A Fistful of Cinematic Resolutions 2015! (Matt's Picks)

    It’s that time of year again.  Time for me to look at my viewing history and find some of the glaring blank spots.  French New Wave?  60s comedies?  Nautical Kurt Russell?  I’ve got some movies I need to watch in 2015. 

5. The Sound of Music & All that Jazz:  I’ve watched a good number of musicals.  It’s never been a type of film I necessarily love, but it’s also never been one I avoid.  The King and I, The Music Man, and West Side Story were favorites from my youth.  But somehow, no matter how many times it aired on TV, I never watched The Sound of Music.  Oh, sure, I’ve seen the clips.  I know some of the story.  But I’ve never seen the film.  I figured I’d pair that with All that Jazz, a movie that reinvented the musical for a new era.

4. Breathless & Jules and Jim:  French film.  I love some.  I hate some.  I’m indifferent to most.  The French New Wave, while obviously influential, never much captured my interest.  And the few times I’ve tried to make inroads, I’ve found myself a mix of confused and bored.  Alphaville, anyone?  But this time, I’m gonna try a couple of the classics of the movement, by two of its most iconic directors.

3. La Jetee & Sans Soleil:  I loved 12 Monkeys, and I dig science fiction.  So, I’m finally going to sit down and watch La Jetee, the short film that inspired Terry Gilliam’s time travel weirdness.  And while I’m at it, I’ll check out Sans Soleil, mostly because they’re packaged together by Criterion.

2. Pillow Talk & The Odd Couple:  A big blank spot for me (which I’m really trying to fill in) is the 1960s comedy.  Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Jack Lemmon, and the rest…just never watched ‘em.  Over the last couple years, I’ve tried more and more.  But this year I thought I’d go after a couple big ones.

1. Overboard & Captain Ron:  Kurt Russell and John Carpenter make magic together (ignoring Escape from L.A.).  But I realized that outside of Carpenter films, my Russell knowledge is spotty.  I’ve never watched any of his films from when Disney owned him.  And I haven’t seen much from the late 80s or the 90s.  People keep talking about how great Captain Ron is.  Well, let’s see.

    Bring it on 2015.  I’m ready to get all learned and stuff.


    Here more about it on the ITMODcast!

-Matt

A Fistful of Cinematic Resolutions 2014! (Matt’s Picks)

    Last year, co-Dork Brad put together a list of ‘cinematic resolutions,’ conspicuous holes in his film viewing history.  I enjoyed watching several of them with him, and decided I’d missed the boat by not making my own list.  This year, I’m not making the same mistake.  So what follows are movies many can’t believe I haven’t seen.

5.  Glengarry, Glen Ross:  I briefly thought I was a David Mamet fan, after seeing the Spanish Prisoner and being totally jazzed to find a modern day Alfred Hitchcock.  But while I enjoyed several movies he wrote and/or directed, none ever quite lived up to that initial discovery.  And along the way, I happened to not watch Glengarry, Glen Ross.  It was never an intentional thing; I would frequently look at it in the rental shop.  Just never actually rented it.  However, more and more, I hear it referenced, and it seems like everyone's seen it but me.

4.  The General, The Gold Rush, and Safety Last:  I’ve watched a lot of silent films and classics in general, but I’ve never seen a Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, or Harold Lloyd film.  Though I know The Great Dictator is usually considered Chaplin’s best, I figure I’m gonna hit up his silent film first.

3.  The Shawshank Redemption:  I don’t remember this movie ever causing much of a stir when it came out, but over the years, it seems to have grown into quite the beloved classic.  Nobody ever seems to talk about it, but it’s been in the number one spot on IMDB’s top 250 since I can remember.  I like the cast, and I hear nothing but good things.  But I’ve never been one for prison films.  Still, I’ve had enough shocked responses to finding out I haven’t seen it.  It’s time to finally get down to brass tacks and check it out.

2.  Rio Bravo:  I do not like John Wayne movies.  Hearing him talk and looking at his ruddy meat-face create ugly feelings that burn in the lump of coal I have in place of a heart.  He represents some kind of ‘back in the day’ America that makes me feel bad to be alive.  So, generally speaking, I try to avoid watching his shitty films.  However, I continually hear about Rio Bravo, and that it’s one to watch, in spite of The Duke being in it.  OK.  Fine.  I’ll give it a try.

1.  Sunset Boulevard and The Lost Weekend:  Two classics about personal demons and lives going down the tubes.  Each is often featured on Film Noir lists, though I don’t know that either should quite qualify.  Still, they’re films I’ve heard about frequently over the years, that always show up in ‘must see’ books and articles.  So this year, I’m going to finally mark these two off my list.

    I feel a bit bad that I didn’t put any foreign films of note on my list.  I still need to see La Dolce Vita, for example, but after seeing 8 ½ last year (and totally hating it), I’m not quite ready to try Fellini again any time soon.

