Claudia Weill - Girlfriends - 1978
Successful
film at the time (Stanley Kubrick dug it) starring Melanie
Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban, Eli Wallach and the underrated
Amy Wright. Honest film about the difficulties of being a young artist
in a big city, and dealing with relationships. Astounding something like
this was made at the time. Contemporary films in a similar spirit could
be Frances Ha or Tiny Furniture, which don't sit well
with me. Something so nice about the spirit of the 1970s that
after a day of living in the world of now it is so nice to just turn on
the projector and be transported back to a solid period of time.
Bernardo Bertolucci - The Last Emperor - 1987
(rewatch)
Such
a great film, Bertolucci's best perhaps. My wife and I both saw this many times
in middle school when it came out, but so different as an adult. Ryuichi Sakamoto plays a great heavy
and such an astounding soundtrack.
7.20.2019
Barry Levinson - Rain Man - 1988
(rewatch)
Dustin
Hoffman came into my place of business about 8 years ago and was using
an electric razor to shave as he browsed our wares. Was quite funny, he
seemed like a good guy. This isn't a film I am that into but hadn't seen
it in a while, the sleazy Cruise element of the film I enjoy.
Michael Mann - Thief - 1981
(rewatch)
One
of the great first films by a director, and one of the strongest films
of the 1980s, has that early 80s feel which is like 1970s on heroin.
John G. Avildsen & Sylvester Stallone - Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky IV, Rocky V - 1976-1990
(rewatchs)
The first Rocky film is a 10/10, just an intensely raw film from a period of a total raw aesthetic. Philly in this film makes The Wire's
Baltimore look like Disney World. The sequence where Rocky ascends the
stairs of The Philadelphia Museum of Art is really an astounding bit of
film magic. Like Girlfriends above, this film is one of those
experiences of total pleasure where one can even for a moment not be
bombarded by vocal fry and upstart uptalk. Sometimes watching old films
can be like a Science Fiction film where the viewer just plugs in and is
suddenly traversing time. The later films I had not
seen since I was a child. Problematic initially that they all start
with a recap of the previous movie's ending fight. They have good
moments but overall not in the same caliber, the third one a bit better
than the rest. The fights in the films are pretty visceral and not too
many films come close to the way they were constructed. My biggest
problem with Creed was that the fight sequence felt like a movie trailer, here they are in Golum's words “raw and wriggling”.
Bruno Dumont - L'humanité - 1999
Starts out rather Duchampian with some Étant donnés (Given: 1. The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas, French: Étant donnés: 1° la chute d'eau / 2° le gaz d'éclairage) and ends quite mysteriously. Near perfect film. Superb landscape photography by Yves Cape.
Also shot by Yves Cape, a roller coaster of a film.
(rewatch)
One of those great films. Anderson's best film in addition to Hard Eight, Inherent Vice, and There Will be Blood. The way color plays a role in the film from lens flares to décor and costumes reminds one of the Trois Couleurs trilogy.
7.27.2019
David Robert Mitchell - Under the Silver Lake - 2018
Couldn't finish this film. Feel really alienated from millennial culture these days.
Luca Guadagnino - Call Me by Your Name - 2017
(rewatch)
Third
time watching this film. Loved it the first time and more the second
and way more the third. Interesting that James Ivory didn't like the
wimpy sex scene, but I think it is nice that the camera meanders during
the in and out.
Trey Edward Shults - It Comes at Night - 2017
Has some good moments, good low light photography.
Wong Kar-wai - In the Mood for Love - 2001
(rewatch)
Perfect film.
(rewatch)
This
film I saw many times in high school when it came out, and more times
the first few years of college. If I remember correctly, my father loved
it and wanted to see it with me. I was so completely blown away by the
film. Year later I watched the bullshit edited version not knowing that
there were two versions and went into a minor depression for a few
weeks. Started watching it again and assumed I was watching it proper until I get to some scenes that were edited by Disney. I will have to track down the nc-17 version. I am
curious why this lame version persists.
