Lyndon in 2021

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:36 am

1. Alien vs. Predator (2004; Paul W.S. Anderson)
The sets were great and action was pretty decent. Other than that it's a pretty forgettable movie.

2. The Goonies (1985; Richard Donner)
This is a great adventure film. It's like Indiana Jones films, but with kids as main characters. This film really made me happy.

3. La La Land (2016; Damien Chazelle)
I decided to give this one another go. I'm glad I did because I absolutely loved it. I'm going to say things that are completely contrary to what I said when I tried to watch it the last time. It is, indeed, VERY romantic and even magical. Some people compared it to Jacques Demy musicals, but I enjoyed it even more than his films. Emma Stone was great in it. Love her. As for Gosling? He was only good.

4. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009; Juan José Campanella)
This is that famous Argentinian film that won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and that is extremely high on imdb's top 250 films list.I watched it and it was great. It has that famous theme of man being haunted by his past, but the way this was filtered through the medium made for a very powerful and, indeed, haunting work. Highly recommended.

5. Tangerines (2013; Zaza Urushadze)
This is a Georgian/Estonian collaboration. It is a very good anti-war art film which celebrates humanity. All I can say is that I recommend it.

6. Bird on a Wire (1990; John Badham)
This is a fine mixture of action, comedy and romance. It reminded me somewhat of Mangold's Knight and Day (2010), but I enjoyed this one much more. I thought Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn had great chemistry together.

7. The Amityville Horror (2005; Andrew Douglas)
I heard of this film before but I didn't know it was a remake. I checked it out and it was good. It was entertaining. I thought the director cooked up some really cool imagery, especially towards the end. Ryan Reynolds was great in the leading role.

8. Song to Song (2017; Terrence Malick)
This is my new least favourite Malick film. It was decent. Aesthetically and thematically, it is reminiscent of his previous film Knight of Cups. Which means he continued his experimental/montage heavy style which alienated many people. As for me, I only liked last 10 minutes. The rest of the film left me cold. He muses a lot about love, personal fulfillment and music industry, but it didn't do much for me unfortunately.

9. A Hidden Life (2019; Terrence Malick)
Malick returns to form. A very good film. I think people liked this film more than his 3 previous efforts because he toned down his experimentation. Just a little bit. I also think this is thematically his most simple film. I could be wrong, though. It also a bit of an anti-war film, but I wouldn't want to spoil anything. I certainly recommend it, but I have to say that it is a bit long though. Maybe even overlong.

10. Shadow in the Cloud (2020; Roseanne Liang)
I was really looking forward to this despite the bad reviews because I wanted to see ChloÃ« Grace Moretz kick some ass. I really like this American actress. This film is a one-man-show, or should I say one-woman-show, and Moretz was really good. It is one of those films which takes place in cramped spaces, and we spend a lot of time with only her onscreen. She did well, and she does kick some ass later on. Overall, this was a really solid film. But I doubt anyone here will ever see this film, though.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:50 am

I liked The Goonies a lot as a kid, but haven't seen it in a very long time. I still liked La La Land as well.

I might need to watch Secret in Their Eyes. I saw the American remake a few years ago, which unfortunately as terrible. Hopefully its a case where Hollywood just completely missed the mark on what made the original version good.

Faustus5 · Post by **Faustus5** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:03 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote: 3. La La Land (2016; Damien Chazelle)
I decided to give this one another go. I'm glad I did because I absolutely loved it. I'm going to say things that are completely contrary to what I said when I tried to watch it the last time. It is, indeed, VERY romantic and even magical. Some people compared it to Jacques Demy musicals, but I enjoyed it even more than his films. Emma Stone was great in it. Love her. As for Gosling? He was only good.

As a general rule I strongly dislike/am bored by romance films or musicals, but I absolutely adored this one.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 8:30 pm

Faustus5 wrote:As a general rule I strongly dislike/am bored by romance films or musicals, but I absolutely adored this one.

I'm also not a big fan of musicals. For example... I've never even seen Singin' in the Rain. The only reason I saw Jacques Demy musicals is beacuse I'm a big fan of Catherine Deneuve.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:52 pm

Singin' in the Rain is awesome. I even have the poster lol.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:12 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote:2. The Goonies (1985; Richard Donner)
This is a great adventure film. It's like Indiana Jones films, but with kids as main characters. This film really made me happy.

4. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009; Juan José Campanella)
This is that famous Argentinian film that won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and that is extremely high on imdb's top 250 films list.I watched it and it was great. It has that famous theme of man being haunted by his past, but the way this was filtered through the medium made for a very powerful and, indeed, haunting work. Highly recommended.

6. Bird on a Wire (1990; John Badham)
This is a fine mixture of action, comedy and romance. It reminded me somewhat of Mangold's Knight and Day (2010), but I enjoyed this one much more. I thought Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn had great chemistry together.

I think I saw The Goonies too late to connect with it like a lot people did, so it never did that much for me. I know I saw The Secret in Their Eyes but I can't remember a single thing about it for some reason. I only know Bird on a Wire because Mel Gibson used to be my mom's favorite actor so I've basically seen everything he did up until about 2000-or-so. Bird on a Wire is a really fun movie. I still remember the ending at the zoo.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 10:34 pm

11. Kick-Ass 2 (2013; Jeff Wadlow)
Not as good as the first one, but still awesome. The jokes really worked for me in this one. It was nice seeing ChloÃ« Grace Moretz reprise her role as the Hit-Girl.

12. Dracula Untold (2014; Gary Shore)
This film really looked good and Luke Evans was good as Vlad/Dracula. I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes. The rest had some decent action scenes.

13. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012; Timur Bekmambetov)
This is a strange film. I expected it would be something intentionally or unintentionally hilarious, but this film took itself completely seriously. I felt at times like I was watching Spielberg's Lincoln, but... with vampires. Overall... It was decent I guess.

14. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013; Bryan Singer)
This is a rather mediocre CGI-fest. I was hoping it would prove to be better than its reputation, but it didn't. Not recommended.

15. Warcraft (2016; Duncan Jones)
Fantasy film based on the famous video game. I enjoyed it. I thought the people who did the CGI deserved a lot of credit. The visuals made for some really nice eye-candy. The direction by Jones wasn't particularly great overall, but I didn't care.

16. Aquaman (2018; James Wan)
This was really fun and colorful. I loved the adventure aspect of it. The underwater scenes made for some really nice eye-candy.

17. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017; Jon Watts)
I didn't enjoy the first 30 minutes, but the rest of the film was entertaining. I particularly loved the scene where Peter Parker goes to pick up his girlfriend for the dance and realizes her father is the guy he is after. That was awesome.

18. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019; Jon Watts)
This one was entertaining from start to finish.

19. Doctor Strange (2016; Scott Derrickson)
Another entertaining and colorful film. Enjoyed it.

20. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015; Joss Whedon)
I know a lot of people had a problem with humor in this one. They thought it was used in inappropriate times. I didn't mind it myself. I had great fun from start to finish.

