Ah, I forgot we have differing rating scales. 3 is OK but not great for me. 3+ is a bit above average.
Movie a Day by the Bay
You're watching a lot of highly impressive films as of late, Swan.
Anything less than for Ran is too low, in my opinion. It's my second favorite Kurosawa after Seven Samurai, although I still have a lot of his films left to watch.
La Strada is also excellent. It's much more accessible than the other Fellini films I've seen, so I think it's a good starting point for viewers who are just beginning to explore his filmography.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is neck and neck with Greed as the best silent film I've seen. All three of those -- Ran, La Strada and Sunrise -- would likely make my top 100.
I was also a little underwhelmed by High Noon, although it had nothing to do with the acting. I hear people lob that criticism at a lot of performances in films that are different from their norm, whether it's classic Hollywood or Japanese cinema or whatever. The different acting styles have never bothered me personally. I know I'm not going to see Brando-esque method acting in a silent film, for instance, nor would such a performance work in that format. There's nothing wrong with preferring certain styles, but it's always seemed silly to me to criticize the style of acting in a film, especially when it's suited perfectly for the time period or culture, just because it's different from what the viewer is accustomed to seeing in modern cinema. I mean, the style of directing is different, too. And the music. And the sets. And the opening credits. And the hairstyles. And the special effects. . .
Not that you're guilty of that kind of thinking just because you didn't care for the performances in High Noon. I mean, you love plenty of classic horror films with hokey acting. I'm just typing stuff right now. It's almost five o'clock in the morning. Sexy kicked me out the bedroom. Can I crash with you tonight?
Anything less than for Ran is too low, in my opinion. It's my second favorite Kurosawa after Seven Samurai, although I still have a lot of his films left to watch.
La Strada is also excellent. It's much more accessible than the other Fellini films I've seen, so I think it's a good starting point for viewers who are just beginning to explore his filmography.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is neck and neck with Greed as the best silent film I've seen. All three of those -- Ran, La Strada and Sunrise -- would likely make my top 100.
I was also a little underwhelmed by High Noon, although it had nothing to do with the acting. I hear people lob that criticism at a lot of performances in films that are different from their norm, whether it's classic Hollywood or Japanese cinema or whatever. The different acting styles have never bothered me personally. I know I'm not going to see Brando-esque method acting in a silent film, for instance, nor would such a performance work in that format. There's nothing wrong with preferring certain styles, but it's always seemed silly to me to criticize the style of acting in a film, especially when it's suited perfectly for the time period or culture, just because it's different from what the viewer is accustomed to seeing in modern cinema. I mean, the style of directing is different, too. And the music. And the sets. And the opening credits. And the hairstyles. And the special effects. . .
Not that you're guilty of that kind of thinking just because you didn't care for the performances in High Noon. I mean, you love plenty of classic horror films with hokey acting. I'm just typing stuff right now. It's almost five o'clock in the morning. Sexy kicked me out the bedroom. Can I crash with you tonight?
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I was also a little underwhelmed by High Noon, although it had nothing to do with the acting. I hear people lob that criticism at a lot of performances in films that are different from their norm, whether it's classic Hollywood or Japanese cinema or whatever. The different acting styles have never bothered me personally. I know I'm not going to see Brando-esque method acting in a silent film, for instance, nor would such a performance work in that format. There's nothing wrong with preferring certain styles, but it's always seemed silly to me to criticize the style of acting in a film, especially when it's suited perfectly for the time period or culture, just because it's different from what the viewer is accustomed to seeing in modern cinema. I mean, the style of directing is different, too. And the music. And the sets. And the opening credits. And the hairstyles. And the special effects. . .
Not that you're guilty of that kind of thinking just because you didn't care for the performances in High Noon. I mean, you love plenty of classic horror films with hokey acting. I'm just typing stuff right now. It's almost five o'clock in the morning. Sexy kicked me out the bedroom. Can I crash with you tonight?
Not that you're guilty of that kind of thinking just because you didn't care for the performances in High Noon. I mean, you love plenty of classic horror films with hokey acting. I'm just typing stuff right now. It's almost five o'clock in the morning. Sexy kicked me out the bedroom. Can I crash with you tonight?
I mean, guys, I'm not an idiot who doesn't realize it's a different acting style. That's the whole reason I even wrote about it in my write-up, I felt it was weird that the acting came off as hokey when I've never had that problem before. Like I said, I used to love this type of stuff. Had I watched High Noon when I was 16 I probably would have loved it.
I really liked Fantastic Voyage. I think it's about the only Raquel Welch film I can really watch. Everytime I watch it I think how much fun the set designers and dressers must've had with it. There's lots of reasons to not like it much but, as usual, most of those are the reasons I really like it.

