Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

So this thread is here for discussing what your favorite movie you saw this month was. This could work for any month of the year really, but today is the end of January.

Here is everything I saw this month:

Three Women
High Hopes
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The Mikado
The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Jules and Jim
A Woman Is A Woman
Sullivan's Travels
It Happened One Night.
Deep End

The MVF of the month is (drumroll please)...












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It Happened One Night(1934)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bQPxYbN4S...ithappened.jpg

I know I only saw this 3 days ago, but it was such a fun trip that it is hard to deny it. Now I want a mustache like Clark Gable's. I think I even learned a thing about how to dip a donut as well.

Good idea. Hope it lasts.

January '23:

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets - A not quite drama, not quite documentary from 2020 about the last day of a Las Vegas bar. Finding a great movie from 2020 is like digging up a valuable artifact since it's sort of a lost year.

Death Duel - A beautiful Shaw Brothers movie that's sort of like a wuxia version of The Gunslinger.

Heart of Glass - A great folk tale-like dirge about the collapse of society done in the most Herzog of ways: watching the death of a tiny Bavarian town when something bad happens at its glass factory.

I really need to rewatch Heart of Glass one of these days. I watched it very early into branching out into more esoteric fare, and I found it interesting, but didn't really know how to respond to it (which I now realize isn't such a bad thing)

You may have watched it during good times. Pardon the pessimism, but you may get into it more now that it seems like the end is nigh.

Mine would be between:


Coherence
What Happened Was
The Velvet Underground


Because I watched the Velvet documentary twice, I guess by default that wins. But this also isn't a fare competition. Even if that doc wasnt the best, the subject matter would bias me to such a point it would still win


Between those two fictional films though.....Ugh, they are both so stellar I have no idea.


Coin flip says Coherence, but they are as interchangeably great as they are completely different kinds of films

The good old days of never leaving my bed and watching six movies a day and understanding none of them.


*sigh*


Resumes work on failed time machine

Like @Torgo, I don't think I can pick just one...

La La Land - Fantastic musical with several memorable sequences, wonderful use of color, and a stellar soundtrack.

Good Time - A Safdie Bros. film. Sort of a neo-noir combo of a heist flick and a pseudo prison break with tense atmosphere, a slick synth score and a top notch performance from Robert Pattinson.

Aftersun - A moving account of a long-ago father/daughter vacation to Turkey, told through various memories shown via old camcorder footage as well as film. A fantastic first effort from a new director on the scene.

Aftersun just popped up on my level of awareness. I should check that out. Sounds 100 percent my kind of thing

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

January 2023:

The Unbelievable Truth (1989) -

Being my second Hartley film, he's definitely someone I'll pay close attention to down the road as I really enjoy the vibes of his films. The characters in his films act somewhat strange and don't always behave like real people, but since I don't view them as real people and accept the off-kilter behavior they show, this works really well for me. Yet, in spite of this, there are clear emotional stakes in his films and I form connections to the characters anyways. Topped with this being the opposite of a laugh out loud-style comedy (which I'm usually not a fan of), this is currently my favorite first-time viewing of this year.

Un Chant D'Amour (1950) -

I can only imagine how shocking this short was when it was released. I already knew the sexual content in it would be explicit, but...damn. It's much more than just sexual content though as, given the photography and the mood of the film, it's rather hypnotic. Whether you're referring to the grounded scenes of the prisoners interacting with each other, the recurring shot of the prisoners attempting to swing a small bouquet of flowers between cells (which is a microcosm for their situation), or the fantasy-based love scenes between them which occur outside the prison cells, this is a rather beautiful film since the two leads are so close, yet so far away from each other.

-

So far, I feel like I've been giving out more 7/10's and 6/10's than I usually do. Hopefully, February will fare better for me.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Also, good thread idea :up:

I watched 68 feature films plus 11 short films in January. My top 3 first time watches:

1. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
2. TÁR
3. Lilya 4-ever

Lilya 4-ever is great

I mostly caught up on 2022 this month, so my favorite was:




Also, bummed High Hopes wasn’t your favorite. Absolutely love that movie.

Hopefully this thread does well. Cool idea.

Love that scene where Clark shows Claudette how to dunk a donut.

Correct!


I've watched a lot this month. I don't think I could pick just one favorite.

My favorite films viewed this month were The Menu, Notorious, and Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio

Watched about 28 films I think?
Crammed a bunch over the weekend on Criterion before certain films went away.
Top 3

The Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl
Damnation

Yes, excellent!

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

1. To Leslie
2. Certified Copy
3. Banshees of Inisherin

I just started getting into Fassbinder (finally!) now that I have Criterion (also….finally!). I’ll be binging more of his films in the Coming months.

