I did average more than one film a week this year. It's hard to concentrate on a movie when my son is in the house and does not dig Lubitsch the way I do. Hope to see more in the cinemas next year, but I appreciate Netflix.
1) That's Entertainment
2) Inside Llewyn Davis
3) Arsenic and Old Lace
4) Blackfish
5) Reds & Blues
6) Negros With Guns
7) Drinking Buddies
8) Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure.
9) Heroic Trio
10) A Hard Days Night
11) The Rape of Europa
12) The Lego Movie
13) Gigot
14) From Russia With Love
15) Ghostbusters
16) Gamera Vs. Guiron (MST3K)
17) 20 Feet From Stardom
18) Destroy All Monsters
19) Goldfinger
20) Godzilla Vs. Mothra
21) The Grand Budapest Hotel
22) The Fifth Element
23) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
24) Dave Clark 5: Above and Beyond
25) The Matrix
26) Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster.
27) Beware of Mr. Baker
28) Godzilla (2014)
29) Muscle Shoals
30) Pele and Garrincha - Gods of Brazil
31) Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
32) The Angels Share
33) The Aristocrats
34) High Anxiety
35) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
36) Werewolf (MST3K)
37) Girl Shy
38) Alpha Papa
39) Sharknado 2: the Second One
40) Boyhood
41) Bettie Page Reveals All
42) Guardians of the Galaxy
43) Axe Giant: the Wrath of Paul Bunyan
44) To Be Or Not To Be (1942)
45) Hot Saturday (1932)
46) A Dog’s Life (1918)
47) Upside Down: The Creation Records Story
48) Blue is the Warmest Color
49) God Help the Girl
50) The Divorcee
51) God Help the Girl (with Wife)
52) Red Dust
53) The African Queen
54) Twentieth Century
55) Gone Girl
56) A Night at the Opera.
57) Birdman
58) Snowpiercer
59) The Last Gladiators
60) Filth
61) Pulp: a Film about Life, Death, and Supermarkets
62) A Long Way Down
63) Love and Death
64) Comfort and Joy
65) Shop Around the Corner
66) Big Eyes
67) Pearl Jam 20
Showing posts with label film 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film 2014. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Boyhood reaction
"I wanted there to be more," Patricia Arquette's character says near the end of Boyhood. And after nearly three hours, to be honest, I would not have minded seeing more of this family's life. Richard Linklater filmed his characters over a period of twelve years to tell a rather ordinary story in a magnificent way, leaving the explosions and high drama out but keeping in the build up and wind downs of life's tensions. For the first, and possibly only time I will say that I wanted to see more of Ethan Hawke onscreen. Very good acting all around, and Arquette has some of her best onscreen work in her final scenes. You find yourself hoping the kids end up alright and wanting the parents to get something right and not screw up themselves or their kids. For the most part they do, but you see a lot of life's failures as well. "We're just winging it here," is Hawke's advice to his high school graduate son - and that one he gets right.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Date night at the moving picture show
Tonight was the CAPA Summer Movie Series annual showing of a silent feature. I was pleased that they were able to get a Harold Lloyd film. As I watch more of his work, I respect him a lot more as a comic and tonight's feature, Girl Shy, was no exception.
It's a very pleasant comedy of a boy who meets a girl, likes the girl but does not think he's making good, so he unpleasantly dumps the girl. Then, he realizes he's doing well for himself and tries to get the girl back. There's a wonderfully zany chase sequence of over twenty minutes that closes the film. The crowd loved it, Girl Shy is a fine way to be introduced to Lloyd's work.
Once again, Clark Wilson was amazing playing off the cue sheets and providing the sound from the Mighty Morton Organ of the Ohio Theatre. It's summer to me, and they've been doing it since 1969.
Once again, Clark Wilson was amazing playing off the cue sheets and providing the sound from the Mighty Morton Organ of the Ohio Theatre. It's summer to me, and they've been doing it since 1969.
Friday, May 16, 2014
A monster's work is never done
After a hiccup in the filling of my prescription, a return and remaking I finally got my sunglasses from Lookmatic today.
Two weeks ago I got the glasses but knew something was screwed up immediately as I could not see a thing out of them. I immediately shipped them back and asked if I could send them a picture of my prescription so they could work off that. After some polite communication from their customer service department I was informed that my glasses were shipped out on Tuesday.
Today I received them and was a bit nervous because I did not want this to be screwed up again. I wanted these sunglasses!
And I could see! Could read the Lookmatic on the case, took out the trash and recycling without tripping on the steps. Drove to Dirty Franks West for dinner while wearing them, they work.
What I do not like is the case, it's too rectangular and does not slip into an inside jacket pocket easily. I have other cases to use though. So with a bit of hassle that was easily resolved it's an $85 purchase that was well worth it.
