Saturday 24 April 2010
Red Shoes
Watched The Red Shoes with Karina (our new housemate). It was colourful, but also kinda slow. Impressive cinematography for 1948 though. Thanks to Ms Eley Williams for this extended loan. Total: 136.
It's Still Alive!
I've been too lazy to keep the blog updated lately. Suffice to say that I'm now up to 135, including all but one of the top 40. I'll try to keep this place more up-to-date from now on.
Friday 1 January 2010
It's Alive!
Yes, I am still making progress on this project, I've just been crap at updating the blog. Since the last update I've passed halfway, and at the time of writing I'm on 128 (my details later). I still have a big pile of DVDs (variously bought or borrowed) to work through so I should make it to 140 without calling in any more favours. We'll see what happens after that.
Monday 27 July 2009
Thursday Update
I've been busy with a few things this week but have managed to watch one or two movies every day, so here's an update of the week so far.
Continuing the theme of grinding through my least preferred movies first, Monday morning was time for my first Marilyn Monroe movie, Some Like It Hot (#79). To my surprise it was actually pretty funny, and for a '50s movie about transvestism, remarkably devoid of "omg gay"-type jokes. I don't think there are any other Monroe films in the top 250 but I'd probably watch another one under only a small amount of duress.
Then for another comedy from the following year, The Apartment (#84). This has a promising premise, about a guy who tries to climb the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to his superiors as a shag pad, but the script fails to deliver on this promise and much of the comedy hasn't aged well. But the idea is good enough that I could see this being remade successfully.
Now for a film I'd really been looking forward to, and the only Korean film in the top 250, the 2003 vengeance flick Oldboy (#118). This really lived up to everything I'd expected; gritty, nasty, compelling and beautifully choreographed and shot, I'd rate this as maybe the best film of the project so far, and a likely entry for my personal top 20. It also has a really intriguing dénouement, which still has me scratching my head several days later. Or maybe it's the fleas.
The Graduate (#158) placed me back on the comedy train, and this one really is as good as everyone says. To call it a comedy is maybe selling it a bit short, because the jokes are good but sparse, and it's more a film about alienation and adulthood, both of which are well-handled. I expect this is up there with Psycho as films which more people talk about than have seen, but it's worth a watch if you get the chance.
For my weekly dose of Hitchcock, I went for one of his earliest creations, Shadow of a Doubt (#185). This has all the hallmarks of classic Hitchcock, with great performances, a solid script and a good dose of criminality, although it's not as well-developed as later films. Nevertheless it was sufficiently interesting that I watched it all in one sitting, which is more than I can usually manage with black and white movies.
Finally, Sean joined me for Das Leben der Anderen (#57), [The Lives of Others], which examines the strangely voyeuristic surveillence network of '80s East Germany. Long subtitled films can occasionally drag but this is really such a brilliant piece of cinema that the two hours flew by. I'm always intrigued by German films, particularly because I don't speak a word of the language, and this is up there with Die Fälscher as one of the best. Unfortunately I was too busy enjoying it to think of anything else interesting to say, so I'll end the update here.
Tally: 117.
Continuing the theme of grinding through my least preferred movies first, Monday morning was time for my first Marilyn Monroe movie, Some Like It Hot (#79). To my surprise it was actually pretty funny, and for a '50s movie about transvestism, remarkably devoid of "omg gay"-type jokes. I don't think there are any other Monroe films in the top 250 but I'd probably watch another one under only a small amount of duress.
Then for another comedy from the following year, The Apartment (#84). This has a promising premise, about a guy who tries to climb the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to his superiors as a shag pad, but the script fails to deliver on this promise and much of the comedy hasn't aged well. But the idea is good enough that I could see this being remade successfully.
Now for a film I'd really been looking forward to, and the only Korean film in the top 250, the 2003 vengeance flick Oldboy (#118). This really lived up to everything I'd expected; gritty, nasty, compelling and beautifully choreographed and shot, I'd rate this as maybe the best film of the project so far, and a likely entry for my personal top 20. It also has a really intriguing dénouement, which still has me scratching my head several days later. Or maybe it's the fleas.
