2022 Film Challenge

And I think I got my titles found for those categories already.

Looking forward to seeing more in the upcoming weeks.

DONE

__________________
Captain's Log
My Collection

IMPRESSIVE Cap!

Congrats @Captain Terror! Care to share a few highlights?

Sure!

RRR (2022), India
Insanity.

1. [Science Fiction: Post-Apocalyptic] - Split Second (1992)
An unexpected gem. Its appeal is no doubt limited to a certain type of audience, but if you are that audience I recommend it.

4. [Science Fiction: Superhero] - Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941)
The first live action superhero film. Serial, actually. Lots of fun and surprisingly good flying effects.

2. a Romanticism novel adaptation - Love & Friendship (2016)
Funnier than I expected and a reminder that Kate Beckinsale is not just the Underworld lady.

1. Robert Altman - The Long Goodbye (1973)
First watch, I can see why this is a favorite of so many.

6. a film set in an extraterrestrial world - Pinocchio in Outer Space (1965)
There's no rational reason for this to exist, but it features lots of cool retro-future designs. AND it got the Mark F seal of approval.

2. Keep An Eye Out (2018) - France
Loved this so much I watched it twice. Dupieux' humor just hits me in the sweet spot.

5. All the Moons (2020) - Spain
Under-the-radar gem, recommended for folk-horror fans


6. The Terrible People (1960), German
7. The Forger of London (1961), German
8. The White Spider (1963), German
9. The Sinister Monk (1965), German
10. Room 13 (1964), German
Edgar Wallace/Krimi films from director Harald Reinl. Loads of fun. Not technically horror, but recommended to classic horror fans.


1. 1960 - Never Take Sweets From A Stranger
Unexpectedly tense and squirmy thriller from Hammer. Goes places I didn't expect a 1960 film to go. I was "shook", as the kids say.

6. Persepolis (2007)
Great

10. The Artist (2011)
First watch. Captured the 1920s silent aesthetic more accurately than I expected. I was impressed.


5. The Alpinist (2021)
Watching this guy climb vertical rock faces with nothing but a couple of pickaxes was more nerve-wracking than most horror films.

2. The Red Shoes (1948), Best Art Direction
Watched my first Powell/Pressburgers this year, and this was an instant favorite. Holy Cow.

3. In the Heat of the Night (1967), Best Picture
4. Midnight Cowboy (1969), Best Picture
First time watching both of these. Good stuff


4. The Rocking Horse Winner (1949)
Recommended for fans of B&W cinematography. Good story, too.


2. Black Narcissus (1947), Academy Awards
See Red Shoes comment above. I repeat: Holy Cow

7. Days of Heaven (1978), Academy Awards
My first Malick, believe it or not. Looking forward to the rest.

5. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Haven't seen this since childhood and was blown away. Endlessly inventive and probably my favorite of the early Disney classics.

Time for another teaser? 👀

Challenge officially completed!






I will be posting some thoughts, favorite films etc below soon

My short recap for this year's challenge:

Favorite film has to be Insiang. My first experience both with Lino Brocka and with the cinema of the Philippines in general was unexpectedly positive. Perhaps I was caught off guard by how powerful the story was, but this little gem deserves all the attention it has gotten in the past few years by being included in the Criterion collection and getting a restoration from Scorsese's World Cinema Project.

Other favorites:
- Chungking Express & Happy Together - apparently I am becoming a Kar-Wai Wong fan
- The Player because I am a sucker for long shots
- I am Cuba - because I can't stress how much of a sucker I am for long shots
- The Ballad of Narayama - the Kabuki theater style cinematography was incredible
- Les Vampires - considering when it was released, it was way ahead of its time
- The Vanishing - realistic and at times chilling thriller
- 13 Tzameti - gritty indie with a very solid story
- Promising Young Woman - surprisingly well written considering the topic in question tends to lead to more preachy dialogue than what you'd expect from a pulpit's occupant
- The Year of Living Dangerously - Loved the atmosphere as well as Linda Hunt's performance
- Love Meetings - a slice of reality from the Italy of the 60s which seems not too far off when it comes to discrimination in our day
- Looking for Richard - Maybe it was Pacino's passion on the topic, but it got me hooked on the story of Richard III
- Hoop Dreams - It would seem such a cliche topic for a feature film but then you realize that it is a documentary and certain things are cliche for good reason
- Pierrot Le Fou - for the simply hilarious imitation of an American by Belmondo
- Band of Outsiders - a gem that I feel I need another viewing to fully appreciate
- Deliverance - I had a feeling of unease throughout the film to the story's credit
- Safety Last! - Some of Lloyd's stunts are funnier than most of what modern comedy films have to offer in their entirety
- Doctor Zhivago - One of the few old Hollywood epics that never had me glancing at the clock
- The Harder they Fall - Pretty solid Jamaican crime film and in the country's very first attempt no less
- The Orator - Nice atmosphere and lead performance adding to a very solid story in this Samoan film
- Night on Earth - Jarmusch's quirkiness at its finest
- One People for gracing me with a funny story which became an inside joke among friends

