February 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Leaving Las Vegas is a movie wherein Nicolas Cage wears “alcoholic” make-up and moves to Vegas to drink himself to death, all while terrible music plays. (Seriously, if the soundtrack isn’t Sting, it’s inappropriately placed 50s covers.) Nicolas Cage won an Oscar for his performance. The director, Michael Figgis (also the brains behind the loathsome Timecode) was...
2 tags
down time for Downton
Reasons:
1. I haven’t watched a TV show in over a year.
2. Downton Abbey is HIGHLY addictive. I finish Season 2 tonight.
3. “I’m a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose.”
I’ll be back soon with a review of Leaving Las Vegas, where I’ll ask the question on everyone’s mind: “Why do I torture myself with terrible 90s movies?”
January 2012
8 posts
1 tag
WHOA.
I wrote my last post yesterday, ON VIRGINIA WOOLF’S BIRTHDAY.
2 tags
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Virginia Woolf, not threatening. Liz Taylor playing Martha, kind of scary.
Aah!
The last film I saw starring Liz Talyor was Cat on a Hot TIn Roof, where she yelled a lot less (sadly), but played an equally infuriating character. It took me three sittings to watch WAVW? because it was so grating. I’m sure it ruined the effect, but that’s what happened.
When I finally made it...
5 tags
Dead Man Walking (1995)
It’s posts like these that hopefully remind you that you’re reading the CUTTING EDGE of film review blogs.
I started out 2012’s relaxed-but-continuing movie project with Tim Robbins’s Dead Man Walking. This was actually a big one to cross off the list. In high school, I wrote a paper on the evils of the death penalty and promptly made it one of my favorite topics to...
12 tags
Pass the Music (2012)
An excellent antidote for missing Sundance this year: a documentary screening at the Bootleg Theater of Pass the Music, a glimpse into the local music scene in the east side of Los Angeles around 2009. The Bootleg is no Eccles, but I also didn’t have to trudge through a blizzard to get there. (LA go-to defense #1: Weather.) $8 got me into the screening AND the show that followed: Seasons...
17 tags
Other Lists 2011
Biggest Let-Downs
Modern Romance (1981) dir. Albert Brooks - Big disappointment considering how highly recommended this film was. I still love you, Albert Einstein Brooks.
Get Carter (1971) dir. Mike Hodges - I’m pretty sure Michael Caine isn’t supposed to make the viewer laugh and cringe as much as I did, or at all.
The Seven Year Itch (1955) dir. Billy Wilder - I shut this one...
11 tags
Top Lists 2011
Top Ten YHSBH Movies 2011
Interiors (1978) dir. Woody Allen - This is the film I couldn’t stop recommended this year. I can’t wait to watch it again now that the year is over. I found this film in the long list of Woody Allen films I hadn’t yet seen.
Papillon (1973) dir. Franklin J. Schaffner - Again, a film I couldn’t stop talking about. Steve McQueen + Dustin Hoffman...
2 tags
Results of a year well-spent
Final total: 264 films. 365 days. Just 101 films shy of the goal, but 264 is NOT BAD.
This movie project was one of the very best ideas I’ve ever had. I started 2011 at the top of the roller coaster, with about 200 movies on my list, and a ton of support from my cinephile friends. The list grew with every person I talked to about the project— each person had a must-see to suggest,...
3 tags
Braveheart (1995)
It is done. I have seen Braveheart*.
Braveheart disproves an earth-shattering theory I’ve been forming throughout this year-long project: many films made in the 90s aren’t as good as you remember them to be. Not all, but maaaany. It was a weird time for movies. Obviously there were 10s of great movies made in that decade, some of my favs, but try watching Falling Down before you...
December 2011
1 post
3 tags
Day 352?!?!?
Good gravy! It’s Day 352, Week 51 and I’ve watched 258 movies.
Hit a major speed bump in this final month with the crazy long commercial shoot I’m working on… Working from 5am to 10pm on set doesn’t leave much time to watch, nor blog. I’m hoping to make the week between Xmas and New Years a straight up movie/blog-a-thon…
Final stretch— ho!!!
November 2011
9 posts
3 tags
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
(viewed 9/3/11)
Spoiler Alert
I thought Peggy Sue Got Married was a comedy. It’s really not. Instead, it goes to the dark side of traveling back in time. Do you think it would be fun to see your mom as she was 25 years ago? This film answers that question definitively: No, it would be horribly depressing, and confusing. (Now-deceased grandparents? Maybe a little fun!) I f had...