Now I've seen 18 out of 23 MCU films over the years.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 10:39 pm

Tieman's 'glowing' review of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015):

Behold, the world's largest conveyor belt
tieman64 5 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"People stopped being people in 1913. That was the year Henry Ford put his cars on rollers and made his workers adopt the speed of the assembly line. At first, workers rebelled. They quit in droves. Now we plug right into repetitive motions of a hundred kinds." - Jeffrey Eugenides

Produced by Marvel Studios (now a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company), "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is a gazillion dollar superhero movie. Most of the film consists of dull, unimaginative action sequences in which powerful "good warriors" battle powerful "bad warriors". These action sequences - which have no sense of style, tempo and which are totally devoid of tension - are rolled out like crude, Pavlovian commands; the chemical rushes cynically demanded by corporate candy factories.

Breaking up the monotony of these monotonous actions sequences are equally monotonous and equally mechanical scenes in which our heroes "talk", "reveal their personalities" and "share their feelings". These scenes exist, not because Marvel Studios has any interest in drama, characters or continuity, but because "films are supposed to have these scenes". In the Marvel universe, nothing really matters. The individual plots and over-arching plot lines of Marvel's films don't matter. Characters don't matter. These things are only present to present the illusion of storytelling. They are filler. The constituents of a factory assembly line whose sole goal is the procurement of money.

You can't have a Marvel Movie without a super-villain. This time around our villain's a Really Bad Guy who wants to do Really Bad Stuff and who ironically pokes fun at Conventional Movie Villain Dialgoue whilst actually totally adhering to clichés. This villain (spoiler?) is defeated. Along the way, the film "comically" delivers its obligatory "one swear word", but not before a room full of lawyers and marketing executives run up the data, salivate over pie-charts and double check with global ratings boards.

Marvel Studios has a history of roping in "irreverent" and "edgy" directors. Afterall, you can't sell cookie cuttered dough to zombies without pretending it's the work of a rebel. As such, "Age of Ultron" was directed by Joss Whedon, a geek-king with a flair for zany dialogue. But like Tarantinospeak, Woody Allenspeak, Mametspeak and Coenspeak, Joss Whedonspeak is now officially annoying. Indeed, everyone in Whedon's "Ultron" now sports the same voice. Every character, be they villain, hero, co-star, robot or computer, is an ironic, sarcastic, wisecracking master of zany one liners. This orgy of flippancy, non-sequiturs and "cool dialogue" reeks of desperation; cool stops being cool when everyone speaks cool.

Watching most Marvel Movies is a bit like being forced to watch a pornographic movie for a full two hours past the point of ejaculation. "Ultron" in particular bludgeons you with bludgeoning. It's filled with CGI muscle-men pounding and stomping, blowing up buildings and tossing cars back and forth, and then doing it again, and again and again and again, and then again in the sequels and then again on the directors' cuts, and then again in the reboots, and then again in the reboots' sequels and then again and again. And then a few more times. And then again and again.

Today, Marvel Studios now rolls like one of the world's largest conveyor belts; factory film-making as the epitome of the self-perpetuating capitalist machine, repackaging and marketing to every inch of the world. Art subservient to product cycles, product obsolescence and schizoid brains. And all the while, the Studio keeps expanding, pushing their movies in the summer, their TV shows in the fall/winter, and their streaming shows in the spring before the cycle is repeated all over again. With the new mantra of #ItsAllConnected - ironic, considering no Marvel show/series meaningfully connects to another - Marvel moves like the cinematic equivalent of malware. And now that Disney's acquired the "Star Wars" franchise, we can expect it to similarly start squeezing new "Star Wars" movies out of its mechanical orifices like diseased clockwork.

Incidentally, like most recent Marvel movies, "Age of Ultron's" chief villain is essentially a Western defence contract run amok. So we have another "anti violence", "anti military" Marvel film which gets its kicks from violence, mass murder and the flattering of whole cities. Lazily written and acted, the film finds actor Mark Ruffalo continuing to be excellent, soulful and layered. He plays the Hulk, a property damage loving green dude with magical pants.

3/10 - What was Ultron's age anyway? Was that dude even legal? Worth no viewings.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:48 am

^ Always fun to read Tieman's cynical rants! I mean, I'm not the biggest Marvel fan in the world, and I particularly didn't care much for Age of Ultron, but I think he falls into the trap of anthropomorphizing "Marvel Studios" without realizing that the studio is the collection of people working there doing things. It's much easier to write off such films when you just view their products as, well, products from a corporate production line. The problem is that there was never a more "production line"-like method of filmmaking in classic Hollywood, where writers/directors were often seen as interchangeable and producers were basically like managers keeping the movie-making machine well-oiled. Despite this, very few cinephiles ever complain about classic Hollywood because it's, well, classic. Modern film production, especially at the level of Marvel, is actually much more artist-centric than Hollywood ever was. It may be fair to say that artistry is more utilitarian and functional than in most auteur-driven cinema but... duh? Doesn't mean there isn't craftsmanship on display at multiple levels throughout, even if it's different than that in arthouse cinema.

Anyway, I don't want to put too much effort into defending something I don't care that strongly about to begin with, but I really don't like the kind of thinking/criticism he's using here. It's too easy/lazy and rather myopic given film history.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:32 pm

Is Tieman someone we knew from IMDb? Like the name looks familiar but I can't remember if that was someone we actually knew or not.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:29 pm

Raxivace wrote:Is Tieman someone we knew from IMDb? Like the name looks familiar but I can't remember if that was someone we actually knew or not.

Tieman used to post on 2001:ASO board. I only remember him, worov and hyperstillharry from that board. I remember that worov had hyperstillharry on ignore, and that hyperstillharry was a big fan of Slavoj Zizek, which was evident from his posts.

Post by **Gendo** » Tue Feb 16, 2021 10:37 pm

Ha, worov. There's a name I haven't heard since....

Yeah worov was a regular on the Religion forum which was the ancestor of The Pitters' Place. We pretty much all hated him.

Derived Absurdity · Post by **Derived Absurdity** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:00 am

Worov was a fucking asshole. I hope he's dead.

Faustus5 · Post by **Faustus5** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:16 am

Gendo wrote:Ha, worov. There's a name I haven't heard since....

Yeah worov was a regular on the Religion forum which was the ancestor of The Pitters' Place. We pretty much all hated him.

I barely remember him but thought I liked him. What did he say that made everyone hate him?

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 1:14 pm

Worov was probably my best friend on IMDb until I met Raxi. I mostly knew him from the 2001:ASO board and we had a lot of great discussions about that and Kubrick. It was much later when I came to RFAS and I think by that time worov had already either stopped posting there or wasn't posting there nearly as much as he used to. Plus, I was pretty sporadic posting on RFAS when I first started on there too. It was later still when I became something of a regular. We also communicated a lot by email, especially after I got into Wagner as he had been writing a book on Wagner's Ring for years. We communicated a bit through email after IMDb shut down the forums but he never responded to my last email. I know he told me after IMDb shut down he had no interest in migrating to any other board as he had basically gotten burnt out on the forums in general.

