In Theaters
Whatever else happens this week at the movies, I suspect that we can be assured that the mainstream titles (of which there are two) will be better than last week’s mainstream titles (of which there were two). Before you get too excited, remember what last week’s titles were. It won’t be hard to be better than those. Now, the art title is another matter.
Aside from the mainstream titles—I’ll get to those in a minute—we also have one art title opening this week (at both The Carolina and the Fine Arts). It’s the highly-acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild, which a lot of folks are anxious to see—or so I’m told. Here’s the thing: I saw it on Saturday morning. The review is in this week’s paper, so you’ll soon know that I wasn’t exactly blown away by the film, though I did—and do—admire its imagination, which is why I still gave it the Weekly Pick. (Well, it also wasn’t up against much.) That said, this is one of those films that I’d suggest those interested in movies that aren’t mainstream fare should check out for themselves. It’s sufficiently unusual to be of interest—and enough people whose opinions I tend to respect have gotten a lot more out of it than I did. You may, too. This may simply not be my kind of movie.
The mainstream stuff this week is the sort of thing that mostly—on the surface at least—appears to come under the heading of unnecessary. That doesn’t immediately preclude the possibility of it being passably entertaining in the purely transitory sense. But I can’t imagine anyone getting too excited about either offering.
When the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid picture came out in 2010 nobody was all that excited and the critics were pretty evenly divided on it. Certainly, no one expected a sequel, but it was a modestly budgeted movie that turned an OK profit, so 2011 found us with another one. It followed the same pattern with critics and the box office. It was inevitable, I guess, that a third film—Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days—would come along this year and here it is whether you wanted it or not—and we can now refer to it as “the Wimpy Kid trilogy.” Now, I’ve never seen one of these movies—they are Justin Souther’s territory. That’s the way of these series movies: review one and they’re yours for life. In truth, he hasn’t seemed to mind the films, though he has expressed a suspicion that this may well be “one Wimpy Kid too many.” Having seen the trailer, I’m inclined to agree, but it at least doesn’t look like another Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. Then again, what does?
That brings us to Len Wiseman’s remake of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven-Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi actioner Total Recall. I’m not against the idea of remakes as a rule, and I have no particular ax to grind with the idea of remaking this one. I’m not overly fond of the original (I’m much happier with Verhoeven on his own turf in Holland), even if it has somehow been tagged with the increasingly meaningless term “classic.” I can think of no situation where I wouldn’t rather watch Colin Farrell over Der Arnold. The presence of Bill Nighy in this new version is also a plus. So much for the upsides. Len Wiseman of Underworld fame isn’t more than a workmanlike filmmaker, and the best thing I can say about Kate Beckinsale (aka: Mrs. Wiseman) is that she’s a better actress than Milla Jovovich. But the real kicker here is that they’ve taken a film that was originally slapped with an NC-17 rating, was cut to bring it down to an R, and have made it into a viewer-friendly (read: sanitized and safe for kids) PG-13 one. Moreover, the trailer…well, it looks like a CGI orgy. We shall see.
The only thing we lose this week is Your Sister’s Sister, which I predicted last week. The Fine Arts is dropping To Rome with Love, but keeping Moonrise Kingdom, which is also staying at The Carolina. In addition, To Rome with Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Safety Not Guaranteed, and The Intouchables are all holding strong at The Carolina.
Special Screenings
This week the Thursday Horror Picture Show is screening Tobe Hooper’s The Mangler (1995) on Thu., Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge at The Carolina. World Cinema offers Andrei Tarkovsky’s first feature Ivan’s Childhood (1962) on Fri., Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. in the Railroad Library in the Phil Mechanic Building. Charles Chaplin’s rarely seen final film A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) is being shown by the Hendersonville Film Society at 2 p.m. on Sun., Aug. 5 in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing in Hendersonville. The Asheville Film Society is screening Woody Allen’s Love and Death (1975)—one of Allen’s “early funny ones”—at 8 p.m. on Tue., Aug. 7 in the Cinema Lounge at The Carolina. More on all titles in this week’s Xpress with expanded coverage in the online edition.
