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.