He was definitely a love-him-or-hate-him kind of guy. Very passionate, but also very stubborn and very unrelenting if you crossed him. I can certainly understand how if someone got on his bad-side how he could've come off as an unrepentant asshole, but I think we had enough common interests and agreements that we mostly got along fine. We had one big "fight" over 2001:ASO over the film's structure (he was a staunch advocate of the 3-part structure: I think both 3-part and 4-part work in different ways and overlap) and the nature of the monolith... but after that died down we seemed to get along by being more careful and cordial around each other, and we remained good friends after that. I know I really appreciated him for the various guidance and encouragement when I was first digging into 2001 and Wagner as he'd clearly been studying them for decades.

Raxivace wrote:Is Tieman someone we knew from IMDb? Like the name looks familiar but I can't remember if that was someone we actually knew or not.

Yeah, he was a regular on the 2001:ASO board and got around to several other director and movie boards too, especially the Kubrick's and (IIRC) Lynch.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:48 pm

I can see there being a big difference between people who knew him from a board dedicated to discussing movies such as 2001, and a board dedicated to debating religion and other such topics. On the religion board, he was constantly insulting to random people that he decided he didn't like. He was obsessed with accusing people such as _The_Dork_Lord (who is on this forum but hasn't posted in years) of banding together with his "groupies" to attack him. Anytime he would say something wrong, if anyone argued with him they were just met with accusations of "just wanting to defend dork_lord because they were in his special little group".

After the first version of this forum opened up (created by Randall Flagg, before I took over and created this version), worov actually joined and hung out with us for a while. And then proceeded to go back to IMDB and make mocking posts about how we had run away from IMDB to start our own private club because we wanted to be exclusive.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 1:55 am

I guess I only got glimpses of worov's "dark side" on the 2001 forum. He could be insulting there, but that board attracted a lot of trolls and haters too.

Derived Absurdity · Post by **Derived Absurdity** » Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:42 pm

I have no idea what dork_lord did to piss him off so much. But yeah I think I was one of the dork_lord's groupies for a while, even though I barely knew who he was at the time.

I disliked him because he was an asshole to most of the people I liked on the religion board, and he seemed to get along fine with most of the board's worst and dumbest members. I remember during the 2016 election I said something mean about Hillary Clinton once and he apparently decided that I was a Trump supporter and would make snide and hostile responses to every single post I made from then on. He would even do call-out threads and stuff about me. I think he called me a pedophile once? I don't remember. Lol.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:36 pm

21. Blast from the Past (1999; Hugh Wilson)
Solid romantic comedy about a man who spent his first 35 years in an atomic shelter; then he goes out into the world and hilarity ensues. Very good performances from Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.

22. Day of the Dead (1985; George A. Romero)
Excellent film to end Romero's original trilogy. My only complaint is that it was a bit too verbose in dealing with the themes of the film.

23. Land of the Dead (2005; George A. Romero)
Basically an action zombie film with social commentary. It was good.

24. Diary of the Dead (2007; George A. Romero)
This one takes the format of those 'found footage' films. I guess that was Romero's way of criticizing Youtube generation and their incessant need to film and 'document' everything. The film itself is quite mediocre, though.

25. Survival of the Dead (2009; George A. Romero)
Basically a fusion of zombie and neo-western films. I think this one is extremely underrated.

26. Morgan (2016; Luke Scott)
Anya Taylor-Joy plays a genetically engineered humanoid or something. This is basically a much weaker version of Garland's Ex Machina (2014).

27. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956; Don Siegel)
I enjoyed this film even without thinking if it's an allegory for something. Siegel's direction was very economical; so much that the film is only 1 hour 20 minutes long.

28. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978; Philip Kaufman)
Great direction from Kaufman. The film features very shadowy and creepy camerawork. I missed the crucial aspect of the film which changed the film thematically in comparison to Siegel's film. Kaufman relocates the film from small town in Siegel's version to a really big city; thus changing film's cultural landscape. I am simply not knowledgeable and intelligent so I overlooked that while watching the film. Reading some reviews afterwards cleared that up for me.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:10 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:36 pm22. Day of the Dead (1985; George A. Romero)
Excellent film to end Romero's original trilogy. My only complaint is that it was a bit too verbose in dealing with the themes of the film.

Yeah the themes are a bit on the nose, but I feel that's the case with the other Romero zombie movies anyways.

23. Land of the Dead (2005; George A. Romero)
Basically an action zombie film with social commentary. It was good.

24. Diary of the Dead (2007; George A. Romero)
This one takes the format of those 'found footage' films. I guess that was Romero's way of criticizing Youtube generation and their incessant need to film and 'document' everything. The film itself is quite mediocre, though.

25. Survival of the Dead (2009; George A. Romero)
Basically a fusion of zombie and neo-western films. I think this one is extremely underrated.

Yeah honestly I think Land is pretty close in quality to Day. Survival I liked well enough- I think its final shot in particular is pretty striking.

While I think Diary is probably the worst film in this main series, I think I liked it a little more than you. It makes me wonder what the film would be like if it had come out like 10 years later though, since the "documentation" thing you mention is much more prevalent now than even back then.

BTW if you're not Zombied out yet, it might be worth taking a look at the 1990 Night of the Living Dead and Snyder's version of Dawn of the Dead. While I prefer Romero's takes on both of those the remakes are distinct enough to be worth a look (Especially Snyder's since it really only shares the basic premise of "People trapped in a mall during zombie apocalypse").

27. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956; Don Siegel)
I enjoyed this film even without thinking if it's an allegory for something. Siegel's direction was very economical; so much that the film is only 1 hour 20 minutes long.

I liked Siegel's movie but I have not seen any other version. I always forget Siegel did this, since I always associate him with his 70's stuff like Dirty Harry and The Shootist.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 11:46 pm

Raxivace wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:10 amBTW if you're not Zombied out yet, it might be worth taking a look at the 1990 Night of the Living Dead and Snyder's version of Dawn of the Dead. While I prefer Romero's takes on both of those the remakes are distinct enough to be worth a look (Especially Snyder's since it really only shares the basic premise of "People trapped in a mall during zombie apocalypse").

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll try to check those out in the future.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:25 am

29. High Crimes (2002; Carl Franklin)
Solid thriller/mystery with good performances from Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.

30. It Happened One Night (1934; Frank Capra)
Apparently one of only three films which won Oscars in all 5 major categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress). The other two are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). I thought this film is fabulous. I loved Gable's and Colbert's performances and I though their banter was incredibly well written, which is very important for a film which basically has two characters going from point A to point B and constantly talking.

31. To Be or Not to Be (1942; Ernst Lubitsch)
This is a very farcical film which has a great plot. I liked it.

32. The Gold Rush (1925; Charles Chaplin)
Excellent film from Chaplin which starts as a survivalist film, but turns into a romantic film of sorts.

33. The Clock (1945; Vincente Minnelli, Fred Zinnemann)
Very nice romantic film brilliantly directed by Minnelli. It stars Robert Walker from Strangers on a Train (1951) and an incomparable Judy Garland. I love her. I thought she was very beautiful in the film and that she acted very well.
From the film:

34. Flight of the Red Balloon (2007; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Very nice and relaxing French art film from Hou. I would compare watching this film with taking a calm walk in the park while reminiscing about the good times.

35. Happy Times (2000; Zhang Yimou)
This was marketed as a comedy, but it is actually a very touching Chinese film about a poor 50 year-old man trying to help a blind 18 year-old girl.