On DVD
Remember when Le Havre was supposed to open locally and then never did? Well, this very fine film is now available on DVD, so you can see what you missed.
Notable TV Screenings
I’m not so sure how notable this is (take it as a warning, if you like), but starting at 6 a.m. on Fri., Aug. 3 TCM gives us 24 hours of Tarzan movies—well, almost. The last three are Jungle Jim pictures. Perhaps they figure that by that point you’ll be loin-clothed out and ready to see some safari jacket action instead.
On a somewhat more agreeable note, James Whale’s The Invisible Man (1933) is showing on Sun., Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. It’s part of their “Essentials Jr.” programming, and I can think of few more worthy endeavours than turning kids onto James Whale.
Couple of notable titles out: the Kevin Costner miniseries HATFIELDS & MCCOYS is quite good but long. Also the Pentagram documentary LAST DAYS HERE is depressing as hell but worth seeing.
I got the blu-ray of ALTERED STATES a couple of weeks late due to Warner Brothers being a butthead. It is a much better transfer than the dvd and worth checking out.
What’s the word on KILLER JOE Ken?
Altered States is sitting on my desk, but I haven’t had the time to watch it yet. Your report is encouraging.
There’s been no official word on Killer Joe, but I know the Fine Arts is interested. But neither they, nor The Carolina have it down yet. I don’t see it as big enough for two venues.
Remember when Le Havre was supposed to open locally and then never did? Well, this very fine film is now available on DVD, so you can see what you missed.
How could I forget? It was one of the crueler jokes Neil has played on us. I’ll make it a point to seek it out this week.
There’s been no official word on Killer Joe, but I know the Fine Arts is interested. But neither they, nor The Carolina have it down yet. I don’t see it as big enough for two venues.
Well I’ll be making the trip to see it at whichever screen it lands should one of them pick it up. I’m hoping I enjoy McConaughey more than I did in Bernie. It was his role that I ultimately felt was the most noticeable weakness to a very good film.
Oh, and off-topic, but any thoughts on Vertigo overtaking Citizen Kane for the #1 spot on Sight and Sound’s poll? I’ve seen both 3 or more times, and have watched both quite recently. I wouldn’t say I’m aghast, personally, but nor can I quite get comfortable with the idea.
On a somewhat more agreeable note, James Whale’s The Invisible Man (1933) is showing on Sun., Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
That one is pure fun.
Oh, and off-topic, but any thoughts on Vertigo overtaking Citizen Kane for the #1 spot on Sight and Sound’s poll?
I’m assuming this was addressed to Kenneth, but I have thoughts myself.
I find VERTIGO to be very engaging up until about the fifty minute mark, then it all goes to hell. I like KANE all the way through.
If you want to pick a Hitchcock picture for the top spot, there are much better options. Even if you limited it to Jimmy Stewart starring ones, I’d take REAR WINDOW over VERTIGO any day.
That said, the voters here are pretty out of step with my taste in general. I had a look and there are only two films in the top 50 that would make my top ten.
Oh, and off-topic, but any thoughts on Vertigo overtaking Citizen Kane for the #1 spot on Sight and Sound’s poll? I’ve seen both 3 or more times, and have watched both quite recently. I wouldn’t say I’m aghast, personally, but nor can I quite get comfortable with the idea.
As a fellow film historian said, “Vertigo isn’t even Hitchcock’s best film, let alone the best film ever made. I would be aghast (personally I think Sunrise is better than either of them), except I know these lists are meaningless. These are the same bozos that claimed that Nic Roeg’s Don’t Look Now is the best British picture ever made. Ye gods.
In any case, critical evaluation by voting is absurd. I haven’t time to get into this now, but I’ll be back.
Anyone have a link to the top 50?
I can’t find a link that works well. I think the BFI is overloaded with people accessing the site. I did manage to see that there are two Bela Tarr films on the list, which tells me a lot. Also that Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles. It tied with Bela Tarr’s 7+ hour long bout of miserableness Satantango — and also with Psycho and Metropolis. And all these got more votes than City Lights. What arrant nonsense.
