UGETSU (1953)
Criterion #309
INCEPTION (2010)
Oscar Count - Best Picture 7/10 - Best Original Screenplay 4/5
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monthly (?) report
If I don't keep this updated I'm going to forget what movies I saw! I will save a longer most to describe my survival plan in the post-Instant Netflix era. For now...
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Oscar Count - Best Picture 4/5 - Best Actor 2/5 - Best Supporting Actor 2/5 - Best Director 3/5 - Best Adapted Screenplay 2/5
Format - Blu-Ray
BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (2000)
Format - my FINAL Netflix Instant
I'M NOT SCARED (2003)
Format - DVD
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Oscar Count - Best Picture 4/5 - Best Actor 2/5 - Best Supporting Actor 2/5 - Best Director 3/5 - Best Adapted Screenplay 2/5
Format - Blu-Ray
BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (2000)
Format - my FINAL Netflix Instant
I'M NOT SCARED (2003)
Format - DVD
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Two Week Report
THE TREE OF LIFE (2011)
Seen at the Landmark Century Theater in Chicago
FINDING NEVERLAND (2004)
[OSCAR COUNT] Best Picture 4/5 - Best Actor 4/5- Best Adapted Screenplay 4/5
Netflix Blu-ray
SOMERS TOWN (2008)
WIFF 2009 selection
MACHINE GIRL (2008)
Seen at the Landmark Century Theater in Chicago
FINDING NEVERLAND (2004)
[OSCAR COUNT] Best Picture 4/5 - Best Actor 4/5- Best Adapted Screenplay 4/5
Netflix Blu-ray
SOMERS TOWN (2008)
WIFF 2009 selection
MACHINE GIRL (2008)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday Report
July travels and not many movies... I'm catching up just a little bit with a couple of Wisconsin Film Fest selections.
MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX (2009)
2010 WIFF selection. Pretty unremarkable... I later read there is a specific genre of movie called the 'Australian middle-class comedy' that this movie is an example of.
HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 (2008)
2009 WIFF selection. I wouldn't normally choose this, but it sounded intriguing relative to other sports films. What was a surprise was that the documentary was simply game footage and interviews with the players. A rather straightforward formula manages to hold together a documentary for 100 minutes. It dragged a little towards the end, though.
MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX (2009)
2010 WIFF selection. Pretty unremarkable... I later read there is a specific genre of movie called the 'Australian middle-class comedy' that this movie is an example of.
HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 (2008)
2009 WIFF selection. I wouldn't normally choose this, but it sounded intriguing relative to other sports films. What was a surprise was that the documentary was simply game footage and interviews with the players. A rather straightforward formula manages to hold together a documentary for 100 minutes. It dragged a little towards the end, though.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
PICNIC / 12 MONKEYS
Don't want to fall behind
PICNIC (1955) - via Comcast On-Demand
Oscar Count
Best Picture 1/5
Best Supporting Actor 2/5
Best Director 1/5
12 MONKEYS (1995)
Oscar Count
Best Supporting Actor 2/5
PICNIC (1955) - via Comcast On-Demand
Oscar Count
Best Picture 1/5
Best Supporting Actor 2/5
Best Director 1/5
12 MONKEYS (1995)
Oscar Count
Best Supporting Actor 2/5
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
For the Record
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
Oscar Collection: Best Picture 1/5 - Supporting Actor 1/5 - Actress 2/5 - Supporting Actress - 2/5 - Director 1/5 - Adapted Screenplay 1/5
SUPER 8 (2011)
EUROPA (1991) Criterion #454
SESSION 9 (2001)
HOLY ROLLERS (2010)
Oscar Collection: Best Picture 1/5 - Supporting Actor 1/5 - Actress 2/5 - Supporting Actress - 2/5 - Director 1/5 - Adapted Screenplay 1/5
SUPER 8 (2011)
EUROPA (1991) Criterion #454
SESSION 9 (2001)
HOLY ROLLERS (2010)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
EPIDEMIC / THE HANGOVER PART 2 / 127 HOURS
EPIDEMIC (1987)
I wanted to keep true to my completist desire to see all components of any film considered a loose trilogy. But the reviews of this one I came across were almost uniformly negative. So I was not eager to watch this all the way through out of some obligation. For better or worse, the Playstation Network shut down for over a month last month, meaning that I could not watch Netflix instant through my large TV. So I watched this in parts which I think is the best way to appreciate it's somewhat unique qualities. So it was not a great experience, but I have now seen the second installment of Lars Von Trier's Europe Trilogy. The third installment, Europa, from 1991 is available on Netflix Instant and very well-regarded.
