

Best films seen for the first time (out of ).

Friends of Eddie Coyle 1/2
Red Riding Trilogy 1/2
Woman in the Window 1/2
Damned United 1/2
Valhalla Rising 1/2
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) 1/2

 

[Michael Elliott]

My girlfriend is busy with these incredibly stupid New Year's shows so it's the perfect timing for the year-end stuff.

Best First Time Views (In the order that I watched them)

Avatar (2009)
Precious (2009)
Murder of Mary Phagen, The (1988)
Bad Lieutenant, The: Port of Call: New Orleans (2009)
Les miserables (1935)
Bob le flambeur (1956)
Up in the Air (2009)
Hurt Locker, The (2008)
Apple Knockers and the Coke, The (1948)
30 for 30: Reggie Miller vs The New York Knicks (2010)
Manon on the Asphalt (2007)
Guard Dog (2004)
30 for 30: The Two Escobars (2010)
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)
Les miserables (1934)
Greenburg (2010)
Hollywood (1980)
Last Command, The (1928)
Greed (1924)
30 for 30: Into the Wind (2010)
30 for 30: Four Days in October (2010)
30 for 30: Once Brothers (2010)
Dym (2007)
Metropolis: Restored (1927)
Metropolis Refound (2010)
Winter's Bone (2010)
30 for 30: Pony Excess (2010)
Lombardi (2010)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
127 Hours (2010)
Black Swan (2010)
Kids Are All Right, The (2010)

Worst Films Watched

Gummo (1997)
Descent (2007)
Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1978)
Bates Motel (1987)
Creation of the Humanoids, The (1962)
Mega Piranha (2010)
Christine Jorgensen Story, The (1970)


Nothing too wonderful overall but I knocked off quite a few series including the Holmes and Moto flicks. I plan on finishing off the Bowery Boys and Andy Hardy films in 2011 and then move onto the Charlie Chan titles and various other series since I've gotten into a desire to go through the ones I haven't seen every entry of.

I really didn't get to watch many "classics" but I'd say the 1934 and 1935 versions of LES MISERABLES were the best viewings. The ESPN series "30 for 30" delivered one great documentary after another and I hope the station picks the series up with more because if they tell stories like the way they did with the first thirty then we've got some other great stuff that should be told (I think a Cubs/Bartman is coming soon). THE APPLE KNOCKERS AND THE COKE was certainly the best product placement mixed with sexuality.

 

[Martin Teller]

Ah year-end stuff... this'll be easy since I already did this for another forum. This does not include 2010 films, though.

Best discoveries of 2010:
1. Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959)
2. War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk, 1967)
3. The Lineup (Don Siegel, 1958)
4. Limite (Mario Peixoto, 1931)
5. Sita Sings the Blues (Nina Paley, 2008)
6. Dillinger Is Dead (Marco Ferreri, 1969)
7. Beyond the Forest (King Vidor, 1949)
8. Murder By Contract (Irving Lerner, 1958)
9. Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992)
10. Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952)
11. The Phenix City Story (Phil Karlson, 1955)
12. Tale of Tales (Yuriy Norshteyn, 1979)
13. The Burglar (Paul Wendkos, 1957)
14. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)
15. Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky, 1948)
16. Cruel Gun Story (Takumi Furukawa, 1964)
17. Le Doulos (Jean-Pierrre Melville, 1962)
18. Once (John Carney, 2006)
19. Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933)
20. The Ox-Bow Incident (William Wellman, 1943)

No surprise, heavy on the film noir.

Worst discoveries of 2010:
1. Tobacco Road (John Ford, 1941)
2. The Fountainhead (King Vidor, 1949)
3. Lady in the Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1947)
4. Shoot to Kill (William Berke, 1947)
5. Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub, 1968)
6. Not Reconciled (Jean-Marie Straub, 1965)
7. Abraham's Valley (Manoel de Oliveira, 1993)
8. Arson, Inc. (William Berke, 1949)
9. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954)
10. In Praise of Love (Jean-Luc Godard, 2001)

7 of these are films I watched for the sake of completing the "They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?" top 1000 list, and one for the TSPDT "250 Quintessential Noirs" list. The other 2 are just random noirs I watched... and both happen to be by William Berke. A name to avoid, apparently.

Note that King Vidor appears on both lists... with films from the same year!

 

[Mario Gauci]

Originally Posted by Martin Teller /img/forum/go_quote.gif



Ah year-end stuff... this'll be easy since I already did this for another forum. This does not include 2010 films, though.



