Luckily, I had an ex-paramilitary cousin who would take me to violent action movies. He loved Chuck Norris. Tremors is a fantastic film to see with one’s great grandmother!
“Really, Den?? You never cease to amaze me. You like that crypto-fascist stuff? I thought even the most ardent Randians were turned off by that embarrassing adaptation.”
it is a lovely film with some of truly exciting sequences. I studied Rand quite a bit in school and almost worked at her institute but was not into moving to Irvine.
Jurassic Park, don’t like Spielberg so tend to avoid things he directs or produces (this happens with certain entertainers, I think I have seen only 2 or 3 Will Smith films). I liked that it was one long unrelenting chase of a film, the second one faltered because it added too much plot, the third had no plot but the action was not well shot.
@Ari
I thought you just have to start going to more horrible children’s films
There’s a window (from about 1 to 3 years) where you can’t take them to movies. Either find find a sitter or no movies in the theater. (We did take try and take my son during this window. The result? I missed half of both films. :(
my parents never took me to kid’s films
they only took me to stuff they wanted to see
I think it was better that way
Are you really an Objectivist, Den? I thought you were into women’s studies. You are clearly one hard nut to crack.
^Yeah, for the life of me I can’t peg Den (which I guess is a good thing).
not really an objectivist (tho I see value in some of the ideas) not even a libertarian
I am something of a feminist (of the Dworkin, Solanas variety) but one that also sees great value in pornography
in short guess I’m all screwed up.
lol
NOVEMBER, 2011
La Jetee – 8/10
Sans Soleil – 8/10
The Innocents – 8/10
Rome, Open City – 6/10
The Mother and the Whore – 8/10
Julius Caesar (’53) – 7/10
Bedlam – 7/10
The Seventh Seal – 9/10
Bergman Island – 7/10
I Lived But… 6/10
A Brighter Summer Day – 7/10
The Travelling Players – 7/10
WUSA – 4/10
The Boy Friend – 4/10
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto – 6/10
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – 7/10
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island – 6/10
Maborosi – 7/10
Weekend (’67) – 7/10
The Muppets – 6/10
Bold = Repeat Viewing
October viewing:
1. Charley Varrick 72/100
2. Hombre 69/100
3. In the City of Sylvia 76/100
4. Woman is the Future of Man 61/100
5. Xala 52/100
6. Hanna 60/100
7. A Hole in the Head 77/100
8. The Ghost Ship 71/100
9. Isle of the Dead 71/100
10. Elevator to the Gallows 68/100
11. Real Steel 62/100
12. Ides of March 59/100
13. Night Fishing 83/100
14. The Day He Arrives 66/100
15. La Havre 70/100
16. The Kid and His Bicycle 73/100
17. Pale Flower 71/100
Night Fishing is a short-film by Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong. It’s the best 2011 film I’ve seen. Recommended, especially to those who liked Uncle Boonmee Recalls (The Parks’ film is better, imo.)
I really liked A Hole in the Head, a Frank Capra film, and In the City of Slyvia, a European slacker film.
Night Fishing is the film shot on an iPhone, no? I have to say, given all the great films you saw last month, you are a pretty demanding guy. At least four of those films you gave 60s and 70s, I would put in the 80s and 90s.
I don’t keep close track of my dates, but I’m pretty sure this is my November viewing. Italics = repeat viewing.
