Daniel's Film Notebook

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Instead of posting in the movie tab every now and again I thought it would be a good idea to create a thread for myself where I not only share ratings of films, but also other movie related thoughts and tidbits, and hopefully get some good discussion going too.

Not formal enough to be a proper review thread, more a notebook where I share my film experiences with you through various ramblings. I'll try and update this often, when I watch a film and feel like I have something to say. I'll probably be sharing quite a view lists and going over directors as well as just single films. I love sharing my thoughts with people and creating discussions, and this will encourage that and stop me from just posting a list of ratings at the end of each month like I do sometimes.

Again this is going to be mainly informal ramblings, so I can't promise great writing and in-depth reviews, but hopefully we can have some good discussions. I might also share some interest articles, videos I come across online, and also some stuff about my own actual film shooting and that. This thread is kind of inspired by people's top ten directors threads and own reviews threads, so this is like a hybrid.

So my first entry...

Rio Bravo and my love for Howard Hawks

I went out last night as it was a bank holiday weekend. Spent too much and drank too much, so today I've been mainly recovering, and I noticed that TCM had Rio Bravo on, so of course I watched it. I think it's probably my fourth full viewing, but I've seen it in parts even more.



I actually bought a framed poster type of thing for the film recently. It's a film I consider to be one of my very favourites. I think I first watched it probably because of Tarantino's praise for it, when I was getting into films his opinion meant a lot and I tried to check out whatever he recommended. I thought it was great back then, and I think it was in the top 30 of my first ever top 100, but back then I had knew nothing of the great director Howard Hawks, really.

Earlier this year I watched a lot of films from Hawks, and I now consider him to be one of my favourite directors. I also love that a lot of other members here seem to be watching more of his films over the past year, and I hope that when it comes around that Rio Bravo will do really well in the Fifties countdown.

Watching it today only further strengthens my thoughts towards it, a masterpiece of cinema. I love the laid back feel of the whole thing, through watching more of his works I've discovered how Hawks loves to create pictures about companionship and masculinity, there's always a leisurely feel about his films with nothing flashy about his direction, mainly medium shots and cuts only when they're needed. Despite the humour there's always a darkness luring and the characters come to prove themselves through their actions, often through violence.

A few weeks ago I watched The Big Sky late night on TV when I was staying with my grandparents. Another great Hawks film that once again focuses on masculinity through violence. I think the most unusual thing about it is how it uses its landscape to emphasis the darkness looming over the characters. I also think the black and white photography of Only Angels Have Wings goes quite a long way in creating a mysterious mythical atmosphere that seems to consume the characters.

Here's how I would rank Howard Hawks' films, approximately:

  1. Rio Bravo
  2. Only Angels Have Wings
  3. Ceiling Zero
  4. El Dorado
  5. His Girl Friday
  6. Hatari!
  7. The Big Sky
  8. The Big Sleep
  9. Scarface
  10. Red River
  11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  12. Bringing Up Baby
  13. Rio Lobo

Although the rankings don't mean much, as I think they're pretty much great, except for Rio Lobo. I watched that film the other week too, on TCM, and whilst I still enjoyed it, it felt like a pale imitation of Rio Bravo. El Dorado surprised me with just how great it was, Mitchum and Caan were brilliant, and in terms of laughs I found it to be a really funny screenplay, Rio Lobo's supporting cast was all weak and there was nothing memorable about it, I thought the beginning and end scenes were the best parts.

Also, I just remembered that my brother recently bought Rio Bravo on Blu-ray (part of a Westerns collection), he loves the film too, although he hasn't seen many other Howard Hawks films. You'll notice I ranked Ceiling Zero really high on the list, I actually bought that on DVD earlier on this year when I was on my Hawks spree. I noticed it was hard to get and the copy I have is a French DVD with the title "Brumes" actually, but it's a perfectly fine copy. Not many people seem to have seen it but I think it's one of his best, it feels more intimate and personal. Like Only Angels Have Wings it focusses on flying, masculinity through these high risk jobs, friendship, honour etc., in both films the endings are extremely sad and moving, throughout there is an impending feeling of doom that comes with the joy of these men enjoying themselves.

What has everyone else seen from Howard Hawks? What are your favourite films of his? Is Rio Bravo a favourite of yours and do you see it doing well on the Fifties list?

As for the future I know I really need to see Monkey Business and To Have and Have Not which I know are favourites of bluedeed and Cobpyth. It was actually a while ago since I had my Hawks spree, and I know I've posted about him a lot before, but I felt the need to again after today. I'll probably do a couple of small posts soon about Naruse, Kurosawa and Miyazaki, who I've watched a few films of recently.
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Master of My Domain
I love Rio Bravo, and you probably remember me giving it 5 popcorns on the Rate the Last Movie you Saw thread. Basically I thought everything about it was perfect. For me to like a film it needs (1) keep my eyes glued to the screen the entire time (2) not have too many generic shot/close-ups, and (3) the characters, especially the supporting ones that added up create a massive amount of synergy, contributing to the overall tone of the film. Rio Bravo does all that. It's so laid back, confident, and energetic in it's approach that you can't help but enjoy it.