Best discoveries of 2010:


1. Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959)
2. War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk, 1967)
3. The Lineup (Don Siegel, 1958)
4. Limite (Mario Peixoto, 1931)
5. Sita Sings the Blues (Nina Paley, 2008)
6. Dillinger Is Dead (Marco Ferreri, 1969)
7. Beyond the Forest (King Vidor, 1949)
8. Murder By Contract (Irving Lerner, 1958)
9. Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992)
10. Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952)
11. The Phenix City Story (Phil Karlson, 1955)
12. Tale of Tales (Yuriy Norshteyn, 1979)
13. The Burglar (Paul Wendkos, 1957)
14. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)
15. Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky, 1948)
16. Cruel Gun Story (Takumi Furukawa, 1964)
17. Le Doulos (Jean-Pierrre Melville, 1962)
18. Once (John Carney, 2006)
19. Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933)
20. The Ox-Bow Incident (William Wellman, 1943)



No surprise, heavy on the film noir.




Worst discoveries of 2010:


1. Tobacco Road (John Ford, 1941)


2. The Fountainhead (King Vidor, 1949)


3. Lady in the Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1947)


4. Shoot to Kill (William Berke, 1947)


5. Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub, 1968)


6. Not Reconciled (Jean-Marie Straub, 1965)


7. Abraham's Valley (Manoel de Oliveira, 1993)


8. Arson, Inc. (William Berke, 1949)


9. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954)


10. In Praise of Love (Jean-Luc Godard, 2001)





7 of these are films I watched for the sake of completing the "They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?" top 1000 list, and one for the TSPDT "250 Quintessential Noirs" list. The other 2 are just random noirs I watched... and both happen to be by William Berke. A name to avoid, apparently.



Note that King Vidor appears on both lists... with films from the same year!

[COLOR= black]Nice list overall, Martin. Not surprised by all the Noir inclusions…just their placement: ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW is a good one, sure, but I think that FORCE OF EVIL is the best one on your list. Having said that, I’m as yet unfamiliar with THE LINEUP, MURDER BY CONTRACT, THE PHENIX CITY STORY and THE BURGLAR…even though I do own a copy of all of them! It’s good that you caught up with two landmark Westerns – THE OX-BOW INCIDENT and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – and that they featured in your poll. Glad to see WAR AND PEACE and DILLINGER IS DEAD (which I just got in an online Criterion sale) grabbing such top positions…but, man, I thought BEYOND THE FOREST only enjoyed a maligned campy reputation?? Again, I got it but is, as yet, unwatched… [/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]As for your disappointments, I disagree with you on LADY IN THE LAKE, THE FOUNTAINHEAD and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (can't believe I'm defending a Musical's honor..but this is one I've always liked!) and, yet again, have to withhold my judgment on TOBACCO ROAD, ABRAHAM VALLEY (when I do acquire it) and IN PRAISE OF LOVE until I've seen them. [/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]My own 2010 viewings were very erratic and I can't hope to do a similar one now. Steps have already been taken so that this year I'll be following a more structured schedule that will, hopefully, reap the expected results (both in terms of viewing pleasure and canon-busting) by year end. I'll also be changing my working hours on my day job as from next Monday - which, technically, should be freeing up time for me to indulge in the (long-postponed and all-important) activities of reading and scriptwriting...not to mention talking to all you guys more regularly![/COLOR]

 

[Sandro]

452 films seen, 335 for the first time. Best films seen this year in rough order:

[SIZE= 14px]Summer Hours [/SIZE]
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Seance on a Wet Afternoon
[COLOR= black]Seventh Continent [/COLOR]
[SIZE= 14px]Speed [/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Dersu Uzala [/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR= black][/COLOR]
[SIZE= 14px]That Obscure Object of Desire [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px]Friends of Eddie Coyle [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px]Red Riding Trilogy [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px]Minnie and Moskowitz [/SIZE][COLOR= black][/COLOR]
[SIZE= 14px]Hurt Locker [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= black]Blue Angel (1930) [/COLOR]
[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Stunt Man [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Home [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Gun Crazy [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Secret Ceremony [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px]Paranormal Activity [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14px]Ordinary People [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= black]Nightmare Alley [/COLOR]
[COLOR= black]Inception [/COLOR]

 

[Martin Teller]

edit: nothing to see here

 

[Mario Gauci]