I can’t find a link that works well. I think the BFI is overloaded with people accessing the site.
Well, here’s how I originally stumbled upon the news, though it still leaves you a click away from the actual list:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-radical-vision-of-sight-sounds-stodgy-bestfilm,83352/
I find VERTIGO to be very engaging up until about the fifty minute mark, then it all goes to hell.
I felt exactly this way after my first viewing. But 2 or 3 watches later I’ve warmed up to the film considerably and now think it’s possibly Hitch’s most complex and thematically rich film, though not my personal favorite (That would be Notorious)
That said, the voters here are pretty out of step with my taste in general. I had a look and there are only two films in the top 50 that would make my top ten.
I’ve only seen 24 of the top 50 films, and 5 of the top 10 so I’m not ready to dig too deeply into it. But I count 5 or 6 films from the list of 50 that might wrestle for a spot in my top 20.
I haven’t time to get into this now, but I’ll be back.
Look forward to it.
I’ve seen 46 of the 50. I have yet to really go over the list in detail, though.
I felt exactly this way after my first viewing. But 2 or 3 watches later I’ve warmed up to the film considerably and now think it’s possibly Hitch’s most complex and thematically rich film, though not my personal favorite (That would be Notorious)
I’ve seen it at least 10 times over the years and I still don’t think much of it. But I never felt Hitchcock was meant for heavy-thinking. I prefer him as an entertainer. And nothing, on that score, touches The 39 Steps, Young and Innocent, and The Lady Vanishes.
I know that I’m beating a deceased and decaying equine here, but it still astounds me that anybody could earnestly think that THE GENERAL is a better film than CITY LIGHTS.
I’ve seen VERTIGO once, but it was a few years ago and I was around 12 years old. I think I liked it well enough, but it didn’t really stick with me. Certainly not as much as CITIZEN KANE has. And I’d probably put two of the movies on this list above that.
Ken, I understand Beasts may not be your “kind of movie”, but it does hold #1 on my list so far for this year’s film releases. Wanna have a arm-wrestling match and/or beer over this?
Ken, I understand Beasts may not be your “kind of movie”, but it does hold #1 on my list so far for this year’s film releases. Wanna have a arm-wrestling match and/or beer over this?
I certainly don’t want to arm-wrestle over it. You’d probably win. Your response is precisely why I told people to make up their own minds. I don’t like it, but I knew some would.
I know that I’m beating a deceased and decaying equine here, but it still astounds me that anybody could earnestly think that THE GENERAL is a better film than CITY LIGHTS.
While I agree with you, I can’t say of this surprises me. The list is basically a farce. That only something like 29 people out of 800+ voted for City Lights…roll that around for a while.
I’ve seen VERTIGO once, but it was a few years ago and I was around 12 years old. I think I liked it well enough, but it didn’t really stick with me. Certainly not as much as CITIZEN KANE has. And I’d probably put two of the movies on this list above that.
Leave us face it, the list is so loaded with stick-up-its-ass cinema of the nasty medicine variety — “It was a chore to sit through, so it must be art” — that it’s impossible to take seriously. In what bizarre universe do four of the “50 greatest films of all time” come from Jean-Luc Godard?
Here, by the way, is the full list:
1. Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock, 1958 (191 votes)
2. Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1941 (157 votes)
3. Tokyo Story, Ozu Yasujiro, 1953 (107 votes)
4. La R
At least the bozos have TOKYO STORY at number three, but I wouldn’t even have VERTIGO on the list.
I wouldn’t have Tokyo Story in the top half myself, but I’m not as taken with Asian film as you are.
You know, this has got me thinking… some time ago, Ken, were you not asked by someone or another to submit a list of your 100 best (or favorite or greatest or some such thing) films of all time?
What became of this list and, more importantly, is it something you will ever unveil?
I prefer him as an entertainer. And nothing, on that score, touches The 39 Steps, Young and Innocent, and The Lady Vanishes.