7.31.2019
Wes Anderson - Bottle Rocket - 1996
(rewatch)
8.1.2019
Francis Lawrence - Red Sparrow - 2018
8.2.2019
Jonas Mekas - Notes on the Circus & Report from Millbrook - 1966, Travel Songs - 1981
8.4.2019
David O. Russell - The Fighter - 2010
(rewatch)
Not really on board with Mr. Russell, but gave this one a second go. I remember the HBO Lowell doc coming out when I was young and it was like a wake up that the world was not all smooth and smelling of roses.
Curtis Harrington - Night Tide - 1961
(rewatch)
Classic 60s film by the sometimes avant'garde filmmaker Curtis Harrington who made The Fall of the House of Usher, and shot one of the best Kenneth Anger films Puce Moment.
Mark L. Lester - Class of 1984 - 1982
Werner Herzog - Stroszek - 1977
(rewatch)
Perfect film.
8.8.2019
Abel Ferrara - Bad Lieutenant - 1992 NC-17
(rewatch)
The real version. God what a film!
8.9.2019
Steven Caple Jr. - Creed II - 2019
Paul Schrader - American Gigolo - 1980
(rewatch)
The soundtrack for this film is all variations of the Blondie song, and didn't work that well. Not a bad movie besides that, a little dated though in the way Brian de Palma films can be, with the strong Hitchcock quality that seems too much pastiche.
(rewatch)
Rewatch of one of the best early 90s films.
8.11.2019
Adrian Lyne - Nine 1/2 Weeks - 1986
Very good film with Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. Solid NYC ambiance.
8.12.2019
Geoffrey Wright - Romper Stomper - 1992
Jim Jarmusch - Paterson - 2016
(rewatch)
Third time I believe, becoming one of my favorite Jarmusch films.
8.13.2019
Tom DiCillo - Living in Oblivion - 1995
(rewatch)
Steve Buscemi as filmmaker. Has some moments. Classic 90s indie cast.
Dominik Moll - ‘Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien’ (With a Friend Like Harry) - 2000
(rewatch)
One of the great French films. Sergi López (Pan's Labyrinth) is fantastic.
Baran bo Odar Jantje Friese - Dark - 2017-2020
German tv, sort of a more tastefully done Stranger Things. Mostly pretty good soundtrack by Ben Frost, except when he gets high-pitched. Enjoyed the show, beautifully shot.
8.15.2019
Alexandre Rockwell - In the Soup - 1992
(rewatch)
Another Steve Buscemi as filmmaker, or potentially one. I remember seeing this and Living in Oblivion in the late 90s and not really liking the style, but gave them another go being a huge Buscemi and Seymour Cassel fan. The interactions between the 2 actors in this film are really worth seeing even though it is not a fully captivating film, pretty good though for the most part.
8.15.2019
Joanna Hogg - The Souvenir - 2019
Very nice film, mix of 16mm and digital video that looks great, and through possibly the fidelity and grain adds much to the levels of depression and despair of the film.
8.16.2019
Bruno Dumont - The Life of Jesus - 1997
Harmony Korine - The Beach Bum - 2019
Romcom from Harmony Korine. I enjoyed Matthew McConaughey's performance.
8.17.2019
Paul Schrader - Light Sleeper - 1992
(rewatch)
Once or twice a year type of film, such a great ambiance to the film.
Andrew Niccol - Gattaca - 1997
(rewatch)
8.17.2019
David Fincher, Andrew Dominik, Carl Franklin - Mindhunter season two - 2019
Good show, enjoyed more than season one. Damon Herriman plays Chuck Manson here and in Once Upon a Time.
8.20.2019
David Anspaugh - Hoosiers - 1986
(rewatch)
Master class on how the relationship between music, cinematography, and editing can create a bit of emotion, even if sentimental. As a youngster this relationship bugged the shit out of me but now at age 44, with a drink in my hand and not really giving a shit it is kind of interest to watch.
Andrew Davis - The Package - 1989
A second Gene Hackman film. Also the late great John Heard.