Originally Posted by Martin Teller /img/forum/go_quote.gif



While the City Sleeps - Kicking off the new year with a selection from both the TSPDT Top 1000 list and the 250 Quintessential Noirs list. It's not especially worthy of either. The two-pronged plot covers the hunt for a serial killer and a power struggle at a news syndicate. The film packs a dynamite cast (including Dana Andrews, Thomas Mitchell, George Sanders, Ida Lupino, Rhonda Fleming and Vincent Price), most of whom are excellent. The story involving the journalists takes most of the spotlight, and it's got some compelling aspects with a lot of drama and betrayal and secret alliances. The killer thread, however, gets the short shrift. We get only the briefest of insights into the villain's psyche, and the forensic work is very ho-hum compared to your average procedural. It does allow for a pretty good chase scene, though. Unfortunately, that particular scene is one of only a small handful that display any sense of style. As with most of Lang's American films, it mostly feels entirely flat, with no passion or inspiration at all. It's competent, of course, but not much more than that. Watchable, passable... and ultimately forgettable. Rating: 7


Les maîtres fous - Apparently one of Herzog's favorite movies, and that's not hard to believe. It's a documentary short about the Hauka tribe (club? sect?) of West Africa, whose initiation ceremony is a bizarre bastardization of the social structure and mannerisms of their European colonial oppressors. The ritual involves foaming at the mouth, a stiltled herky-jerky walk, confessions and punishments, beatings, people being possessed by characters like "the mayor", "the general" and "the locomotive", and the sacrifice and subsequent consumption of a dog. It resembles some sort of primal explosion of frustrated satire. The ending of the film shows the participants happily back at their jobs, and suggests that the ritual helps them mentally cope with their daily lives. Although I was quite confused throughout most of it (due mostly to the very poor subtitles) I was also quite transfixed. An unusual and provocative work. Rating: 8


Chronique d'un eté - Another Jean Rouch documentary. In this one, he and co-director Edgar Morin start out by discussing the likelihood of getting truth out of subjects who know they are on camera. They then proceed to ask a variety of Parisians "Are you happy?"... at first during brief on-the-street interviews, and then going more in-depth with selected people. Throughout, you are constantly engaged with their openness and simultaneously questioning their honesty. Are they hamming it up for the camera when they talk in grandiose philosophical terms? How much of Marceline's concentration camp monologue is truth and how much is melodramatic flourish, and how does the camerawork affect our perception of that? In the end, Morin and Rouch screen the film for their subjects, get their reactions, and discuss the success or failure of their project. Wonderfully meta and, for the most part, fascinating. Rating: 8


Judex - A Robin Hood type character punishes a sinister banker for his misdeeds, and the plot thickens and thickens and thickens some more. Franju's homage to Feuillade is a real treat, and a reminder that I need to see more by both filmmakers. Certainly I'd like to see the original, since it seems right up Feuillade's alley, along the same lines as Les Vampires. Secret identities, twists galore, disguises, wacky gadgets, double crosses, daring escapes, homing pigeons, faked deaths, long-lost relatives, and a rooftop catfight. It's a ridiculously wild ride that probably works even better in serial format. Other nods to Feuillade include a character reading "Fantomas", and a girl (the smoking hot Francine Bergé, in a delightful performance) who gets to slink around in a catsuit, a la Musidora... in a double role, no less! Franju has a marvelous eye, lots of terrific shots. The Maurice Jarre score is lovely as well (though occasionally a little too subdued for the action). This is just a really, really fun movie that made me want more of the same. Rating: 9


Kameradschaft - Pabst's tale (inspired by a true event) of a group of German miners who come to the rescue of French miners. The film's heart is definitely in the right place (no matter what you may think of its slight Socalist leaning) but it's not done with very much nuance. Pretty much everyone is a great guy and pretty much everything turns out okay, and it just doesn't have the dramatic tension that it should. Part of this may be due to some odd pacing, a common problem with early talkies. However, it's a real knockout in the visuals department, featuring some absolutely stunning camerawork, especially down in those claustrophobic mines. Technically impressive, but a little on the dull side. Rating: 7

Assuming you haven't seen it, Martin, there's a 2011 thread already up and running on HTF. Why not repost these over there?

