64. Notes on a Scandal [A-] 65. Shutter Island [B-] 66. Gosford Park [A] 67. The Third Man [A] 68. Fantastic Planet [A] 69. Pandorum [C] 70. Trancers [D-] 71. D-Tox [F] 72. Whatever it Takes (2010) [B-] 73. Mystic River [A-] 74. 2012 [D] 75. The Fog of War [A] 76. The Octagon [F] 77. Leprechaun In The Hood [C-] 78. Ninja Assassin [D] 79. Modern Times [A] 80. Full Frontal [B-] 81. Dazed and Confused [B ] 82. Sherlock Holmes [B-] 83. From Russia with Love [B+] 84. Dr. Strangelove [A] 85. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train [C+] 86. The Graduate [A] 87. Return to Me [C] 88. Amelie [A] 89. Blind Date (2008) [D+] 90. Time Runner [F] 91. Time Indefinite [A] 92. Film Geek [C+] 93. A Nightmare on Elm Street [B-] 94. Girl, Interrupted [C] Film Geek: This film, made in the Portland (Oregon) area, is obviously a low budget affair, and the seams do show in a few areas. The music is cheap throughout, the camera work less polished than a film with more time to shoot, and some of the performances a little broad. That said, it's not a bad film, with an ending that you think is going one way, but then goes another in the final shot. It's embarrassing how many of the film references I recognized in the movie, but let's not dwell... A Nightmare on Elm Street: Much more effective and genuinely scary than I had expected it to be. Largely due to the later points of crossover, I've heard this series compared to the much lesser Friday the 13th franchise, but Craven's brand of horror is much more mature and interesting. At times, however, what Freddy can and can't do is a little vague, resulting in an ending that is more confusing than scary. Additionally, the adults behave believably until the end, when the police across the street blow of the female lead even though she is yelling, smashing windows, setting of loud and bright explosions, and I can't even remember what else. Girl, Interrupted: I admit, I expected to hate this movie before seeing it, but it turns out that it wasn't as bad as I had expected. Jolie plays her role well, before the writing lets her character become a bit obvious. Ryder is less effective, but I've never been particularly drawn to her as an actress. At most times, Goldberg is the glue holding the whole affair together (Vanessa Redgrave, Kurtwood Smith, and Jeffrey Tambor help, but their roles are limited) Sometimes everything is too sentimental, and too pat. Other times it's a more complex film. It's never consistent, though, and a couple of montages too easily gloss over things I would have rather explored in greater detail.
I need to slow down, obviously. 64. Notes on a Scandal [A-] 65. Shutter Island [B-] 66. Gosford Park [A] 67. The Third Man [A] 68. Fantastic Planet [A] 69. Pandorum [C] 70. Trancers [D-] 71. D-Tox [F] 72. Whatever it Takes (2010) [B-] 73. Mystic River [A-] 74. 2012 [D] 75. The Fog of War [A] 76. The Octagon [F] 77. Leprechaun In The Hood [C-] 78. Ninja Assassin [D] 79. Modern Times [A] 80. Full Frontal [B-] 81. Dazed and Confused [B ] 82. Sherlock Holmes [B-] 83. From Russia with Love [B+] 84. Dr. Strangelove [A] 85. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train [C+] 86. The Graduate [A] 87. Return to Me [C] 88. Amelie [A] 89. Blind Date (2008) [D+] 90. Time Runner [F] 91. Time Indefinite [A] 92. Film Geek [C+] 93. A Nightmare on Elm Street [B-] 94. Girl, Interrupted [C] 95. Kramer vs. Kramer [A-] 96. Sleepaway Camp [D+] 97. Sleepwalkers [D] Kramer vs. Kramer: I understand that the movie takes a few liberties with the courtroom scenes, but that didn't bother me. Hoffman gives a nuanced and memorable performance, as does Meryl Streep, though her screen time is far less. The only thing I didn't like was the very last scene, which felt like a total cheat to me. Hoffman lost the kid, and the film should have followed through with that. Sleepaway Camp: How do I grade a film that is, in almost all respects utterly inept, and yet, somewhat of a cultural touchstone, at least in this particular sub-genre? Eh...the ending is justifiably notorious, but the whole really is terrible. Sleepwalkers: I've never understood Mick Garris. Judging from the films he has directed and/or scripted, he has never done anything of note, and yet he has an incredible ability to round up actors of all sorts (evidenced by his anthology series on Showtime). Here there are cameos by Mark Hamill, Steven King, John Landis, Joe Dante, Clive Barker, and probably others. Ron Perlman fills a small role, and Alice Krige is one of the leads. Good cast, unmemorable movie.