36. Mojin: The Lost Legend (2015; Wuershan)
Basically a Chinese version of Tomb Raider movies. It was mediocre, and as much as I love Shu Qi, she is not Angelina Jolie.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 5:00 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:25 am30. It Happened One Night (1934; Frank Capra)
Apparently one of only three films which won Oscars in all 5 major categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress). The other two are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). I thought this film is fabulous. I loved Gable's and Colbert's performances and I though their banter was incredibly well written, which is very important for a film which basically has two characters going from point A to point B and constantly talking.

Great movie, though I tend to really like Capra.

32. The Gold Rush (1925; Charles Chaplin)
Excellent film from Chaplin which starts as a survivalist film, but turns into a romantic film of sorts.

I remember this being solid though I tend to like City Lights and Modern Times better.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:41 pm

Unfortunately, I haven't seen that many films this year. Here is what I saw lately.

37. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001; Chris Columbus)
38. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002; Chris Columbus)
39. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004; Alfonso Cuarón)
40. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005; Mike Newell)
41. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007; David Yates)
42. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009; David Yates)
43. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010; David Yates)
44. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011; David Yates)
I decided to rewatch all Harry Potter films after reading Derived Absurdity's excellent review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When I saw them last time 2 years ago, I didn't particularly enjoy them. But now... I really, really enjoyed them. Similar thing happened this year with my La La Land rewatch. Anyway... My favourite character is Severus Snape, played brilliantly by late and great Alan Rickman.

45. Glass (2019; M. Night Shyamalan)
This is one of those films that gets more intriguing and entertaining as it progresses. I really enjoyed it. I agree with Rax that it's underrated. And one more thing... James McAvoy gives one of my favourite performances of all time. Amazing.

46. Weathering with You (2019; Makoto Shinkai)
Shinkai's follow-up to his greatest hit Your Name (2016). Overall, I liked it, but it is a mixed bag for me. Animation and music were excellent. The story is very similar to Your Name. It is a romantic movie with some supernatural/fantasy elements. It is poetic and beautiful at times, but unfortunately things did get a little overbearing at times. Still, it is a must-see for Shinkai fans.

47. Soulmate (2016; Derek Tsang)
An acclaimed Chinese movie. It is about friendship between two Chinese women (played brilliantly by Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun). I thought it was very good and touching. Just a couple of words on Zhou Dongyu. I'm sure no one here heard of her, but in the last 10 years she established herself as the leading Chinese actress of her generation. She is 29 years old.

48. Dream Lover (1993; Nicholas Kazan)
I liked this film with James Spader and an amazingly beautiful Mädchen Amick from Twin Peaks. Basically, they play a married couple, and Spader starts discovering shady thing from her past and starts questioning her true intentions. This film was a nice surprise.

49. Jean de Florette (1986; Claude Berri)
50. Manon of the Spring (1986; Claude Berri)
These two films are French classics that are part of the same story involving same characters. It seems that 10 years pass between ending of first and beginning of the second film, story-wise. Some legendary actors are in it: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil. Basically, the story is about greed, but unlike something like There Will Be Blood, which revolves around oil, this revolves around water. I though they were very good, and because they take place in the countryside, they had some really nice cinematography. Maybe Rax will be interested in seeing those two.

51. Rules Don't Apply (2016; Warren Beatty)
I caught most of this film. Warren Beatty directs and plays Howard Hughes. It is not a good film, but I did found amusing how Beatty portrayed Hughes as this eccentric nut. I don't know anything about real Howard Hughes, despite seeing The Aviator and one of Hughes' films Hell's Angels. It was long time ago and I don't remember.

52. Fear and Desire (1953; Stanley Kubrick)
Kubrick's first film. Most people consider this a failure, including Kubrick himself. Unfortunately, I really liked it. I thought it was a well-shot, atmospheric, surreal and metaphysical war film. Go figure.

53. Killer's Kiss (1955; Stanley Kubrick)
This on the other hand: I agree with the consensus. It is a solid noir film by Kubrick. It is beautifully shot and features some expertly crafted sequences. But the plot is a bit of a letdown. I prefer my noirs to have a labyrinthal narrative, so that you have no idea what is actually happening (think of Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep). This had a rather straight-forward plot.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Fri Apr 09, 2021 7:48 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:41 pmI decided to rewatch all Harry Potter films after reading Derived Absurdity's excellent review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When I saw them last time 2 years ago, I didn't particularly enjoy them. But now... I really, really enjoyed them. Similar thing happened this year with my La La Land rewatch. Anyway... My favourite character is Severus Snape, played brilliantly by late and great Alan Rickman.

I think at some point I'll rewatch these. I never read all of the books as a kid (I think I got partway through Goblet of Fire?), maybe I'll do that too.

45. Glass (2019; M. Night Shyamalan)
This is one of those films that gets more intriguing and entertaining as it progresses. I really enjoyed it. I agree with Rax that it's underrated. And one more thing... James McAvoy gives one of my favourite performances of all time. Amazing.

Yeah I liked McAvoy in these movies.

46. Weathering with You (2019; Makoto Shinkai)
Shinkai's follow-up to his greatest hit Your Name (2016). Overall, I liked it, but it is a mixed bag for me. Animation and music were excellent. The story is very similar to Your Name. It is a romantic movie with some supernatural/fantasy elements. It is poetic and beautiful at times, but unfortunately things did get a little overbearing at times. Still, it is a must-see for Shinkai fans.

I need to catch up on my Shinkai, I still haven't his last decade or so of work.

49. Jean de Florette (1986; Claude Berri)
50. Manon of the Spring (1986; Claude Berri)
These two films are French classics that are part of the same story involving same characters. It seems that 10 years pass between ending of first and beginning of the second film, story-wise. Some legendary actors are in it: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil. Basically, the story is about greed, but unlike something like There Will Be Blood, which revolves around oil, this revolves around water. I though they were very good, and because they take place in the countryside, they had some really nice cinematography. Maybe Rax will be interested in seeing those two.

Sounds kind of interesting. I might get to them at some point.

51. Rules Don't Apply (2016; Warren Beatty)
I caught most of this film. Warren Beatty directs and plays Howard Hughes. It is not a good film, but I did found amusing how Beatty portrayed Hughes as this eccentric nut. I don't know anything about real Howard Hughes, despite seeing The Aviator and one of Hughes' films Hell's Angels. It was long time ago and I don't remember.

The only thing I know about this film is that its the reason Christopher Nolan has yet to film his own biopic about Hughes. Apparently he's had his own script about Hughes written for years now, since even before Scorsese made The Aviator.

52. Fear and Desire (1953; Stanley Kubrick)
Kubrick's first film. Most people consider this a failure, including Kubrick himself. Unfortunately, I really liked it. I thought it was a well-shot, atmospheric, surreal and metaphysical war film. Go figure.

Yeah honestly I think this one gets a bad rap since Kubrick himself didn't like it. It almost feels like a protoype for Aguirre: The Wrath of God or Apocalypse Now to me.