You've definitely started with a high point! It might be my favorite of his.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On was adorable. It reminded me of this YouTube video:

Pet Interviews - Guinea Pig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jW3XtKBlTz0

Update: Just watched The Servant, which also would've made this list.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Highlight of my January was my first films by Hiroshi Teshigahara (Pitfall / Woman in the Dunes / The Face of Another)

My top 3 for January would be:


Aftersun
Great Freedom
Son of Saul

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

I didn't watch anything super-exiting last month (3/5 was the best rating I gave to a movie). So, my top 3 for January would be:

Project Wolf Hunting
Limbo
The Patriot (rewatch)

Actually, season 4 of Fauda from Netflix was the best thing I watched, but I'm not sure if this is supposed to be about movies. One of the best ongoing series.

3 brilliant films

Another 3 brilliant films!! Especially Woman in the Dunes.

Lilyah!!!!!!!!! One of my favourite films of all time.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Top 3 films watched in January:

1. Overlord (1975)
2. Au Hasard Balthazar
3. In the Bedroom

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

First watch: Master Cheng
Rewatch: The Guard

So I did manage to watch one more film for the month.

Deep End(1970) which is a British movie that has Jane Asher(best known for her relationship with Paul McCartney) in it. The movie had music by Cat Stevens & Can and while I kind of expected more music, it was fair enough for the film. For the sake of Future Days, I should be listening to Can more and maybe watch this movie a second time. This film's main idea is that this 15-year old bathhouse worker named Michael who has an unhealthy infatuation with another worker named Susan(Jane Asher). However, she is already bounded to get married and Michael does everything in his power in order to take her for himself. He walks all across the street ordering hot dogs and walking into clubs for the sake of this one woman. He wants her, he wants her so bad that it is driving him mad. Even though Jane Asher did influence several famous Beatles songs, she did not influence "I Want You(She's So Heavy)" which is the song that best characterizes the protagonist at this moment. Moments later, after a foot race, and finding the missing piece of Susan's engagement ring in the snow, the shocking ending occurs. Mike ends up killing the woman by hitting her in the back of the head with a pool light after she refuses to talk to him. Unlike It Happened One Night where the protagonist does get the woman who has already been married, the protagonist of Deep End ends up getting so obsessed with the woman that it kills her. That is probably because Clark Gable's character took it slow and did not expect anything(he just wanted to take her back to New York) while John Moulder Brown's character was expecting everything from her.

I'm going to have to check out this one, a matter of local curiosity. I've read that the inspiration for the conductor was Marin Alsop, a conductor, one of whose jobs was as music director for the Baltimore Symphony, back in the "00's". I was attending their series back then and, my recollection was, unlike what I've read about the movie, just how un-dramatic her tenure was. She was "out" when she arrived, nobody made much out of it, she was an excellent conductor and a likable person, popular right up to when she left, well received by the audience.

I'm guessing that Alsop wouldn't make a good movie script.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Deep End is amazing. It was one of my favourites from a couple years back. I think all I knew about it before hand was it had some Can music in it, but was happily surprised to find out that was only one of its many pleasures.

Might be a fun project to watch all of the films relevant to this album. Not sure why this never occurred to me before.

Fassbinder filmography can be a very rocky road. Also very varied. If you come across a dog, don't let it discourage.



Some of his best:



Ali (obviously)
Fox and his Friends
In a Year With 13 Moods (beware: has a very graphic slaughterhouse scene)
Merchant of Four Seasons
Beware of a Holy Whore (beware: I'm the only one who seems to love this one)

I think the only other one I've seen is Deadlock.

After a brief search, those seem to be the only two that are easily acquired in 2023. :(

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

I watched Aftersun yesterday too so that would also be added to the 3 I posted prior. Really good film.

I am still thinking about it days later...

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

After watching these movies this month:

Blair Witch Book of Shadows
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
The Net, 1995
Attack of the Giant Leeches
Q: The Winged Serpent
Scream 2
Virus 1999
The Sender, 1982
End of the World 1977
Skinamarink
Anaconda 2: Hunt for the Blood Orchid

This is the top three.

Blair Witch Book of Shadows
Q: The Winged Serpent
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

Not the most glorious movie watching month I had, but I enjoyed these,

Yeah, I have caught bits of the “controversy” about it. If it is really based on her I would definitely be annoyed. Her being out in the movie definitely isn’t the problem. It’s the way she treats subordinates that’s the issue. I have no knowledge of that world whatsoever, so I wouldn’t have connected the dots of it being loosely based on a real person. My guess is that very few will.

