2007 Movies
January
Masculin, feminin directed by Jean-Luc Godard, 1966
Motorhead: Ace of Spades, 2005 — you might think Lemmy is the cool one, but you’re wrong. Phil is.
Portrait of Jennie, 1948.
Johnny Cash in San Quentin, 1969.
Blazing Saddles, 1974 — Meh. Loved the fearless humor, hated the fart jokes. The best scenes were Little and Wilder alone together, and Madeline Kahn rocks but otherwise it’s utterly stupid.
Sunset Blvd., 1950 — The best movie ever, for reals.
CQ, 2001 — There is so much coolness to this movie.
*Twin Peaks: The Pilot, 1990.
That’s Entertainment, Part 2, 1976.
The Fabulous 50s, 2003 — Total eye candy.
50 Years: The Best of Hollywood, 1998.
20th Century Fox: The First 50 Years, 1997.
*Parents, 1989.
*Ghost World, 2001 — One of my all-time favorite films, for the way it portrays the growing apart of two teenage girls. Beautiful in it’s snarkiness.
*Brazil, 1985 — Christopher’s favorite movie.
Wicker Park, 2004 — The trailer for this movie was infinitely more interesting than the movie itself.
February
That’s Entertainment, 1974.
The Grifters, 1990 — A noir film based on a noir novel written by a guy from Oklahoma. This movie is so good it makes me want to buy the book.
Mommie Dearest, 1981 — I don’t know what’s sadder, that Christopher has never heard of the “wire hangers” scene, or that I’ve only seen bits of this movie on late-night TV before. Either way, trashy celebrity tell-alls are my Kryptonite.
Dark City, 1998 — Possibly the most boring and least original sci-fi film I’ve ever seen.
The Guru, 2002 — Cute, but mostly eye candy.
When We Were Kings, 1996.
Roman Holiday, 1953.
2046, 2004.
Mr. Roberts, 1955 — So what if I have a thing for Henry Fonda.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920 — Silent, but deadly.
*Magnolia, 1999 — Starring Tom Cruise as himself.
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, 2001.
All About Eve, 1950 — I adored this movie, which perfectly illustrates the insecurities, friendships struggles and emotional insanity that women endure on a daily basis.
March
300, 2006 — Lots of pretty images but very little substance.
The Island of Dr. Moreau, 1996 — Cheesy movie, excellent story.
Long Way Round, 2004 — Very absorbing series.
The Young Ones — The entire series.
April
Cary Grant: A Class Apart, 2004 — Gay or not, he’s still one of the hottest, funniest men of all time. Swoon
Bringing Up Baby, 1938 — I love Grant and I love Hepburn and I completely loved the dialogue in this movie but I simply could not finish it. I loved it when I was a kid but I guess I’m not 8 anymore.
Six Feet Under: Season 1, 2001 — So good we were watching it three episodes at a time.
Gunner Palace, 2004
*When We Were Kings, 1996 — Because Melissa and Danny had never seen it.
Twin Peaks, Season 2, 1990 — After having seen the first season several times over, I finally get to see how it ends.
Invincible, 2001 — Somehow, this movie made ’30s-era Berlin seem so boooooring.
May
La Dolce Vita, 1960 — Fellini’s most famous, but not as great as my favorite, “Nights of Cabiria.”
Cecil B. Demented, 2000 — And now the songs are stuck in my head. By the way, I love the wardrobes in this movie, and my favorite part is how each character represents a director.
And God Created Woman, 1956 — This film made me want to be Bardot. (”Contempt” is still her best, though.)
24-Hour Party People, 2002 — Only the first 30 minutes were worth watching.
June
Wings of Desire, 1987 — A corny concept for a movie, but executed in a haunting and beautiful style.
Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, 1987 — Exactly as good as the title would lead you to believe.
The Longest Day, 1962 — The French Resistance are sexy.
The Day of the Jackal, 1973 — One of the best spy movies I’ve ever seen.
Wild at Heart, 1990 — Not the best Lynch movie ever made.
Gladiator, 2000 — Poor Russell Crowe. He’s only made one decent movie his entire career.
Dangerous Liaisons, 1959 — I have seen half a dozen versions of this story and read the book as well, and this is by far my favorite.
July
Lost Highway, 1997 — Awesome and freaky and confusing and scary. In light of later events, the casting of Robert Blake makes it even more so. It might beat “Mulholland Drive” as my new favorite Lynch movie.
The Elephant Man, 1980 — We’re on a Lynch kick. This movie made me cry no less than twice.
Rome, 1972 — Fellini’s love letter to Rome makes me want to go back again, this time with Christopher.
The Apartment, 1960 — Bittersweet and adorable, who couldn’t love Shirley MacLaine in this?
My Life to Live, 1962 — Depressing but beautiful.
*Breathless, 1959 — I’m on a Jean Seberg kick right now and want to have hair like her again.
*A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 — Possibly one of my all-time favorite old movies. There are so many layers to all the characters, and so much that is alluded to but never expressed. Modern Hollyweird could learn a thing or two.
Dead Kennedys: In God We Trust, 1979 — Short and raw, just like the band’s music. Includes several clips of them performing live in Houston and Austin, which was cool. Jello, Jello, Jello — you used to be so young.