53. Killer's Kiss (1955; Stanley Kubrick)
This on the other hand: I agree with the consensus. It is a solid noir film by Kubrick. It is beautifully shot and features some expertly crafted sequences. But the plot is a bit of a letdown. I prefer my noirs to have a labyrinthal narrative, so that you have no idea what is actually happening (think of Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep). This had a rather straight-forward plot.

Yeah this is a solid noir but I tend to prefer the other famous ones from the 40's/50's.

Post by **Gendo** » Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:15 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:41 pm 45. Glass (2019; M. Night Shyamalan)
This is one of those films that gets more intriguing and entertaining as it progresses. I really enjoyed it. I agree with Rax that it's underrated. And one more thing... James McAvoy gives one of my favourite performances of all time. Amazing.

While I agree that McAvoy is amazing in this and Split, I just wasn't a fan of the overall plot of Glass. I think Split and Unbreakable were both much better.

49. Jean de Florette (1986; Claude Berri)
50. Manon of the Spring (1986; Claude Berri)
These two films are French classics that are part of the same story involving same characters. It seems that 10 years pass between ending of first and beginning of the second film, story-wise. Some legendary actors are in it: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil. Basically, the story is about greed, but unlike something like There Will Be Blood, which revolves around oil, this revolves around water. I though they were very good, and because they take place in the countryside, they had some really nice cinematography. Maybe Rax will be interested in seeing those two.

We watched both of these in our French class in high school!

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:25 pm

The only thing I know about this film is that its the reason Christopher Nolan has yet to film his own biopic about Hughes. Apparently he's had his own script about Hughes written for years now, since even before Scorsese made The Aviator.

Interesting. I didn't know this, Rax. Thanks for the info.

We watched both of these in our French class in high school!

Wow! That's really nice, Gendo! I presume you don't remember much about them after all these years, though.

Post by **Gendo** » Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:42 am

Yeah I basically remember nothing other than Depardieu was in them, and Manon was Jean’s daughter.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sun May 09, 2021 1:11 pm

54. Bob le Flambeur (1956; Jean-Pierre Melville)
Very good film from Melville which successfully subverts what you usually expect from such heist films. Ending was brilliant.

Tengen toppa gurren lagann (2007–2008)
Great anime series which combines eye-popping visuals with some incredibly energetic action sequences. I also liked how series becomes more and more expansive as it progresses; it begins with two boys trying to get to the surface of the planet and ends as some kind of epic intergalactic battle. Loved it.

55. After Hours (1985; Martin Scorsese)
Interesting film from Scorsese which puts its main character through some really amusing and troublesome situations. Good ambiance. I liked it.

56. Le Doulos (1962; Jean-Pierre Melville)
Great crime/neo-noir film. This is my second favourite Melville film behind Le Samourai.

57. Chimes at Midnight (1965; Orson Welles)
Great film with absolutely terrific performance from Welles as Falstaff. I also loved his direction/camerawork and the famous battle which happens halfway through the film was awesome.

58. Macbeth (1948; Orson Welles)
This was solid. I liked the sets and atmosphere. Welles gave a solid performance.

59. Miracle at St. Anna (2008; Spike Lee)
Very interesting war film from Lee. I liked what tieman said about this film:
So while something like "Private Ryan" opens on a rich, old, white war hero, his big breasted ubermensch family in tow, Lee opens on a marginalised, poor, deranged, black veteran, long discarded by his country and allowed to rot in obscurity. While most war film paint simple us vs them demarcations, Lee delves into the lives of partisan and rebel factions on both sides of the conflict. And while most war movies salivate over mayhem, Lee subverts all titillation.

And on and on Lee goes. Whilst most war movies demonize the enemy, Lee both taps into pathos and doesn't shy away from making everyone complicit in a massacre. While most war films salivate over soldiers/deaths, Lee shows that women, children, civilians and families are always the first to suffer. While "Ryan" opens on a bloody shoreline, Lee closes on a serene beach. While most war films take place out in no man's land, Lee stresses the domestic, the pastoral, and shows how war both encroaches on and never fully usurps the normalcy of everyday life. Likewise, while most war films deify their soldiers, Lee's are jailed by governments for doing exactly that which they were hired.

"Miracle's" biggest reversal, of course, is Lee's cast of black soldiers. Hollywood has always white washed WW2, omitting the role African Americans played in the conflict. So conditioned are we by western iconography that Lee's first images of black soldiers in American garb creates an almost ontological shock. Lee doesn't only put blacks in khaki, but places them in roles traditionally ascribed to white soldiers of WW2 pulp fiction. So we have the ladies man, the cigar smoking square-jaw, the fat kid, the silent sarge etc...all stock characters given black skin. What Lee seems unwilling to recognise, though, is that all soldiers, regardless of skin colour, are already akin to chattel slaves, most Private Ryan's dying a black man.

60. Redacted (2007; Brian De Palma)
War film from De Palma about crimes committed by American soldiers in Iraq. It plays sort of like a sequel to his film Casualties of War.

61. Burn! (1969; Gillo Pontecorvo)
Interesting film which has a lot to say about colonialism, racism and revolution. Brilliantly acted by Brando.

62. Witness for the Prosecution (1957; Billy Wilder)
Really good courtroom drama with brilliant ending. Charles Laughton was amazing.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sun May 09, 2021 8:37 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 1:11 pm 54. Bob le Flambeur (1956; Jean-Pierre Melville)
Very good film from Melville which successfully subverts what you usually expect from such heist films. Ending was brilliant.

I've had this one downloaded for a while now but have yet to watch it for some reason. One day I need to power through it.

Tengen toppa gurren lagann (2007–2008)
Great anime series which combines eye-popping visuals with some incredibly energetic action sequences. I also liked how series becomes more and more expansive as it progresses; it begins with two boys trying to get to the surface of the planet and ends as some kind of epic intergalactic battle. Loved it.

I loved TTGL (Honestly I don't think it gets enough credit for how the two halves of the show mirror each other, like the way the silly politics of Rossiu's village re-emerges through the menace of the Anti-Spirals), and I've been thinking about doing a rewatch at some point myself. Check out Imaishi's other work like Kill la Kill and Promare if you liked TTGL- they've got a very similar energetic style.

55. After Hours (1985; Martin Scorsese)
Interesting film from Scorsese which puts its main character through some really amusing and troublesome situations. Good ambiance. I liked it.

It's a good film though I'm not really on the "Its Scorsese's best!" train that I'm seeing people advocate on Twitter these days.

57. Chimes at Midnight (1965; Orson Welles)
Great film with absolutely terrific performance from Welles as Falstaff. I also loved his direction/camerawork and the famous battle which happens halfway through the film was awesome.

58. Macbeth (1948; Orson Welles)
This was solid. I liked the sets and atmosphere. Welles gave a solid performance.

Loved both of these. That ending to Chimes devastates me, and well MacBeth is really quite nice for a pared down telling of that story.

Did you see Joel Coen is doing a MacBeth adaptation? It'll be interesting to compare to Welles' version, to Kurosawa's Throne of Blood etc.

62. Witness for the Prosecution (1957; Billy Wilder)
Really good courtroom drama with brilliant ending. Charles Laughton was amazing.

