Now that’s more like it!

Not only did I manage to get back up to my normal level of watching, but I got back out to the theatre and also upped the ante on my first-time watches. Part of me wants to up the ante on first-timers in 2012. My to-watch list is never-ending and as much as I love re-watching my favorites over and over, I feel like focusing on the unwatched goes further to up my film literacy.

Last year, I dug into 238 first-timers. I’d be happy if I could up that total to 300 in 2012.

The good news is that between TCM, The Lightbox, the anime syllabus, and Oscar nominees, I’m rich with sources of  new material at the moment. Here’s hoping I can keep up!

Here’s The Week at Hand…

Screenings
EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE – Or as I like to call it, “The bane of Simon Columb’s existence”
A MAN ESCAPED – You’ll never guess how it ends.
THE IRON LADY – Possibly the bane of my existence.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
A BETTER LIFE – I now understand the outpouring of love for Bichir.
SUSPICION – I won’t soon forget Cary Grant’s face when he first sits in the chairs.
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY – If I’m a betting man, this wins the Oscar.
HELL AND BACK AGAIN – I can’t decide what I think of its unique editing.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
MILK – It had been so long since I watched it that I forgot how amazing it was.

Boxscore for The Year
24 First-Timers, 25 Re-Watched
9 Screenings
49 Movies in Total

How’s about you – seen anything good?

21 Replies to “Days of The Week (Films Watched Feb 4 – Feb 10”

  1. I love Milk! I keep thinking about watching it again. Maybe I will this week.

    Firsts: Repulsion– As I said on Twitter, uber creepy. I couldn’t find The Tenant to watch after it though 🙁
    The Double Life of Veronique– Oh so beautiful. Can’t believe I had been postponing it for so long.
    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close– Didn’t hate it but I still do not get why it was nominated. Max Von Sydow was good though, but gah Thomas Horn’s face pisses me off.
    Chronicle– Didn’t know anything about it, and loved every moment of it.
    Peeping Tom– Really good suspense and I liked the whole concept.
    The Bourne Identinty– Yes, I had not seen this yet. Saw the new one’s trailer and decided to finally watch it. Rather good.
    A Dangerous Method– It was good enough, though I felt I needed a lot of patience with it.
    Puss in Boots– I liked it. Fun stuff.
    Sabrina– So lovely. Billy Wilder is the best, and Audrey Hepburn was just so gorgeous.

    Rewatched: Heathers– “What is your damage, Heather?” So much genius.
    Trainspotting– The second time I’ve seen it, and still so brilliant. My favourite Danny Boyle film by a mile from the ones that I have seen.
    The Dreamers– An eternal favourite.
    Mary Poppins– I think it is so flawed, but I love it still.
    My Fair Lady– No one could ever play Henry Higgins but Rex Harrison, though I think Hugh Laurie would come close if he tried.
    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy– So much more rewarding this time. You can enjoy the little stuff more, though I still think the final reveal is a bit blah.
    Black Swan– That post about the hidden images just poked my curiosity too much. Such a gem this film.
    Drive– Love. That is all.

  2. Saw Milk again? I recommend the doc The Life and Times of Harvey Milk if you haven’t seen it. Liked it better than the movie. Very moving.

  3. 1. I also haven’t seen THE IRON LADY. I am content with this.

    2. Suspicion is awesome – you must know about how it SHOULD’VE ended … woulda been so much better. And did you watch the colour-version – my God, if there was ever an argument for black n white …

  4. Firsts:
    21 Jump Street – Saw advanced screening. Holding off on posting my thoughts until it comes out (though you can guess).
    Legend of Drunken Warrior – Old-school Jackie Chan (though not one of his best)
    Oscars Nominated Shorts – The animated shorts were excellent and live-action shorts ran a little long (nearly 2 hours), but also included some gems.
    Yogi Bear – There are films that are dumbed down for kids and then there’s this.

    Rewatched:
    Avatar – Watched this instead of the Superbowl.

    1. My friend James has slowly been getting me into shorts. A few years ago, I went to the Oscar Short program when they hosted it at The Bloor. I remember walking away rather unimpressed.

      1. Well, here’s a quick rundown of the shorts.

        Animated:
        Dimanche – NFB short. Cute.
        A Morning Stroll – This was a great little short showing the same event in different time periods and animation styles. Definitely worth a watch.
        Wild Life – Another NFB short. It was also the only one of the animated shorts with dialogue.
        The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore – This was a breathtaking short. I’m considering making this my prediction.
        La Luna – The obligatory Pixar nomination.

        Live-Action:
        Pentecost – My personal favourite. This Irish short features a mass through the eyes of a soccer-loving alterboy (very funny).
        Raju – Most likely to win. A drama about a German couple, who adopts an orphan in India.
        The Shore – Another Irish short. This one has some star-power with Ciarán Hinds in the lead.
        Time Freak – A very funny short about time travel that has no chance in hell of winning.
        Tuba Atlantic – A very odd (and funny) short about a cranky old man’s last few days of life.

  5. A bit of a down week for me…and too many rewatches.

    New to me:
    Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Stockholm Syndrome, the Musical.
    The Naked Spur: James Stewart continues to prove himself as a Western hero.
    The Black Cat: Has only the name in common with the Poe story it is “based” on.
    Tokyo Olympiad: Gorgeous photography, but short shrift on the actual events.

    Rewatches:
    Good Morning, Vietnam: At its best when Williams is at his best.
    North by Northwest: Film for class. My favorite film ever.
    The Fog: Film for podcast. Carpenter cheese!
    The Adventures of Robin Hood: Errol Flynn is still the best Robin of Locksley.

        1. LOVED it. I was actually a little bummed that the professor giving the lecture reminded me about the ending. I’m seeing more Bresson at The Lightbox soon when I go catch PICKPOCKET.

          Are you anywhere close to Chicago? The same retrospective I’m watching now will be at The Siskel very soon.

    1. While I am admittedly biased, INCENDIES was robbed for Best Foreign Film at The Oscars last year. few films have left me that shaken, and that taken by their pure beauty.

  7. My dad is interested in dance so I took him to see “Pina”. It’s very, very good. However, not the fault of the movie but I had trouble focusing through the first part because of how horribly emaciated all the middle aged dancers were. We’re talking way beyond thin in some cases.

    1. Hah – yeah, that’s the thing bout an artform where the ody is the brush that’s used to paint the piece…you end up focusing on the body a bit more than you normally would.

      I hope more 3-D films like PINA get made, but I doubt that we’ll see too many of it’s kind anytime soon.

  8. First time:
    War Horse – Alright but I did not love it. The only some of the side stories worked for me.
    We Need to Talk about Kevin – Loved this film.
    The Last Picture Show – Did not care for any of the characters in this film.
    Weekend – Decent film, still processing it.
    I Love You Phillip Morris – I had a blast with this one. Forgot how much I enjoy Jim Carey’s comedic timing.

    Re-watched:
    Maxed Out – this doc is not as engaging the second time around, though still somewhat relevant considering the instability of the world.

    1. Re: PICTURE SHOW – you didn’t even care for Sam? He’s the moral compass of the whole sleepy town. Looking forward to finally catching up with KEVIN this weekend. Spoiler alert – it might be the subject of an upcoming podcast.

  9. His Girl Friday
    Coriolanus
    It Happened One Night
    Cinderella Man
    This Means War
    Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D
    Annie Hall
    The Maltese Falcon
    Rudy
    Crimes & Misdemeanors

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