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May Movies
Top Movies this month:
  1. O Lucky Man! (1973) Excellent. 8/10. I was worried about seeing such a long movie. Plus I have seen about 3 Lindsay Anderson movies previously and have disliked them all. However, I started out by seeing clips of "O Lucky Man!" on youtube. I liked them and they stayed with me.
  2. Un monde sans pitié (1989) Excellent movie. Hard to find. Was very glad to have seen it.
The rest:
  1. Il est plus facile pour un chameau... /It's Easier for a Camel... (2003) I like Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. This movie was a good effort and had some nice songs. There was a little overacting, especially from Chiara Mastroianni. There were some interesting flashback scenes.
  2. New York, New York (1977) Overall, I can see how it flopped and isn't why of Scorsese's great movies. I have never been a huge fan of Liza Minnelli though. I don't know why. She has a good voice. She's Judy's daughter. However, she just doesn't do it for me. Robert de Niro plays an angry guy and it sort of seemed like a pre-cursor to Raging Bull.
  3. MASH (1970) (Theater) The first time I tried to watch this Altman movie, I couldn't. However, the second time, I was much more successful and liked it, especially the football scene (even though I'm not crazy about sports). I like Elliott Gould too. This was supposedly the first movie with the "F" word, but I was so caught up with the "GD"s (I don't know there may have been anywhere from 3-10), that I didn't notice if and when they said the "F" word.
  4. Gazon maudit/French Twist (1995) Very different from what I was expecting, but good.
  5. The Scapegoat (1959) With Bette Davis and Alec Guiness, based on writings by Daphne du Maurier. Pretty good.
  6. Um Filme Falado/A Talking Picture (2003) Simultaneously boring and vivid. If I were a history teacher, I'd play this for my class, because of the wonderful and varied stories. A WOW ending. Overall, a good experience for my first Manoel de Oliveira film. I would have preferred to see Belle Toujours, but all in due time.
  7. Vie devant soi, La (1977) The first time I rented this movie, it was dubbed. My library also had it with subtitles so I finally got it again. I liked it much better.
  8. Colonel Chabert, Le (1994) A really sweet and heartbreaking movie. I really liked it.
  9. Harriet Craig (1950) Joan Crawford remakes Mrs. Craig. It is the same movie with subtle differences.
  10. The Limey (1999)
  11. You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
  12. Stella Dallas (1937) I liked it. The relationship between the mother and daughter was moving.
  13. Pote tin Kyriaki / Never On Sunday (1960) Really good.
  14. Cry-Baby (1990) Although I rented this movie for Susan Tyrrell's performance, Johnny Depp was great in it too. A PG-13 John Water's movie. A really fun movie although I don't think I'll be seeing his other films anytime soon.
  15. Postal (2007)
  16. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) (Theater) On one hand this was a fun movie, with great characters. Its nonchalance toward things that we should deeply care about is unnerving, even today or maybe especially today. I liked Alice (Dyan Cannon) the conscience of the movie.
  17. To Please a Lady (1950) This was one of the worst Stanwycks I've seen unfortunately. What worked for Barbara and Clark Gable in Night Nurse sort of backfired here. The story was dumb.
  18. Au plus près du paradis (2002)
  19. Criss Cross (1949)
  20. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
  21. The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) Overall, this Stanwyck movie is okay.
  22. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
  23. Ratatouille (2007)
  24. Young Man with Ideas (1952) Glenn Ford is great. And the French singer is good/funny.
  25. A Woman Rebels (1936) Katharine Hepburn is taught from an early age that being a woman is inferior. She rebels, becomes a feminist, and forces her views on others, just as narrow views are forced on her.
  26. Généalogies d'un crime (1997) A very strange, but interesting movie. Catherine Deneuve plays two characters.
  27. My Reputation (1946) In the days where you could get into trouble if you were seen walking out of a man's apartment, Barbara Stanwyck gets herself into plenty of trouble and threatens her reputation by becoming involved with a man. Being a widow, she refuses to lock herself in an "ivory tower", like her mother would prefer. Still, a pretty interesting movie and a worthwhile watch.
  28. Union Pacific (1939) A really lame movie. Barbara Stanwyck is good. But her Irish accent gets to be a distraction. Still, good to watch for her.
  29. Convento, O (1995) O Convento wasn't as rewarding as A Talking Picture.
  30. Rue cases nègres (1983)
  31. Little Murders (1971) (Theater)
  32. Payment on Demand (1951) (Theater)
  33. Naissance des pieuvres (2007) (Theater) Pretty darn good.
  34. Popeye (1980) Wow this really was bad. It started out bearable, and got worse as time went on.
  35. The Big Shot (1937) Meant to watch the movie with Humphrey Bogart with the same title, but instead I got no-names who inherit a long of money from their gangster uncle.
  36. Crime of Passion (1957) Barbara Stanwyck! This wasn't the best, but it was ok.
  37. Edge of the City (1957) This movie was almost boring, because it was so care-free and light. Then all of a sudden it got heavy!! And not only that, but Robert Osborne criticized John Cassavetes performance.
  38. Vale Abraão (1993) The scenery was beautiful and the story was slightly reminiscent of Madame Bovary, which was very purposeful.
  39. The Silent Partner (1978) (Theater) Elliott Gould was great as the bank teller who two-timed not only the bank but the bank robber. It was a pretty funny movie and is known as the last movie where Gould played a solid, leading role before doing cameos and taking bit parts.
  40. Dillinger è morto (1969) (Theater) I read somewhere that this was supposed to be the sequel to Godard's Le Mepris. ? ? ? ? I was kind of tired watching it and think I missed the "surreal ending".
  41. The Defiant Ones (1958) Mainly a blah and racist movie.
  42. Hideous Kinky (1998) The title always scared me until a friend told me it was about a woman and her two daughters on a journey.
  43. Spitfire (1934) Very amusing movie with Katharine Hepburn w/a crazy backwoods accent.
  44. Born to Kill (1947) (Theater) I am not too crazy about Claire Trevor, but this film noir was to die for. Really great movie, but then the ending was super-fantastic.
  45. The People Next Door (1970) (Theater) Eli Wallach and Julie Harris star as the parents of two kids they know nothing about. Their daughter gets hooked on drugs and the sweet little girl they knew becomes a crazed demon.
  46. Angel on My Shoulder (1946) Another version of down to earth. Claude Rains was good.
  47. Another Day in Paradise (1997)
  48. Cercle rouge, Le (1970) Good.
  49. The Foot Fist Way (2006) (Theater) Pretty funny.
  50. Gunga Din (1939)
  51. À Flor do Mar (1986) An ok Monteiro. Supposed to be his best. It's alright.