The Graduate (#158) placed me back on the comedy train, and this one really is as good as everyone says. To call it a comedy is maybe selling it a bit short, because the jokes are good but sparse, and it's more a film about alienation and adulthood, both of which are well-handled. I expect this is up there with Psycho as films which more people talk about than have seen, but it's worth a watch if you get the chance.
For my weekly dose of Hitchcock, I went for one of his earliest creations, Shadow of a Doubt (#185). This has all the hallmarks of classic Hitchcock, with great performances, a solid script and a good dose of criminality, although it's not as well-developed as later films. Nevertheless it was sufficiently interesting that I watched it all in one sitting, which is more than I can usually manage with black and white movies.
Finally, Sean joined me for Das Leben der Anderen (#57), [The Lives of Others], which examines the strangely voyeuristic surveillence network of '80s East Germany. Long subtitled films can occasionally drag but this is really such a brilliant piece of cinema that the two hours flew by. I'm always intrigued by German films, particularly because I don't speak a word of the language, and this is up there with Die Fälscher as one of the best. Unfortunately I was too busy enjoying it to think of anything else interesting to say, so I'll end the update here.
Tally: 117.
Friday 24 July 2009
Weekend update
I felt like starting the weekend with a touch of class in Hitchcock's adaptation of Frederick Knott's Dial M For Murder (#199). The film is very much like a play, playing out almost entirely on a single set, and is apparently largely unchanged from the theatre version. It's quite an intricate murder mystery and I'm glad I paid attention all the way through because the resolution is really ingenious. It continues to amaze me how I've enjoyed many of these less-known Hitchcock movies more than the obvious ones like The Birds.
I'm trying as far as possible to prioritise movies I'm less enthusiastic about, so that the project gets more fun as it goes on. Near the bottom of my personal preference is any kind of musical, so I really didn't expect much from Singin' In The Rain (#77). But actually the spontaneous bursting-into-song moments weren't as jarring as I normally find them, and I enjoyed most of it. My interest started to wane in the last half-hour or so, which I watched with Katie, but certainly it was less painful than I expected. That was it for Saturday, because I was distracted by an extended evening barbecue, so I resolved to be more focused on the Sunday.
After the success of Modern Times a few days ago, I embarked on another Charlie Chaplin classic in City Lights (#61). This one seemed more sentimental and largely less funny than Modern Times, but it did nevertheless have some classic clowning moments which have aged well. It's remarkable that Chaplin continued making silent films well into the '30s even when, after their introduction in 1929, almost all other movies were talkies, and that they were still enormously popular despite that. I believe those are the only two Chaplin creations to make the top 250, but I might seek out a few more after this whole debacle is over.
Another genre that I'm generally not enthusiastic about is children's movies, which definitely includes WALL-E (#43), but again this really exceeded my expectations. I was never a big fan of Toy Story or Shrek, and WALL-E isn't as technically ambitious as those (or even as the godawful Final Fantasy film), and the slightly confused eco-warrior theme starts to grate after a while. But it must be said that the characters are very cute, and much of the film is genuinely funny and completely without dialogue, which made a neat parallel with the previous film.
While I was on a CGI children's film theme, I thought I'd watch Ratatouille (#163), which may now have displaced The Incredibles as my favourite example of the genre. The plot evolves in quite a complex way for a children's film, and (as one would expect from Pixar) the characterisation and animation is top-notch. My only regret is not watching this with some actual kids, but I'll no doubt end up rewatching it at some family gathering. Really good stuff.
