I learnt some things and left my reviews as they were written. I think looking back I got more and more pretentious as time wore on, but either way it's been fun. Anyway, here are the first 40, with still more to come I'm sure. They started as recommendations (thanks to the older brother), but by the end I'm digging out a few of my own.
Enjoy. Oh and watch out for spoilers... And terrible spelling/grammar.
Mulholland Drive – 7/10
Watched purely after it was given No. 1
for the best film of the 21st century. Standard David
Lynch craziness, very gripping towards the end without being totally
sure what was actually going on. An actress moves into town and in
confronted by a woman who's just been in a car crash suffering from
amnesia, sounds simple enough, but what follows is pretty
indescribable. An enjoyable watch nonetheless.
2001: A Space Odyssey – 8.5/10
Another strong argument for why we
should stop the development of robots before they attempt to destroy
us all. Also, if I get a free pass to Jupiter I'll be saying no,
didn't seem like an enjoyable experience. Clever idea though, if only
it really was like that in 2001, well I say that, maybe not. Got
spaced out a bit (pun intended) but all in all a good watch.
Talk to Her – 9/10
A very emotionally gripping film. The
story I thought was very simple, yet clever at the same time.
Numerous sub-plots but primarily all about Begnino and his absolute
obsession with a woman in a coma. It nearly lost me in the middle but
the ending turned it around for me. A part of me feels I'm being a
bit generous giving it a 9, but maybe after a few crazy films,
something with an element of simplicity was necessary! Superb watch.
Amelie – 8.5/10
They say love works in mysterious ways
and I probably wouldn't disagree with that, especially after watching
this one. With a feel good factor, I like the way it was filmed with
swift movements and a strong focus on narration. Goddamn frustrating
at times but I suppose that was just Amelie's character, quirky yet
cowardly at the same time. To sum up, a French girl's brought up in a
unique style and comes to terms with regular life. It's French. Very
French. Baguettes and Berets flying everywhere. It's a “nice”
film.
Holy Motors – 3/10
What in Holy Motors hell was that?!
I've had to broaden my mind quite dramatically since this whole film
mission but that was just a mess. If I had to guess the description,
a guy acts for a living but in real life scenes? And that's his job.
I lost interest pretty quickly to be honest, I wouldn't even say it
was that gripping it was just odd and maybe on this occasion, way too
artsy. Kylie and Eva Mendes getting involved as well, kind of crazy,
but yer, I was not sold by this one. Next you'll be telling me it was
a comedy.
Melancholia – 8/10
Took a while to get going, but once all
was unravelled it was a very good watch. Wasn't convinced by the
starter plot with the wedding but it progressed well. Music was
fantastic as usual, at times a little bit overly dramatic. Difficult
to review this without giving too much away. A very gripping film
about a woman called Justine clearly with some problems, very dark
emotionally (hence the title). Melancholia grabs a whole new meaning
by the end of the film. A good watch.
Leviathan – 9/10
Good film. Quite a dark depressing
atmosphere and you really didn't want to be Kolya. All was going
pretty well to start with and then it pretty much went as wrong as it
possibly could. I think I like this style of film because I can
relate to the realism which means when something does happen it hits
a little bit harder emotionally. Oh and we get it, Russians like
vodka.
The Assassin – 7/10
This just steals a seven, but purely
based on the elegance and beauty of the filming and scenery. The
story itself, well, there isn't much to it at all. A very peaceful
watch for a film about an Assassin, taken from her parents at a young
age and bought back by a nun after being made into an epic killer. It
was nice to watch but at times I just wanted to kick it up the
backside and get into gear! Clearly it wasn't that type of film but
it was just very slow in large periods.
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia – 4/10
I think simply put I just found this
film really boring. I didn't get anywhere near the type of intensity
I would expect from the plot, I just found myself sitting there
waiting for something to happen. It also ended at a really weird
time. Similar to The Assassin in terms of needing a kick up the
backside, but without the superb setting. Call me a child and maybe I
was having an impatient day, but it was BORING.