Yeah, I plan on watching these when I get the chance. Or whichever is available on criterion (need to double check what is).
I plan on watching his less acclaimed works as well, obviously, for the sake of completion.
Although I may get distracted by the Derek Jarman restrospective they just put up. 👀

All of these are great. Weirdly, Pitfall is the one that's most stuck with me.

For me Woman in the Dunes was the standout. Such a weird premise that nevertheless somehow works. But yeah, all great.

Woman in the Dunes is also a very good book.

I just realized I should have included The Banishees of Inisherin on my list.

My favorite movie watched in January was Let Me Fall (2018), followed by Husbands (1970) and Licorice Pizza (2021).

Alright Alright! Now for February. I have actually watched so many in one week that I had to restrain myself.

Here are all of the movies:
Pillow Talk
Tootsie
Chunking Express
Stolen Kisses
Wings of Desire
The Red Shoes
Adoption
Alma's Rainbow
Rashomon

I am starting to feel the need to take a break from movies, because I was not too crazy about Rashomon and did not love The Red Shoes as much as expected(Kind of like Singing in the Rain). I got through half of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, but an hour in, I got bored and fell asleep.

MVF of the month is bolded in red.

It always fascinated me that the guy who played Downfall Hitler was in this one.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Hmmm, let's see...

The China Syndrome
Kramer vs. Kramer
Fat Girl
Dead Man's Letters

But I think The China Syndrome takes the top spot. Just my kind of jam.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

February was not as good of a month as January for me, but I still enjoyed going through some of the movies in the "All You Need Is Love" section in the Criterion Channel. Things would have been complete if I just saw Les Parapluies de Cherbourg(and maybe L'Atlante) for the second time.

https://www.movieforums.com/communit...chmentid=91820



So, two Spanish films share the top spot. Infiesto is a serial killer thriller with some cult elements. Venus also has sort of cult in it, but it's a straight up horror film from the director of [REC]. I didn't particularly like the ending of Venus, but it had potential to be a lot better so maybe that's my favorite.

February 2023:

Nosferatu the Vampyre -

I believe I made a brief post about me preferring this over Murnau's Nosferatu sometime earlier this month. While the 1922 film has the better vampire, the surrounding scenes in the film don't mean much to me. With this film though, it has far more in the way of atmosphere, whether you're referring to the landscape shots, the usage of classical music in various scenes, the sense of the city decaying as Dracula's impact on the town grows, the strengths of various performances in the film, or even standout scenes like this. Aside from Dracula (to be fair though, Schreck's performance in the original is pretty much untouchable), this film is everything which Murnau's film isn't.

That's my only first-time watch of February which I'd call great. I also revisited Written on the Wind though, which I gave a to.

February '23

The Virgin Suicides - Sofia Coppola's wistful and ominous coming of age movie and directorial debut.

Gog - A '50s B-movie that's part techno-thriller and part murder mystery. It has similar appeals as The Andromeda Strain and the game Half-Life.

Baskin - A surreal and odd mindscrew of a horror movie from Turkey.

What else? It’s Kore-eda, has to be here

February top 3


Broker
Matthias and Maxime
Boy

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Jurassic World: Dominion

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

OK. It is that time of the month again. I am excited for this.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

This month, I broke my record for most movies watched by myself. I have seen 10 in January, 9 in February, and 14 in March. I think I might need to take a break from all of this.
Here are all of the films in order of when I watched them and some made up ratings that are not official, but just for the sake of it and an idea of how I enjoyed them:
1. Alphaville -
2. Written on the Wind(second viewing) -
3. Touch of Evil -
4. Fruit of Paradise -
5. Paris Belongs to Us -
6. Cries and Whispers -
7. Black Narcissus -
8. Children of Paradise - bordering on which it probably would have got if I continued thinking about it after it was done.
9. Zazie dans le Metro -
10. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter -
11. The Graduate -
12. Lola -
13. Bay of Angels -
14. Black Orpheus -

Current Favorite of January: Deep End
Current Favorite of February: After some thinking and watching Black Narcissus, it is The Red Shoes. I am aching to see that one a second time, as I felt rather depressed when I saw it the first time.
Favorite of March: Drumroll please ....


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ZAZIE DANS LE METRO(1960)

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploa...1&h=383&crop=1

Yes, it seems like I am a bit biased towards the French movies, especially the ones about the women, but Zazie was a breath of fresh air for me. Most of the movies I saw prior hand(Stolen Kisses, Chunking Express, Deep End, Wings of Desire, Children of Paradise) had me thinking about a crush that I had during the first two months of the year, about what techniques to use to talk to her, and how I failed to attain the girl. Also, all of the movies had a serious tone, along with them being rather realistic.