4 tags
Serial Mom (1994)
(viewed on 11/16/11)
While we’re on the subject of John Waters, I very recently watched Serial Mom. AS THOUGH I NEEDED ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE KATHLEEN TURNER. Her raspy voice should be named a National Treasure.
I’m a little disappointed in the internet right now, as this is the only clip I can find of the amazing bird-noise scene. (The french version is pretty funny I guess.) ...
7 tags
Hairspray (1988)
(viewed on 10/19/11)
As though I needed another reason to love John Waters.
Hairspray was fun. I knew it was about a dance contest, but I had no idea it was more about segregation. The racial tension gave it just enough weight without ever getting too serious. “See how racist everyone used to be? Uh-oh, people are still denied their civil rights today! This is nuts!!” +...
6 tags
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
(viewed 10/14/11)
When you play in the orchestra for a musical, it’s rare that you ever actually see the performance. You might see a rehearsal or two, but never the full show. Thus, I learned all the songs and interludes on my trumpet in high school, and knew the general plot, but never actually saw the theater or film version of Bye Bye Birdie. All these years later, it was Season 3...
3 tags
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
(viewed 11/9/11)
Spoiler Alert
Ohhh it felt good to cross this gem off my list! Dog Day Afternoon has been hovering at the top of my to-see for years now. SO. GOOD. Possibly my favorite role for Al Pacino?
Plus he looks like my friend Jim. Too bad I can’t find a decent photo on Jim’s facebook to use without his permission. (You’re welcome, Jim.)
The best part about this messy tale of...
5 tags
3 tags
Fame (1980)
(viewed 9/30/11)
I accidentally watched the first 20 minutes of the 2009 remake of Fame before I realized Netflix had shipped me the wrong disc in the correct paper sleeve. I mean, the graphics of the title sequence gave it away, but I kept watching anyway. I’m not here to tell you that the remake is an unwatchable failure, you know this or could guess (re: Frasier and Lilith together...
2 tags
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
(viewed on 9/29/11)
I watched a series of musicals/dance-based movies about a month ago, starting with Strictly Ballroom. If you typically hate Baz Luhrmann, you might like this movie. It’s the least Baz Luhrmann-y of the bunch. If you typically like his films, as I do, you might like this movie too! Win, win. Visually, it’s as garish and bright as can be, which makes the world of...
2 tags
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
(viewed on 9/11/11)
While I have Mr. Brando here on the blog, I’ll reflect on Last Tango in Paris.
Aaahh! “Ugh, what happened MB?” I winced again and again. And: “Ick.” Later it died down to: “Nice haircut.”
It wasn’t just Brando’s pasty-yet-crinkled face that made me feel the weight of time while watching this film. There’s...
October 2011
4 posts
4 tags
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
(viewed 10/26/11)
More like A Streetcar Named Marlon Br— I mean, A Marlon Brando Named— nevermind, Marlon Brando’s super hot in this movie, whatevs.
Too bad he’s “common”.
Here’s why I had to watch this movie, besides the cultural significance and all: My grandmother’s name is Stella Kowalski. Granted, she married into that name, but it was...
1 tag
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
(viewed waaaay back on 6/2/11)
(I’m just writing about it now because I’m in a little classic movie groove.)
This movie is alright, I guess.
JUST KIDDING! It’s fantastic!! It might even make my Top Ten list of this year, who knows?!?
If you haven’t seen Sunset Blvd. like my poor foolish self hadn’t, you should reconsider your movie-watching priorities and move...
4 tags
Casablanca (1942)
(viewed on 8/31/11)
Casablanca falls into the category of “Movies I Think I’ve Seen From Beginning to End But Really I’ve Only Seen a Few Scenes”. I know, it’s pathetic. Look, my mom watched AMC a lot when I was a kid, or rather, the television was usually stuck on a classic movie whether anyone was watching or not, a soundtrack to house cleaning or Scrabble...
1 tag
Day 300...
Today is Day 300 of 2011. Week 43.
I have watched 214 movies.
Some of you might think that’s a good number, but I’m a little disappointed.
I have 65 days left, 9 1/3 weeks, to watch 151 movies.
YIKES.
I’m going to give it my best, readers. I hope to at least hit 300.
Now for some posts!