  52. Notte, La (1961) Not Antonioni's best, but far from his worst. I liked Monica Vitti, Jeanne Moreau and Marcello M. They all were great.
  53. Hootenanny Hoot (1963) (Theater) This one was a "hoot" - featuring performances from Johnny Cash, among other country artists.
  54. Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
  55. The Ipcress File (1965)
  56. There's Always Tomorrow (1956) Finishing the month off with Barbara Stanwyck. It was good. A little maudlin, but far from her worst.
Documentaries:
  1. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997) I felt this movie was just ok. In it, a man named Dieter recounts his struggles as an air pilot during wartimes, as well as his desire to become an American citizen.
  2. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) An interesting look at a coalminer's strike and great music.
  3. The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music (2007) (Theater) A really great movie about a guy who saved thousands of records from destruction and catalogued them and made anthologies that exposed other artists to obscurer tunes. This guy was so weird. In addition to his interest in music, he made films, and did all sorts of other things.
  4. Sara and Maybelle (1981) (Theater) I thought I knew enough about the Carter family. Maybe I do and maybe I don't. But I haven't really heard much of their music. This movie was still neat to see, because there's so much I still don't know about early folk music or the beginnings of country music. Got to see & hear it firsthand.
  5. The End of an Old Song (1973) (short)
  6. The High Lonesome Sound (1963)
  7. Musical Holdouts NOT ON IMDB Probably my favorite out of the John Cohen movies. And my favorite part was in the very beginning when it said it was about people which called for a separation from mainstream America. YEAH!
  8. Post Industrial Fiddle NOT ON IMDB
Maysles Brothers Documentaries (Theater over the period of several weeks) :
  1. The Beales of Grey Gardens (2006) I saw Grey Gardens about 4 years ago. These "outtakes" from that filming session with the Maysles were quite good and funny. I was worried, because D.A. Pennebaker did the same thing with his old Bob Dylan footage and it wasn't as good.
  2. Salesman (1968)
  3. The Burks of Georgia Maysles Brothers (Theater) movie, not on IMDB.
  4. Assorted Shorts including: Russia (1955), Moscow (1957), "ABC Close-Up!: Yanki, No!" (1960/1961), Untitled (1959), Showman, Natalie Wood Outtakes (1963), Carl Sandberg (1963), What's Happening (1964), With Love From Truman Outtakes, Meet Marlon Brando Outtakes, Off to War (Vietnam, 1965), Dali's Fantastic Dream (set on The Fantastic Voyage, 1966), MGM Showreel (Vampire Killers set 1966) and MGM Press Junket, Mother (1968), Gimme Shelter Outtakes (1972), McGovern (1972), Conrack, Orson Welles in Spain.
  5. Showman (1963)
  6. Meet Marlon Brando (1966)
  7. A Visit with Truman Capote (1966)
TV-Related:
  1. "ABC Afterschool Specials: Stoned (#9.4)" (1980) (Theater)
  2. "The Directors: The Films of Sidney Lumet" (????) A good look into the career of this director.
  3. Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite (1968) I knew very little about Abel Gance. A behind the scenes look at his movies and his loves off-screen.
  4. Desperate Lives (1982) (TV) (Theater) I only watched this, because Helen Hunt was in it. But over all, it was pretty stupid.
  5. "The Directors: The Films of Richard Linklater" Overall, it was okay. I didn't realize that Richard Linklater was so much of a jock.
Rewatches:
  1. Fargo (1996) (Theater)
  2. Out of the Past (1947) (Theater)
  3. L.A. Confidential (1997) (Theater) Amazing film. One of the few that I've actually rated a 10. The first time I watched this, I don't think I even knew who Veronica Lake was, or what a "wop" was. I thought I learned that term from Martin Scorsese, but maybe not.
  4. Doublure, La (2006) I watched this one morning before work. I really love the four main characters in this played by Gad Elmaleh, Daniel Auteuil, Alice Taglioni, and Virginie Ledoyen. Everything is balanced perfectly. I didn't even know who Dany Boon was when I saw this the first time, but now that I have Welcome to the Land of the Ch'tis and My Best Friend under my belt, I can appreciate his performance a bit more, even if his characters in the other movies I have seen him in were smarter.
  5. California Split (1974) (Theater) Great rewatch. I was a bit tired, but I loved several parts, including Elliott Gould beating this bad dude up and the end.
  6. The Long Goodbye (1973) (Theater) It was great seeing this movie for THIRD time, second time on-screen!!
Harry Smith Shorts (all of these were hand-painted) (Theater):
  1. Number 1 (1939)
  2. Number 2: Message from the Sun (1941)
  3. III. Circular Tensions (1946)
  4. Number 4: Manteca (1947)
  5. Number 5: Circular Tensions: Homage to Oskar Fischinger (1949)
  6. Number 7 (1951)
  7. Number 10 (1956)
Shorts:
  1. Salla, La (1996) (Theater) Italian music with "weird" animation. By the same guy who did The Big Snit.
  2. N.U. (1948) This was an extremely poor VHS copy and I couldn't appreciate it at all!
  3. The Fast Mailman (1922) (Theater) A mailman is cheated by everyone. He is fast, but not fast enough.
  4. Redux Riding Hood (1997) (Theater) Decent, but a bit exaggerated.
Partial Movies:
  1. Grey Gardens (1975) I caught the last 30-40 minutes of this and it was pretty good, rewatching it.
  2. Hollywood Canteen (1944) At a Bette Davis celebratiion, they showed a clip of her from this movie/documentary about the Hollywood Canteen, playing herself in wartime.
  3. French Cancan (1954) I wanted to try Jean Renoir again and I did. However, after Edith Piaf's cameo (about halfway through the movie), I had to give up on it. I really didn't like Renoir.
  4. A Woman's Face (1941) If there's anything more annoying than Joan Crawford's face, it's a deformed version of Joan Crawford's face.
  5. Deep Valley (1947) Watched about half of this. Ida Lupino's parents are abusive and she has a speech impediment. As good as that sounds, it was not that great.
  6. Morte ha fatto l'uovo, La (1968) Despite looking like it would be fun, I wasn't into it.
  7. The Vanishing American (1925) I heard this was a great silent western. Maybe it is. That's not my thing, but I decided to try it anyway. I couldn't take it anymore.
  8. Love on the Run (1936) I had enough of the Joan Crawford/Franchot Tone/Clark Gable trio. This seemed like a cheap rip-off of It Happened One Night and wasn't half as good.
  9. The Mating of Millie (1948) I guess it drew me in. I have had the fantasy of this situation before actually. Well, anyway, I don't know if I finished it or missed the beginning, but I didn't see the whole thing.
  10. Backbeat (1994) A really terrible "What if"/Beatles movie. Eh.
  11. Roue, La (1923) Watched a little bit of it. I like Abel Gance, but I have had enough of him. I couldn't imagine watching four hours of a movie. I gave it a try, but it was blah.
  12. The Seventh Victim (1943) Some kind of witch hunt movie I had on, but didn't pay too much attn. to.
  13. What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A. (1964) (TV) I was not in the mood for this.
 
