Ryan McNeil
So here we are: A new year, a new image, a new running tally.
I’m posting this somewhat quickly after the last round-up, so apologies if it feels like I’m double-dipping. I just wanted to get back into the routine of putting these up on Saturdays after I summed up the year mid-week a few days ago.
I can’t help but wonder what will become of my habit now that we’ve reset the scoreboard. Will I watch even more than I watched in each of the last two years, or will something come along that has me watching slightly less?
I did quietly try to resolve to watch more new-to-me titles in 2013, but as you can see that’s not exactly going gangbusters so far. I pin most of that on it being a busy few days since we turned the calendar over, and less on my actual effort. Next week will be better – I promise.
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
COMPLIANCE – Watching this film and MYSTERIOUS SKIN just days apart created an “ick factor” I am yet to scrub away.
THIEF – By far my least favorite Michael Mann film.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
ACE IN THE HOLE – My first watch of the year. Hopefully its cynicism isn’t an indicator of my outlook of the year to come.
FOLLOWING – I’ve always thought this film looked pretty rough. The new Criterion blu-ray cleans it up an awful lot!
THE DARK KNIGHT – Continuing my way through that lovely box set.
THE ARTIST – Know what folks? I still love it.
PEARL JAM 20 – I needed a night of good music.
FARGO – Oh you betcha, yah.
The last few days have been pure Tarantino blu-ray marathon (around all my video game playing).
All Rewatches:
– Pulp Fiction
– Jackie Brown
– Kill Bill (both volumes watched back-to-back)
Ah Quentin.
Every month or two I start pining for “The Whole Bloody Affair” again. Then I remember not to believe in fairy tales.
First-Timers: To Live and Die in L.A., Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Goon, and later tonight, Amour.
Re-Watches: Aliens, I, Robot, and Back to the Future Part III.
What’d you think of Goon?
Well…, read my review.
I really need to get around to Compliance, especially considering how it has divided so many people.
First time:
The Human Tornado – The sequel to Dolemite that helped to inspire several of the gags in Black Dynamite. The film is awful but good for many unintentional laughs.
Sugar Hill – Blaxploitation zombie flick…more entertaining than it sounds.
The Birth of a Nation – Really torn on this one.
Justice League Doom – Been craving some animate superhero flicks recently. This one felt like a weaker Justice League episode.
Batman: Year One – Decent. Bryan Cranston makes a good Commissioner Gordon.
I’d be interested to hear what you think of COMPLIANCE. I get the hunch that those who don’t like it either believe that it wasn’t possible (even though it happened), or got angry with what the film actually portrays.
I watched Homeland this week so movie-watching suffered a bit.
Firsts: Zero Dark Thirty– I liked it more that The Hurt Locker. The last part truly saves the film.
Woody Allen: A Documentary– I HAVE to meet him. I must. My film god.
Rewatched: Breathless– In film studies. What a sexy film.
Bachelorette– It’s just outside my top 10 of 2012. Bitchiness has never been this awesome.
Yeah, I spent a lot of time over the last week watching 30 Rock, so my tally is a little down (not to mention that this list isn’t a full week, just four days’ worth.
I’m finally getting to see ZERO DARK THIRTY on Friday. I’m not used to having to wait so long for releases like this – seems like I’m behind the curve even if I’m not.
And I’m right with you in loving BREATHLESS – saw it for the first time in 2012, on a big screen no less, and loved every frame of it. I *must* own that blu-ray before the year is out!
Well, since I’m not keeping score on my own blog anymore (because I know it’ll be taking a sharp drop soon) maybe I’ll just come here and keep a weekly record in your comments:
Django Unchained
Age of Consent
Looper (only rewatch)
Les Miserables
The Debt
Awww, hearing things like that make me sad!
Glad to see you finally got your mitts on Django. Was it everything you wanted it to be?
Except for my physical discomfort, absolutely!
All first timers:
Moonrise Kingdom
Reel Evil
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
This is probably the first and last time that my list is composed solely of 2012 releases!
