(Which one of these options is the _closest_ fit for you?)

PART ONE.

A. Really never. I couldn't tell you the last time I did.

B. On special occasions, no more than a couple times a year.

C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer maybe.

D. Once every a week or thereabouts.

E. Very often, almost as much or more often than I do watch movies from the 80s or 90s.


PART TWO.

If you answered "A" or "B", do you consciously avoid these films? Do they just hold little appeal?

If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?

If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked? Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be "classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for example, but beyond that?


PART THREE.

If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can identify the source of the change, what was it?


--test over--

>D. Once every a week or thereabouts.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

40 Year Old Virgin . . . The Squid and The Whale . . . Raising Victor Vargas . . . School of Rock . . .

> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

I could see School of Rock being a VH1 type "movies that rock" classic, but not really extending beyond that. 40 Year Old Virgin probably won't hold up too great for audiences a decade down the line. The Squid and the Whale is great but doesn't have the Rushmore-ability to translate to enough people. But I honestly belive Raising Victor Vargas, because of its simplicity, its use of natural actors, an across-the-board honest coming of age story, and its indie quality, can stretch to classic and reach the company of the best works from previous decades.

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed?

I didn't watch as many foreign films or the cult sort, under-the-radar older Long Riders types.


If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

One was a change in age, going to school, being able to utlize the school library. Also, the Internet (okayplayer, imdb, etc.) kept me informed, while Netflix or Ebay or Amazon brought the hard-to-find titles to me.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?
> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

I don't like to predict "classics." Remember that Vertigo was ripped by critics when it came out.

However, I could see myself watching the following 2005 films ten years down the road:

-Grizzly Man
-2046
-Match Point
-Howl's Moving Castle
-The New World
-Cafe Lumiere

Movies like Munich and Brokeback and Goodnight/Goodluck were also quite good but are very much--I think--of their time and will fade in impact.

>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

Five years ago I watched slightly fewer contemporary films. The big difference is income. I was a poor college student then. Renting John Ford films was easier than going to see X-Men.

--------

hell-below.com

>I don't like to predict "classics." Remember that Vertigo was
>ripped by critics when it came out.

This is something I've been wondering about recently.

I know Vertigo was pretty much a failure, in a commercial and critical sense early on, and I thought Citizen Kane met the same fate, and those are two of the best films of all-time,w/out exaggeration.

Are situations such as this as simple as "the world was just not ready"? Was the type of movie critic just a different breed than we have today? Was he less meticulous, less refined? I know Andrew Sarris started getting his licks in around this time, but I always had an idea that it wasn't until the Cahiers du Cinéma's influence trickled overseas that movie criticism became "legitimated", serious work capable of accurately judging serious film.

>However, I could see myself watching the following 2005 films
>ten years down the road:
>
>-Grizzly Man

You people keep talking about this, I'm feeling left out.

>-2046

That's a good man that'd stand by a director in times like these.

>-Match Point

Really? Hmm . . . I could see rewatching it with the same kinda enthusiasm that I had when I first saw it if we're only talking about the scene where Scarlett Johansson is lying chest down but shoulders up on the bed. I liked it and all, but it was a little underwhelming. It'll probably end up in the class of Husbands & Wives.

>-Howl's Moving Castle

Gotta look into that.

>-The New World

The Colin Farrell one? But you're a genuine Malick supporter, aren't you?

>-Cafe Lumiere

Lumiere as in The Lumiere Brothers?

>Movies like Munich and Brokeback and Goodnight/Goodluck were
>also quite good but are very much--I think--of their time and
>will fade in impact.

With a movie like Munich, which, although popular PTP isn't to friendly towards it, I thought was great, given that it's already set a couple decades ago, and that I always had this notion that historical movies hold up better over time, I see Munich even getting better down the road.

>I know Vertigo was pretty much a failure, in a commercial and
>critical sense early on, and I thought Citizen Kane met the
>same fate, and those are two of the best films of
>all-time,w/out exaggeration.

I wouldn't put Kane in the same class. It was received fairly well, critically. Obviously nobody said, "This is the greatest film of all time," but it was respected as a mature and exciting cinematic experiment. Whereas Vertigo actually got shat on by critics who normally liked Hitchcock's work.

>Are situations such as this as simple as "the world was just
>not ready"? Was the type of movie critic just a different
>breed than we have today? Was he less meticulous, less
>refined? I know Andrew Sarris started getting his licks in
>around this time, but I always had an idea that it wasn't
>until the Cahiers du Cinéma's influence trickled overseas that
>movie criticism became "legitimated", serious work capable of
>accurately judging serious film.

I'm not sure why. But there have been serious film critics for a long time. The "auteur theory" obviously wasn't in vogue, but there has been serious literature written about the cinema since the 20s.

I do think there are works of art that really are ahead of their time (usually inadvertantly so). We have a series of compartments we put films into and sometimes there's a film that doesn't fit any of those compartments (or misleadingly seems like it belongs in a negative compartment) and that can be frustrating. People rioted at Rites of Spring and tried to burn down the theatre at the premiere of Rules of the Game.

>>-Grizzly Man
>
>You people keep talking about this, I'm feeling left out.

It's not Herzog's best film, but it's quite good. It also has the benefit of being quite unlike anything else every made.

>>-2046
>
>That's a good man that'd stand by a director in times like
>these.

I honestly love this movie. I can't objectively say it's good, but I was emotionally engaged throughout. Maybe it's just my melancholy, lovelorn nature that makes me susceptible to WKW's work.

>-Match Point
>
>Really? Hmm . . . I could see rewatching it with the same
>kinda enthusiasm that I had when I first saw it if we're only
>talking about the scene where Scarlett Johansson is lying
>chest down but shoulders up on the bed. I liked it and all,
>but it was a little underwhelming. It'll probably end up in
>the class of Husbands & Wives.

I don't think it's in Woody's top tier (Manhattan, Crimes, Husbands), but it's damn good and one of the best films of its kind in a long while. It deals with serious issues in a way that makes History of Violence look like, well, a comic book.

>>-Howl's Moving Castle
>
>Gotta look into that.

Only if you dig Miyazaki. I'm not an animation fiend, but his work is fascinating. I can only imagine it getting better over time.

>>-The New World
>
>The Colin Farrell one? But you're a genuine Malick supporter,
>aren't you?

I think Malick is the best active American filmmaker (assuming Lynch is never making another real film again).

>>-Cafe Lumiere
>
>Lumiere as in The Lumiere Brothers?

No, the Hou Hsou-Hsien film. It's very good.

>With a movie like Munich, which, although popular PTP isn't to
>friendly towards it, I thought was great, given that it's
>already set a couple decades ago, and that I always had this
>notion that historical movies hold up better over time, I see
>Munich even getting better down the road.

Munich is period but it's really about contemporary American policy. Which is why I have a suspicion it might get dated. Same with Goodnight/Goodluck. Set in the past, but about the Bush administration. Not that these films won't be enjoyable and interesting in years to come, but it will be like watching All the President's Men or something.

--------

hell-below.com

>Whereas Vertigo actually got
>shat on by critics who normally liked Hitchcock's work.

Simply because it just wasn't the "Hitchcock" picture they had imagined? Yeah, I guess I see how in his catalog it could seem like a curveball. You happen to know what they said in particular? (I can only imagine.)

>>Are situations such as this as simple as "the world was just
>>not ready"? Was the type of movie critic just a different
>>breed than we have today? Was he less meticulous, less
>>refined? I know Andrew Sarris started getting his licks in
>>around this time, but I always had an idea that it wasn't
>>until the Cahiers du Cinéma's influence trickled overseas
>that
>>movie criticism became "legitimated", serious work capable
>of
>>accurately judging serious film.
>
>I'm not sure why. But there have been serious film critics for
>a long time. The "auteur theory" obviously wasn't in vogue,
>but there has been serious literature written about the cinema
>since the 20s.

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

I wonder what the differences were though. You know when movies started running reviewer's blurbs in ads?

>I do think there are works of art that really are ahead of
>their time (usually inadvertantly so). We have a series of
>compartments we put films into and sometimes there's a film
>that doesn't fit any of those compartments (or misleadingly
>seems like it belongs in a negative compartment) and that can
>be frustrating. People rioted at Rites of Spring and tried to
>burn down the theatre at the premiere of Rules of the Game.
>
>>>-Grizzly Man
>>
>>You people keep talking about this, I'm feeling left out.
>
>It's not Herzog's best film, but it's quite good. It also has
>the benefit of being quite unlike anything else every made.

But I've bee slacking on Herzog in general.


>>>-2046
>>
>>That's a good man that'd stand by a director in times like
>>these.
>
>I honestly love this movie. I can't objectively say it's good,
>but I was emotionally engaged throughout. Maybe it's just my
>melancholy, lovelorn nature that makes me susceptible to WKW's
>work.

No, I understand, we wouldn't be who we are w/out are biases.

Objectivity is often overrated.


>>-Match Point
>>
>>Really? Hmm . . . I could see rewatching it with the same
>>kinda enthusiasm that I had when I first saw it if we're
>only
>>talking about the scene where Scarlett Johansson is lying
>>chest down but shoulders up on the bed. I liked it and all,
>>but it was a little underwhelming. It'll probably end up in
>>the class of Husbands & Wives.
>
>I don't think it's in Woody's top tier (Manhattan, Crimes,
>Husbands), but it's damn good and one of the best films of its
>kind in a long while. It deals with serious issues in a way
>that makes History of Violence look like, well, a comic book.

You put Husbands & Wives in his top tier? Hmm . . . I could never do that for the camerawork alone.

>>>-Howl's Moving Castle
>>
>>Gotta look into that.
>
>Only if you dig Miyazaki. I'm not an animation fiend, but his
>work is fascinating. I can only imagine it getting better over
>time.

Oh, okay, yeah, I'm not a fan of the whole animation Miyazaki thing. When I was back at home and they were showing his films on TCM, I tried but just couldn't find a reason not to change the channel.

>>>-The New World
>>
>>The Colin Farrell one? But you're a genuine Malick
>supporter,
>>aren't you?
>
>I think Malick is the best active American filmmaker (assuming
>Lynch is never making another real film again).

