Letterboxd

[The Scribbling Man]

I made a list I've been meaning to for a while: 2002: The worst year (in film) ever

Arguably, the worst year for film would have to be one of the years prior to film existing.

 

[TM2YC]

It's taken me 5-months to get through my last 5 Director's, 5 Films (Part XI) list. The Penelope Spheeris films were all cool, I'm kinda fascinated by 'Suburbia' now. The Coen Bros films were good but not perfect, perhaps 'Miller's Crossing' sticks in my memory the most. I discovered I'm just not a Fellini fan, I didn't even love '8 1/2' (often a contender for "the greatest movie ever made"), they were a slog to get through. The Walter Hill films were all worth a watch but 'Geronimo' surprised me most. The Almodóvar films were a mixed bag but I've got a much better handle on his style now, 'The Skin I Live In' had the most impact.

For my 12th list of 25 films (https://letterboxd.com/tm2yc/list/5-directors-5-films-part-xii/) I'm going with:

Sam Peckinpah - I want to finish off the films in my "The Legendary Westerns" DVD boxset.
Ride the High Country 1962
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia 1974
The Ballad of Cable Hogue 1970
Straw Dogs 1971
Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron 1993

Adam Curtis - Time I got around to seeing his latest documentary and the final four I've missed.
Pandora’s Box 1992
The Living Dead 1995
The Mayfair Set 1999
The Century of the Self 2002
Can’t Get You Out of My Head 2021

Peter Bogdanovich - A couple of classics here and some curios.
Directed by John Ford 1971
The Last Picture Show 1971
Texasville 1990
Paper Moon 1973
At Long Last Love 1975

Martin Scorsese - These five will take me near to having seen all of his narrative feature films.
New York, New York 1977
After Hours 1985
The Color of Money 1986
The Last Temptation of Christ 1988
The Age of Innocence 1993

Woody Allen - Supposed to be five of his best and I've not seen them yet.
Annie Hall 1977
Stardust Memories 1980
Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
Crimes and Misdemeanors 1989
Deconstructing Harry 1997

(8 films are included in the 1001 films list I'm also watching through)

 

[mnkykungfu]

It's taken me 5-months to get through my last 5 Director's, 5 Films (Part XI) list. The Penelope Spheeris films were all cool, I'm kinda fascinated by 'Suburbia' now. The Coen Bros films were good but not perfect, perhaps 'Miller's Crossing' sticks in my memory the most. I discovered I'm just not a Fellini fan, I didn't even love '8 1/2' (often a contender for "the greatest movie ever made"), they were a slog to get through. The Walter Hill films were all worth a watch but 'Geronimo' surprised me most. The Almodóvar films were a mixed bag but I've got a much better handle on his style now, 'The Skin I Live In' had the most impact.

For my 12th list of 25 films (https://letterboxd.com/tm2yc/list/5-directors-5-films-part-xii/) I'm going with:

Sam Peckinpah - I want to finish off the films in my "The Legendary Westerns" DVD boxset.
Ride the High Country 1962
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia 1974
The Ballad of Cable Hogue 1970
Straw Dogs 1971
Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron 1993

Adam Curtis - Time I got around to seeing his latest documentary and the final four I've missed.
Pandora’s Box 1992
The Living Dead 1995
The Mayfair Set 1999
The Century of the Self 2002
Can’t Get You Out of My Head 2021

Peter Bogdanovich - A couple of classics here and some curios.
Directed by John Ford 1971
The Last Picture Show 1971
Texasville 1990
Paper Moon 1973
At Long Last Love 1975

Martin Scorsese - These five will take me near to having seen all of his narrative feature films.
New York, New York 1977
After Hours 1985
The Color of Money 1986
The Last Temptation of Christ 1988
The Age of Innocence 1993

Woody Allen - Supposed to be five of his best and I've not seen them yet.
Annie Hall 1977
Stardust Memories 1980
Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
Crimes and Misdemeanors 1989
Deconstructing Harry 1997

(8 films are included in the 1001 films list I'm also watching through)

<raises hand> also not a Fellini fan. Admittedly, I'm apparently a heathen and a communist with no taste in refined cinema, as I range from mildly-positive to outright-dislike on most of these films by Allen, Scorsese, and Almodovar before.

Wow, you've got a real treat waiting for you with Paper Moon though, which I just discovered last Father's Day! "...Alfredo Garcia" is on my Watchlist too, so curious to see what you think of those Peckinpah films!