Oscar joined me for a bit of Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (#74), a film which I have been meaning to watch for several years but somehow never got round to. As murder mysteries go, it's one of the less mysterious, and we spent quite a lot of it giggling at the mild language used by these supposed crooks and hardmen, such as "Horsefeathers!" and "PDQ", as presumably they couldn't get an explicit 'Damn' past the Production Code enforcers. Nevertheless it was less soppy than most Bogart vehicles, and has some great lines like, "Keep on eying me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver." Also it was refreshing to see a film without a clear divide between heroes and villians, although this is becoming a cliché in itself in modern films; and Bogart's Sam Spade is, as Oscar observed, "clearly a complete bastard".
I always think it's remarkable when a film's director also acts in the same movie (as Chaplin did, in addition to writing, producing, scoring and choreographing them), so seeing Orson Welles do just that in Touch of Evil (#99) was an appealing prospect. The film is certainly gripping, with every scene adding further layers to the pile of murder and corruption, and Charlton Heston works surprisingly well as a not-very-Mexican-sounding Mexican. Despite that I just didn't take to it that much, and the choppy editing may (as I discovered afterwards) be the result of Welles' battle with Universal Studios over the film's production. But maybe it's evidence that watching five films in one day is just too many. I will try to pace myself better in the coming week.
Tally: 111 (9 days 13 hours)
I'm trying as far as possible to prioritise movies I'm less enthusiastic about, so that the project gets more fun as it goes on. Near the bottom of my personal preference is any kind of musical, so I really didn't expect much from Singin' In The Rain (#77). But actually the spontaneous bursting-into-song moments weren't as jarring as I normally find them, and I enjoyed most of it. My interest started to wane in the last half-hour or so, which I watched with Katie, but certainly it was less painful than I expected. That was it for Saturday, because I was distracted by an extended evening barbecue, so I resolved to be more focused on the Sunday.
After the success of Modern Times a few days ago, I embarked on another Charlie Chaplin classic in City Lights (#61). This one seemed more sentimental and largely less funny than Modern Times, but it did nevertheless have some classic clowning moments which have aged well. It's remarkable that Chaplin continued making silent films well into the '30s even when, after their introduction in 1929, almost all other movies were talkies, and that they were still enormously popular despite that. I believe those are the only two Chaplin creations to make the top 250, but I might seek out a few more after this whole debacle is over.
Another genre that I'm generally not enthusiastic about is children's movies, which definitely includes WALL-E (#43), but again this really exceeded my expectations. I was never a big fan of Toy Story or Shrek, and WALL-E isn't as technically ambitious as those (or even as the godawful Final Fantasy film), and the slightly confused eco-warrior theme starts to grate after a while. But it must be said that the characters are very cute, and much of the film is genuinely funny and completely without dialogue, which made a neat parallel with the previous film.
While I was on a CGI children's film theme, I thought I'd watch Ratatouille (#163), which may now have displaced The Incredibles as my favourite example of the genre. The plot evolves in quite a complex way for a children's film, and (as one would expect from Pixar) the characterisation and animation is top-notch. My only regret is not watching this with some actual kids, but I'll no doubt end up rewatching it at some family gathering. Really good stuff.
Oscar joined me for a bit of Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (#74), a film which I have been meaning to watch for several years but somehow never got round to. As murder mysteries go, it's one of the less mysterious, and we spent quite a lot of it giggling at the mild language used by these supposed crooks and hardmen, such as "Horsefeathers!" and "PDQ", as presumably they couldn't get an explicit 'Damn' past the Production Code enforcers. Nevertheless it was less soppy than most Bogart vehicles, and has some great lines like, "Keep on eying me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver." Also it was refreshing to see a film without a clear divide between heroes and villians, although this is becoming a cliché in itself in modern films; and Bogart's Sam Spade is, as Oscar observed, "clearly a complete bastard".
I always think it's remarkable when a film's director also acts in the same movie (as Chaplin did, in addition to writing, producing, scoring and choreographing them), so seeing Orson Welles do just that in Touch of Evil (#99) was an appealing prospect. The film is certainly gripping, with every scene adding further layers to the pile of murder and corruption, and Charlton Heston works surprisingly well as a not-very-Mexican-sounding Mexican. Despite that I just didn't take to it that much, and the choppy editing may (as I discovered afterwards) be the result of Welles' battle with Universal Studios over the film's production. But maybe it's evidence that watching five films in one day is just too many. I will try to pace myself better in the coming week.
