Rating System:
85-100 = spectacular / masterpiece
70-84 = excellent film / PRO
55-69 = good to very good film /pro
40-54 = decent but flawed/mixed
24-39 = not very good / con
0-23 = awful / CON
“r” = repeat viewing
“s” = short [approximately 10 minutes or shorter]
NOTE: the ratings are subject to change upon reflection (though usually not more than a few points), so if you see slightly different rankings reflected in my yearly lists, that’s why.
December 2008:
20. Flow: For Love of Water (Irena Salina, 2008) 33
[Depressing from its very first moment, Flow is an ironic title for a movie that never manages to obtain a consistent one. The audience quickly becomes aware that clean water distribution is in dire straits worldwide, but potentially emotional moments are abruptly cut away from to hear some scientist yap away for a few minutes before returning to, say, poverty-stricken Africa. Nothing here that can't be studied by spending 30 minutes on the web...and Flow is incredibly repetitive to boot, making it tedious as can be.]
Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008) 80
The War Room (D.A. Pennebaker, 1994) 47
[Despite some high points, most involving the always entertaining James Carville, The War Room is a pretty blah documentary that leads its viewers to believe that 1) the 1992 political campaign was particularly dull, or 2) all political campaigns are boring. I'd give lots of money to see this movie about the Obama campaign; I suspect Plouffe & Axelrod were damn interesting, though of course they'd never have allowed this level of access. Anyway, Pennebaker seems to have just shot almost every minute in the 'war room,' chosen a bunch that tickled his fancy, and slapped them together. There's never any rhythm to the campaign as depicted, which would make sense if Clinton hadn't WON, and we don't get any real insight into deep tactical strategizing. Could have been much better.]
21. Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2008) 55
Adam Resurrected (Paul Schrader, 2008) 26
The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008) 83
23. Unplanned Democracy (Denise Ross, 2008) 61
The Dragon Painter (William Worthington,1919) 64
24. Wall•E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) 73
[r] The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001) 99
25. [r] The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) 99
26. [r] The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003) 99
27. Waltz With Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008) 73
31. Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes, 2008) 44
January 2009
1. Jellyfish (Shira Geffen & Etgar Kedet, 2008) 49
Close to Home (Vardit Bilu, 2005) 29
3. Chop Shop (Ramin Bahrani, 2007) 50
11. Snow Angels (David Gordon Green, 2007) 46
15. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008) 48
17. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008) 54
[r] He Got Game (Spike Lee, 1998) 58
Frost | Nixon (Ron Howard, 2008) 31
[Bleh. Talk about dull. As a political junkie, this should have grabbed me by the balls, but I instead had trouble keeping my eyes open. Opie's usual bland direction is on display here, as is the normal safe, standard Hollywood script that generally accompanies his work. Langhella is excellent as Nixon, but he's the only thing I can recommed here. Way to turn a gripping topic into mush.]
18. [r] George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000) 91
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1928) 66
19. Closely Watched Trains (Jiri Menzel, 1966) 66
20. [r] The Wrestler (Darren Aranofsky, 2008) 83
22. [r] All the Real Girls (David Gordon Green, 2003) 87
24. The Visitor (Tom McCarthy, 2008) 71
25. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008) 43
26. [r] Wall•E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) 77
27. Changeling (Eastwood, 2008) 43
28. Defiance (Edward Zwick, 2008) 47
30. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, 2008) 28
February 2009:
01. Last House on the Left (Wes Craven, 1972) 26
02. [r] Days of Heaven (David Malick, 1978) 68
03. Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988) 71
06. Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009) 77
[r] Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, 1989) 78
[r] Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) 100
07. A Christmas Tale (Arnaud Desplechin, 2008) 71
11. The Tall Target (Anthony Mann, 1951) 76
Young Mr. Lincoln (John Ford, 1939) 67
13. Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008) 29
14. The Class (Laurent Cantet, 2008) 56
17. [r] Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki, 1984) 92
28. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Hayao Miyazaki, 2009) 86
March 2009:
04. [r] Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) 74
11. [r] Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, 1973) 96
13. [r] The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel, 1962) 95
18. [r] Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2003) 93
20. Saturno Contro (Ferzan Ozpetek, 2007) 69
26. [r] The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008) 80
April 2009:
04. [r] Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927) 66
Wow, was April embarrassing…never again.
