I knew nothing of this film before I saw it. I didn't know who was in it, nor had I heard of Preston Sturges before. That usually bodes well for the film, since I have no idea what to expect.
This would be classified as a 'screwball comedy'. Not usually my favourite type of film. The other one in this genre on the list is 'Bringing Up Baby'. In my humble opinion, 'The Lady Eve' is better. It's less.....screwball....and more clever.
I am not 100% sure why this one is on the list. I mean, it's a good film and all. It was the first time Barbara Stanwyck played a comedic role. It has a classic last line. (Won't tell you or it might spoil the film for you.) It does have a pretty sexy scene in it, which holds up even today. But not sure that it is 102 movie list worthy.
One word to describe 'The Lady Eve': Cute.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Fight Club - David Fincher (1999)
Here is my tale of woe with this movie.....
I actually had never seen 'Fight Club' before. I knew that Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were in it. I knew that the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. And I knew there was a twist at the end. I purposefully avoided anything having to do with 'Fight Club' so that I could experience it not knowing the ending. All was fine.....and then I watched the game show 'Jeopardy'. I guess when the topic was 'Movies with Twists' I should have changed the channel....but alas, I did not. Sigh. So I was tipped off to how the movie goes down.
I am not really into violent movies for the sake of violence. Hence my reticence to watch this movie previously. The movie is based on a Chuck Palahniuk novel (I thought about reading the novel before seeing the movie, then thought again. Read his novel 'Choke' instead. One word: interesting.)
The film was directed by David Fincher. Who, according to IMDB directed some of Madonna's videos (one of my personal favourites: 'Vogue'). As well as Sting's 'Englishman in New York'. (Another fave.) And on the downside, did Paula Abdul's video 'Straight Up'. You can't win them all.
Overall this was a good film. And I get why it's on the list. Who hasn't heard the line: The first rule of fight club.... (I stole the line for a book club I was in....the first rule of book club is you can't talk about book club. I thought it was funny.)
One word to describe 'Fight Club': Twisty.
I actually had never seen 'Fight Club' before. I knew that Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were in it. I knew that the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. And I knew there was a twist at the end. I purposefully avoided anything having to do with 'Fight Club' so that I could experience it not knowing the ending. All was fine.....and then I watched the game show 'Jeopardy'. I guess when the topic was 'Movies with Twists' I should have changed the channel....but alas, I did not. Sigh. So I was tipped off to how the movie goes down.
I am not really into violent movies for the sake of violence. Hence my reticence to watch this movie previously. The movie is based on a Chuck Palahniuk novel (I thought about reading the novel before seeing the movie, then thought again. Read his novel 'Choke' instead. One word: interesting.)
The film was directed by David Fincher. Who, according to IMDB directed some of Madonna's videos (one of my personal favourites: 'Vogue'). As well as Sting's 'Englishman in New York'. (Another fave.) And on the downside, did Paula Abdul's video 'Straight Up'. You can't win them all.
Overall this was a good film. And I get why it's on the list. Who hasn't heard the line: The first rule of fight club.... (I stole the line for a book club I was in....the first rule of book club is you can't talk about book club. I thought it was funny.)
One word to describe 'Fight Club': Twisty.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Blue Velvet - David Lynch (1986)
This is a film that I had seen before...but a looooooooong time ago. I recall it being weird, I just couldn't remember exactly how or why. And I was actually not really looking forward to watching it.
I happened to have this movie taped, and when Dennis Hopper died (a few weeks back) I decided it was a good time to watch it. He is brilliant. So far on this list I have seen 4 movies with him in it (including this one): 'Rebel Without a Cause', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Easy Rider' and now 'Blue Velvet'. I don't think anyone could play a crazy mo-fo like Mr. Hopper could. And quite frankly, he made 'Blue Velvet' entertaining for me.
In my post movie watching reading Roger Ebert said something that I totally agreed with. In the film, Isabella Rossellini on many levels is very vulnerable and naked (both physically and emotionally). He says, with regard to Rossellini's raw emotional energy: "They're so strong that they deserve to be in a movie that is sincere, honest and true. But 'Blue Velvet' surrounds them with a story that's marred by sophomoric satire and cheap shots." To me, that's what is 'wrong' with the film. There is a dissonance to it that just doesn't feel right to me.
I do have to say that watching it in context of the other films on the list, I do appreciate the artistic quality of it, and the influences. It is definitely from the 'Film Noir' school of film-making.