Tally: 111 (9 days 13 hours)
Friday update
It's been a busy few days but I've still been keeping the films ticking over.
First was Notorious (#116), another Hitchcock movie and the first for a while that I would say is underrated. It's really one of the best suspense thrillers I've ever seen and would still work if it were released today. Definitely one to seek out if you're a Hitchcock fan who's exhausted the traditional favourites.
Next up, On the Waterfront (#102), starring a young Marlon Brando, which again exceeded my fairly low expectations. For some reason I find it hard to imagine him as the same man who played Vito Corleone but I suppose that's a measure of his versatility. The plot was a little predictable (I wonder if the mob bosses will get their comeuppance? Oh, they will) but it's very pleasingly shot and well acted.
I continued to expose my own ignorance by not realising that Paths of Glory (#44) was a Kubrick movie until the credits. It's a very well-paced and compelling movie set in First World War France (although the actors all speak with crisp Anglo-American accents), and quite a damning examination of the enormity of the acts from both sides in the War. But what was shocking in 1957 feels rather GCSE History in 2009. I doubt many people of my age would be surprised by the treatment of (what we would now call) shellshock, or the capital punishment practised by the French and British at the time, but nevertheless it's so starkly portrayed here that it still has a powerful impact. #44 is, I think, generous, but it's certainly a very potent film and would make my top 100.
In need of some light relief, I turned to the Charlie Chaplin classic Modern Times (#76), which is generally regarded as his greatest work. I can't make any comparison because it's the only one I've seen, but I have to say that for a silent movie based entirely on clowning and visual gags, it's aged remarkably well. Once I got over the initial culture shock of a comedy on an entirely different level to anything I'm familiar with, I really fell in love with it and laughed continuously for about the last half-hour. I wondered briefly whether such a film could ever be successful now - and then I remembered Mr Bean, which is exactly that.
Finally, I thought, what better way than to celebrate the middle of July than with the Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life (#31)? I really can't stand such sentimental pap as this, but the casting of James Stewart in the lead gave me some interest in paying attention, and I probably only dozed off once or twice. I was at least paying enough attention to realise that it's an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which I'm sure is widely known amongst people who watch soppy festive movies, but was certainly news to me.
In mildly related news, I caught Moon at the cinema last night with Greg and was unsurprised to notice that the audience was full of other people from the Computer Lab. It's a really neatly observed piece of sci-fi and it was refreshing to see a movie in colour after the previous five! I wouldn't be surprised to see this making it into the top 250 at some point, so consider this a preemptive strike. But they should've made more of Kaya Scodelario.
I felt like doing some statistical shenanigans, so I toted up the total length of all the movies on the list, and all the ones I've seen. So (drum roll) I've so far watched 9 days and 5 hours worth of movies, which might sound like quite a few, but I've got another 12 days and 7 hours to go. I may be some time.
Tally: 106.
First was Notorious (#116), another Hitchcock movie and the first for a while that I would say is underrated. It's really one of the best suspense thrillers I've ever seen and would still work if it were released today. Definitely one to seek out if you're a Hitchcock fan who's exhausted the traditional favourites.
Next up, On the Waterfront (#102), starring a young Marlon Brando, which again exceeded my fairly low expectations. For some reason I find it hard to imagine him as the same man who played Vito Corleone but I suppose that's a measure of his versatility. The plot was a little predictable (I wonder if the mob bosses will get their comeuppance? Oh, they will) but it's very pleasingly shot and well acted.
I continued to expose my own ignorance by not realising that Paths of Glory (#44) was a Kubrick movie until the credits. It's a very well-paced and compelling movie set in First World War France (although the actors all speak with crisp Anglo-American accents), and quite a damning examination of the enormity of the acts from both sides in the War. But what was shocking in 1957 feels rather GCSE History in 2009. I doubt many people of my age would be surprised by the treatment of (what we would now call) shellshock, or the capital punishment practised by the French and British at the time, but nevertheless it's so starkly portrayed here that it still has a powerful impact. #44 is, I think, generous, but it's certainly a very potent film and would make my top 100.
