Movie Tab II

1 Scarecrows (1988) (01/01/17) **
2 Curse of Chucky (2013) (07/01/17) ***1/2
3 Amsterdamned (1988) (12/01/17) **1/2 (NEW TO ME)
4 Rabid (1977) (14/01/17) *** (NEW TO ME)
5 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (15/01/17) ***1/2
6 Airplane! (1980) (15/01/17) ***1/2
7 Eyes of Crystal (2004) (19/01/17) ** (NEW TO ME)
8 Kingsman: The Secret Service (22/01/17) (2015) ***1/2
9 Time After Time (1979) (23/01/17) ***1/4
10 In A Valley of Violence (2016) (31/01/17) ***1/4 (NEW)
11 Spooks: The Greater Good (2015) (01/02/17) (NEW TO ME) ***1/4
12 Split (2017) (06/02/17) **1/2 (CINEMA NEW)
13 A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) (11/02/17) ***1/4
14 Groundhog Day (1993) (16/02/17) ***1/4
15 Hopscotch (1980) (21/02/17) *** (NEW TO ME)
16 Batman (1989) (25/02/17) ***1/4
17 The Mask (1995) (26/02/17) ***
18 In Bruges (2007) (05/02/17) ****
19 Better Off Dead (1985) (12/03/17) ***1/2
20 Appointment with Death (1988) (18/03/17) *** (NEWISH TO ME)
21 Train to Busan (2016) (21/03/17) ***1/4 (NEW)
22 Before I Wake (2016) (21/03/17) *** (NEW)
23 Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) (26/03/17) ****
24 Beauty and the Beast (2017) (27/03/17) ***1/2 (CINEMA NEW)
25 Life (2017) (29/03/17) ***1/2 (CINEMA NEW)
26 Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) (02/04/17) ***1/4
27 Show Me Love (1998) (09/04/17) ****
28 The Burning (1981) (16/04/17) ***
29 Twins (1988) (16/04/17) ***1/4
30 Hush (2016) (17/04/17) ***1/2 (NEW)
31 Addams Family Values (1993) (23/04/17) ***1/4
32 Damien Omen II (1978) (24/04/17) ***1/2
33 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) (25/04/17) ***1/4 (CINEMA NEW)
34 Source Code (2011) (13/05/17) ***
35 Bad Words (2014) (15/05/17) ***1/2
36 John Wick 2 (2017) (22/05/17) **1/2 (CINEMA NEW)
37 The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) (24/05/17) ***1/4
38 The Cabin in the Woods (2012) (31/05/17) ***1/2

I did a proper review last year, but to sum it up, yeah, I feel pretty much the same way about it as you do. Still think they do a poor job of handling Pam Grier's character, though.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

May Watches: * = Rewatch

MacGruber
The Burning -
The Broken Circle Breakdown +
Flesh + Blood +
Dances With Wolves* +
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Get Out
Don't Breathe -
Detention
Pontypool +
24 Hour Party People
The Lady From Shanghai -
Stranger Than Paradise -
Spellbound
The Man From Nowhere*
Jaws*

2017 Watches = 99

May, 2017 movies watched-

Wings of Desire (1987) - A little uneven for me, but it has plenty going for it.

Rome, Open City (1945) Seemed like a pretty good movie but I couldn't get into it.

Buffalo 66 (1998) I thought this movie was hilarious and I didn't expect that.

La La Land (2016) I would call it a great musical even if I'm not totally in love with it.

Gilda (1946) - An excellent noir, but more than that, a fantastic showcase for Rita Hayworth.

Flesh and Blood (1985) Not one of Verhoeven's best, but still entertaining.

The Palm Beach Story (1942) Claudette Colbert is delightful in this classic rom-com.

Stray Dog (1949) + Excellent Kurosawa crime film that was just missing any type of wow factor.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) Emotionally destroyed.

Heaven Can Wait (1943) Charming and elegant, touching and humorous.

The Spiral Staircase (1946) Great atmosphere, but I've seen it all so many times before.

The Chase (1946) Completely falls apart after a promising start.

The Great Dictator (1940) Consistently funny with great meaning behind it.

Whiskey Galore! (1949) A quaint setting and an amusing story.

Body and Soul (1947) + Massive surprise from the noirs list, but it's not like a regular noir.

Ramrod (1947) Average western besides Veronica Lake and a little extra violence.

A Matter of Life and Death (1946) I really enjoyed this even if I had a hard time getting into the fantasy aspect.

In a Glass Cage (1986) - Horrifying drama that is very effective at being uncomfortable to watch, but it is very slow at times.

