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Post by tao on Feb 19, 2018 20:50:36 GMT -5
Just watched another film off my list. Bicycle Thieves is an Italian film from 1948, and it tells the story of a family struggling to survive in the post-WWII world. The father manages to find a job hanging posters, but has the one requirement he absolutely needs, his bicycle, stolen from him. What follows is a look at one man's descent into desperation and how a postwar society was still learning how to rebuild itself. The acting was excellent, even more so when one finds out that everyone was a nobody; untrained amateurs, and thusly more emotionally ready and transparent. While I probably won't feel like rewatching this in the coming years, it still was a film worth my time, and I'm glad I watched it.
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Post by essien on Feb 20, 2018 13:38:48 GMT -5
Just watched another film off my list. Bicycle Thieves is an Italian film from 1948, and it tells the story of a family struggling to survive in the post-WWII world. The father manages to find a job hanging posters, but has the one requirement he absolutely needs, his bicycle, stolen from him. What follows is a look at one man's descent into desperation and how a postwar society was still learning how to rebuild itself. The acting was excellent, even more so when one finds out that everyone was a nobody; untrained amateurs, and thusly more emotionally ready and transparent. While I probably won't feel like rewatching this in the coming years, it still was a film worth my time, and I'm glad I watched it. The Bicycle Thieves is a masterpiece and I think it's the clear standout of the Italian neorealism movement. I'd also recommend Umberto D and Nights of Cabiria if you haven't seen them. I've watched a few more from my list: The Hidden Fortress. I've seen a lot of Akira Kurosawa films but this was the first I've seen which has such a big action/adventure element to it. It's hugely entertaining but feels a little lightweight compared to his other classics. Fun fact: George Lucas borrowed a few ideas from this film when he was creating Star Wars. 4/5 Midnight Cowboy. Male prostitute from Texas goes to New York to make his fortune. Meets Dustin Hoffman's character and stuff happens. Uncomfortable viewing at times but I really liked the gritty feel to the film. The two leads were played fantastically and had great chemistry between them. The song Everybody's Talkin' has taken on a new meaning for me after seeing this. 4/5 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, despite the fact the title describes the plot. It's a meticulously crafted Western with stunning cinematography and a career best performance from Brad Pitt (I never really rated him as an actor until now but he's perfect as Jesse James). Power dynamics seem to be the focal point of the film and it took me a while to realise it. I think I might need to rewatch it someday with that in mind. 4.5/5 Three films left on my list. I'm hoping to finish it this week. |
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Post by tao on Feb 21, 2018 0:44:12 GMT -5
Just watched another film off my list. Bicycle Thieves is an Italian film from 1948, and it tells the story of a family struggling to survive in the post-WWII world. The father manages to find a job hanging posters, but has the one requirement he absolutely needs, his bicycle, stolen from him. What follows is a look at one man's descent into desperation and how a postwar society was still learning how to rebuild itself. The acting was excellent, even more so when one finds out that everyone was a nobody; untrained amateurs, and thusly more emotionally ready and transparent. While I probably won't feel like rewatching this in the coming years, it still was a film worth my time, and I'm glad I watched it. The Bicycle Thieves is a masterpiece and I think it's the clear standout of the Italian neorealism movement. I'd also recommend Umberto D and Nights of Cabiria if you haven't seen them. I've watched a few more from my list: The Hidden Fortress. I've seen a lot of Akira Kurosawa films but this was the first I've seen which has such a big action/adventure element to it. It's hugely entertaining but feels a little lightweight compared to his other classics. Fun fact: George Lucas borrowed a few ideas from this film when he was creating Star Wars. 4/5 I'm glad you liked this. To the best of my knowledge, this was also my first Kurosawa that can genuinely be thought of as purely entertaining. Toshiro Mifune is always excellent, and I love the banter back and forth between the two peasants. Next time you watch Star Wars and hear C-3PO and R2-D2 going at it, now you know where they got that element from.  If you haven't watched them yet, I'd like to recommend Hiroshi Inagaki's "The Samurai Trilogy" with Toshiro Mifune; it tells the story of how Miyamoto Musashi became the most famous swordsman in Japanese folklore, and the trilogy is superb. |
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Post by essien on Feb 22, 2018 19:52:27 GMT -5
So it's not even the end of February and I finished my challenge. Here's the final three that I watched:
Le Mepris/Contempt. I went through a Jean-Luc Godard phase a few years ago and this was the most popular of his films that I had yet to see. It follows the relationship of a screenwriter and his wife, which become strained when the producer on a film the screenwriter is working on makes a move on the wife. Fritz Lang is the director of the film in the film, playing himself. I found it a little uneven and it didn't really come together until the end for me. But at times it's captivating and I think it would benefit from a second viewing. 4/5
Army of Shadows. A thriller from the 60s about the resistance in Nazi-occupied France. It's a gripping insight into an era which I hadn't seen as the focus of a film before. There's a real sense of foreboding throughout, and one scene which really made me feel sick with dread. I'd seen another film by the same director (Jean-Pierre Melville) called La Samourai which I absolutely loved. Keen to see more of his works. 4/5
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Palme d'Or winning film set in Communist Romania, about a student helping her friend to get an illegal abortion. It's not easy viewing but an incredibly powerful film, very well made, with a few scenes that are going to haunt me for a while. 4/5
So, that's me done. My favourite film that I watched was probably The Assassination of Jesse James or A Single Man. My least favourite was The Iron Giant. I'm glad I watched them all though.