May 2009:
01. The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956) 62
02. The White Mane (Albert Lamorisse, 1953) 35
03. [r] In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1951) 90
04. Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009) 51
07. Sugar (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, 2009) 75
10. [r] The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang, 1933) 95
11. Adoration (Atom Egoyan, 2009) 53
13. Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009) 62
16. Kobe Doin’ Work (Spike Lee, 2009) 60
17. Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd, 1935) 66
18. Throw Down Your Heart (Sascha Paladino, 2009) 59
20. Goodbye Solo (Ramin Bahrani, 2009) 65
21. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) 95
22. [r] Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) 98
23. Afghan Star (Havana Marking, 2009) 68
24. Fever Mounts at El Pao (Luis Buñuel, 1959) 61
[r] Wuthering Heights (Luis Buñuel, 1954) 50
[Sigh; what a frustrating rewatch this was. I remembered a passionate, biting adaptation of Bronte's book (I actually preferred it to the novel at the time), but on a second look, Wuthering Heights is too dramatic with overacting galore. It's certainly still watchable and I continue to appreciate Buñuel's handling of cruelty & how it infects those around it, but the hammy performances, surprisingly conventional camerawork, and swelling score keep it from being anything more than average stuff. Very disappointing...I don't know what struck me so differently when I last watched this five years ago.]
26. Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi,2009) 63
29. Predator (John McTiernan, 1987) 26
[Amazingly, I'd never seen this 'cult classic,' and decided to pop it on with some friends late at night. All I can say is that Predator doesn't stand the test of time at all, and has some of the worst sound editing imaginable, with dialogue that's almost impossible to hear mixed with over-the-top bombastic sound effects. There's some campy value, I suppose, but it's mostly just boring, and not even a young, muscle-bound Arnold can salvage things (give me Hercules in New York for awful Arnie). I guess that Predator is one that you needed to see at the time, and then let it continue to soar in your mind on the sentimental value. Oops.]
30. [s] Partly Cloudy (Peter Sohn, 2009) 68
Up (Pete Docter, 2009) 77
June 2009:
03. 5 Centimeters Per Second (Makoto Shinkai, 2007) 94
The Crowd Roars (Howard Hawks, 1932) 35
06. Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008) 66
Jezebel (William Wyler, 1938) 70
07. The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke,1989) 60
08. Séraphine (Martin Provost, 2009) 53
09. [r] Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004) 91
CINEVEGAS 2009
11. In the Loop (Armando Ianucci, 2009) 67
Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009) 75
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (Jessica Oreck, 2009) 30
All In – The Poker Movie (Douglas Tirola, 2009) 58
13. Yellow Submarine (George Dunning, 1968) 48
14. Godspeed (Robert Saitzyk, 2009) 20
Asylum Seekers (Rania Ajami, 2009) 44
15. The Headless Woman (Lucretia Martel, 2009) 66
Adam (Max Mayer, 2009) 35
[END CINEVEGAS 2009]
19. Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996) 58
[r] Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001) 97
20. Voices of a Distant Star (Makoto Shinkai, 2003) 60
Summer Hours (Oliver Assayas, 2009) 56
21. [r] 5 Centimeters Per Second (Makoto Shinkai, 2006) 92
INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch, 2006) 68
23. The Man Who Planted Trees (Frédéric Back, 1987) 67
24. [r] There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) 97
27. Pitfall (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1962) 72
Hokusai (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1953) 64
[A sharp, workmanlike short documentary about the Japanese wood-block artist Katsushika Hokusai, Teshighara's debut previews the director's patience, eye for storytelling, and appreciation for the arts. I learned a lot about Hokusai's inspirations, style, and how his work was perceived by the various classes of Tokyo. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo could learn a lot from this about how filmic structure and pacing. All that keeps this from getting higher marks is that ultimately, it's a pretty simply work that's closer to cliffnotes than an in-depth probe into an interesting artist's life. Definitely eager to revisit Antonio Gaudi now, though.]