It's quite good. I wonder if its the best Agatha Christie adaptation? There have been some good And Then There Were None movies though too.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sun May 09, 2021 8:38 pm

BTW where do you live exactly Lyndon? I thought before you said you were from India, and if so I hope you're keeping safe with the rising covid cases there.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Mon May 10, 2021 2:55 am

Raxivace wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 8:37 pmDid you see Joel Coen is doing a MacBeth adaptation? It'll be interesting to compare to Welles' version, to Kurosawa's Throne of Blood etc.

I did not know that. It might be interesting.

BTW where do you live exactly Lyndon? I thought before you said you were from India, and if so I hope you're keeping safe with the rising covid cases there.

Thanks for your concern, Rax. I actually live in a small country in Europe. Also, I don't know if this is relevant at this point in time, but I had covid last September.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri May 28, 2021 8:09 pm

63. The Man Who Would Be King (1975; John Huston)
Very good adventure film which makes a good companion piece to these three films: 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and Pontecorvo's 'Burn!' which I saw recently.

64. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999; Jim Jarmusch)
Excellent film which is an off-beat and postmodern take on the hitman genre.

65. Stranger Than Paradise (1984; Jim Jarmusch)
Very good indie film about three characters searching for their own little 'paradise'.

66. Down by Law (1986; Jim Jarmusch)
Also very good. Makes a great companion piece to Coens' 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'.

67. The Night of the Hunter (1955; Charles Laughton)
Excellent film. Its direction was heavily influenced by German Expressionism. Robert Mitchum was magnificent.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Fri May 28, 2021 11:48 pm

Only one of those I've seen is Night of the Hunter. Great of course, and while I generally prefer Mitchum as an anti-hero he works really as the villain there.

Post by **Gendo** » Sun May 30, 2021 12:19 am

Really loved Ghost Dog, even though I've only seen it once a pretty long time ago.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:17 am

68. The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Rewatch. I saw it in 2017. It is a semi-autobiographical film on Hou Hsiao-Hsien's childhood and adolescence, when he was growing up in Taiwan. I think this film is elevated to masterpiece status because of his impeccable shot selection.

69. Flowers of Shanghai (1998; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Rewatch. I saw it 5 years ago. It is a film about shenanigans in some Shanghai brothel. It is a great film that is visually sumptuous and filmed in elegant long takes.

70. The Puppetmaster (1993; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Rewatch. I mentioned this film when I saw it 2 years ago. After rewatch I still think is a masterpiece. It is probably Hou's most underrated film, at least by imdb users.

71. A City of Sadness (1989; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Rewatch. I saw this 7 years ago. It is a remarkable film that shows how history can affect certain individuals or families or groups of people. This is widely considered as Hou's best film and I have to agree with that. It is one of the greatest films of all time.

72. A Brighter Summer Day (1991; Edward Yang)
Rewatch. I saw it 5 years ago. It is a 4 hour film that I think is primarily concerned with how people of Taiwan struggled with their identity as individuals and as nation. That is why all those gang conflicts arose. It is a remarkable film, but I preferred Yang's other masterpiece Yi Yi.

73. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011; Lasse Hallström)
Solid romantic comedy with Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt. All that stuff about salmon in Yemen was pretty interesting, but the focus is on relationship between McGregor's and Blunt's characters.

74. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989; Stephen Herek)
This was goofy, but I didn't find it particularly funny. By far the best scene was Bill and Ted's history presentation in the end.

75. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991; Peter Hewitt)
On the other hand, I loved this. I enjoyed Bill and Ted characters much more this time, I loved their adventure in this one, I loved the film visually and the Grim Reaper sidekick (played by William Sadler) was awesome. This is definitely entering the list of my favourite films.

Post by **Gendo** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:13 pm

Yeah I’ve always preferred Bogus Journey. Especially William Sadler.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:35 am

I saw 20 films in July.

76. Summer Hours (2008; Olivier Assayas)
Interesting French art film which explores the notion that certain objects change their significance according to market value and/or sentimental value. I don't think I ever saw something similarly themed.

77. Mouchette (1967; Robert Bresson)
Very good film. Makes a great companion piece to Bresson's 'Au Hasard Balthazar'.

78. The Dust of Time (2008; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
It was okay.

79. The Beekeeper (1986; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
It was okay.

80. The Suspended Step of the Stork (1991; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
It was okay.

81. The Hunters (1977; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
It was okay.

82. Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow (2004; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
This one was great. Some really incredible imagery in second half of the film.

83. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021; Zack Snyder)
Very good film which is certainly an improvement over shorter version released in 2017.

84. Army of the Dead (2021; Zack Snyder)
I agree with Rax on this one. It is a great entertainment from start to finish. Very underrated film.

85. Dawn of the Dead (2004; Zack Snyder)
It was good. The best part were action scenes, as opposed to Romero's film where the best part was its social commentary, or to be more precise, its attacks on consumerism.

86. Birdy (1984; Alan Parker)
Very good drama with excellent performances from Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine. Makes a good companion piece to Cimino's The Deer Hunter.

87. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975; Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones)
Unfortunately, this acclaimed film didn't do much for me.

88. The Kid (1921; Charles Chaplin)
It was solid. Chaplin has done better elsewhere.

89. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018; Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Excellent film. It is a Western divided into 6 segments/short stories. I was particularly fond of 5th segment involving a certain wagon train.

90. Silence (2016; Martin Scorsese)
Excellent religious epic by Marty. Andrew Garfield was excellent. His character certainly goes through a lot. This is one of my 5 favourite films Marty has filmed after year 2000.

91. Enter the Void (2009; Gaspar Noé)
Interesting film, but not quite as original as some might think. It was obviously aesthetically and thematically influenced by Kubrick and De Palma. It managed to be not boring, despite being quite repetitive.

92. Othello (1951; Orson Welles)
Another great film by Welles, where he proves again that he is a master at filming architecture. He also gave a great performance as Othello.

93. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949; John Ford)
This film was good visually. Other aspects of it didn't do much for me.

94. For a Few Dollars More (1965; Sergio Leone)
When I saw this film 5 years ago I really enjoyed it and I even thought it is almost as good as Good Bad Ugly. Turns out I was wrong. It is a fine film, but Good Bad Ugly is vastly superior.

95. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986; John Hughes)
Finally saw this teen classic. It was quite enjoyable. Matthew Broderick was great as Ferris Bueller, and people just love such anti-authoritarian figures his character embodies. His sister and his friend were also interesting characters. Also, I loved Charlie Sheen's short appearance. Overall... really good stuff.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:03 pm

Love Ferris Bueller. Bought Silence recently so looking forward to seeing it soon. Holy Grail holds up well for me, even though I'm not normally a fan of British humor. I haven't seen any of the others.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:58 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:17 am72. A Brighter Summer Day (1991; Edward Yang)
Rewatch. I saw it 5 years ago. It is a 4 hour film that I think is primarily concerned with how people of Taiwan struggled with their identity as individuals and as nation. That is why all those gang conflicts arose. It is a remarkable film, but I preferred Yang's other masterpiece Yi Yi.

I've gotta see Yi-Yi and such still but I loved ABSD.

74. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989; Stephen Herek)
This was goofy, but I didn't find it particularly funny. By far the best scene was Bill and Ted's history presentation in the end.

I really liked this as a kid but haven't revisited it in ages.

75. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991; Peter Hewitt)
On the other hand, I loved this. I enjoyed Bill and Ted characters much more this time, I loved their adventure in this one, I loved the film visually and the Grim Reaper sidekick (played by William Sadler) was awesome. This is definitely entering the list of my favourite films.

Again I haven't seen this in ages, but I really wonder how the Grim Reaper stuff plays for me now that I've actually seen The Seventh Seal lol.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Aug 25, 2021 12:06 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:35 am83. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021; Zack Snyder)
Very good film which is certainly an improvement over shorter version released in 2017.

Agreed.

84. Army of the Dead (2021; Zack Snyder)
I agree with Rax on this one. It is a great entertainment from start to finish. Very underrated film.

Yeah I don't really get the hate people have for this one. I enjoyed the whole thing.

85. Dawn of the Dead (2004; Zack Snyder)
It was good. The best part were action scenes, as opposed to Romero's film where the best part was its social commentary, or to be more precise, its attacks on consumerism.

Honestly I like the character dynamics in this one. They're different than Romero's but I like that this is a movie about a bunch of assholes trying to get over themselves and come together whereas Romero's was about a group of people falling apart. I do think Romero's is better, but I like what Snyder did.

87. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975; Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones)
Unfortunately, this acclaimed film didn't do much for me.

Again another one I haven't seen since I was young. Not sure what I'd think now.

88. The Kid (1921; Charles Chaplin)
It was solid. Chaplin has done better elsewhere.

I think Chaplin's best is probably City Light, Modern Times, or Great Dictator but I like The Kid for what it is.

89. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018; Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Excellent film. It is a Western divided into 6 segments/short stories. I was particularly fond of 5th segment involving a certain wagon train.

I need to give this a rewatch at some point. I remember liking it but finding it kind of mysterious at times.

90. Silence (2016; Martin Scorsese)
Excellent religious epic by Marty. Andrew Garfield was excellent. His character certainly goes through a lot. This is one of my 5 favourite films Marty has filmed after year 2000.

I'd have to rewatch to say for sure, but it might be in Marty's top 5 period, right up there with Raging Bull and GoodFellas and so on.

92. Othello (1951; Orson Welles)
Another great film by Welles, where he proves again that he is a master at filming architecture. He also gave a great performance as Othello.

Yeah its a great film.

93. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949; John Ford)
This film was good visually. Other aspects of it didn't do much for me.

I remember liking this, but I can't recall many specifics.

94. For a Few Dollars More (1965; Sergio Leone)
When I saw this film 5 years ago I really enjoyed it and I even thought it is almost as good as Good Bad Ugly. Turns out I was wrong. It is a fine film, but Good Bad Ugly is vastly superior.

I need to rewatch this too, but I remember always thinking TGTBTU was better.

95. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986; John Hughes)
Finally saw this teen classic. It was quite enjoyable. Matthew Broderick was great as Ferris Bueller, and people just love such anti-authoritarian figures his character embodies. His sister and his friend were also interesting characters. Also, I loved Charlie Sheen's short appearance. Overall... really good stuff.

Still probably my favorite Hughes movie tbh.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:43 pm

I rewatched 9 films and I saw one new film.

96. Days of Heaven (1978; Terrence Malick)
I saw this film 7 times before. It is still great. It is such a great combination of beautiful cinematography, haunting score by Morricone and evocative narration by Linda Manz. I read many analyses of the film. Some claimed that this is a philosophical film, while other stated that this is a biblical allegory. But true greatness of this film comes from combining those three elements I mentioned before and creating a true audio-visual treat.

97. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998; Terry Gilliam)
Basically a film about two idiots on drugs horsing around. Some claim that this film is some kind of commentary on emptiness of American dream and on lost generation of the sixties. Maybe it is, but I can't be sure. However, this film manages to become some kind of weird masterpiece because Gilliam serves us with some bombastic visuals and some incredibly funny banter between those two. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro were absolutely brilliant in leading roles.

98. Ocean's Twelve (2004; Steven Soderbergh)
This is a very good film. It is a combination of heist film and con film. And it is the most sophisticated type of con film; one that tries to con its audience.

99. Moonrise Kingdom (2012; Wes Anderson)
This is basically a cute and quirky version of Malick's Badlands. I love how Anderson implemented nature into his narrative (something Malick does very well). Also, I think this film is fantastic; possibly one of 20 best films of the last decade.

100. Blade Runner 2049 (2017; Denis Villeneuve)
This rewatch proved to be an incredibly immersive viewing experience; something that almost never happens to me anymore. The film is aesthetically great, but not quite as great as the first one. The first one maybe also had more memorable moments, but this one is a fantastic film as well.

101. Back to the Future (1985; Robert Zemeckis)
This is just a fantastic combination of time-travel film, comedy and teen film. Loved the cast, especially Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson. Definitely one of the most entertaining films ever.

102. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012; Peter Jackson)
103. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013; Peter Jackson)
104. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014; Peter Jackson)
An incredibly epic trilogy by Jackson where he serves us some fantastic CGI, some Olympian visuals and some awesome mountain porn. It is also a story about male bonding and friendship. I really, really enjoyed this trilogy.

105. Chaos Walking (2021; Doug Liman)
This film is worth watching only because of its main gimmick: that every thought by every male character in the film can be seen and heard by everyone standing nearby. Other that that, it is a pretty forgettable neo-Western/sci-fi film with Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:03 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:43 pm96. Days of Heaven (1978; Terrence Malick)
I saw this film 7 times before. It is still great. It is such a great combination of beautiful cinematography, haunting score by Morricone and evocative narration by Linda Manz. I read many analyses of the film. Some claimed that this is a philosophical film, while other stated that this is a biblical allegory. But true greatness of this film comes from combining those three elements I mentioned before and creating a true audio-visual treat.

Yeah this one is excellent.

98. Ocean's Twelve (2004; Steven Soderbergh)
This is a very good film. It is a combination of heist film and con film. And it is the most sophisticated type of con film; one that tries to con its audience.

I watched this earlier this year and really enjoyed it. Whole trilogy is good IMHO.

100. Blade Runner 2049 (2017; Denis Villeneuve)
This rewatch proved to be an incredibly immersive viewing experience; something that almost never happens to me anymore. The film is aesthetically great, but not quite as great as the first one. The first one maybe also had more memorable moments, but this one is a fantastic film as well.

Yeah i really loved 2049.

101. Back to the Future (1985; Robert Zemeckis)
This is just a fantastic combination of time-travel film, comedy and teen film. Loved the cast, especially Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson. Definitely one of the most entertaining films ever.

This whole trilogy has been one of my favorites since I was a kid.

102. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012; Peter Jackson)
103. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013; Peter Jackson)
104. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014; Peter Jackson)
An incredibly epic trilogy by Jackson where he serves us some fantastic CGI, some Olympian visuals and some awesome mountain porn. It is also a story about male bonding and friendship. I really, really enjoyed this trilogy.

"Mountain porn" is a funny comment.