September 2011
16 posts
3 tags
4 tags
Lost in America (1985)
(viewed on 7/4/11)
I watched this bad larry on July 4th, because it has “America” in the title (and Born on the 4th of July wasn’t on Netflix instant at the time). I didn’t go see a fireworks display this year, which is depressing, but Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty were a decent replacement.
This is a very silly movie, and not altogether great, but way more enjoyable...
2 tags
Surfwise (2007)
(viewed on 6/25/11)
Stuck in the very same airport on that same birthday, I watched another surfing movie. This one, Surfwise, is a documentary about a doctor who drops out of society and raises his enormous family on the road, stopping along the coasts and teaching his children to surf. Seriously, click on that link, this guy is for real.
As with any story of a renegade going off the grid,...
5 tags
The Endless Summer (1966)
(viewed on 6/25/11)
There are reasons why anyone who has seen The Endless Summer will recommend it to you. You will want to go surfing, you will want to go to the ocean. The film will drench your eyes in sunlight and salt water, and you will wish for summer. I watched it in June, on my birthday, after a week of blissful family vacation in sunny Myrtle Beach, SC. I was stuck in the airport,...
2 tags
The Children (1980)
(viewed on 6/19/11)
Does the above image frighten you? Does it creep you out, even a little? Don’t let your answer determine whether or not you will enjoy this low-budg “horror” film The Children, but keep in mind: that 8 year-old with black nail polish is the “villain”. My use of quotation marks signifies sarcasm. This movie is not scary at all. However! ...
2 tags
3 tags
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1979)
(viewed on 4/26/2011) / this is dedicated to the ones I loooooove:
This 70s gem obviously appealed to me: a big group of old friends from college reunite at for a summer weekend in New Hampshire. Why? I am part of such a group:
And specifically, some of us vacationed at a cabin on the Russian River for a week in August:
(both photos courtesy of Dara Weinberg)
There was a lot more...
2 tags
Dead Snow (2009)
(viewed on 8/8/11)
Welllll, I technically watched another movie that could be lumped in with my WWII series: Dead Snow. Set in modern Norwegian times, a group of 20-somethings take an innocent ski vacation, only to be attacked by Nazi zombies.
Unfortunately, the filmmaker couldn’t decide if the film should be funny or scary, so he chose both, and it ended up being neither. I bet there...
3 tags
Downfall (2004)
(viewed on 8/1/11)
I capped off my first WWII series (there are enough movies on my list to do another) with Downfall. Most people know this film from the multiple Hitler-freak-out parodies that have been made over the years. I really enjoyed the Carmageddon one.
It wasn’t until my cousin Erica suggested Downfall to me this summer that I even thought about apart from the parodies. ...
4 tags
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
(viewed on 7/31/11)
Spoiler Alert!
Tired of the same old WWII film? Craving some straight-up Nazi killing? The Dirty Dozen is for YOU! Ah, what a crazy movie. Lots of fun people: Charles Bronson- a no-nonsense kinda soldier, John Cassavetes- the lovable jerk, and the amazing leader Lee Marvin- such a little bitch to his superiors! He says everything you want him to say, it’s so damn...
3 tags
The Longest Day (1962)
(viewed on 7/20/11)
I ended up watching The Longest Day on one of the longest days of my recent life. Josh and I missed a red eye flight back east, and he got on a standby flight early the next morning. I got on a flight that afternoon, but plane delays made me miss my connection in Dallas. I had to stay over that night in a hotel before continuing on to CT early the next morning. It was...
2 tags
The Believer (2001)
(viewed on 7/18/11)
The Believer is oddly one of the frequently suggested movies that made it into this project. It’s Ryan Gosling’s first big film role.
A wise move on his part.. nothing will get you noticed like playing a Jewish Neo-Nazi. It’s an interesting film, kind of based on a true story, but some parts were terribly melodramatic. Cringe-worthy, even. I...
2 tags
Patton (1970)
(viewed on 7/13/11)
Was it Patton or Platoon that my dad always tried to get me to watch when I was a kid? Maybe both. I have a feeling Patton is the superior film.
Patton was a bad-ass, worthy of an excellent biopic. It took me a few tries to watch the entire film, but on the second try I was hooked. Adoring war, making it your business to kill as many humans as possible, living for...