The Great Beauty – 9/10
Insightful film, a man that lives off
the earnings of writing one book. Very emotional at times but I was a
big fan of his attitude, probably because he was a lazy bastard.
Numerous interesting sub-plots like the involvement of Sister Maria
near the end as well as the woman that supposed loved him all her
life. Why did she leave him? We'll never know, probably a good call
though, turns out he's a bit of a party animal. Good film.
Spring Breakers – 8.5/10
Well I did not see that one coming.
Alarmingly sceptical when I saw what I was getting myself in for but
what a good film. Purely because of the surprise factor, firstly I'm
just thinking it was an interesting angle on spring break, filmed
from a different perspective and then, well, it all goes a little bit
crazy. Clearly Selena Gomez made a good call to bow out early.
Unexpectedly enjoyable watch.
Let the Right One In – 9/10
I'm not a big fan of Vampire films, or
horror films, but if a film makes me feel sorry for a child that eats
blood and her lack of relationship with a passive-aggressive Swedish
boy, they must be doing something right. Needless to say, Oskar was
in the wrong place at the wrong time. Weirdly emotional yet gory,
clearly the way to get rid of bullies but probably not my first port
of call. I just find it so odd that Eli's character was so lovable
even though she was flat out vile. Surprisingly, I love it.
Dogville – 10/10
I never thought in
my life I would give the equivalence of a perfect score. But I
genuinely think it's the best film I've ever seen. To be so gripped
by something that seemed so simple, and the ending, I mean what the
actual shit!?! Unbelievable. At times if I was being alarmingly
picky, it was a bit slow, but I'm pretty hungover so I'm putting it
down to that. Just when you think you're sure what's going to happen
next they had in a curveball, the narration was superb, articulate
yet cutting and at times borderline comical. What more can I say, it
was impressive.
Syndromes and a Century – 7/10
It was a nice film, picturesque,
artistic, very relaxing. But I'm starting to find a common pattern
with these films, nothing happened. I'm wondering whether during
these periods of quiet imagery that I'm supposed to indulge in the
world I'm being put into, which again is “nice” but it's not
exactly gripping. I think I bumped it up from 6-7 because of the
hilarious ending, if you can even call it an ending, you do love your
films where it just randomly ends for no good reason don't you.
Werckmeister Harmonies – 8.5/10
So clearly the Hungarians aren't big
fans of whales. Jonas was a little bit obsessed, I mean a whale is a
whale. But apparently this meant violent carnage, of course. Well
filmed, slow at times but not overly so. Too many unanswered
questions for me, I don't mind a bit of mystery behind certain things
but the key point to this film (I'm guessing?!) was the mob, but I
leave the film not knowing specifically why they did what they did.
Besides that, it was a good watch.
Blue is the Warmest Colour – 9.5/10
Clever film this, the business brain
versus the artistic flair. The ongoing argument of whether opposites
attract, both having a set goal as to where they wanted to end up and
almost switching places by the end of it. Most will concentrate I
would imagine in the difficulty of Adele flip-flopping between
genders, but I saw it more as a focus on Adele and Emma's
relationship. The two parent dinner parties were a perfect example,
the phrase “real job” from Adele's father really summed it up,
the idea of lateral thinking in the job market as well as from a
relationship perspective. Having said that, I could just be talk crap
as I've just watched a fairly artistic film, who knows? Either way,
great film.
Tree of Life – 9.5/10
Breathtaking at times, a quite
magnificent film. Albeit at times alarmingly confusing, numerous
questions can be asked. Was the film all about the focus on the loss
of the son? Or was it more the relationship between father and first
born, attempting to borderline clone yourself through parenthood and
to then realise that you aren't that perfect person that you think
you are? The imagery was gripping in the middle, although I'm not
quite sure what the point of it was in reference to the film, but
nice nonetheless. I was scared to give it a 10/10 as to do it so soon
after giving another just seems wrong. I'm not quite sure what the
relevance of Sean Penn's part was either? Was he actually his
brother? I don't know. Aside from that, a superb film.