But Zazie turned me on. I was thinking: "Finally, something sillier and dynamic for me. I am out of the box!" Yes, I feel like most of the FNW movies took themselves way too seriously, but this one kind of strayed away from the seriousness.

The movie felt like a children's movie for adults, and it also differentiated itself with the other movies made during that time period(FNW movies were usually ahead of their time). I also love a movie that has avant garde touches to it, and this one certainly had the flair. I especially loved the scene where Zazie is caught in a chase with the one man, the rehearsal scene, and especially the climactic restaurant sequence. Other stand outs include the jazzy score that plays throughout the movie and Zazie annoying the other characters on the Eiffel tower.

Zazie then wonders if her uncle is "hormosessual" due to his behaviors, despite being married to a wife who also cross dresses during the climax of the movie.

Might be one of my favorites in the French circle.

Honorable Mentions
The Graduate: I enjoyed Dustin Hoffman's character, the relatability of graduating and not knowing what to do next, Paul Simon's music, as well as several classic scenes. All of you know the seduction scene, but I was thinking about that ending with Ben and Elaine on the bus with Sound of Silence playing in the background.

Children of Paradise: This film felt so French. It was kind of like The Red Shoes and Amadeus as it had some extend scenes with characters performing, but also like Rules of the Game due to the large romantic web of it. I can certainly relate to this movie, but I do not know how it will hold up in future months.

Least Favorite
Alphaville: I was rather tired when I watched it, and I kind of felt bored while watching it. Despite this, I was happy when the final sequence came around with the protagonist killing all of the guys. This made me happy, because I never get to see any action in a French movie, but this movie finally gave it to me. Also, I was delighted at the happy ending, as I felt like a movie like that was bound to be a downer. Lastly, I was finally out of the 3 movies a director rule as I finally watched four from one(Godard with Breatless, Contempt, and Woman Is A Woman before). Over March, there are three directors that I have seen four(Godard along with Rivette and Demy) from.

March '23:

RRR - The hype is real. It's never not fun. I could watch it again today.

Phoenix - Excellent post-World War II drama about two very different kinds of Holocaust survival.

Shadow - Zhang Yimou's beautiful black and white (or is it?) movie that would please fans of the war and film noir genres.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

I'll post my picks later today or tomorrow.

The only five star film I watched this month was a rewatch of Carrie. And the second best was also a rewatch--Day of the Dead, which is clearly the best of the entire Dead trilogy. Like....it's not even a contest.


So this leaves these as the ones I was happiest with, in order of bestness


A Wonderful Cloud
The Tarnished Angels
The Paperboy
Softie
Children of the Pyre


Special shout out to Nina Menkes, whose Queen of Diamonds and Magdalena Viraga, are not necessarily easy to love, but have made it clear I'll hunt down everything she's ever done. She's like a mix of Fassbinder and Paul Morrissey, which is exactly as amazing as one could hope

The worst was undoubtedly Blackenstein.

March:


Kanal
Hausu
The Night Porter


(With an honourable mention for Beverly Hills Cop)

Breaker Morant


My first five star watch of the year. What a pleasant surprise. Great courtroom dialogue, which I love. Fantastic ending.

Rookie numbers!

I rewatched some masterpieces in March. But not counting them, here are my favorite first viewings this month:

BEST: (ranked)
1. Két elhatározás [A Quite Ordinary Life] (1978) - Absolutely beautiful. Cried a lot on this docudrama. It's basically a film on family and love but it tackles these themes like no other movie. It's a heartfelt tale of an elderly woman who lost all her loved ones except for her son who lives in England. She resolves to do two things before she dies: Clean up a long-neglected vineyard and visit her son in England. Sincere filmmaking.
2. 15小时 [15 Hours] (2017) - The longest film I've seen in one sitting (16 hours!) and what a droning behemoth! The sounds of sewing machines create an industrial soundtrack that hypnotized me right away. But this film is as far from boring as it gets. Wang Bing is a master.
3. 夹边沟 [The Ditch] (2010) - Another Wang Bing. Harrowing. Almost unbearable at times. Dead Souls and Fengming (and optionally Beauty Lives in Freedom) are essential viewings before tackling it, though.
4. 검으나 땅에 희나 백성 [The People in White] (1995) - INCREDIBLE atmosphere. Superb visuals. No metaphysics, though. :(
5. Barravento [The Turning Wind] (1962) - Glauber Rocha is class. The black-and-white cinematography is the main dish here, and boy is it excellent!
6. ใจจำลอง [Come Here] (2021) - Anocha Suwichakornpong strikes again, and it's great to see her continue the themes from By the Time It Gets Dark. Some very droney and hypnotizing moments here, too.
7. Mistaken Memories of Mediæval Manhattan (1981) - Basically a James Benning film but with phenomenal ambient music by Brian Eno. Such a combination HAD to be amazing. And it is.

