Wolfgang Pauli's Shameful-Seens posted:

The Godfather Part II - It's something I want to see, but I never got the Bluray Godfather set and I have a rule about not watching Godfather movies in standard definition. It's nowhere near the original, but it still stands up on its own. Every moment that Robert De Niro is on screen is a joy. The juxtaposition of the two stories reveals the tragedy, but also works against the film's cohesion. Vito's story is tight, engaging, and well-written. Michael's is ambulatory and exploratory and at times plain boring. Overall, though, the film is fantastic - if unnecessarily long.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - I've had this for just about a year and never bothered watching it. I'm a monster. I'm a bit mixed about this. First, John Ford knew how to use Jimmy Stewart in exactly the same way that Frank Capra did. However, he didn't seem to know what to do with John Wayne. His slave companion was the more interesting character, especially the subtle criticisms of racism presented throughout the film (and the one really obvious and patriotic one that I'm convinced Ford made fall flat). Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin were fantastic, but the serious mishandling of John Wayne's character and the completely useless Andy Devine frustrate me that I can't like this as much as The Searchers or Rio Bravo, which is a shame since postmodernist John Ford is usually very critical of modernist John Ford, and because this was the highest ranked Western on my Criticker. Bonus points for the doctor looking like a fist-fighting Abraham Lincoln.

M - Nope. I was supposed to watch this with a friend for her Film class, but she watched it without me and I never thought to get it from my school's library after that. Just saw M. Man, I thought I knew what it was about, but it's a tour de force. The lack of ambient noise was a bit jarring since I'm not quite used to early sound technology, but the lack of music was pitch perfect. The rough shod cinematography absolutely works in its favor. Pretty much everything from the office heist on is perfect.

The City of Lost Children - I loved Amelie and Micmacs and my Jeunet friend mentions this all the time (same friend as with M), but I guess I just never had the inclination to track this one down. It looked absolutely fantastic, the designers really pulled all the punches. Of course the acting was terrific, this was a Jeunet film after all. Dominique Pinon is my favorite Jeunet regular, so I was pretty excited that he got a ton of screen time here. Ron Perlman struck me as an awkward choice, but his face is certainly weird and awkward enough for him to land a male role with Jeunet. I'm not sure where this stands compared to Amelie, but I don't think it beats Micmacs.

Lonesome Dove - I've been wanting to watch this for ages and I just got the Bluray. I'm going to get to this sooner or later, but with my presently limited time the only movies I have time to watch are the ones in this thread. It's really good, but not in a way that makes it a literary Western. This is more of a television Western, in the spirit of shows like Bonanza and Gunsmoke and films like Tombstone. The true marvel of this isn't the production value or cinematography or narrative, it's that it can go on for six hours and not have a single unnecessary scene or wasted moment.

Die Hard - This is the only entry in the Die Hard trilogy that I can't really remember well enough to have an opinion about.I barely remembered anything from when I saw this years ago, and the later entries into the series definitely missed the point of the film. Die Hard is so well-informed, comic, and playful that it sets the bar for all other action films after it. It knows the conventions and tropes and doesn't just stay within the confines of its genre, it actively engages them in the same type of conversation that other genres do. I've rarely seen a film so seething in satire and comedy that takes itself this seriously, and it works marvelously.

Predator - I have the same reasoning for all of [the Arnold picks], save one, in that I either never bothered tracking these down or saw them at so young an age that I can't remember a single thing about them. There were some very good shots, notably the Predator lighting up the jungle and the helicopter landing and one magnificently squandered shot of the slide over the cliff and into the water that you see for a fraction of a second. Other than that, I really don't see the appeal of this. There were small bursts of excitement and interest amidst a mostly dull drudge, but that's it. I did enjoy the team un-ironically leveling the entire camp when they're going in to rescue hostages.

meanmikhail posted:

Just watched The Great Dictator, my first Chaplin film. I thought it was hilarious and touching at the same time. I was taken out of it for a second when I saw the treatment they got in the concentration camp, but then I remembered that the general public didn't know the full extent of the Nazi's crimes (and read that Chaplin wouldn't have made the movie had he known). It's a great movie at any rate.