Tropical Malady – 5/10
Um... so another weird artistic film.
All seems quite self-explanatory at first, but then of course there
is a tiger ghost/man ghost, hunter, what the hell, what?!? Am I
confused? You're damn right I'm confused. What was it suggesting? The
frustrations of a relationship between humans portrayed from an
animal perspective? The following of the cow ghost, that he'd shot.
I'm sure there is some kind of spiritual logic here, but I just found
it a bit odd. I'd love to come up with some kind of analysis
surrounding the story in the jungle juxtaposed with the story among
humans, but I don't think the film gripped me enough to be
interested. I'd have given it a lower rating but it threw out some
questions so I've given it a questionable 5.
The Turin Horse – 9/10
Well that was depressing. But I'm
guessing that was the point, alarmingly slow, but then it would be if
your life had got to that point. Dark, just so dark, the horse being
the epitome of what lied ahead, gradual lack of eating, it's like he
knew the well was going to dry up. I don't think there is much more
to be said, you just get caught up in this life of repetition and
poorness, brandy and potatoes clearly aren't a stable diet. I suppose
the questions would be, why the sudden darkness? After 58 years of
being in that situation why would the guy not be more prepared for
such an event to occur? Aside from that, in a weird way, depressingly
gripping.
Yiyi – 8/10
So I was very close to giving this a
terrible rating in my head about half way through for it basically,
just being a Japanese sitcom. But the storyline that changed all that
was the little boy. His outlook on helping people to see things they
couldn't see was incredibly heart-warming, and then to top it off
with that speech at the end left me quite speechless. I would love to
give it a higher rating based on his storyline alone, but aside from
that, the film itself was a bit “nothingy”, the whole prospect of
the grass always being greener within the relationships with NJ as
well as Ting-Ting was all a bit, I dunno, cheesy in a way. You could
argue the child's thought process was also very cheesy, but from my
perspective, the boy done good. Without his involvement, I'd have
probably given this film about a 4.
Tokyo Story – 9/10
Well, after what looked like it was
going to be another boring soap opera-esque story, developed into
somewhat of a heartfelt, emotionally depressing work of art. From the
childern's perspective, how can we entertain parents when our lives
are so busy? Not to know that that time you see them might be the
last. The conversation between Nureko and Kyoto summed it up, “life
is disappointment”, was it just the grieving or a hidden meaning?
Really surprised the way it developed. Brilliant.
Seven Samurai – 8/10
Good film, nice epic civil war with
strong build up in terms of war strategy. Quite a long one and for a
war film I wouldn't say I ever overly gripped but I certainly hung
onto the story. Quite inevitable that the absolute warrior guru got
killed, wasn't expecting it to be a musket kill though, bad way to
go, not that I've ever been shot with a musket. And for the Samurai
Seven to do it all for the peasants, obviously referring to the last
line in the film, after all that feeling like it was a loss, brutal.
Long yet enjoyable watch.
Citizen Kane – 7/10
Rosebud. So what it was his favourite
chair or something? It could be something simple he says, well turns
it it was, or am I missing something? Probably. Anyway, one of a
couple of films I'd actually heard of on this list, a bit of New York
charm in there which is always nice, swift conversations, that
aggressive brass background music which always seems so much louder
than it needs to be. Comical at points but I wouldn't exactly say the
film gripped me that much, it was a story about reliving a man's'
life, not much more to it than that, not a bad watch though.
Stalker – 5/10
This was a bit of a mind-bender in
terms of reviewing. But it was never going to be a good review, I
must be honest. What I'm getting from this, is a man that hates life
so much that his obsession with “The Zone” seems like a absolute
paradise and this “room” he keeps talking about. It was rather
dark and depressing, but I wasn't gripped by this dark emotion, it
was all just a bit odd and unnecessarily dramatic at times. Also, it
was too long, there were a couple of floaty bits in the middle which
gave you chance to reflect, but I wasn't hanging on every word the
same way I may have been with “The Turin Horse” for example. All
in all, pretty average.
