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
Witchfinder General - Export Version
Trigger Warning: bad
Drive Away Dolls: okay
One for the road: good
The Marksman (1977) (orig. Skytten) - Directors: Franz Ernst, Tom Hedegaard - 6/10 (good).
The Mad Dog Killer (1977) (orig. La belva col mitra) - Director: Sergio Grieco - 3/10 (very mediocre/bad).
Silent Action (1975) (orig. La polizia accusa: il servizio segreto uccide) - Director: Sergio Martino - 5/10 (okay/decent).
The Driverâs Seat (1974) (orig. Identikit) - Director: Giuseppe Patroni Griffi - 7/10 (very good).
Skip Tracer (1977) - Director: Zale Dalen - 7/10 (very good).
Street Warriors II (1979) (orig. Perros callejeros II) - Director: JosĂŠ Antonio de la Loma - 3/10 (very mediocre/bad).
Renegades (1989) - Director: Jack Sholder - 4/10 (passable/mediocre).
The Hospital (1971) - Director: Arthur Hiller - 8/10 (excellent).
Flag in the Mist (1965) (orig. Kiri no hata) - Director: YĂ´ji Yamada - 5/10 (okay/decent).
Suspicion (1982) (orig. Giwaku) - Director: YoshitarĂ´ Nomura - 6/10 (good).
The Incident (1978) (orig. Jiken) - Director: YoshitarĂ´ Nomura - 7/10 (very good).
The Execution Game (1979) (orig. Shokei yugi) - Director: TĂ´ru Murakawa - 5/10 (okay/decent).
Yakuza War: The Japanese Don (1977) (orig. Yakuza senso: Nihon no Don) - Director: Sadao Nakajima - 6/10 (good).
Call from Darkness (1981) (orig. Mayonaka no shĂ´taijĂ´) - Director: YoshitarĂ´ Nomura - 4/10 (passable/mediocre).
The Petrified Forest (1971) (orig. Kaseki no mori) - Director: Masahiro Shinoda - 7/10 â 8/10 - A re-watch.
The Sinners of Hell (1960) (orig. Jigoku) - Director: Nobuo Nakagawa - 5/10 â 7/10 - A re-watch.
Hell (1979) (orig. Jigoku) - Director: Tatsumi Kumashiro - 3/10 (very mediocre/bad).
The Last Run (1971) - Directors: Richard Fleischer, John Huston - 6/10 (good).
Deadly Illusion (1987) - Directors: Larry Cohen, William Tannen - 3/10 (very mediocre/bad).
Keeper of the City (1991) - Director: Bobby Roth - 2/10 (very bad).
The Bullet Train (1975) (orig. Shinkansen daibakuha) - Director: Junâya SatĂ´ - 6/10 (good).
Sapporo Winter Olympics (1972) (orig. Sapporo Orinpikku) - Director: Masahiro Shinoda - 5/10 (okay/decent).
The Secret Ways (1961) - Directors: Phil Karlson, Richard Widmark - 7/10 (very good).
Manhunt (1976) (orig. Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare) - Director: Junâya SatĂ´ - 5/10 (okay/decent).
Submersion of Japan (1973) (orig. Nihon chinbotsu) - Director: ShirĂ´ Moritani - 5/10 (okay/decent).
Violent Streets (1974) (orig. BĂ´ryoku gai) - Director: Hideo Gosha - 8/10 (excellent).
The Young Rebels (1980) (orig. Chichi yo haha yo!) - Director: Keisuke Kinoshita - 5/10 (okay/decent).
The Killing Game (1978) (orig. Satsujin yugi) - Director: TĂ´ru Murakawa - 4/10 (passable/mediocre).
Closed Circuit (1978) (orig. Circuito chiuso) - Director: Giuliano Montaldo - 7/10 (very good).
An Ode to Yakuza (1970) (orig. Yakuza zesshĂ´) - Director: YasuzĂ´ Masumura - 8/10 (excellent).
Battles Without Honour and Humanity (1973) (orig. Jingi naki tatakai) - Director: Kinji Fukasaku - 7/10 (very good).
Gang War in Milan (1973) (orig. Milano rovente) - Director: Umberto Lenzi - 7/10 (very good).
Only the Cool (1970) (orig. La peau de TorpĂŠdo) - Director: Jean Delannoy - 7/10 (very good).
Plus the first season of Kojak.
Reviews HERE.
If 8/10 is already excellent, what is 9/10?
Exceptional. To me there are many excellent movies relatively speaking, but not as many exceptional ones. I guess the adjective âexceptionalâ stresses subjectâs rarity a bit more than mere âexcellentâ.
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 âmediocreâ and âaverageâ 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 donât have more to offer.
A couple of British classics from 1948.
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 donât 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 itâs 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 Iâd 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. Itâs Dickens so of course it has a sentimental ending but some of the other scenes are directed brilliantly. Sikesâ murder of Nancy is a stand out but also his own ultimate death. Iâve always loved Leanâs other Dickens adaptation, Great Expectations, but this might be even better.
Such a fascinating movie really
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.
Next up I will enjoy some of the extras on the disc
The Border.
Still relevant today.
Been discovering Walter Hill recently.
Watched The Warriors a good few months ago and though it was pretty good, but over the last two days Iâve 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.
Iâve got Hard Times, Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs downloaded for my next viewings of his.
Streets of Fire doesnât get the appreciation it deserves. That was a go to in college and big hair suited Diane Lane. 
I watched Brewsterâs Millions a few days ago. A very silly plot and not funny.
Extreme Prejudice was also really disappointing to me. I didnât 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 âstinking badgesâ. 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.
Gold dust - both of them, but especially âTreasure of the Sierra Madreâ.
Such exemplary acting in this, especially from Bogart and Walter HustonâŚ
Some titles just make you happy that you fell in love with moviesâŚthis is one of themâŚ
Iâm hoping, Phil, that other people decide to re/discover the oldie greatsâŚ
They may be oldâŚbut they are the gems that will live beyond us, because they are so darn goodâŚ
One of my favorite classics 