I did not wear them to the movies tonight though. We saw Godzilla, which is a fun summer blockbuster and not much more. The action and fight sequences were quite entertaining and well done. The director saved a mutant lizard trick for a very fine moment. The actors, for the most part, stood around and looked very worried about the destruction that was happening all around them. There's a lot of Jaws in this film, I mean, the lead character's last name is Brody. There are scores of other film references that are actually a nice surprise to see when they happen, it's not over the top but a slow reveal. It's a popcorn film with a heart that does not cheat or insult the audience. There should have been more monsters fighting and ripping ass though.
Two weeks ago I got the glasses but knew something was screwed up immediately as I could not see a thing out of them. I immediately shipped them back and asked if I could send them a picture of my prescription so they could work off that. After some polite communication from their customer service department I was informed that my glasses were shipped out on Tuesday.
Today I received them and was a bit nervous because I did not want this to be screwed up again. I wanted these sunglasses!
And I could see! Could read the Lookmatic on the case, took out the trash and recycling without tripping on the steps. Drove to Dirty Franks West for dinner while wearing them, they work.
What I do not like is the case, it's too rectangular and does not slip into an inside jacket pocket easily. I have other cases to use though. So with a bit of hassle that was easily resolved it's an $85 purchase that was well worth it.
I did not wear them to the movies tonight though. We saw Godzilla, which is a fun summer blockbuster and not much more. The action and fight sequences were quite entertaining and well done. The director saved a mutant lizard trick for a very fine moment. The actors, for the most part, stood around and looked very worried about the destruction that was happening all around them. There's a lot of Jaws in this film, I mean, the lead character's last name is Brody. There are scores of other film references that are actually a nice surprise to see when they happen, it's not over the top but a slow reveal. It's a popcorn film with a heart that does not cheat or insult the audience. There should have been more monsters fighting and ripping ass though.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Everything is awesome
It was a holiday yesterday so my son was off school. I took the day off to look after him and decided that we would have a father/son outing. It's been grey and cold here, with more snow than usual so I chose a movie. The Lego Movie.
A lot of people had the same idea as mine, the theater was packed with kids, which was fine as I had one, too. It's always hard to decide what to expose your son to, what does he know? What will he get out of it?
He did well but was not really interested in the happenings on screen. He watched, then looked around the theater, babbled a bit. Who knows if he had a good time? When the movie was over and the credits started he was instantly out of his seat and wanted out of the theater. I thought that he would be interested in the credits as he always watches them intently at home. Not the case.
The film itself was a visual freak out of nostalgia. Certainly entertaining, though I'm not sure who the target audience is. Having read no reviews I had no idea what to expect, or who did the voices so there were pleasant surprises for me.
Later that evening TCM had a premiere of a little seen film of Jackie Gleason's. Gigot was made in 1962 and to my knowledge is not available on home video in any form. It's also directed by Gene Kelly. It's set in Paris and Gleason plays a mute who works as a janitor. He's picked on and ridiculed by people in the neighborhood regularly and with great cruelty. Then he meets a prostitute and her daughter and finds a friend in the kind daughter.
I wanted to root for this film, but some of the sentimentality and pathos was so over the top it's hard to take Gigot seriously. Reviews were mixed, and remain so. Was Gleason trying to be Chaplin in the Kid, or Tati? His ego was all over the opening credits as his name appeared several times in very large font. Still, it's quite the ambitious film and the effort is certainly there, even with execution that is deeply flawed.
A lot of people had the same idea as mine, the theater was packed with kids, which was fine as I had one, too. It's always hard to decide what to expose your son to, what does he know? What will he get out of it?
He did well but was not really interested in the happenings on screen. He watched, then looked around the theater, babbled a bit. Who knows if he had a good time? When the movie was over and the credits started he was instantly out of his seat and wanted out of the theater. I thought that he would be interested in the credits as he always watches them intently at home. Not the case.
The film itself was a visual freak out of nostalgia. Certainly entertaining, though I'm not sure who the target audience is. Having read no reviews I had no idea what to expect, or who did the voices so there were pleasant surprises for me.
Later that evening TCM had a premiere of a little seen film of Jackie Gleason's. Gigot was made in 1962 and to my knowledge is not available on home video in any form. It's also directed by Gene Kelly. It's set in Paris and Gleason plays a mute who works as a janitor. He's picked on and ridiculed by people in the neighborhood regularly and with great cruelty. Then he meets a prostitute and her daughter and finds a friend in the kind daughter.
I wanted to root for this film, but some of the sentimentality and pathos was so over the top it's hard to take Gigot seriously. Reviews were mixed, and remain so. Was Gleason trying to be Chaplin in the Kid, or Tati? His ego was all over the opening credits as his name appeared several times in very large font. Still, it's quite the ambitious film and the effort is certainly there, even with execution that is deeply flawed.
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