OTHER GREAT WATCHES: (in no particular order)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) & Arrowsmith (1931) - Absolutely jaw-dropping visuals in the first one. The second one looks amazing, too. John Ford films always look sooo good.
48 (2009) - Minimalist filmmaking at its best. Just the pictures of people we hear talking, recounting their stories.
Aphotic Zone (2022) - An exemplary demonstration of preternatural sea-cosmos visuals with aquatic zoophytes posturing as extraterrestrials and deepwater robots imitating spaceships. Explicitly represents the oceanic abysses as immeasurable, incomprehensible, and marvelous, but also accurately enigmatical.
Kapinynas [Burial] (2022) - Though the symbolism might be a little bit too on-the-nose and the final message murked, Škarnulytė's command of the visual is excellent, showcasing all the little blips and hundreds of buttons as a portrayal of complicated (but outdated) machinery behind an obsolete nuclear power plant. The digital cinematography hinging on unnaturally artificial possibly gives the whole thing yet another layer.
Братья Карамазовы [The Karamazov Brothers] (1969) - This definitely could've been better, but adapting The Karamazov Brothers is definitely the hardest Dostoevsky book to transform into a movie. All things considered, good job.
伴我闖天涯 [Wild Search] (1989) - Not the best of its genre but there's no denying it's very entertaining. The little girl is adorable. Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung have great chemistry (something I usually don't care about in films) so it's understandable John Woo would cast both of them along with Leslie Cheung in the supreme Once a Thief. I guess Cherie Chung is slowly but steadily making her way onto my crushes list. She's dazzling, and as much as I love her youthful look in her early films, I think I prefer her more mature beauty here or in Once a Thief. I have to watch Zodiac Killers now!
Unrueh [Unrest] (2022) - Good "dignified" approach to filmmaking. Quality sound mixing! Great visuals with some tasty framing. Definitely worth watching. I'm kinda curious about this guy's other movies now.
Desire Me [A Woman of My Own] (1947) - No idea why this was seen as MGM's worst film. It's excellent, with stark black'n'white cinematography and a fantastic mood built of shadows and fog. I definitely wouldn't mind recommendations for more movies like this.
A Little Stiff (1991) & I Am a Sex Addict (2005) - The more Zahedi films I watch, the less I like him and them. Or maybe I watched his two best ones first and all that's left is subpar stuff. Either way, I watched 6 of his films today and sure have enough for some time.
江湖儿女 [Ash Is Purest White] (2018) - Amazing first third. It then descends into this simple tale of women sacrificing for undeserving men. And how China's changing. Still very good but it could've been a masterpiece. Zhangke definitely has better films.
みつあみの神様 [Pigtails] (2015) - A touching short film with Ichiko Aoba music in the soundtrack!
House by the River (1950) & Ministry of Fear (1944) - Two very good Fritz Lang films (Moonfleet is nice, too, but IMO inferior to these two).
The Member of the Wedding (1952) - A very intriguing movie. Not what I expected at all.
Bella e perduta [Lost and Beautiful] (2015) - Looks so good, finally a modern film not shot on digital. But the final reveal of what the film is about (at least mainly) is so on the nose, though, it almost ruined the film for me.
Uma abelha na chuva [A Bee in the Rain] (1972) - Quality elitist cinema.
La femme de nulle part [The Woman From Nowhere] (1922) - For years I thought it was directed by Germaine Dulac. It's directed by Louis Delluc instead! Anyway, the resolution is as conservative (and mature, I guess) as it gets, but the film poses some meaningful questions about love, future, hopes, dreams, past, etc.
La casa lobo [The Wolf House] (2018) - Impressive form totally overtakes the content. But I'm a sucker for engaging form, so it's no biggie to me.
金燕子 [Golden Swallow] (1987) - The worst of all non-erotic Chinese Ghost Story clones, but still enjoyed it a lot. Some parts were hard to understand, e.g., why he wouldn't recognize her and the ending makes no sense whatsoever. Also, the music could've been so much better, but the colorful drapes in the wind and cheap but pretty visuals are worth it.
Abendland [Nightfall] (2011) - Watched this right after Wang Bing's 15 Hours. Well, it was very good, but it's a given coming from Geyrhalter.
S.O.S. Eisberg [S.O.S. Iceberg] (1933) & Stürme über dem Mont Blanc [Storm Over Mont Blanc] (1930) - Two great films with Leni Riefenstahl directed by Arnold Fanck. Impressive cinematography. :)
Xiao li zi [Survival Song] (2008) - Great Chinese documentary. Liked it a lot but not as much as the director's earlier film Timber Gang.
Erzählen [About Narration] (1975) - Another worthy Farocki film.
Swastika (1973) - Apparently, this was a very controversial documentary when it was released. None of the footage is new or unseen nowadays. But seeing Hitler and company in their homely settings makes Nazism even scarier tbh.

