|
Dreams - Akira Kurosawa, 1990 Some of the short stores are more memorable than others. I especially liked "Mount Fuji in Red" and the "The Weeping Demon." And the final one, "Village of the Watermills", wrapped everything up nicely. And every single one of them was visually interesting at the very least. But overall the movie suffers in the same way as every single other anthology film I've seen - the piecemeal presentation causes the film to seem rather unsubstantial. Still, I appreciate how Kurosawa maintained cohesive themes despite the disparate nature of the individual parts. This is far, far from Kurosawa's best work. But it's nevertheless very much worth watching, if for no other reason than to see Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh. 391/1000 Spatulater bro! fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Dec 11, 2016 |
#
?
Dec 11, 2016 22:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 14:41 |
|
|
La Jetée - Chris Marker, 1962 I'm not entirely thrilled with the still photograph style. Aside from efficiency (both in terms of storytelling and budget), what's the point? The story is brilliant and fascinating, so I can't help but wish it was shot in a typical fashion. Still, the depth of story and ideas Marker is able to garner with 28 minutes of still frames is admirable to say the least. 392/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 01:00
|
|
|
Spatulater bro! posted:Dreams - Akira Kurosawa, 1990 I watched this last week and was struggling to even figure out how I'd review it. The closest I got was "You know you're watching a Japanese movie when a child is pushed to commit suicide."
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 01:18
|
|
|
Detective No. 27 posted:I watched this last week and was struggling to even figure out how I'd review it. The closest I got was "You know you're watching a Japanese movie when a child is pushed to commit suicide." By his own mother no less.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 01:26
|
|
|
Spatulater bro! posted:La Jetée - Chris Marker, 1962 I dunno, I thought it made the moment of actual moving picture pretty powerful.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 01:31
|
|
|
weekly font posted:
It did definitely do that. That was a neat little moment.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 01:35
|
|
|
I'm at 262, so this is the first iteration I'm above 25% viewed on, yay. I miss whatever year Kill Bill: Volume 1 was #1000.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 07:32
|
|
|
Gone With the Wind Yea yea, I had never seen this movie until yesterday, big deal. Its like 4 hours long, gimme a break. Its great though, I did take like an 8 hour intermission, but I really was never bored. Its interesting to see what could be accomplished in 1939 when a studio pulled out all the stops, and the results were definitely impressive. The scope is pretty huge in certain moments, and there's some real cinematic flourishes that make the film feel suitably epic. I guess what you don't really "get" until you watch this film is how compelling Gable and Leigh are together. Obviously their relationship could be considered "problematic" today, but its not exactly presented as a healthy one in the context of the movie either. Leigh is magnetic, a lesser presence would have brought down the film because it needed to make sense that all of these men would fall over themselves just to be near her. Technicolor rules, I wish it would make a come back. 232/1000 - 23%
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 16:03
|
|
|
Gone with the Wind is one of the best Hollywood epics. It's so well-made and told, you forget it's essentially a soap opera level plot. The racial aspect can be a little troublesome today, but I think it was handled about as respectfully a mainstream Hollywood film could be in 1939. I do love how such a successful and well-loved film has two main characters that are fairly awful people.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 17:22
|
|
|
Egbert Souse posted:Gone with the Wind is one of the best Hollywood epics. It's so well-made and told, you forget it's essentially a soap opera level plot. Yea it occurred to me about 3 hours in that I was basically watching about a month's worth of storylines in a typical soap-opera, just transplanted into a historical epic. It totally works though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 17:29
|
|
|
The Thin Red Line - Terrence Malick, 1998 The most introspective and philosophical war movie I've ever seen. By jumping from character to character, the film considers war from every angle imaginable, and thoroughly demonstrates the soul-devouring effect it has on everyone involved. Malick doesn't care about delivering a structured narrative. There are plenty of other war films that do that. The story he wants to tell isn't about characters and plot, but about the collective soul of humanity - or maybe of all living things. Nature "contends with itself", and we're as much a part of it as a crocodile, a bird, or an invasive vine. The movie is gorgeous. The beautiful landscape contrast strikingly with the destructive violence inhabiting it. Blood spatters across lush green leaves. Disfigured bodies fall among the delicate grass peacefully swaying in the wind. Malick is a filmmaker whose directorial voice comes across onscreen more than most. In fact, it literally comes across. Via his characters' inner monologues, he's talking directly to us. Malick doesn't hold back. He spills his soul for us. You're either in concert with his philosophical musings or you're not. I sure as poo poo am. 393/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 21:14