Overall, quality film.
One word to describe 'Blue Velvet': Dissonant.
I happened to have this movie taped, and when Dennis Hopper died (a few weeks back) I decided it was a good time to watch it. He is brilliant. So far on this list I have seen 4 movies with him in it (including this one): 'Rebel Without a Cause', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Easy Rider' and now 'Blue Velvet'. I don't think anyone could play a crazy mo-fo like Mr. Hopper could. And quite frankly, he made 'Blue Velvet' entertaining for me.
In my post movie watching reading Roger Ebert said something that I totally agreed with. In the film, Isabella Rossellini on many levels is very vulnerable and naked (both physically and emotionally). He says, with regard to Rossellini's raw emotional energy: "They're so strong that they deserve to be in a movie that is sincere, honest and true. But 'Blue Velvet' surrounds them with a story that's marred by sophomoric satire and cheap shots." To me, that's what is 'wrong' with the film. There is a dissonance to it that just doesn't feel right to me.
I do have to say that watching it in context of the other films on the list, I do appreciate the artistic quality of it, and the influences. It is definitely from the 'Film Noir' school of film-making.
Overall, quality film.
One word to describe 'Blue Velvet': Dissonant.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Modern Times - Charles Chaplin (1936)
According to my post-movie reading, this is considered one of Chaplin's greatest achievements. And is probably one of his most popular films. And has a famous scene in it, where Chaplin (as his 'little tramp' character) is moving through these big gears...if you see it you'll be like...OH yeah, that scene. Trust me.
This is a solid movie. And I am guessing, since this is the one and only Chaplin movie I have seen, it is pretty indicative of most of his films.
The film was apparently fairly daring for the time, since there is a scene in it where the main character accidentally consumes some cocaine in prison (mistaking it for salt). Back in the day....that was a big no-no and was against the film industry production code.
This was one of the last silent films ever made. Chaplin felt that he didn't want to have the Little Tramp character speak on film. What struck me was there were points of dialogue through out the movie...cleverly put in. It was a bit...strange.
One word to describe 'Modern Times': Cute.
This is a solid movie. And I am guessing, since this is the one and only Chaplin movie I have seen, it is pretty indicative of most of his films.
The film was apparently fairly daring for the time, since there is a scene in it where the main character accidentally consumes some cocaine in prison (mistaking it for salt). Back in the day....that was a big no-no and was against the film industry production code.
This was one of the last silent films ever made. Chaplin felt that he didn't want to have the Little Tramp character speak on film. What struck me was there were points of dialogue through out the movie...cleverly put in. It was a bit...strange.
One word to describe 'Modern Times': Cute.
Breathless - Jean-Luc Godard (1959)
This is a movie, that as the list wore on, I really, really wanted to see. From what I read, this was Godard's 'masterpiece' and one of the 'must see' movies of the French New Wave. So, the problem with all that hype is...my expectations were set high.
Overall, it was a good movie. First, any film set in Paris is okay with me. There is a scene where the two main characters are walking down the Champs-Élysées. Having been to Paris, it's pretty cool (or at least it is for me) to be like...'I've been there!!!'
The story was kind of....meh. It was intriguing, but it was a bit drawn out for my liking. As with some other movies, I think this was a big deal when it came out back in the day. Films of this type have been made in droves since then. So I can see at the time, this was probably ground breaking. You can definitely see that film makers like Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie were very influenced not only by this genre, but by this film. From my post movie reading, this was one of the first films that used the technique of jump cuts. It's a bit of a jarring effect, where a scene is edited together not seamlessly, but with different pieces of the same scene (I didn't describe it very well...click on the link to get a better description).
Totally agree with this movie being on the list. Glad I watched it. I am also glad it wasn't the first New Wave film I saw.
One word to describe 'Breathless': Frenetic.
Overall, it was a good movie. First, any film set in Paris is okay with me. There is a scene where the two main characters are walking down the Champs-Élysées. Having been to Paris, it's pretty cool (or at least it is for me) to be like...'I've been there!!!'
The story was kind of....meh. It was intriguing, but it was a bit drawn out for my liking. As with some other movies, I think this was a big deal when it came out back in the day. Films of this type have been made in droves since then. So I can see at the time, this was probably ground breaking. You can definitely see that film makers like Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie were very influenced not only by this genre, but by this film. From my post movie reading, this was one of the first films that used the technique of jump cuts. It's a bit of a jarring effect, where a scene is edited together not seamlessly, but with different pieces of the same scene (I didn't describe it very well...click on the link to get a better description).
