Movie Tab II

Tati's films (this and Playtime) are outstanding audiovisually, but they leave me cold and are wearisome.

We watched Mon Oncle for the ill fated Comedy Hof, I loved it. I think I know what Minio means by being cold. The film studies the older uncle and his relation with his family members from afar. Sort of like watching a dream.

I find a lot of warmth in his films. I have said this about others, including my favorite Wes Anderson, but I am glad not everyone works in their style becauseit is so unique. If everyone did it, something would certainly be lost.

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Letterboxd

Everything I watched In April
(Thoughts posted in my Movie Log)


Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012) +
Room (Lenny Abrahamson, 2015)
This Means War (McG, 2012) -
Sweet Sixteen (Ken Loach, 2002) +
Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) (Rewatch)
Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, 2015)
The Good Dinosaur (Peter Sohn, 2015) (Rewatch)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984) (Rewatch) +

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April, 2016 movies watched-

Spotlight (2015) - So well done to the point that I got into a story that I originally wasn't interested in hearing again.

The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) *Terrific biographical film about Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, but I wish they could have juiced it up a little.

Blackfish (2013) Good documentary, and an unflattering look at Seaworld.

The Big Country (1958) Epic film with a great cast.

I Saw the Devil (2010) Repeat viewing One of the most chilling villains ever put on screen.

Rififi (1955) - Maybe my favorite noir so far.

The Ballad of Narayama (1958) + Kabuki Kabuki Kabuki

Shane (1953) Repeat viewing A childhood favorite that was much better than I ever realized.

An Affair to Remember (1957) I shed many tears watching while watching this movie.

Time Lapse (2014) + Not what I would call a quality movie, but I enjoyed the story quite a bit.

The Hitch-Hiker (1953) Short and right to the point, it's a good watch.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) - Great cast and a good flick, but a little on the disappointing side.

The Lives of Others (2006) + While I certainly enjoyed it and will think highly of it, it's not going to be a personal favorite.

On Dangerous Ground (1951) Appealingly dismal
Noir with a nice showing by Robert Ryan.

Rancho Notorious (1952) + Above average Western with Marlene Dietrich and Mel Ferrer.

Death of a Cyclist (1955) - Solid movie that just didn't do much for me.

Beat the Devil (1953) A huge dud from my point of view.

Hobson's Choice (1954) Charming and endearing.

The Bravados (1958) Beautiful to look at, and Gregory Peck is fantastic.

Strangers on a Train (1951) Repeat viewing - Very good Hitchcock, but I'm struggling to find one of his that I still love.

Detective Story (1951) Hard hitting for it's time, and another great one from director Wyler.

Young Guns (1988) I enjoyed it for a little 80's fun, but not so much as a Western.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) Although I think this movie didn't reach it's potential, I would call this best picture winner underrated.

Brooklyn (2015) + Not my type at all but it won me over. Such good work all around.

The Killing (1956) Cool characters and a very fun watch.

Wagon Master (1950) I was awfully close to really loving this Western.

Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) + Amusing, but that's about it for me.

Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) Pretty unique movie with beauty and power.

Harvey (1950) A very nice movie that's humorous and endearing.

Total April viewings-29
Total 2016 viewings-125

April Viewings:

Witness for the Prosecution (1957, Bill Wilder) - +

Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock) -

Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero) -

The General (1926, Buster Keaton) -

Duck Soup (1933, Leo McCarey) -

The Hitch-Hiker (1953,Ida Lupino) -

Dial M For Murder (1954, Alfred Hitchcock) - -

For A Few Dollars More (1965, Sergio Leone) - +

Sunset Blvd. (1950, Billy Wilder) -

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter) -

(Rewatch)Yellow Submarine (1968, George Dunning) - -

"Let's Scare Jessica to Death" is another tale of supernatural horror, as one of the finest horror pictures of the 70's. Madness or sanity!? The film keeps us in continual suspense about who or what is responsible for Jessica’s renewed sense of fear and paranoia. Its autumnal light casts dark shadows and the rural farmhouse location becomes secondary to the inner landscape of a mentally unstable mind. So if you are a fan of old-fashioned spooky horror films it will likely be of interest for fans of the genre.

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A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) +
The Taking of Tiger Mountain (Tsui Hark, 2014) -
Renaissance Man (Penny Marshall, 1994)

Blast (Anthony Hickox, 2004)

The Dentist (Leslie Pearce, 1932)

+
Private Resort (George Bowers, 1985)

The Tin Star (Anthony Mann, 1957)

Sheriff-turned-bounty-hunter Henry Fonda agrees to help callow Anthony Perkins learn the ropes about his temporary new lawman job.
Passport to Suez (André De Toth, 1943)

Blues Busters (William Beaudine, 1950)

-
Creative Control (Benjamin Dickinson, 2016)

She-Devil (Susan Seidelman, 1989)

Clumsy, overweight housewife Roseanne Barr goes ballistic when her husband (Ed Begley Jr.) starts an affair with successful romance novelist Meryl Streep and concocts an elaborate scheme of revenge.
Category 7: The End of the World (Dick Lowry, 2005)

The Quick and the Dead (Sam Raimi, 1995)

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (Bradford May, 1996)

Nothing But a Man (Michael Roemer, 1964)

Facing hatred and prejudice wherever he tries to live and work in the Deep South, Ivan Dixon finds it difficult to take care of his teacher wife (Abbey Lincoln) or even find enough dignity to call himself a man.
God Told Me To (Larry Cohen, 1976)

The Anomaly (Noel Clarke, 2014)

Mr. Holmes (Bill Condon, 2015)

+
Eternity and a Day (Theodoros Angelopoulos, 1998)

A blend of reality, dreams, the past and the present, with a hope for the future, follows Greek poet Bruno Ganz, diagnosed with a terminal illness, who tries to aid a boy (Achileas Skevis) to get home to Albania. Here he dances with his wife (Isabelle Renaud), although she’s in the past and he’s in the present.
The Godless Girl (Cecil B. DeMille, 1929)

+
Girl Happy (Boris Sagal, 1965)

Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997)

Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark (Jon Brewer, 2014)

”The Nat King Cole Show” was the first national TV show hosted by an African-American, but the jazz legend’s show was cancelled in 1957 after a year, due to protests from the South which cost the show its sponsor.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Rep for Eternity and a Day!