|
|
|
I've only seen an embarrassing 167 of these and that short list leans popular, mainstream, and recent. I think my goal for 2017 is to have the top 100 knocked out by year's end and revisit some of the stuff I haven't seen in a while.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2016 23:32
|
|
|
The Wind - Victor Sjöström, 1928 In some ways this is a very simple movie. It's short, and the plot can be summed up in just a few sentences. But there's a deceptive complexity underlying it; symbolism that makes the film feel way ahead of its time. Could this be one of the earliest feminist movies? What I liked most about this is its atmosphere. The interminable wind reminded me of Bela Tarr's The Turin Horse. It provides a constant undercurrent of unnerving dread. And this has some of the most naturalistic acting I've seen thus far from a silent. Lilian Gish deserves all the praise she receives for this role. 394/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 16:11
|
|
|
The Wind is so goddamn claustrophobic. It's one of the most oppressive movies I think I've ever seen. Absolutely brilliant.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 19:49
|
|
|
Nanook of the North - Robert J. Flaherty, 1922 Going into this silent documentary I assumed it would be interesting mostly for its naivete and quaintness, much like the early segments of Häxan. Boy was I wrong. This was as captivating as any modern doc I've seen. It's teeming with great little moments. The people stuffed into the small kayak, the building of the igloo, the struggle with the unseen seal underneath the ice. These moments are fun and engrossing. This is one of the best documentaries I've seen, modern or otherwise. 395/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 22:49
|
|
|
Spatulater bro! posted:Nanook of the North - Robert J. Flaherty, 1922 Also check out Grass and Chang, similar ethnographic documentaries from the same decade. TCM aired all three in a block recently, wouldn't be surprised if they're on filmstruck. I think Chang is probably my favorite for how ridiculous it gets, but Grass and Nanook are great too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 00:26
|
|
|
Man From Aran also rules but its from a good deal later.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 03:50
|
|
|
HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:Man From Aran also rules but its from a good deal later. Same director or cinematographer as Nanook though I think, I forget which. He did a Polynesian islands one too called Moana but I haven't seen it. Man from Arab was also very obviously shot as a silent then converted to a talkie. All the ocean scenes is that one are amazing.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 04:56
|
|
|
HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:As far as this one goes, I'm glad you can't do a checklist because it would be embarassing how many of these I've seen. Top 200? Every single one. im at like 150 out of 200 last time i looked i want a checklist tho bc i want to marvel at the amount of my life wasted on dumb movies e i forgot this list had frailty on it, frailty fukkin RULES if you cut out the very ending and like, the first ten minutes so that you don't know what the framing device is it's a great movie with those things but going in stone cold and clueless and having no information to work with is even ebtter BENGHAZI 2 fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Dec 19, 2016 |
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 14:10
|
|
|
BENGHAZI 2 posted:im at like 150 out of 200 last time i looked I ended up going back and doing the whole thing, I've seen about 700 of these movies. Not as bad as I thought.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 22:55
|
|
|
HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:I ended up going back and doing the whole thing, I've seen about 700 of these movies. Not as bad as I thought. Yeah I'm not even close to that. 200 tops. I'm gonna start working on it tonight probably. I just got hold of A Tale of Two Sisters which is strangely ranked higher than I Saw the Devil
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 23:30
|
|
|
True Heart Susie - D.W. Griffith, 1919 Griffith's story is childishly simplistic. I can only assume that audiences in 1919 were so enamored by the sight of moving pictures that they overlooked the film's plot contrivances, naive melodrama and frustrating characterizations. We're meant to view Susie as virtuous. She's scrupulous and a good person on the inside. But to me she's a spineless dolt. The entire catastrophe could have been averted if only she spoke her mind when she was presented with the opportunity (this goes back to the aforementioned plot contrivances). And don't get me started on William. He has to be one of the dumbest motherfuckers ever written. Formally the movie isn't all that impressive either. Griffith's static camera feels lifeless, especially when you think back to the breathtaking shots he pulled off in Birth of a Nation. The editing is sloppy, with shots ending later than they should to reveal production goofs (e.g. when Bettina is struggling to open the locked door, we see it open briefly before cutting to the next shot. Oops.) There's one exception to that and it's the acting. Lillian Gish is tremendous. Although I dislike her character, I admit she gives a nuanced, sympathetic performance. Robert Harron is pretty good too, even though I wanted to slap his character. 396/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 16:43
|
|
|
Is there any Christmas or winter holiday themed flicks on this list?
