Ryan McNeil
This post is going up a little later than usual today, and I have the recording of Matineecast ep. 61 to thank for that. Given the wicked time difference between me and my guest, the show was recorded this morning at 7am (!!). This meant that I had to hit the hay a little early last night – though that didn’t seem to help, as you’ll likely hear tomorrow – and then obviously early to rise.
As for the week that was, it’s been a great seven days’ worth of watching for me. The only film that underwhelmed still left me puzzling over it…so that can’t ever be considered a complete failure. Beyond that there was another classic scratched off my list, another favorite to add to this year’s tally, and a triple-shot of badassery from last winter.
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
COSMOPOLIS – Here and now I formally request that Pattinson’s next non-TWILIGHT role come with 50% less brood.
REBECCA – Melodrama manna from the gods. Glorious on a big screen.
BRAVE – The more I think back on it, the more I love it.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
CARNAGE – I’m trying to decide if this Polanski film is underseen, or underappreciated.
THE DESCENDANTS – Such sweet sorrow.
TOY STORY 3 – I got teary again. Shut up.
HUGO – Another film that has grown on me all the more since first watch, though I found myself missing the 3-D element.
FOLLOWING – The Nolan retrospective begins, with a film that is looking rougher by the day.
MEMENTO – This, on the other hand, still looks splendid.
Boxscore for The Year
107 First-Timers, 110 Re-Watched
51 Screenings
217 Movies in Total
How’s about you – seen anything good?
I hate June!!!! Worst movie-watching month ever.
Also I really love Carnage. So much fun!!
Firsts: Brave– The more I think about it, I love it too! Also La Luna before it was just brilliant. I was crying before the film even started.
Rewatched: Thelma and Louise– The only thing I would change about the ending was Harvey Keitel running after them. It’s absolutely perfect otherwise 🙂
Network– So amazing still. Bloody loud too.
Of course this week June dropped a whole carton of great movies all at once – LINCOLN, END OF THE WORLD, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, YOUR SISTER’S SISTER all hit here in Toronto in the last week.
Crazy how well NETWORK has aged isn’t it?
I’m beginning to think I’ll be in the minority on BRAVE…but I’ll get into that tomorrow…
Oh no June sucked cuz of my inability to watch movies this month :'(
Ah, I follow. Well hopefully July is better to you and you get to scratch a few more off your watchlist.
I saw Chernoybl Diaries last night – wasn’t impressed to be fair but then I wasn’t expecting to be.
I can’t wait for Brave, I have a while yet though 🙁
I have rewatched memento because I have only just discovered the Prestige and thought it was wonderful. I also watched Detachment – so in love with Julien Brody right now 🙂
x
When does BRAVE hit where you are?
CHERNOBYL DIARIES looked like it could have been a cool watch, pity that it doesn’t try to be anything more than ordinary.
Glad that you mentioned THE PRESTIGE because as I rewatch the Nolan films, that’s one that I am most looking forward to. I have friedns who actually see that as his best one!
I plan on doing a Nolan retrospective myself over the next few weeks, even though this means hunting down a copy of Insomnia (the only one of his films I don’t have access to). I also wouldn’t mind just watching Memento every single day until Dark Knight Rises comes out. LOVE THAT MOVIE!
Oh, here’s my list (which is actually quite slim this week)
Screenings:
The Gate – I suppose it was decent for an 80s creature feature for kids.
Blu-Ray Rewatch:
A History of Violence – I probably consider this my favourite of Cronenberg’s modern films.
I’ll be rewatching INSOMNIA pretty soon (and discussing it in a longer post), but think that it gets smacked around a little much for being a remake. I’ll have a firmer opinion when I give it another look – despite owning it I couldn’t possibly tell you when I watched it last.
I haven’t seen it since its theatrical release, even though I still very much liked the film.
Following has aged poorly. I’ll never understand why people find Insomnia to be his worst work.
People zero in on the story more than the quality of filmmaking. The story is still solid, but lordy does it ever look rougher by the day.
I believe that, but even at the heart of the matter, Insomnia’s story is better than Following’s. That doesn’t sound very objective upon hearing that aloud.
Only one new screening this week.
The Woman in the Fifth: Disappointing and dull. Was expecting better from Pawlikowski.
Re-watch
Benny and Joon: I still can’t believe it’s already 20 years since the film was made. Holds up well, still very charming.
I did a Ryan Gosling Blitz this week for no reason, the guy has range.
Half Nelson: Very good movie from Boden/Fleck team. Solid work from Gosling.
Crazy Stupid Love: Absolutely love the first 90 minutes, and hated the last 30 minutes. Gosling’s movie star role.
Ides of March: Still lukewarm about the movie, but the scene between Clooney/Gosling in the end was like watching heads-up poker with two great players.
Blue Valentine: My heart breaks every time I watch this. Michelle Williams actually gives a better performance than Gosling here, not that Gosling is bad. Williams is just amazing, a national treasure indeed.
Drive: The ultimate Ryan Gosling movie. Loves this movie.
It’s been twenty years since BENNY & JOON?? Fuck do I ever feel old now!
Surprised that you hated the final 30 minutes of CRAZY. As much as I’m with you that the first 90 minutes are wonderfully unexpected, I loved everything that went into setting up the dominoes for the last 30.
As for BLUE VALENTINE, watching that movie alone was not a good idea. Got home to my wife and she was all “What’s wrong?”
I’m still only middling on DRIVE.
As you may or may not have heard in the last podcast episode, Gosling is an actor who will get me out to any movie he’s in.
