Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Dir: Werner Herzog

Great Herzog film. Excellent photography, and incredible acomplishments (dragging a boat up a MOUNTAIN) captured within them. Kinski isn't insane in this one, but he gives an awesome performance. A little slow towards the middle, and the landscape shots go on for just a bit too long, making the film a little longer than it needs to be, but otherwise it's a solid Herzog.

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Dir: Ingmar Bergman
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083922/

This must surely be one of the greatest achievements of not just Bergman, but film as a whole. An incredible portrait of family, childhood, spirituality, and life in general. Every portrayal was incredible, specifically that of the bishop, who must be one of the most haunting characters ever created. I watched the 5-hour version, and it was just magnificent.

The art design, set design, and costume design were all terrific, as was Sven Nykvist's camerawork (which is to be expected), as was the music. The film had bits of everything in it, and it weaved them together so well that it's near impossible not to recognize a masterpiece when you see it. Simply amazing work and one of Bergman's best.

George Washington (2000)

Dir: David Gordon Green

This was a pretty neat little slice-of-life film. It had interesting characters, at least, which is obviously needed to have any type of good film. The high point of the film was the cinematography, of course. Incredible. It managed to make things like a trash heap pretty. The use of light was simply gorgeous. I need to check out more of David Gordon Green's work, because I've heard he was making some interesting films, and this has piqued my interest.

Murder by Death (1976)

Dir: Robert Moore

This was kinda meh. A great cast, but I just didn't find it that funny. Peter Sellers had a few good lines here, well, I guess just about everyone had a few good lines, but it wasn't enough to carry the film. Maybe I didn't like it as much because I've never seen many of the films that the characters are spoofing. Oh well.

Also, Truman Capote was horrible in his role. Why was he cast?

El Topo (1970)

Dir: Alejandro Jodorowsky
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866/

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but unfortunately I didn't care for this one nearly as much as The Holy Mountain. It's certainly the strangest Western I've ever seen. It was too long, and pretty dull at some points. It seemed like it was trying way too hard to be symbolic and allegorical. There were a few good parts, but they were too few and far between. I guess I was expecting more humor, and it didn't deliver. I may not have been in the mood for it, I just don't think this film is the kind of surrealism I enjoy. The music was pretty good though, and there was some neat imagery here and there.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Dir: Tobe Hooper
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072271/

I think I'm losing some of my taste for horror films, but this was pretty good, and it deserves its reputation. I was worried at the beginning that it was going to be the standard, predictable horror flick, but I was proven wrong towards the end. The cinematography gives it a great gritty atmosphere and sort of a psuedo-documentary style. Parts of the ending were pretty damn disturbing, the actors playing the villians were excellent at being insane.

This movie also made me hate House of 1000 Corpses even more now that I realize just how much Zombie cribbed from this film.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Dir: Hal Ashby
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/

This was a pretty good off-beat life-affirming film, with an interesting romance. I enjoyed a lot of the black comedy, and most of the ideas the film puts across, but some were a little naive or too simplistic. The music from Cat Stevens was really good, but sometimes his singing bothered me. Some great shots in this too. And I don't think I was expecting to see a chase scene in which the titular characters are trying to escape from the police either. A lot of fun.

Sexy Beast (2000)

Dir: Jonathan Glazer
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203119/

This was pretty decent. A fairly funny and stylish British crime flick. It was competently directed and had a few tricks up its sleeves. I enjoyed the love story that permeated the entirety of the film. That said, I had a few problems with it:

-The accents. They were so thick and they spoke so fast that at times I had trouble understanding what was being said, and I'm usually pretty good at listening to Brits speak, even with cockney slang and all that.

-Ben Kingsley. He's not a problem in and of himself. He's actually the best thing about the movie, and he rules every scene he's in with an iron fist. This makes every other scene without him drag a bit, unfortunately.

Other than that, it's a relatively solid crime film.

Ghost World (2001)

Dir: Terry Zwigoff
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162346/

Great film about disaffected youth, isolation and lack of direction. I guess I can identify with all three, so the film did a lot for me. Everyone involved is great, but Scarlett Johansson is severly underused. Also, it was a lot funnier in the first half than the second half, but that's ok, I won't fault the movie for it, it dealt with a lot of serious themes as well as humorous ones.

Scenes from a Marriage (1973)

Dir: Ingmar Bergman
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070644/

This was truly incredible. I watched the theatrical version, and I was blown away by what I saw. I've always admired Bergman, and I think Persona is the only film of his I haven't really cared for thus far. This is up there with my favorite, Wild Strawberries.

