That technology is useful of course, but there is greater satisfaction doing a bit of research and discovering these gems for yourself … and there has never been a better or easier time than now to find these life changing treasures.
When I was in my mid 20s, ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Clockwork Orange’ were impossible to see, unless you could import a European VHS copy … ‘The Exorcist’ did eventually turn up for a one off late night screening at my local cinema when I was 27, and it did eventually make it to TV along with many other previously considered ‘undesirable’ titles, … I’m not sure if ‘Easy Rider’ has been broadcast on UK TV, but it was outlawed back in the 1990s.
Now the average 20 something won’t have heard of these films never mind have any reason to see them. Too busy swiping important social media updates !
Nice discussion but unfortunately true.
And also, watching a movie from start to finish is hard as the concentration arc is minimal, from watching all kinds of TikTok shit and memes
Exceptional. To me there are many excellent movies relatively speaking, but not as many exceptional ones. I guess the adjective ‘exceptional’ stresses subject’s rarity a bit more than mere ‘excellent’.
The difference is of course subtle, but then again, we are dealing with a continuum, so contiguous states are likely to sound very similar much like ‘mediocre’ and ‘average’ may sound the same to some folks, though they do not sound the same to me.
Ok, but excellent is for me hard to top, and is a word I use for 10/10 films. And exceptional are these too.
And 8 is kinda very good, or close to that.
Average and mediocre, for me these are indeed 2 words which describe more or less the same. Both describe films which are not really bad, but also barely worth watching, films which are often boring.
And these get a 2/10 rating, they don’t have more to offer.
The Red Shoes (Powell & Pressberger / 6/10) Oliver Twist (Lean / 9/10)
In a recent Time Out poll The Red Shoes was ranked 5th all time best British film. I don’t really take notice of such polls but this really surprised me as the film seems not only dated now but dated for 1948. There are some striking visuals and the expressionist set ups of the film which made it so controversial back in it’s day (Rank essentially disowned it) are still very effective. But the dialogue and acting are so clipped and mannered that it genuinely feels more like a film from the mid thirties than one from the pot-war period. Interesting but no more than that for me. Maybe if I was a ballet fan I’d feel different.
Oliver Twist on the other hand seems to get better and better for me with every viewing. Magnificent performances from a magnificent cast. Even the dog should have got an Oscar. It’s Dickens so of course it has a sentimental ending but some of the other scenes are directed brilliantly. Sikes’ murder of Nancy is a stand out but also his own ultimate death. I’ve always loved Lean’s other Dickens adaptation, Great Expectations, but this might be even better.
Yeah, a very interesting and original movie and a must-see for all spag fans. I wonder how it is going to hold up on multiple views, probably going to revisit it at some point.
I am definitely interested in rewatching with a more analytical lens. It leaves the audience on a bit of a philosophical note regarding the impact celluloid has upon viewers. I wonder how much I might have missed in the details along the way that might have built up to this conclusion.
Watched The Warriors a good few months ago and though it was pretty good, but over the last two days I’ve watched Extreme Prejudice, Streets of Fire, and The Driver back-to-back and they have all been amazing. Easy 9/10s for all of them.
I watched Brewster’s Millions a few days ago. A very silly plot and not funny.
Extreme Prejudice was also really disappointing to me. I didn’t liked the characters and the story.
But Warriors (in my top 10) and Driver are awesome!! Street of Fire also a good movie.
Hard Times and Southern Comfort also on my watchlist.
A couple of classic Bogart pictures from 1948. Both directed by John Huston.
Key Largo (7/10) Treasure of the Sierra Madre (8/10)
Both good films but the latter is the better in my opinion. Bogart plays the kind of bad guy he was playing 10 years earlier which suits him well and there is of course the great scene about the “stinking badges”. Key Largo is good but Edward G. Robinson steals it from Bogie I think and Bacall is almost invisible. Their earlier team ups were stronger for both of them.