Totally agree with this movie being on the list. Glad I watched it. I am also glad it wasn't the first New Wave film I saw.
One word to describe 'Breathless': Frenetic.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
E.T.-- The Extra Terrestrial - Steven Spielberg (1982)
This is the only movie on the list that I had seen it in the theatre when it was originally released. (Yes, I am THAT old.) So I wasn't sure how I would feel about it watching it 28 years later.
This film, at least for me, held up well. I don't know if it is because the first time I saw it, I was probably around Elliot's age (the protagonist of the film). Or because the story is somewhat timeless. Either way, I definitely got caught up in it...and yes, I cried at the end. (I am a sap.) It could also have been the fact that when I watched it this time, I had just returned from a trip in Europe, where I was stranded and couldn't get home because of the volcanic ash cloud. So I could actually relate to poor E.T. (although unlike him, I could phone home.)
The line "E.T. phone home." comes in at number 15 on AFI's top 100 Movie Quotes. This movie also spawned a whole thing around Reese's Pieces. As I recall.
Bottom line, this is a cute, feel good movie.
One word to describe "E.T.": Sweet.
This film, at least for me, held up well. I don't know if it is because the first time I saw it, I was probably around Elliot's age (the protagonist of the film). Or because the story is somewhat timeless. Either way, I definitely got caught up in it...and yes, I cried at the end. (I am a sap.) It could also have been the fact that when I watched it this time, I had just returned from a trip in Europe, where I was stranded and couldn't get home because of the volcanic ash cloud. So I could actually relate to poor E.T. (although unlike him, I could phone home.)
The line "E.T. phone home." comes in at number 15 on AFI's top 100 Movie Quotes. This movie also spawned a whole thing around Reese's Pieces. As I recall.
Bottom line, this is a cute, feel good movie.
One word to describe "E.T.": Sweet.
Frankenstein - James Whale (1931)
This is another example of a movie that is difficult to watch in context of when it was made. Back in the day, this was a very scary and creepy movie. When I was watching it, all I could imagine was the movie 'Young Frankenstein' with Gene Wilder and it made it hokey. So I found it amusing more so than scary. Not what James Whale intended, for sure.
I guess the fact that this has been re-made and parodied so many times is a testament to the originality of the movie. Beyond the hokey aspect of it, this was a solid film. Good story. And for the time, the effects were pretty impressive.
In my post-movie investigation, the 'look' of Frankenstein was created by the make-up people that worked on the movie: the flat head and the bolts on the side of the neck. Also, the studio wanted to keep the identity of the person playing Frankenstein under wraps until the movie premiered. Bella Lugosi was originally asked to play, but declined. Boris Karloff (yes, the guy who voiced the Grinch in the cartoon) was hired.
And there is the famous line: It's alive!! (It's number 49 on the AFI's top 100 movie quotes.) The original line is actually: "It's alive! It's alive! In the name of God! Now I know what it's like to be God!" When the 1931 version was released, the latter part of the line (Now I know...) was obscured by censors with a clap of thunder. In the 1937 re-release, the original line was left in. (My trivia for the day).
Good movie. Glad I saw it.
One word to describe 'Frankenstein': Alive.
I guess the fact that this has been re-made and parodied so many times is a testament to the originality of the movie. Beyond the hokey aspect of it, this was a solid film. Good story. And for the time, the effects were pretty impressive.
In my post-movie investigation, the 'look' of Frankenstein was created by the make-up people that worked on the movie: the flat head and the bolts on the side of the neck. Also, the studio wanted to keep the identity of the person playing Frankenstein under wraps until the movie premiered. Bella Lugosi was originally asked to play, but declined. Boris Karloff (yes, the guy who voiced the Grinch in the cartoon) was hired.
And there is the famous line: It's alive!! (It's number 49 on the AFI's top 100 movie quotes.) The original line is actually: "It's alive! It's alive! In the name of God! Now I know what it's like to be God!" When the 1931 version was released, the latter part of the line (Now I know...) was obscured by censors with a clap of thunder. In the 1937 re-release, the original line was left in. (My trivia for the day).
Good movie. Glad I saw it.
One word to describe 'Frankenstein': Alive.
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