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Post by tao on Feb 23, 2018 4:22:51 GMT -5
essien props to you for first place finish.  Still working on mine, I'm not gonna give up on it; can't wait to see your second list.
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Post by essien on Feb 23, 2018 5:10:40 GMT -5
essien props to you for first place finish.  Still working on mine, I'm not gonna give up on it; can't wait to see your second list. If only competitive film watching were a professional sport I have a draft of my second list, will share the final version soon. I'm thinking about taking a short break before jumping back into it. I've watched a lot of films lately with this challenge and Oscar season... |
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Post by tao on Feb 23, 2018 7:30:30 GMT -5
essien props to you for first place finish. Still working on mine, I'm not gonna give up on it; can't wait to see your second list. If only competitive film watching were a professional sport I have a draft of my second list, will share the final version soon. I'm thinking about taking a short break before jumping back into it. I've watched a lot of films lately with this challenge and Oscar season... Makes perfect sense. Don't burn yourself out, you know? [Edit]: Hey, thousandth post mark! |
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Post by essien on Feb 23, 2018 9:54:56 GMT -5
If only competitive film watching were a professional sport I have a draft of my second list, will share the final version soon. I'm thinking about taking a short break before jumping back into it. I've watched a lot of films lately with this challenge and Oscar season... Makes perfect sense. Don't burn yourself out, you know? [Edit]: Hey, thousandth post mark! Congrats on the 1k! |
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Post by tao on Feb 24, 2018 3:38:08 GMT -5
Makes perfect sense. Don't burn yourself out, you know? [Edit]: Hey, thousandth post mark! Congrats on the 1k! Thanks!!!! #gladtheMoshreturned |
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Post by essien on Mar 2, 2018 13:49:54 GMT -5
Volume 2: 1. All the President's Men 2. Army of Darkness 3. Children of Heaven 4. Clueless 5. Dirty Harry 6. Dogtooth 7. Elephant 8. Escape from New York 9. Funny Games 10. Gattaca 11. His Girl Friday 12. Hook 13. In a Lonely Place 14. Kuroneko 15. Lethal Weapon 16. A Moment of Innocence 17. My Own Private Idaho 18. Point Break 19. Starship Troopers 20. Waltz with Bashir |
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Post by tao on Mar 5, 2018 17:12:10 GMT -5
Alright, I watched two more over the weekend, so without further ado....
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest -
This was a really good film. I'm assuming everyone in this thread already knows the plot, so I won't rehash it here. To be honest, I've never been a fan of Jack Nicholson, but he acquits himself quite well here, and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, oh my fucking goodness. Her character is like the kid who, when things don't go her EXACT way, doesn't just take the ball and goes home, she'll take that ball and shove it so far up your ass you'll have a better chance at vomiting it up instead of shitting it out. The cinematography is well done, the other actors are good (props to Will Sampson), and the directing felt natural and with a touch of understatement. The ending is quite sad, but I was happy it went that way.
9/10
The Shining -
Oh my sweet 'Lanta. This was beautiful, although to me it didn't quite feel like a horror film. The directing was flawless, the slow, paralyzing feel of tension, suspense and atmosphere was excellent, the acting was exceptionally well done (please refer to Jack Nicholson comment above), and the cinematography was absolutely flawless with the shots and composition. Because of subject matter, it's almost like Kubrick cinematography is the antithesis to Wes Anderson cinematography. Even though Kubrick isn't one of my favorite directors, through the sheer technique of his films alone he does land in my top 10, and this film is probably my second favorite Kubrick film I've seen.