I don't think I've ever liked something Malick did, as few as titles as there are, all the way through. I would even go so far as to say I disliked all of Days of Heaven.

Lynch is too eratic for my taste.

Just thinking quickly, I'd probably put Linklater in my top slot, though three words (Bad News Bears) are mocking me.

>>With a movie like Munich, which, although popular PTP isn't
>to
>>friendly towards it, I thought was great, given that it's
>>already set a couple decades ago, and that I always had this
>>notion that historical movies hold up better over time, I
>see
>>Munich even getting better down the road.
>
>Munich is period but it's really about contemporary American
>policy. Which is why I have a suspicion it might get dated.
>Same with Goodnight/Goodluck. Set in the past, but about the
>Bush administration. Not that these films won't be enjoyable
>and interesting in years to come, but it will be like watching
>All the President's Men or something.

I only think the last 30 or so minutes of Munich might come off dated in that sense.

But I have a sad feeling the the War on Terror allegory won't seem distant for a long time.

>Simply because it just wasn't the "Hitchcock" picture they had
>imagined? Yeah, I guess I see how in his catalog it could
>seem like a curveball. You happen to know what they said in
>particular? (I can only imagine.)

I think so. And no I don't have any quotes. But there's no suspense in the traditional Hitchcock sense. And the main character does some extremely unsympathetic shit. I can see people just being repelled by the whole thing at the time. The shock of both Hitch and Stewart getting that dark and weird might have been too much.

> You know when
>movies started running reviewer's blurbs in ads?

No idea. I doubt until the 70s.

>But I've bee slacking on Herzog in general.

See Aguirre first. Strozcek second. If you like those, dive in.

>Objectivity is often overrated.

Indeed.

>You put Husbands & Wives in his top tier? Hmm . . . I could
>never do that for the camerawork alone.

It's probably the only majority-handheld film I honestly love. And, trust me, I hate handheld.

>Oh, okay, yeah, I'm not a fan of the whole animation Miyazaki
>thing. When I was back at home and they were showing his
>films on TCM, I tried but just couldn't find a reason not to
>change the channel.

I completely understand. I resisted his stuff as "anime" for years. But he's got a wonderful sense of melancholy, nostalgia, and wonder. The best animated films since Disney in the 40s.

>I don't think I've ever liked something Malick did, as few as
>titles as there are, all the way through. I would even go so
>far as to say I disliked all of Days of Heaven.

One of the greatest experiences of my life is seeing an archival print of this film. Greater photography has never been committed to 35mm.

>Lynch is too eratic for my taste.

Blue Velvet is a tremendous achievement. The rest of his works, however flawed, demonstrate tremendous talent.

>I only think the last 30 or so minutes of Munich might come
>off dated in that sense.
>
>But I have a sad feeling the the War on Terror allegory won't
>seem distant for a long time.

I have a sinking feeling you might be right. Point taken.

--------

hell-below.com

>It's probably the only majority-handheld film I honestly love.
>And, trust me, I hate handheld.

I really hate tv shows/films that exaggerate handheld "swing" and zooms for no apparent reason.

TV shows w/ segments where the host talks for a bit and introduces the next segment and the handheld is going crazy? Creatives are so afraid people need that to stay tuned.


>>I don't think I've ever liked something Malick did, as few
>as
>>titles as there are, all the way through. I would even go
>so
>>far as to say I disliked all of Days of Heaven.
>
>One of the greatest experiences of my life is seeing an
>archival print of this film. Greater photography has never
>been committed to 35mm.

Nestor Almendros is never mentioned enough here on OKP. Word!

>>Lynch is too eratic for my taste.
>
>Blue Velvet is a tremendous achievement. The rest of his
>works, however flawed, demonstrate tremendous talent.

Malick and Lynch above Altman? Just curious.

>TV shows w/ segments where the host talks for a bit and
>introduces the next segment and the handheld is going crazy?
>Creatives are so afraid people need that to stay tuned.

And the sad part is they might be right. I don't claim TV don't know what they're doing, I just don't like it.

>Nestor Almendros is never mentioned enough here on OKP.
>Word!

Cinematographers in general aren't mentioned enough. Probably because nobody really understands how it is they do what they do.

>>>Lynch is too eratic for my taste.
>>
>>Blue Velvet is a tremendous achievement. The rest of his
>>works, however flawed, demonstrate tremendous talent.
>
>Malick and Lynch above Altman? Just curious.

If we're talking total career, then Altman all the way. But I don't look forward to Altman's new movies, and I am lead to believe Lynch will never really make any. Whereas Malick, shockingly, looks to be in his prime of productivity.

He's certainly not the greatest living filmmaker. I called him "the best active American filmmaker." More accurately, it should be "American filmmaker whose new films I'm most excited to see." He might be the only American whose work merits a blind ticket purchase from me.

--------

hell-below.com

I wouldn't exactly "special ocations" it's more of a "when the mood strikes" type of thing.

Part II:

I don't avoid or dislike movies based on the year they were released. I really love to study film history in a completely amteurish way, I'm no super-buff by any means. The main reason would be I live in Concord, NH and it isn't that easy to get to these films without spending 20-30 dollars. I've got netflix, but there always seems to be a tv show or newer movie ahead in the queue and I'm really not very good at sending the dvds back in a timely manner.


Part III:

3-5 years ago I would have been a C or a D. I was much heavier into cinema at that point, thought about being a film major. What's changed? I have a fiance (who is not very interested in film), a "real world" job, and little time for much else. I'm sure when I'm old and bored with life I'll get back into film history a bit more.

>I wouldn't exactly "special ocations" it's more of a "when
>the mood strikes" type of thing.

Yeah, I didn't mean "special occasions" as in "oh, it's the 4th Tuesday of September, gotta watch something from 1937 today."

I meant more of what you said.


>Part II:
>
>I don't avoid or dislike movies based on the year they were
>released. I really love to study film history in a completely
>amteurish way, I'm no super-buff by any means. The main
>reason would be I live in Concord, NH

What's the nearest "big" city you got?

>and it isn't that easy
>to get to these films without spending 20-30 dollars. I've
>got netflix, but there always seems to be a tv show or newer
>movie ahead in the queue and I'm really not very good at
>sending the dvds back in a timely manner.

You have any of these pre-1970 titles on your queue now?

>
>Part III:
>
>3-5 years ago I would have been a C or a D. I was much
>heavier into cinema at that point, thought about being a film
>major. What's changed?

If you don't mind me asking, in that timeframe, how old were you?

>I have a fiance

Congratulations

>(who is not very
>interested in film)

the breaks (c) Kurtis Blow


>, a "real world" job, and little time for
>much else. I'm sure when I'm old and bored with life I'll get
>back into film history a bit more.

You mean a literary history of film? Or just history as far as "films that came out before I was born" kind of thing?

Sin City, Maria Full of Grace, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Crash are my handful of movies that have come out in the last year or so that I find myself rewatching now. I don't think this means they're bound to be classics, but parts of these movies will stay with me.

>Sin City, Maria Full of Grace, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Kiss Kiss
>Bang Bang and Crash are my handful of movies that have come
>out in the last year or so that I find myself rewatching now.
>I don't think this means they're bound to be classics, but
>parts of these movies will stay with me.

Vol 2 & not 1?

I swear I read somewhere where they said Tarantino's gonna repackage them both into one film for rerelease, or something along those lines.

And since you put yourself down for E, what are the most recent "older" movies that left a good impression on you?

I didn't feel like Vol. 1 did anything much with character development or had much of a narrative structure. I felt like it was just a B-movie with stylized action sequences. I feel like you could have seen Vol. 2 without having seen the first one and get just as much out of it. Vol. 2 to me it felt like it was paced better. To me it had better acting performances, especially Michael Madsen. There wasn't as much action, but that didn't detract from it. But that's just how I saw it. There were a lot of people that couldn't get with Vol. 2.

The last few older movies I saw within the last month that I got into were Requiem For A Heavyweight, Sunset Blvd. Le Proces and Stalag 17.

>The last few older movies I saw within the last month that I
>got into were Requiem For A Heavyweight, Sunset Blvd. Le
>Proces and Stalag 17.


Since Sunset Blvd, Le Proces (The Trial), and Stalag 17 are mentioned throughout this post, I wanna hit on those.

quick thoughts:

I really don't like Sunset Blvd. It's kinda predictable once the story gets going, a little overly pessimistic, and melodramatic at times.

Citizen Kane is Welles' story and visuals been perfectly balanced, wheras The Trial is the visuals overpowering the story, and the story not drawing in the audience.

Stalag 17 is great: great cast, great story, some humor to not get to dire, and supsense that works.

You react much differently?

but I've hardly watched any movies in the past few months

>PART TWO.

>If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?

I've been meaning force myself to watch more silent films but they just don't appeal to me for the most part. In fact it's hard for me to get into alot of films made before the 40s

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

City of God, 40 Year Old Virgin, Last Life in the Universe, 25th Hour

> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

City of God and 40yo maybe, but as you know, everyone has their own definition of "classic"

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed?

changed dramatically. 5 years ago I could count the number of pre-70s films I'd seen on one hand. 5 years ago, I thought "Film Noir" was some French artsy fartsy shit

If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

I still can't pinpoint it. Just kind of a desire to learn what inspired the filmmakers I respected. Some people in this board helped though, as far as recommendations.

>but I've hardly watched any movies in the past few months

Everything all right, man? <--not meant in a condensing or humorous fashion.

>I've been meaning force myself to watch more silent films but
>they just don't appeal to me for the most part. In fact it's
>hard for me to get into alot of films made before the 40s

I'm sure some purists will object to this technique, but here's my little "get into silent films" tip:

Get the movie . . . get some headphones . . . put the movie in . . . put the headphones on . . . but listen to a CD of your own, not necessarily the score of the film itself. I found that often times that the scores of these older movies, if they're even there, distract more than they do accent the action on the screen. And if you're gonna have something distract you, it might as well be some music you like. I would say go for more instrumental type music; DJ Shadow and Cinematic Orchestra were my go-to artists. Not only do you get to look at generally compelling pictures, but you can hang in with the story a little more since you got a little cheat going.

