Ryan McNeil
For the second time in three weeks, The Matineecast sparks a post of its own. Mercifully, nothing I’ve said behind the mic has sparked any sort of blow-back rather that there’s something coming that I want to underline and expand upon.
If you’ve listened to The Matineecast for any length of time you might remember that early June brings The Birthday Episode. This episode used to follow a particular format: review of a new release, top five list dedicated to fellow sites and podcasts, and feedback on people’s favorite films from the year they were born.
I’ve been doing this dance for a few years now, so it felt like it was time to change partners.
Last year brought upon the first change. I got tired of dedicating my birthday episode to crummy new releases (GET HIM TO THE GREEK, ON STRANGER TIDES), so instead, we decided to discuss one of my all-time favorites – HIGH FIDELITY. Talking about an older film for fifteen or twenty minutes was a lot of fun, so look for that to continue.
Shortly after last year’s birthday episode, I phased out the whole Top Five segment of the show. So going back down that road outside of a year-end capacity will feel a bit strange now. Besides, I’m enjoying doing The Other Side a lot more than rhyming off “yet another list”. So as much fun as I had pointing listeners towards other websites and podcasts, it’s time for that to end in favour of something more on-topic.
That brings us to the feedback question. You might have already heard it in the episode that went up yesterday, but I thought I’d highlight it here for those who haven’t listsned.
While I have loved hearing people’s choices for the best film of their birth year, doing the same thing for three years has brought upon a lot of the same answers. So it too feels ripe for change.
Enter Matt Singer and Criticwire.
I’ve been participating in the weekly Criticwire survey for a month or so now, and one of Matt’s questions feels apropos for the occasion…with a little bit of customization. So with all due respect to Mr. Singer, I’m hoping for a lot of feedback on one simple, yet difficult, survey question.
Can I pull a Corey and call on CLOSE-UP just to help make you watch it???
Three things:
– I’ll pay you handsomely never to use the term “Pull a Corey” ever again.
– People can choose whatever film they want but I make no promises that I’ll watch them.
– That said, I will be watching CLOSE-UP in the near future. It’s supposed to be on TCM in June and I’ve set my PVR.
Two things:
– How much is handsomely????
– I shall now think of my real answer
Tick…tick…tick…tick…
sticking with CLOSE-UP; mainly because I watched TASTE OF CHERRY for the first time this weekend and I’m now convinced that Kiarostami is the great of cinema of my lifetime — if only more of his films were readily available. Who do I have to pay off to get someone to remaster all of his films so I can get them on blu ray???
This is going to sound like a cop-out, but I can’t choose between The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Do you have to ask? Lost in Translation aka BEST FILM EVER!
Because I can’t trust myself to make such a daunting decision on my own, I searched my IMDB ratings history looking for films from that time period that I’ve seen and rated, which has an overall user rating of 9-10.
The search only came up with three results, with the top pick being THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which sounds right to me. (BTW, the other two were THE DARK KNIGHT and PULP FICTION).
This is tough because films like Ran, Eternal Sunshine, Coming to America, Magnolia, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Truman Show and Certified Copy are all on equal footing based on the year range. However, I am going to say There Will Be Blood. I have been going through all things Paul Thomas Anderson recently (e.g. films, interviews,etc) and I am still in awe of what he achieved with that film.
Actually I am going to change my pick to Do the Right Thing. I would argue that this film is even more powerful, and expertly constructed, than There Will Be Blood. Who knows in a few days my answer may change again. LOL
No takebacks – who said you could have a takeback??
I almost wanted to say Apocalypse Now, and the reason I didn’t is because I tried to make a distinction between “best” (which you asked for) and “greatest”. I often equate greatness with scope, which Apocalypse Now is renowned for. That said, it fell a bit short for “best” when I thought of No Country for Old Men. There are plenty of films that are more rewatchable, but every time I watch NCfOM I’m swept up in a palpable discomfort that is rare to experience. Thankfully Ethan Coen won the debate on excluding music as soundtrack. Silence is far more impactful than string section… or sampled string section, as the case most often is.