Peaceful Anarchy posted:

Les Vampires A big multi-part silent. I know it's not actually about vampires but rather some criminal gang. That's about the extent of my knowledge about it.

quote:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey: I have seen most of Kubrick's films, and the only one that I haven't loved was A Clockwork Orange. The only thing keeping me away from 2001 is the length of the movie, and that some people have called it boring. I have watched Moon recently, and really enjoyed that, so I would imagine that I would like this too.

2. The Godfather: Part II:
2. Singin' in the Rain:
2. Blade Runner: This seems like something I should have already watched.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark:

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
4. Ran: I have yet to watch a Kurosawa film I disliked.

5. Citizen Kane:
5. Manhattan:
5. Casablanca:
5. WALL-E: I re-watched the Toy Story movies the other day, and I am thinking that I need to catch up with Pixar movies. After this, I will probably end up watching Up.

6. Do the Right Thing:
6. The 400 Blows: I have wanted to see this for years. I even have a copy of it, but I just have not gotten around to watching it. I think it's about time.

7. Rear Window:
7. 12 Angry Men:
7. Lawrence of Arabia: Hmm, a 3 1/2 hour film...another movie I have avoided because of the run time.

8. The Shawshank Redemption:

9. Once Upon a Time in the West:
9. Some Like it Hot:
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest:

10. Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back:
10. Jaws: I could swear that I have seen the beginning, and the ending of this -- but I haven't seen the middle. I should probably get around to watching this as a complete film.

Magic Hate Ball posted:

1) Das Boot - Having just recently had to clean out my old family home, it became really obvious how much my dad loving loved this movie because I came across like four different recorded-from-TV VHS tapes. It's been on my "should see" list for a while but I've just never gotten around to it and I don't know why.

2) Run Lola Run - This has been on my Netflix queue for like five years. I think I added it because I liked Memento and was all hopped up to see more films that played with timelines. Anyways, apparently it's really good.

3) Downfall - I loving own this, why haven't I seen it? A: I keep putting it off because, you know, three hour Hitler docudrama? mmmmeeehhhhh

4) Tokyo Story - So far I've only seen one Ozu film, Good Morning (a blind-buy; it's kind of cute, actually), and apparently this is some amazing magnificent film, and Ozu is some great director, so sock it to me.

5) Gone With The Wind - Ever since I saw the Carol Burnett spoof this has been floating around in my Netflix queue. That's a great spoof. Y'all should go watch it.

6) Vivre sa vie - Replacing a new-wave with a new-wave, this is another meant-to-never-saw. Great that it's on Blu now. I think I skipped this one for A Woman Is A Woman when they were doing a Godard retrospective at SIFF.

7) Baraka - Put it on Netflix queue after seeing Koyaanisqatsi, never got it up to the top three because half of my dogged devotion to Koyetc is the Philip Glass score and the theme about industrialization. But apparently it's like mindblowingly cool or something I dunno.

8) The Color Purple - This is one of those "You've never seen x? Not even in high school!?" films. It sounds intriguing, and I like Spielberg, and the DVD cover is a really nice shade of purple, but I've just never built up the desire to bump something else out of my Netflix top three.

9) The Searchers - Apparently this is like A+ western. I'm not a huge fan of westerns, and actually I don't think I've even ever seen a Ford film. But it's on Blu-Ray, and I like Blu-Ray and this is number 9 on the They Shoot Pictures Don't They list.

10) The French Connection - Another been-in-the-queue-for-ages one, apparently it's a stunning magnificent thriller and frankly I could watch Gene Hackman eat a lightbulb and come away thrilled. Kinda miffed about the goofy color timing on the Blu-Ray, but it's ok, I managed Do The Right Thing, I could manage this.

Magic Hate Ball posted:

Vertigo Ambrosia posted:

1. Chinatown - No excuse besides general film deprivation.

2. Fitzcarraldo - Saw Herzog's Bad Lieutenant, loved it, just saw Aguirre and loved Klaus Kinski, so this seems like a logical next step.

3. Taxi Driver, or any Scorcese, really - Also no excuse

4. Imitation of Life - I was sick the day I had to watch this for class; I loved Written on the Wind, so I should really just watch it already.

5. A Fistful of Dollars - I've only seen two westerns ever, and only one Eastwood movie, so I figure I'd start here.

6. Annie Hall - I've never seen a Woody Allen film.

7. North by Northwest - I've seen Rear Window, and I'm not really that into Hitchcock, but he's another director I feel like I need to see more of.

8. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Just never saw it. The Player - I've never seen anything Altman, and after my boss at my internship said that it sometimes reminded him of his job, I've begun to feel like I should have seen it.

9. The Godfather, Part II - I love The Godfather, but haven't seen this. Internal Affairs - I was interested in The Departed when it came out but never ended up seeing it, and I also feel like I need to see more Chinese film, or at least one that hasn't left me in tears at the end (Crouching Tiger did because it was beautiful, My Fair Farewell My Concubine did because it crushes your soul within the first 30 minutes and then keeps going).

And the most egregious...10. Star Wars. I didn't see it when I was a kid, and now I just really don't care. I feel like after Spaceballs, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and all the pop culture references and hullabaloo over the prequels, I already know everything I need to know.

Vertigo Ambrosia posted:

My Fair Concubine

FitFortDanga posted:

I'm trying to imagine a hybrid of My Fair Lady and Farewell My Concubine but it's not working.

Eggnogium posted:

I watched these a couple years ago on Google Video and they're a decent bit of fun. Nothing spectacular but it's kind of cool watching the 1915 equivalent of a television crime drama.

Wolfgang Pauli's Shameful-Seens posted:

The Godfather Part II - It's something I want to see, but I never got the Bluray Godfather set and I have a rule about not watching Godfather movies in standard definition. It's nowhere near the original, but it still stands up on its own. Every moment that Robert De Niro is on screen is a joy. The juxtaposition of the two stories reveals the tragedy, but also works against the film's cohesion. Vito's story is tight, engaging, and well-written. Michael's is ambulatory and exploratory and at times plain boring. Overall, though, the film is fantastic - if unnecessarily long.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - I've had this for just about a year and never bothered watching it. I'm a monster. I'm a bit mixed about this. First, John Ford knew how to use Jimmy Stewart in exactly the same way that Frank Capra did. However, he didn't seem to know what to do with John Wayne. His slave companion was the more interesting character, especially the subtle criticisms of racism presented throughout the film (and the one really obvious and patriotic one that I'm convinced Ford made fall flat). Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin were fantastic, but the serious mishandling of John Wayne's character and the completely useless Andy Devine frustrate me that I can't like this as much as The Searchers or Rio Bravo, which is a shame since postmodernist John Ford is usually very critical of modernist John Ford, and because this was the highest ranked Western on my Criticker. Bonus points for the doctor looking like a fist-fighting Abraham Lincoln.

M - Nope. I was supposed to watch this with a friend for her Film class, but she watched it without me and I never thought to get it from my school's library after that. Just saw M. Man, I thought I knew what it was about, but it's a tour de force. The lack of ambient noise was a bit jarring since I'm not quite used to early sound technology, but the lack of music was pitch perfect. The rough shod cinematography absolutely works in its favor. Pretty much everything from the office heist on is perfect.

The City of Lost Children - I loved Amelie and Micmacs and my Jeunet friend mentions this all the time (same friend as with M), but I guess I just never had the inclination to track this one down. It looked absolutely fantastic, the designers really pulled all the punches. Of course the acting was terrific, this was a Jeunet film after all. Dominique Pinon is my favorite Jeunet regular, so I was pretty excited that he got a ton of screen time here. Ron Perlman struck me as an awkward choice, but his face is certainly weird and awkward enough for him to land a male role with Jeunet. I'm not sure where this stands compared to Amelie, but I don't think it beats Micmacs.

Lonesome Dove - I've been wanting to watch this for ages and I just got the Bluray. I'm going to get to this sooner or later, but with my presently limited time the only movies I have time to watch are the ones in this thread. It's really good, but not in a way that makes it a literary Western. This is more of a television Western, in the spirit of shows like Bonanza and Gunsmoke and films like Tombstone. The true marvel of this isn't the production value or cinematography or narrative, it's that it can go on for six hours and not have a single unnecessary scene or wasted moment.

Die Hard - This is the only entry in the Die Hard trilogy that I can't really remember well enough to have an opinion about.I barely remembered anything from when I saw this years ago, and the later entries into the series definitely missed the point of the film. Die Hard is so well-informed, comic, and playful that it sets the bar for all other action films after it. It knows the conventions and tropes and doesn't just stay within the confines of its genre, it actively engages them in the same type of conversation that other genres do. I've rarely seen a film so seething in satire and comedy that takes itself this seriously, and it works marvelously.