Drive
A Propos de Nice
Taris
Strange Days
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Super
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Submarine
Attack the Block
Zodiac
Incendies
The Trip
Meek’s Cutoff
The Island of Lost Souls
Tabloid
Sleeping Beauty (Breillat)
Close-Up
Deconstructing Harry
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Sound of the Mountain
Contagion
The Sun’s Burial
Flowing
Repast
Hugo
50/50
Ginza Cosmetics
Endless Desire (Imamura)
@ Brad -
Since you asked for it, here is the list of new films I’ve seen in the theater this year:
1. Biutiful*
2. The Mechanic
3. Barney’s Version *
4. Another Year*
5. Dogtooth*
6. The Roommate
7. Paul [test screening]
8. Of Gods and Men*
9. Casino Jack*
10. Even the Rain
11. Rango
12. The Adjustment Bureau
13. Heartbeats
14. Dream House [test screening]
15. Redland
16. Jane Eyre
17. I Will Follow
18. Certified Copy
Taxi Driver
19. Immortals [test screening]
20. Win Win
21. Source Code
22. In a Better World
23. Putty Hill
24. Hanna
25. Dumbstruck
26. Bad Teacher
27. Incendies
28. Scream 4
29. American: The Bill Hicks Story
30. The Lincoln Lawyer
31. Meek’s Cutoff
32. Haywire [test screening]
33. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
34. The Double Hour
35. Poetry
36. The Robber
37. The Beaver
38. Forks Over Knives
39. Bridesmaids
40. In the Land of Blood and Honey [test screening]
41. Midnight in Paris
42. Hobo With a Shotgun
43. Drive [test screening]
44. The Tree of Life
45. Thor
46. Submarine
47. Beautiful Boy
48. Everything Must Go
49. Super 8
50. X-Men First Class
51. Tyrannosaur [LA Film Fest]
52. Natural Selection [LA Film Fest]
City of Life and Death
53. The Innkeepers [LA Film Fest]
54. Attack the Block
55. Come Rain, Come Shine [LA Film Fest]
56. Straw Dogs
57. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
58. Beginners
59. Leap Year
60. Horrible Bosses
61. Page One: Inside A Year at the NY Times
62. Terri
63. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
64. The Smurfs
65. Tabloid
66. The Guard
67. Captain America
68. Transformers 3
69. Project Nim
70. Colombiana
71. Crazy Stupid Love
72. The Sleeping Beauty
73. Life in a Day
74. Bellflower
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
75. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
76. The Help
77. Rapt
78. Straight White Male
79. Love Hate Love
80. The Future
81. Ides of March
82. Rebirth
83. The Interrupters
84. The Debt
85. Contagion
86. The Rum Diary
87. The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
88. Moneyball
89. Take Shelter
90. Weekend
91. Carnage
92. 50/50
93. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [test screening]
94. The Skin I Live In
95. Martha Marcy May Marlene
96. Paranormal Activity
97. Like Crazy
98. With Every Heartbeat [AFI FEST]
99. Snowtown [AFI FEST]
100. Michael [AFI FEST]
101. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia [AFI FEST]
102. Into the Abyss [AFI FEST]
Haywire [AFI FEST]
103. Coriolanus [AFI FEST]
104. The Kid With A Bike [AFI FEST]
105. Shame [AFI FEST]
106. Melancholia
107. The Descendants
108. Underworld: Awakening
109. Rampart
110. Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within
111. Hugo 3D
112. My Week With Marilyn
113. The Muppets
114. Tomboy
115. The Artist
*released in 2010
@Ari
Night Fishing is the film shot on an iPhone, no?
Yep. That makes it even more impressive. (I have to believe some post-production work was done on it, although what do I know? Here’s a thread I started on it.)
At least four of those films you gave 60s and 70s, I would put in the 80s and 90s.
Which ones?
@Nathan
Did you see the thread on The Way? I’m curious to know what you thought of that one.
@Santino
Do you think I would like Page One? I’m mildly curious about that one and it’s streaming on netflix now.
Btw, what did you make of Double Hour? (I started a thread here.) And did we talk about Of Gods and Men? I can’t remember, but I really liked that film.
@Brad
I’d be your best friend if you could explain what makes Sans Soleil great—heck, if you could just explain the film, period. I really didn’t think much of Samurai I and II—so much so that I didn’t bother watching the third film. Mifune’s acting is not very good in those films, imo.
@ Jazz -
I think I recall talking briefly about Of Gods and Men. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me, although I respect it and think it’s a decent film.
You might like Page One if the subject interests you. It’s not terribly in depth so I’m thinking you might be left with a lot of questions left unanswered. And it’s not a particularly flashy documentary, from a filmmaking standpoint. But I really liked the subject matter and getting a glimpse behind the scenes of a newspaper.
To be honest, The Double Hour really didn’t do much for me. I actually can’t remember hardly anything about it. lol
@Jazz – The Way? Haven’t seen it. It’s playing at a theatre here, but it really hasn’t been on my radar.