I could really relate to this issues that this film brought up, having experienced similar things with my parents, and it also served as a cautionary tale, as I am engaged to be married. Everything about the film felt so real, from the exceptional performances (Liv Ullman's in particular) to the subdued camera work, which suited the material perfectly.

I think everyone that is going to get married should have to see this masterpiece first.

Porco Rosso (1992)

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104652/

This might be my new favorite Miyazaki film. It was just so cool, a bit of a departure from his other material to be sure, but it was just as awesome if not more. I liked how the film seemed kind of a throwback to olden Hollywood films, and the detail of the animation was exquisite.

The english dub was pretty good too. A lot of english dubs have at least one voice that irks the shit out of me, but this one had none of that. Also the music kicked ass as well.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

Not the best Miyazaki, but it was very cute. It's perfect for younger viewers, as it doesn't do anything too scary, but it builds the characters up enough so that you care for them even when something that would seem trivial in other films (getting lost) occurs. A great family film.

Also, King Totoro and Catbus are awesome.

Out of the Past (1947)

Dir: Jacques Tourneur
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039689/

This is probably my favorite noir film thus far. It's uniformly excellent, from the casting to the performances, direction to camerawork, and of course, the story. Full of twists, doublecrosses, and deception, it kept me guessing all the way to the end (and what and ending it was). Robert Mitchum is awesome, and this is some of his best work, alongside The Night of the Hunter. He's the essence of cool and collected throughout the film, placing his role alongside other legendary cool roles such as Steve McQueen in.. well, anything and Alain Delon in Le Samourai. Incredible flick, I need to check out more of Tourneur's work.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Dir: Frank Capra
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036613/

The only word to describe this movie must be "madcap".

I was moderately amused at the beginning, there were a few great jokes, but as it progressed it got more and more insane, and it becomes so absurd that it's hilarious. Cary Grant and Peter Lorre are both great here. I read Grant didn't care for his performance here, but I think it was pretty damn good. This is the first Capra film I've seen, and I wasn't dissapointed. I find most older comedies "amusing" rather than funny, but this one got quite a few laughs out of me.

Brief Encounter (1945)

Dir: David Lean
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037558/

This was not a bad little romance flick. I'm not crazy about it, but it was pretty good. The pacing and cinematography were very well done, and the story was straightfoward and to the point. The best thing about this film was undoubtedly Celia Johnson's performance, though. Her face was so expressive, her eyes could tell you things that words could not.

I would have preferred the omission of the use of the voice-over narration, and rather the film just actually show you what took place. I think that would have fleshed out the characters and given a broader emotional attachment to them. Still, head and shoulders above many so called "romantic" movies.

A Foreign Affair (1948)

Dir: Billy Wilder
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040367/

This was a fun little WW2 comedy that I found pretty amusing. All the actors were pretty charming, turning in convincing performances. The script was solid, weaving a interesting double-cross/cover-your-tracks story. A great thing about this film is though it was made not long after WWII ended, it refused to paint the German citizens in a negative light, choosing rather to portray them as victims of circumstance, as many of them were.

Cool shots of bombed-out Berlin in the beginning of the film, too.

The Holy Mountain (1973)

Dir: Alejandro Jodorowsky
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071615/

What the fuck?!?!

That pretty much sums up this film. I rather enjoyed it, though. The beginning was great, full of interesting imagery (though I wonder if the point of the first half was to be as blasphemous as possible). I rarely laugh as hard as I did when I saw "The Conquest of Mexico" as performed by lizards with hats on and frogs with armor. The middle part, while still being pretty fucking funny, got a little preachy with its satire, which wasn't neccesarily a bad thing. The end was kind of uneven, though, it got too deep into its mysticism thing and became a tad uninteresting. It's too bad this isn't available on DVD. Everyone should see this at least once. I can certainly see myself revisiting it at a later date.