Predator - I have the same reasoning for all of [the Arnold picks], save one, in that I either never bothered tracking these down or saw them at so young an age that I can't remember a single thing about them. There were some very good shots, notably the Predator lighting up the jungle and the helicopter landing and one magnificently squandered shot of the slide over the cliff and into the water that you see for a fraction of a second. Other than that, I really don't see the appeal of this. There were small bursts of excitement and interest amidst a mostly dull drudge, but that's it. I did enjoy the team un-ironically leveling the entire camp when they're going in to rescue hostages.

True Lies - Here are my Arnold picks. I have the same reasoning for all of these, save one, in that I either never bothered tracking these down or saw them at so young an age that I can't remember a single thing about them. The one exception is True Lies. I played the poo poo out of the Super Nintendo game and saw the movie maybe twice when I was 10 or so, but I was 10 and it's True Lies, so I didn't get any of it. It's a really good parody of action films, but while it's funnier and more of an adventure than Die Hard, it's not as well made or well informed. The first act is pitch perfect, it comes out of the gate as a buddy cop spy action parody and it comes out running. Arnold does what he does best and is a great straight man to a surprisingly entertaining Tom Arnold. His loss is unfortunately very noticeable during the second act, however, and by the third the film slips into the kind of movie it set out to parody. It's heterogeneous in a bad way, but it's still fun and sly and goes every which way. (My favorite aspect is the flat and cheesy way the Arab terrorists are played up and countered by the cool Arab good guy)

Wolfgang Pauli's Shameful List posted:

The General - I love Buster Keaton, but I've never come across this.

Tokyo Story - I have never seen an Ozu film. I don't have an excuse for this one, I just never took the time to watch one.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - I know I'll love this, but the opportunity has never come up.

Jules and Jim - I saw the first ten minutes or so, but I wasn't in a movie-watching mood when I decided to see this and never really came back to it. It's a shame, because I love Truffaut.

Minnie and Moskowitz - I've been intrigued by this for a while now, but I know almost nothing about it.

Play Time - I've never seen a Jacques Tati film and I really liked the clips I've seen of this, but there were other Criterion blurays ahead of this on my list.

High Noon - I pride myself on having seen a ton of Westerns, but for some reason I never took the time to watch this one. I'm thinking if this is chosen then I'm going to watch Rio Bravo right after it.

High and Low - I'm all over Kurosawa, but I've never taken the time to watch one of his non-historic films. This is the one that always interested me the most.

Princess Mononoke - I've never seen a Miyazaki film, though not for lack of trying. Ultimately, I chose to skip the Miyazaki movie marathon my friends held so I could spend the day in bed with my girlfriend.

Wolfgang Pauli posted:

Peaceful, you're a rotten fucker for making me choose between Ballad of a Soldier and The Burmese Harp. Ballad of a Soldier it is. It's stunning and beautiful on every level, every god drat level. And I'm such a sucker for Russian train stories. No matter how many I watch or read, they never get old.

Peaceful Anarchy posted:

Are Russian train stories a genre?

Peaceful Anarchy posted:

Chelsea Girls A 3 hour film directed by Andy Warhol. That's the extent of my knowledge about this, I've never seen anything by Warhol so I'm curious.

JVO posted:

Watched 12 Angry Men, loved it. Hellbunny, now you too get to watch it, it's fantastic. It's also on youtube right now to make things easier.

Updated List:
1) The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - This one's been near the top of my queue forever, but I always have something bumping it down a slot.
2) American Beauty - While the ending is spoiled, I should still probably see this.
3) Eraserhead - I need to catch up on my David Lynch (I've only seen Blue Velvet )
4) Downfall - Seen far too many stupid youtube videos about this but not the actual film.
5) The Squid And The Whale - Well it's the movie of the month, so...
6) Chinatown - Stumped to why I haven't seen this yet as I've had numerous chances.
7) City Of God - I've seen the first 10 minutes, but then got sidetracked. Someone put me back on track.
8) 12 Angry Men - I've heard this movie mentioned repeatedly lately, so I figure I should see this.
8) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - No excuse, need to see this.
9) Shakespeare In Love - Decided to go through the best picture winners backwards and pick the first one I haven't seen. Not sure this was a good idea.
9) Rain Man - Continuing on with the best picture winners that I haven't seen.
9) The Deer Hunter - Jumping around the best picture list a bit, but I just realized I've seen Heaven's Gate but not this. What.
10) Terrence Malick - Haven't seen any of his films, pick one and I'll give it a try.

penismightier posted:

Black Orpheus No excuse.