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 19:48
|
|
|
Suplex Liberace posted:Is there any Christmas or winter holiday themed flicks on this list? The Nightmare Before Christmas, Fanny and Alexander and It's a Wonderful Life off the top of my head. But there are probably a lot more.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 19:57
|
|
|
Les Vampires - Louis Feuillade, 1915 Phew. That was an experience. This is a ten-episode story spanning six and a half hours. It's best approached like a season of a modern television series - broken up and enjoyed over multiple days. Each part is both self-contained and in continuity with the larger story. But unlike modern TV shows, Les Vampires doesn't care much about building on itself from episode to episode. Characters remain flatly one-dimensional, and motives remain simplistic. Nobody grows or changes, and no deeper truths are understood. It's all very shallow. Nevertheless, there's a lot to like here. Although it lacks substance, its focus on intricate plotting proves satisfying. It's filled with fun tricks and gimmicks that helped sustain my interest and even surprised me now and then. Encrypted secret messages, invisible ink, poison rings, disguises, trap doors, double crosses, mistaken identities, daring getaways. And always a dude hiding behind a curtain. It's fun stuff. I can't say I ever see myself revisiting this one. It's very much a "once is enough" type of film. But then again, it sure beats 99% of the crap on TV these days, so who knows. 397/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2016 03:53
|
|
|
Ten - Abbas Kiarostami, 2002 Films most impress me when they're able to shake me in some way by doing very little. And there's not much less a director can do than point a static camera at two people in a car and film their conversations. Kiarostami employs this most economic cinematic method to provide us a glimpse of normal life in Iran. The naturalistic acting and digital video made it feel like I was watching a documentary. What impressed me the most is the movie's ability to convey so much thematic substance with so little effort. There's a revealing moment near the end that really moved me, despite it being relatively mundane. It just shows how effective Kiarostami's style is. I now feel like a part of these people's lives, and all I needed was to see them chat in a car for 90 minutes. 398/1000
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2016 04:44
|
|
|
it's weird that Kiarostami died this year. It just feels like...he didn't? Ya know?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2016 06:22
|
|
|
TrixRabbi posted:it's weird that Kiarostami died this year. It just feels like...he didn't? Ya know? drat, I didn't even know he died. loving 2016.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2016 16:07
|
|
|
I just realised that Luis Buñuel has more entries on the list than any other director, and yet I shamefully haven't seen a single film of his. What's a good starting point?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 19:41
|
|
|
Samuel Clemens posted:I just realised that Luis Buñuel has more entries on the list than any other director, and yet I shamefully haven't seen a single film of his. What's a good starting point? Phantom of Liberty or The Exterminating Angel.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 19:42
|
|
|
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - 1965. A fun little romp through the California desert . Not the best in the way of a story but the dialog was endearing and the girls just oozed a dgaf attitude. Sports cars, violence, and stretch pants whats not to like.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 20:04
|
|
|
Samuel Clemens posted:I just realised that Luis Buñuel has more entries on the list than any other director, and yet I shamefully haven't seen a single film of his. What's a good starting point?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 20:15
|
|
|
Samuel Clemens posted:I just realised that Luis Buñuel has more entries on the list than any other director, and yet I shamefully haven't seen a single film of his. What's a good starting point? The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is hilarious and hugely influential on other films. The Exterminating Angel is great, too. Un chien andalou is a quick watch, as is Simon of the Desert. Only other I've seen is That Obscure Object of Desire, but it was back in college, so I don't remember a huge amount from it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 20:34
|
|
|