Still I can't help but have mixed opinions on the trilogy as a whole. I remember when it was announced as only two films and I thought that was pushing it, and three feels like overkill to me. I also think the lighthearted stuff works a lot better than the darker, more LOTR-toned elements.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:21 am

The first 2 Hobbit films were so underwhelming to me that I still have yet to see the third; though I do want to see it.

Back to the Future 2 is better than the first; but both are excellent and even the third is pretty great.

And I'm sad that I posted about having finally seen the Rebuild of Evangelion but with no replies/comments.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Sep 22, 2021 3:25 am

I'm a little behind on things, I'll get to them eventually.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Mon Oct 25, 2021 5:45 am

106. The World of Kanako (2014; Tetsuya Nakashima)
As former detective Akikazu searches for his missing daughter, Kanako, he soon learns she has a mysterious secret life. This is a very good film with a rather flashy visual style (lot of fast cutting). I found this one on Nana Komatsu's profile. She is a Japanese actress and model.

107. My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday (2016; Takahiro Miki)
On the way to his university in Kyoto, a 20 y.o. man falls in love with a woman on the train. He tells her. They start dating. She has a supernatural secret. This is a wonderful romance film with a quite prominent fantastical element. It is also the most effective tearjerker I have ever seen. Nana Komatsu was great in it.

108. The Last Picture Show (1971; Peter Bogdanovich)
In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically. This was okay I guess.

109. Paper Moon (1973; Peter Bogdanovich)
During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership. This was very good. Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal really shined in this one. It was nice seeing Ryan O'Neal in another good movie; this is coming from someone who is a huge fan of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon where Ryan O'Neal is in a leading role.

110. The Asphalt Jungle (1950; John Huston)
A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel. This was okay.

111. The African Queen (1951; John Huston)
In WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship. This is a very good adventure film, but I can't help but feel that this film was just an excuse to cook up some on-screen romance between Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.

112. Ace in the Hole (1951; Billy Wilder)
A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus. This is a great satire of media circus with a great performance by Kirk Douglas. This is definitely one of Wilder's 5 best films.

113. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944; Vincente Minnelli)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. This is a charming musical. It is always nice seeing something with Judy Garland in it.

114. Sullivan's Travels (1941; Preston Sturges)
Hollywood director John L Sullivan sets out to experience life as a homeless person in order to gain relevant life experience for his next movie. I think this is a very intellectual film, and a lot of its ideas went over my head unfortunately. Never mind.

115. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959; Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
A surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret. This is a fantastic mystery film with Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. Liz Taylor and Katharine Hepburn were terrific in it. I thought the dialogues were beautifully written. This is definitely one of my favourites from this period in Hollywood.

Post by **Gendo** » Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:13 pm

Sadly, I have seen none of those. Great to see an actual post around here, though! It's starting to become just my personal journal of movies I've watched moreso than a forum, sadly.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:20 am

There is more, Gendo. This is a continuation of my previous post.

116. A Place in the Sun (1951; George Stevens)
A poor boy gets a job working for his rich uncle and ends up falling in love with two women. This is a very good romantic drama with Montgomery Clift and Liz Taylor.

117. American Graffiti (1973; George Lucas)
A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college. A very good nostalgic film.

118. Dazed and Confused (1993; Richard Linklater)
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976. A film very similar to the previous one and also very good.

119. Fort Apache (1948; John Ford)
At Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe. A very good Western with an excellent performance from Henry Fonda.

120. El Dorado (1966; Howard Hawks)
Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Hara. Together with an old Indian fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water. Another very good Western. Wayne, Mitchum and Caan are in it.

121. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009; Wes Anderson)
An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation. A very good animated film from Wes.

122. Isle of Dogs (2018; Wes Anderson)
Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog. This was brilliant. Loved this animated film from Wes.

123. Dead Poets Society (1989; Peter Weir)
Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression. All the scenes with Robin Williams were terrific. The rest was only okay. Overall... It was very good.

124. Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979; Terry Jones)
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah. I didn't think this was funny.

125. Singin' in the Rain (1952; Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood. Loved the central idea to this film. As for the songs, I only liked Singin' in the Rain. Overall... It was very good.

126. Stalingrad (1993; Joseph Vilsmaier)
The story follows a group of German soldiers, from their Italian R&R in the summer of 1942 to the frozen steppes of Soviet Russia and ending with the battle for Stalingrad. A very good German war film.

127. Land of Mine (2015; Martin Zandvliet)
In post-World War II Denmark, a group of young German POWs are forced to clear a beach of thousands of land mines under the watch of a Danish Sergeant who slowly learns to appreciate their plight. Another very good war film.

128. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988; Martin Scorsese)
The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross. Scorsese continues to impress me. This excellent film has great mood and ambiance. Great direction from Marty.

129. The Big Country (1958; William Wyler)
A New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land. I thought this was one of the most beautifully shot films of all time; filmed in epic widescreen format. Also, I loved Gregory Peck's character. This is an amazing film.

130. Black Narcissus (1947; Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A very beautiful film visually. Really beautiful colors.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:10 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 5:45 am108. The Last Picture Show (1971; Peter Bogdanovich)
In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically. This was okay I guess.

I liked the movie well enough, but not one of my favorite Bogdanovich movies or even one of my favorite BBS Productions movies tbh.

110. The Asphalt Jungle (1950; John Huston)
A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel. This was okay.

This one I was never on board with. Huston in general as a director mostly misses for me tbh.

111. The African Queen (1951; John Huston)
In WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship. This is a very good adventure film, but I can't help but feel that this film was just an excuse to cook up some on-screen romance between Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.

It kind of is just an excuse to have Bogart and Hepburn together in a movie but that's a damn good excuse!

112. Ace in the Hole (1951; Billy Wilder)
A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus. This is a great satire of media circus with a great performance by Kirk Douglas. This is definitely one of Wilder's 5 best films.

Awesome movie.

113. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944; Vincente Minnelli)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. This is a charming musical. It is always nice seeing something with Judy Garland in it.

Agreed.

114. Sullivan's Travels (1941; Preston Sturges)
Hollywood director John L Sullivan sets out to experience life as a homeless person in order to gain relevant life experience for his next movie. I think this is a very intellectual film, and a lot of its ideas went over my head unfortunately. Never mind.

I really loved this movie. I remember Jimbo and I contrasted it with Godard's films at one point.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:14 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:20 am117. American Graffiti (1973; George Lucas)
A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college. A very good nostalgic film.

It's a good movie though I'm surprised it isn't a little more prominent considering Lucas directed it.

119. Fort Apache (1948; John Ford)
At Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe. A very good Western with an excellent performance from Henry Fonda.

I don't remember the specifics of this but I remember liking it.

125. Singin' in the Rain (1952; Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood. Loved the central idea to this film. As for the songs, I only liked Singin' in the Rain. Overall... It was very good.

This is the best Hollywood musical IMO.

128. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988; Martin Scorsese)
The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross. Scorsese continues to impress me. This excellent film has great mood and ambiance. Great direction from Marty.

It's a great film, and the book about the release of it is quite interesting too.

130. Black Narcissus (1947; Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A very beautiful film visually. Really beautiful colors.

Yup.