 
   
 

MARCH 2008
Top Movies this month:

  1. A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) (TV) Amazing journey through film. I had seen so much, but of course I had so much more to see.
  2. Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) "You don't like me best anymore." While not wild about Otto Preminger before, I really liked this movie. I wanted to see it before the remake came out.
  3. Tess (1979) Don't let the length put you off. This one is good.
The rest:
  1. Innocents aux mains sales, Les (1975) A new Claude Chabrol movie! The first time I couldn't get the dialog to be French. I think it is actually a movie made in the english language, but I can't imagine a CC film in English. So I changed the language to be in French and it was perfect.
  2. Brigitte et Brigitte (1966) A very delightful movie that is one part Double Life of Veronique, one part Daisies, and another part wanna be French new wavey cinephile low-budget semi-masterpiece. Enjoyable and thoughtful.
  3. Dear Brigitte (1965) Another Brigitte movie about a boy who is obsessed with Brigitte Bardot. I wouldn't have seen it but Jimmy Stewart is in the movie. Also I didn't know this, but Brigitte Bardot is in it too in an uncredited cameo. The only movie with Brigitte and Jimmy!
  4. Barcelona (1994) Talky, a kind of eh movie.
  5. Crown v. Stevens (1936) An interested Michael Powell movie.
  6. Parpaillon/Up and Down (1993) (TV) Another film by Luc Mollet. Not as good as Brigitte and Brigitte.
  7. 'G' Men (1935) A really good movie. James Cagney is a lawyer that can't make ends meet, so he joins the police force. Imagine a policeman that is part Sherlock Holmes and part John McClane. He was amazing in this.
  8. Personal Property (1937) There are certainly better Jean Harlow movies, but this one was ok.
  9. The Divorcee (1930) This one was a lot of fun. Norma Shearer shines in the pre-code days.
  10. Chakushin ari/One Missed Call (2003) Not really worth mentioning.
  11. Female (1933) Interesting pre-code movie.
  12. Be Kind Rewind (2008) (Theater)
  13. Billy Liar (1963) Blah. A nice early performance by Julie Christie, but nothing special.
  14. Sang sattawat / Syndromes and a Century(2006) I was surprised by how nothing this film was. Oh well, better luck next time maybe.
  15. The Bank Job (2008) (Theater) Good movie. Saw it with my brother.
  16. Freedom Writers (2007) Finally saw it. Not that bad, but I think I like the Michelle Pfieffer teacher movie better.
  17. I Am Legend (2007) (Theater) I was expecting it to be a lot worse, but I liked it.
  18. Nightfall (1957) A pleasant and exciting film noir.
  19. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Liked it!
  20. Salt of the Earth (1954) banned by the US Gov't initially. It was an ok movie.
  21. The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) Just eh. Could've been much better and much worse too.
  22. Shanghai Express (1932)
  23. Goodbye Again (1961) Based on a Francoise Sagan novel (that is collecting dust on my shelf) I liked the screen version.
  24. Gridiron Gang (2006) I don't like football or The Rock but somehow I couldn't turn this one off.
  25. The Boondock Saints (1999) Pretty good, but Willem Dafoe's character was insanely over-the-top, even for him. I felt that he played it way too silly, especially for someone so qualified as an actor. I didn't like how the movie just ended, but the extra part at the end was good.
  26. Henri Cartier-Bresson - Biographie eines Blicks (2003) An ok movie that includes appearances from Isabelle Huppert.
  27. The Scarlet Empress (1934) This movie was entertaining, but just okay.
  28. Flight (1929) An okay early movie from Capra, but it seemed to be a rip-off of Wings.
  29. The Blue Gardenia (1953) This Fritz Lang movie was good, but at times some of the female characters seemed too hysterical.
  30. Dames (1934) Funny and enjoyable, but a little unrealistic.
  31. Peau d'âne (1970) My expectations had been really low, but I really liked the Catherine Deneuve as a princess movie by Jacques Demy.
  32. Obviously Subtle by Dustin Chang. Very good. I liked the use of music and the ideas and structure. I can't wait to see more from the director.
  33. Important c'est d'aimer, L'/That Most Important Thing: Love (1975)
  34. What's New Pussycat (1965)
  35. Fat City (1972)
  36. Caught (1949) A strange hysterical movie. I am not crazy about any of Max Ophuls movies. This one was ok because of James Mason and Barbara Bel Geddes.
  37. Indiscreet (1931) Gloria Swanson movie
  38. Postcards from the Future: The Chuck Palahniuk Documentary (2003) Really interesting.
  39. Three for Bedroom C (1952) A minor Gloria Swanson picture, but it was enjoyable enough.
  40. They Live by Night (1948) It could have been that I saw Robert Altman's Thieves Like Us first. They Live By Night just seemed flat and unoriginal to me. I think Altman was able to spice up his version and had better actors.
  41. 21 (2008) (Theater) Gambling movies have been done time and time again but this one seemed fresh. While not the best movie in the world I enjoyed it and liked the ending.
  42. Drillbit Taylor (2008) (Theater) The movie was funny, especially in the beginning. The end was pretty good.
  43. Missile (1987) Even though this movie was mainly about nuclear warfare, it had good tips, such as: don't point a gun at someone even if you don't think it's loaded.
Mikio Naruse:
  1. Okaasan/Mother (1952) While I liked it, it didn't really compare to Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
  2. Bangiku (1954) It seemed like a poor man's version of When a Women Ascends the Stairs. Luckily I saw Ascends first, as this one didn't exhilarate me.
Ernst Lubitsch:
  1. That Lady in Ermine (1948)
  2. If I Had a Million (1932) Ernst's Lubitsch's segment was the smallest, but decent.
  3. Ich möchte kein Mann sein/I Don't Want to Be a Man (1918)
  4. Augen der Mumie Ma, Die (1918) The Eyes of the Mummy
Bela Tarr:
  1. Sátántangó (1994) 7.5 hour movie. YAY.
  2. Családi tüzfészek / Family Wasp's Nest (1979) (Theater) Hated it really bad. 2/10
  3. Panelkapcsolat / Pre-Fab People (1982) (Theater) Really good.
  4. Szabadgyalog/The Outsider (1981) (Theater) An okay movie with some okay moments. On the boring side of his movies.
  5. A Londoni férfi /The Man From London (2007) (Theater) I focused on Bela Tarr's movies all month, because he was supposed to appear at this screening. Although unable to make it, I was glad to explore his filmography. His films can be hypnotic and interesting. Plus I was able to have this great conversation at the theater with this guy afterwards. Finally, I think Almanac of the Fall is the only major work by him that I've missed. I will need to get to that, but I may save that for a rainy day. Overall, my favorite was Damnation (saw it a month or two ago) and my least favorite was Family Wasp's Nest.
Tribute to Anthony Minghella:
  1. Truly Madly Deeply (1990) While moderately entertaining it was different than I thought it was going to be!
  2. Breaking and Entering (2006) I liked this movie, although it seemed unrealistic at times.
Women directors:
  1. Europa Europa (1990) An interesting film by Agnieszka Holland. While I wasn't astounded by it, it was good enough.
  2. Nathalie Granger (1972) Marguerie Duras An ok work. Some great actors, but a nothing story.
  3. The Last September (1999) Deborah Warner It started out pretty good, but then got really weird. Still, an amazing cast.
  4. Palais royal! (2005) Finally got to see Valerie Le Mercier's directorial debut. Also with Catherine Deneuve, this film was funny.