-Matt

A Fistful of Cinematic Resolutions 2014! (Brad's Picks)

Last year I attempted to stretch my cinematic muscles and fill the gaping gaps in my 34 years of movie watching.  It took almost an entire year, but I finally consumed Singin' In The Rain, 8 1/2, Gone With The Wind, The African Queen, and Birth of a Nation.  I know, shameful, right?  I'm not here to make excuses.  I could mock you for not having partaken in real art like Starcrash or The Monster Squad, but I'm not a snooty A-hole like you hipster jerkwads obviously are.......yeah...ok...I'm obviously dealing with some not-so-latent film fanaticism ego issues.  It feels good to finally have those films under my belt.  I mean, Birth of a Nation - that is one astonishingly evil film.  We all know it's the product of some serious institutionalized racism, but I actually found it more palatable than the horror show on display in Gone With The Wind.  I kinda hate that film now.  I think the argument could be made that Gone With The Wind is no less vile than Birth of a Nation with its happy slaves and slap crazed Scarlet O'Hara.  And I didn't particularly take to Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 either.  I can appreciate the pain of the creative process and Marcello Mastroianni is certainly intoxicating to watch, but the film equaled little more than a reference point for The Great Beauty.  I never emotionally invested.  The African Queen was fun.  But I'll take The Maltese Falcon for my Bogart/Huston love.  As it turns out the film I enjoyed the most out of last year's resolutions was the one I was anticipating the least - Singin' In The Rain.  That is one joyous outpouring of love for cinema, and it slapped a massive smile on my face.

New year, new resolutions.  I filled out this current batch with a fistful of movies I'm sick & tired of hearing about from family & friends.  There is some stuff for cineastes as well as the VH1 crowd.  I've done a little cheating, pairing a couple of films as a means of completing filmmaker legacies.  There are certainly a few flicks here that I'm ashamed for having missed so far.  It's impossible to see all the movies, but that doesn't mean we can't try.  These are the musts for 2014, but I'm still working my way through Roger Ebert's The Great Films as well as sailing full steam ahead with those unwatched Criterion's sitting next to my television.  I've got my fingers crossed that some of these Resolutions find their way to the AFI Silver or The Alamo like they did with Gone With The Wind and 8 1/2, but I won't hold my breath either.  I've already procured blu rays for everything here with the exception of the Number One spot.

5.  Saturday Night Fever/Grease:  I've been talking to a lot of folks in an effort to determine the other big holes in my cultural knowledge.  The film most people seemed shocked to discover that I've never seen all the way through is Grease.  Why is that?  Most people seem to follow the conversation to a place where they mock the film's morals, but still support the music.  This leads to other talk surrounding Travolta and that disco behemoth known as Saturday Night Fever.  So, this is obviously where I have to start my New Year.  John Travolta.  Blow Out.  Pulp Fiction.  Look Who's Talking.  This man has made some of my favorite movies.  Will I add two more to the list?

4.  Tokyo Story:  This film ranks #3 on the BFI's 50 Greatest Films of All Time; right behind Vertigo & Citizen Kane.  Those are two films that proved to live up to their hyperbolic praise, so here's hoping.  In college, all the hardcore film freaks geeked at the genius of Yasujiro Ozu, but in 1998 I was more concerned with the genius of Clint Eastwood & John Carpenter to be bothered with the arty-farty.  I'd like to think that I've made great strides in the last decade, but Tokyo Story has remained a dead zone.  Criterion's recent blugrade gives offers No Excuses.  The film might not contain any noble samurai, but I look forward to some real-deal cultural enlightenment.

3.  Duck Soup:  Comedy, like musicals, has never been my thing.  I'll bust a gut for movies like The Blues Brothers, The Big Lebowski, or even Your Highness, but I've never bothered to explore the history of the genre.  A funny thing (pun intended) has happened in the last couple of years though.  Again, thanks to those good folks over at Criterion, I've discovered a great fondness for Charlie Chaplin & Harold Lloyd.  Pratfalls and bad luck are timeless.  Some of the biggest laughs I had last year were watching Chaplin navigate the tortures of the rich in City Lights.  And now it's time to branch out from the Criterion Cult - get into the Talkies.  It's impossible growing up to avoid The Marx Brothers completely.  I may have never seen one of their films, but I've certainly encountered Groucho in Looney Tune homage.  He sure does have a goofy mustache.  But it's time to peek behind the curtain of iconography and delve into a classic.