10/10
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Post by essien on Mar 10, 2018 14:45:11 GMT -5
Alright, I watched two more over the weekend, so without further ado.... One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - This was a really good film. I'm assuming everyone in this thread already knows the plot, so I won't rehash it here. To be honest, I've never been a fan of Jack Nicholson, but he acquits himself quite well here, and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, oh my fucking goodness. Her character is like the kid who, when things don't go her EXACT way, doesn't just take the ball and goes home, she'll take that ball and shove it so far up your ass you'll have a better chance at vomiting it up instead of shitting it out. The cinematography is well done, the other actors are good (props to Will Sampson), and the directing felt natural and with a touch of understatement. The ending is quite sad, but I was happy it went that way. 9/10 The Shining - Oh my sweet 'Lanta. This was beautiful, although to me it didn't quite feel like a horror film. The directing was flawless, the slow, paralyzing feel of tension, suspense and atmosphere was excellent, the acting was exceptionally well done (please refer to Jack Nicholson comment above), and the cinematography was absolutely flawless with the shots and composition. Because of subject matter, it's almost like Kubrick cinematography is the antithesis to Wes Anderson cinematography. Even though Kubrick isn't one of my favorite directors, through the sheer technique of his films alone he does land in my top 10, and this film is probably my second favorite Kubrick film I've seen. 10/10 Two absolute classics. The Shining is incredibly haunting and has such an overwhelming atmosphere. The setting is so oppressive. I was too young when I attempted to watch it the first time and had to turn it off. Worth watching some of the 'making of' features/documentaries if you liked it that much. There's also a documentary called Room 237 which goes into some of the theories about the meanings behind the film. Some of the theories are more out there than others but it's a fun watch. |
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Post by essien on Mar 11, 2018 11:28:43 GMT -5
I watched a couple from my second list...
Escape from New York. I wanted to watch this because it seemed so 80s and so John Carpenter. Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken is also one of those characters that gets talked about a lot. I read a review beforehand which described the plot as something that a creative 8-year-old might have come up with, and I honestly couldn't get that out of my head the whole time. I thought it was a fun, silly movie, but nothing more than that. 3/5
Funny Games. Michael Haneke's shocking and disturbing home invasion movie. A musing on society's relationship with violence. I watched the English language remake with Naomi Watts of this a few years ago and I remember how some of the early scenes were so excruciating and uncomfortable. The stuck with me more than any of the violence. About 15 minutes into watching this, I discovered the US version was a shot-for-shot remake. It felt a bit weird watching a film I'd already seen but in another language and the only difference I could really notice other than the language was that it had a more gritty look and didn't have Naomi Watts. 3.5/5 (the same I rated the US remake)
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Post by essien on Mar 25, 2018 17:13:07 GMT -5
Dogtooth. What the fuck. I didn't realise until afterwards that this was by the same director as The Lobster (which I didn't like) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (which I did), but I could immediately see the comparisons afterwards. He's the master of uncomfortable viewing. 4/5
A Moment of Innocence. Really struggled to track this down - apparently Iranian cinema hasn't found its way on to mainstream streaming services. It was in slightly shitty quality which impacting my viewing experience a little, but a really touching movie about how we can tend to idealise the past, told in a very original way. 4/5
Kuroneko. A Japanese horror movie from the 60s, by the director of Onibaba, which I loved. It's a ghost story set in feudal Japan about a mother and daughter who are raped and murdered by samurai and return as ghosts. Not exactly scary but kind of eerie and an interesting insight into Japanese folklore. 4/5
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Post by tao on Mar 25, 2018 19:06:03 GMT -5
Dogtooth. What the fuck. I didn't realise until afterwards that this was by the same director as The Lobster (which I didn't like) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (which I did), but I could immediately see the comparisons afterwards. He's the master of uncomfortable viewing. 4/5 A Moment of Innocence. Really struggled to track this down - apparently Iranian cinema hasn't found its way on to mainstream streaming services. It was in slightly shitty quality which impacting my viewing experience a little, but a really touching movie about how we can tend to idealise the past, told in a very original way. 4/5 Kuroneko. A Japanese horror movie from the 60s, by the director of Onibaba, which I loved. It's a ghost story set in feudal Japan about a mother and daughter who are raped and murdered by samurai and return as ghosts. Not exactly scary but kind of eerie and an interesting insight into Japanese folklore. 4/5 Not entirely 100%, but I think I've seen Kuroneko before... |
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