28. The Place Promised in our Early Days (Makoto Shinkai, 2004) 62
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosuda, 2006) 80
29. [r] Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003) 84
[r] Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004) 79
30. [r] Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964) 98
July 2009:
01. Public Enemies (Michael Mann, 2009) 42
02. The Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke, 1934) 61
03. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse, 1960) 90
05. Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch, 1939) 71
07. After the Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke, 1936) 73
08. [r] Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) 91
12. [r] Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983) 66
[r] Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979) 98
15. [r] Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) 92
Ballad of a Soldier (Grigori Chukhrai, 1959) 38
16. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) 81
Two Lovers (James Gray, 2009) 76
17. [r] Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006) 93
Pulse (Kiroshi Kurosawa, 2001) 39
18. Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) 59
Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, 2000) 93
19. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009) 72
20. Mad Max (George Miller, 1979) 35
[I'm in serious catch-up mode on old action movies, but I'd hoped for much more from this classic road rage flick; a baby-faced Gibson is perfectly fine decked out in leather, but I spent most of my time waiting for the pace and excitement to pick up. Aside from a few strong sequences - particularly the finale scene - Mad Max is mostly just dull. Part of the problem stems from the villains, who, despite some pretty vile actions, just don't inspire the loathing required to really HATE them. A flat film that doesn't stand the test of time at all, though it does deserve some points for inspiration (technically, it's not at all bad and Tarantino's Death Proof was clearly heavily influenced by it).]
21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009) 60
[This is a very generous rating - probably should be in the 50's - but, well, I can't help enjoying seeing these wonderful stories play out onscreen more than I should. Half-Blood Prince is seriously flawed (there's much, much more time spent on the teen angst of love than necessary; the ending feels extraordinarily rushed; it's hokier than I'd like at times given the darkness of the book), yet still very entertaining and snappily paced. The set design and casting are flawless as usual (notice I said casting; the ACTING is somewhat up-and-down amongst the principles, but they all look SO perfect that I hardly care), and several of the climactic sequences (Dumbledore's death; the luck potion / extraction of Slughorn's memory; etc) are expertly portrayed. So, to summarize, mediocre movie as a whole, but very enjoyable if you're as big a fan of the books as I am.]
22. [r] Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996) 78
23. Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (Aviva Kempner, 2009) 53
[r] Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, 2000) 96
25. Godzilla (Roland Emmerich, 1998) 5
[Full disclosure; I only caught the final 3/4 on TV in-between weekend activities in Philadelphia. I have absolutely no qualms rating Godzilla anyway, as this is the ultimate atrocity—a complete piece of shit that's inept in all areas, yet lacks even a whit of "bad movie" value (for instance, the SFX dinosaurs aren't great, but they're not laughably bad). The rest of the movie is, but I didn't really laugh, so vomit. I also hated The Day After Tomorrow, so it's safe to say Emmerich ranks up there for me with the worst directors working today.]
26. [r] The Music Room (Satyajit Ray, 1958) 94
Vagabond (Agnès Varda, 1985) 69
[Loved this as an experiment and stylistically; the flashbacks, occasional Godard-esque speaking to the audience, and fragmented pieces of Mona's life was a really cool way to portray the period leading up to her wife. I really dug how some of the people, especially Yolande (Yolande Moreau, who turns in a tremendous performance in this year's otherwise average SERAPHINE), project their own insecurities, wants, and desires on to their fleeting encounter with Mona. The editing is first-rate. So why not a higher rating? I always felt a bit detached from the proceedings, at times slipping into the "admire more than love" phase. I don't think Mona, with her love for alcohol, pot, and complete disregard for the feelings of others, is a character meant to inspire an intense emotional reaction, but I wanted to feel more connected to the entire process than I did. Can see why some consider it a masterpiece, however.]
27. El Sur (Victor Erice, 1983) 79
[r] Raising Arizona (Joel Coen, 1987) 54
28. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955) 47
[Robert Mitchum is dynamite here, but Laughton's heralded classic is too showy for my tastes; the glossy cinematography and editing really detract from the aura of dread that the topic matter (a false prophet - preacher, rather - wielding his "faith" to con mourning widows desperate fora shoulder to cry on ) and Mitchum's character should project. The compositions are framed in a "pretty" fashion that's entirely out of place in a dark story such as this, aside from a few moments (Mitchum's arrival at the house near the end, for one) that are expertly shot. Tonally, The Night of the Hunter never synchs up its script and plot with Lauhgton's stylistic choices, and as such, it's never particularly interesting cinema.]
