2/1
Psycho (1960, Hitchcock) -
**** (Masterpiece)
The Big Sleep (1946, Hawks) - ****
2/3
Lessons in Darkness (1992, Herzog)
- *
La Dolce Vita (1960, Fellini)
- **** (Masterpiece)
2/4
Woyzeck (1978, Herzog) - ****
Another Herzog gem, Woyzeck
contains his usual beautiful visuals (frequently relying,
as usual, on landscapes and ponds and the sort). Kinski's vicious
performance is tied to a character whom we pity and
feel for as the film progresses. It's twisted, as
is most of his work, but it works exceptionally well here.
Kinkski's Franz is a fascinating character, similar to Alex
in A Clockwork Orange. Another interesting and
brilliant aspect of Woyzeck - the film is a fascinating
character study, and yet Franz himself is being
analyzed throughout.
2/5
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Bergman) - **** (Masterpiece)
Bergman lightens up. Smiles of a Summer Night is completely different from the majority of his dark, allegorical work, focusing on love, fun, jealousy, and fate. Not as visually impressive as The Seventh Seal or Cries and Whispers but simple story, simple cinematography. Based loosely on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," I'm sure Will is smiling himself in his grave. The 'Russian Roulette' scene splendidly portrays the differences between Count Malcolm and Frederik.
2/6
Peter Pan (1953, Disney) - ****
A criminally overlooked Disney gem. The visuals and musical numbers isn't quite at the level of Pinocchio or the like, but the story just might be the best of them all. The themes of youth at heart, friendship, maternal love, etc make this one extremely accesible for adults. The final shot of the misty ship sailing across the sky is among the most beautiful images Disney has produced; perhaps the most beautiful.
Laputa (1986, Miyazaki) - **** (Masterpiece)
Ashes of Time (1994, Kar-Wai) - ****
2/7
La Jetee (1962, Marker) - **1/2
Stray Dog (1949, Kurosawa) - ***1/2
2/8
Flower of My Secret (1996, Almodovar) - ****
All About My Mother (1999, Almodovar) - **** (Masterpiece)
Knocked me flat. A shattering story about a mother who loses her son in a car accident, yet can't escape the maternal responsibilities of her life. Layer after layer adds to the sadness and solitude that we feel during this extraordinary picture. The visual style is wonderful; colors swirl appropriately, with red as the stand out. The performances are heartbreakingly authentic, each character remarkably developed. If you haven't seen this, get to your nearest video store immediately.
2/9
Vampyr (1932, Dreyer) - **** (Masterpiece)
The story starts off a tad jumbled but this is compensated for by extraordinarily creative and eerie use of shadows. In fact, many people in the early going are shown initially as dark sillhouettes gliding into blackness. The usage is hauntingly fitting; the film tells the tale of vampires and worshipping the land of shadow, so why not show even the normal humans in a vampiric manner? As the film progresses, the story becomes uniquely fascinating and the pacing smooths out. I prefer Vampyr to Murnau's Nosferatu because of the unpredictability. It's difficult to gauge which way the film is going, which adds to the suspense.
The Kid (1921, Chaplin) - ****
2/10
The Devil's Eye (1960, Bergman) - *1/2
Easily Bergman's worst film. The symbolism is heavy-handed, the story uneventful, and the visuals uninspiring. Shockingly, the direction seems lazy and uninspired; I suppose even the true masters are allowed an occasional hiccup.
Breathless (1959, Godard) - **** (Masterpiece)
An extremely apt title for this film, which moves at a constant breakneck pace. This includes the camera angles, which make use of sharp cuts and precise editing to enhance the nonstop feeling. The story of a criminal on the run and in love is hardly revolutionary but it can't be done much better than here, where Godard makes full use of a biting script and a spark-filled lead performance to craft a kickass movie. He makes a 20 minute interaction between the male and female leads in the hotel consistently exciting!
2/11
Fallen Angels (1995, Kar-Wai) - ***1/2
Nausicaa (1984, Miyazaki) - **** (Masterpiece)
2/12
Les Diaboliques (1955, Clouzot) - **** (Masterpiece)
Spends the first hour building up the characters and the second leading us all over the place trying to figure out what the hell's going on. The final 15 minutes are nerve-wracking stuff; the ending isn't completely unseeable but the superb tension dominates the mind.
The Hours (2002, Daldry) - **
Pure Oscar bait that feels extraordinarily forced and empty. Daldry's desire to manipulate the audience into feeling specific emotions during specific scenes becomes unbearable. Moore's storyline was moderately interesting, the other two left me cold. Streep was oddly dull. The visuals contribute to the artificial, contrived feel that haunts The Hours throughout. Things pick up in the final 25 minutes but it's so empty until then that I couldn't care less.