57. Sophie's Choice (B+) The film that won Meryl Streep her second (and, as yet, last) Academy Award for the portrayal of the title character (though she isn't, in a lot of ways, the lead). It's based on a novel by William Styron that I haven't read, but the main character Stingo comes across like an author stand-in. He's played by Peter MacNicol, who has subsequently made a career mostly out of playing nebbishes and sleazy types, here cast as a wide-eyed youth. The third main performance is from Kevin Kline, who brings the appropriate amount of magnetism to his character (enough when he's good to make you at least accept that the others would tolerate him when his darker side emerges). Streep really owns the movie, though - it really is an incredible performance. Famous actors doing a fake accent can be difficult to pull off, but Streep makes it work - by the end of the movie, you sort of forget she hasn't always been speaking that way. As a film, though, I wasn't entirely sure about this movie - in a way, it almost seems like two movies, the scenes in the present about MacNicol's development as a writer and his relationship with Sophie, and the scenes from Sophie's past in Poland. Indeed, I imagine a lot of people going into this movie today would be surprised at how much of the movie isn't about Sophie's time during the Holocaust, which is the part about it that has entered the popular memory. It also, of course, suffers a bit because the final reveal is pretty commonly known. Nonetheless, a very good movie.
Wow, you guys keep watching movies I'd been planning to watch before I have a chance! First, "Altered States", now "Sophie's Choice". I've been planning to watch it for awhile, but knowing it deals with the holocaust, I'm reluctant because I'm expecting it to be a bummer. It's hard to get myself in the mood for that (generally I'd rather watch something 'fun' and 'entertaining'). Speaking of which, I've just watched, "Them!" - a science fiction movie from 1954. What a pleasant surprise it was! Proof that just as you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a movie by its premise. Knowing that this movie was about giant mutant ants caused by atomic radiation, I expected a silly, campy sci-fi cheesefest at best, but to my amazement, it is actually a damn classy science fiction flick! It's the best vintage science fiction classic I've seen since "The Day the Earth Stood Still". It's not quite as refined as that movie, but deserves to be considered at the same level of quality for the gravity that the actors and director bring to the material by playing everything so completely straight. The ants themselves have this kitschy retro look that does make the movie seem a bit silly at times, but the scenes without the ants in which the human characters are just talking about the magnitude of the situation are terrific drama. I was especially impressed by the sequence where the professor explains how giant ants could be a major threat to humanity's survival due to the fact that ants are a lot more powerful than people realize. This is evidenced by his documentary footage proving that ants are capable of organizing labor and wars with surprising efficiency and can be so violent and brutal that he recorded two ants fighting each other for 72 hours! A lot of my appreciation for this movie comes from how I can see its influence on later movies that are exceptional in their own ways. The professor's insightful, intense lectures on the ants reminded me of Sam Loomis building up the evilness of Michael Myers in "Halloween" (1978), which contributed hugely to how successfully that movie pulled off its suspense, tension, and constantly pervasive sense of danger. The assaults on ants with flamethrowers and production design of their nests reminded me of "Aliens", and the wonderfully foreboding shots of citizens, the city, and the military reminded me of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". In both movies, I love how shots of citizens reacting to military presence very convincingly sell how serious the threat is. I wouldn't think the president making a speech about how scared everyone should be of the impending invasion of giant ants could possibly be taken seriously, but this movie accomplished that difficult feat with panache! This movie wasn't just impressive for its obvious influences. It had fine acting all around (really neat to see Brooks from "The Shawshank Redemption" 40 years earlier), entertaining action sequences when the ants attacked, and fascinating, intelligent dialogue being exchanged in all the scenes where people meet to discuss the ants. Like I said, it wasn't quite as captivating as "The Day the Earth Stood Still", but still intriguing enough to be worthy of status with it in the upper echelon of science fiction films. My one gripe is that the damn chirping noise of the ants was unbearably grating. It gave me a headache! Other than that, the movie's biggest flaw was the primitiveness of the technology available at the time, which limited the mobility of the ants so far too many of them were too easily subdued by flamethrowers. Still, even if the primitive special effects didn't quite match the quality of the drama, I don't think a remake with modern special effects would end up better overall. The 50s-style serious conversations were just so well-executed. They elevated the movie above its limitations in the fx department, and I don't think a modern script and modern actors could pull off the drama quite as smoothly.