Plus, you can find some cool incidental Pink Floyd-Wizard of Oz type moments.

Not that you need recommendations, I'm sure, but:

Battleship Potemkin (1925)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/

Nosferatu (1922)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0019254/

Sunrise (1927)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455

The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0015400/


I've done the headphones trick w/ all of them except for Nosferatu (German Expressionism is enough to conquer my sense by itself), and w/ The Passion of Joan of Arc, while listening to the title track of off CO's Everyday, I just about sobbed like I missed the womb or something.

>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>
>City of God, 40 Year Old Virgin, Last Life in the Universe,
>25th Hour
>
>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>City of God and 40yo maybe, but as you know, everyone has
>their own definition of "classic"

You see 40yr on DVD or in the theaters the first time?

And I'd say City of God is a pretty safe bet.


>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed?
>
>changed dramatically. 5 years ago I could count the number of
>pre-70s films I'd seen on one hand. 5 years ago, I thought
>"Film Noir" was some French artsy fartsy shit

Yeah, Mike Hammer would punch you in the face for calling him "artsy farsty."

>If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>I still can't pinpoint it. Just kind of a desire to learn what
>inspired the filmmakers I respected.

That's what I love about Scorsese, amongst many other things, is that he's never been bashful in paying homage in his films or plainly stating his influences and his own with movies.

>>but I've hardly watched any movies in the past few months
>
>Everything all right, man? <--not meant in a condensing or
>humorous fashion.

haha, yeah I'm cool, just been busy and not in a movie watching mood. every once in a while I take a few months off from movies for no real reason. I'm starting again though. I watched Brute Force the other day. watching House of Bamboo tonight.

>Get the movie . . . get some headphones . . . put the movie in
>. . . put the headphones on . . . but listen to a CD of your
>own, not necessarily the score of the film itself. I found
>that often times that the scores of these older movies, if
>they're even there, distract more than they do accent the
>action on the screen. And if you're gonna have something
>distract you, it might as well be some music you like. I
>would say go for more instrumental type music; DJ Shadow and
>Cinematic Orchestra were my go-to artists. Not only do you
>get to look at generally compelling pictures, but you can hang
>in with the story a little more since you got a little cheat

this is an interesting method I never thought of. plus I just got some headphones I really like.

>Battleship Potemkin (1925)
>www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/

I'm not watching this again. Not that I don't recognize its brilliance. I'm just not watching it again (same goes for Birth of a Nation and Intolerance).

>Nosferatu (1922)
>www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

>Sunrise (1927)
>www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455

these I've been wanting to see forever

>You see 40yr on DVD or in the theaters the first time?

Theater. It's the hardest I laughed in a theater in years. I suppose I agree with people's complaints about the extended version in that most of that footage is unnecessary and doesn't make it any better/funnier, but it doesn't ruin it for me.

>That's what I love about Scorsese, amongst many other things,
>is that he's never been bashful in paying homage in his films
>or plainly stating his influences and his own with movies.

word

>>>but I've hardly watched any movies in the past few months
>>
>>Everything all right, man? <--not meant in a condensing or
>>humorous fashion.
>
>haha, yeah I'm cool, just been busy and not in a movie
>watching mood. every once in a while I take a few months off
>from movies for no real reason. I'm starting again though.

It takes a lot of effort to watch movies. It really does. Not only does it require the use of more than one sense and a brain, but it's sometimes hard to etch out a 2 hour period w/out interruption in the day.

music >> movies

>I
>watched Brute Force the other day. watching House of Bamboo
>tonight.

Robert Ryan made some great ones. Bad Day at Black Rock and The Set-Up are woah (never seen Bamboo though).

Did you end up watching it?

>this is an interesting method I never thought of. plus I just
>got some headphones I really like.

Let me know if you do that.

>>Battleship Potemkin (1925)
>>www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/
>
>I'm not watching this again. Not that I don't recognize its
>brilliance. I'm just not watching it again (same goes for
>Birth of a Nation and Intolerance).

I only put that up because it's like 70 minutes long and has one of the most famous 4 minute long scenes. That's a good ratio.

But yeah, you couldn't get me to watch Birth of a Nation or Intolerance all the way through. I've seen enough to know why they're so storied, and that's good for me.

>>Nosferatu (1922)
>>www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/
>
>>Sunrise (1927)
>>www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455
>
>these I've been wanting to see forever

As much as I may try to play down my German ancestary, if I got some relatives that walked the same ground Murnau did, that'd be cool.

>>You see 40yr on DVD or in the theaters the first time?
>
>Theater. It's the hardest I laughed in a theater in years. I
>suppose I agree with people's complaints about the extended
>version in that most of that footage is unnecessary and
>doesn't make it any better/funnier, but it doesn't ruin it for
>me.

Yeah, I did like you did.

And I agree that the extra footage is unnecessary but the movie's still good, and it doesn't bother me. However, I was a little upset that there wasn't an option to see the theatrical version on the disc. I watched the DVD w/ someone who hadn't seen it previously and their reaction didn't quite meet the level that I had built it up to be.

Commentary is good though.

>music >> movies

yeah, If I had to choose one

>Robert Ryan made some great ones. Bad Day at Black Rock and
>The Set-Up are woah (never seen Bamboo though).
>
>Did you end up watching it?

not yet. I procrastinate. maybe later today. never seen (or even heard of) Bad Day at Black Rock. Have you seen Crossfire yet? he's good in that also.

>As much as I may try to play down my German ancestary, if I
>got some relatives that walked the same ground Murnau did,
>that'd be cool.

fucking Nazis.. nothing changes. (I have family in Germany)

>C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer
>maybe.

This is usually the case

>D. Once every a week or thereabouts.

When TCM is in the zone & having a great week/month then I'll watch em w/ this frequency

what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?

*Checks Netflix list*

Bob Le Flambeur
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Arsenic & Old Lace
The Monster
Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington
Mr. Deeds goes 2 Town
Key Largo
Breathless
Bonnie & Clyde
Midnight Cowboy
In a Lonley Place
Kansas City Confidential
The Hustler
Strangers on a Train
8 1/2

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

Batman Begins, Sin City, Munich, Good Night & Good Luck, The Squid & The Whale

> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

Personal classics perhaps

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

I realized Humphrey Bogart was a stud & there's not an actor like him currently working 2day.

>>D. Once every a week or thereabouts.
>
>When TCM is in the zone & having a great week/month then I'll
>watch em w/ this frequency

That and BET are the channels I'm mad I can't get while I'm at school. I miss video hoes and Robert Osborne equally.

>what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?
>
>*Checks Netflix list*
>
>Bob Le Flambeur

Never seen, but if I can't interject with my own Melville pick, though it came out exactly in 1970:

Cercle rouge, Le
www.imdb.com/title/tt0065531/


>The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

It's Bogart, so, you know.

>Arsenic & Old Lace
>Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington
>Mr. Deeds goes 2 Town
>Key Largo
>Strangers on a Train
>Bonnie & Clyde
>Kansas City Confidential

W/ the exception of maybe Mr Deeds and Kansas City Confidential, these all are historically well-regarded, for whatever good that does. And they're not bad, but I never got into them as much as I wanted to.

Key Largo has Bogart, they say Bonnie & Clyde was the start of a new generation of American filmmaking, and Strangers on a Train features some cinematic wickedness on a carousel, so those would be the three I put above the rest.


>Breathless

Getting into the French New Wave? This has Bogart by way of Belmondo, so, you know.

>8 1/2

You ever seen a Fellini movie before? This wouldn't be where I suggest to start if not.

>Midnight Cowboy
>In a Lonley Place
>The Hustler

And these all get my unqualified stamp of approval. (I had to double-check Midnight Cowboy's date. I thought that came out late 70s for some reason. But it's good and has a performance that I've heard people say changed the way they looked at Dustin Hoffman <--bad movie trailer line).

>
>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>
>Batman Begins, Sin City, Munich, Good Night & Good Luck, The
>Squid & The Whale

fuck this cock shit.

>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>Personal classics perhaps

Yeah, I hesitated to throw that word in there, and then I only put it in quotes, because it's such a loaded concept.

>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>I realized Humphrey Bogart was a stud & there's not an actor
>like him currently working 2day.

I still maintain that Clooney's the closest we got, but that's still really not that close.

>>When TCM is in the zone & having a great week/month then
>I'll
>>watch em w/ this frequency
>
>That and BET are the channels I'm mad I can't get while I'm at
>school. I miss video hoes and Robert Osborne equally.

I miss the good ole days of BET when they used 2 play vids I enjoyed. And Hits from the Street. That dude cracked me up.

>>what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>>>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?
>>
>>*Checks Netflix list*
>>
>>Bob Le Flambeur
>
>Never seen, but if I can't interject with my own Melville
>pick, though it came out exactly in 1970:
>
>Cercle rouge, Le
>www.imdb.com/title/tt0065531/

Sounds interesting. I'm a huge noir fan so I'll check this out. How does it compare 2 Rififi?

>>The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
>
>It's Bogart, so, you know.
>
>>Arsenic & Old Lace
>>Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington
>>Mr. Deeds goes 2 Town
>>Key Largo
>>Strangers on a Train
>>Bonnie & Clyde
>>Kansas City Confidential
>
>W/ the exception of maybe Mr Deeds and Kansas City
>Confidential, these all are historically well-regarded, for
>whatever good that does. And they're not bad, but I never got
>into them as much as I wanted to.

Yeah Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington was on Showtime last nite when I got home but I could only catch a few minutes of it cuz I went 2 see The New World which was another great movie that I've got 2 add 2 my personal classic list. Colin Farrell started out a little shakey in it but I'm once again convinced that he's a solid actor givin the right material & director. He was even better than Christian Bale which was somewhat shocking. Bullseye>>>>>>Batman? Who would've thunk it?

>Key Largo has Bogart, they say Bonnie & Clyde was the start of
>a new generation of American filmmaking, and Strangers on a
>Train features some cinematic wickedness on a carousel, so
>those would be the three I put above the rest.