Wow, you really favor his UK productions, huh? I’ll give you The Lady Vanishes, but I’m not sure I could rank The 39 Steps in front of Strangers on a Train on any score, though it has been a while. As for Young and Innocent, well I’ll have to make that my 27th watched.
What became of this list and, more importantly, is it something you will ever unveil?
An interesting question. I’ll have to see if I can find it, And it was 100 favorites. I think I’d have passed if it was supposed to be greatest. The idea of greatest is really on ludicrous side — unless you’ve seen ever possible candidate. And, you know what, nobody has. Hell, end of this month I’ll finally see Paul Fejos’ Lonesome (1928) — only been waiting since I read about it in 1968.
Wow, you really favor his UK productions, huh?
By a large margin, yes.
I’ll give you The Lady Vanishes, but I’m not sure I could rank The 39 Steps in front of Strangers on a Train on any score
I can. For pure enterainment, I’d go with Number Seventeen, The Man Who Knew Too Much (original), The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Young and Innocent, and The Lady Vanishes. My favorite of his US works is almost certainly Foreign Correspondent — the most like his British pictures.
Astoundingly, I found that list of 100 favorites. To some degree, it’s a snapshot of how I felt at that moment. I saw at least three films on there that I’d replace today. But here it is — strictly alphabetical, because really after the first 20, it’s not possible to rate them. By the way, if I was trying for a “best” list, I’d have included nothig that wasn’t at least 20 years old.
The 39 Steps (1935) Alfred Hitchcock
7th Heaven (1927) Frank Borzage
8 1/2 (1963) Federico Fellini
A Bout de Souffle (1960) Jean-Luc Godard
A Nous la Liberte (1931) Rene Clair
Across the Universe (2007) Julie Taymor
All About My Mother (1999) Pedro Almodovar
Amarcord (1973) Federico Fellini
Amelie (2000) Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Bad Education (2004) Pedro Almodovar
The Black Cat (1934) Edgar G.Ulmer
Bliss (1985) Ray Lawrence
Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch
Breakfast on Pluto (2005) Neil Jordan
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) James Whale
The Butcher Boy (1997) Neil Jordan
Carrie (1976) Brian De Palma
The Cat and the Canary (1927) Paul Leni
Chimes at Midnight (1965) Orson Welles
Chinatown (1974) Roman Polanski
Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles
City Lights (1931) Charles Chaplin
A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick
The Conformist (1970) Bernardo Bertolucci
Day for Night (1973) Francois Truffaut
Design for Living (1933) Ernst Lubitsch
The Devils (1971) Ken Russell
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) Luis Bunuel
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Rouben Mamoulian
The Dreamers (2003) Bernardo Bertolucci
Drunken Angel (1948) Akira Kurosawa
Excalibur (1981) John Boorman
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) Roman Polanski
Five Star Final (1931) Mervyn LeRoy
The Fourth Man (1983) Paul Verhoeven
The General Died at Dawn (1936) Lewis Milestone
Gods and Monsters (1999) Bill Condon
Golddiggers of 1933 (1933) Mervyn LeRoy, Busby Berkeley
Hallelujah, I’m a Bum (1933) Lewis Milestone
A Hard Day’s Night (1964) Richard Lester
Harold and Maude (1971) Hal Ashby
Help! (1965) Richard Lester
His Girl Friday (1940) Howard Hawks
The Horse’s Mouth (1958) Ronald Neame
I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘Isname (1967) Michael Winner
Imitation of Life (1934) John M. Stahl
The Informer (1935) John Ford
A King in New York (1957) Charles Chaplin
The Knack…and How to Get It (1965) Richard Lester
La Belle et la Bete (1946) Jean Cocteau
The Lady Vanishes (1938) Alfred Hitchcock
The Last Command (1928) Josef von Sternberg
Last Holiday (1950) Henry Cass