The Seventh Seal – 7.5/10
Plague fun times. I couldn't work out
whether this was supposed to be a really dark film about the plague
or a comedy with death just getting some involvement. Certainly
quirky and was funny at times but I felt the balance was a bit wrong.
Not a bad watch though, shame he lost at chess, I mean taking on
Death was probably not a good call, he was always going to be pretty
impressive.
Alien – 8/10
Very impressive for a film that was
made in 1979! I imagine when this film came out it was quite
revolutionary, but given there have been so many films with the same
concept since it doesn't have quite as much of an effect now. Having
said that, very gripping, intense, still feel like there was way too
much of an obsession with the goddamn cat. Even at the end I was
like, get rid of the thing, it might still be holding the crazy alien
gene! How did it survive anyway? Ridiculous. But either way, good
watch.
Metropolis – 7/10
Well my first dive into the pool of 20s
cinema and what a ridiculous and unique experience it was. Dramatic,
intense, but that mostly thanks to the absurdly loud background
music, that and Maria's face, that woman does a good scared face. It
ended well, but I give it a more average rating purely because it
took so long to get to that, a film that was 2.5 hours felt like a
bit of an eternity at times. Still, I can't doubt the twists, whilst
I had a good idea it was going to be a somewhat happy ending, I
wasn't sure it would end like that. Interesting that a film with that
ideology would come out from Germany in 1927, little did they know
WW2 was just around the corner!
The Godfather – 9.5/10
I feel like since handing out my first
10/10 with Dogville this is definitely the closest I've got to a
perfect score. Especially as it had to lived up to the famous name,
but it really is an excellent film. And for some reason, I didn't
expect it to end the way it did! And it's odd, because really is it
just a gangster film, but for some reason it just feels like so much
more. I think the way Mickey's character has to change quite rapidly
is what makes it good, also the typical first born in Sunny being
terrible at taking the reigns. And, really, just Marlon Brando's
voice, we've all heard it mocked or imitated so many times, but to
actually hear it, awesome.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – 9/10
Tuco just won't go away will he, I
suppose that that is the point though, the good will always be good
so “Blondie” always sided with him. You can see where Tarentino
gets a lot of influences, at least that's what it felt like anyway,
an aggressive western. The tension on the three-way draw is awesome
as well and weirdly enough I didn't predict that was necessarily
going to happen. I wonder what Tuco will do with the money? Buy a
saloon? Doesn't seem worth the hassle for the money in those days.
Anyway, enjoyable film, lost it a bit in the middle which keeps it to
9, but still superb.
Night of the Living Dead – 9/10
Hahaha love the ending. I just recall
saying in my head “Wouldn't it be funny if after all that...” and
then it happened. For a horror film it was quite an enjoyable watch.
I swear the scariest thing about old horror films is quite simply the
aggressive musical horns. At least I presume they're horns. Who
knows. I'm probably being a bit kind with a 9 but I don't care. The
eating of the flesh was my personal favourite moment, nothing like
eating a good bit of intestine which looks like a small gardening
hose. Barbera was pathetic, I just presumed she'd been bitten because
she was useless. Should have been eaten earlier. Anyway, weirdly fun
watch.
Psycho – 10/10
Fine I give in.
I've dished out another perfect score purely because this is just
simple, yet effective. I say simple, the schizophrenia angle is
barely simple but, you always knew it was something along those lines
but just done superbly well. I suppose I was always going to have to
give a Hitchcock film a 10 given his reputation. Everyone loves a
middle of nowhere nutcase that has a soft outer shell with a crazy
person sitting underneath. Not too long a film either, to the point,
genius. That plot-line in 1960 as well, clever stuff.
The Godfather Part II – 9.5/10
Another family roller-coaster of
carnage. Michael steps up into the big time role and, well, does a
pretty messy job of it if truth be told. Fair to say though, pretty
aggressive ending from him in the end, but I suppose he had numerous
set-backs with Kay probably drove him a little insane. Again very
close to giving him full marks, the switch between the two stories
was superb, De Niro was excellent. I felt it ended at a pretty odd
time if I'm honest, but I suppose that's why there is a third right?
