Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
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This movie is about a young man who goes to war, is hit by a shell, and ends up losing his face, his limbs, and his senses. He's kept alive with only his feelings and thoughts. He narrates the movie, and besides his time in the hospital, we are shown his memories, fantasies, and dreams. The film is in color except for the present time in the hospital. This is a heartbreaking and haunting story that manages to mix in some tender moments like remembering back to spending the night with his girlfriend, or being shown compassion by a kind nurse. It is the story that carries the movie. Rock band Metallica own the rights to the movie. They bought them instead of having to continue on paying royalty fees after snippets of the film were featured in their music video for the song One.
The Last Days of Disco (1998)
I've almost watched this a few times in the past, but passed due to it's average IMDb score and the fact that I've never heard much about it. After hearing positive remarks from Cobpyth, I was convinced to give it a try, with mixed results. I'm a sucker for movies set in the 70's and 80's, especially when accompanied by a major soundtrack. For that reason, I enjoyed it. It definitely brought me back to the good old days, although I was a little disappointed in the atmosphere. The music was perfect, but except for occasional small touches, it didn't look or feel like the 80's to me. It also lacks the edge that I had hoped for. Maybe because it's about yuppies, looking for love and all that good stuff. Not much plot, which is fine, because that's not why I watched the movie. I thought it was decent.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
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I had seen this a few times, and went into this viewing considering it the most boring movie I've ever seen. It's still not suited to my taste, and I didn't love it, but I finally enjoyed and appreciated it. It is slow and long, and many of the scenes feel like they're going by in slow motion, yet I believe it is masterful filmmaking. I was captivated aurally and visually, and there is a bit of tension that comes with the Hal issue.