Laughter (1930) Harry D’Abaddie D’Arrast
Law of Desire (1987) Pedro Almodovar
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) Wes Anderson
Lisztomania (1975) Ken Russell
Love Me Tonight (1932) Rouben Mamoulian
The Magic Christian (1969) Joseph McGrath
Mahler (1974) Ken Russell
Manhattan (1979) Woody Allen
Metropolis (1927) Fritz Lang
Miller’s Crossing (1990) Joel and Ethan Coen
Modern Times (1936) Charles Chaplin
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) Charles Chaplin
Moulin Rouge! (2001) Baz Luhrmann
The Music Lovers (1970) Ken Russell
Naked Lunch (1991) David Cronenberg
Night of the Demon (1957) Jacques Tourneur
Night of the Hunter (1955) Charles Laughton
Nosferatu (1922) F.W. Murnau
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) Joel and Ethan Coen
The Old Dark House (1932) James Whale
One Hour with You (1932) Ernst Lubitsch
Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Howard Hawks
Orphee (1950) Jean Cocteau
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo Del Toro
Paprika (2007) Satoshi Kon
People Will Talk (1951) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Persona (1966) Ingmar Bergman
Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) Leo McCarey
The Ruling Class (1972) Peter Medak
Savage Messiah (1972) Ken Russell
The Scarlet Empress (1934) Josef von Sternberg
The Seventh Seal (1957) Ingmar Bergman
Shanghai Express (1932) Josef von Sternberg
Stardust Memories (1981) Woody Allen
Sullivan’s Travels (1941) Preston Sturges
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) F.W. Murnau
Talk to Her (2002) Pedro Almodovar
The Tenant (1976) Roman Polanski
Tess (1979) Roman Polanski
Tetro (2009) Francis Ford Coppola
The Third Man (1949) Carol Reed
Tommy (1975) Ken Russell
Trouble in Paradise (1932) Ernst Lubitsch
Twentieth Century (1934) Howard Hawks
Videodrome (1983) David Cronenberg
Wild Strawberries (1958) Ingmar Bergman
Yojimbo (1961) Akira Kurosawa
The snobs left off BACHELOR PARTY.
Hell, they don’t even have Eurotrip or Call Me Bwana.
Quite a bit of Russell however. Did you have any input?
My first reaction on reading the Sight and Sound list: Where the fuck is CASABLANCA? I would’ve thought it a fairly uncontroversial choice for this kind of list.
I have an inherent issue with deciding what the greatest films of all times vs. your personal favourites. What’s the criteria for the former vs. the latter? Do you just include more films that are technically impressive but you don’t feel jazzed about?
I used to do lists like this all the time, but I lost interest in the practice a while ago. To show how little overlap with S&S there would be were I to write one now, it would look something like:
10. TOMMY
9. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
8. SOME LIKE IT HOT
7. MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN
6. CITIZEN KANE
5. GODS AND MONSTERS
4. CASABLANCA
3. GOLDFINGER
2. THE THIRD MAN
1. MEMENTO
And I’m already feeling guilty about leaving off REAR WINDOW, CHINATOWN, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, THE LAST WALTZ, etc.
I have a bit more in common with Ken’s list, unsurprisingly.
Quite a bit of Russell however. Did you have any input?
That list is my vote/list from a different poll a year or so ago.
Ah yes. Still no BACHELOR PARTY.
I have a bit more in common with Ken’s list, unsurprisingly.
Well, I wouldn’t slap you over 60% of it.
Ah yes. Still no BACHELOR PARTY.
As I said, there are at least three on there that wouldn’t be — or likely wouldn’t be — if I did the list today (which I’m not going to do). Now, whether that would get Bachelor Party is another matter. It is, I believe, still the only place to hear the Oingo Boingo theme song, but is that enough to tip the scales? (Isn’t there one in Summer School, too?)
Well, I wouldn’t slap you over 60% of it.
Not enough Antonioni for Ken’s taste.