2.  Spartacus/Lolita/Barry Lyndon:  I'm probably more disgusted with myself for having not seen these three films than any other on this list.  Stanley Kubrick - The God Of Film.  You can't call yourself a movie lover without bowing down to the supremacy of 2001 A Space Odyssey.  With the exception of these flicks I've seen every single one of his films.  Some I don't get (A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket), some I ignore (Fear & Desire, Killer's Kiss), some I like (Paths of Glory, Dr Strangelove), some I love (The Killing, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut), and one I worship (the aforementioned 2001).  Is he the single greatest director to ever craft a film?  I'm sure that's debatable.  But it's a debate I cannot partake in until I seen Spartacus, Lolita, & Barry Lyndon.

1.  The Other Godzillas:  Similar to appreciating Kubrick, you cannot call yourself a movie maniac without loving Godzilla.  It's a fact, look it up.  I've watched Gojira a dozen times by this point in my life, but I've only seen one other member of the Godzilla franchise - Ghedora the Three Headed Monster (thanks to Co-Dork Matt actually).  Having recently devoured and obsessed over James Stokoe's Half Century War, and with the upcoming Summer reboot from Gareth Edwards, it's time that I got down and dirty with Ishiro Honda.   I'm not committing to all of the Godzilla films; I'm letting Matt pick the essentials for me.  I might have to get creative with acquiring some of these films (OOP folks is a real bummer), but I'm planning on seeing Rodan, Mothra, Mothra Vs Godzilla, Invasion of the Astromonster, Godzilla Vs The Sea Monster, Godzilla Vs Hedorah, Godzilla Vs Megalon, Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla before the May 16th release date of the new film.  Better get hot, that's a lotta movies.

--Brad

A Fistful of Cinematic Resolutions! (Brad's Picks)

Ok folks, this is the post in which I admit my great cinematic shame.  Below are a list of classics that I've never seen before for some reason or another.  Growing up, I was very much a child of the color television.  Black & White was old.  And old was boring.  Sad.  Disgusting.  Ashamed.  Since hitting my early 20s I've been doing my darndest to correct that very childish concept, but I also gotta admit that last year I dragged my heals in consuming the classics.  I did finally see Metropolis (thanks to the AFI Silver), The Great Dictator (thanks to Criterion), and Johnny Guitar (thanks to Olive Films) but I did not stretch my film watching muscles as much as I should.  This year, I'm gonna finally hit those classics I've missed.

5.  Singing in the Rain:  Of all the films on this list this is the one that disgusts my wife the most.  She's a big time musical fan, but it's always been a genre that I've snoozed through.  If you twist my arm and I had to pick my favorites I would chortle The Blues Brothers and Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.  But ya know what?  Besides that image above, I know absolutely nothing about this movie.  I don't know the plot, I don't know the numbers, I don't even know who all the actors are.  And that's kinda exciting.  I'm probably going to hit this one up early in the year; make it a date night at home with the little woman.

4.  8 1/2:  Speaking of films I know nothing about...Federico Fellini is a filmmaker I've never experienced.  And that's a statement I'm probably the most shameful to admit.  There are some film fanatic buddies out there who are ready to gouge my eyes out.  For no other reason 8 1/2 makes the list.  I'm tired of hanging my head in shame when Fellini's name enters the conversation.  Time to join the crowd.  Get me surreal freak on.

3.  Gone With The Wind:  This is the film I always caught glimpses of at my Grandparents house.  It always just seemed to be playing in the background.  And, obviously, you always see clips here and there on AFI type lists.  "Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn."  Civil War.  Houses on fire.  That's really all I know about this film.  Time to square away a couple of hours and check this flick off my list.

2.  The African Queen:  Matt has been trying to get me to see this film for our entire friendship.  I don't know why I'm so darn stubborn.  I love Bogart.  Casablanca & The Maltese Falcon (two films introduced to me by Matt) are a couple of my all time favorites.  But I am really not a fan of Katherine Hepburn's acting.  I hear ya, "Blasphemy!" you cry.  I like young Hepburn just fine.  But this is the era where her performance starts to grate on my nerves, and by the time she hit On Golden Pond I really just have an abhorrent reaction to the sound of her voice.  But that's not mature.  I need to give this classic a chance.  World War I.  A gin soaked Bogie.  Steamboats & Warships.  I'm guessing I'm gonna love this film.

1.  Birth of a Nation:  Now here's a film I've avoided for good reason.  Who wants to watch a movie that depicts blacks as monsters and the KKK as heroic knights riding to the rescue of terrified damsels.  Just gross.  And it's a film that had a tremendous negative impact on our nation.  I look at the above image and I get fucking mad.  It was a massive cinematic undertaking for director DW Griffith and it pioneered numerous techniques in movie magic, but the gleeful hatred at its core is despicable and another shameful mark against our country.  Of course, having never seen the film, how can I make such broad statements?  I bought the recent blu ray release from Kino last year, and it's been sitting on my shelf gathering dust.  But listening to a recent interview with Quentin Tarantino on The Root and contemplating his hatred of John Ford, I'm finally determined to eat my vegetables.  I want to see what all the fuss is about.

--Brad