Right on. I meant 2 ask you which ones you would select as priority viewing but you beat me 2 the punch. Kudos!

>>Breathless
>
>Getting into the French New Wave?

Not intentionally. Just checkin out Bogey's catalog.

>>8 1/2
>
>You ever seen a Fellini movie before?

Nope

This wouldn't be where
>I suggest to start if not.

What should I start w/? La Dolce Vita?

>>Midnight Cowboy
>>In a Lonley Place
>>The Hustler
>
>And these all get my unqualified stamp of approval. (I had to
>double-check Midnight Cowboy's date. I thought that came out
>late 70s for some reason. But it's good and has a performance
>that I've heard people say changed the way they looked at
>Dustin Hoffman <--bad movie trailer line).

I've heard that as well. And since you're a fan of The Hustler, lemme ask you what's your take on The Cincinatti Kid?

>>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>>liked?
>>
>>Batman Begins, Sin City, Munich, Good Night & Good Luck, The
>>Squid & The Whale
>
>fuck this cock shit.

I'm a philist. But I'd also have 2 add Intermission & Hero 2 the list above. As well as 25th Hour even tho it's not THAT recent.

>>I realized Humphrey Bogart was a stud & there's not an actor
>>like him currently working 2day.
>
>I still maintain that Clooney's the closest we got, but that's
>still really not that close.

Yeah he might be but his level of coolness is a little more subtle where as Bogey just came out & let the dames know str8 up that he was the man. Deniro took over those reins pretty comfortably back in his hey day but sadly he's fallen off since then

>I miss the good ole days of BET when they used 2 play vids I
>enjoyed. And Hits from the Street. That dude cracked me up.

Throwback Thursdays would be the only days of Rap City that I'd watch now (they got awful hosts though).

But yeha, I remember Hits. Guy was great, then he went to Punk'd and I don't know what happened to him next.

>>Cercle rouge, Le
>>www.imdb.com/title/tt0065531/
>
>Sounds interesting. I'm a huge noir fan so I'll check this
>out. How does it compare 2 Rififi?

The onyl copy of Rififi I've ever seen was an all-fucked up VHS tape so I never got more than 20 minutes deep in it. But like that movie's notable for a very percise and detailed robbery scene, The Red Circle has something quite similar that's great.

>Yeah Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington was on Showtime last nite
>when I got home but I could only catch a few minutes of it cuz
>I went 2 see The New World which was another great movie that
>I've got 2 add 2 my personal classic list. Colin Farrell
>started out a little shakey in it but I'm once again convinced
>that he's a solid actor givin the right material & director.

I think he's good, but in what I've heard was his best performance, Tigerland, Matthew Davis outdid him IMO.

Never liked Phone Booth either.

And fuck him for hooking up w/Nicole Narain. That shit was supposed to be me.

>He was even better than Christian Bale which was somewhat
>shocking. Bullseye>>>>>>Batman? Who would've thunk it?

ha

Despite the fact that he's probably certifiable crazy, I like Bale and where his career is going.

>>>Breathless
>>
>>Getting into the French New Wave?
>
>Not intentionally. Just checkin out Bogey's catalog.

He's not in it, just referenced.


>>>8 1/2
>>
>>You ever seen a Fellini movie before?
>
>Nope

It's the movie most about him, so I'd recommend La Dolce Vita or Amarcord before. They're still personal movies, especially the latter, but you don't have to know him as well to get into them.

8 1/2 is great though, so it's not like I'm saying don't watch it. But I don't know how it would be to make the jump to Fellini starting with it.

>This wouldn't be where
>>I suggest to start if not.
>
>What should I start w/? La Dolce Vita?

I'd hesitate to say start with a 3 hour film of any director's.

Amarcord is probably my personal favorite of his, but I think Dr No, for example, doesn't it like it so much.

It's a surreal memory of youth, so it's nostalgia with a jump.

>I've heard that as well. And since you're a fan of The
>Hustler, lemme ask you what's your take on The Cincinatti
>Kid?

Never seen it, mostly because card movies aren't my taste.

The Color Of Money is the proper sequel. Scorsese did it, but because they more or less made the co-starring trade of Jackie Gleason for Tom Cruise, I never got around to seeing it either.

>
>>>I realized Humphrey Bogart was a stud & there's not an
>actor
>>>like him currently working 2day.
>>
>>I still maintain that Clooney's the closest we got, but
>that's
>>still really not that close.
>
>Yeah he might be but his level of coolness is a little more
>subtle where as Bogey just came out & let the dames know str8
>up that he was the man. Deniro took over those reins pretty
>comfortably back in his hey day but sadly he's fallen off
>since then

Don't even get me started on De Niro. I really wish he woulda stopped doing to himself all that he's done in the past 8 years or so. (It's not Jordan going to the Wizards, it's Jordan coming off the bench for the Raptors and fouling out in five minutes.) I've been meaning to do a De Niro post recently, but everytime I get to start it comes off sounding like an obituary entry.

>>I miss the good ole days of BET when they used 2 play vids
>I
>>enjoyed. And Hits from the Street. That dude cracked me up.
>
>Throwback Thursdays would be the only days of Rap City that
>I'd watch now (they got awful hosts though).
>
>But yeha, I remember Hits. Guy was great, then he went to
>Punk'd and I don't know what happened to him next.

You can currently catch him in Glory Road

>>>Cercle rouge, Le
>>>www.imdb.com/title/tt0065531/
>>
>>Sounds interesting. I'm a huge noir fan so I'll check this
>>out. How does it compare 2 Rififi?
>
>The onyl copy of Rififi I've ever seen was an all-fucked up
>VHS tape so I never got more than 20 minutes deep in it. But
>like that movie's notable for a very percise and detailed
>robbery scene, The Red Circle has something quite similar
>that's great.
>
>>Yeah Mr. Smith goes 2 Washington was on Showtime last nite
>>when I got home but I could only catch a few minutes of it
>cuz
>>I went 2 see The New World which was another great movie
>that
>>I've got 2 add 2 my personal classic list. Colin Farrell
>>started out a little shakey in it but I'm once again
>convinced
>>that he's a solid actor givin the right material & director.
>
>I think he's good, but in what I've heard was his best
>performance, Tigerland, Matthew Davis outdid him IMO.

Wow. Really? Davis was solid but I cant recall 1 scene w/ the 2 of them that made me felt like Davis stole it.

>Never liked Phone Booth either.

Naw neither do I. I'd say that's 1 of his worse roles. Much better in Hart's War, Intermission, Minority Report & Home @ the End of the World

>And fuck him for hooking up w/Nicole Narain. That shit was
>supposed to be me.

"Get in line chump" (c)some rapper whose name escapes me right now

>>He was even better than Christian Bale which was somewhat
>>shocking. Bullseye>>>>>>Batman? Who would've thunk it?
>
>ha
>
>Despite the fact that he's probably certifiable crazy, I like
>Bale and where his career is going.

Bale's crazy? What he do?

>>>>Breathless
>>>
>>>Getting into the French New Wave?
>>
>>Not intentionally. Just checkin out Bogey's catalog.
>
>He's not in it, just referenced.

Whoops. I'll still keep it on the list

>>>>8 1/2
>>>
>>>You ever seen a Fellini movie before?
>>
>>Nope
>
>It's the movie most about him, so I'd recommend La Dolce Vita
>or Amarcord before. They're still personal movies, especially
>the latter, but you don't have to know him as well to get into
>them.
>
>8 1/2 is great though, so it's not like I'm saying don't watch
>it. But I don't know how it would be to make the jump to
>Fellini starting with it.
>
>>This wouldn't be where
>>>I suggest to start if not.
>>
>>What should I start w/? La Dolce Vita?
>
>I'd hesitate to say start with a 3 hour film of any
>director's.
>
>Amarcord is probably my personal favorite of his, but I think
>Dr No, for example, doesn't it like it so much.
>
>It's a surreal memory of youth, so it's nostalgia with a
>jump.

Ok

>>I've heard that as well. And since you're a fan of The
>>Hustler, lemme ask you what's your take on The Cincinatti
>>Kid?
>
>Never seen it, mostly because card movies aren't my taste.
>
>The Color Of Money is the proper sequel. Scorsese did it, but
>because they more or less made the co-starring trade of Jackie
>Gleason for Tom Cruise, I never got around to seeing it
>either.

U didnt miss much

>>>>I realized Humphrey Bogart was a stud & there's not an
>>actor
>>>>like him currently working 2day.
>>>
>>>I still maintain that Clooney's the closest we got, but
>>that's
>>>still really not that close.
>>
>>Yeah he might be but his level of coolness is a little more
>>subtle where as Bogey just came out & let the dames know
>str8
>>up that he was the man. Deniro took over those reins pretty
>>comfortably back in his hey day but sadly he's fallen off
>>since then
>
>Don't even get me started on De Niro. I really wish he woulda
>stopped doing to himself all that he's done in the past 8
>years or so. (It's not Jordan going to the Wizards, it's
>Jordan coming off the bench for the Raptors and fouling out in
>five minutes.) I've been meaning to do a De Niro post
>recently, but everytime I get to start it comes off sounding
>like an obituary entry.

Yeah I can see how that would be tough. Do it anyways. I'd love 2 read & chime in on it.

I'll go with D for the sake of this survey.

>PART TWO.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

Machuca, 3-Iron, I *heart* Huckabees, Last Life in the Universe and Brothers.


> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

I think Machuca could definitely become a classic -- if more people had the opportunity to see it, that is.


>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

I've definitely been watching a lot more pre-1970 films in the past 3 years than ever before. I think part of it is just from becoming more mature and open-minded, but it's mostly due to all I've learned here on PTP. I don't think I even knew of TCM's existence before that.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
<-------------- You need to be watching this show.

kurly's Super-Duper Awesome™ DVD Collection:
http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=kurlyswirl

I be Scrobblin': http://www.last.fm/user/TasteeTreat

>I'll go with D for the sake of this survey.

Why did the pervert in me read that really wrongly?

>>PART TWO.
>
>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>
>Machuca, 3-Iron, I *heart* Huckabees, Last Life in the
>Universe and Brothers.