Uh…no
25th Hour
The 400 Blows
Alien
All About My Mother
Amelie
Annie Hall
Apocalypse Now
Barton Fink
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Being There
Blue Velvet
Bride of Frankenstein
The Brothers Bloom
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Carnival of Souls
Casablanca
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
Clean, Shaven
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The Darjeeling Limited
Dark City
Delicatessen
Diabolique
Dial M for Murder
Do the Right Thing
Dog Day Afternoon
Double Indemnity
Down By Law
Drive
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Edward Scissorhands
Ed Wood
The Empire Strikes Back
Eyes Without a Face
The Fall
Fargo
The General
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
The Girl on the Bridge
The Godfather (I’m gonna allow Part Two to ride along)
The Hidden Fortress
Hot Fuzz
Hour of the Wolf
Hugo
Inglourious Basterds
Kill Bill (1 and 2- I’m choosing to lump this together)
The Lady Vanishes
The Life Aquatic
Life is Beautiful
The Lives of Others
Lost in Translation
M
Magnolia
The Maltese Falcon
M.A.S.H.
Metropolis
Mon Oncle
Mulholland Drive
My Winnipeg
The Neverending Story
Night of the Living Dead
No Country for Old Men
Notorious
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Oldboy
Ordinary People
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Persona
Quid Pro Quo
Raging Bull
Rashomon
Rear Window
Repulsion
The Ring
Roman Holiday
Rosemary’s Baby
The Royal Tennenbaums
Rumble Fish
The Searchers
The Shining
Say Anything
The Secret in Their Eyes
Shutter Island
Spellbound
Spider
Stay
Strangers on a Train
Sweeny Todd
Talk to Her
Taxi Driver
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Third Man
Three Colors: Red
To Die For
Touch of Evil
Umberto D.
Videodrome
Volver
Wait Until Dark
100 by my count. And that wasn’t as much fun as I thought it might be. I’ve done lists by year, decade, a few different languages, genre, etc., (which saved quite a bit of time here, actually) but never an outright 100 personal favorites list. It’s always terrified me, and now I’m seeing why.
Already there are 4 or 5 or 15 titles I’d like to kick out. But what can I replace them with and remain at least mostly honest? And what of the fact that there are a number of films on here that I’ve seen but once? (Believe it or not, Dreyer’s Passion isn’t among them- I actually do like that film)
But then again a good many of the dilemmas are of the “Gosh, did I really like The Ring more than The Others?” nature. Meh.
Okay, off to watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona before it gets any later.
Oh, and only seen a measly 22 of the films on your list so, yes, a whole slew of titles for the queue. Thanks for posting!
Well, if we’re in the business of making lists, here’s my top ten favorites. I’d do a hundred, but at this point it’d just be redundant.
10.SPIRITED AWAY
9.PAN’S LABYRINTH
8.DUCK SOUP
7.MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
6.THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
5.SUNRISE
4.LA DOLCE VITA
3.IKIRU
2.A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
1.THE THIRD MAN
But that’s only how I feel at this specific moment. If I did it again, I’d probably change everything out of the top two.
I can’t decide if these lists actually do anything positive or not. Or anything at all, really.
And I watched THE INVISIBLE MAN last night. It very nearly made it’s way on to my list.
Already there are 4 or 5 or 15 titles I’d like to kick out. But what can I replace them with and remain at least mostly honest? And what of the fact that there are a number of films on here that I’ve seen but once? (Believe it or not, Dreyer’s Passion isn’t among them- I actually do like that film)
Well, look at it this way — there are only about 15 of them that would make me narrow my eyes at you (and Joan of Arc is one of them). On the other hand, I have no clue what Clean, Shaven, Quid Pro Quo, or My Winnipeg are. And I’ve never seen Oldboy.
Oh, and only seen a measly 22 of the films on your list so, yes, a whole slew of titles for the queue. Thanks for posting!
If you had more free Tuesdays you’d probably have seen some of those. Merely an observation, mind you.
But that’s only how I feel at this specific moment. If I did it again, I’d probably change everything out of the top two.
My top 10 stay pretty constant. Yours is certainly a very reasonable list that caused me no pain.
I can’t decide if these lists actually do anything positive or not. Or anything at all, really.