Thanks for the recommendations. I must've seen Un Chien Andalou at some point, but I remember nothing about it aside from the famous image. I'll start with that and then move on to The Exterminating Angel because its name reminds me of Angel Terminators.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2016 21:59
|
|
|
Pink Flamingos - John Waters, 1972 I can only imagine how shocking this must have been in 1972. Watching it - in all its sleazy, depraved trashiness - I was reminded of other films with similar aims (but make no mistake, there's nothing else exactly like this film). Jackass came to mind. Gummo, sorta. Some of those super low budget horror movies like Street Trash and Combat Shock. But what all those movies have in common is that they came out after Pink Flamingos. This was the first time people had seen such filth on screen. The movies that vaguely resemble it all take inspiration from it. Now here it is 2017 and the film is still shocking. It really is. Both for its extreme grossness and for its extreme weirdness. The mom in the crib eating eggs is unsettling on a near Lynchian level. The dog poo poo eating is timelessly gross. And the unsimulated oral sex scene between mother and son characters had my stomach in knots. And then there's the scene in which a chicken is crushed between two people having sex. And it's the real deal. That chicken got loving crushed to death. This is, obviously, shocking. But I personally hate being shocked in this way. I just loathe seeing animals hurt or killed for a film, and it always knocks my opinion of a film down a peg. This is no exception. 399/1000
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2017 00:11
|
|
|
The first time I saw Pink Flamingos it was on the big screen. It is my favorite theater going experience because I had to endure this terrible stench for the entire film, I thought it was the really greasy looking dude a few seats away but only discovered afterwards that I had stepped on dogshit without notching. It was really uncomfortable and disgusting but so perfectly appropriate.
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2017 02:27
|
|
|
National Lampoon's Animal House - John Landis, 1978 It's the prototype for lots and lots of movies that I dislike. It's just not my kind of comedy. John Belushi is pretty likable, I'll give the film that. But I didn't laugh a single time. Maybe if I'd have been in a frat in college this would be my favorite movie of all time? 400/1000
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2017 04:29
|
|
|
Broken Blossoms - D.W. Griffith, 1919 Griffith had nothing but the best intentions with this film, he really did. Racial tolerance, indictment of violence, and even progressive sentiment towards biracial relationships. Yet somehow, some way, the movie still manages to be racist. The actor playing the Chinese character is white; he's referred to only as "The Yellow Man"; and the film uses the term "Chinky" in a positive light; Sigh. Oh well, at least he was trying. Much like Griffith's True Heart Susie from the same year, the melodramatic story is dreadfully simplistic. There's no thematic depth to speak of and the characters are glaringly superficial. And aside from the last ten minutes where we get some nice atmosphere with a coastal fog rolling through the streets, there's little that's impressive technically. The best thing about this is Lillian Gish. Nobody plays pitiful like she does. 401/1000
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2017 04:01
|
|
|
Spatulater bro! posted:Broken Blossoms - D.W. Griffith, 1919 I'd give the film a pass over Richard Barthlemess since it was unlikely for any film at the time to have an Asian actor in a lead role like that. The few exceptions were actors like Sessue Hayakawa and Anna May Wong. There was also the problem with Chinese-Americans not being able to work in a lot of cases thanks to the Chinese Exclusion Act (which wasn't repealed until 1943). Griffith making Broken Blossoms in 1919 was pretty much a giant "gently caress you" to racists at the time.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2017 04:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 14:41 |
|
|
Egbert Souse posted:I'd give the film a pass over Richard Barthlemess since it was unlikely for any film at the time to have an Asian actor in a lead role like that. The few exceptions were actors like Sessue Hayakawa and Anna May Wong. Yeah. I guess the problem has more to do with the day and age. 100 year old art that deals with race is just going to be racist to 21st century sensibilities.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2017 16:07
|
|