  5. Aïe (2000) Sophie FillièresA strange movie. I expected it to be funnier.
  6. The Bride Wore Red (1937) Dorothy Arzner I am not fond of Joan Crawford, but Franchot Tone (her husband) was hot and I wanted to explore works by female directors this month.
  7. Craig's Wife (1936) Dorothy Arzner Rosalind Russell is Craig's Wife, a conniving woman who has an intense desire for money but not people.
  8. Un divan à New York/A Couch in NY (1996) Chantal Akerman's attempt at a romantic comedy. While it sort of works, it is not as great as I thought it could be.
  9. D'Est (1993) Chantal Akerman
  10. Örökbefogadás (1975) Márta Mészáros Most prolific woman film director, however most of her works are unavailable.
  11. Kalamita (1981) Vera Chytilová From the chick that brought you Daisies comes another unconventional film. Not as stylized but mostly enjoyable.
  12. News from Home (1977) Chantal Akerman Movie about writing letters. The final sequence with the seagulls is amazingly...flat.
  13. No Sex Last Night (1996) Sophie Calle Video The director is strange and intriguing and the male co-director is a jerk. Overall, I like the experience bc of Sophie, who hasn't made a film before or since but is a great artist experimenting in different formats.
  14. Desert Hearts (1985) Donna Deitch An ok movie about a woman who experiments with her sexuality while waiting for her divorce.
  15. Pointe-courte, La (1954) Agnès Varda's first film. The disc included a Cineaste interview and a recent interview from the director.
  16. Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach/The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968) Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub Husband and wife directing team. The movie is from the POV of Bach's wife. Mildly interesting, well done, but not crazy-wonderful.
  17. Washington Square (1997) Agnieszka Holland I really liked this one. I wasn't sure about the ending. Overall, my favorite film by the director so far.
  18. Shot in the Heart (2001) (TV) Agnieszka Holland An interesting look at killer Gary Gilmore's history.
  19. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) Kathryn Bigelow Sorry, I thought this was definitely one of the worst movies I saw this month. Even though Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson were in this, they did little more than provide eye-candy.
  20. Deliver Us from Evil (2006) Amy Berg When I saw a preview for this about two years ago, I wondered who could watch something so heavy. It ended up being one of the greatest movies I viewed, and I chose to see it, because the director was female. I went to Catholic school for two years and it was all about child abuse in the Catholic church. It focused on a priest who is living happily ever after in Ireland (he was deported from the USA). The extent to which the church covered up for this priest was disgusting. A minor spoiler, one of the parents whose child was abused lost their faith over the matter. It was some pretty heavy stuff and it was brave for some of the victims to speak as much as they did.
  21. Wanda (1970) Barbara Loden I suppose I didn't "get" it, but I was interested to see what Elia Kazan's wife could do.
Other Shorts by women:
  1. A New Year (1989) Video Sadie Benning
  2. Hotel Infinity (2004) Amanda Boyle Pretty strange and pointless movie. It made no sense, but at least it was very short.
Shirley Clarke Shorts (click):
  1. Dance in the Sun (1953)
  2. A Scary Time not on IMDB / Unicef-Halloween commercial. Very interesting but sort of uneven.
  3. Bridges-Go-Round (1958) Probably my least favorite out of the shorts.
  4. Moment in Love (1956) Good early effort.
  5. Savage/Love (1981) This one started out great, but got tired as it progressed.
  6. Tongues (1982) (V) (partial) Tongues was just a continuation of Savage/Love and I wasn't that into it so I turned it off.
Shorts:
  1. 21-87 (1964) Video A good movie. It apparently was a favorite of the makers of Star Wars.
  2. A Criminal Is Born (1938) A short on TCM that explained to parents that if you spend time with your kids, they won't get involved with crime.
TV Related:
  1. Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood Excellent, and great clips!
  2. "John Adams" (2008) (mini) Absolutely terrible and boring! Part 1 only.
Partial Movies:
  1. I Want to Live! (1958) I saw most of this, but the movie was so long and tiresome. Also Susan Hayward must have thought she was a better actress than she was. Eh.
  2. Lost and Delirious (2001) Gave up on this pretty much right away. This is what I call Hollywood Trash. ugh.
  3. The Arnelo Affair (1947) I only missed the first 20 mins. approx. It was just an ok movie riddled with cliches. Dumb dialog and ok acting.
  4. Gelato (2005) (TV) An ok documentary about ice cream. A small businessman in France explained that "making ice cream is not rocket science" and that was my favorite part.
  5. The Hi-Lo Country (1998) Good director and good actors but something about this movie was just terrible bad. I didn't spend more than 20 mins. on it.
  6. The Invisible (2007) Caught a few seconds of this.
  7. Seconds (1966) This was a strange picture. I only caught a few minutes of Seconds, because my DVR decided to delete all the movies on it. Will probably not try to track it down again.
  8. ¡Que Viva Mexico! - Da zdravstvuyet Meksika! (1979) Eisenstein's uncompleted documentary on Mexico. I watched most of it, but had to return it to the library.
  9. The Cobweb (1955) An interesting cast that includes Gloria Grahame and Lauren Bacall. Unfortunately, that's not as good as it sounds.
  10. Dazed and Confused (1993) Felt it was a little too stupid.
  11. Lonely Are the Brave (1962) Despite being madly in love with a younger Kirk Douglas and liking Gena Rowlands, this film didn't do it for me. I don't like westerns.
  12. Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957) Wow, a very strange movie. I actually woke up and this was ok TV. Very "hip" music for the day and people swinging from the ceiling playing their instruments. Overall, the story was very blah. To be missed unless you want to catch it for the music.
  13. Beiqing chengshi/City of Sadness (1989) I wanted to see this, but Flight of the Red Balloon tortured me and City of Sadness didn't seem like it interested me any more, so I saved myself another 2 1/2 hours.
  14. Disturbia (2007) I felt it would be pointless to keep watching as I didn't respect this remake.
  15. Trudell (2005) Unfortunately most of the featured female directors on Sundance were terrible. This was beyond terrible. It was about a poet who was defending Indian reservations. I figured I'd keep watching, then he started blaming Christians for all the troubles in the world. It was very poorly rated on IMDB and I realized out why.
  16. Helen of Troy (1956) Mainly it was tiresome to watch. A young Brigitte Bardot has a small role.
  17. Saam gaang yi / Three Extremes(2004) I still have to finish Miike's segment. However, this movie was a nice intro to Fruit Chan and in addition, I enjoyed Chan-wook Park's segment.
  18. Adam and Evelyne (1949) My DVR cut the last 5-10 minutes. A very strange movie. I never thought I'd come across it, and it was much worse than I thought it would be.
  19. Topaze (1933/I) I had recently watched the original version with Fernandel. While John Barrymore is good, it seemed like it was a pale imitation to the original. Also since it was fresh on my mind it seemed like I was watching the same movie over again so I passed on watching the rest.