THE HANGOVER PART II (2011)
I caught the buzz of the original Hangover very late, but I still enjoyed it. That is, I appreciated it, until I noticed, after seeing Due Date, that for as long as I can remember, movies where an eccentric weirdo destroys the lives of innocent people really bother me at a kind of deep level. I wish I could come up with specific examples, but I'm talking about movies where slightly cranky but perfectly normal, moral people have their lives turned upside down by a malicious loser, and the film is supposed to make it seem like we are supposed to look down at these normal people for getting increasingly upset at this crazy unexpected twist in their perfectly fine lives. In the end the lesson seems to be that we are supposed to forgive these abnormal losers because of some half-apology they make before they once again embarrass everyone around them with their evil shenanigans.
What I'm saying is that the Zach Galifianakis character is that guy. And while he was the catalyst to get the comedy going in the first movie I was more angry at him in the second one, since it took a whole lot of tolerance to invite him to come along in the first place. I should just have fun with this movie, but it actually didn't provide a whole lot of new ideas.
127 HOURS (2010)
5/5 OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR, 6/10 Best Picture, 3/5 Best Adapted Screenplay
The most intriguing aspect of this movie, before I saw it, was how a portrayal about this singular event could be made compelling over the length of a feature film. Fortunately, Director Danny Boyle and his editors use every fast-paced technique and creative narrative devices to keep this interesting, even when most of the movie ends up involving James Franco struggling to escape his fate. The performance is wonderful, as you get a very patient portrayal of what it's like for a very free spirit to become slowly insane as all options become extremely limited.
Recap of Oscars coming...
I wanted to keep true to my completist desire to see all components of any film considered a loose trilogy. But the reviews of this one I came across were almost uniformly negative. So I was not eager to watch this all the way through out of some obligation. For better or worse, the Playstation Network shut down for over a month last month, meaning that I could not watch Netflix instant through my large TV. So I watched this in parts which I think is the best way to appreciate it's somewhat unique qualities. So it was not a great experience, but I have now seen the second installment of Lars Von Trier's Europe Trilogy. The third installment, Europa, from 1991 is available on Netflix Instant and very well-regarded.
THE HANGOVER PART II (2011)
I caught the buzz of the original Hangover very late, but I still enjoyed it. That is, I appreciated it, until I noticed, after seeing Due Date, that for as long as I can remember, movies where an eccentric weirdo destroys the lives of innocent people really bother me at a kind of deep level. I wish I could come up with specific examples, but I'm talking about movies where slightly cranky but perfectly normal, moral people have their lives turned upside down by a malicious loser, and the film is supposed to make it seem like we are supposed to look down at these normal people for getting increasingly upset at this crazy unexpected twist in their perfectly fine lives. In the end the lesson seems to be that we are supposed to forgive these abnormal losers because of some half-apology they make before they once again embarrass everyone around them with their evil shenanigans.
What I'm saying is that the Zach Galifianakis character is that guy. And while he was the catalyst to get the comedy going in the first movie I was more angry at him in the second one, since it took a whole lot of tolerance to invite him to come along in the first place. I should just have fun with this movie, but it actually didn't provide a whole lot of new ideas.
127 HOURS (2010)
5/5 OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR, 6/10 Best Picture, 3/5 Best Adapted Screenplay
The most intriguing aspect of this movie, before I saw it, was how a portrayal about this singular event could be made compelling over the length of a feature film. Fortunately, Director Danny Boyle and his editors use every fast-paced technique and creative narrative devices to keep this interesting, even when most of the movie ends up involving James Franco struggling to escape his fate. The performance is wonderful, as you get a very patient portrayal of what it's like for a very free spirit to become slowly insane as all options become extremely limited.
Recap of Oscars coming...
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