One Thousand Movies

Slowly watching every movie on the "They Shoot Pictures Don't They?" List of the 1000 Greatest Movies of All Time.

THE LIST

Current Completion: 38%

Home
Archive
Subscribe (RSS)
Feed Me Back
Random post

Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

387. Miller’s Crossing, 1990. USA. D. Joel and Ethan Coen Some dudes take turns betraying each other and beating the crap out of each other to the tune of “Danny Boy”, until half of them are dead and the other half wins.

387. Miller’s Crossing, 1990. USA.

D. Joel and Ethan Coen

Some dudes take turns betraying each other and beating the crap out of each other to the tune of “Danny Boy”, until half of them are dead and the other half wins.

386. The Shanghai Gesture, 1941.  D. Josef von Sternberg It’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. Visually, it’s a smoky, sultry dream. It’s also quite insipid. As is usually the case, Gene Tierney can’t do righteous femme fatale anger to save her life. She just comes off so babyish and annoying. In this film it might have been intentional, but its hard to tell. This movie is also crawling with Orientalism, so beware of that. Still, it’s worth a watch for Sternberg’s glorious style and Paul Ivano’s magnificent cinematography.

386. The Shanghai Gesture, 1941. 

D. Josef von Sternberg

It’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. Visually, it’s a smoky, sultry dream. It’s also quite insipid. As is usually the case, Gene Tierney can’t do righteous femme fatale anger to save her life. She just comes off so babyish and annoying. In this film it might have been intentional, but its hard to tell. This movie is also crawling with Orientalism, so beware of that.

Still, it’s worth a watch for Sternberg’s glorious style and Paul Ivano’s magnificent cinematography.

385. Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys, 2000. France. D. Michael Haneke My first Haneke. It reminded me of something, but I can’t think of what. I like the way the film is fragmented, like the way a person would remember moments from the distant past, or perhaps last week. Moments are interconnected, but inconsequential. It’s very poetic, but not soft or lyrical. Hard poetry that answers no questions. I liked it.

385. Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys, 2000. France.

D. Michael Haneke

My first Haneke. It reminded me of something, but I can’t think of what. I like the way the film is fragmented, like the way a person would remember moments from the distant past, or perhaps last week. Moments are interconnected, but inconsequential. It’s very poetic, but not soft or lyrical.

Hard poetry that answers no questions. I liked it.

384. Days of Being Wild, 1991. Hong Kong. D. Wong Kar-Wai Lovely, floaty, blue-green and shimmery. Like being underwater. Everyone and every thing is so pretty and so sad and so wet. It’s quiet, and then it’s not. It’s mesmerizing, but not peaceful. I liked it A LOT.

384. Days of Being Wild, 1991. Hong Kong.

D. Wong Kar-Wai

Lovely, floaty, blue-green and shimmery. Like being underwater. Everyone and every thing is so pretty and so sad and so wet. It’s quiet, and then it’s not. It’s mesmerizing, but not peaceful. I liked it A LOT.

383. Earth, 1930. USSR. D. Aleksandr Dovzhenko People are running! There’s a tractor! There’s bread being made! People are yelling! They are mad/happy/sad/we don’t know! Hey! Someone got shot! People are running! I don’t know what is going on but it is all very exciting!

383. Earth, 1930. USSR.

D. Aleksandr Dovzhenko

People are running! There’s a tractor! There’s bread being made! People are yelling! They are mad/happy/sad/we don’t know! Hey! Someone got shot! People are running! I don’t know what is going on but it is all very exciting!

382. Naked, 1993. UK. D. Mike Leigh Incredible film-making, incredible performances, incredibly uncomfortable to watch. I loved it. I hope to never see it again.

382. Naked, 1993. UK.

D. Mike Leigh

Incredible film-making, incredible performances, incredibly uncomfortable to watch. I loved it. I hope to never see it again.

381. Broken Blossoms, 1919. USA. D. D.W. Griffith So racist, which is probably one of the weirdest things about it, simply because it’s actually aiming for a message of tolerance. That’s forever the failure of Griffith films. Lillian Gish is perfect as always and the end is one of the most suspenseful and heartbreaking scenes ever. I love you Lil, and I’m sorry you had to work with such a bigoted douchebag so often.

381. Broken Blossoms, 1919. USA.

D. D.W. Griffith

So racist, which is probably one of the weirdest things about it, simply because it’s actually aiming for a message of tolerance. That’s forever the failure of Griffith films. Lillian Gish is perfect as always and the end is one of the most suspenseful and heartbreaking scenes ever. I love you Lil, and I’m sorry you had to work with such a bigoted douchebag so often.

380. Stardust Memories, 1980. USA. D. Woody Allen So much has been written about how this is Allen’s 8 1/2, and it’s an appropriate comparison. It’s narcissistic as always, and affable as usual. But one thing I found surprising is Charlotte Rampling’s character and performance. Where she could have played Dorrie as just another love interest, another prop, instead she brings remarkable weight and intensity to the role. She refuses to be a mere reflection of Sandy/Woody, and by doing so she brings into sharp focus the large, shadowing effect a self-obsessed person can have on those that love them. And I love that Allen wrote Dorrie in this way; it makes for a very self-aware, yet fair and mature self-portrait film. It’s great.

380. Stardust Memories, 1980. USA.

D. Woody Allen

So much has been written about how this is Allen’s 8 1/2, and it’s an appropriate comparison. It’s narcissistic as always, and affable as usual. But one thing I found surprising is Charlotte Rampling’s character and performance. Where she could have played Dorrie as just another love interest, another prop, instead she brings remarkable weight and intensity to the role. She refuses to be a mere reflection of Sandy/Woody, and by doing so she brings into sharp focus the large, shadowing effect a self-obsessed person can have on those that love them. And I love that Allen wrote Dorrie in this way; it makes for a very self-aware, yet fair and mature self-portrait film. It’s great.

379. The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988. USA. D. Martin Scorsese Mystical and brilliant. I tried to imagine how I would feel about it if I was super devout, but I just couldn’t get there. It is certainly provocative, but it’s too beautiful and powerful to cause real offense. I can see how someone might be confused by how very human Jesus is in this film, but that is precisely what I found so appealing about it. I can relate to the message of a man. I guess this review was sort of personal, and I excised a lot. But that’s the sort of movie it is; the kind that makes you examine your own relationship with faith. That’s important, if nothing else.

379. The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988. USA.

D. Martin Scorsese

Mystical and brilliant. I tried to imagine how I would feel about it if I was super devout, but I just couldn’t get there. It is certainly provocative, but it’s too beautiful and powerful to cause real offense. I can see how someone might be confused by how very human Jesus is in this film, but that is precisely what I found so appealing about it. I can relate to the message of a man.

I guess this review was sort of personal, and I excised a lot. But that’s the sort of movie it is; the kind that makes you examine your own relationship with faith. That’s important, if nothing else.

378. One, Two, Three, 1961. USA. D. Billy Wilder One of the funnest movies I have seen this year. It’s so fully entrenched in the Cold War era, and yet has the balls to make fun of the whole shebang, righties and lefties alike. It’s freaking hilarious, if a little (necessarily) dated. I highly recommend!

378. One, Two, Three, 1961. USA.

D. Billy Wilder

One of the funnest movies I have seen this year. It’s so fully entrenched in the Cold War era, and yet has the balls to make fun of the whole shebang, righties and lefties alike. It’s freaking hilarious, if a little (necessarily) dated. I highly recommend!