Maybe you’re on to something – pick a year every week and only watch films from that year!
I’m keeping pace. Also, Thief is vastly underrated. It’s one of my favorite Mann films.
New to me:
Abre los Ojos: I love Penelope Cruz!
The Bigamist: Really good and surprisingly sympathetic.
The Burmese Harp: Wow. Just, wow.
The Unbelievable Truth: Not as good as other Hartley films.
Raging Bull: Ugly but brilliant. First time I’ve sat through the whole thing.
Rewatches:
Let the Right One In: Coolest thing from Sweden…ever.
Event Horizon: Underrated. Hellraiser in space.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: Background noise for setting up my classes. Hooray for The Amazing Rando!
Time out:
When you say “Keeping pace”, are you only talking about films you’ve watched since Tuesday? Because if I was tallying the last seven days, my total would actually be a lot higher.
Yep yep. New year, new list. What I listed above started on January 1.
Hey, I’m all about transparency.
Well then damn: We’re neck-and-neck!
I have the sneaking suspicion that you might well eclipse me this year, but it depends on a few different factors. Here’s to another year of watching though.
Oh, to go back and see RAGING BULL for the first time. It’s up there as one of the very very best that Scorsese has ever done in my eyes, one of his top two for certain. I wish the man would unleash something else in black and white.
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Hushpuppy’s my hero. And, one of the few instances where I fell in love with a movie right at the beginning. Complete magic. But, my favorite instance is Hushpuppy’s dance with her ‘mother’ – a bittersweet scene.
The Proposal – I saw segments of this before. Still, I didn’t know why I even bothered. Ryan Reynolds’ character was completely one dimensional (and, frankly made me want to barf) and Sandra Bullock didn’t have a trace of the loveliness she possessed in While You Were Sleeping (which I love – embarassingly enough).
The Last Days of Disco – I enjoyed it. Mostly for the dialogue and the repartee. However, Chloe Sevigny was really wooden faced and kind of flat. However, the final scene and the soundtrack made up for it.
Damsels In Distress – I suppose the problem with me is that I expect every Whit Stillman movie to contain the brilliance of Metropolitan. Sadly, this was hardly the case. I was a little bored at places and the male characters were just so odious. I did love Greta Gerwig though, she’s got this nonchalant coolness.
Woman of the Year – Ah, it just lovely to see Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy fall in love and I admired the way in which she completely belitted him. They could’ve stuck with the original ending, as the ‘official’ one’s outdated.
Few films this year stuck with me the way BEASTS did. I didn;t know what to make of it at first…something I am actually starting to see as a sign of the most fascinating films.
When I rewatched it, I got even more caught up in its visual splendour, and the strength of young Hushpuppy.
I do believe I’ll have to sit down for a third viewing in short order.
Thanks for reading!
Lots of rewatches, eh? I did the same with Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade and Jurassic Park recently. As for new ones, I finally saw Safety Not Guaranteed, loved it! Also saw The Wings of the Dove, it has quite a haunting quality.
I might as well laminated WINGS OF THE DOVE on my to-watch list…it’s been there since 1999.
As for this coming week, there is a bit more of a balance between first-timers and rewatches – including three screenings!
(PS – It’s nice to have you back, I was really starting to miss you around these parts)
Let’s see… the real big one for me was Cinema Paradiso, which was nothing short of amazing. I can’t say enough good things about that movie.
Any other week, I’d be claiming Compliance as the best of my week (any other week that I didn’t watch Cinema Paradiso). It’s soooo uncomfortable to watch, but it’s so good. It felt like slipping on a classic indie glove.
I also had a blast with Terrorvision, which I DVR’ed from TCM. That’s not to say that it was good, but it was certainly fun.
It’s been a while since I watched CINEMA PARADISO, but I will always associate that film with Christmas. One year my favorite rep theatre here in town showed that for free as a Christmas gift to their patrons on December 23rd. Suffice it to say, it got me in the spirit.
As for COMPLIANCE, I’m still queasy. The film is undoubtedly amazing, but such a tough watch.