@Santino
The Double Hour wasn’t a great film but it didn’t offend my intelligence, either. There were some interesting things about it, although it wasn’t entirely satisfying. Still, I think this would be a decent Saturday night stay at home movie, especially for fans of mystery/suspense.
I don’t really care about great filmmaking in a documentary, so I’ll consider seeing Page One. Thanks.
(OK, now I remember your comments about Of Gods and Men—but you can see what I forgot. ;)
I’ll peruse your thread on The Double Hour and see if it sparks my memory. I recall wanting to really like it and looking forward to seeing it but it felt unsatisfying.
Yeah, I nearly forgot I’d seen Of Gods and Men myself. lol
@Jazz
Sans Soleil contains much of what I also love about Agnes Varda’s later documentaries (and Herzog, for that matter). The utter subjectivity of a filmmaker instilling his passions onto what appears to be purely observational. Whether any of the connections Marker is trying to make are valid is less important than that the fascinating story he’s constructing by subverting the documentary format. Also, Japan is presented in a visually exciting way and accomplishes the same dissorientation that was so well conveyed in Lost in Translation.
The Samurai Trilogy is a bit of a disappointment. Weaned on Kurosawa and Kobayashi, it’s an adjustment to watch what probably closer to an overblown Hollywood epic than anything the Japanese masters were releasing. Part 2 is better than the other two as it spends more time on action and character and less on the stooopid love story they crammed in there. If you didn’t like Part 2, Part 3 will do nothing for you. Also, the transfers suck.
@Nathan
Shoot! Somehow I thought of The Way when I saw The Trip! lol (If you see the former, the error will make more sense. Not sure if you would like The Way, but you might. It’s a bit of gamble, I would say.)
@Santino
The Double Hour had potential, but it was ultimately unsatisfying. It would be interesting to hear interpretations of the ending.
Yeah, I nearly forgot I’d seen Of Gods and Men myself. lol
Oh, you’re killing me!
November
1. The Next Three Days (47/100)
2. Lost (short by Heidi Beaver) (65/100)
3. The Cloud-Capped Star (76/100)
4. Twenty-four Eyes (77/100)
5. Self-Portrait (short film by Peter Rinaldi) (73/100)
6. Short Film (short film by Peter Rinaldi) (71/100)
7. Match Factory Girl (72/100)
8. Mystery Train (72/100)
9. Three Outlaw Samurai (60/100
10. The Bakery Girl at Monceau (63/100)
11. Suzanne’s Career (11/20)
12. Permanent Vacation (11/28)
13. Take Shelter (58/100)
14. The Way (59/100)
15. In Time (62/100)
I’ve already seen four movies in December!
@Jazz – Not a Rohmer fan, eh? Or wait…what does 11/20 and 11/28 mean? Your scale makes even less sense to me than it did before.
@Brad
Re: Sans Soleil
I’m wondering if you liked it for it’s cinematic effect, rather than the film being rationally coherent or meaningful.
it’s an adjustment to watch what probably closer to an overblown Hollywood epic than anything the Japanese masters were releasing.
Agreed.