The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1983)

Dir: Chia-Liang Liu
IMDb: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0086606/

Not much to say about this one, except it's a pretty kick-ass Shaw Bros. martial arts flick. The story, as is with most of these films, is very secondary to the action, but it doesn't really matter. Even though it's obvious some of the settings are sets, they are still shot pretty well. There's some great fight choreography, and a lot of cool stunts, but every once in a while there was a moment that didn't fit at all and caused some laughter, but that's cool. It adds to the charm of the movie. I like martial arts films, but sometimes they just get so tedious because there isn't a strong enough reason to keep progressing from fight to fight - but this one is pretty solid.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003)

Dir: Ming-liang Tsai
IMDb: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0377556/

My first Tsai, and I'm not sure what to think. Maybe it will grow on me. I respect it as a film, I think it's incredibly well done, but it's so demanding of the viewer that it's a bit off-putting. There is no dialogue at all until the half-way point in the film, and even then it is sparse. There doesn't seem to be a lot going on, but there is a lot to take in. Am I supposed to be trying to follow the storyline of the film playing in the theater? I tried my best, but I don't think there was a point to it. I understand the underlying themes of lonliness, and I can appreciate them, but I guess I'm not fully relating. Maybe it was not the best Tsai to introduce myself to his work? I have What Time is it There as well, so maybe that will be better. I did enjoy the dry humor and I thought the shots were very well composed.

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092067/

Another great Miyazaki film. This time it's a very entertaining adventure film. It had a great opening sequence and the excitement really didn't let up until the end. There was a bit of a nature vs. technology theme, but it was less pronounced than in Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa. I think I detected a bit of cold war paranoia as well. The english dub that I saw on TCM was fairly good, but I think James van Der Beek was miscast. Mark Hamill was awesome though. The only complaints I have is that the music was a bit dated and it was perhaps a tad too long, but otherwise it was another great film from Miyazaki.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Dir: John Sturges
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054047/

There's not much I can say about this except that it's a worthy remake of Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai. The story works very well transplanted into the western genre. All the actors bring a lot to their respective roles and the film does a good job of developing each of their identities so that no character feels underused. I was impressed that they were able to keep the feel of the original even when they compressed the running time of the film to just over 2 hours. The music was pretty good, too.

The Element of Crime (1984)

Dir: Lars von Trier
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087280/

A lesser von Trier film.

It was good, but I didn't find the story to be engaging, and it moved at a very sluggish pace. While this fit the movie well, I can't say I really enjoyed it too much.

The visuals were the high point of the film for me. The sepia tones, which could get tiresome here and there, created some very interesting and cool looking expressionistic images. The film was set in perpetual nighttime, which accented its dark tone and absence of life. The camera movements were interesting, and seemed very exploratory.

My least favorite von Trier thus far, but not neccesarily a bad film. I may just not have been in the mood for it. Perhaps I will revist it sometime.

Repo Man (1984)

Dir: Alex Cox
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/

This movie was so very wierd, but I love it all the more for it.

It had my attention right from the beginning, and I thought it was going to be a relatively serious dramedy about punk attitude and "selling out", but what I got was far different. Bizarre shit abounded, and I was in awe of what the movie built up to.

Also, it was pretty damn funny. Everyone involved does a pretty good job and the punk soundtrack was kickass. Hearing a surf version of Ride of the Valkyries was hilarious.

But it was some of final lines of the movie that sealed the deal:

"What about our relationship?"
"Fuck that!"

The Straight Story (1999)

Dir: David Lynch
IMDb: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0166896/

Anyone who says David Lynch isn't an extremely talented and well-rounded director quite obviously hasn't seen this film.

It differs so much from Lynch's standard fare that just knowing he is the director of the film can be a bit off-putting, but he handles the material with such a master's touch that it quickly quells any fears.

The story is simple, but has a quiet elegance to it. It's very leisurely paced, with lots of long shots of driving, but it fits the tone of the film so well I can't imagine it any other way. The cinematography is outstanding, but that's par for the course with Lynch films. Rich, superbly shot and beautifully lit fields and roads permeate the whole film, and it's simply a gorgeous film.

Also, the score is incredible. I still have the main theme stuck in my head. It's great.

Match Point (2005)

Dir: Woody Allen
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416320/

This was an incredible film. It's probably not for everyone, because of both subject matter and method of execution, but I loved it.

Woody uses a very slow approach that builds suspense very well, and when the central events of the film take place it's both shocking and expected. I really liked the way he structured the film, I couldn't tell when it was going to end. The final shot is chilling.

The cast here is excellent, everyone turns in a stellar performance. One thing I liked about the movie is pretty much every character is flawed in some way, be they an asshole, naive, or irrational. No character is spared, so while you may feel a bit of sympathy for certain characters, in the back of your mind you think to yourself that they had it coming.

Wallace and Gromit Shorts

Watched the DVD with the Wallace and Gromit short films.