29. [r] Miller’s Crossing (Joel Coen, 1990) 80
30. [r] Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972) 62
August 2009:
01. The Ballad of Narayama (Shohei Imamura, 1983) 66
The Big Red One (Samuel Fuller, 1980) 58
02. Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) 73
03. [r] Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) 98
07. [r] Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) 97
08. [r] Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964) 65
[r] Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) 97
09. The Awful Truth (Leo McCarey, 1937) 49
[r] Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) 97
[r] In the Loop (Armando Iannucci, 2009) 67
12. Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997) 77
16. Araya (Margo Benacerraf, 1959) 39
[s] The Four Troublesome Heads (Georges Méliès, 1898) 60
[s] A Trip to the Moon (Georges Méliès, 1902) 65
[s] The Cake-Walk Infernal (Georges Méliès, 1903) 56
[s] The Scheming Gambler’s Paradise (Georges Méliès, 1905) 36
[s] The Music Lover (Georges Méliès, 1903) 61
17. High Noon (Fred Zinneman, 1952) 55
18. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) 81
21. Captain Blood (Michael Curtiz, 1935) 64
25. (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009) 62
[r] Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Hayao Miyazaki, 2009) 83
[r] Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) 92
26. Lorna’s Silence (Dardenne Brothers, 2009) 49
Antichrist (Lars Von Trier, 2009) 23
27. Fat City (John Huston, 1972) 61
29. The Cove (Louie Psihoyos, 2009) 77
[r] O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen, 2000) 63
30. [r] The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, 1960) 71
31. Harlan County, U.S.A. (Barbara Kopple, 1976) 74
September 2009:
01. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (George Miller, 1981) 77
02. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Rouben Mamoulian, 1931) 56
03. Sisters (Brian De Palma, 1973) 69
[r] Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) 98
[r] Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1973) 67
04. [r] Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) 98
06. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953) 43
07. The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich, 1971) 78
[r] On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray, 1952) 80
12. Out of the Blue (Dennis Hopper, 1980) 35
15. The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1974) 75
16. [r] La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962) 59
The Ceremony (Nagisa Óshima, 1971) 69
19. Blue Collar (Paul Schrader, 1978) 74
23. [r] Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 99
24. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (Jack Perez, 2009) 15
[Not even enjoyable in a cult classic sort of way, which came as a bit of a surprise given the endless queue breathlessly waiting for it on Netflix. It's astonishing that the shark and octopus—certainly the keynote attractions—are in the movie for a total of about 15 minutes. The rest is a bunch of idiot rambling to each other, with a cheesy love story mixed in. None of this is done quite ineptly enough to generate laughs (or whiskey shots), but it's certainly stupid enough to suck and, worst of all, be boring as all hell. The shark soaring through the air to attack a plane is one of the lone highlights.]
25. [r] Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Danny Leiner, 2004) 77
[Tops my list of the decade's most underrated comedies, and by a wide margin. Stoner humor's never been so uproarious as here, where Kal Penn and John Cho have pitch-perfect chemistry as opposites-attract roommates with a major case of the munchies. That chemistry (Penn's deadpan delivery and facial expressions in particular) really puts it above similar genre entries like Half Baked. The script is mostly free of clichés, and the laughs flow as freely as the quotable moments (which are plentiful). Give me this over Old School-esque films any day.]
26. [r] Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) 81
27. [r] 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) 95
29. Boy (Nagisa Óshima, 1969) 62
30. The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972) 64
October 2009
01. 35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis, 2009) 75
03. Bunny Lake is Missing (Otto Preminger, 1965) 65
I Walked With a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur, 1943) 52
[r] Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943) 72
05. [r] That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel, 1977) 82
07. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (Russ Meyer, 1965) 44
08. Hannah and her Sisters (Woody Allen, 1986) 74
09. Capitalism: A Love Story (Michael Moore, 2009) 58
10. Support Your Local Sheriff! (Burt Kennedy, 1969) 45
[I guess Western spoofs aren't really my thing; hated Blazing Saddles and found this thoroughly mediocre. Harmless and passable enough to waste time, I suppose, but I hardly laughed at all. James Garner is quite good in the lead, though.]