Where the Wild Things Are - charming and unusual. It was a genius touch to give the Wild Things the personas of young adolescents, representing Max's fears of the emotional turmoil that he's experiencing and will only get worse (the Wild Things seemed to be a few years "older" than Max).
58. Fiddler on the Roof (A-) One of the last really popular/award-nominated musicals before Moulin Rouge and Chicago revived the genre a bit in the 2000s, this eminently Jewish story (based on a stage musical based on some stories by a famous early 20th century Russian Jewish author) focusses on life in a small Ukrainian village at the turn of the 20th century. It's directed by my fellow Canadian Norman Jewison (who is, despite his name, not Jewish), and stars an international cast, headlined by an Israeli actor Topol (and also Starsky from Starsky and Hutch). Fiddler is very much of the same musical school as Les Miserables, heavy on dramatic elements - in some ways, in fact, you could see this story working just as well if it weren't a musical. The second half (after the intermission) gets progressively sadder, until the ending, which is rather a downer (bittersweet, at best). Topol's boisterous patriach is the centre of the film, and it's a great performance (he reminds me a bit of Brian Blessed at times). The most famous song from this movie is probably "If I Were A Rich Man", which is fun - my favourite was probably the quiet song between Tevye and his wife. For a movie that runs nearly three hours, it's somewhat difficult to describe the main plot: the movie is more thematic than anything else, as we get to know the community of Anatevka, and watch as it's buffeted by the winds of change (Tevye's opening number being "Tradition", a semi-satiric celebration of how things have always been), as each of the family's three eldest daughters make unconventional marriage choices. By the end of the movie, you feel like you've lived your whole life in Anatevka, so it's tremendously sad to watch everybody driven from it and cast out into the wider world.
Updates (in bold): Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle (7) Armored Trooper Votoms: Roots of Ambition (8) Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder (8) Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files: The Movie (7) Boondock Saints (10) Boondock Saints: All Saint's Day (9) The Book of Eli (8) Cargo (7) Cencoroll (8) Les Chevaliers du Ciel (8) Clash of the Titans (2010) (8) Date Night (7) District 9 (8) Eden of the East: The King of Eden (9) The Edge of Darkness (9) The Fantastic Mr. Fox (8) G-9 (6) Gamer (6) Green Zone (7) Inglorious Bastards (7) Law Abiding Citizen (9) Lupin the 3rd VS Detective Konan (7) Naruto Shippuden Movie 3 (8) Oblivion Island (6) Oldboy (9) Pandorum (7) Summer Wars (9) Sword For Truth (6) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen (8) They Were 11 (9) The Uninvited (7) Wicked City (8)
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever [F] One of the worst movies I've ever seen. I can't even be bothered to say anything else about it.
I disagree. I think it made a very profound statement about love. Streep wanted her son back so badly...she fought so hard to convince the jury that she loved and deserved him more than Hoffman. Then, in the end, she truly did prove how much she loved her son by giving him up. When you truly love someone, you can put what's best for them above what you want, even if what you want is the complete opposite of what they need. She realized that what's best for her son is to stay with his father. That's why she's crying, saying "I love him very much". She realizes that she has to give him up out of love as she explains how her son needs to be where he'll be happiest. It's an incredibly poignant, powerful, and insightful ending.
A reasonable analysis of the scene, but I still disagree. That I still disagree is obviously reflective on my own personal biases, of course. It just doesn't strike me as believable that a person who went through all the steps Streep does to get her child back wouldn't follow through at the crucial moment. I do like the tinge of ambiguity in the end, though.