I just checked out the 3-Iron official site. That's a freaky ass movie poster.

But based on the trailer alone, it might be a blind purchase or I may see if my roommate has a queue slot he'd willing to trade for some Ramen or something.

So that's directed by the Seasons movie you liked so much? Still gotta get to that eventually as well.

>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>I think Machuca could definitely become a classic -- if more
>people had the opportunity to see it, that is.

Or even hear about it. I gotta do some independent research it seems.

Your movie habits >>> mine

>
>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>I've definitely been watching a lot more pre-1970 films in the
>past 3 years than ever before. I think part of it is just from
>becoming more mature and open-minded, but it's mostly due to
>all I've learned here on PTP. I don't think I even knew of
>TCM's existence before that.

Word, some good people here. Mature? Now, that's a different topic :)

(Just thinking, I think my first Reviews post ever was a TCM Appreciation post where I called "Night of the Hunter" "Night of the LONELY Hunter". KF quickly corrected me. And then it was all downhill from there. . . .) <--tangent in parentheses

>>I'll go with D for the sake of this survey.
>
>Why did the pervert in me read that really wrongly?

I didn't even think of that! Well, in that case, I should've chosen E. ;-)

>>Machuca, 3-Iron, I *heart* Huckabees, Last Life in the
>>Universe and Brothers.
>
>I just checked out the 3-Iron official site. That's a freaky
>ass movie poster.

Yeah, I love that poster. I had that pic as my avy for a little while.

>
>But based on the trailer alone, it might be a blind purchase
>or I may see if my roommate has a queue slot he'd willing to
>trade for some Ramen or something.

I don't know...because you didn't like Last Life, I hesitate to recommend buying it blind. Better get your roommate some ramen.


>
>So that's directed by the Seasons movie you liked so much?

Yup, Kim Ki-Duk. I like 3-Iron even more than the "Seasons movie." lol

>>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>>be
>>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>>example, but beyond that?
>>
>>I think Machuca could definitely become a classic -- if more
>>people had the opportunity to see it, that is.
>
>Or even hear about it. I gotta do some independent research
>it seems.

Yeah, last I checked, it's only available on Region 2 DVD. :-(


>
>Your movie habits >>> mine

It's SIFF, baby. Otherwise, I'd probably never would have sought it out when it was here recently for one week.

>>I've definitely been watching a lot more pre-1970 films in
>the
>>past 3 years than ever before. I think part of it is just
>from
>>becoming more mature and open-minded, but it's mostly due to
>>all I've learned here on PTP. I don't think I even knew of
>>TCM's existence before that.
>
>Word, some good people here. Mature? Now, that's a different
>topic :)

Haha...I'm intermittently mature. :-p


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
<-------------- You need to be watching this show.

kurly's Super-Duper Awesome™ DVD Collection:
http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=kurlyswirl

I be Scrobblin': http://www.last.fm/user/TasteeTreat

>>>I'll go with D for the sake of this survey.
>>
>>Why did the pervert in me read that really wrongly?
>
>I didn't even think of that! Well, in that case, I should've
>chosen E. ;-)

You're on quite a roll as of late <--I don't think I made any Freudian slip.

>>But based on the trailer alone, it might be a blind purchase
>>or I may see if my roommate has a queue slot he'd willing to
>>trade for some Ramen or something.
>
>I don't know...because you didn't like Last Life, I hesitate
>to recommend buying it blind. Better get your roommate some
>ramen.

Though I never saw the Last Life trailer, 3-Iron just seemed to have more going on. And why wouldn't I wanna see a movie where there's a dude hanging like Spiderman from the wall of a prison cell.

I'll try to make the Ramen deal go down (I'll probably have to throw in some OJ and a couple post-it notes to make it happen).

>>>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential
>to
>>>be
>>>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>>>example, but beyond that?
>>>
>>>I think Machuca could definitely become a classic -- if
>more
>>>people had the opportunity to see it, that is.
>>
>>Or even hear about it. I gotta do some independent research
>>it seems.
>
>Yeah, last I checked, it's only available on Region 2 DVD. :-(

whoops

Well, it looks like I got some time to hustle up a couple more bags of Ramen before it's available.

>>Word, some good people here. Mature? Now, that's a
>different
>>topic :)
>
>Haha...I'm intermittently mature. :-p

Yeah, you wouldn't know something about that, would you? :)

>(Which one of these options is the _closest_ fit for you?)
>
>PART ONE.

>C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer
>maybe.

>PART TWO.
>If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?

Basically if it says "Criterion Collection" on the side, I'm more willing to watch it, or more generally movies that are considered monumental in some form....recently I finally got around to watching "Black Narcissus" and a couple Hitchcock movies that I have been putting off for a LONG time, I know that there are some others that I intend to see, but at the moment I can't name them off the top of my head. They don't seem to get priority, I think that current movies get my priority. It seems that way because the mental list of films to see always contains a fair number of pre-70s items that don't seem to disappear.
>
>
>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>

I would never have been able to sit through a movie from the pre-60s, pre-70s would have been a borderline call....but I would be still unwilling to watch any, the source of the change was probably an appreciation of film as an art and the aesthetic value, as opposed to simply enjoying some popcorn movie or something, and seeing the origins of some of the techniques that are employed today, and basically just a desire to quench my thirst for knowledge, in this case related to film.


But overall, I would say that I am slightly averse to pre-70s films just because at times it seems hard to relate to the climate at the time and at times it's almost as if I am investigating some archeology as opposed to watching a movie for fun.

__________________________________

http://amatorsa.wordpress.com/

>>(Which one of these options is the _closest_ fit for you?)
>>
>>PART ONE.
>
>>C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer
>>maybe.
>
>>PART TWO.
>>If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?
>
>Basically if it says "Criterion Collection" on the side, I'm
>more willing to watch it, or more generally movies that are
>considered monumental in some form....

Criterion is good people.

If I can make some recommendations from their selection:

Le Samourai (1967)
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=306

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1949)
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=173

The Third Man (1949)
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=64

Wages of Fear (1953)
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=36

Yojimbo (1961)
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=52


>recently I finally got
>around to watching "Black Narcissus"

What did you think about Black Narcissus? Specifically, what did you think of the last 25 minutes or so? (The aforementioned The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is done by the same writer/director team.)

>and a couple Hitchcock
>movies that I have been putting off for a LONG time,

You remember which ones?

>>
>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>>
>
>I would never have been able to sit through a movie from the
>pre-60s, pre-70s would have been a borderline call....but I
>would be still unwilling to watch any, the source of the
>change was probably an appreciation of film as an art and the
>aesthetic value, as opposed to simply enjoying some popcorn
>movie or something, and seeing the origins of some of the
>techniques that are employed today, and basically just a
>desire to quench my thirst for knowledge, in this case related
>to film.

Because this is always a fun question to ask and think about, you think that newfound appreciation of film as being artistically valuable was brought one by one movie, in particular, or even a couple specific titles? Or was it just a gradual change?

>But overall, I would say that I am slightly averse to pre-70s
>films just because at times it seems hard to relate to the
>climate at the time and at times it's almost as if I am
>investigating some archeology as opposed to watching a movie
>for fun.

I imagine you had an interesting reaction to Black Narcissus then.

>Yojimbo (1961)
>http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=52

your favorite from Kurosawa?

>What did you think about Black Narcissus? Specifically, what
>did you think of the last 25 minutes or so? (The
>aforementioned The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is done by
>the same writer/director team.)
>

I loved the use of the paintings as a backdrop. As far as the rest of it, I would rate it quite highly because it kept me engaged the entire time which is something that I can rarely say about any movie, let alone one pre-50s, but it had a much more contemporary feel to it. The ending was something that I had no complaints about, yet didn't find that it stood out all that much from the rest, but I did like that sequence where the music and the picture are pretty much in-sync.

>>and a couple Hitchcock
>>movies that I have been putting off for a LONG time,
>

Vertigo & Rear Window.

>>>PART THREE.
>
>Because this is always a fun question to ask and think about,
>you think that newfound appreciation of film as being
>artistically valuable was brought one by one movie, in
>particular, or even a couple specific titles? Or was it just
>a gradual change?

I can't explain the appreciation of the aesthetics more than it just being a means to understand film in general better. I'm pretty sure it wasn't that much of a gradual phase, and I'm almost embarrased to say that it began with a Tarantino-obsession phase, where I became aware of the allusions in his movies to older films, wanted to see how he combined all the elements into what he had and then basically desired to consume all things Tarantino-related...that has certainly died down somewhat now, but I think that Pulp Fiction was my gateway drug in a sense.

__________________________________

http://amatorsa.wordpress.com/

>E. Very often, almost as much or more often than I do watch
>movies from the 80s or 90s.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

recently released... *shrug* Anchorman, 40 Year-Old Virgin, City of God, Oldboy, About a Boy, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Incredibles... i can't think of them all

> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

i dunno... i don't tend to think in terms of "classic" but yeah, all the films i mentioned are films i think i'll enjoy many years down the line. i don't usually really count movies that are just instant fixes... there are many of those i've enjoyed too. but i don't include them at all in movies that i actually "like"

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

five years ago?

pretty much the same.

_____________________

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/287/6/c/the_wire_lineup__huge_download_by_dennisculver-d30s7vl.jpg
The man who thinks at 50 the same way he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life - Muhammed Ali

Since it seems you got a full plate w/ comics and music and porn already, what number of movies you average in a good week?


>>E. Very often, almost as much or more often than I do
>watch
>>movies from the 80s or 90s.
>
>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>
>recently released... *shrug* Anchorman, 40 Year-Old Virgin,
>City of God, Oldboy, About a Boy, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The
>Incredibles... i can't think of them all

That's like 4 comedies (counting About A Boy), which I'm not saying is wrong or anything, just surprising. I guess my own list had mostly comedies though too. I wonder what that means.

Have you seen The Incredible more than once? I've seen it twice and had a very different reaction the second time around.

>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>i dunno... i don't tend to think in terms of "classic" but
>yeah, all the films i mentioned are films i think i'll enjoy
>many years down the line. i don't usually really count movies
>that are just instant fixes... there are many of those i've
>enjoyed too. but i don't include them at all in movies that i
>actually "like"

What's your most recent instant fix?