6 tags
The Boys from Brazil (1978)
(viewed on 7/12/11)
I was quite excited when I got this recommendation: a film about Hitler clones, planted all over the globe by a crazy Nazi doctor attempting to create the right social and political setting for one of them to come to power! Hitler clones! Wait, Hitler clones?
I would have been more cautious if I had seen this poster for the film:
Overall, this is a really silly science...
3 tags
Schindler's List (1993)
(viewed on 7/11/11)
In yer face, readers!!! (?)
nbd, I finally watched Schindler’s List, THAT’S ALL! Now I’ll never again have to say to my friends, family, and colleagues, “Oh well, about that Schindler’s List reference you just made, I don’t get it, because I somehow missed Schindler’s List, even when it was on without commercials that time. Yeah, I...
4 tags
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
(viewed on 7/6/11)
Netflix, with its ever-changing Instantly Viewable selection and dvd shipping times, has shaped my movie project in strange ways. Sometimes a dvd hasn’t arrived in time, and I’m forced to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas instead of Schindler’s List. Both are big movies to cross off the list, and hey, sometimes I need a break from the more intense...
July 2011
6 posts
1 tag
Day 200!! Progress Report
Holy cow! It’s the 200th day of 2011! A great day to do an update, no?
Here’s the stats: as of today I watched 156 films. 44 films behind. Valiant attempt? Burning disappointment? I vacillate daily, but I’m still watching with great determination. I average about 5 films per week. Moving, vacations, getting engaged, working late, the 3 hour running time of most WWII...
4 tags
Funny Ha Ha (2002)
(Viewed on 5/25/11)
As a rule, I despise “mumblecore” films, but I that’s not to say I hate independent films that came before Funny Ha Ha that are light on plot and heavy on rambling dialogue. Return of the Seacaucus 7 was a film I watched this year that I really enjoyed, and would have been classified as “mumblecore” had it been made in the 2000s. I love most...
5 tags
Marathon Man (1976)
Rounding out my Dustin Hoffman series is Marathon Man. I found this movie to be just alright, with a few super awesome scenes that make it worth seeing. I guess that when I read that a film involves “Nazis” and “dental torture”, well, I’m already bracing myself for a scary movie. It didn’t disappoint on the scary, I covered my eyes without shame.
I have to...
2 tags
Little Big Man (1970)
(Viewed on 5/24/11)
The two words that come to mind when I think of Little Big Man are “silly” and “violent”. It’s a comedy about a lovable turncoat, nimbly hopping between the warring American soldiers and Native Americans in the late 1800s. The comedy is less silly than Mel Brooks, but close. The violence is appropriately heavy for a film about the treatment of...
3 tags
Papillon (1973)
(Viewed on 5/22/11)
No no no! Not the adorbz dog of the same name!
…Really? REALLY??
That’s what I’m talking about. Steve McQueen as Henri “Papillon” Charriere. Papillon was one of the best films I’ve seen during this year-long project, and I wonder when I will stop singing its praises. Probably never.
It came to me as a recommendation from a...
4 tags
Lenny (1974)
(Viewed on 5/18/11)
I thought Dustin Hoffman was one of my favorite actors, but it turns out I hadn’t seen his most essential works. I started with Lenny, since I knew it would be a sure thing. The man won an Oscar for his performance (sometimes a good sign), and it was directed by BOB FOSSE.
Bob, you magical man, why didn’t you direct more non-musical films??
From what...
June 2011
2 posts
4 tags
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Anyone who truthfully enjoys The Seven Year Itch hereby owes me a five-paragraph essay with three well-documented points on WHY AND HOW.
This might be one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. As soon as I got to the part where Marilyn Monroe holds her dress down in the subway’s rush of wind, I turned it right the hell off. I will never apologize for doing so. It’s clear...
4 tags
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
The title comes from a Wordsworth poem, translated: Sometimes life goes horribly wrong, even though it seems like it will be fine when you’re young. But don’t be a baby about it, just forget about being happy.
Oh look! Someone put a photo on the internet of the exact moment when I burst into tears!! Here it is:
Yep, you both really messed up, and now you’re dead inside. ...
May 2011
3 posts
3 tags
The Room (2003)
Since I just proclaimed my deep and long-standing love of bad movies, I figure it’s a fine time to write about The Room, as I attempt to catch up on the films I’ve seen in the past few weeks…
We’ve all heard the phrase “worst movie ever made” casually thrown around in conversation. Thousands of films are made every year, and most of them are terrible. But the...
5 tags