64. Notes on a Scandal [A-] 65. Shutter Island [B-] 66. Gosford Park [A] 67. The Third Man [A] 68. Fantastic Planet [A] 69. Pandorum [C] 70. Trancers [D-] 71. D-Tox [F] 72. Whatever it Takes (2010) [B-] 73. Mystic River [A-] 74. 2012 [D] 75. The Fog of War [A] 76. The Octagon [F] 77. Leprechaun In The Hood [C-] 78. Ninja Assassin [D] 79. Modern Times [A] 80. Full Frontal [B-] 81. Dazed and Confused [B ] 82. Sherlock Holmes [B-] 83. From Russia with Love [B+] 84. Dr. Strangelove [A] 85. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train [C+] 86. The Graduate [A] 87. Return to Me [C] 88. Amelie [A] 89. Blind Date (2008) [D+] 90. Time Runner [F] 91. Time Indefinite [A] 92. Film Geek [C+] 93. A Nightmare on Elm Street [B-] 94. Girl, Interrupted [C] 95. Kramer vs. Kramer [A-] 96. Sleepaway Camp [D+] 97. Sleepwalkers [D] 98. Network [A] I believe this is the third time I've seen Network, and my appreciation of it has only grown with each successive viewing. There are so many great speeches, and yet, it never seems to degenerate into the monologuing excess of, say, J. Michael Straczynski. The dialogue captures the jargon of network executives, businessmen, lawyers, and even Marxist revolutionaries. It makes for a brilliant satire, and it's heartbreaking to know that this would be Peter Finch's last performance in a feature film and Paddy Chayefsky's second to last original screenplay (his final would be Altered States, although he chose to have his name taken off the film sight unseen).
Faye Dunaway talking non-stop and pretty much completely ignoring everything being done to her (and seemingly having an orgasm as a reaction to one of her TV-related ideas, as opposed to what's going on in bed) was one of the most hilariously twisted things I've ever seen (psychologically). I loved her partner calling her "television incarnate". Absolutely chilling and perfect choice of words. Of course Peter Finch's scenes were unforgettably riveting, but there are so many individual scenes that serve as amazing actor showcases. In addition to Faye Dunaway's brilliantly absurd sex scene, there's the fantastically vicious rant from Ned Beatty (I can't believe pathetic simpleton Otis from the Superman movies could be so terrifying in his eloquence! What an actor!), and the wife whose husband cheats on her did such a powerful job in her scene where she talks about his infidelity that she won an Oscar despite only being in the movie for like 5 minutes! Anyone who wants to see how a movie can be carried by razor sharp witty and satirical writing and absolutely mesmerizing acting should see this movie.
Beatty was nominated for that performance, too. Not a bad deal, since he filmed for less than two full days on the film! Upon third viewing, I find myself intersted in the side characters, too, like the network president who spends most of the movie without expression, or Robert Duvall's assistant, who is always being asked his opinion and then being cut off right as he begins to speak.
59. Carousel (C-) Aka, Abusive Marriage: The Musical. There was a sale on musical DVDs at Wal-Mart, hence I ended up with this and Fiddler on the Roof cheaply. This is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals, pretty much the opposite in tone of something like Fiddler on the Roof. My high school did a production of Carousel one year, so I'm a bit familiar with it. This came a year after Oklahoma!, and has its stars (though Sinatra was originally supposed to be the male lead, and I can imagine him doing a more convincing job with it). Rodgers and Hammerstein were famously optimistic, and their preferred tone just really doesn't suit this material at all; it's a really depressing story, and the buoyancy is really unconvincing, particularly where Billy and Julie's relationship is concerned. Now, Billy's not a really bad guy, but their relationship is clearly not healthy. It's too long; there are a couple of really elaborate song/dance sequences that really serve much purpose. And the redemption of Billy isn't at all convincing. It does have a few good songs, though, and the scenery is fabulous.