>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>five years ago?
>
>pretty much the same.

When did you work in the video store? <--not antagonistic

>Since it seems you got a full plate w/ comics and music and
>porn already, what number of movies you average in a good
>week?

i've been slacking on my movie-watching the past couple of weeks since i've been concentrating more on writing and other projects. i've had the same DVDs from Netflix for the past month or so, when i used to turn them over in 24 hours and get the next one the very next day.

>>recently released... *shrug* Anchorman, 40 Year-Old Virgin,
>>City of God, Oldboy, About a Boy, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The
>>Incredibles... i can't think of them all
>
>That's like 4 comedies (counting About A Boy), which I'm not
>saying is wrong or anything, just surprising. I guess my own
>list had mostly comedies though too. I wonder what that
>means.

ummm... probably doesn't mean anything in my case. i was just randomly pulling out movies i remembered liking a lot.

but then again, i don't think it's unfair to say that i AM somewhat partial to comedy

>Have you seen The Incredible more than once? I've seen it
>twice and had a very different reaction the second time
>around.

i've seen it in its entirety once. seen it in bits and pieces on maybe 20 other occasions.

>>i dunno... i don't tend to think in terms of "classic" but
>>yeah, all the films i mentioned are films i think i'll enjoy
>>many years down the line. i don't usually really count
>movies
>>that are just instant fixes... there are many of those i've
>>enjoyed too. but i don't include them at all in movies that
>i
>>actually "like"
>
>What's your most recent instant fix?

hard to say... maybe Kamikaze Girls http://www.kamikazegirls.net/


>When did you work in the video store? <--not antagonistic

LOL last time i worked in a video store was in Blockbuster, when i first came to the States about 12 years ago.

after that, i switched to record stores where i stayed through most of the 1990s

_____________________

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/287/6/c/the_wire_lineup__huge_download_by_dennisculver-d30s7vl.jpg
The man who thinks at 50 the same way he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life - Muhammed Ali

>i've been slacking on my movie-watching the past couple of
>weeks since i've been concentrating more on writing and other
>projects.

Yeah, when are you gonna be famous?

>i've had the same DVDs from Netflix for the past
>month or so, when i used to turn them over in 24 hours and get
>the next one the very next day.

You still gotta pay a monthly fee for that?

And I still haven't forgotten about my Gondry promise.

>>Have you seen The Incredibles more than once? I've seen it
>>twice and had a very different reaction the second time
>>around.
>
>i've seen it in its entirety once. seen it in bits and pieces
>on maybe 20 other occasions.

Ha

In what context are you watching bits and pieces of The Incredibles on 20 occasions? You do cable repairs or something?

>>What's your most recent instant fix?
>
>hard to say... maybe Kamikaze Girls
>http://www.kamikazegirls.net/

I was worried that that link wasn't work-safe at first.

I'll say it looks interesting at least.

How do you find out a movie like that?

>
>>When did you work in the video store? <--not antagonistic
>
>LOL last time i worked in a video store was in Blockbuster,
>when i first came to the States about 12 years ago.

okay . . . every one that I ever knew that worked at a Blockbuster said it was a bad experience.

>after that, i switched to record stores where i stayed through
>most of the 1990s

You ever written a High Fidelity script?

PART TWO.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?
> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

Potential classics? I dunno. Brokeback maybe, 40YOV, Junebug.

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

I don't think my tendancy to watch them has changed much, just my access to them.

_
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4TztqYaemt0
http://preptimeposse.blogspot.com/

Why foreign most often?

>PART TWO.
>
>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>Potential classics? I dunno. Brokeback maybe, 40YOV, Junebug.

You get a prize for mentioning Junebug first.

>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>I don't think my tendancy to watch them has changed much, just
>my access to them.

Access via film school?

>B. On special occasions, no more than a couple times a year.
>
>C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer
>maybe.

>If you answered "A" or "B", do you consciously avoid these
>films? Do they just hold little appeal?

Not at all. I unfortunately surround myself with non-filmophiles (fiancee, roommate, assorted other friends) who get on my ass for watching from earlier than 1980. Maybe it's just the built-in homerism one has for the films made during "their" time, but they're not real receptive to anything pre-1980.

>If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?

If you started naming them, I'm probably up for seeing it. Hell at this point there are plenty of pre-1980 films I need to see. Hopefully, once I get ride of the evil roommate and his lazy, no-good , no-taste-having ass I'll get my ol skool movie watching on.


>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?

I think discussing things in PTP and reading more film reviews (which often site older films and auteurs) and non-fiction literature on film has served to broaden my tastes overall. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend since there are several film categories I'm still trying to actively expose myself to.

______________________________
PSN: RuptureMD
http://hospitalstories.wordpress.com/

The 4th Annual Residency Encampment: Where do we go from here?

All you see is crime in the source code.

>
>>B. On special occasions, no more than a couple times a
>year.
>>
>>C. Every now and again, once a month or a little longer
>>maybe.
>
>>If you answered "A" or "B", do you consciously avoid these
>>films? Do they just hold little appeal?
>
>Not at all. I unfortunately surround myself with
>non-filmophiles (fiancee, roommate, assorted other friends)
>who get on my ass for watching from earlier than 1980. Maybe
>it's just the built-in homerism one has for the films made
>during "their" time, but they're not real receptive to
>anything pre-1980.

Congratulations on the fiancée though.

>>If you answered "C", what are some of the pre-1970 movies
>>you've been meaning to get to? Do they have priority?
>
>If you started naming them, I'm probably up for seeing it.
>Hell at this point there are plenty of pre-1980 films I need
>to see. Hopefully, once I get ride of the evil roommate and
>his lazy, no-good , no-taste-having ass I'll get my ol skool
>movie watching on.

Yeah, roommates tend to suck.

Do you just want me to start naming them off? 'Cause I can do that easily, and sometimes it's fun to be random, but I got recommendations either way (and from 1970s too--probably my favorite time for movies, except for the childhood early teenage nostalgia I can't escape.)

>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
>I think discussing things in PTP and reading more film reviews
>(which often site older films and auteurs)

You used the word "auteurs." You're already there. :)

>and non-fiction
>literature on film has served to broaden my tastes overall.
>Hopefully this will be a continuing trend since there are
>several film categories I'm still trying to actively expose
>myself to.

Any in particular?

>Congratulations on the fiancée though.

Grazie. I'm pretty happy about it myself.

>Yeah, roommates tend to suck.

I'm pretty sure mine is one of the worst. I've had two roommates since I graduated undergrad and they've both been pretty awful. Although I did steal my fiancee from one of them... so I can't complain too much.

>Do you just want me to start naming them off? 'Cause I can do
>that easily, and sometimes it's fun to be random, but I got
>recommendations either way (and from 1970s too--probably my
>favorite time for movies, except for the childhood early
>teenage nostalgia I can't escape.)

Go for it. If you think it's worth seeing then it probably is. I trust your opinion on film, at least as a jumping off point.

Am I right in feeling like there was a higher % of 'quality' films pre-1980? Is that because it was harder to get a film out there than it is now? Or am I just crazy?


>Any in particular?

There's a lot of anime I'd like to check out: I've only seen the back half of Akira, most of Miyazaki's films (only seen Spirited Away), Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, pretty much everything.

My knowledge of foreign cinema is pretty awful. It's more or less relegated to what gets a decent amount of shine in the independent press or discussed on here. I'm sure there are some "classics" that I need to see that I haven't. Like say... Das Boot. (Please don't evict me from PTP)

Documentaries also. I've probably seen more than the average movie fan, but there are a lot I'd like to see that I know are good that I've missed for a variety of reasons: Hoop Dreams, One Day in September, When We Were Kings, etc. I don't know jack about documentaries pre-1990. And foreign documenatires? That would probably blow my mind.

Is there such a thing as experimental film? As long as it wasn't too out there, I think I'd be interested in it.

I'd love to get some recommendations on good short films - either live action or animated. I'm interested in checking out that new DVD magazine Wholphin http://www.wholphindvd.com/

This has gotten sort of off topic, so if you want to reply here and risk a post jack it's cool with me. Inbox is fine too.

______________________________
PSN: RuptureMD
http://hospitalstories.wordpress.com/

The 4th Annual Residency Encampment: Where do we go from here?

All you see is crime in the source code.

>I've had two
>roommates since I graduated undergrad and they've both been
>pretty awful. Although I did steal my fiancee from one of
>them... so I can't complain too much.

damn

>>Do you just want me to start naming them off?

>Go for it. If you think it's worth seeing then it probably
>is. I trust your opinion on film, at least as a jumping off
>point.

Rio Bravo (1959)--fun western
http://imdb.com/title/tt0053221/

His Girl Friday (1940)--fast-talking comedy
http://imdb.com/title/tt0032599/

The Big Sleep (1946)--the plot is secondary, it's all about Bogart and Bacall and the dialogue
http://imdb.com/title/tt0038355/

Battle of Algiers (1965)--current political parallels, about the French in Algeria.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0058946/

The Night of the Hunter (1955)--dark and unique, visually and story-wise.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0048424/

>Am I right in feeling like there was a higher % of 'quality'
>films pre-1980? Is that because it was harder to get a film
>out there than it is now? Or am I just crazy?

People say that the 1970s were the last decade of great American cinema. I don't know if I like being that melodramatic, and though most of my favorite sentimental titles come from the 80s & 90s, I would be inclined to agree w/ that aforementioned arguement.

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=23&topic_id=28427&mesg_id=28427&page=

I don't know if it directly relates to any change in the system though.

here are some 1970s picks

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)--great revisionist take on the Western, one of Altman's best.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0067411/

The Conversation (1974)--Coppola made it between pts 1 & 2 of The Godfather movies and didn't miss a step.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0071360/

Three Days of the Condor (1975)--nice political thriller, very watchable, especially because fo Redford.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0073802/

Annie Hall (1977)--made Woody Allen an icon. smart and romantic and all of the best adjectives Woody could get.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0075686/

Network (1976)--still-relevant media satire that people consider to have one of the best scripts.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0074958/

But the 80s weren't all bad. You had some great comedies, John Hughes at his best, early Tom hanks, and two of my favorite all time films:

The Right Stuff (1983)--thorough and often funny movie about the evolution of the American space prgram
http://imdb.com/title/tt0086197/

Repo Man (1984)--sci fi meets punk rock meets the end of the world
http://imdb.com/title/tt0087995/


>There's a lot of anime I'd like to check out: I've only seen
>the back half of Akira, most of Miyazaki's films (only seen
>Spirited Away), Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, pretty much
>everything.