51 features, 2 shorts. italics = in theatres. quotation marks = short
30 Blood Simple. (Joel Coen, 1984) – 3/4 NEO-NOIRVEMBER
30 L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997) – 3.5/4 NEO-NOIRVEMBER
29 Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974) – 3.5/4 NEO-NOIRVEMBER
28 The Unholy Wife (John Farrow, 1957) – 0.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
28 The Barons (Nabil Ben Yadir, 2009) – 2.5/4
27 Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951) – 3.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
27 Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950) – 3/4 NOIRVEMBER
27 Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) – 3/4 NOIRVEMBER
26 Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955) – 4/4 NOIRVEMBER
26 Suspicion (Alfred Hitchcock, 1941) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
25 Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958) – 3.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
25 The Man who Jumped over Cars (Nick Baker-Monteys, 2010) – 0/4
25 Little Rose (Jan Kidawa-Blonski, 2010) – 1/4
24 Quicksand (Irving Pichel, 1950) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
24 D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté, 1950) – 2/4 NOIRVEMBER
23 Trapped (Richard Fleischer, 1949) – 1/4 NOIRVEMBER
23 He Walked by Night (Alfred L. Werker, 1948) – 2/4 NOIRVEMBER
23 “Film” (Samuel Beckett, 1965) – 3/4
21 Crazy, Stupid, Love. (Glenn Ficarra/John Requa, 2011) – 2/4
21 Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011) – 2/4
20 Superheroes (Mike Barnett, 2011) – 2.5/4
20 “Hello Caller” (Andrew Putschoegl, 2011) – 2/4
20 Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (Lev Anderson/Chris Metzler, 2010) – 1/4
20 Watership Down (Martin Rosen, 1978) – 2.5/4
19 Key Largo (John Huston, 1948) – 2/4 NOIRVEMBER
18 J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood, 2011) – 2/4
18 Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011) – 3/4
18 Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) – 4/4 NEO-NOIRVEMBER
18 50/50 (Jonathan Levine, 2011) – 1.5/4
16 Crazy Love (Dan Klores/Fisher Stevens, 2007) – 1.5/4
15 The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino, 1953) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
15 Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
14 Native Land (Leo Hurwitz/Paul Strand, 1942) – 0.5/4
12 The Big Shakedown (John Francis Dillon, 1934) – 1.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
12 Strangers in the Night (Anthony Mann, 1944) – 1.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
12 Sleep, My Love (Douglas Sirk, 1948) – 2/4 NOIRVEMBER
11 Decoy (Jack Bernhard, 1946) – 3/4 NOIRVEMBER
09 Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011) – 3/4
09 The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar, 2011) – 2.5/4
08 Crime Wave (André De Toth, 1954) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
07 Our Hospitality (John G. Blystone/Buster Keaton, 1923) – 3/4
07 The Forgotten Village (Herbert Kline/Alexander Hammid, 1941) – 1.5/4
07 Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices (Joel Gallen, 2009) – 0.5/4
06 Rendezvous with Annie (Allan Dwan, 1946) – 3/4
06 The Crusades (Cecil B. DeMille, 1935) – 1/4
05 Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925) – 3.5/4
05 Cry Danger (Robert Parrish, 1951) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
05 Come Back To the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Robert Altman, 1982) – 1.5/4
04 Take Aim at the Police Van (Seijun Suzuki, 1960) – 2.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
04 Rusty Knife (Toshio Masuda, 1958) – 3.5/4 NOIRVEMBER
04 Inni (Vincent Morisset, 2011) – 2.5/4
04 The Future (Miranda July, 2011) – 1/4
03 Sherlock, Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924) – 4/4
01 The Curse of the Cat People (Gunther von Fritsch/Robert Wise, 1944) – 0.5/4
01 Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942) – 2.5/4
>>Re: Sans Soleil – I’m wondering if you liked it for it’s cinematic effect, rather than the film being rationally coherent or meaningful.<<
I think that’s fair to say. The compelling nature of the visuals and editing were the highlights and I appreciated its originality in structure. That allowed me to just “go with” what Marker was up to where I may have resisted if I didn’t enjoy the aesthetics as much.
11-2011
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 10/10
Pinocchio (1940) 9/10
Fantasia (1940) 9/10
Dumbo (1941) 9/10
Bambi (1942) 10/10
Saludos Amigos (1942) 7/10
The Three Caballeros (1944) 6/10
Make Mine Music (1946) 5/10
Fun & Fancy Free (1947) 7/10
Melody Time (1948) 7.5/10
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) 7/10
Cinderella (1950) 6/10
Alice in Wonderland (1951) 7/10
Peter Pan (1953) 9/10
Lady and the Tramp (1955) 7/10
The Skin I Live In (2011) 9/10
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011) 8/10
Cars 2 (2011) 6.5/10
Hanna (2011) 6/10
Tower Heist (2011) 5.5/10
Real Steel (2011) 5/10
I was going through the disney movies at a steady clip (theyre less than 90 min) but then got bogged down with crap to do. hopefully I can see the rest this month.