A Grand Day Out - Not the best of the bunch, but it was still great. The sense of humor is just as sharp, and the ball on the moon gag was great. The animation wasn't quite as good as the others, but its fine considering it was done by just one guy and it took him 6 years to do it.

The Wrong Trousers - Very funny. The evil penguin was great, and the animation had improved quite a bit since the first film.

A Close Shave - The best of all of them. As funny as the others, if not more, and it had a love story and Sean the sheep, who is awesome. Terrific animation, as always. How do they do projectiles in stop motion? I've always wondered that.

Cracking Contraptions - A group of mini-shorts that are cute and fun, but ultimately forgetable. No biggie, since they were basically tests and promotional materials.

These are great shorts with humor and stories that anyone can enjoy. Some of the best stop motion animation anywhere. I can't wait to see their feature length film, unfortunately I missed it in theaters.

The Replacement Killers (1998)

Dir: Antoine Fuqua
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120008/

A John Woo knock-off. Nothing really bad here, it's just endlessly derivative and something we've all seen before. It gets props for breaking Chow Yun-Fat into Hollywood I guess. Everything else is thuddingly mediocre.

A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Dir: John Woo
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092263/

To be honest, I'm a little underwhelmed with this film, but I have a feeling thats because I'm already familiar with John Woo's later work. It was pointed out to me that sentimentality is a convention of the gun opera genre, but here it feels overly sappy and corny, and laughably so.

Most of the action scenes aren't on par with Woo's later films either, but the scene where Chow Yun Fat plants the guns before the gunfight was pretty cool.

Also, the music was pretty corny as well.

Interesting to see the precursor to some of the best action films ever made, but I'll take The Killer or Hard Boiled over this any day.

Hostel (2005)

Dir: Eli Roth
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/

This movie kind of subverted my expectations. I was expecting something far more grisly and, well, horror-ish than what I got. I wasn't dissapointed, though.

It was interesting the way it sort of switched genres. From Eurotrip-style comedy, to horror film, to a chase thriller. However, throughout the entire film (except maybe not so much in the first act), there was a ton of dark comedy, sort of in the vein of Peter Jackson's early films. The beginning was pretty hit or miss, and the characterization was only half-baked, but the film was still pretty entertaining.

Not the disturbing horror film I thought I was going to get, but it made up for it by being pretty fucking funny. I have a sick sense of humor though, so maybe it's just me.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)

Dir: Shane Black
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/

Aside from Serenity, this was probably the most fun I've had in a theater in a long time. A great neo-noir spoof that hits all the right notes. Val Kilmer and Robert Downy Jr. have incredible chemistry together, and the way they play off of each other is a joy to watch. It's also one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. The script is terrific, it's chock full of genius one-liners, putdowns, and general hilarity, as well as a fairly engaging detective story. I can't wait for this to hit DVD, because it's endlessly rewatchable. It's good to have Shane Black back in action.

Naked (1993)

Dir: Mike Leigh
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107653/

This film was like none I've ever seen. I've ordered the DVD. Never have I seen a character so likeable and despicable at the same time. The film is unrelentingly bleak, but also very darkly comic, and I rather enjoyed that. It just felt so real.

David Thewlis has to get major props here, I read he improvised most of his characters lines, and so many of them are genius that its incredible. The soundtrack was pretty cool too.

Louise: What are you doing here? You look like shit.
Johnny: I'm just tryin' to blend in with the surroundings.

Brilliant.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Dir: Joe Wright
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/

A pretty pleasant surprise. I had a feeling this would be decent, but it actually turned out to be pretty damn good. Keira Knightley is very hit-or-miss for me, but she does an excellent job in this film. In fact, pretty much everyone is excellent, especially Donald Sutherland.

This is a fine adaptation of a classic piece of literature, cute and funny, with a bit of satire to boot, but the best thing about this film is it is one of the most beautifully photographed films I've ever seen. Someone give the DP a fucking medal, it's just a gorgeous film. The natural lighting is outstanding and the range of colors is truly breathtaking.

Patton (1970)

Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066206/

This was a pretty interesting look at one of our military greats. It was fairly well paced and well written, and George C. Scott was excellent as the titular character. The film did a pretty good job of showing Patton as a man who lived for combat and nothing else, never truly feeling whole unless he was commanding an army. From what I've read, though, it seems to be a little too light on Pattons more questionable actions, in order to portray him as more of a hero, and a hip rebel that a 1970's audience could relate too, but that doesn't mean that the film wasn't entertaining.

Apparently in the scene where they shot a bird, they actually shot a real bird.