 

[TM2YC]

Wow, you've got a real treat waiting for you with Paper Moon

It certainly was!

---

I'm going to attempt a 20 horror movie countdown for Halloween season. 14 I've never seen (including the new 'Halloween Kills') and 6 I want to rewatch:

2021 Halloween fortnight Horror countdown

20 Horror films to watch in the run up to Halloween 2021. 14 for the first time, and 6 because I want to see them again.

letterboxd.com

 

[Heavisyde]

Paper Moon is an excellent film.

I'm going to attempt a 20 horror movie countdown for Halloween season. 14 I've never seen (including the new 'Halloween Kills') and 6 I want to rewatch:

You mean, you're just starting? Blasphemy, we're already 15 days in!
I just saw Censor recently, I highly recommend it. I'm hardly a film expert but I thought it was very well made.

 

[mnkykungfu]

I'm going to attempt a 20 horror movie countdown for Halloween season. 14 I've never seen (including the new 'Halloween Kills') and 6 I want to rewatch:

2021 Halloween fortnight Horror countdown

20 Horror films to watch in the run up to Halloween 2021. 14 for the first time, and 6 because I want to see them again.

letterboxd.com

Those are some real classics. Are you going to watch the Official fanedit of Raising Cain?

 

[TM2YC]

Are you going to watch the Official fanedit of Raising Cain?

Yes, I've had the Arrow blu-ray set on my shelf (with both cuts) for a couple of years but never found the time before.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Call me crazy, but I felt compelled to make this list.

They Called It "They..."

An attempt to create a comorehensive list of feature films that start with the word "They". Films simply called They are excluded (of which there are plenty). Ordered chronologically. What can we learn from this list? 1. There are a surprising amount of films that start with "They". 2. The trend...

letterboxd.com

 

[TM2YC]

Call me crazy, but I felt compelled to make this list.

They Called It "They..."

An attempt to create a comorehensive list of feature films that start with the word "They". Films simply called They are excluded (of which there are plenty). Ordered chronologically. What can we learn from this list? 1. There are a surprising amount of films that start with "They". 2. The trend...

letterboxd.com

Nice. Something in a similar vein I was working on for a laugh but got bored when I realised there are hundreds and hundreds:

American... something

An incomplete list of 75 films with an 'American... something' title (up to the 2010s). There's loads more obscurities if you dig through Letterboxd. Looks like George Lucas really made this naming trend popular in 1973, then it went nuts from the 80s onwards. The decades break down like this...

letterboxd.com

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Nice. Something in a similar vein I was working on for a laugh but got bored when I realised there are hundreds and hundreds:

American... something

An incomplete list of 75 films with an 'American... something' title (up to the 2010s). There's loads more obscurities if you dig through Letterboxd. Looks like George Lucas really made this naming trend popular in 1973, then it went nuts from the 80s onwards. The decades break down like this...

letterboxd.com

Interesting that Lucas kicked off the trend. No American Werewolf in London! That would be one of the first I'd think of.

 

[TM2YC]

No American Werewolf in London! That would be one of the first I'd think of.

It's gotta be 'American... something" not just have "American" somewhere in the title. I didn't even include 'American History X'.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

It's gotta be 'American... something" not just have "American" somewhere in the title. I didn't even include 'American History X'.

Ah. Fair enough.

 

[TM2YC]

It's only taken 2-months to complete my last 5 directors, 5 films list. It was a very enjoyable list of films. I'm such a Peckinpah fan now but I liked 'Ride the High Country' the best. Completing all of Adam Curtis' docs has left me wanting to rewatch his whole fascinating filmography again. I loved all of Peter Bogdanovich's movies, even the critically hated ones. I should watch more of his many critical and commercial disasters to see if they are actually masterpieces. The Martin Scorsese films were excellent, except 'New York, New York'. I had the most fun with 'After Hours'. The Woody Allen 5 were each fine films but I think 'Stardust Memories' has lingered in the mind the most.