Criss Cross (1949) From the noirs list, this movie features a shady love triangle and a tragic finale.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) Great classic Hollywood entertainment.

Lion (2016) A very touching story.

The Woman in the Window (1944) Mostly decent, but completely ruined by one of the worst cop-out endings I've seen.

Don't F**k in the Woods (2016) Amateur film that I enjoyed more than some renowned classics.

Hanger (2009) - Sick stuff but poorly made and lacking personality.

They Live By Night (1948) - Very good mix of crime film and love story.

Hush (2008) Average horror/thriller, and that's ok with me.

Cornered (1945) From the noirs list, I thought this had a pretty decent story, but it was average.

The Chase (1966) + Really good flick that was close to being an all time great.

A Most Violent Year (2014) Authentic feeling crime drama made by the performances.

Road to Morocco (1942) Amusing movie from the top 100 laughs list with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

Split (2016) - After 20 minutes, I couldn't wait for it to end.

Journey Into Fear (1942) Nothing special but Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles make it well worth watching.

White Girl (2016) Pretty good if you like trashy characters in trashy movies.

The Crooked Way (1949) - Another from the noirs list, and I'd say it's visuals pump it up a little above average.

Total May viewings-34
Total 2017 viewings 144

Making the Grade (1984) A total mess but has some ridiculous ego 80's moments, especially the opening credit sequence, to make it..well, still not quite endurable. Also has the distinction of being a Cannon/MGM release that got labeled as PG on the VHS box, but was actually rated R?

Secret Admirer (1985) Silly but surprisingly thought out script brings some really attractive talent together with the always fun to watch Courtney Gains (Malachai from Children of the Corn). Fred Ward steals the show and Kelly Preston and Lori Laughlin are stunning. A well made 80's teen comedy that doesn't get enough love. Also has a lovely title them by Jan Hammer.

Strange Invaders (1983) This boutique-like, highly stylized send up to 1950's sci fi works as a subtle comedy as well as a juicy piece of fiction thanks to beautiful matte paintings, solid effect work, tongue in cheek writing, and oxford commas, I mean a fun delivery. Characters aren't larger than life, but we get some nice side performances, even if they criminally underused Wallace Shawn.

Masterminds (2016) Not a good movie. At all. It relies on the usual toilet humor mentality to get itself out of a pacing jam and joke quotient. However, it's impossible for me to not watch, and at least slightly enjoy and chuckle at, a film with Galifinakis and Wilson. Some of the jokes are funny. I'd say Masterminds is on par with any Farrelly Bros offering save the financial backing and pop appeal. Just a mindless time waster which is oddly based on an actual true story.

The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses (Charles Grosvenor, 2005)

Operation Pacific (George Waggner, 1951)

Key to the City (George Sidney, 1950)

+
Life (Daniel Espinosa, 2017)

The International Space Station’s crew of scientists are about to discover a deadly life form which could probably destroy all life on Earth if it ever gets here.
Papirosen (Gastón Solnicki, 2012)

The Wind of the Night (Philippe Garrel, 1999)

The Young Runaways (Arthur Dreyfuss, 1968)

The Man Who Sleeps (Bernard Queysanne, 1974)

Experimental film about a young man (Jacques Spiesser) who becomes sick of and even distrustful of life – going so far as to not even recognize himself and his fragilities.
Houseboat (Melville Shavelson, 1958)

Lovers and Lollipops (Morris Engel & Ruth Orkin, 1956)

Stargate: Continuum (Martin Wood, 2008)

Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)

Edinburgh druggie Ewan McGregor tries to quit his heroin addiction but is constantly being brought back to it.
Weddings and Babies (Morris Engel, 1958)

Rapid Fire (Dwight H. Little, 1992)

Collision (David Marconi, 2013)

The Bridge (Eric Sykes, 2006)

+

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a place where people commit suicide by jumping regularly (24 in 2004), and this film depicts several jumpers and their surviving loved ones.
The Island (Michael Ritchie, 1980)

Ingenious (Jeff Balsmeyer, 2009)

Holy Hell (Will Allen, 2016)

+
Come What May (Christian Carion, 2015)

+

A German Nazi Resistance fighter (August Diehl), a Scottish military officer (Matthew Rhys) and a French farmer (Laurent Gerra) spend a moment bonding over local wine as the Nazis invade France in May 1940.

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

Irma la Douce (1963) -



Not quite the level of The Apartment, but a wonderful film all the same! The bartender character's kindness and bravado (Mr. been everywhere done everything) is adorable. Lemmon's rendition of the Baron is bloody hilarious, old chip, ugh, I mean chap. Old chap.