I know just about nothing about anime, except that my current roommate has a whole entire binder full of it.

>My knowledge of foreign cinema is pretty awful. It's more or
>less relegated to what gets a decent amount of shine in the
>independent press or discussed on here. I'm sure there are
>some "classics" that I need to see that I haven't. Like
>say... Das Boot. (Please don't evict me from PTP)

ha . . . I've only seen parts of Das Boot and that was in HS german class.

but here are a couple:

Germany:
M (1931)--killer haunts children and the city stalks after him.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0022100/

France:
Wages of Fear (1953)--working men are hired to deliver nitroglycerene by truck over rocky terrain.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0046268/

Japan:
Throne of Blood (1957)--supernatural Macbeth adaptation.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0050613/

Spain:
Spirit of the Bee-Hive (1973)--during the Spanish Civil War a little girl gets caught up in watching Frankenstein.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0070040/

Italy:
Amarcord (1973)--Fellini's surreal memory of childhood
http://imdb.com/title/tt0071129/

>Documentaries also. I've probably seen more than the average
>movie fan, but there are a lot I'd like to see that I know are
>good that I've missed for a variety of reasons: Hoop Dreams,
>One Day in September, When We Were Kings, etc. I don't know
>jack about documentaries pre-1990. And foreign documenatires?
> That would probably blow my mind.

Hoop Dreams and When We Were Kings are both great.

My knowledge of documentaries isn't that stellar.

Gimme Shelter (1970) -- http://imdb.com/title/tt0065780/ --is great, especially if you like The Rolling Stones.

Or Crumb (1994) -- http://imdb.com/title/tt0109508/ -- is a kinda disturbing but intriguing look at a wreck of a comic book writer and his family.

Or Gates of Heaven (1980) -- http://imdb.com/title/tt0077598/ -- a straight-faced look at a pet cemetary.


>Is there such a thing as experimental film? As long as it
>wasn't too out there, I think I'd be interested in it.

The Mirror (1975)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0072443/

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0058642/

The Exterminating Angel (1962)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0056732/

>I'd love to get some recommendations on good short films -
>either live action or animated.

La Jetée (1962)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0056119/

The Great Train Robbery (1903)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0000439/

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056300/

Voyage to the Moon (1902)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0000417/

>I'm interested in checking
>out that new DVD magazine Wholphin
>http://www.wholphindvd.com/

don't know it

>This has gotten sort of off topic, so if you want to reply
>here and risk a post jack it's cool with me. Inbox is fine
>too.


Hope some of those recommendations work for you.

I have more than thirty pre-70's movie to get through, and I'm constantly adding more through netflix burns.

I'm mostly trying to catch up on some great directors that I'm not totally familiar with (Huston, Welles, Wilder, Hitchcock, etc.), and see absolute classics that I'm somewhat ashamed of avoiding for so long (Casa Blanca, Seven Samurai, All About Eve, etc).

Anyone please feel free to suggest pre-70's directors for my catch-up list.

>Anyone please feel free to suggest pre-70's directors for my
>catch-up list.

particularly:

M
Scarlet Street
The Big Heat
Fury
You Only Live Once

(still haven't seen Metropolis)

still haven't watched it though. I'll check out those others ... thanks.

Do yourself a favor,
Be your own savior.

Daniel Johnston

make sure you see it eventually

>I have more than thirty pre-70's movie to get through, and
>I'm constantly adding more through netflix burns.

Thirty more in a queue? I, and other folks here I'm sure, could help narrow or prioritize that set of thirty if you want.

>I'm mostly trying to catch up on some great directors that I'm
>not totally familiar with (Huston, Welles, Wilder, Hitchcock,
>etc.)

Huston, 5 film recommendation:

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0042208/

Fat City (1972)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0068575/

Key Largo (1948)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0040506/

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0033870/

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0040897/


For me, The Maltese Falcon is definitely first, with The Asphalt Jungle being a very close second. Most people would probably put The Treasure of the Sierra Madre above the latter film, and it's good, but Sterling Hayden brings The Asphalt Jungle to a whole 'nother level.

Key Largo is a little melodramatic but good to get to eventually. And I've never seen Fat City, but many say it's one of Huston's bests.


Welles, 5 film recommendation:

Citizen Kane (1941)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0033467/

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0040525/

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0035015/

The Trial (1962)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0057427/

Touch of Evil (1958)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0052311/


Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil I would recommend first. And if you like those two, then The Lady from Shanghai should be an easy transition.

The Trial and The Magnificent Ambersons, of the five, would have the least priority. MA is considered to be an incomplete film (thank you overbearing movie studios), and The Trial is a little weird and possibly hard to get into, but, as always, Welles penchant for off-kilter but enthralling visuals is there.

Wilder, 6 film recommendation:

The Apartment (1960)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0053604/

Double Indemnity (1944)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0036775/

Sabrina (1954)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0047437/

Some Like It Hot (1959)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0053291/

Stalag 17 (1953)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0046359/

Sunset Blvd. (1950)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0043014/

The Apartment is one of my favorite films of all-time. I watch it every couple months and it's still that good.

I made this one a 6-film recommendation because most people consider Sunset Blvd to be Wilder's most "classic" film, but I never liked it much. So I'm putting Sabrina up instead, a very different film, but it's Bogart and Bill Holden being what Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear could never be.

You ever see My Three Sons? Well, Double Indemnity has a vastly different and overlooked Fred MacMurray (as does The Apartment).

Some Like It Hot isn't my favorite, but it's good enough to mention. It's funny in a gay like 1950s Tony Curtis-in-drag kinda way.

And then there's Stalag 17, which I'd put behind The Apartment. It's about a slept-on movie as a someone like Wilder can have. Though never given direct credit for, Hogan's Heroes basically ripped it off. And it's the reason Bill Holden makes me mad that today's male leads are more priss than fight.

Hitchcock, just 5 recommendation:

North by Northwest (1959)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0053125/

Notorious (1946)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0038787/

Rear Window (1954)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0047396/

Rope (1948)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0040746/

Vertigo (1958)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0052357/

I can't belive I'm not recommending Psycho, but I'm trying to limit it just to five.

Rear Window is essentially perfect. 'nuff said

North by Northwest is Hitchcock's most action based, notable for its cross-country travels, and being just about as much fun as any film of its ilk.

I just did a post on Vertigo and how basically every scene is an orgasm for your pupils.

Notorious features, among other things, my favorite Cary Grant performance in a film not named His Girl Friday (and that's saying a lot).

And then I put Rope in there because it's often ignored in Hitchcock's catalog, and not only does it have the interesting technical aspect going for itself, but great set work and acting are to be found as well.

>and see absolute classics that I'm somewhat ashamed of
>avoiding for so long (Casa Blanca, Seven Samurai, All About
>Eve, etc).

Get on Casablanca as soon as possible.

As for those directors, what I meant is, I have the movies burned, so they're no longer in my netflix queue, but in a queue in my dvd album.

I'll definitely cop the titles you listed that I haven't seen yet or don't have.

Do yourself a favor,
Be your own savior.

Daniel Johnston

>Anyone please feel free to suggest pre-70's directors for my
>catch-up list.

Start with these:

FRITZ LANG -

Metropolis
M
The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
Fury
You Only Live Once
The Big Heat
Manhunt
Hangmen Also Die
Ministry Of Fear
The Woman In The Window
Scarlet Street
Rancho Notorious
While The City Sleeps


HOWARD HAWKS -

To Have And Have Not
Rio Bravo
Only Angels Have Wings
Scarface
His Girl Friday
Bringing Up Baby
Red River
The Big Sleep
I Was A Male War Bride
Monkey Business
Twentieth Century
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
The Big Sky
Hatari
El Dorado


CHARLES CHAPLIN -

The Kid
The Gold Rush
City Lights
Modern Times
A Woman Of Paris
The Circus
The Great Dictator
Monsieur Verdoux
Limelight
A King In New York


JOHN FORD -

The Searchers
Stagecoach
The Grapes Of Wrath
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
How Green Was My Valley
Fort Apache
They Were Expendable
The Lost Patrol
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
Rio Grande
The Quiet Man
Young Mr. Lincoln
My Darling Clementine
Three Godfathers
The Horse Soldiers
Sergeant Rutledge


ORSON WELLES -

Citizen Kane
The Magnificent Ambersons
Touch Of Evil
Othello
Lady From Shanghai
Mr. Arkadin
The Stranger
Macbeth


ALFRED HITCHCOCK -

Vertigo
Notorious
Rear Window
Saboteur
Shadow Of A Doubt
Strangers On A Train
North By Northwest
Suspicion
Rope
The Birds
Foreign Correspondent
To Catch A Thief
The Wrong Man


JEAN RENOIR -

The Rules Of The Game
Grand Illusion
Boudu Saved From Drowning
La Bete Humaine
The River
The Lower Depths
The Golden Coach
The Southerner


LUCHINO VISCONTI -

La Terra Trema
Le Notti Bianche
Rocco And His Brothers
Ossessione
The Leopard
The Damned
Senso


ROBERT BRESSON -

Pickpocket
A Man Escaped
Au Hasard Balthazar
Diary Of A Country Priest


ROBERTO ROSSELLINI -

Open City
Germany Year Zero
Paisan
Stromboli


PIER PAOLO PASOLINI -

Accattone
Mamma Roma
The Gospel According To St. Matthew
Teorema
Porcile
Oedipus Rex
The Hawks And The Sparrows


NICHOLAS RAY -

In a Lonely Place
Johnny Guitar
They Live By Night
The Lusty Men
Run For Cover
Born To Be Bad
Bitter Victory
Bigger Than Life
Rebel Without A Cause


