1/16

The Red and the White (1968, Jancso) -  ****

1/17

City of God (2002, Meirelles) - ****

1/20

The Big Heat (1953, Lang) - **1/2

A relatively bland noir that lacks the spice of Fritz Lang's German masterpieces like M and Metropolis.  The script is only mediocre, the plot ordinary, the visuals plain, the score irritating.  On the plus side, the performances are generally good, particularly Lee Marvin, and the storyline entertaining enough to keep me interested for the 89 minute running time.  Mildly recommended, but not anywhere close to Lang's best work.   

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979, Herzog) - ****

Herzog's version is superior to Murnau's.  Kinksi's performance is chilling and subtle as Dracula, and the scenery and score are gorgeous.   The pacing is outstanding and the story feels fresh and exciting despite having been told millions of times before.

1/21

Antonio Gaudi (1984, Teshigahara) -*1/2

1/24

The Circus (1928, Chaplin) - ****

1/25

Umberto D (1952, De Sica) - **** (Masterpiece)

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002, Noyce) - ***1/2

Alice in Wonderland (1951, Disney) - ***1/2

1/26

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1989, Almodovar)  - ***1/2

1/27

Rules of the Game (1939, Renoir) - **** (Masterpiece)

1/28

Wuthering Heights (1953, Bunuel) - **** (Masterpiece)

Fucking awesome stuff.  Bunuel's version is dark and intense and blows away Wyler's big-time.  The script and storyline immediately explode and keep up the tension and heat with superb pacing.  The visuals are surreal and extremely effective, adding to the black mood.  

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945, Kurosawa)  - ***1/2

This is Kurosawa's second film, and it actually pleasantly surprised me.  I expected it to be more unpolished.  It's not particularly deep and runs a mere 62 minutes, but it's extremely entertaining and there are some really terrific scenes.  The visuals lack the usual Kurosawa oomph but are decent enough.  All fans of his work should try to seek this out.

1/29

Even Dwarfs Started Small (1971, Herzog) - **

Some fascinating individual scenes, such as a dwarf trying desperately to get on the bed to have sex or dressing a spider up, but otherwise overly quirky, repetitive, and irritating.  The pattern: dwarfs do something weird.  Cut to inside the unknown political dwarf house, where a prisoner dwarf cackles.  Repeat, except the rebelling dwarfs do something different.   Blech.

1/30

L'Eclisse (1962, Antonioni) - **** (Masterpiece)

1/31

Nanook of the North (1922, Flaherty) - **** (Masterpiece)

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