64. Notes on a Scandal [A-] 65. Shutter Island [B-] 66. Gosford Park [A] 67. The Third Man [A] 68. Fantastic Planet [A] 69. Pandorum [C] 70. Trancers [D-] 71. D-Tox [F] 72. Whatever it Takes (2010) [B-] 73. Mystic River [A-] 74. 2012 [D] 75. The Fog of War [A] 76. The Octagon [F] 77. Leprechaun In The Hood [C-] 78. Ninja Assassin [D] 79. Modern Times [A] 80. Full Frontal [B-] 81. Dazed and Confused [B ] 82. Sherlock Holmes [B-] 83. From Russia with Love [B+] 84. Dr. Strangelove [A] 85. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train [C+] 86. The Graduate [A] 87. Return to Me [C] 88. Amelie [A] 89. Blind Date (2008) [D+] 90. Time Runner [F] 91. Time Indefinite [A] 92. Film Geek [C+] 93. A Nightmare on Elm Street [B-] 94. Girl, Interrupted [C] 95. Kramer vs. Kramer [A-] 96. Sleepaway Camp [D+] 97. Sleepwalkers [D] 98. Network [A] 99. Wet Hot American Summer [C+] 100. Monty Python's Life of Brian [A] Wet Hot American Summer: An occasionally hilarious, but at most times unmemorable comedy with a few actors who would become more famous later on (Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper). I wanted more from it than I got, but I am willing to admit that drinking somewhat heavily while watching might have clouded my opinion a little. Classy, I know. Life of Brian: I know that Holy Grail is more popular in the United States, but I've always thought this was the Python's best film. The way it satirizes organized religion, political activists, and just about every other target one can think of has rarely been topped on screen. It also does a nice job balancing higher humor (the conjugation scene, the list of Roman accouterments) with lower humor (Biggus Dickus, etc.). And, hell, has any other movie had the balls to end with a Crucifixion musical number? It was made over thirty years ago and I still can't believe that last sentence.
I'm try to decide which movie to watch next: Brief Encounter Bullets Over Broadway The Lion in Winter Unforgiven Any preferences?
Bullets Over Broadway is a rather amusing Allen film (with John Cusack as the Allen surrogate). I'd go with that one.
Also, Chazz Palmieri and Dianne Weist's performances in that movie are fine examples of Allen's gift for writing supporting characters that really steal the movie from the leads (even as the leads themselves are good). You've of course seen this in "Mighty Aphordite", and the supporting characters in "Bullets over Broadway" are just as charming as Mira was in that movie.
64. Notes on a Scandal [A-] 65. Shutter Island [B-] 66. Gosford Park [A] 67. The Third Man [A] 68. Fantastic Planet [A] 69. Pandorum [C] 70. Trancers [D-] 71. D-Tox [F] 72. Whatever it Takes (2010) [B-] 73. Mystic River [A-] 74. 2012 [D] 75. The Fog of War [A] 76. The Octagon [F] 77. Leprechaun In The Hood [C-] 78. Ninja Assassin [D] 79. Modern Times [A] 80. Full Frontal [B-] 81. Dazed and Confused [B ] 82. Sherlock Holmes [B-] 83. From Russia with Love [B+] 84. Dr. Strangelove [A] 85. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train [C+] 86. The Graduate [A] 87. Return to Me [C] 88. Amelie [A] 89. Blind Date (2008) [D+] 90. Time Runner [F] 91. Time Indefinite [A] 92. Film Geek [C+] 93. A Nightmare on Elm Street [B-] 94. Girl, Interrupted [C] 95. Kramer vs. Kramer [A-] 96. Sleepaway Camp [D+] 97. Sleepwalkers [D] 98. Network [A] 99. Wet Hot American Summer [C+] 100. Monty Python's Life of Brian [A] 101. The Losers [D+] The Losers: "That's what she said" passes as a one-liner in this movie, and it does so repeatedly. We're asked to believe that Zoe Saldana, who looks like she is about to implode, could not only physically threaten, but actually match Jeffrey Dean Morgan in combat. A character is shot in both knees, and in a few hours later (without proper medical attention) is back on his feet. Another character is shot in the shoulder, and after a quick and dirty operation is climbing up and down walls with both hands. Jason Patric hams up the villain above and beyond the call of duty, and he escapes, which sucks just about all the satisfaction from the end of the movie. There are a few moments of joy (Chris Evans, though entirely unbelievable as a geek, can be rather funny) but they are too few. It's a low-rent version of the A-Team which seems even more unnecessary when the trailer for the A-Team remake plays before the movie.