実録阿部定 [A Woman Called Sada Abe] (1975) -



The story of the infamous Sada Abe in the form of roman poruno. Explicit and kinky (which is a must given the subject matter) and the harbinger of Oshima's version made one year later.

The Philadelphia Story (1940) -



A pretty good film with a star cast including Grant, Stewart and Hepburn. I wish it had more screwball comedy than romantic comedy, though.

Miracolo a Milano [Miracle in Milan] (1951) -



Some single scenes (especially at the beginning) are worth a five star rating. The fairy tale formula of the story is a cool concept, but I'm not sure if Italian neorealism and fairy tale go that well together. I'd like to see this concept taken to extreme with much more brutality and realism.

Quella sporca storia nel west [Johnny Hamlet] (1968) -



Blasting spaghetti western! Shakespearean story combined with badassness, starking colours and beautiful music.

RoboCop (1987) -



Didn't expect it to be so good. Apparently, this is one of the vanguard of the Mainstream Mafia and therefore it should be hated by every member of Arthouse Mafia. Still, Verhoeven is an auteur to some extent so I guess it's cool to like this film no matter the Mafia you are in. The retrospections and POV scenes were especially effective.

Tepepa [Long Live the Revolution] (1968) -



Milan, Steiner and Welles. The Zapata Western's leftist themes kind of get on my nerves at times, but some scenes are undeniably beautiful and the ending is really harsh!

Starship Troopers (1997) -



Young dumb boys and girls watch propaganda footage and then are taught to kill different species that obviously are greatly inferior to them. They wear fancy suits designed by Hugo Boss and move in grandiose locations built by Albert Speer. Oh, and they f*ck. The special effects in this were ground-breaking! Might be a four star film.

No quarto da Vanda [In Vanda's Room] (2000) -



Portuguese cinema day - Part 1. In drug-filled hell phantoms of once people dwell in the ruins of Lisbon. Not amongst Costa's best, but hypnotic and depressing enough to be a good watch.

A comédia de Deus [God's Comedy] (1995) -



Portuguese cinema day - Part 2. A dirty old man lusting after (very) young girls. The most beautiful portrayal of pedophile rape I've ever seen! Watched the first part of the trilogy some months ago and although it was good, I wasn't lovestruck. Now I am.

As bodas de Deus [The Spousals of God] (1999) -



Portuguese cinema day - Part 3. The final installment in the trilogy. Superior to the first, but greatly inferior to the second. Starts on a very poetic and innocent note, but then gets nasty! Not the level of kinkiness God's Comedy has, but still Monteiro is one kinky bastard.

Point de chute (1970) -



Robert Hossein is such an underrated director! Cemetery Without Crosses's poetry echoes in this thriller as well. A very sad story.

Le souvenir d'un avenir [Remembrance of Things to Come] (2001) -



Not quite on par with Marker's best, but it's good to see he still got the thing going on as late as at the turn of the century. His later shorts are terrible.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino, 2015) -
Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) -
The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947) -
Carnal Knowledge (Mike Nichols, 1971) -

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room."

In Order of Disappearance (Hans Petter Morland, 2014) -
Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017) -
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (Macon Blair, 2017) -
Signs of Life (Werner Herzog, 1968) -
Even Dwarfs Started Small (Werner Herzog, 1970) -
The Fearless Vampire Killers (Roman Polanski, 1967) -
Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988) -
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980) -
New World (Park Hoon-jung, 2013) -
Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (José Padilha, 2010) -

Steamboat Bill, jr. (Charles Reisner/Buster Keaton, 1928) -
Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton, 1932) -
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011) -

Picturesque Massachusetts (James A. FitzPatrick, 1942)

+
All the Way Home (Alex Segal, 1963)

Song of India (Albert S. Rogell, 1949)

Blind (Eskil Vogt, 2014)

-

Oslo author Ellen Dorrit Petersen adjusts to her recent blindness by imagining the look of her new apartment and the reality of her friends and acquaintances, even including her husband (Henrik Rafaelsen).
Montana Territory (Ray Nazarro, 1952)

Haunter (Vincenzo Hatali, 2013)

Rain (Craig DiBona, 2006)

The Retrieval (Chris Eska, 2013)

+

During the Civil War, runaway slave Tishaun Scott is retrieved by black teen Ashton Sanders (Moonlight) who actually works for bounty hunter Bill Oberst Jr.
Bright Eyes (David Butler, 1934)

+
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (Fred F. Sears, 1953)

Down on the Farm (Ray Gray & Erle Kenton, 1920)

Love (Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, 1919)

The family of Fatty’s true love (Winifred Westover) arranges for her to marry another, so with the help of friend Monty Banks, he poses as a new cook at the wedding.
Sunnyside (Charles Chaplin, 1919)