The Fearless Freaks, 2005 — A hyper-candid look back at the Flaming Lips’ past 20 years, including both decades’ worth of footage from friend and Okie filmmaker Brad Beesley. Not just a love letter to the Lips, but also a wonderful appreciation of Oklahoma City and it’s indie music scene over the years.
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, 2004 — Probably one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the idea of second chances, true love and blissful ignorance. It makes me cry every time.
August
*The Pink Panther, 1963 — In the mood for something light and Sixties-pop-y.
*Lost In Translation, 2003 — I loved this movie when it first came out, and now that I’ve lived in Korea for two years and have spent the better part of that time trying to figure out what to do with my life, I love this movie even more.
*The Spanish Prisoner, 1997 — If David Mamet was Hitchcock and Steve Martin was Cary Grant.
The Great Happiness Space, 2006 — A documentary about “host clubs” in Japan, available in full at Google Video. I got interested in this topic after reading about so-called coffee girls and business rooms in Korea. Pretty fascinating look at a part of Asia few people know about. You can see a short preview here.
*What’s Up, Tigerlily, 1966 — Woody Allen’s first and best film.
Disco Godfather, 1979 — Saturday Night Fever meets Dolemite! Supremely horrible acting, but hilarious nonetheless. Put your weight on it!
The Gods Must be Crazy, 1980 — I have mixed feelings about this one. I loathe slapstick humor and feel like much of the film rested on exploitation, but for some reason this movie has grown on me.
Mr. Bean’s Holiday, 2007 — It’s good to go to a movie like this with very low expectations, because then you can be pleasantly surprised when it turns out to be actually charming, entertaining and funny.
Hemo the Magnificent/Unchained Goddess, 1958 — Two educational films for children, directed by Frank Capra and utilizing both actors and cartoons to get their lessons across. Formulaic and not exactly fascinating, both films contain fantastic Fifties-era animation and the second film, which is about weather, includes the shocking revelation that experts knew global warming was an issue even fifty years ago. Worth watching if only as a good relic of the times.
September
*Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961 — It’s difficult to say how I feel about this film. I love the character of Holly Golightly, but I can’t stand Audrey Hepburn in anything. I adore the numerous risqué innuendos, but I hate the stereotyping of the Asian neighbor. And I think the story line is clever but I hate how over-Hollywoodizd the ending feels. Perhaps I should read the book.
Dune, 1984 — I dunno, not really my thing. I think I’ll have to watch it again to develop a more permanent opinion.
*Waiting for Guffman, 1997 — I just realized this movie is a decade old. It’s also one of the many, many reasons I adore Parker Posey.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 — I’d never seen this before so Christopher suggested we watch it the night before my black belt test.
*The Royal Tenebaums, 2001 — Probably in my Top Ten, and still makes me cry every time.
Memoirs of a Geisha, 2005 — I wanted to see this because I had read the book. The movie wasn’t as good as the novel, and the novel wasn’t really even very good itself.
The Very Best of The Honeymooners, 1955 — Christopher wanted to see this. I’d never seen the show before. I can’t say I find Jackie Gleason all that funny, but Art Carney is hilarious.
Broken Flowers, 2005 — I’ve never seen a Jim Jarmusch film before, and I really want to like this. The concept is great, but Jarmusch needs some lessons in subtlety. “Hi, I’m a teenaged character named Lolita. I’m a sexpot who walks around the house naked. And I wear heart-shaped earrings like the glasses in the other movie. And my name is Lolita. Get it? Lolita!” The soundtrack is amazing though.
Six Feet Under, Season 2 — I can’t get enough of this show.
October
Hotel Chevalier, 2007 — Not so special on it’s own but it’s made me eager to see “The Darjeeling Limited.” You can download this for free from iTunes. Natalie Portman has no curves, though, and she looks like a boy in her nude scene. Otherwise, this short role is quite a departure for her, and I liked it.
Afro-Punk: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger Experience, 2003 — Awesome and interesting, and made me long for my punk-rock youth. Watch it for free on Google Video.
Capote, 2005 — Beautifully shot but a lackluster story.
Mother Night, 1996 — Vonnegut’s greatest novel beautifully set to film.
Sacred Steel, 2001 — The steel guitar tradition in gospel churches.
November
The Love God, 1969 — Don Knotts as a bumbling ornithologist-turned porn icon. Way, way more awesome than it sounds, and featuring excellent music and fashion from the late 1960s.
40 Year Old Virgin, 2005 ‚ Caught it on hotel cable. Pretty funny. You can’t go wrong with Steve Carell or Catherine Keener, and apparently much of the movie was highly improvised.
Splendor in the Grass, 1961 — Unrequited love in 1920s Kansas. Warren Beatty is amazing and steamy, the movie is okay. I was impressed by the undercurrent of sexual repression, but I wanted to see more of Bud’s booze-guzzling, uke-playing older sister.
Sicko, 2007 — Nothing too surprising for me in this film since I’ve been paying less full-price for medical care in Korea than I’d paid deductible-wise in the US. However, I was less annoyed by Michael Moore than I usually am, so that’s a plus. Also, duh, everyone should move to France.
December
No Country for Old Men, 2007 — Perfectly cast.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, 2007 — Could have been funnier.
*Movies marked with asterisks have been previously watched