Great film.
Battleship Potemkin – 2/10
I actually found this really boring. It
sounded like it was gonna be good, Russian revolution moment, pretty
exciting. All a bit predictable though, couldn't really wait for it
to end and it was a really short film. The music was a bit
pointlessly aggressive which I think was clearly a thing for film
around this time-frame. The only vaguely exciting part was the end
when they actually let them passed and they were free, but the fact
that I was just happy it was over at that point probably summed up my
thoughts on the whole thing. Dull.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie –
7/10
Well that was a bit of an unusual one,
one of those comedies where I wasn't sure if it was a comedy until
ridiculous things started to happen. The weird sequence of dreams
with consistent killings, it was like some kind of posh rampage. I'm
not sure I'm a massive fan of this kind of comedy but it was funny in
places so I feel like being generous with a 7. Very random.
Breathless – 9/10
Really enjoyed this film, the
adventurous nature of the filming, the quick step, pacey style was
very gripping at times. Loved the music as well, matched the style
perfectly, the use of the double bass gave it that quirky 50s style.
Michel's character was weirdly warming as French arrogance isn't
normally something I can get on board with, but for some reason he
just had that sense of being unstoppable, typically turning out not
to be the case. Patricia was a bit of an indecisive flip-flopper, but
made her decision probably just at the wrong time! Great watch.
The Return – 8.5/10
Beautifully filmed and quite simply
named The Return with the arrival of long unknown character of two
children's father. Turns out he isn't all he's cracked up to be,
shock, but the comparison between Ivan and Andrei is really cleverly
done. One constantly questioning the decisions he makes whereas the
other bowing down to his every word. Loving the relaxed music to fill
in the gaps, when really there is so much emotion flying around, I
suppose that may be the only negative was that I wasn't gripped by
personalities, but great film nonetheless.
Primer – 7/10
I don't really have any words for the
confused thoughts darting around my head following on from watching
that. Clone fun times? Questionable times flips? Music suited it well
with sort of staccato piano notation. I think a more intelligent
person would have probably have enjoyed this more given I spent most
of the time trying to work out what the hell was going on. Certainly
gripping but just not an ideal style for me, still a good watch
though.
Satantango – 8.5/10
Difficult film to rate given its absurd
longevity. But with a film like this it really does bring home the
importance of watching to the end. The doctor has clearly made his
decision to hide whilst the rest of the group were willing to face
the prospect of freedom/adventure. Some people like their comfortable
lives but more often than not people prefer change but each grab it
in different ways. The girl chose freedom by killing herself from the
grips of her ridiculous family set-up. But then you question also
whether the group was really “free” or if they were just being
sheep to Irimias' plans, given their seclusion they needed someone to
point them in a direction rather than potentially being
direction-less in a town such as that one. That's my theory anyway,
either that or we just all need a drunken rampage in our lives.
Koyaanisqatsi – 8.5/10
Great film with quite a unexpected pace
to it. More with an emphasis around people and everyday life as
opposed to “Samsara” and “Baraka” which appeared to have more
of a emphasis on nature. Interesting take on what it actually means,
the prospect of chaos and a life to get away from, if this was their
view in 1982 imagine what their thought process is now! Wasn't quite
as gripping as I would have liked which would've come from more slow
filming but a great watch nonetheless, I liked the way it moved into
intense city life and dated all the way back out to space, kind of
like jumping into a ball pit and only realising how ridiculous it is
once you're out.
The Hunt – 9/10
An wrongly convicted paedophile and a
close knit group in a small countryside town in Denmark. A recipe for
emotional turmoil, and what a menu it was. Such a sensitive issue and
people automatically assume the worst, to put an enormous amount of
trust in word of mouth, especially that of a small child. Emotionally
gripping, atmospheric and all around a superb watch. Klara basically
just should've kept her mouth shut.