 
 
 

   
Feburary Movies, 2008
Top Movies this month:
  1. The Amazing Mr. X / The Spiritualist (1948) (Theater) Great viewing!
  2. Château de ma mère, Le / My Mother's Castle (1990) Great, but make sure to see My Father's Glory first!
  3. Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki/When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) Was a very nice surprise. I didn't think I'd enjoy it so much.
  4. Suture (1993) (Theater)Wow, all I have to say is that David Lynch MUST have seen this before he made Lost Highway. It is a very interesting and yet silly look into the question of identity and I was impressed with it.
  5. Thieves' Highway (1949) An amazing movie. In the spirit of The Bicycle Thief. Very aggravating, but different. It explores the shallowness of women ;) and the greed of the evil, and the perseverance of the hard-working man.
The rest:
  1. Crime de Monsieur Lange, Le (1936) Not a huge fan of Renoir, this one was halfway decent. 6/10
  2. Evening (2007) Wow this movie was really mediocre and I anticipated things about 5 seconds before they were going to happen, predicted lines and everything. OMG!! The best cast with the worst acting. I guess it was good to see, but I could have missed it...I was laughing so hard at one point that I'm sure it did me much good.
  3. Gervaise (1956) Not Rene Clement's best film, however it was very good.
  4. Red-Headed Woman (1932) Pretty cute, but nothing fantastic.
  5. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) An interesting movie. Nothing special, but worthwhile.
  6. Katakuri-ke no kôfuku / The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) (Theater) Good, watch, pretty funny.
  7. Fanny (1932) sequel to Marius, pt. 2 of the series
  8. César (1936) sequel to Fanny, pt. 3 of the series
  9. Ornette: Made in America (1985) (Theater) Interestingly filmed documentary.
  10. Brewster McCloud (1970) Altman - I liked it, but it wasn't that great.
  11. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
  12. Portrait of Jason (1967) (Theater) Documentary.
  13. The Driver (1978) Nice chase scenes ;)
  14. The Browning Version (1951)
  15. Chanel Solitaire (1981) Ok, but strange in several parts when an almost 40 year old Marie-France Pisier plays an 18 year old CoCo Chanel.
  16. The Secret Bride (1934) An ok Barbara Stanwyck movie. But it has its moments.
  17. Sukkar banat/Caramel (2007) (Theater)
  18. Wings (1927)
  19. Fröken Julie/Miss Julie (1951) Weird movie, ok.
  20. Heir to an Execution (2004) Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were unjustly executed during the McCarthy era. It is hard to believe that not only were these people put to death, but for crimes they did not commit.
  21. Horí, má panenko / The Fireman's Ball (1967) I'm not really sure why this was considered a good movie. A good director for sure, but Milos Forman has done much better movies.
  22. Taxi! (1932) A movie non-intriguing story-wise but James Cagney performs well in this.
  23. Total Eclipse (1995) Leo DiCaprio gets the chance of a lifetime as an actor. He gets to burp in this movie. Gross.
  24. Battling Butler (1926) Buster Keaton is always pretty good.
  25. The Atomic Cafe (1982)
  26. City Across the River (1949) (Theater)
  27. The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
  28. Romuald et Juliette / Mama there's a man in your bed (1989) Daniel Auteuil had bad hair in this.
  29. Summertime (1955) This movie proved to be pretty good even though I don't like David Lean movies in general.
  30. Hold Your Man (1933)
  31. Husbands (1970)
  32. Don Juan (1926) (Theater) Silent Even though this is a silent, it is the first movie with synchronized sound and you can hear swords clashing and such, but there is no spoken dialogue.
  33. Dong / The Hole (1998)
  34. Easy Virtue (1928) Alfred Hitchcock
  35. Blackmail (1929) Alfred Hitchcock
  36. Chameleon Street (1989) (Theater) An interesting look into a man that becomes a chameleon to suit his and everyone else's purposes. A little more of what I expected Woody Allen's Zelig to be and very enjoyable to see.
  37. Communion (1989) (Theater) This movie scared the socks off me!
  38. Miracolo a Milano (1951)
  39. Beau Brummel (1924) (Theater) Silent
  40. The Girl from Missouri (1934)
  41. The Last Wave (1977)
  42. Citizen Ruth (1996) A delightful and unnerving film by Alexander Payne. I didn't even know about it until Juno came out and someone referenced it.