+
Barrios altos aka Uptown (Jose L. Garcia-Berlanga, 1987)

Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (Jean Negulesco, 1942)

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (Pedro Almodvar, 1989)

-

Druggie porn star Victoria Abril relaxes in the bathtub before getting kidnapped by just-released mental patient Antonio Banderas who's in love with her.
Wild Innocence (Philippe Carrel, 2001)

Billy the Kid (William A. Graham, 1989)

Billionaire Ransom aka Take Down (Jim Gillespie, 2016)

Howard the Duck (Willard Huyck, 1986)

+

Howard does prefer the female of his own species but he does take a liking to rock singer Lea Thompson.

The Big Empty (2003) –
Another quirky crime mystery. I really like the sort, redundant as they may have seemed at this point. This is better than most. The mystery stays pretty fun and is more outlandish than most of its ilk.

Rock & Rule (1983) –
This is paced about as well as a Ferrari in a retirement community, but the dystopian setting and animations are so awesome. It had a lot of potential, but the pacing and (mostly) stupid screenplay impedes it a lot. I would hate to see the combined budget used on drugs.

Surveillance (2008) –
Jennifer Lynch seems to take a few cues from her pops, but overall, this is a somewhat straightforward crime thriller with really hammy dialogue. Passible if you’re looking for a twisty psych-thriller.

The Thing (2011) –
Before the events of the 80’s version, we discover that a bunch of eerily similar stuff happened to another group of folks. The decade-old CGI hate bandwagon might seem trite now, but the effects are a huge eyesore here, sometimes even silly. I really liked most of this though, it just poured on the action way too much in the last third.

Life (2017) –
This seems slightly more ambitious than most genre forays, but it’s just not terribly entertaining. The leaf monster is disappointing too. There are some effective moments though, predominantly in the first half.

I also watched 10 Cloverfield Lane () and Kong: Skull Island (). I've taken about as much CGI-monster abuse as I can at the moment.

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Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (Sean Patrick O’Reilly, 2016)

Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally: Summer of 69: No Apostrophe (Jay Karas, 2017)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934)

Stargate (Roland Emmerich, 1994)

A Stargate test works so scientists and the military plan to use it to transport themselves to the far-off civilization that left it on Earth.
The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (Charles Grosvenor & Jamie Mitchell, 2007)

Reign of Fire (Rob Bowman, 2002)

Lovewrecked (Randal Kleiser, 2006)

Meet the Fokkens (Gabrielle Provaas & Rob Schroeder, 2011)

Dutch twin sisters Louise and Martine Fokkens have worked as prostitutes in Amsterdam’s Red Light District for over four decades.
In Old California (William McGann, 1942)

The Eyes of Laura Mars (Irvin Kershner, 1978)

+
Colorful Colorado (James A. FitzPatrick, 1944)

To Die For (Gus Van Sant, 1995)

To enhance her TV career, sociopath Nicole Kidman seduces teenager Joaquin Phoenix to kill her husband (Matt Dillon).
B*A*P*S (Robert Townsend, 1997)

Jingle All the Way (Brian Levant, 1996)

Over the Seas to Belfast (James A. FitzPatrick, 1946)

+
Land of Mine (Martin Zandvliet, 2015)

At the end of WWII, teenage German POWs are forced to diffuse and clear all the Nazi land mines planted along the Danish coast, supervised by a sergeant (Roland Mřller) who grudgingly comes to respect them.
First Aid (Will Jason, 1943)

Her Sister's Secret (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1946)

The Amazing Transparent Man (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1960)

+
Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945)

+
o
Femme fatale Ann Savage has the unluckiest chump (Tom Neal) in the world by the balls in this super-cheap cult noir.

mark f, interesting choices always. I am going to stream Blind and Meet the Fokkens on Amazon.com.

The Navigator (Donald Crisp/Buster Keaton, 1924) - +
Bronenosets Potyomkin Battleship Potemkin (Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925) -
Shark Tale (Bibo Bergson/Vicky Jenson/Rob Letterman, 2004) -

I really enjoy this movie. I own it and watch it every few years. It's just funny enough to get a mild chuckle and has a decent amount of atmosphere from the locations. Nice selection, BTW.