In need of some light relief, I turned to the Charlie Chaplin classic Modern Times (#76), which is generally regarded as his greatest work. I can't make any comparison because it's the only one I've seen, but I have to say that for a silent movie based entirely on clowning and visual gags, it's aged remarkably well. Once I got over the initial culture shock of a comedy on an entirely different level to anything I'm familiar with, I really fell in love with it and laughed continuously for about the last half-hour. I wondered briefly whether such a film could ever be successful now - and then I remembered Mr Bean, which is exactly that.
Finally, I thought, what better way than to celebrate the middle of July than with the Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life (#31)? I really can't stand such sentimental pap as this, but the casting of James Stewart in the lead gave me some interest in paying attention, and I probably only dozed off once or twice. I was at least paying enough attention to realise that it's an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which I'm sure is widely known amongst people who watch soppy festive movies, but was certainly news to me.
In mildly related news, I caught Moon at the cinema last night with Greg and was unsurprised to notice that the audience was full of other people from the Computer Lab. It's a really neatly observed piece of sci-fi and it was refreshing to see a movie in colour after the previous five! I wouldn't be surprised to see this making it into the top 250 at some point, so consider this a preemptive strike. But they should've made more of Kaya Scodelario.
I felt like doing some statistical shenanigans, so I toted up the total length of all the movies on the list, and all the ones I've seen. So (drum roll) I've so far watched 9 days and 5 hours worth of movies, which might sound like quite a few, but I've got another 12 days and 7 hours to go. I may be some time.
Tally: 106.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Tuesday update
After yesterday's slog it was time to watch some more obvious candidates today. I started Mr Smith Goes To Washington (#96) but put it on hold, as Ev joined me for Taxi Driver (#38), which was amusing and compelling in parts but ultimately we both felt it was a bit pointless, as if it finished before it really began. Certainly I have no idea how to it got to such a high position, above films like Lawrence of Arabia and Alien, but there we go. He also stayed for the first half of my 100th film, The Big Lebowski (#155), which was frickin' hilarious, even as a I felt a bit sad laughing by myself for the second half of it. That also made two films in a row featuring actresses who've played Clarice Starling, which is a not-very-interesting minutia for you. I ended the day by polishing off Mr Smith Goes To Washington, which really exceeded my expectations, a classic black-and-white tale of American liberties and political corruption; subjects close to my heart in any case. Good day all round.
Ev also suggested the excellent idea of constructing my own 250 as I go along, so I'll catch up with the back log tomorrow and then start doing it as an on-going table, rather like something on Top Gear (apparently).
Slightly off-topic, I spent the morning at a seminar on "Chinese Cultural Awareness", which basically involved being told by various Chinese people that Chinese traditional medicine works better than Western medicine. I can't stand people talking such bullshit about things that make real people die, so I was obliged to point out what a crock the whole thing was, and then the atmosphere got a bit awkward. But some German philosopher in the audience was nodding sagely along with me so it was reassuring to see that not all semblance of sanity has evacuated the University.
Tally: 100.
Ev also suggested the excellent idea of constructing my own 250 as I go along, so I'll catch up with the back log tomorrow and then start doing it as an on-going table, rather like something on Top Gear (apparently).
Slightly off-topic, I spent the morning at a seminar on "Chinese Cultural Awareness", which basically involved being told by various Chinese people that Chinese traditional medicine works better than Western medicine. I can't stand people talking such bullshit about things that make real people die, so I was obliged to point out what a crock the whole thing was, and then the atmosphere got a bit awkward. But some German philosopher in the audience was nodding sagely along with me so it was reassuring to see that not all semblance of sanity has evacuated the University.
Tally: 100.
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