  43. Passing Through (1977) (Theater) A film "made for the revolution" and very hard to see. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing.
  44. There Goes My Heart (1938) Moderately enjoyable.

Pre-code Movies:
  1. Hot Saturday (1932) (Theater) Cary Grant was amazingly funny and charming in this. Nancy Carroll was a great lead actress and it's too bad I haven't seen more from her.
  2. White Woman (1933) (Theater) Carole Lombard was charming in this and she even sang! Charles Laughton played a devious, creepy man. Even though it lost steam towards the end, there were at least two hot men in this. One was a wimp and one was a brave, strong man (hot!).
  3. Blonde Crazy (1931) Jimmy Cagney and Joan Blondell were great in this and I enjoyed it immensely.
  4. Footlight Parade (1933) Jimmy Cagney and Joan Blondell again! The beginning proved to be very interesting as it was about the transition from silent films to "talking pictures". BUT- it sort of lost its steam, THEN it had about twto or three great and impressive musical numbers. I was wondering how they were able to film such a great spectable: underwater coreography, etc. :)
  5. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920/I) (Theater) Silent Worth watching and enjoyable.

    There are probably more pre-code movies I saw, but this is what I saw in the beginning of the month.

Ernst Lubitsch (had previously seen 6 of his movies):
Good movies.  My goal  was to see as many of his movies this month as I could.
  1. The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
  2. Cluny Brown (1946) Great.
  3. Sumurun / One Arabian Night (1920) Silent
  4. Bergkatze, Die /Wildcat (1921) Silent Good, reminds me of The Oyster Princess visually.
  5. Eternal Love (1929) (Theater) Silent
  6. Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
  7. Carmen/Gypsy Blood (1918) Silent
  8. Angel (1937)
  9. Puppe, Die/The Doll (1919) Silent Pretty good and entertaining too.
  10. Anna Boleyn (1920)Silent Good period piece.
  11. Design for Living (1933) Delightful Jules-et-Jim-esque movie.
  12. The Marriage Circle (1924) Silent A silent silent. The VHS version I had was without music or anything. It was ok.
  13. Ninotchka (1939)
  14. Broken Lullaby (1932)
  15. That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
  16. Lady Windermere's Fan (1925) Silent
  17. The Love Parade (1929)
  18. Monte Carlo (1930)
  19. One Hour with You (1932)
  20. The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)
  21. So This Is Paris (1926)
  22. Fidele Gefängnis, Das (1917)
  23. Madame DuBarry aka Passion (1919)
  24. A Royal Scandal (1945) Light and funny, I enjoyed this.
  25. Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin - Von der Schönhauser Allee nach Hollywood (2006) (V) Great documentary. His daughter Nicola Lubitsch provided insight. The documentary also had footage of several of his shorts he directed:
    Blusenkönig, Der / The Blouse King (1917)
    Wenn vier dasselbe tun / When four do the same (1917)
    Schuhpalast Pinkus (1916)
    Meyer aus Berlin (1919)
    as well as some he acted in:
    Doktor Satansohn (1916)
    Fräulein Piccolo (1915) Chaplinesque
    Hans Trutz im Schlaraffenland (1917)
    Robert und Bertram, die lustigen Vagabunden (1915)
    Stolz der Firma, Der / The Pride of the Firm (1914)
    see: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0907732/movieconnections
    Also:
  26. Prelude to War (1943) Apparently Ernst Lubitsch directed the second part of this documentary on the Nazis and how evil they are Smile
  27. Desire (1936) Produced by: Ernst, directed by Frank Borzage
Shorts:
  1. When It Rains (1995) Charles Burnett, rent money
  2. Magic Yellowstone (Theater)
  3. Niagara Falls (Theater)
  4. Prairie Chicken (1917) (Theater)
  5. Friend Husband (1924) (Theater)
  6. The Horse (1973) A Charles Burnett short.
  7. On s'embrasse? /Can We Kiss? (2000) Video
  8. The Frozen North (1922) Buster Keaton
  9. The Haunted House (1921) Buster Keaton
  10. All Jazzed Up (1920) (Theater) An enjoyable slapstick movie where a man on a cart flies all over town.
  11. Dog Heaven (1927) (Theater) A dog tries to commit suicide after his owner (a little boy) betrays him over a girl.
  12. Frederick Chopin (1925) (Theater) about his affair with Georges Sand.
  13. Stage Struck (1928) (Theater) Felix the cat like character, old man with a flute.
  14. Several Friends (1969)
  15. Ko-Ko's Tattoo (1928) (Theater)
  16. Ko-Ko Smokes (1928) (Theater)

