Ryan McNeil
In amongst this week’s tally are three different 007 selections. Bet you never saw that coming, eh?
It’s been interesting to see the inevitable spike in Bond films being watched and written about around the internet for the last month or two. A lot of it has been passionate and well-spoken…and almost as much of it has been…well…not. I won’t go so far as to name any names or link to any specific posts. What I will say is that it was interesting to see people who clearly couldn’t give a care about anything Bond-related try to shine it on because it was trending.
I like James Bond – I have for a long time – and the fact that he isn’t universally loved is one of the things I always liked about the films. Watching every blogger and their brother trying to climb on to the bandwagon has been a little tiresome – and again, I can’t stress enough that I’m not pointing fingers at anyone who regularly visits this site. I suppose this is what Beatles fans feel like anytime a new retrospective is released.
I guess what I’m saying is that I’m glad with the North American release of SKYFALL this weekend that much of the 007 “Trendy Wendys” will move on to other things and that I’ll be able finally get that burr out of my saddle. Of course, the pretenders might be done with Bond, but I’m not. Expect to see more of his films pop up in this feature over the next few weeks as I continue to track down screenings at The Lightbox (ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE is on tap this week!)
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – Plays a bit more comic on the big screen.
LINCOLN – This is going to get some hate, but I loved it.
SKYFALL – Thoughts on this will be posted tomorrow – c’mon back now, y’hear.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
FEAR AND DESIRE – One of Stanley Kubrick’s first, and I can’t say I was all that impressed.
THE DEEP BLUE SEA – A solid watch. Possibly the most British thing I’ve seen since “Don’t Go Rounin’ Roun to Re Ro” (look it up)
DINER – I don’t think I’ll be having popcorn at the movies for a little while.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
HOOK – Why does this movie always make me think of Christmas?
GOLDENEYE – Watched for the first time in a long time. Tune in to the next Matineecast for some thoughts.
Boxscore for The Year
219 First-Timers, 199 Re-Watched
113 Screenings
418 Movies in Total
I really liked Deep Blue Sea. Don’t you think Rachel Weisz would be the ideal choice to play Vivien Leigh in a biopic? That is all I could think of during that movie. Can’t wait for your thoughts on Skyfall.
Firsts: Ted– Eh. I don’t know if I needed to watch this film. Bad images of soft toys in my head.
Cries and Whispers– It was a bit frightening. Loved the colours.
Michael Clayton– I liked it.
Seven Psychopaths– So disappointing.
Rewatched: Manhattan– Perhaps Woody’s most romantic film, imo.
The Purple Rose of Cairo– My favourite Woody. I think if my life were a film, this would have been it.
Weisz was outstanding in THE DEEP BLUE SEA, and I’d give my right arm to see her play Vivien Leigh in some capacity.
The SKYFALL review is posted, so have at it.
I do so adore the end of MANHATTAN (which we discussed on a recent Matineecast), between his list of what makes life worth living and his attempt at the cliche run across town.
“You gotta have a little more faith in people” is one of my favorite closing lines of a film.
You two talking about Weisz playing Leigh (and she did do another “Leigh” role on stage with STREETCAR) is giving me avid, unwanted flashbacks to Julia Ormond in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. I’ve still not been able to unearth just what she was trying to do in that movie. And I don’t think she has, either.
It has been years since I watched Diner. Might be time for a re-watch.
First time:
Think Like A Man – Formulaic romantic comedy that I ended up enjoying. It’s a fun lazy Sunday kind of film.
Tatsumi – Reel Asian. An interesting animated biopic about a legendary manga artist.
First Time – Reel Asian. Romantic film that tries to deconstruct romantic films. Lack of subtly is the films downfall.
Wolf Children – Reel Asian. Great animation and solid story, the film runs a little long though.
Skyfall – Loved it. Hoping to get my thoughts down at some point in the next week or so.
Hey, are you covering Reel Asian? (sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Lazy Sunday indeed! Was that on TV while flipping channels or did you Netflix it or something?
A co-worker had it on DVD and let me borrow it. I am sure it will hit Netflix shortly though.
First-Timers: Jack & Diane, My Best Friend’s Birthday, Warrior, The Trial of Joan of Arc, Brian Eno 1971-1977: The Man Who Fell to Earth, and a trio of Samuel Fuller films in I Shot Jesse James, The Steel Helmet, and Fixed Bayonets!.
Re-Watches: Johnson Family Vacation, The Descendants, and later tonight, Four Rooms.
How does FOUR ROOMS hold up? It’s been a l-o-o-o-o-n-n-n-n-g-g-g-g time since I’ve watched it.
I’ve been catching up on a lot of TV shows this week (i.e. Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, American Story) and didn’t get around to watching anything at home. Still some screenings though.
Screenings:
Night of the Living Dead/Dawn of the Dead/Day of the Dead – Seven hours of Romero zombie action!
Ace Attorney – An excellent video game adaptation. Needs a proper North American release.
Story of Film – Almost done….
Wreck-It Ralph – I enjoyed it
Skyfall – Not exactly the best Bond, but still a very enjoyable one.
Live and Let Die – This film is actually quite ridiculous (but enjoyable)
A Nightmare on Elm Street – One…Two…Freddy’s Coming for You….
I’ve been working my way through season three of “The Wire” – so I hear you on the reduced at-home watching. And I’m looking forward to finally being able to get my mitts on the dvd’s of The Story of Film
I told you a couple of weeks ago that I was about 20 behind you. As it turns out, I’m exactly 20 behind you.
New to me:
Wreck-It Ralph: I liked it more than you did.
Moonstruck: Good, but not exceptional.
Utu: Haka!
Shadow of a Doubt: Not Hitchcock’s best, but one of Hitchcock’s damn good.
Red Sorghum: Hard to judge. I object to peeing in alcohol, though.
The Woman in Black: Decent, but not scary enough.
Bridesmaids: I’m underwhelmed.
Rewatches:
Cool Hand Luke: Paul Newman should have won an Oscar for this, and for the next two years, too.
V for Vendetta: Hey, it was November 5th.
How much did you love Joseph’s Cotton’s monologue at the dinner table in SHADOW OF A DOUBT??
It’s great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Paul Newman singing “Plastic Jesus” in Cool Hand Luke. Of course, not much does.
I really like Rachel Weisz in Deep Blue Sea, probably the best performance that’s not going to be nominated this year….
First time.
Skyfall: Really like it. Pays tribute to Bond but at the same time an Anti-Bond film. Fascinating.
Hitchcock: Enjoyable but light. Very light.
The Girl: This one is just a bore.
Saboteur: Bought the Hitchcock Blu Ray set. This is the first film of the set. The set is missing several key movies like Notorious, Rebecca, To Catch A Thief, and Strangers on a Train.
Pusher: Didn’t see the original by Nicolas Refn. This one has some nice moments, but pretty generic in terms of movies about drug dealer goes.
Rewatch:
Smashed: Want to rewatch this after seeing Flight. I prefer the intimacy of Smashed with a great performance from Ramona Flowers.
The Man With A Golden Gun: Continue with Bond Marathon. This one is really campy, should be called The Man With A Third Nipple.
The Spy Who Loves Me: The best Bond film with Roger Moore.
So if you had to compare HITCHCOCK and THE GIRL…?
I would go with HITCHCOCK. THE GIRL is very singular and superficial. Portrays Hitch as a vengeful pervert, without any context; mention nothing about his skill as a director. At least HITCHCOCK tries to dig into something deeper (not that it’s successful, but it tries).