Smoky (George Sherman, 1966)

Black Cobra (Scott Donovan & Lilly Melgar, 2012)

Into the Badlands (Sam Pillsbury, 1991)

Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970)

Jack Nicholson stars as a restless man with few connections to anyone and even fewer commitments. Occasionally he’s confronted with the slightest bit of guilt he doesn’t want to feel.
The Desperados (Henry Levin, 1969)

What on Earth! (Les Drew & Kaj Pindal, 1967)

Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon (R.G. Springsteen, 1961)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (Sam Liu, 2017)

Starfire (Kari Wahlgren) and Nightwing (Sean Maher) discuss a training move, or was it one of a more personal nature?
Snakes on a Plane (David R. Ellis, 2006)

+
Virtuosity (Brett Leonard, 1995)

Mindhorn (Sean Foley, 2017)

+
Last of the Comanches (Andre De Toth, 1953)

In this remake of Humphrey Bogart's WWII saga Sahara, Sergeant Broderick Crawford enlists the aid of Indian youth Johnny Stewart to help his small team of men find water and report back to a fort about a violent chief of another tribe.
Fire with Fire (David Barrett, 2012)

Air of Paris (Marcel Carné, 1954)

College Road Trip (Roger Kumble, 2008)

Words and Music (Norman Taurog, 1948)

Lena Horne performs one of their many standards in this fictionalized biography of Richard Rodgers (Tom Drake) and Lorenz Hart (Mickey Rooney).
Le jour se lčve aka Daybreak (Marcel Carné, 1939)

+
The Last Frontier (Anthony Mann, 1955)

+
Katharine Hepburn (Joseph R. Juliano, 1962)

Fog over Frisco (William Dieterle, 1934)

Scandalous debutante Bette Davis smiles when she receives a radiogram from the man she hopes will take her away from her recent life of crime, but instead she disappears.

Point Blank (Fred Cavayé, 2010) -
Wait Until Dark (Terence Young, 1967) -
The Virgin's Bed (Philippe Garrel, 1969) -
Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosoda, 2009) -
The Boy and the Beast (Mamoru Hosoda, 2015) -
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Steve Box and Nick Park, 2005) -
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (F.W. Murnau, 1922) -
She Killed in Ecstasy (Jesús Franco, 1971) -
Heart of Glass (Werner Herzog, 1976) -
Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979) -

June thus far:


Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)

+
Kanal [Sewer] (Andrzej Wajda, 1957)

+
Dragonwyck (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1946)
How Green Was My Valley (John Ford, 1941)
The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson & Frank Oz, 1982)
The Way To The Stars (Anthony Asquith, 1945)
The Woman In The Window (Fritz Lang, 1944)


American Sniper (Clint Eastwood, 2014)
Black Angel (Roy William Neill, 1946)
Candyman aka Clive Barker's Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)
One Million Years B.C. (Don Chaffey, 1966)
Quatermass And The Pit (Ray Ward Baker, 1967)
The Brood aka David Cronenberg's The Brood (unrated vsn) (David Cronenberg, 1979)

+
13 Rue Madelaine (Henry Hathaway, 1946)
It Follows (David Robert Mitchell, 2014)
The Upturned Glass (Lawrence Huntington, 1947)


Hell Night (Tom DeSimone, 1981)
One Million B.C. (Hal Roach & Hal Roach Jr, 1940)
That Brennan Girl (Alfred Santell, 1946)
The Adventures Of Tartu (Harold S. Bucquet, 1943)

+
Escape (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1948)
Sammy's avonturen: De geheime doorgang [A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures] (Ben Stassen, 2010)
Young Widow (Edwin L. Marin, 1946)


Angel On My Shoulder (Archie Mayo, 1946)
Counterblast aka Devil's Plot (Paul L. Stein, 1948)

+
Instinct (Jon Turteltaub, 1999)


I See A Dark Stranger (Frank Launder, 1946)

+
Proof Of Lies (Peter Svatek, 2006)

Les Enfants Terribles:

Really thought I was hating this through the first half hour but it kind of grabs hold of you and slowly draws you into this strange little story. Very interesting thematically. I will definitely watch it again someday.


Get Out

Through the first 2/3 this movie was great. Very tight and poignant script. Loses me towards the end.


War Machine

Very uneven film. I don't think it was exactly what it was trying to be. Had a few moments but overall just kind of a mess.


Topaz

Very dry watch. I have already forgotten most of it.


Citizen Kane

My third time watching the greatest movie ever made. I don't feel that way about it but I think it is pretty damn perfect. Already ready to watch it again.


Masterminds

Felt like something I wouldn't have to think about the other night. This is why you should always stick to sitcom reruns when you feel that way. Ugh.


The Shack

The fist Christian film I have actually been looking forward to. Based off one of my favorite novels ever. The story is perfect for the cinema. Really good in parts but ultimately falls into the same old traps. Could have been a much deeper film.


The Last Picture Show

Thought I had seen this before but I think I had only seen bits and pieces. Really great cinematography and characters. A little bland at times though.

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