 

[Mario Gauci]

Originally Posted by Sandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif



452 films seen, 335 for the first time. Best films seen this year in rough order:



[SIZE= 14px]Summer Hours [/SIZE]
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Seance on a Wet Afternoon
[COLOR= black]Seventh Continent [/COLOR]


[SIZE= 14px]Speed [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Dersu Uzala [/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR= black][/COLOR]


[SIZE= 14px]That Obscure Object of Desire [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]Friends of Eddie Coyle [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]Red Riding Trilogy [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]Minnie and Moskowitz [/SIZE][COLOR= black][/COLOR]


[SIZE= 14px]Hurt Locker [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= black]Blue Angel (1930) [/COLOR]


[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Stunt Man [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Home [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Gun Crazy [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px][COLOR= black]Secret Ceremony [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]Paranormal Activity [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]Ordinary People [COLOR= black][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= black]Nightmare Alley [/COLOR]
[COLOR= black]Inception [/COLOR]

Kudos to Sandro for catching up with two of Luis Bunuel's latter-day masterworks - not to mention THE BLUE ANGEL (1930; I've recently acquired the maligned 1959 remake but is, as yet, unwatched), 2 brilliant noirs (NIGHTMARE ALLEY and GUN CRAZY) and 3 bizarre gems (SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, SECRET CEREMONY and THE STUNT MAN) - and for choosing them among his year's best viewings

.

 

[Sandro]

Mario, I can't believe how many great films I saw in 2010. I'm a tough rater and to see 5 films I rated as perfect was a surprise to me. I also highly rated all the others on my list as well. Interesting that you mention The Stunt Man as that is a movie that does not seem to be that well known but was a fascinating experience - a film ahead of its time maybe.

I hope that 2011 will be as fruitful. I will keep watching Bunuel because he never disappoints. Joseph Losey's films also took me by surprise - I think I watched about 5 this year and was really impressed.

 

[Ted Lee]

figured you guys were doing it this year!

total movies watched: 92
ratings: A (24), B (39), C (21), D (6), F (2)
average gpa: 2.84

if there’s one thing i learned, it’s that the same rules apply. no movie is going to make it if it doesn’t have a good story and good acting. yeah, sometimes watching stuff get blown up is entertaining, but that’s really only when i want to switch off for a while. it looks like i took it easy from my usual foreign movie snobbery, but was pleasantly surprised at how many decent domestic releases there were this year.

it seems like i gave mostly A through C ratings, with very few D or F’s. i don’t know if that’s because i try to watch at least semi-decent movies right off the bat ... because i don’t give myself enough time to really think about the movie ... or maybe i’m just a crappy reviewer!

what made some movies stand-out more then others? i dunno. awesome acting, innovative story, high production value, unique cinematography ... or if i’m lucky some combination of all of them. and ... in some cases ... it just made me forget about the world for a couple of hours. and isn't’ that really the whole point?

here’s a quick summary ... sorry the titles may be a little off, but i’m sure you’ll figure it out. i've also bolded some movies (that were a first time viewing for me) that i really dug for whatever reason.

harry potter & the half blood prince a
500 days of summer a
star trek a
annie hall a
rear window a
inglourious basterds a
pscho a
black dynamite a
ponyo a
moon a
kick-ass a
afro samurai: resurrection a
fantastic mr. fox a
snatch a
cast away a
toy story a
the girl with the dragon tattoo a
appleseed: ex machina a
the good, the bad, the weird a
ip man a
ghost in the shell 2.0 a
how to train your dragon a
the square a
the messenger a
9 b
ichi b
district 9 b
zombieland b
departures b
cloudy with a chance of meatballs b
the hurt locker b
up in the air b
magnum force b
sugar b
whip it b
freedom b
an education b
synedoche, new york b
footloose b
it’s complicated b
shinobi: heart under blade b
the blind side b
doc hollywood b
seraphine b
inception b
bad lieutenant: port of call new orleans b
scott pilgrim b
mother b
the crazies b
the cove b
crazy heart b
the ghost writer b
9.99 b
batman: under the red hood b
toy story 3 b
the girl who played with fire b
the secret of kells b
superman/batman: apocalypse b
easy a b
red cliff b
the book of eli b
tron: legacy b
l’iceberg b
man on wire c
chop shop c
extract c
alice in wonderland c
where the wild things are c
tokyo sonata c
iron man 2 c
bronson c
sherlock holmes c
origin: spirits of the past c
shutter island c
the box c
clash of the tians c
the twilight saga: eclipse c
the chaser c
a serious man c
daybreakers c
salt c
harry potter & the deathly hallows (part 1) c
8 1/8 c
the expendables c
bangkok dangerous d
public enemies d
surrogates d
the lovely bones d
the road d
prince of persia d
robin hood f
macgruber f

 

[farout]

havin been in forum for a while long while watched abe lincoln vampire hunter ecellent