8.21.2019
Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood - 2019
I am a fan of Tarantino's Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, the latter took a while for me to get into, but now hard not to appreciate it. Besides those, I haven't really been a fan of his work, especially the last decade and a half. Although he always has a few great scenes like the Michael Fassbinder bar scene from Inglourious Basterds, which I have seen a few times. I came to Once Upon a Time thinking I wouldn't dig it, even though the subject matter is right up my alley: 1969, Sixties Los Angeles, Westerns and drunken western actors, the Manson crew (my father dated the famous Manson girl from New Hampshire when they were both in high school, pre-Chuck Manson), and the seedier side of the street in general which one finds in the City of Sin. Initially watching the film I was really struck by Mr. Pitt's performance and general character, also by the look of the film, and then Leo and his role really grew on me. Leo in his trailer yelling at himself was one hell of a great performance. The comedy of the film was just tear enduing, especially Leo yelling at the hippie crew and the end bloodbath. Some parts I could do without, mainly the Tate moments, but damn it was a pretty good film and I would see it again. One bit of interest was my wife and I went out of the way to see it on 35mm, and I guess the projectionist was new to the business or out of practice because there were numerous vertical scratches on the film that I am pretty sure where occurring as we saw them, and after about 10 minutes he shut the projector down I am guessing to give the damn thing a clean (why didn't he shoot a bit of spit in there?) and it started running a bit cleaner to just end up getting pretty scratchy 10 minutes later. I am guessing the few millennials that noticed thought it was intentional on Mr. Tarantino's part? In a way it added to the charm of the screening.
Joanna Hogg - The Souvenir - 2019
Very nice film, mix of 16mm and digital video that looks great, and through possibly the fidelity and grain adds much to the levels of depression and despair of the film.
8.16.2019
Bruno Dumont - The Life of Jesus - 1997
Harmony Korine - The Beach Bum - 2019
Romcom from Harmony Korine. I enjoyed Matthew McConaughey's performance.
Paul Schrader - Light Sleeper - 1992
(rewatch)
Once or twice a year type of film, such a great ambiance to the film.
Andrew Niccol - Gattaca - 1997
(rewatch)
8.17.2019
David Fincher, Andrew Dominik, Carl Franklin - Mindhunter season two - 2019
Good show, enjoyed more than season one. Damon Herriman plays Chuck Manson here and in Once Upon a Time.
8.20.2019
David Anspaugh - Hoosiers - 1986
(rewatch)
Master class on how the relationship between music, cinematography, and editing can create a bit of emotion, even if sentimental. As a youngster this relationship bugged the shit out of me but now at age 44, with a drink in my hand and not really giving a shit it is kind of interest to watch.
Andrew Davis - The Package - 1989
A second Gene Hackman film. Also the late great John Heard.
Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood - 2019
I am a fan of Tarantino's Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, the latter took a while for me to get into, but now hard not to appreciate it. Besides those, I haven't really been a fan of his work, especially the last decade and a half. Although he always has a few great scenes like the Michael Fassbinder bar scene from Inglourious Basterds, which I have seen a few times. I came to Once Upon a Time thinking I wouldn't dig it, even though the subject matter is right up my alley: 1969, Sixties Los Angeles, Westerns and drunken western actors, the Manson crew (my father dated the famous Manson girl from New Hampshire when they were both in high school, pre-Chuck Manson), and the seedier side of the street in general which one finds in the City of Sin. Initially watching the film I was really struck by Mr. Pitt's performance and general character, also by the look of the film, and then Leo and his role really grew on me. Leo in his trailer yelling at himself was one hell of a great performance. The comedy of the film was just tear enduing, especially Leo yelling at the hippie crew and the end bloodbath. Some parts I could do without, mainly the Tate moments, but damn it was a pretty good film and I would see it again. One bit of interest was my wife and I went out of the way to see it on 35mm, and I guess the projectionist was new to the business or out of practice because there were numerous vertical scratches on the film that I am pretty sure where occurring as we saw them, and after about 10 minutes he shut the projector down I am guessing to give the damn thing a clean (why didn't he shoot a bit of spit in there?) and it started running a bit cleaner to just end up getting pretty scratchy 10 minutes later. I am guessing the few millennials that noticed thought it was intentional on Mr. Tarantino's part? In a way it added to the charm of the screening.
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