D.W. Griffith Shorts:
  1. The Female of the Species (1912) VIDEO
  2. The New York Hat (1912) (Theater) VIDEO
Brakhage Shorts:
  1. Prelude: Dog Star Man (1962) Played with a selection of instrumental songs.
  2. Dog Star Man: Part I (1962) I tried rock songs for this one. A variety of Bob Dylan, Garbage, Strokes, Connie Francis, Tom Petty. It didn't really seem to work, but sometimes it did.
  3. Dog Star Man: Part II (1963) played with Bizet - Carmen Suite No. 1
  4. Dog Star Man: Part III (1964) Played with J.S. Bach - from Suite III, BWV 1063
  5. Dog Star Man: Part IV (1964) This last one was so short, that I'm not really sure what was playing. But I needed music to keep my interest in the sound-less movies by Brakhage. And I liked the music more than my images, and so I'm not sure what's the point.
  6. Window Water Baby Moving (1962)

TV:
  1. Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) A good film about relatively unknown producer Val Lewton.
Partial Movies:
  1. "A Year in Provence" (1993) (mini) Winter and Spring epsidoes only. It was ok, but not good enough to seek out the other episodes.
  2. Janie (1944) I'm sure this would be an ok watch. Directed by Michael Curtiz, but it seemed like a waste of time.
  3. Johnny Angel (1945) I watched most of this, but couldn't take anymore. I think George Raft is an interesting person, but he does absolutely nothing for me.
  4. Crime School (1938) Only able to see part of it, because I get the movies with the Dead End kids mixed up (plus they annoy me). But Bogart was really young and handsome and had a great scene without dialogue. I kept waiting for him to speak but he spoke without speaking. Amazing actor.
  5. Suzy (1936) Unfortunately, I didn't set my DVR in time so I only caught the last part. Cary Grant is charming and Franchot Tone...two of my favorite men. And Jean Harlow is in it too which makes for an excellent cast.
  6. The Good Thief (2002/I) The remake of some Melville movie (Bob le Flambeur I think), it is unrecognizable from the amazing original. Nick Nolte (blah) was getting on my nerves and I couldn't take it anymore.
  7. Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) A tiresome movie, with good stars. I got so bored with it after about 40 mins. that I ffwded to the end. It was a pretty lousy ending too. Not worth it.
  8. Via del petrolio, La (1967) (TV) (Theater) Actually went to the theater for this one. When Bertolucci is good, he is great. When he is boring...snore. I had too much to do that day and since I was bored I decided that leaving the theater would be best.
  9. Sunnyside Up (1929) Video Janet Gaynor is one of my favorites. While she is not a great singer, it's kind of a cute clip.
  10. Big Trouble (2002) My library had this listed under John Cassavetes and then gave me the wrong version after I placed the hold on it. I heard JC's version was SO BAD, but after AN HOUR into this movie I realized that not only was this movie SO BAD too but it wasn't even John Cassavetes. I am planning to ask my library to change the listing so no one else will get the wrong movie.
  11. Tell Your Children / Reefer Madness (1936) Caught part of this on IFC. Basically, I wasn't expecting to see people from the thirties smoking pot on TV. I only caught a minute before watching something else.
 
 
   
 

December Viewings!
December 2007

Top Movies this month:
  1. Coeurs/Private Fears in Public Places (2006) Much better than I was expecting!! I usually don't like Alain Resnais so much. There were a few problems with it, like I really don't know that someone so "religious" would also be a stripper or ex-stripper, whatever she was.
  2. The Circus (1928) Sound was just coming in, yet Charlie Chaplin would make silents for several more years. This one is charming and among his best.
  3. The Fisher King (1991) Excellent.
  4. A New Leaf (1971)
  5. Orfanato, El (2007) (Theater) Produced by the director of Pan's Labyrinth I went back and forth on whether or not to see it. However, I decided to see it and was pleasantly surprised. In the same vein as Pan's Labyrinth and The Sixth Sense, but of course different, it was a pretty good thriller with a lot of interesting things coming into play.
  6. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

