Continuing my 2017 entries (there is a bit more, but this brings it to the 100.)
Movie #76/1950s Movie #8/ Criterion Edition #16: On the Waterfront
This may very well be the best movie I’ve seen all year. I’ve seen it once before in college, and enjoyed it then, but it seemed more powerful this time around. The first time I might’ve been distracted by what I knew about the iconic “contender” scene. The cast (including five Oscar-nominated performances) is fantastic, and the sense of atmosphere is excellent, as Brando’s Terry Malloy is caught between loyalty to people who screwed him over in ways they can’t appreciate, and doing the right thing.
10/10
Movie #77/ New Movie #62/ 1930s Movie #8/ German Film #5: People on Sunday
This was included as a DVD extra on an issue of The Believer I bought a while back, so it was interesting to finally watch it. It seems initially like a lightweight piece about young Berliners enjoying the weekend, but it is elevated by great storytelling (Billy Wilder wrote the script; Fred Zimmerman was the cinematographer) and takes a turn as a young rake decides to abandon his date in favor of her friend.
9/10
Movie #78/ 1970s Movie #9: Jaws
A very watchable movie about a somewhat exaggerated premise that is quite useful to any aspiring screenwriter. I like the clash between the blue-collar Quint and Richard Dreyfuss’s wealthy oceanographer, one of the best Act 1 endings ever (the false hope with the capture of another shark) and the many little moments (the greedy mayor’s rationalizations for what he did; the genius closing, etc.) It’s strong competition for On The Waterfront in the category of best movies I’ve seen this year.
10/10
Movie #79/ 2000s Movie #7/ Superhero Movie #6: Iron Man
Downey Jr’s Iron Man is one of the best film superhero leads- a guy who finds the norms of superheroes as ridiculous as much of the audience. It’s an excellent intro to the MCU with storytelling that is smart, if sometimes a bit obvious, and a lot of fun.
9/10
Movie #80/ 1940s Movie #7/ Fantasy Movie #7/ New Movie #63: It Happened Tomorrow
This was a charming romantic comedy based on the idea of a budding reporter briefly getting insights into the future, and using that to build his reputation, and get Linda Darnell’s pretend-clairvoyant to fall in love with him, before it all backfires. Perfectly suited for Dick Powell.
7/10
Movie #81/ 1970s Movie #10: Network
Very smart script with excellent scenes for Robert Duvall and the five actors who got Oscar nominations (three who got Oscars.) The criticism of television and the prioritization of profit over news has only gotten more relevant, even if the criticism of the TV generation seems a bit like an old guy picking on the young.
10/10
Movie #82/ 1950s Movie #9/ New Movie #64/ Criterion Edition #17: Ashes and Diamonds
This is an excellent war film that deals with the transition of one era to another (from being part of the resistance to being part of the rebellion) exploring the ambiguities on all sides. Beautifully shot with an excellent lead performance by Zbigniew Cybulski (described as the Polish James Dean, although I’m not convinced James Dean was ever this good) as a soldier caught at a crossroads.
9/10
Movie #83/ 1950s Movie #10/ New Movie #65/ Criterion Edition #18: Pather Panchali
With this I’m done with the 50s, as well as the 70s, and the current decade. A beautifully shot exploration of childhood in rural India, it captures small joys and heartbreak. Good god, is there heartbreak. I can’t think of any other film that depicts extreme poverty so effectively.
9/10
Movie #84/ 2010s Movie #13/ New Movie #66: Dunkirk
I get that seeing it on an Imax big screen was a rare opportunity, but it was significantly cheaper to see it in my local theater, and it still impressed the hell out of me. It’s an excellent war film about three sides of a British military campaign (stranded soldiers, civilians trying to help, pilots) with all the strands coming together beautifully.
10/10
Movie #85/ New Movie #67/ 1930s Movie #9: Grand Hotel
This Best Picture winner is famously groundbreaking as the first major film to feature a lot of A-list stars, and generally fun. Parts of it may be very dated, but Lionel Barrymore is a standout as a gentleman thief.
7/10
Movie #86/ 1950s Movie #11/ New Movie #68/ Japanese Film #4/ Criterion Edition #19: High and Low
This Kurosawa film is an excellent procedural, exploring the investigation and the people affected when an attempt to kidnap a wealthy man’s son results in the capture of his chauffeur’s kid, forcing a businessman in the middle of a hostile takeover to make a major sacrifice. It then takes some very interesting turns.