Misc highlights:
- Completing the AFI's 100 years 100 Thrillers list
- Finishing Tarkovsky's filmography
- Somehow fitting films from 48 different countries in all categories

Simply underwhelming:
- Wild Strawberries
- Yellow Submarine
- Shane (Why this made it into a version of AFI's best films I will never understand)
- Hitchcock's entire early body of work

Still too stupid to understand:
- Mirror
- The Color of Pomegranates

PS. I am only including the films I actually used to complete the challenge

Regarding the films you found underwhelming, what is about Shane you didn’t like? I love that film myself, but it’s been years.

As for Hitchcock’s early films…..how early are we talking here? If pre 1940 work, I’d argue The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes are among his best, and although I have yet to see it, I have heard The Lodger is probably his most acclaimed early work, as Hitch has said that it was the first film he had total artistic freedom.

Regarding the underwhelming movies, Shane is straight up great, Yellow Submarine is one of the best of all time, but, yes, Wild Strawberries for the meh. There are definitely worse Bergman films, but it is definitely the worst of all his classics. By a mile.

As for these, even though I have no doubt they are imbued with very specific meaning, from one frame to the next, they are well served by not over thinking them. I think they are equally dense and abstract in their literal meaning, but completely direct in their emotional one. Even though I don't remotely understand either of them, I feel I understand both of them in the ways that matter most. By simply watching them and listening to them and feeling them.



I'm as dumb as a pony, and if I can love them, anybody can.

I think Shane is great, though I can understand why one would be underwhelmed by it. While it gets rightfully praised for its gorgeous cinematography, I think the dreamlike feel of it is what resonates with me the most. And I'm not just referring to the ending. I wasn't able to find the scene on YouTube, but a simple scene of Joey waking up to find a deer outside his window is highly pleasing to watch. Not my favorite Western, but it's still great.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Some quick hits on your summary, Jabs:

The Harder They Come was a nice watch when I saw it a couple years ago. That scene with him driving that convertible in the golf course was a joy to watch.

The fact you saw films from 48 different countries was really impressive.

Maybe I dodged a bullet by not seeing Wild Strawberries last year?

You're not the only one who didn't get The Color of Pomegranates. I didn't, either.

Oh, didn't see Harder They Come on your list.


I don't know how great a movie it actually is, but I love it as much as I love my dog (but not as much as I love my cat). So decent levels.of love

You should watch it.

I think the best advice in regards to Tarkovsky was from you, as I was about to watch Stalker, and that is to not try too hard to understand it upon my first viewing, but to appreciate it as it unfolds before me. Viewing comes first, understanding can come later

Shane seemed like a film with a formulaic plot that you would love if you saw it at a very early age. Unfortunately I watched it for the first time in my mid 30s so the wholesome aspect of it doesn't really appeal to me. Even the cinematography wasn't that impressive to me either. There are lots of other Westerns that came before or after that did everything Shane tries to do better. It was just weird seeing it that wildly praised to face something like a family movie in the 50s. I got a similar feeling when I watched The Thief of Baghdad (1940 version) which was on Ebert's list of Greatest Films of all time.

As for Hitchcock's early work, the Lodger is indeed a standout, but I was referring to the ones I watched as part of the challenge, which is basically everything from The Pleasure Garden (1925) to The Manxman (1929) excluding The Lodger which I had seen earlier.

I can see some people not taking to Shane.

And aha! Now I see what you’re referring to with Hitch’s esrly films. I wanted to be clear what the cut off point was.
I think Blackmail is still decent. Pleasure Garden was ok, but clearly before he had made his mark.

Also, time for another teaser? 👀