The first 90 minutes of CRAZY is an ambitious, ingenious mess, it’s juggling three/four plot threads at the same time, and I have no idea what’s going to happen. Then it comes the scene where lots of things are revealed and it’s a splendid screwball comedy scene in itself. After that, it settles into a traditional rom-com territory, and of course there has to be a speech in the end to seal it. I just wish the payoff is as good as the setup.
Fair enough, but in those final moments (and specifically with that speech), I found myself smitten with the honesty of the character and the inconlusiveness of things. Many of the romantics in play come to a “I might not get you, but I’m not giving up yet” place on the board…not the sort of spot that things are usually left.
Movies tend to want to ice things in a more will-they-or-won’t-they manner. No?
First Time:
House of the Devil – Really enjoyed it. I am tempted to say the film is slightly better than The Innkeepers. However, The Innkeepers has a far better final act.
Cul-de-sac: Have you seen this Polanski film? While I liked it for the most part, I found the tone to be all over the place. I think I was expecting something along the lines of Straw Dogs…which this film is definitely not.
Mirror Mirror – I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. It is silly but it had me laughing far more than I would have ever expected.
John Carter – Not as bad as I was expecting, could have been a great popcorn flick but the story was too convoluted.
Re-watched:
Alien – Still holds up extremely well. Truly an outstanding horror film.
I never did catch up with INNKEEPERS, but my sis-in-law bought me a blu-ray copy of HOUSE OF THE DEVIL for Christmas. That flick plays REALLY well (and like I’ve said before – Greta Gerwig needs to get a better agent. So does the lead actress now that I think about it).
JOHN CARTER isn’t as bad as anyone would have you believe. Sometimes we all need to stop speaking in absolutes. The only thing the film needed was a little bit more joy.
Funnily enough, I was thinking of rewatching Memento this week. Mostly because I got so over-emotional about it during my speech when I told everyone why it was my favourite movie. Anyway, I’ll probably save it for this week.
First-timers:
Straw Dogs – Okay, so I saw the original after I saw the remake. I regret that. While Hoffman was really good it just didn’t sit very well with me.
One for the Money – Coupled with all the dramas that were going on in the interweb, Tuesday was a horrific night.
Brave – The more I think about it the more I love it, too. Would love to go and see it again, but in glorious 2D.
Memoirs of a Geisha – I borrowed this off my friend the night of our ball. That was in December last year. I’m notoriously bad for not watching the movies I borrow for ages.
Hiroshima Mon Amour – Probably my least favourite New Wave film I’ve seen but I’m yet to see a bad one.
And man, I’m still tired from last night/this morning’s podcasting adventures!
I’ve managed to snap to, but only after getting in a nap in the mid-afternoon. Almost done cutting it, should be ready to embed early tomorrow (late tonight for you).
And don’t stress too hard – I myself have returned several dvd’s unwatched after having them sit on my TV stand for months.
Looks like your watchlist made for a very up-and-down sort of week. Hopefully this week is better…
…all around.
It’s been awhile since I’ve had a week this solid.
Rewatches:
The French Connection: I really don’t get why people love this film.
The Bourne Identity: So. Much. Cool.
The Bourne Supremacy: A sequel worthy of the first film.
Say Anything: Iconic for a reason.
New to Me:
Rabbit-Proof Fence: Better than I could have predicted.
The Palm Beach Story: A true low point this week. Ick.
The Bourne Ultimatum: The moment I realized the coda at the end of the second film is the inciting incident for the third act here is my favorite movie watching moment so far this year.
Pickup on South Street: This is why I like film noir.
The Pumpkin Eater: A forgotten Anne Bancroft film that should be remembered.
The Bourne films might be the first trilogy that goes to great lengths to build upon itself and create something whole. Most other franchises just up the ante and the budget with each instalment. Of course, while I’m always hopeful, this leaves me a little worried that THE BOURNE LEGACY will do nothing to add to the conversation.
I remember enjoying RABBIT PROOF FENCE immensely, but it’s faded pretty hard in my memory. I guess it’s time for a rewatch!
Last week in Movies
Coriolanus – Well acted, and engaging. Fiennes does a very fine job placing this Shakespearean story in modern setting.
Batman Begins – Starting my build up to the Dark Knight Returns early with my favorite of the Nolan Batman movies. Dark Knight might be the “better” movie but BB is still the one I prefer.
The Big Lebowski – The Dude abides on Netflix watch instantly. Endlessly rewatchable.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home – Starts off a completely forgettable film, but somewhere along the way, it grabbed me and I found myself really enjoying it.
Aaja Nachle – Stumbled across this Bollywood film in my browsing through Netflix Watch Instantly. What a delightful movie. I have no expertise in Bollywood/Hindi films, but I know that I find them wonderfully entertaining and enjoyable. Great costumes, fantastic dance sequences and simple silly comedy, all add up to a viewing experience that puts a smile on my face.
Magnolia – Another on my to 12 to watch in 2012. This one is going to take multiple viewing to fully digest. Wow.
This Means War – Meh when I watched it. The more I think about it, the less I like it. Not good at all.
Do you keep a movie blog or anything somewhere? Because I’ve been urging people to choose twelve “blind spot films” to watch and write about this year and then rounding up the links at the end of the month.
Tuesday’s post about BAMBI was my entry.
I’d love to link to your thoughts if they’re written down somewhere.
And I’m right with you on JEFF – I didn’t expect to take as much joy from that as I did.
Great week, Ryan! It was a slow one for me. I rewatched Prometheus and watched Hachi for the first time.
PROMETHEUS is one of the summer films I was hoping to rewatch (along with MOONRISE KINGDOM and AVENGERS), but something tells me I won’t get it in before the summer is out.