2/13
Red Beard (Kurosawa, 1965) - ****
2/14
The Emperor's New Groove (Disney, 2000) - **
2/15
Sansho the Bailiff (1954, Mizoguchi) - **** (Masterpiece)
Faust (1926, Murnau) - **
Frustratingly tedious for such a terrific topic matter (God and Satan war over earth, using the soul of wise man Faust as the wager). The allegory lacks any of the crispness of Bergman's masterful The Seventh Seal, often appearing too ridiculous for its own good. The visuals definitely have some revolutionary techniques but don't stand the test of time as well as Lang's Metropolis or even Murnau's own Nosferatu. They were frequently blurred, though this might have been due to the quality of the VHS.
2/16
Ugetsu (1952, Mizoguchi) - **** (Masterpiece)
Floating Weeds (1959, Ozu) - ***
Ozu's use of colors is simply perfect and helps create an extremely pleasant atmosphere. The storyline isn't as engaging as I would have liked, though, and I found it to drag to at times. Perhaps this wasn't the greatest introduction to Ozu? There were still some wonderful elements, the aforementioned visuals and acting being chief among them. I can sense his quiet style will yield some wonderful results as I work through his filmography.
2/17
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990, Almodovar) - ***1/2
Very funny film and Almodovar's typical splendid use of colors is on display again. Antonio Banderas once again proves far superior in his native Spanish then here in the USA. Some unforgettable scenes, one featuring a scuba diver vibrator (Does that pique your curiosity?). Loses a little steam towards the end when the storyline turns far-fetched.
Stroszek (1976, Herzog) - **
Surprisingly stagnant and uninteresting despite stunning visuals. Herzog appears lost without Kinski; his characters lack energy and failed to draw me into a lackluster storyline. I understood what themes Herzog was aiming to potray but the execution was unbearably dreary. Woyzeck, released in 1978, is far superior in all areas. Not coincidentally, Kiski plays the main role.
2/18
Frankenstein (1931, Whale) - ***
Great campy fun. Aside from some ridiculously obvious sets in the backgrounds, the visuals are surprisingly crisp for a 30's film and the pacing is superb, with the flick clocking in at a mere 71 minutes. The "man as God" concepts come across nicely, and there are some genuinely moving moments, though it's never actually scary.
The Golem (1915, Wegener) - *1/2
Riddled with problems. The pacing is poor, the entertainment value virtually nonexistant and the action sparse. There are some nice visuals here but so what? The topic matter lends itself nicely to some fun but unfortunately, I had none watching this one.
Chikomatsu Monogatari (1954, Mizoguchi) - **
Lacks the subtlety of Mizoguchi's Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff, and delivers its themes in an unappealing overbearing fashion. The visuals are frequently too dark and the plotline develops slowly and goes in circles. Supposedly difficult to find but not worth seeking out.
2/19
Frenzy (1972, Hitchcock) - ****
Builds suspense in a unique fashion, using quirky camera angles and multi-layered characters to keep us guessing. The identity of the killer is made known early yet tension is always present. Great work by Hitchcock here.
Sabotage (1936, Hitchcock) - **
2/20
Wages of Fear (1954, Clouzot) - **1/2
Far too much exposition early on as Clouzout takes 60 minutes to develop a theme that requires 15; the townspeople's desperation for money. When the trucks take off, the film does as well to a certain extent; Clouzout is able to generate suspense with deft camera angles and pacing. But even the tension never reaches a high level because it's evident who will live and die. The deaths and romance are clumsily handled and the ending feels tacked on.
The Bad Sleep Well (1960, Kurosawa) - ****
2/22
Princess Mononoke (1997, Miyazaki) - **** (Masterpiece)
2/23
La Terra Trema (1947, Visconti) - **** (Masterpiece)
2/24
The Last Laugh (1924, Murnau) - **1/2
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979, Miyazaki) - ****
2/25
Earth (1930, Dovzhenko) - **1/2
Au Hasard, Balthazar (1966, Bresson) - **** (Masterpiece)
2/27
Man With a Movie Camera (1929, Vertov) - ****
Pure cinematic heaven. No intertitles or dialogue. Simply camerawork; it documents a filmmaker filming a documentary. Not only is it fascinating but also very important. It has everything that a filmmaker would want; camerawork, beautiful visuals, you name it. A must-see for anyone considering a career in movies in any capacity.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Weiles) - ****
A surreal, fucked-up, exceptionally twisted film but man, is it good! The visuals are nightmarish in appearance and create a sort of reverse-dream world. The result is an atmosphere that fits the storyline perfectly. In certain ways, the film holds up as well as any silent I've seen yet aside from the Chaplins and The Passion of Joan of Arc; it still manages to maintain a quirky plot with plenty of tension, interesting characters, and those trippy sets still work!
2/28
L'Argent (1983, Bresson) - **** (Masterpiece)
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