9/10
Movie #87/ 1990s Movie #6: Apollo 13
This was a solid science disaster movie, with an excellent cast (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinese, and Academy Award nominees Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan, showing intelligent people solving life and death math problems, during a media frenzy .
9/10
M
ovie #88/ 1990s Movie #7/ Superhero Film #7/ Animated Film #5: Batman- Mask of the Phantasm
This is an excellent distillation of what is great about Batman, combining parts of some of this best comics adventures into something new and exciting. It doesn’t come across as an extended arc of the animated series (even if that could still make for a great story) because the choices for the Dark Knight are so monumental.
9/10
Movie #89/ New Movie #69/ Silent Movie Era #9/ Criterion Edition #20: The Lodger
This is an excellent Hitchcock thriller, initially about the reasons a family might have to be worried about a lodger whose absences coincide with the strikes of a serial killer, that takes a turn when the lodger becomes the target of a lynch mob.
9/10
Movie #90/ 1940s Movie #8/ Criterion Edition #21/ French Film #4: Beauty and the Beast
Strikingly beautiful adaptation of the fairy tale.
9/10
Movie #91/ New Movie #70/ Silent Movie Era #10: The Jazz Singer
I can be appreciate the significance of the film (although it was quickly outdated) and it is often joyous, but it refers to a frame of reference that just doesn’t exist any more, with a rather one-sided family crisis at the core.
7/10
Movie #92/ New Movie #72/ 1930s Movie #10: Dark Victory
It’s a film famously lost in the shuffle in 1939 that probably would have otherwise gotten a boatload of Oscars and now hovers in the top ten in the best year of cinema. The story of a dying heiress is elevated by a wide-ranged performance by Bette Davis, who has to handle all the stages of grief. One thing the film pulls off is twisting the direction. There are numerous concepts that could be an entire film but the characters then choose to go in a different direction. Humphrey Bogart and Ronald Reagan are two of the supporting players, elevated by their subsequent significance.
9/10
Movie #93/ New Film #73/ 2000s Movie #8/ French Film #5: OSS 117- Lost in Rio
A fun James Bond/ Hitchcock pastiche by an actor-director pair that would later dominate the Oscars.
8/10
Movie #94/ 1990s Movie #8/ Science Fiction Film #7: Dark City
It’s a twisted sci-fi noir that has an excellent sense of world-building and set design, even if the final confrontation is a bit cliched.
9/10
Movie #95/ 1940s Movie #9/ Criterion Edition #22: To Be Or Not To Be
Very funny theater satire that turns into a military conflict, as a ham actor has to impersonate German officials in order to uncover a spy during World War 2.
9/10
Movie #96/ New Film #74/ 1960s Movie #8: The Americanization of Emily
Smart military satire, with a uniformly great performance by Julie Andrews, and a slightly uneven performance by James Garner (much better at reactions than speeches). There’s a final morally dubious decision, although it can lead to interesting discussions, suggesting writer Paddy Chayefsky knew what he was doing.
8/10
Movie #97/ 2000s Movie #8/ Animated Film #5: Ratatouille
This is just a reminder of how brilliant the guys at Pixar are, taking a ridiculous concept (a rat that wants to be a cook), and making it about something (the need to create rather than to take; loyalty VS friendship) and elevating minor characters in unexpected ways; it’s one of my favorite moments in film when Anton Ego takes a bite into the ratatouille.)
9/10
Movie #98/ New Movie #75/ 1940s Movie #10: Man Hunt
This is a bold thriller about a British hunter chased by Germans that moves a lot quicker than I thought it would, and ends in a very powerful daring way.
9/10
Movie #99/ New Film #76/ 1960s Movie #9/ Science Fiction Film #8: The Village of the Damned
It’s a creepy concept executed well, and in a relatively manner of fact way.
8/10
Movie #100/ 1980s Movie #9/ Science Fiction Film #9/ Superhero Film #8: Superman II (The Donner Cut)
Give the chaotic origin it’s a miracle it exists at all, although the flaws can’t all be blamed on the process. It alternates between dopey and brilliant.
7/10