I just saw Godard´s “Vivre Sa Vie” on a 35mm screening and it was fantastic. Anna Karina played great in this very tragic character study. Tomorrow I´m going to a screening of “Breathless”. Getting to watch a lot of movies this week.
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Finished my trawl through films of 1944.
The Way Ahead (Reed / 1944) 6/10
Laura (Preminger / 1944) 7/10
Arsenic & Old Lace (Capra / 1944) 7/10
Meet Me in St Louis (Minnelli / 1944) 7/10
Double Indemnity (Wilder / 1944) 9/10
Murder My Sweet (Dmytryk / 1944) 8/10
To Have & Have Not (Hawks / 1944) 8/10
Going My Way (McCarey / 1944) 5/10
Tall in the Saddle (Marin /1944) 6/10
House of Frankenstein (Kenton / 1944) 4/10
This Happy Breed (Lean / 1944) 6/10
None But the Lonely Heart (Odets / 1944) 7/10
Going My Way swept the Oscars somehow. Double Imdemnity was the film of the year as far as I’m concerned.
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I just watched Double Indemnity for the first time in a long time just the other day. What a phenomenal piece of classic noir. I’ve never found Barbara Stanwyck to be overwhelmingly attractive but there was definitely something about her in that film that I will chalk up to an incredible performance.
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Fred McMurray was, or at least his character was … I remember just laughing every time he says, “I’m crazy about ya, Baby!”, or variation on that theme 
Amazingly good movie, especially as it has two rather unlikable leads.
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That’s hilarious. 
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I just saw Godard´s “Breathless” and it left me breathless. As of now, I have seen 4 Godard films, and have loved each one of them.
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Let me guess: Breathless, Crazy Pierrot, Alphaville and The one with Brigitte Bardot (can’t remember The title).
Those are The best ones for me anyway.
10 last one:
- Altman: The Long Goodbye 10/10
- Hitchcock: Shadow of a Doubt 6/10
- Lo: Stray (doc) 6/10
- Hansen-Löve: Un beau matin (cinema) 7/10
- Ritt: Front 8/10
- Milius: Conan the Barbarian 10/10
- Lynch: Blue Velvet 8/10
- Chou: Return to Seoul (cinema) 6/10
- Corbucci: Romolo & Remo 4/10
- Welles: Other Side of the Wind 9/10
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Today I saw Une femme est une femme, making it the following five:
Une femme est une femme
A bout de souffle
Les carabiniers
Bande a part
Vivre sa vie
Since I loved all of them I will watch more Godard
If you like those 5 that much, then you will enjoy at least every Godard of the 60s and of the 80s. Which is a lot.
But I´ve heard that in the seventies and eighties his films become too political and pretentious. I will make sure to watch all of his films from the sixties first before going into his later works.
Yes, in the late 60 he radicalised his opinions and his films, and most of his films after Weekend (1967) became obscure in more than one respect.
But in 1980 he returned to a more conventional style, but only conventional in contrast to what he did before. This sort of comeback film “Every Man for Himself” (1980) was called by him his second first film, and led to a series of new Godard film in the style of the 60s. After Nouvelle Vague (1990) most if not all of his output became very experimental again. I like his 80s films Passion (1982) and Detective (1985) very much.
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Thanks, now I know wht to watch. Because of his recent death, my local cinemateque has been screening a lot of his 60s films in 35mm. Really excited to watch more from him
Speaking of… Mine is doing Pietrangeli… Trying to catch a few
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I watched Bruce Willis in ‘Last Man Standing’ last night.
Directed by the legendary Walter Hill, in 1996, this is a superb blood-drenched gangster version of ‘Yojimbo’ and ‘Fistful of Dollars’, featuring Willis in top form as the shoot first, ask questions later antagonist, ‘John Smith’.
A superb cast includes Bruce Dern, Christopher Walken, and William Sanderson.
The moody, atmospheric soundtrack music is by Ry Cooder (The Long Riders).
Bullets, whiskey, double-crosses and dames… This film really is great fun, and literally a blast a minute.
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Second best remake of Yojimbo
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I’ve had ‘The Raid’ (2011) bluray on my shelf for a while to watch, so finally got to see it for the first time last night…and what an experience that was!
Simply breath-taking, and a thrill a second. The choreographed fight/action scenes were simply jaw-dropping in their intensity; and I had to replay some of the scenes again in slow-motion.
A highly recommended, no holds barred, adrenaline-infused classic, which, imho, is reminiscent of the plot line to the equally excellent ‘Dredd’ (2012).
‘The Raid’ far exceeded my expectations several times over, and I’m now eagerly looking forward to watching ‘The Raid 2’ asap.
The sequel is meant to be just as good as the first…
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- Kaurismäki: Zombie and the Ghost Train 10/10
- Leone:The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 10/10
- Rydell: On Golden Pond 7/10
- Pabst: Pandora’s Box 9/10
- Mankiewicz: Dragonwych 7/10
- Jodorowsky: Holy Mountain (cinema) 10/10
- Franco: Love Letters of a Portugese Nun 4/10
- Jodorowsky: Santa Sangre 10/10
- Adler: Rocky Horror Picture Show 10/10
- Heerman: Animal Crackers 7/10
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Everything Everywhere All at Once
7/10 for daring to be uncompromisingly different. Zeitgeisty themes, but overcooked, over long and lacking rhythmic variation. Playfull, fun and warm-hearted, but squandered its potential to convey something profound.
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Over this Summer I’ve made myself a list of famous, popular and well-known movies that I somehow haven’t seen yet.
I watched Sunset Boulevard just now. I haven’t been this floored after watching a film since I watched Casablanca for the first time just over a year ago. It really feels to me like one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen.
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