I only saw it once and it was on its video release, but I can't fathom how you give 3/5 to She-Devil, mark. Maybe it's because I compared it to the, rather good, TV adaptation, but I remember it just being awful. I don't remember anyone liking it.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition) - Time has definitely improved my opinion on this film. I didn't love it the first time around, but then through repeated viewings I've come to realize what an achievement in film it is, how rich the world it creates is, and how memorable the characters are. It's an epic, and the extended version is doubly so.

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"You, me, everyone...we are all made of star stuff." - Neil Degrasse Tyson

https://shawnsmovienight.blogspot.com/

It's kind of sad to see Mr. Holmes rated so low. I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my watchlist, and I've been looking forward to it.

It's not bad but it's got too many plot threads which tend to diminish the overall effectiveness. The acting is fine even when the film is sluggish.

I'm still planning to watch it, but I'm just not as hyped about it as I was before.

(Hirschbiegel, 2007)





I am usually a sucker for a body snatcher film, but this was a dud. Sort of a lifeless, half-assed remake of the 1978 remake of the 1956 original. Sadly, this film had neither the grim earnestness of the original, nor the spooky grittiness of the 1978 version (probably my favorite of the bunch).



(Carpenter, 1983)





I used to like this flick when I was a kid, and there is still some nostalgia in play these days, but this is kind of a bore. This was made during the era of Stephen King overload in film, and I believe there were no less than 4 film adaptations of King books the year this was made. This was certainly not the best, as that honor goes to The Dead Zone, but it wasn't the worst, either. The worst would be...



(Lester, 1984)





Blimey. Another one I remembered fondly from my younger days. Days during which I clearly had no idea what the difference was between good films and very, very bad films. Firestarter fails on almost every level. The acting is bad across the board, despite the cast consisting of people like Martin Sheen, Art Carney and George C. Scott. The story is inconsistent and senseless, and the special effects, which are relied on heavily to deliver the thrills, are poorly executed. Barrymore had just done E.T., in which she pulled off the cute little kid role perfectly, pulling the world's heartstrings with her earnest histrionics. She goes for the same method here, but it's a bad fit for the sci-fi/horror premise of the film. She was required to do more actual acting here, and she wasn't up to the task. I gave it 1.5 boxes of popcorn due to some great unintentional comedy during the film's third act, like this gem at the 1:00 mark here:


Hilarious stuff.

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Silent Hill (Christophe Gans, 2006)

Sex Kittens Go to College (Albert Zugsmith, 1960)

Day of Anger (Tonino Valerii, 1967)

114m Italian
You Only Live Twice (Lewis Gilbert, 1967)

007 (Sean Connery) takes the mini-helicopter gunship Little Nellie on a test flight and is attacked by four SPECTRE gunships.
In Old Caliente (Joseph Kane, 1939)

Replikator (G. Philip Jackson, 1994)

Beau Brummel (Harry Beaumont, 1924)

Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (Karen Thomas, 2009)

117m

The documentary successfully argues that film noir, that most American of genres, came about due to the massive influx of European actors, directors, writers, cinematographers and composers fleeing Nazi Germany and bringing German Expressionism with them. Here are Marlene Dietrich and Billy Wilder on the set of A Foreign Affair and Fritz Lang chatting with Dietrich.
The Lash (Frank Lloyd, 1930)

A Successful Calamity (John G. Adolfi, 1932)

-
The Sin Ship (Louis Wolheim, 1931)

Other Men’s Women (William A. Wellman, 1931)

Two friends (Grant Withers & Regis Toomey) who work for the railroad love the same woman (Mary Astor). Their friend (James Cagney) is a dancin’ fool.
Smart Woman (Gregory La Cava, 1931)

-
The Runaway Bride (Donald Crisp, 1930)

Men of Chance (George Archainbraud, 1931)

All Through the Night (Vincent Sherman, 1941)

+

Broadway gambler Humphrey Bogart gets the drop on Nazi spies Conrad Veidt and Judith Anderson (as well as getting a bit kinky).
Wild Waves (Burt Gillett, 1929)

+
Ride Clear of Diablo (Jesse Hibbs, 1954)

The Rookie (George O’Hanlon, 1959)

Valdez Is Coming (Edwin Sherin, 1971)

After aging lawman Burt Lancaster is humiliated and injured by rancher Jon Cypher and his men, he recovers and uses his former expertise as an Indian fighter and marksman to gain revenge.

Mark, how many movies do you watch a week? I wish I could watch one every day.. I usually have the time, but usually distracted by something else.

A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009)
A Chinese Ghost Story (Siu-Tung Ching, 1987) +
Air Bud (Charles Martin Smith, 1997)

Mark has a dozen eyes that help him see a lot of films at once. It's also the reason why he's so good at finding the errors in our posts.

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Letterboxd Profile: https://letterboxd.com/GatsbyG/