There's more worthwhile stuff I watched in March but the post is too long already.

And for those who don't enjoy reading, here are some screencaps from John Ford's Drums Along the Mohawk (color) and Arrowsmith (black'n'white):

https://i.imgur.com/1bRhG81.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/BovO2Lt.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/tTjaPLr.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/hvpSaqc.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/zth8JOs.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/NSaVGHl.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/L5IeFJm.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/68q0opx.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/3pB7hMX.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/C58DPtP.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/ZEhNDnP.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/R5Y1LmT.jpeg

I watched 83 feature films (plus 4 short films) this month. My top 5 favourite first time viewings were:

5. Casualties of War (1989)
4. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
3. Scream VI (2023)
2. May (2002)
1. Blaze Starr Goes Nudist (1962)

Rookie numbers eh. Well, I tend not to watch too many movies so that the novelty of watching them continues on. I do not spend all of my free time watching pictures on screen, since I have a life to live.

This is probably Mr. Minio being an expert movie viewer:
https://images.paramount.tech/uri/mg...=506&crop=true

Nailed it!

Where can you see this? Asking for a friend.

Nope, this is Mr. Minio being an expert movie viewer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGSjr3Uhe4
You guys didn't know that?

I watched it on blu ray as part of the Doris Wishman:The Daylight Years box set. There are three different Doris Wishman box sets and I would recommend them all. Have you seen any Doris Wishman films?

Nah, but I hope to see Deadly Weapons and A Night to Dismember some day. I've heard good things.

Little Big Man (1970) -

This is how you do episodic films. Instead of introducing numerous characters, giving you half an hour or less to get to know them, and having them leave the film altogether, this film instead provides splice-like vignettes into their personalities at different points in the film. You get to watch as they change throughout the film and, given the handful of characters it focuses on and the various years the film encompasses, it has a fairly large scope and is very pleasing to watch. Though I'm still fairly young, I've had a handful of instances where I ran into my childhood friends after being separated from them for a handful of years, so this makes Jack's experiences all the more lived-in. Granted, this would be moot if the characters were dull, but given the wide range of colorful characters we're exposed to (his conflicts with General Custer and Younger Bear and his friendships with Old Lodge Skins, Meriwether, and Wild Bill Hickok are the standouts), it remains memorable from start to finish.

The Quiet Earth (1985) -

When it's not depicting the consequences of alienation and the effects it has on the human psyche, , it has a mysterious undercurrent of ambiguity regarding the cause and significance of the "red light" and is topped with a memorable final scene to ponder over long after watching the film. Knowing this film had its critics here and there, I wasn't sure how I'd respond to it, but it really left an impact on me and I'd definitely rank it among my favorite science fiction films in an instant. It seems like it should just be your typical low-key flick, yet it's about so much and is far more complex and interesting than it has the right to be.

Entranced Earth (1967) -

While watching this, I kept on going back and forth between a 4 and a 4.5 before I finally settled on a 4.5. Like Rocha's Black God, White Devil, which I watched a year or two ago, I didn't quite follow everything which went on and somewhat struggled to keep up with the plot. The more of this I watched, however, the more impressed I was with various stylistic touches such as the narration taking on a ghostly feel (the camerawork helps in that regard), various scenes appearing to occur in between Paulo's head and reality, and the film maintaining a dream-like atmosphere at numerous points. The film also captures the blindness of the masses towards accepting the false promises of political figures, and how this blind faith is a pattern which repeats itself over and over again. Thematically, it's interesting, but stylistically, it hits a number of my sweet spots really well and I definitely intend on rewatching it later this year to see if my appreciation of it goes up or down.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) -

This is another film where I kept going back and forth between a 4 and a 4.5 before finally settling on a 4.5. Part of my appreciation for this film was the level of suspense I felt over what James' outcome would be given how much sympathy I felt for him (I also wasn't sure whether the film was made under the Hays code or not and my uncertainty there added an extra layer of suspense). The film also blew me away by the chain gang scenes themselves. I can only imagine how shocking those scenes must've been when this film was released. Seeing the prisoners subjected to physical labor, emotional and physical abuse, and being treated as less than human...it tells you all you need to know about the issues with chain gangs. If the entire film consisted of the prisoners being mistreated, I might not have been into it as much, but fortunately, these scenes only take up about a third of the film. LeRoy provides different methods of criticizing chain gangs aside from just showing the prisoners being mistreated and those scenes come with their own set of teeth as well. Heck, even the quieter scenes maintained a fair bit of tension and the ending was rather surprising. Overall, it's a highly suspenseful and striking film from start to finish and I imagine it will linger with me for quite a while.