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Looks like you have seen some awesome flicks there Swan. I LOVE the fact that you are getting more into Kurosawa! I HIGHLY recommend Seven Samurai if you like Ran and Rashomon. You however know my feelings on Naked. 
Was not a big fan of La Strada but it is the movie of Fellini's I liked the most. Then again I am not a Fellini fan.

Was not a big fan of La Strada but it is the movie of Fellini's I liked the most. Then again I am not a Fellini fan.
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Looks like you have seen some awesome flicks there Swan. I LOVE the fact that you are getting more into Kurosawa! I HIGHLY recommend Seven Samurai if you like Ran and Rashomon. You however know my feelings on Naked. 
Was not a big fan of La Strada but it is the movie of Fellini's I liked the most. Then again I am not a Fellini fan.

Was not a big fan of La Strada but it is the movie of Fellini's I liked the most. Then again I am not a Fellini fan.
Seven Samurai is great, but I've only seen it once. I've been wanting to rewatch it since I rewatched Rashomon, but the length keeps me from getting to that.
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I mean, guys, I'm not an idiot who doesn't realize it's a different acting style. That's the whole reason I even wrote about it in my write-up, I felt it was weird that the acting came off as hokey when I've never had that problem before. Like I said, I used to love this type of stuff. Had I watched High Noon when I was 16 I probably would have loved it.
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February 28, 2015:
Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972) -
[REWATCH]

Water, dogs, philosophical pondering. This movie has a lot of Tarkovsky staples. What I consider my favorite Tarkovsky is constantly changing, but right now I’m feeling Solaris. It resonates with me deeply and is beautifully crafted.
[REWATCH]

Water, dogs, philosophical pondering. This movie has a lot of Tarkovsky staples. What I consider my favorite Tarkovsky is constantly changing, but right now I’m feeling Solaris. It resonates with me deeply and is beautifully crafted.
Last edited by Swan; 03-03-15 at 01:04 AM.
March 1, 2015:
Con Air (Simon West, 1997) -

Stupid but still a f*cking riot. I cracked up more than a few times. I didn't love it but I certainly get the charm and can see why others do.
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) - +
[REWATCH]

Not my favorite Argento but still a great one.

Stupid but still a f*cking riot. I cracked up more than a few times. I didn't love it but I certainly get the charm and can see why others do.
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) - +
[REWATCH]

Not my favorite Argento but still a great one.
Last edited by Swan; 03-03-15 at 04:27 AM.
March 2, 2015:
The Match Factory Girl (Aki Kaurismäki, 1990) -

Spoilers ahead.
I can see this having influenced a lot of other movies, most of them horror, including one I just saw - Alyce Kills. Although, I suspect the "girl goes crazy and murders people" concept may have been done even before this. This is a very bleak movie. The girl just got humiliated time after time and you really feel for her. Then she goes crazy. Awesome.

Spoilers ahead.
I can see this having influenced a lot of other movies, most of them horror, including one I just saw - Alyce Kills. Although, I suspect the "girl goes crazy and murders people" concept may have been done even before this. This is a very bleak movie. The girl just got humiliated time after time and you really feel for her. Then she goes crazy. Awesome.
M. Hulot's Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953) -

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Weirdly atmospheric in a comedic way, I've read this film called "subtle slapstick," which makes sense when you watch it. I liked it, I can definitely see a lot of influence both ways - Tati was obviously influenced by the likes of Buster Keaton, but I can also see how Tati himself has influenced so many after him. I did feel it's length at times, but I felt it was the work of a burgeoning genius, and I suspect that genius will really shine for me with Playtime.

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Weirdly atmospheric in a comedic way, I've read this film called "subtle slapstick," which makes sense when you watch it. I liked it, I can definitely see a lot of influence both ways - Tati was obviously influenced by the likes of Buster Keaton, but I can also see how Tati himself has influenced so many after him. I did feel it's length at times, but I felt it was the work of a burgeoning genius, and I suspect that genius will really shine for me with Playtime.
Looks like you've been watching a good, diverse selection of films here, Swan. Looks great, keep it up!
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is too low for Con Air. It has all the punchlines of corny 90s action in a 2-hour hell of a ride. Yeah if taken seriously my rating would be the same as yours but it shouldn't. I rank it as my second favorite pure action film behind Die Hard.

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March 3, 2015:
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) - +
[REWATCH]

Loved this movie growing up but it's lost a bit of steam for me. Still very good, classic Hitch.
Raise the Red Lantern (Yimou Zhang, 1991) -

I think I have writer's block because I've been blanking lately about what to say in these write-ups. I have no complaints here - this was a thoroughly engaging piece of cinema - but I have nothing especially interesting to say about it either.
[REWATCH]

Loved this movie growing up but it's lost a bit of steam for me. Still very good, classic Hitch.
Raise the Red Lantern (Yimou Zhang, 1991) -

I think I have writer's block because I've been blanking lately about what to say in these write-ups. I have no complaints here - this was a thoroughly engaging piece of cinema - but I have nothing especially interesting to say about it either.