This could turn into one of my favorite threads if you keep it active. I have enormous respect for your taste in films and I always enjoy reading your thoughts on films and directors. Unfortunately, it seems like there's been a lot less of that this year, which is understandable given how much work goes into preparing a countdown and making your own film and attending classes and having a life. But I miss these excellent Daniel M posts that seem so rare nowadays.

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Rio Bravo. It will be #1 or #2 on my 50's list. I love westerns and I love movies with a strong hang-out vibe. Rio Bravo represents the perfect marriage of those two qualities. The plot is interesting and entertaining, but it takes a backseat to the character interactions, which is what makes Rio Bravo so infinitely re-watchable for me. The scene where Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" is one of my favorite moments in cinema. I could watch that scene on an endless loop.

My personal rankings for Hawks:
1.) Rio Bravo
2.) His Girl Friday
3.) The Big Sleep
4.) Red River
5.) Monkey Business
6.) Only Angels Have Wings
7.) To Have and Have Not
8.) Bringing Up Baby
9.) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
10.) Scarface
11.) Ball of Fire
12.) Rio Lobo

Rio Bravo, His Girl Friday and The Big Sleep are all Top 100 material for me. I need to re-visit Red River. For the majority of the movie I thought I was watching one of my new favorite films only to have it completely unravel and fall apart down the stretch. I was so let down by the last act that it tarnished all the greatness that had preceded it. Now that I know the ending, though, I think it's possible that I could be more forgiving on a re-watch and still come to love it. The premise of Monkey Business feels like something from an old sitcom, but I found myself laughing quite a bit. Certainly more than I do during Bringing Up Baby, which is more amusing than funny. Only Angels Have Wings and To Have and Have Not are great, but it's been a few years since I last watched them. I've liked everything I've seen from Hawks except for Rio Lobo. There's still a lot I've yet to see, so I'm looking forward to exploring more of his filmography. He's certainly one of my favorite directors from that time period.
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This could turn into one of my favorite threads if you keep it active. I have enormous respect for your taste in films and I always enjoy reading your thoughts on films and directors. Unfortunately, it seems like there's been a lot less of that this year, which is understandable given how much work goes into preparing a countdown and making your own film and attending classes and having a life. But I miss these excellent Daniel M posts that seem so rare nowadays.
Thanks. I definitely haven't been as active and haven't wrote as many detailed posts as I would have liked to over the past year. I have still been watching a lot of films and giving them ratings, I wanted to get back to writing stuff but not go full-commitment in reviving a review thread, so hopefully this will provide a useful platform for informal though-sharing where I can review films, directors, posts lists and other tidbits and enjoy conversation with others, so thank you for the detailed reply

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Rio Bravo. It will be #1 or #2 on my 50's list. I love westerns and I love movies with a strong hang-out vibe. Rio Bravo represents the perfect marriage of those two qualities. The plot is interesting and entertaining, but it takes a backseat to the character interactions, which is what makes Rio Bravo so infinitely re-watchable for me. The scene where Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" is one of my favorite moments in cinema. I could watch that scene on an endless loop.
Certainly. My brother has become obsessed with the film too thanks for me, he's started listening to the music of Dean Martin and almost every day now I hear him playing his songs through his new speakers. As I mentioned in the first post my last watch of Rio Bravo was on TV, I still haven't deleted it from the "planner" so I can occasionally stick it on just to watch that scene as I blast it through the house for the rest of my family to hear

If you look here I included a little something to show the love for my film, in my own film - http://www.movieforums.com/community...73#post1380573

My personal rankings for Hawks:
1.) Rio Bravo
2.) His Girl Friday
3.) The Big Sleep
4.) Red River
5.) Monkey Business
6.) Only Angels Have Wings
7.) To Have and Have Not
8.) Bringing Up Baby
9.) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
10.) Scarface
11.) Ball of Fire
12.) Rio Lobo

Rio Bravo, His Girl Friday and The Big Sleep are all Top 100 material for me. I need to re-visit Red River. For the majority of the movie I thought I was watching one of my new favorite films only to have it completely unravel and fall apart down the stretch. I was so let down by the last act that it tarnished all the greatness that had preceded it. Now that I know the ending, though, I think it's possible that I could be more forgiving on a re-watch and still come to love it.
I agree wholeheartedly hear. I thought it was an excellent film, I think it's one of John Wayne's best performances, I really felt the tension of the journey, the whole thing is photographed beautifully and there's fantastic suspense built up. I was not sure how it would all end, and thought both character's would live, but I was left feeling let down after the ending too. But yeah, I've only seen it once too and I might like it more on further viewings.

I think most of the Hawks films I listed in the first post could make my top 100. I must repeat my recommendation of the little-seen Ceiling Zero, it feels smaller and more personal in some ways, but just as epic as some of Hawks' other works too. When I watched it I felt like I had seen a treasure that the majority of film watchers haven't discovered yet.