The rest:
  1. Atonement (2007) (Theater) This movie will make my 10 top worst films of the year!
  2. Beaumarchais, l'insolent (1996)
  3. Bonjour tristesse (1958) (second attempt at viewing) I liked it much more the second time.
  4. Charlie Wilson's War (2007) (Theater) Terrible.
  5. Darling (1965) Pretty good. You don't hear about this one too much today!
  6. From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
  7. Garbo (2005) A documentary that provided insight.
  8. The Great Debaters (2007) (Theater)
  9. The In-Laws (2003/I) Really bad!
  10. Lemming (2005) Interesting in a strange way.
  11. No Country for Old Men (2007) (Theater)
  12. Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
  13. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) (Theater) Not very enjoyable, but there was a decent performance by Johnny Depp and a great performance by Alan Rickman. A twist at the end.
  14. Swimming with Sharks (1994) Pretty good, but not an immediate favorite.
  15. The Tattooed Stranger (1950) Not bad. A little cliche, but then again it was the precursor to Memento!
  16. There Will Be Blood (2007) (Theater) It really surprises me how bland some critically acclaimed movies are. This fell way short.
  17. Village of the Damned (1960) A pretty funny movie about alien children.
  18. Waterloo Bridge (1940) Vivien Leigh was ok, Robert Taylor was pretty good.
  19. Winchester '73 (1950)
  20. Zemlya/Earth (1930)
  21. Modern Romance (1981) Pretty funny.
  22. The Savages (2007) (Theater) Ok.
  23. Pendulum (1969) Saw it because of Jean Seberg. It was alright.
  24. Virtue (1932)
  25. Kameradschaft (1931) I don't usually like GW Pabst but this was good.
  26. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
  27. Shadowlands (1993) A wonderful movie. I avoided it for so long because I saw a stage version of it and am very familiar with the story. But I'm so glad that Anthony Hopkins played C.S. Lewis. It was a treat.
  28. St. Louis Blues (1958) A good musical with Eartha Kitt. I really liked the music of real-life composer WC Handy.
  29. To Have and Have Not (1944) A good but silly film with Bogie & Bacall. Their first.
  30. The Bucket List (2007) (Theater)
  31. Sceicco bianco, Lo / The White Sheik (1952) Good music.
  32. Live and Let Die (1973) A James Bond with really bad acting, yet there was sosmething strangely worthwhile about it as well.
  33. Boksuneun naui geot / Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
  34. *Gran Casino (Tampico) (1947) Most people hate this Bunuel film, but I liked it. Also with commentary by Philip Kemp.
  35. Cronos (1993) I'm trying to decide if I like this or Hellboy more.
  36. Voulez-vous danser avec moi? (1959) A double whammy. Brigitte Bardot in a Marcel Carne directed film. While not either of their finest, it's still a delightful murder mystery.

Cary Grant:
  1. The Bishop's Wife (1947)
  2. Dream Wife (1953) Really lame and still kinda cute. The most impressive thing was Deborah Kerr speaking a completely different language.
  3. Every Girl Should Be Married (1948) Cheesy, but completely enjoyable. This movie made my day.

Gloria Swanson:
  1. Hollywood Biography: Gloria Swanson
  2. Teddy at the Throttle (1917) (short)
  3. The Danger Girl (1916) (short)
  4. The Sultan's Wife / Caught in a Harem(1917) (short)
  5. His New Job (1915) (short)
  6. Don't Change Your Husband (1919)

William Wellman:
  1. The Boob (1926) Silent An ok silent. Checked it out because of director William Wellman. A really great dream sequence that is about flying cars and people falling. Not sure what it means but it doesn't have to mean anything. A treat.
  2. The Public Enemy (1931) Not as impressed with it as I thought I was going to be. However, it was a must see. Harlow, Cagney, and Wellman are great collaborators together.
Rewatches:
    Juno (2007) (Theater) See last month's post for a mini-review.
Alfred Hitchcock episodes:
  1. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Baby Sitter (#1.32)" (1956) This one's kinda funny in a morbid way.
  2. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Mink (#1.36)" (1956) This is the second AH episode that dealt with a mink so I thought I'd seen it before. But it was a pleasant new one.



Shorts (1907) (All in the Theater):
  1. Vie du Christ, La / The Life, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ (1906) 6/10
  2. Spectre rouge, Le/The Red Spectre (1907) 6/10
  3. Dumb Sagacity (1907)7/10 based on Black Beauty (1910) and Rescued by Rover (1905)
  4. Smuggled Into America (1907) 6/10
  5. The Unwritten Law: A Thrilling Drama Based on the Thaw-White Tragedy (1907)7/10
  6. Just Married (1912) 6/10 IMDB is wrong. This film is 1907.
  7. The First Quarrel - Lubin, August 3, 1907 6/10 *movie isn't listed on IMDB
  8. Trial Marriages (1907)6/10 I was expecting this to be much better. There were two girls I remember most: Jealous Girl and Tired Girl. Tired Girl was my favorite because she did nothing around the house and when she tried she would always collapse of fatigue.
  9. The 'Teddy' Bears (1907) 8/10
  10. The Haunted Hotel (1907) 6/10 Not so haunted. But it was a success in France, and there was one moment that was pretty good, it involved sliced bread.
  11. The Bandit King (1907) 4/10 *fragments **first westerns
  12. The Girl from Montana (1907) 5/10 *fragments **first westerns
  13. His First Ride (1907) 7/10 Pretty darn good. My second or third favorite. About a guy who is trying to ride a bicycle and keeps crashing into other people.
  14. Mishaps of a Baby Carriage - Selig, October 16, 1907 6.5/10 *movie isn't listed on IMDB The best part about this "runaway baby carriage" movie is when the carriage goes down a roof and the side of the house (all without harming the baby of course). However, it is not realistic for a baby carriage to get out of control and go all over town, so I liked the bicycle one (see above) better.
  15. An Awful Skate; or, The Hobo on Rollers (1907) 6/10
  16. Ben Hur aka The Chariot Race (1907) 5/10
  17. Cochon danseur, Le (1907) 5.5/10 It was a little gross when they showed the pig's tongue.
  18. Kiriki, acrobates japonais, Les (1907) 6/10
  19. Légende de Polichinelle, La aka Harlequin's Story (1907) 5.5/10 Not as good as it sounds. We got a warning that there was another movie inserted in this one, but it couldn't be edited, because it was borrowed from the U.S. Copyright Office.