November is my month for watching nothing but films that are new to me:
The Crowd (1928)
Foolish Wives (1922)
Man With a Movie Camera (1927)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
Imitation of Life (1959)
Fury (1936)
Lola Montes (1955)
Le Million (1931)
The Wedding March (1928)
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Les valseues (1974)
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
The Blue Angel (1930)
Underworld (1927)
The Last Command (1928)
The Docks of New York (1928)
Tout va Bien (1972)
Strike (1925)
Kitty Foyle (1940)
A Nous la Liberte (1931)
The Merry Widow (1925)
Beyond the Rocks (1922)
War Requiem (1989)
The Tree of Life (2011)
The Hole (2009)
Beyond Reanimator (2003)
Lilya-4-Ever (2002)
Insidious (2010)
The Guard (2010)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Mr and Mrs Smith (1941)
12/11
12/2: Smurfs (Raja Gosnell) 4/5
12/4: Bobby Fischer Against the World (Liz Garbus) 3/5
12/4: Team America: World Police (Trey Parker) 3/5
12/6: Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Matt Waters) 2/5
12/8: Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau) 0/5
12/14: Fear and Desire (Stanley Kubrick) 1/5
12/14: Kung Fu Panda 2 (Jennifer Yu Nelson) 2.5/5
12/15: Goldstein (Philip Kaufman,Benjamin Manaster) 1/5
12/15: Little Deaths (Sean Hogan) 0/5
12/16: Your HIghness (David Gordon Green) 3.5/5
12/20: Stay Cool (Mark Polish) 1/5
12/20: Dolphin Tale (Charles Martin Smith) 3/5
12/21: Walk Dont Run (Charles Walters) 5/5
12/22: Cars 2 (John Lasseter, Brad Lewis) 0/5
12/23: Mammuth (Gustave de Kervern, Benoît Delépine) 2/5
12/23: Edge of Darkness (Martin Campbell) 5/5
12/24: Dahmer vs Gacy (Ford Austin) 2.5/5
12/24: Fire and Ice (Ralph Bakshi) 2/5
12/24: Diary Wimpy Kid 2 (David Bowers) 3/5
12/25: Nights and Weekends (Gerwig, Swanberg) 1.5/5
12/25: The Green Pastures (William Keighley) 4.5/5
12/25: The Darkest Hour (Chris Gorak) 3/5
12/25: Nightmare Before X Mass (Henry Selick) 5/5
12/25: A Good Year (Ridley Scott) 5/5
12/27: Pete Smalls is Dead (Alexandre Rockwell) 1/5
12/27: Name of King 2 (Uwe Boll) 2/5
12/27: Another Earth (Mike Cahill) 4/5
12/28: Killer Elite (Gary McKendry) 4/5
12/30: Faster (George Tillman Jr.) 5/5
12/30 Fright Night (2011) 2.5/5
DECEMBER, 2011
Let the Right One In – 9/10
The Rapture – 6/10
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – 6/10
Melancholia – 7/10
Satantango – 8/10
Koyaanisqatsi – 5/10
The People vs. George Lucas –6/10
Smiles of a Summer Night – 8/10
Scenes from a Marriage (theatrical version) – 8/10
Autumn Sonata – 10/10
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson – 7/10
Green Lantern – 4/10
X-Men: First Class – 8/10
Wagon Master – 8/10
Days and Nights in the Forest – 7/10
The Double Life of Veronique – 8/10
The Bakery Girl of Monceau (short) – 6/10
Suzanne’s Career – 8/10
My Night at Maude’s – 10/10
La Collectionneuse – 7/10
Love in the Afternoon (’72) – 8/10
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 – 7/10
Hugo – 7/10
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (’11) – 7/10
Moneyball – 6/10
True Stories – 7/10
The Tempest (’10) – 6/10
Naked – 10/10
Modern Times – 9/10
Breathless (’60) – 7/10
Lawrence of Arabia – 10/10
Bold = Repeat Viewing
Santino
“I have deeper appreciation for what my father suffered through in theaters when I was a child.”
hahaha – I feel the same way. I don’t think I could stomach taking my kids to the types of films my parents took me too. I remember my great grandmother took me to see Tremors when I was a kid. God bless her.
“When I first visited L.A., I thought I would hate it (the idea of it and everything) but the cinema culture there is really phenomenal (plus the restaurants are fantastic).”
I’m from the nice part of California (northern California) and I always hated LA. It’s taken me a couple years to get used to it and if it wasn’t for the business, I wouldn’t live here. But I’ve come to appreciate some of the benefits, like you said, the movie culture and the food.