From your list I can't wait for Monkey Business and To Have and Have Not, as I also mentioned in the first post. I think the first is bluedeed's favourite comedy from Hawks, and I've heard there's a great acid trip seen or something, to me the idea of seeing Grant and Monroe together is exciting enough.

The premise of Monkey Business feels like something from an old sitcom, but I found myself laughing quite a bit. Certainly more than I do during Bringing Up Baby, which is more amusing than funny. Only Angels Have Wings and To Have and Have Not are great, but it's been a few years since I last watched them. I've liked everything I've seen from Hawks except for Rio Lobo. There's still a lot I've yet to see, so I'm looking forward to exploring more of his filmography. He's certainly one of my favorite directors from that time period.
Also agree on Bringing Up Baby. For His Girl Friday I found myself laughing out loud a lot, the humour was really clever and sensible, then in Bringing Up Baby I found myself laughing at just how outrageous some of it was, how serious it took itself yet how ridiculous the idea of having this leopard wandering around was.



Wow, you consider Hatari! to be a better movie than Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Interesting...
Yes. A few people seem to be surprised by the quite high ranking of the former and relatively low ranking of the latter, but I definitely think that Hatari! is the better film.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes seems to be one of the most famous films in Hawks body of work but I think that its one of the least Hawksian films, and there are a whole bunch of much more interesting films that are better than it. I still think it's a very good film, very fun at times, Monroe is great and it his her famously singing "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" but I don't think there's too much to make it stand out as a masterpiece beyond these iconic scenes. I think without Monroe and this song, it's place in popular culture would be lesser. Again, not to say I don't think it's a very good film, but I just don't think it's a masterpiece like some people hail it.

Hatari! on the other hand, people seem to be like, "why do you like this silly zoo movie so much?" but I think anyone who is familiar with Hawks style (especially Rio Bravo) should absolutely love this film. He creates an enviromental filled with male characters enjoying banter and showing their masculinity through their professions, there's lots of great humour, some of the animal scenes are absolutely amazingly shot and there's a real sense of life-and-death awe much like his flying films, and then there's a Hawksian female too. I think the only think that lets its down is its ending which is more comic in tone than the rest of the film (maybe like something out of Bringing Up Baby, actually). I definitely think it's a great film, but there's a few things that prevent me from putting it right near the top of my list alongside Rio Bravo. Maybe it'll even move up upon more watches, as I've only seen it once.



Gangster Rap is Shakespeare for the Future
I should give Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a rewatch, but I too prefer Hatari! to it. Hatari! combines a lot of the things I love most about Hawks into one film.

Here's my current ranking of Hawks films (I've seen 29 so far): https://mubi.com/lists/the-hawk--2
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Mubi



I should give Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a rewatch, but I too prefer Hatari! to it. Hatari! combines a lot of the things I love most about Hawks into one film.

Here's my current ranking of Hawks films (I've seen 29 so far): https://mubi.com/lists/the-hawk--2
I like that we agree on our top two and that you also have Ceiling Zero and El Dorado on there, two movies I got to sooner then I would have because of your praise. I always found it interesting that we perhaps disagree on his comedies, you really ought to rewatch His Girl Friday too The one I want to rewatch most is The Big Sky which I thought was very good (perhaps great) but is not one of my absolute favourites, there's something "mythical" about it that has had me thinking about it a lot since I've seen it though. Maybe a better quality version would enhance my viewing too (I caught it on freeview TV).



Gangster Rap is Shakespeare for the Future
I like that we agree on our top two and that you also have Ceiling Zero and El Dorado on there, two movies I got to sooner then I would have because of your praise. I always found it interesting that we perhaps disagree on his comedies, you really ought to rewatch His Girl Friday too The one I want to rewatch most is The Big Sky which I thought was very good (perhaps great) but is not one of my absolute favourites, there's something "mythical" about it that has had me thinking about it a lot since I've seen it though. Maybe a better quality version would enhance my viewing too (I caught it on freeview TV).
I will rewatch His Girl Friday once I've seen all of Hawks, I'm going to binge on him after I finish the 7th HoF movies. My appreciation of The Big Sky was partially influenced by Tag Gallagher's very good video essay on it.



Every month I'm going to post my monthly ratings in here, so I can keep better track of what I've watched. I was looking over my Mubi and IMDb accounts and noticed that a few of these I don't think I even posted on here, so if anyone wants to ask any questions feel free.

By the way, I hope to watch a few more 2015 films soon and do a best of the year list, maybe.

January

In the Heart of the Sea (Ron Howard, 2015)


Spectre (Sam Mendes, 2015) [Rewatch]


Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) [Rewatch]


Window Water Baby Moving (Stan Brakhage, 1959) [Short]


Wichita (Jacques Tourneur, 1955)


Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008)


My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin, 2007)


Don't Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967)


Bridge of Spies (Steven Spielberg, 2015)


My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946) [Rewatch]


Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)


Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
+

The Revenant (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2015)


The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino, 2015) [Rewatch]


Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, 2015)


Miami Vice (Michael Mann, 2006)
+

The Big Short (Adam McKay, 2015)


The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)


Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)



Oh Daniel, do write more in this thread. I love hearing your thoughts about films.