The Red Angel (1966) -

Coming from the point of view of the country at risk of losing the war and tinged with a sense of fatalism, this is the kind of story which could've been wall to wall misery porn if the wrong director were put in charge of it. Fortunately, its emotional register turned out to be far more oblique than I expected it would. The portrayals of the characters finding solace from their desperate situations by getting as much out of their relationships with each other as possible resonated really well with me. Though you might not be able to control your fate, the least you can do is attempt to alleviate your fears of meeting it. This aspect isn't glossed over, nor does it overshadow the depressing parts of the film. The film instead does a good job at balancing hope and despair. Even the Stockholm syndrome bits don't feel problematic since the desperation of the characters are made as clear as day.

I also gave a to Camera Makes Whoopee and Invocation of my Demon Brother. Short films are a bit difficult for me to discuss, but I'd give a strong recommendation to those films as well.

Also, Snow's Wavelength is now my 6th favorite film of all time (I rewatched it this month). Surprised nobody has judged me for that opinion yet.

So yeah, this is currently my favorite month for movies this year. I've yet to give a 10/10 to a first time watch though.

I watched a lot of great films in March - I had no idea I'd crammed so much in. The top 10 of films I've watched in March consists of Beasts of the Southern Wild, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and The Double Life of Véronique, Jules and Jim, E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial, The Long Goodbye, Death at a Funeral, Thieves Like Us, Climax and The Harder They Come.

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Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Ok, now for April.

So as for April, I have seen fewer movies by myself in order to cure a problem of mine. I felt like movies were losing their luster for me after having watched so many of them in March, but here are all of the movies:

Cabaret(second viewing)
The Sound of Music
Aguirre the Wrath of God
Lazes Melita(Yugoslavian miniseries)
The Wicker Man
In A Lonely Place

Like February, I kind of struggle to say which one my favorite was, but I liked the new experience of watching a Yugoslavian miniseries. The video did not provide subtitles, so I had to comprehend it through what I saw on screen, but I found it quite interesting. There was electronic music playing in the background, and the characters on that show were very eccentric. Can you recommend me some other foreign miniseries(no Scenes From A Marriage, Berlin, 8 Hours, Fanny and Alexander, Dekalog, etc)?

However, as for feature-length films(not miniseries), I am currently interested in The Wicker Man having been interested in the British lately. I was horrified to see that downer ending and was hoping that the inspector protagonist would survive the sacrifice, but it is one of those bad endings that at least have a ray of hope to it.

The Sound of Music was great as a movie. I already knew all of the songs having actually seen the show at a school once. I watched this at 11pm and was impressed to have sat through the film all the way through without tiredness despite the length of this film.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

The Searchers was my favorite April first time watch.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

I watched 72 films during April.

My favourite first time watches:
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (2023)
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (2023)
Mermaids (1990)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Stop the Wedding (2016)

Worst watches of the month:
Invasion From Inner Earth (1973)
Nude Bowling Party (1995)
Monster a Go-Go (1965)

Favourite rewatches:
Sons of the Desert (1933)
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)

The Banshees of Inisherin


Runner up is probably La Flor or The Murder of Mr Devil

First: Suzume theatrically
Rewatch: Akira on UHD

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

John Woo's The Killer

Hey buddy do you work at home or something? I can not even reach a third of that number.

The Horse Thief (1986) -

I knew almost nothing about this film or its director upon going it, but by the end, I was blown away. After about 20 minutes, I stopped paying attention to the story and focused instead on the mysticism of the whole affair. Zhuangzhuang crafts so many memorable scenes of religious and cultural rituals, including sacrifices and funerals, and these scenes are directed in the most mysterious way possible. Whether you're referring to the layered sound design which is full of haunting drones, mantras, and music choices, the visually striking cinematography which has a handful of striking set pieces, contrasts vibrant colors against endless grass hills, or pares cross-dissolves with the photography, this film is so aesthetically in my wheelhouse I just have to love it. Even the more grounded scenes are shot and framed very well and make for a nice bridge in between the mystical scenes. With that being said, I'm surprised I ultimately decided not to give this film a perfect rating. I think this was due to a slight disconnect I began to feel towards the end since the film was counting on me being more invested in the characters than I actually was. Which isn't to say I didn't care about the characters at all, but focusing most of my attention on the stylistic elements didn't exactly do the ending much favors. Still though, it's a great film and I'll definitely keep an eye out for Zhuangzhuang's other films.