For my next 5 directors, 5 films list I will be watching these for the first time:

Steven Spielberg - The last 5 of his 30 something movies which I've yet to see.
The Sugarland Express 1974
1941 1979
Empire of the Sun 1987
Always 1989
The Terminal 2004

Alfred Hitchcock - Five more to explore from my complete Hitch DVD/blu-ray collection.
The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934
I Confess 1953
Dial M for Murder 1954
The Trouble With Harry 1955
Marnie 1964

David Lynch - These four film complete his filmography (not including the plethora of short film projects), plus a doc about and featuring Lynch.
Lost Highway 1997
The Straight Story 1999
Mulholland Drive 2001
Inland Empire 2006
David Lynch: The Art Life 2016

Ridley Scott - I'm getting pretty close to seeing all his films with these five (including his 2 latest)
Legend 1985
Someone to Watch Over Me 1987
Black Rain 1989
The Last Duel 2021
House of Gucci 2021

Akira Kurosawa - a more films to see from his length filmography, plus a doc about the man.
Drunken Angel 1948
Stray Dog 1949
The Hidden Fortress 1958
Dersu Uzala 1975
A. K. 1985

 

[mnkykungfu]

Steven Spielberg - The last 5 of his 30 something movies which I've yet to see.
The Sugarland Express 1974
1941 1979
Empire of the Sun 1987
Always 1989
The Terminal 2004

Ah, now you'll see the dreaded 1941. Who would've thought the great Toshihiro Mifune could be brought so low. The rest are all fine however, and I think you'll really like Empire of the Sun.

Alfred Hitchcock - Five more to explore from my complete Hitch DVD/blu-ray collection.
The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934
I Confess 1953
Dial M for Murder 1954
The Trouble With Harry 1955
Marnie 1964

Curious to see what you think of these, as I just went through a big Hitchcock run.

Ridley Scott - I'm getting pretty close to seeing all his films with these five (including his 2 latest)
Legend 1985
Someone to Watch Over Me 1987
Black Rain 1989
The Last Duel 2021
House of Gucci 2021

Not 100% on the new ones but old Ridley Scott used to be my fav director, and I think you're in for a treat. Even the 2nd one there is a solid little proto-Bodyguard thriller.

Akira Kurosawa - a more films to see from his length filmography, plus a doc about the man.
The Hidden Fortress 1958

Woah! Had you not seen this?

 

[TM2YC]

Akira Kurosawa - a more films to see from his length filmography, plus a doc about the man.
The Hidden Fortress 1958

Woah! Had you not seen this?

I've seen it discussed so many times, that it feels like I have. Kurosawa's films aren't all that easy to see and expensive to buy in the UK.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

I've seen it discussed so many times, that it feels like I have. Kurosawa's films aren't all that easy to see and expensive to buy in the UK.

Hidden Fortress is on the BFI boxset. Quite a few of his films are on the BFI channel as well at the moment.

Once you've seen The Hidden Fortress, I highly recommend watching Sukaiwaka Fortress. Awesome edit.

 

[TM2YC]

Hidden Fortress is on the BFI boxset. Quite a few of his films are on the BFI channel as well at the moment.

Once you've seen The Hidden Fortress, I highly recommend watching Sukaiwaka Fortress. Awesome edit.

Yeah that's what I mean. The BFI seem to perpetually have all the rights (to all his early stuff) and the films don't crop up much elsewhere. The BFI blu-ray boxset is very expensive, despite some lacklustre special features (IIRC). Plus I already own the Criterion Seven Samurai, so I don't need a second inferior copy. I plan on subscribing to the BFI player, which currently has HF.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Wow, will be interesting to hear your experience after. I think so many cinephiles now know HF for its Star Wars comparisons, which are so evident when you break them down. And yet for me, while watching it, I rarely had that thought. It feels in many ways so similar to old Kabuki plays that even all the bickering in the desert wasn't a distraction. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Yeah that's what I mean. The BFI seem to perpetually have all the rights (to all his early stuff) and the films don't crop up much elsewhere. The BFI blu-ray boxset is very expensive, despite some lacklustre special features (IIRC). Plus I already own the Criterion Seven Samurai, so I don't need a second inferior copy. I plan on subscribing to the BFI player, which currently has HF.

I was pretty disappointed with how the BFI Seven Samurai looked. I assume you have a region A copy of the criterion? I don't think it's had a release in the UK yet.

 

[TM2YC]

I was pretty disappointed with how the BFI Seven Samurai looked.

That also put me off the BFI blu ray set. They seem to have a policy that a very minimal amount of restoration, stabilisation and clean-up should be done to older films. Scan it in pin-sharp HD but leave all the patina. I can see the logic because I'm sure it looks more like an actual film projection and is a true representation of the source material with no revisionism but I personally prefer a little more clean up than that. I'd rather no clean up, than too much though.

I assume you have a region A copy of the criterion? I don't think it's had a release in the UK yet.

A Region-A copy yes.