11. The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962) 87
13. Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009) 63
14. The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen, 1985) 70
15. [r] The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise (Luis Buñuel, 1972) 81
16. Food, Inc. (Robert Kenner, 2008) 61
17. The Girlfriend Experience (Steven Soderbergh, 2009) 46
A Serious Man (Joel Coen, 2009) 82
Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, 2009) 72
18. [r] Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) 76
Outrage (Kirby Dick, 2009) 66
19. The Firemen’s Ball (Milos Forman, 1967) 41
[r] Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1973) 96
20. The Road (John Hillcoat, 2009) 77
22. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000) 56
23. To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962) 74
25. A Fish Called Wanda (Charles Crichton, 1988) 67
26. [r] Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973) 91
[Fuck me for ever being mixed on this masterpiece. I must have been out of my mind.]
29. Broken Embraces (Pedro Almodóvar, 2009) 61
31. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) 79
November 2009:
05. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Robert Schwentke, 2009) 10
06. District 9 (Neil Blomkomp, 2009) 63
07. The Men Who Stare at Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009) 38
Precious (Lee Daniels, 2009) 67
09. The Bellboy (Jerry Lewis, 1960) 64
11. The Good Soldier (Lexy Lovell & Michael Uys, 2009) 57
15. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) 69
16. World’s Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2009) 62
17. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009) 68
18. Big Fan (Robert D. Siegel, 2009) 53
My Night at Maud’s (Eric Rohmer, 1969) 72
20. The Sun (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2009) 83
21. Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski, 1962) 45
23. Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967) 65
24. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Carlos Saldanha, 2009) 42
25. The Blind Side (John Lee Hancock, 2009) 38
26. The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009) 58
28. Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969) 74
30. [r] Friday Night (Claire Denis, 2002) 68
December 2009:
02. [r] Viridiana (Luis Buñuel, 1961) 69
03. The Errand Boy (Jerry Lewis, 1961) 44
05. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009) 67
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956) 70
05. 9 (Shane Acker, 2009) 53
06. War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953) 49
07. Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, 2009) 78
09. [r] Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006) 93
11. A Single Man (Tom Ford, 2009) 59
12. My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (Werner Herzog, 2009) 23
13. [r] Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009) 72
The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson, 2009) 42
14. The Messenger (Oren Moverman, 2009) 68
15. Up in the Air (Jason Reitman, 2009) 55
17. We Own the Night (James Gray, 2007) 64
18. Invictus (Clint Eastwood, 2009) 26
[r] The Blood of a Poet (Jean Cocteau, 1930) 42
19. [r] The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001) 99
20. [r] The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) 99
21. [r] The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2009) 99
22. [r] A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956) 77
24. [r] Pickpocket (Robert Bresson, 1959) 92
In the midst of a long review; will be up before the New Year.
26. The Lusty Men (Nicholas Ray, 1952) 62
Not one of Ray’s very finest, but solid and picks up steam as it goes along. I found Robert Mitchum’s Jeff McCloud to be a bit bland, but Wes Merritt (Arthur Kennedy) is the real “Ray protagonist” here: prone to losing his temper, drinking, and debauchery. Enjoyable to watch, and I liked how Wes’ wife Louise (Susan Hayward) was portrayed as torn between her desire for domestic tranquility and the rush of more money than she’d ever seen pouring in.
27. [r] L’Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) 65
28. Shane (George Stevens, 1953) 37
I know this one’s pretty beloved, but I’m sad to report that I found it mostly corny and really dated. Stevens’ direction lacks any spark, and the supporting characters range from eh (Marian, Joe) to downright annoying (little Joey, in a Gran Torino-esque atrocious, laughable performance). The technicolor drove me up the wall, something that’s not always the case at all. Shane himself feels like a watered down Johnny Guitar: the first sequence in the bar is a much flatter version of a similar sequence in Ray’s film (plus, this one goes on forever; how many punches can go back and forth?). Best scene in the film—and by far the most touching—is when a pooch begins whining for its dead master, pawing at the coffin as it’s lowered to the ground.
30. Scorpio Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1964) 68
Kustom Kar Kommandos (Kenneth Anger, 1965) 64
Invocation of my Demon Brother (Kenneth Anger, 1969) 57
Rabbit’s Moon (Kenneth Anger, 1979) 53
31. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942) 69
Lucifer Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1972) 60