Sherman's March (1985) -

With maybe the exception of American Movie, this is my favorite documentary about the act of making a film. To say that Ross McElwee is unfocused though would be an understatement. Though he intended for the film to be about Sherman's March to the Sea, the historical events of Sherman comprise so little of the film. What we mainly get are his failed romances with various women he encounters while filming. Every time he's able to record some footage relevant to Sherman, life gets in his way and disrupts his plans time and time again. As a result, the repetition of the film's narrative structure recalls La Dolce Vita. Like Marcello, Ross seems trapped in a never ending cycle of forming relationships, but with so many of them turning out short-lived and unsuccessful, he keeps coming out of them unfulfilled and back at square one. The more one watches the film, the less it seems like he's enjoying himself so much as it feels like he's trapped in a prolonged mid-life crisis. One which is exacerbated by the constant urges of his friends and family members to help him get married. Though he can get obsessive from time to time, his rising desperation seems to stem from his endless stream of misfortunes and, regardless of how much you vibe with his behavior, it's hard not to feel at least a bit of sympathy for him. This all culminates in what may be the most laughably pathetic and painful ending I've ever seen in a film. In spite of the intensity of emotion I felt from it though, a slight undercurrent of hope still bubbled underneath the surface which I've been unable to shake since watching the film.

Breaking Away (1979) -

Not the kind of film I have much interest in writing much about, but while I tend to enjoy most high school dramas from a distance (though this one is technically post-high school), films about slackers who aren't sure what to do with their futures tend to gel with me and this one was no exception. Conveying the boredom and the desire of the characters to break free from their situations by way of a summer hangout vibe makes for a really moving film. The reputation of the main characters amongst the students at a local college makes for some memorable scenes, the climactic bike race is equal parts compelling and suspenseful since, due to it being one of the only things Dave is passionate about in the film, you get the sense that Dave's outcome in the race may affect his future, and the ending legit put a smile on my face.

I also watched The Pendulum, The Pit and Hope and really enjoyed it. I'm not the best at reviewing short films, but I found it highly atmospheric, both which the blend of live action and stop motion and the first person perspective camera. It might be my favorite Svankmajer short film.

Overall, this is a pretty good year for films so far, but I've yet to give out any 10/10 ratings to first-time watches as of now and the year is already 1/3 of the way over. Maybe May will change that.

My Best of April : Phantom of the Paradise, 3 Women and Fiddler on the Roof. I obviously miss the 70s a lot.

Great watches also : Resurrection was a pretty good new film, I caught up with Evil Dead again, and A Single Man. I have to mention Smoke and Dolemite is my Name - both first-time watches. The King and I impressed me greatly, overlooking certain aspects. Then there's Children of Men, The Bridges of Madison County, Interiors and Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson.

Honorable mentions must go to The Duellists, The Truman Show, Gone Baby Gone, Beavis and Butt-Head do America, Jim & Andy : The Great Beyond, Wall Street, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and Broker.

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No, I work in an office, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:30 pm. I watch movies on the weekend and after work.

April top 3


The Quiet Girl
Barefoot Gen
Fires on the Plain

The Killing Fields: Had one of those months with a ton of solid viewings but no new watches that really stand out above the rest. Killing Fields was closest. Powerful and emotional war drama. Well done on every level. Even has an outside chance at my war list, although I think it will probably just miss.

The Killing was good. 4.5/5.

I also watched it this month. It was very good.

Yes sir. Watched that in Feb or March. My favorite viewing of the year so far. Great flick.

April '23:

Devil in a Blue Dress - Engaging and atmospheric post-WWII neo-noir starring Denzel Washington and featuring a stunning Jennifer Beals.

Ernest & Celestine - Charming and funny French animated movie about a misfit mouse and bear who become best buds.

The Mission (1999) - Stylish Johnnie To thriller about five bodyguards who bond against their better judgement as they protect a gang leader.

Re: Favorite Viewing of The Month?
 

Its a tough one, its between Dungeons & Dragons and Evil Dead Rise... I would have to go Evil Dead Rise as its one hell of a rollercoaster ride!

:laugh: I've seen 76 *in the year*!

Hey I saw that one in January, I actually prefer it over Breathless and is a good example of a vibrant and sexy 60s French movie. Breathless was even said to be on the Telly in one scene.

Two very different movies but both became my new favorites.

觸目驚心 [Insanity] (1993)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLyNNH8zNG8

I Remember Mama (1948)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_GptutzTOQ

Fiddler On The Roof:

Not my favorite viewing of the year so far, but definitely my most surprising. Really love the story and cinematography. The lead performance will stick as one of my favorites ever I believe. Really endearing character, and acted perfectly. Great flick.