The only possible value lies in the chance that they get someone to watch something. The very real downside comes when people take them too seriously. Some maroon made the claim that the Sight and Sound list gave us some kind of cinematic version of a literary canon. Ye gods, what an awful thought that 35 out of 842 people voting for Satantango is actually meaningful.
By the way, Mr. Orpheus, as a point of curiosity…do I know you?
No, not as far as I know. I’ve only been able to make it to a couple AFS related events, the paid screening of HIS GIRL FRIDAY and SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, but I don’t think we’ve ever actually met each other.
Introduce yourself next time you make it.
The only possible value lies in the chance that they get someone to watch something.
I’m currently working my way through the FIVE STAR HANKE list.
Are you keeping count?
Clean Shaven is a weird film and My Winnepeg is one of those Guy Maddin films.
I hope you don’t mean to imply that Guy Maddin films aren’t weird.
Are you keeping count?
There are 316 films on the list. I have currently seen 116 of them.
There are 316 films on the list. I have currently seen 116 of them
Are all 116 films you had not previously seen? I can’t help but wonder if I’ve recanted any of the ones you’ve seen…
Are all 116 films you had not previously seen? I can’t help but wonder if I’ve recanted any of the ones you’ve seen…
No, I’d seen about 2/3 of those before I started working my way through the list, so maybe that’s cheating.
These are the ones I’ve now seen:
28 Days Later – Danny Boyle
The 39 Steps – Hitchcock
8 1/2 – Fellini
The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Aguirre: The Wrath of God – Herzog
Across The Universe
Almost Famous – Cameron Crowe
Amelie – Jean-Pierre Jeunut
Apocalypse Now
Bad Education – Almodovar
Being There – Hal Ashby
Be Kind Rewind – Gondry
Big Fish – Burton
Blue Velvet
The Boat that Rocked
Brazil
Bride of Frankenstein
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Brokeback Mountain
Broken Embraces – Almodovar
The Brothers Bloom – Rian Johnson
Carrie – De Palma
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Burton
Children of Men
Chimes at midnight – Welles
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
A Clockwork Orange
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – Clooney
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Crimes and Misdemeanors – Woody Allen
The Darjeeling Limited – Wes Anderson
The Devils – Ken Russell
Dr Strangelove – Stanley Kubrick
Eastern Promises – David Cronenberg
Edward Scissorhands – Tim Burton
Ed Wood – Tim Burton
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Michel Gondry
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Wes Anderson
The Fly – David Cronenberg
The Fog of War – Errol Morris
Frankenstein – James Whale
From Hell – The Hughes Brothers
Gangs of New York – Martin Scorsese
The Ghost Writer – Roman Polanski
Gods and Monsters – Bill Condon
The Gold Rush – Charlie Chaplin
Gosford Park – Robert Altman
Hairspray – John Waters
Hannah and Her Sisters – Woody Allen
A Hard Day’s Night – Richard Lester
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Alfonso Cuaron
Help! – Richard Lester
The History Boys – Nicholas Hytner
Horse Feathers – Norman McLeod
How I Won The War – Richard Lester
I Heart Huckabees – David O Russell
I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname – Michael Winner
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus – Terry Gilliam
The Importance of Being Earnest – Anthony Asquith
Inception – Christopher Nolan
Insomnia – Christopher Nolan
The Invisible Man – James Whale
Juno – Jason Reitman
Kill Bill Vol. 2 – Quentin Tarantino
The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper
King Kong – Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Shoedsack
Kinsey – Bill Condon
The Knack
I should note that that isn’t my review of Almost Famous. In fact, if you click on it that review is non-existent. It was by my predecessor. There are others I might not rate the full five now, but I don’t think they did you any active harm.
There are others I might not rate the full five now, but I don’t think they did you any active harm.
There aren’t any clunkers on there I can actually blame you for – I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve watched because of their presence on this list.
I had unfortunately already watched M. HULOT’S HOLIDAY.
Tati is an acquired taste. It took me 30 or more years to acquire it.
Tati is an acquired taste. It took me 30 or more years to acquire it.
So if I give this another shot when I’m 48, I should be able to stay conscious through the whole thing?
Perhaps.