FancyMike posted:

1. The Third Man - I have the Criterion bluray. Started watching it once but got interrupted.

2. 8 1/2 - Bluray on my shelf, just haven't gotten to it yet.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Battleship Potemkin - I need to watch more silents.

4. Raging Bull
Taxi Driver - I feel like it would make sense to continue with the Scorsese/De Niro team.

5. Ikiru - I love Kurosawa, but haven't seen this one yet. It's been recommended to me many times.

6. Paris, Texas - I've heard a lot about this one. The only Wim Wenders I've seen is Wings of Desire and I thought it was great.

7. Andrei Rublev - I've enjoyed every Tarkovsky I've seen so far. Got about an hour into this one once a couple years ago when I was pulled away. Haven't gotten back to it yet.

8. Ben Hur - It's supposed to be amazing and long I guess? There are other long movies on this list already, so why not.

9. Stagecoach - Been digging Westerns lately and the new Criterion release has this one fresh in my mind.

Wolfgang Pauli posted:

I don't think watching Andrei Rublev because someone said you should see it is the best approach to that film. It's a beast and makes no pretensions about it. That's just how Tarkovsky does business. The "I can't tell characters apart because they have beards" argument is pretty unfounded, though.

Arkane posted:

On the Waterfront - I know the speech, the plot outline, and have heard this is one of the great acting performances of all time, but I've just never gotten around to seeing it.

Popelmon posted:

Fanny and Alexander
I loved the 7th Seal and from what I read so far I'm sure I will love it. But lately I'm really not in a subtitle mood for some reason.

FitFortDanga posted:

1. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch - Never seen any Guy Ritchie. I don't think I'd like him, but I ought to see what the fuss is about.

2. The Haunting - This is supposed to be good, right? Robert Wise is hit or miss with me, but I've liked all his film noir.

3. Dolemite - I saw Petey Wheatstraw and hated it, but I've since learned that it's considered to be one of the worst Rudy Ray Moore movies. I love House Party, it'd be nice to have a reference point for the Dolemite jokes.

4. Sleuth - Certain goons keep raving about it.

5. The Lion King - Not a Disney fan at all, but it seems like most people hold this one in high regard.

6. The Iron Giant - Wrote it off initially, have since learned it's actually good.

7. Plan 9 from Outer Space - Maybe my greatest shame of all, I've never actually seen an Ed Wood movie. The same way some people say about Rear Window and Casablanca, I feel like I've gleaned all of this movie from pop culture, but I should still see it once.

8. Two English Girls - The only Truffaut movie I haven't seen. I would have gotten to it eventually, now you can force me to!

9. A Tanú - My highest PSI at Criticker.

Peaceful Anarchy posted:

The second half I found less interesting than the first, and there was a half hour or so segment from about the 2hour mark to the 2:30 hour mark that was nearly unbearably stupid.

FitFortDanga posted:

I wonder if you saw the same cut I did. Was that the part with Eric, ranting about his sweat?

Peaceful Anarchy posted:

Kin-Dza-Dza A soviet Sci Fi film that's apparently highly regarded.

tokillthesunflower posted:

A Fistful of Dollars I hated westerns when I was younger. Funnily enough the one that changed my mind was The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Still not sure why I haven't seen the first two.

FitFortDanga posted:

I wonder if you saw the same cut I did. Was that the part with Eric, ranting about his sweat?

EDIT: ah poo poo, Netflix doesn't have Sleuth. And neither does the library. I'll look around for it.

Lascivious Sloth posted:

Watch Snatch, it will be a good lead on from Smoking Barrels, and I think it is much better and more accessible. It's also extremely loving funny.

penismightier posted:

I'm really bothered that I haven't gotten you yet. I want to know what you make of Napoleon.

dotCommunism posted:

Peaceful Anarchy: watch My Life as a Dog. There's definitely sad stuff about it, but I wouldn't really call it depressing.

Watched Z and it was really good and also really frustrating. I'm not sure why I put it off for so long, though.