ANTHONY MANN -

The Naked Spur
Bend Of The River
The Far Country
The Man From Laramie
Winchester 73
Man Of The West
The Last Frontier
Side Street


VINCENTE MINNELLI -

Some Came Running
The Bad And The Beautiful
The Band Wagon
The Clock
Meet Me In St. Louis
Two Weeks In Another Town


BUSTER KEATON -

The General
The Navigator
Sherlock Jr.
Steamboat Bill Jr. (directed by Charles Reisner, starring Keaton)
Our Hospitality
Cops


FEDERICO FELLINI -

8 1/2
Nights Of Cabiria
La Dolce Vita
La Strada
I Vitelloni
Juliet Of The Spirits


INGMAR BERGMAN -

Wild Strawberries
Persona
The Seventh Seal
Winter Light
The Silence
Through A Glass Darkly
Smiles Of A Summer Night


ERNST LUBITSCH -

Trouble In Paradise
To Be Or Not To Be
The Smiling Lieutenant
Ninotchka
The Shop Around The Corner
The Merry Widow
Heaven Can Wait


JEAN-LUC GODARD -

Breathless
My Life To Live
Weekend
Contempt
Alphaville
Le Petit Soldat
Band Of Outsiders


JOSEPH LOSEY -

Time Without Pity
The Servant
Accident


OTTO PREMINGER -

Bonjour Tristesse
Laura
Daisy Kenyon
Anatomy Of A Murder
Angel Face
River Of No Return
Fallen Angel


SERGEI EISENSTEIN -

Battleship Potemkin
Strike
October
Ivan The Terrible (Parts 1 and 2)


BUDD BOETTICHER -

The Tall T
Seven Men From Now
Decision At Sundown
Buchanan Rides Alone
Comanche Station
Ride Lonesome


AKIRA KUROSAWA -

Seven Samurai
Ikiru
Throne Of Blood
Rashomon
The Hidden Fortress
Yojimbo


JOSEF VON STERNBERG -

The Blue Angel
Morocco
Shanghai Express
Blonde Venus
The Shanghai Gesture


F.W. MURNAU

Sunrise
The Last Laugh
Nosferatu
Phantom


ROBERT ALDRICH -

Kiss Me Deadly
Attack!
The Big Knife
Apache
Vera Cruz
Flight Of The Phoenix
The Dirty Dozen


SAMUEL FULLER -

Pickup On South Street
Shock Corridor
Underworld U.S.A.
Fixed Bayonets


DOUGLAS SIRK -

Imitation Of Life
All That Heaven Allows
Written On The Wind
The Tarnished Angels


DON SIEGEL -

Inavasion Of The Body Snatchers
The Line-Up
The Killers
Hell Is For Heroes
The Big Steal
Count The Hours


MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI -

L'Avventura
La Notte
Blowup


BILLY WILDER -

The Major And The Minor
Double Indemnity
Some Like It Hot
The Apartment
Kiss Me, Stupid
The Fortune Cookie


RAOUL WALSH -

Band Of Angels
The Roaring Twenties
High Sierra
They Drive By Night
White Heat
The Man I Love
Gun Fury


PRESTON STURGES -

Sullivan's Travels
The Miracle At Morgan's Creek
The Palm Beach Story
The Lady Eve


CARL THEODOR DREYER -

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc
Ordet
Gertrud
Day Of Wrath


BLAKE EDWARDS -

A Shot In The Dark
Operation Petticoat
The Pink Panther


GEORGE CUKOR -

Adam's Rib
Holiday
Camile
Dinner At Eight
The Philadelphia Story


OUSMANE SEMBENE -

Black Girl
Borom Sarret

>
>PART TWO.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?
> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

Recent films I've enjoyed:
Ocean's 12, Kung Fu Hustle; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; 28 Days Later, The Incredibles, Narc, A History of Violence: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Bad Boys 2

do i think i'd enjoy any of these as much in say 40 years? probably not. while i will still be watching The Searchers, The Kid, and 7 Men from Now

>PART THREE.
>
>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>
I've changed over the course of five years. When I started studying film seriously my senior year of college (three years ago) both through school and outside of it I started watching a lot of pre-70s stuff

-------------------------------

A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

^the truth is back^^


>>PART TWO.
>
>>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you
>liked?
>> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to
>be
>>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>>example, but beyond that?
>
>Recent films I've enjoyed:
>Ocean's 12, Kung Fu Hustle; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; 28
>Days Later, The Incredibles, Narc, A History of Violence: Kiss
>Kiss, Bang Bang; Bad Boys 2

I unfortunately missed A History of Violence when it was in theatres. The idea of "Cronenberg's most straight-forward movie" intrigued me.

You're the second person to mention Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

Yeah @ Narc. Sacramento represent. I though Carnahan was supposed to have a follow-up out by now.

lol . . . I remember and love your Bad Boys 2 rationale.

>do i think i'd enjoy any of these as much in say 40 years?
>probably not. while i will still be watching The Searchers,
>The Kid, and 7 Men from Now

Your recommendation of 7 Men from Now just intrigued me now. I can trust you well enough, so it's on the top of my imaginary "to see" list.

>>PART THREE.
>>
>>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you
>were
>>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>>
>I've changed over the course of five years. When I started
>studying film seriously my senior year of college (three years
>ago) both through school and outside of it I started watching
>a lot of pre-70s stuff

You still pursuing that?

>^the truth is back^^

I'm in and out. I'm heading back to NYC tomorrow and thus back to my real work so I won't be online much.
>>>PART TWO.

>I unfortunately missed A History of Violence when it was in
>theatres. The idea of "Cronenberg's most straight-forward
>movie" intrigued me.

Saw it twice. A damn fine film. People say it is the least "cronenberg" of his films. they are lying.


>You're the second person to mention Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

I saw Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang five times in theaters. It's a damn shame it didn't do better than it did.

>Yeah @ Narc. Sacramento represent. I though Carnahan was
>supposed to have a follow-up out by now.

That was a damn fine picture as well. Yeah, he got caught in that whole MI: 3 debacle. I have no clue what he is up to now.

>lol . . . I remember and love your Bad Boys 2 rationale.

When the SE hits it will be mine.

>>do i think i'd enjoy any of these as much in say 40 years?
>>probably not. while i will still be watching The Searchers,
>>The Kid, and 7 Men from Now
>
>Your recommendation of 7 Men from Now just intrigued me now.
>I can trust you well enough, so it's on the top of my
>imaginary "to see" list.

See my Budd Boetticher post. Also, hunt down a copy of the doc TCM ran on him in conjunction with the release of 7 Men from Now. Honestly it is up there with the best of the best as far as western goes. Might just be top 5


>You still pursuing that?
>
No, I moved to NYC and work in feature production now. No more academia. I do spend my weekends at the film forum watching old shit though or down the street at BAM watching Hard Boiled

What're YOU doing?

-------------------------------

A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

>^the truth is back^^

I'm in and out. I'm heading back to NYC tomorrow and thus back to my real work so I won't be online much.
>>>PART TWO.

>I unfortunately missed A History of Violence when it was in
>theatres. The idea of "Cronenberg's most straight-forward
>movie" intrigued me.

Saw it twice. A damn fine film. People say it is the least "cronenberg" of his films. they are lying.


>You're the second person to mention Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

I saw Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang five times in theaters. It's a damn shame it didn't do better than it did.

>Yeah @ Narc. Sacramento represent. I though Carnahan was
>supposed to have a follow-up out by now.

That was a damn fine picture as well. Yeah, he got caught in that whole MI: 3 debacle. I have no clue what he is up to now.

>lol . . . I remember and love your Bad Boys 2 rationale.

When the SE hits it will be mine.

>>do i think i'd enjoy any of these as much in say 40 years?
>>probably not. while i will still be watching The Searchers,
>>The Kid, and 7 Men from Now
>
>Your recommendation of 7 Men from Now just intrigued me now.
>I can trust you well enough, so it's on the top of my
>imaginary "to see" list.

See my Budd Boetticher post. Also, hunt down a copy of the doc TCM ran on him in conjunction with the release of 7 Men from Now. Honestly it is up there with the best of the best as far as western goes. Might just be top 5


>You still pursuing that?
>
No, I moved to NYC and work in feature production now. No more academia. I do spend my weekends at the film forum watching old shit though or down the street at BAM watching Hard Boiled

What're YOU doing?

-------------------------------

A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

>E. Very often, almost as much or more often than I do watch
>movies from the 80s or 90s.

This would be me I guess.

>If you answered "D" or "E", what are a couple of the most
>recently released movies (of the last couple years) you liked?

Downfall - Oliver Hirschbiegel (2005)
War Of The Worlds - Steven Spielberg (2005)
Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog (2005)
Crimson Gold - Jafar Panahi (2004)
Goodbye, Lenin! - Wolfgang Becker (2004)
Rosenstrasse - Margarethe Von Trotta (2004)
Kinsey - Bill Condon (2004)
I Heart Huckabees - David O. Russell (2004)
Maria Full Of Grace - Joshua Marston (2004)
James' Journey To Jerusalem - Ra'anan Alexandrowicz (2004)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Michel Gondry (2004)
Osama - Siddiq Barmak (2004)

> Would you consider any of these as having the potential to be
>"classics", i.e. being not just a great film in 2004, for
>example, but beyond that?

It's hard to say. Some of them could be seen that way over time I suppose, and the German and Iranian films on the list probably have the best chances of that.

Still, I think all those new films are good and deserve to be remembered. But I think it's more likely they'll have to be "rediscovered". Not enough people are paying attention right now I'm afraid.


>If you can think back to the kind of "movie watcher" you were
>just five years ago or so, how dramatically, if at all, has
>your tendency towards pre-1970 film changed? If you can
>identify the source of the change, what was it?
>

I think I've pretty steadily been in favor of pre-70s films, don't you?

Why did you like it so much? I thought it was very well crafted, but not much more than that.

By the way, I heading deep down the Pasolini path. Teorema, Mamma Roma, La Ricotta, Decameron. All great.

--------

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