A bit of honorable mention for two of the ones that didn't make it:
firstly, Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
I knew for a FACT there was NO WAY this was going to show up but, also, for the amount of love I have and the huge amount of rewatches, it would have been a crime NOT to put it on my list.
Kung Fu Hustle is an excellent comedic Tip of the Hat to the old Kung Fu films of the Seventies with a few references to other films as well. With some great physical comedy that I will burst out laughing to every single time I watch this, it is also a film that I purposely go with the Dubbed version simply because the dialogue is funnier than the subtitled.
Stephen Chow is solid as the inept gangster wannabe that, like a lot of old flicks becomes a Master.
It's tongue-in-cheek and reverence to the old genre mixed beautifully together and just ALL KINDS of fun!!
Next, Pickpocket (1959)
Pickpocket (1959) This as been my introduction to Robert Bresson and it's got me pretty excited to explore even more of his work.
Michel, a young man who lives in squalor, with a superior indifference for "normal life", has become a pickpocket. To the disappointment of his best friend, Jacques, and to Jeanne, a caring neighbor of his dying mother. As well as the Police Inspector who suspects him and continually follows him in an attempt to catch him in the act.
What I found captivating, or rather, the multiple aspects that resulted in my captivation is the sheer genius of a minimalist director who so successfully creates suspense without the usual "tricks" of the trade, such as an intense musical score to provoke emotions or even an intensity in the characters' actions and emotions. Instead, using very clever camera angles and close-ups of the pickpocketing. Speaking of, Bresson also incorporates a few lessons and thereby, bringing a technical deftness to Michel's growing craft, that adds to the suspense of every time his hand slips into someone's purse, their coat jacket, or takes hold of someone's wrist to steal their watch.
While one could argue that the lack of emotion of the characters may be seen as a negative, it does add, for me, an additional layer to the emotional distance that grows wider with every scene between Michel and his friends as he goes deeper and deeper into his new livelihood.
A truly exceptional film that creates far more with incredibly far less than many films of this genre.
Movies Seen: 52 of 98 (53.06%)
1. Severely doubt it
2. Amélie (2001) #18
3. Shoplifters (2018) #72
4. Rome, Open City (1945) #93
5. Rififi (1955) #76
6. Army of Shadows (1969) #90
7. The Cranes are Flying (1957) #28
8. Yojimbo (1961) #42
9. Parasite (2019) #3
10. Not gonna happen
11. Harakiri (1962) #37
12. Le Samouraï (1967) #30
13. Samurai Rebellion (1967) #79
14. Rashomon (1950) #13
15. Pan's Labyrinth #91
16. Pickpocket (1959)
17. The 400 Blows (1959) #35
18. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
19. Paprika (2006) #100
20. La dolce vita (1960) #27
21. High and Low (1963) #41
22. Late Spring (1949) #26
23. Oldboy (2003) #21
24. Wild Strawberries (1957) #33
25. In This Corner of the World (2016) One Pointer
Rectification List
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) #43[/quote]
firstly, Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
I knew for a FACT there was NO WAY this was going to show up but, also, for the amount of love I have and the huge amount of rewatches, it would have been a crime NOT to put it on my list.
Kung Fu Hustle is an excellent comedic Tip of the Hat to the old Kung Fu films of the Seventies with a few references to other films as well. With some great physical comedy that I will burst out laughing to every single time I watch this, it is also a film that I purposely go with the Dubbed version simply because the dialogue is funnier than the subtitled.
Stephen Chow is solid as the inept gangster wannabe that, like a lot of old flicks becomes a Master.
It's tongue-in-cheek and reverence to the old genre mixed beautifully together and just ALL KINDS of fun!!
Next, Pickpocket (1959)
Pickpocket (1959) This as been my introduction to Robert Bresson and it's got me pretty excited to explore even more of his work.
Michel, a young man who lives in squalor, with a superior indifference for "normal life", has become a pickpocket. To the disappointment of his best friend, Jacques, and to Jeanne, a caring neighbor of his dying mother. As well as the Police Inspector who suspects him and continually follows him in an attempt to catch him in the act.
What I found captivating, or rather, the multiple aspects that resulted in my captivation is the sheer genius of a minimalist director who so successfully creates suspense without the usual "tricks" of the trade, such as an intense musical score to provoke emotions or even an intensity in the characters' actions and emotions. Instead, using very clever camera angles and close-ups of the pickpocketing. Speaking of, Bresson also incorporates a few lessons and thereby, bringing a technical deftness to Michel's growing craft, that adds to the suspense of every time his hand slips into someone's purse, their coat jacket, or takes hold of someone's wrist to steal their watch.
While one could argue that the lack of emotion of the characters may be seen as a negative, it does add, for me, an additional layer to the emotional distance that grows wider with every scene between Michel and his friends as he goes deeper and deeper into his new livelihood.
A truly exceptional film that creates far more with incredibly far less than many films of this genre.
Movies Seen: 52 of 98 (53.06%)
1. Severely doubt it
2. Amélie (2001) #18
3. Shoplifters (2018) #72
4. Rome, Open City (1945) #93
5. Rififi (1955) #76
6. Army of Shadows (1969) #90
7. The Cranes are Flying (1957) #28
8. Yojimbo (1961) #42
9. Parasite (2019) #3
10. Not gonna happen
11. Harakiri (1962) #37
12. Le Samouraï (1967) #30
13. Samurai Rebellion (1967) #79
14. Rashomon (1950) #13
15. Pan's Labyrinth #91
16. Pickpocket (1959)
17. The 400 Blows (1959) #35
18. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
19. Paprika (2006) #100
20. La dolce vita (1960) #27
21. High and Low (1963) #41
22. Late Spring (1949) #26
23. Oldboy (2003) #21
24. Wild Strawberries (1957) #33
25. In This Corner of the World (2016) One Pointer
Rectification List
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) #43[/quote]
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio