|
Post by idioticbunny on Jul 29, 2020 2:09:28 GMT
I'm pretty surprised that so many people claim '77 to be one of the weakest years of the decade, let alone of all-time, because even halfway through the year I found myself pretty smitten with quite a lot of the films I had watched (and then found even more to love, including my #1, in the second half). Not to mention there are so many distinctly ambitious (i.e. Eraserhead, Hausu, Suspiria, 3 Women) and equally groundbreaking films (i.e. Star Wars, Annie Hall, Black Sunday) to be found in this year alone. It might be starting to veer less from the grounded, gritty style of the early-mid '70s and more into the commercial-friendly territory that became nearly all of the '80s. But I don't see that as a necessarily bad thing at all considering this was a time when the more commercial friendly efforts were made with the same level of passion and authenticity of the more ambitious efforts. That being said, I'd say there were quite a few minor disappointment (and one major one). The major one being High Anxiety. I mean Mel Brooks, my childhood favorite, and Alfred Hitchcock, my all-time favorite, together in one film seemed like a perfect combo. But I was disappointed to find I hardly so much as chuckled throughout the entire film. I think the biggest issue was the lack of strong visual gags/slapstick that played so well in Brooks' previous films. It seemed to rely far too much on direct parody (even lifting exact cuts from Hitch films, like the famous shower scene in Psycho) and hoping the dialogue would be cute enough. It was still entertaining at least, but I think had Wilder been the lead and Brooks spent more time on the visuals - something that Hitchcock's whole career was built around - I think it would have made for a much stronger film. Other disappointments were Sorcerer, though I still enjoyed it a great deal more than Wages of Fear, but it still suffered from the same issues as that film (faaaar too long of a first act before the inciting incident kicks in) and New York, New York which I shouldn't have been so disappointed considering its reputation isn't exactly stellar, but I thought Scorsese + classic Hollywood musical would be music (no pun intended) to my ears. But unfortunately the script really let down the film, making De Niro's Jimmy Doyle character one of the most insufferable ever created and deterred too much from the overall Star Is Born type story for Minnelli (though that last half hour, and the overall visuals/techs of the film were brilliant). Biggest surprise though has easily got to be A Special Day. It's films like this that remind me why I love to ask for recommendations from fellow film lovers such as yourselves before I dive into a year. I nearly skipped this one over, and still considered it even halfway through the year but the overwhelming amount of top 5 placements from everyone had me very interested. So glad I watched it though because it was one of the most beautiful cinematic experiences in a while. Reminded me quite a lot of a similar Mastroianni film from 20 years prior, Le Notti Bianche, which also made my top 10 that decade. Hard to say if I love this one as much as that one, but it's pretty damn close. Also my first Sophia Loren film and she was magnificent. In general, that Best Actress line-up is one of the toughest to decide upon in a long while. I wouldn't be surprised if at least my top 3 make my top 10 for the decade. They were all so brilliant in such different and unique ways. I also haven't even mentioned how '77 came back with maybe my two favorite animated films of the decade, possibly in over two decades, with Winnie the Pooh (a massive childhood staple for me) and The Rescuers. Seeing Don Bluth's name in the credits got me excited to see this darker style of animation come to fruition in the next decade. Overall, a really big fan of this year compared to more lauded years this decade like '75 and '72. Not to mention, a sign of how good this year is is the fact that I found a second Altman film I really enjoyed ( 3 Women) and it's not even among my talking points for the year. Plus a Bruce Dern performance (young and old) that I've finally enjoyed and my favorite Moore Bond film thus far! Pretty damn amazing for a supposedly "not-so-great" year I'd say. Here are my line-ups: Best Picture: 01. A Special Day. 02. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 03. Suspiria. 04. Annie Hall. 05. Eraserhead. 06. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 07. House. 08. 3 Women. 09. Equus. 10. Slap Shot. ----------------- 11. The American Friend. 12. Harlan County U.S.A. 13. Black Sunday. 14. The Rescuers. 15. The Spy Who Loved Me. 16. Star Wars. 17. Sorcerer. 18. That Obscure Object of Desire. 19. The Ascent. 20. Opening Night. 21. The Kentucky Fried Movie. 22. Pumping Iron. 23. Saturday Night Fever. 24. The Hills Have Eyes. 25. New York, New York. 26. Stroszek. 27. A Bridge Too Far. 28. Julia. 29. The Hobbit. 30. Smokey and the Bandit. 31. High Anxiety. 32. Pete's Dragon.
Best Director: 01. Dario Argento - Suspiria. 02. David Lynch - Eraserhead. 03. Ettore Scola - A Special Day. 04. Steven Spielberg - Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 05. Nobuhiko Ôbayashi - House. 06. Robert Altman - 3 Women. 07. Woody Allen - Annie Hall.
Best Actor: 01. Richard Burton - Equus. 02. Marcello Mastroianni - A Special Day. 03. Peter Firth - Equus. 04. Bruno Ganz - The American Friend. 05. Richard Dreyfuss - Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 06. Woody Allen - Annie Hall. 07. Jack Nance - Eraserhead.
Best Actress: 01. Diane Keaton - Annie Hall. 02. Sophia Loren - A Special Day. 03. Shelley Duvall - 3 Women. 04. Gena Rowlands - Opening Night. 05. Sissy Spacek - 3 Women. 06. Liza Minnelli - New York, New York. 07. Jane Fonda - Julia.
Best Supporting Actor: 01. Alec Guinness - Star Wars. 02. Bruce Dern - Black Sunday. 03. Colin Blakely - Equus. 04. Paul Winchell - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 05. Anatoliy Solonitsyn - The Ascent. 06. Henry Gibson - The Kentucky Fried Movie. 07. Ben Gazzara - Opening Night.
Best Supporting Actress: 01. Yôko Minamida - House. 02. Vanessa Redgrave - Julia. 03. Ángela Molina - That Obscure Object of Desire. 04. Joan Plowright - Equus. 05. Melinda Dillon - Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 06. Carole Bouquet - That Obscure Object of Desire. 07. Lyudmila Polyakova - The Ascent.
Best Original Screenplay: 01. Annie Hall. 02. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 03. A Special Day. 04. 3 Women. 05. The Kentucky Fried Movie. 06. Opening Night. 07. Slap Shot.
Best Adapted Screenplay: 01. Equus. 02. Black Sunday. 03. The American Friend. 04. The Spy Who Loved Me. 05. That Obscure Object of Desire. 06. The Ascent. 07. The Rescuers.
Best Ensemble: 01. Equus. 02. Opening Night. 03. Star Wars. 04. Black Sunday. 05. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 06. Slap Shot. 07. The Ascent.
Best Editing: 01. Suspiria. 02. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 03. Eraserhead.
Best Cinematography: 01. Suspiria. 02. The American Friend. 03. Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Best Art Direction: 01. Star Wars. 02. Suspiria. 03. Eraserhead.
Best Costume Design: 01. Star Wars. 02. Annie Hall. 03. New York, New York.
Best Makeup: 01. Eraserhead. 02. Star Wars. 03. The Hills Have Eyes.
Best Visual Effects: 01. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 02. Star Wars. 03. House.
Best Sound Design: 01. Star Wars. 02. Eraserhead. 03. Suspiria.
Best Original Score: 01. Goblin & Dario Argento – Suspiria. 02. John Williams - Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 03. John Williams - Star Wars.
Best Original Song: 01. "Night Fever" - Saturday Night Fever. 02. "How Deep Is Your Love" - Saturday Night Fever. 03. "Theme from New York, New York" - New York, New York.
Best Choreography: 01. Saturday Night Fever. 02. Smokey and the Bandit. 03. New York, New York.As for '78, I've only seen and plan to re-watch five films from the year ( The Deer Hunter, Halloween, Animal House, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Dawn of the Dead), so going to be tough trying to narrow down from the essential stuff I have on my list as there are still so many essentials to check out for the year (like Days of Heaven, Autumn Sonata, and Superman, the latter of which I blind bought the 4K so I hope I like it). Feel free to send over your recommendations/favorites for the year!
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on Jul 29, 2020 4:49:54 GMT
A Special Day is a really great film and I'm glad you watched it and loved it. I also think that both lead performances by Loren and Mastroianni are among the best of their career. Thoughts on The Ascent? It seems that you were quite disappointed by it.
1978 is probably my least explored year of the 70s, although there are some pretty great films to be found here as well. Here is my top 10:
1. The Hypothesis Of The Stolen Painting 2. Idlers Of The Fertile Valley 3. Autumn Sonata 4. Watership Down 5. Days Of Heaven 6. The Tree Of Wooden Clogs 7. A Hunting Accident 8. The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith 9. Death On The Nile 10. Dawn Of The Dead
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Jul 29, 2020 22:19:37 GMT
themoviesinnerI'm really glad I watched it as well, and hard to argue on Mastroianni (though this is the only Loren film I've seen so far, so can't speak to her yet). I've always enjoyed Mastroianni's work, but this one was one of his best for sure. As for The Ascent, I reeeeeally loved those final 25 minutes or so which was some of the most affecting and harrowing direction I've ever seen, but the previous 80 minutes or so were a bit too been-there-done-better IMO. Perhaps knowing how it all worked out, a re-watch will benefit those previous 80 minutes though and I'll see it in a different light. Thanks for the list for '78. I, too, have really unexplored the year and hoping to finally cross a lot of films from my list of shame (i.e. Days of Heaven, Grease, Autumn Sonata), but because of that might have to sacrifice some more niche viewings for time's sake. Really excited to watch those above (two of them anyway) and Watership Down. Really hoping to make room for Death on the Nile and Tree of Wooden Clogs. Thoughts on each of those two? Also consider Hypothesis as '79, but will try and make room for it in that year! I've never seen a Ruiz film.
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on Jul 29, 2020 23:49:00 GMT
Love the love for A Special Day and Slap Shot (no Newman for Actor?!) and Cinematography for American Friend!
1978 favs- The Tree of Wooden Clogs The Silent Partner Girlfriends Halloween Blue Collar Interiors
extra outstanding perfs- Straight Time Autumn Sonata
underrated- Remember My Name Someone’s Watching Me!
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Jul 30, 2020 0:16:00 GMT
MattsbySlap Shot is a childhood favorite of mine (which is funny considering how totally vulgar and violent it is). I originally wanted to be a pro hockey player, so my dad always showed it to me. Loved it ever since. Some jokes don't hold up with time, but it's still a ton of fun. Newman doesn't make my line-up, but I loved him in it and he's right outside my top ten for Actor (and Michael Ontkean who makes my Supp. Actor top ten and Lindsay Crouse who is next in line for Supp. Actress). But yeah, A Special Day and The American Friend were pleasant surprises! Thanks for the recs! Definitely hoping to check out Tree of Wooden Clogs, Interiors, Straight Time, and Autumn Sonata. Hoping to squeeze in a couple of the others though. Also already seen Halloween (and actually two Octobers ago binged every one in the franchise), but excited to check it out again. Gonna add those last two to my watchlist though as I'd never heard of them before!
|
|
|
Post by therealcomicman117 on Jul 30, 2020 1:35:55 GMT
Not surprised you weren't big on High Anxiety. I enjoy it a lot, but for a lot of people it's a sticking point for Brooks as a director, when he started to rely more on childish humor. I don't think it's quite like that, buy yeah.
As for 1978, I'd recommend...
A Wedding - One of the most Altmanseque of Altman movies. A movie full of wacky characters who come together during a wedding. Like most of Altman's movies, there's actually no main character as he keeps moving from one to the next, but the entire cast is mostly terrific from top to bottom, and some of the humor is the wackiest Altman ever attempted.
Up in Smoke - Cheech & Chong's film debut, and still their best. A lot of your enjoyment of it will come down to your preference for "pot humor", but I enjoy a lot about it.
Heaven Can Wait - Beatty's directorial debut may seem like a sweet romantic comedy on the surface, but it actually gets really dark and goes into bizarre turns about the afterlife, and the effects of it all. I really enjoyed it.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand - Robert Zemeckis' directorial debut was unjustly ignored in 1978. It's a really sweet fun coming of age story, that has a lot of things in common with Back to The Future just without the time-travel aspects. It's about a group of teen obsessed Beatles fan who try to see the band during their first visit to The Ed Sullivan Show. Also it's notable as the first film that Steven Spielberg produced, and he would use a lot of the actors in it, in 1941 the following year.
Blue Collar - Paul Schrader's directorial debut, and man is it still relevant, not just as a piece of filmmaking, but also a indictment on the working class vs. corporations. Richard Pryor in a rare non comedic role, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto are a terrific trio together, and Schrader's direction, especially considering he was a newbee at the time, is tight and tense.
Big Wednesday - John Milius surfing flick was a huge flop upon release, but has gained a significant cult audience, and with good reason. It's a terrific film about friendship and hardship, and surprisingly quite sensitive at times coming from such a filmmaker as such conservative as Milius. Also features an incredible score from Basil Poledouris, his first collaboration with the director before Conan The Barbarian.
Piranha - Joe Dante / Roger Corman's takedown on Jaws might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot. It's a fun little comedy that really pokes holes in the whole aspect of horror movies in general. John Sayles script, his first for Corman, is really clever in how it manages to be both serious, and not serious at the same time, and the actors are up to the challenge of playing it straight as possible. Be warned though, there aren't very many likable characters in it, which is the point, but it might be a bone of contention for some.
Magic - Surprisingly really effective supernatural thriller with a really great "gone zany" performance from Anthony Hopkins. Burgess Meredith is also in strong support as his mentor, although the films attempt at a romance involving Ann Margaret's character does slow it down a bit.
Coma - Nifty little spooky doctor thriller from Michael Crichton, his follow-up to Westworld. Although I can't find full box office numbers for it, it was apparently quite the success back in the day, and I can see why. It stars out really slow perhaps by construction, but once the "mystery" start kicking in, it gets quite tense, and Genevieve Bujold is a pretty damn compelling lead. Also Ed Harris has a brief early appearance as a hospital worker with straight blonde hair. Crichton also directed The Great Train Robbery in the same year though not released in the U.S. until 1979, and I like the film even more.
The Boys From Brazil - A rather lubricious thriller about cloning Hitler that I enjoyed a lot. It helps that you have great "on the surface" leads in Gregory Peck, Laurience Olivier, and James Mason who helps bring a lot of dignity to it, and Franklin J. Schaffner direction is more then up to the task. Also features a terrific Oscar Nominated score from Schaffner's regular collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who also interestingly composed Coma in the same year, again with a director who he has worked with a lot.
The Boys in Company C - Extremely underappreciated Vietnam film from Sidney J. Furie. When you watch it, you'll wonder how he went from this to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. The movie does a terrific job of developing all of its little characters, and it’s a rather scathing take on the concept of war as a whole.
The Driver - Walter Hill's stylized crime noir was ignored upon release, but you can see its influence in a lot of L.A. based stories to come, particularly Refn's Drive. It's really good and moody.
Who'll Stop The Rain - Solid little underseen crime drama featuring an early terrific turn from Nick Nolte.
The Fury – DePalma’s ludicrous but enjoyable thriller, that is basically a sorta male Carrie. Features a terrific terrifying John Williams score, and a lot of overacting from Kirk Douglas and John Cassavettes.
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on Jul 30, 2020 2:32:36 GMT
Mattsby Slap Shot is a childhood favorite of mine (which is funny considering how totally vulgar and violent it is). I originally wanted to be a pro hockey player, so my dad always showed it to me. Loved it ever since. Some jokes don't hold up with time, but it's still a ton of fun. Newman doesn't make my line-up, but I loved him in it and he's right outside my top ten for Actor (and Michael Ontkean who makes my Supp. Actor top ten and Lindsay Crouse who is next in line for Supp. Actress). But yeah, A Special Day and The American Friend were pleasant surprises! Thanks for the recs! Definitely hoping to check out Tree of Wooden Clogs, Interiors, Straight Time, and Autumn Sonata. Hoping to squeeze in a couple of the others though. Also already seen Halloween (and actually two Octobers ago binged every one in the franchise), but excited to check it out again. Gonna add those last two to my watchlist though as I'd never heard of them before! Slap Shot - same! I watched so many sports movies as a kid... But I didn't really love it until rewatches in recent years and now I think it's pretty much a perfect sports-comedy. Old time hockey!! Someone's Watching Me! is a TV Movie (idk if you're going for those?) and it aired while Halloween was ascending in theaters. It's the least-seen of all Carpenter movies but it's a really solid little Hitchcockish bite, and quite feminist / holds up too. Remember My Name - Altman produced this (he was mentor to writer director Alan Rudolph) and his imprint is here with background dialogue and flowing camera etc, with a pretty great and forward Geraldine Chaplin perf and awesome soundtrack from legend Alberta Hunter. Not easy to find, I'm due for a rewatch of it myself...
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on Jul 30, 2020 4:55:01 GMT
Thanks for the list for '78. I, too, have really unexplored the year and hoping to finally cross a lot of films from my list of shame (i.e. Days of Heaven, Grease, Autumn Sonata), but because of that might have to sacrifice some more niche viewings for time's sake. Really excited to watch those above (two of them anyway) and Watership Down. Really hoping to make room for Death on the Nile and Tree of Wooden Clogs. Thoughts on each of those two? Also consider Hypothesis as '79, but will try and make room for it in that year! I've never seen a Ruiz film. The Tree Of Wooden Clogs is a very nice film that depicts life in a Italian farm at the end of the 19th century. It is slow paced and quite plotless, but it's a very interesting and engaging film and has a lot in common with neorealist works of the 40s and 50s as it's portrayal of rural life is incredibly realistic. It's probably Olmi's best work for me. Death Of The Nile is a very entertaining film and probably my favourite adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. Also, I hope you check out The Hypothesis Of The Stolen Painting. Raul Ruiz is a top 10 of all time director for me and his style is very unique and personal and his filmography is scattered with some amazing work.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jul 30, 2020 6:35:57 GMT
glad you enjoyed Equus so much. Especially nice seeing Blakely and Plowright in those lineups. And Suspiria! '78 is my absolute least favorite year of the decade unfortunately. A good handful of the stuff being mentioned I really really disliked lol. But anyways, besides the ones you mentioned, these are the ones I enjoyed: Watership Down (beautiful hand-drawn animation and voiceover) La Cage aux Folles (delightful drag-themed comedy scored by Morricone) Interiors (Woody Allen's take on Bergman) The Buddy Holly Story (solid biopic anchored by Gary Busey's excellent performance) Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (black comedy from Bertrand Blier) Empire of Passion (horror-tinged infidelity drama from Nagisha Oshima set in Edo-period Japan) Same Time, Next Year (romantic melodrama featuring one of Ellen Burstyn's best performances) and some more that are worth checking out: An Unmarried Woman (for Jill Clayburgh) Heaven Can Wait (for the performances, mostly Dyan Cannon) Midnight Express (for the score/cinematography and John Hurt) Coming Home (for all the performances but Voight especially is heartbreaking) Straight Time (for Dustin Hoffman / M. Emmett Walsh / Harry Dean Stanton) Magic (for Anthony Hopkins and Burgess Meredith) Death on the Nile (for the costumes & sets and the ensemble)
|
|
|
Post by jimmalone on Jul 30, 2020 8:07:49 GMT
The most disappointing thing from your opening post is surely that you don't like "Wages of Fear" . I for myself find this to be a great, incredible thrilling film. But I don't care much for "Sorcerer", which is in my eyes a rather unnecessary remake.
Glad you liked "A Special Day". A special film indeed. An I have to check out "Le Notti Bianche" now.
Maybe when I watch "Winnie Pooh", "3 Women" or "House", the three films in your Top I haven't seen I'll think a bit more generous of 1977, for now to me it stands as one of the worst years for films. Which brings me right onto 1978... Which is even worse. Similiar to 1977 I only really like the first four or five films in my list, but not as much as I like my Top 4 in 1977 and after that it get's rapidly down. There's not even a clear-cut 9/10 (my top two or are between 8,5 and 9 for me) that year for me, I think the only other years to "achieve" this from 1940 onwards are 1956 and 1985. And only the first six films in my list, which are in the area of around 8/10 (7.5-8.5) , which probably is my lowest total in years, where I've seen at least 50 films.
1. Interiors (Woody Allen) 2. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino) 3. Höstsonaten (Ingmar Bergman)
4. Midnight Express (Alan Parker) 5. Coming Home (Hal Ashby)
6. The Great Train Robbery (Michael Crichton) 7. Coma (Michael Crichton) 8. The Driver (Walter Hill) 9. Heaven Can Wait (Warren Beatty) 10. Messer im Kopf (Reinhard Hauff) 11. Death on the Nile (John Guillermin) 12. L'Argent des Autres (Christian de Chalonge) 13. Les Liens de Sang (Claude Chabrol) 14. Une Histoire Simple (Claude Sautet)
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 1, 2020 23:34:49 GMT
therealcomicman117Finally getting a chance to respond here. First, yeah it's a shame about High Anxiety. I actually don't mind the childish humor of Brooks (or later directors like the Zucker bros/Abrahams, Wayans, etc.), and agree that I didn't feel Anxiety really had much (at least not compared to his previous films), but it just felt like the execution and passion just was non-existent for me which was disappointing - especially when the year before he made a solid comedy that relied solely on visuals for jokes. But secondly, thanks for all of the suggestions! It seems like the ensemble films from Altman aren't my cup of tea, so I'll likely skip A Wedding this time around, but will try to check it out at some point. Definitely going to watch Up in Smoke solely because it's such a staple in stoner comedies and pretty much laid the groundwork, feels too essential to pass. But I hope I enjoy it all the same. Also definitely going to check out Piranha, The Fury, and hopefully Magic and maybe Coma for my October watchlist this year (along with tons of '70s horror films I skipped over this decade). Definitely gonna check out The Driver as I've been so hyped for that ever since Edgar Wright talked it up during the Baby Driver press junket, describing it as a huge influence on the film (and seen a lot of people compare it to Drive as well which I'm a huge fan of). Also gonna check out The Boys from Brazil as I've been curious about that for a long time. Still on the fence about Blue Collar, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and Heaven Can Wait, mainly just because of trying to limit myself on what I check out, but they all sound really interesting for one reason or another. Thanks for the lowdown on them all anyway!
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 1, 2020 23:37:58 GMT
Slap Shot - same! I watched so many sports movies as a kid... But I didn't really love it until rewatches in recent years and now I think it's pretty much a perfect sports-comedy. Old time hockey!! Someone's Watching Me! is a TV Movie (idk if you're going for those?) and it aired while Halloween was ascending in theaters. It's the least-seen of all Carpenter movies but it's a really solid little Hitchcockish bite, and quite feminist / holds up too. Remember My Name - Altman produced this (he was mentor to writer director Alan Rudolph) and his imprint is here with background dialogue and flowing camera etc, with a pretty great and forward Geraldine Chaplin perf and awesome soundtrack from legend Alberta Hunter. Not easy to find, I'm due for a rewatch of it myself... I totally agree on Slap Shot. Some jokes might not have aged well, especially the homophobic ones, but damn is it still smartly-written and funny as hell even years later. Plus few scenes put a smile on my face quite as well as the final scene with Michael Ontkean on the ice. It's crazy because as soon as I hit Dark Star, I went through and added every Carpenter film to my watchlist because I loooove the work I've seen from him and want to see the rest of his stuff and was shocked that I missed one. But it's because it was a TV movie (which I do consider for my line-ups) so I might try and check that one out in October. Sounds up my alley! Will be sure to add Remember My Name for down the line!
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 1, 2020 23:43:29 GMT
The Tree Of Wooden Clogs is a very nice film that depicts life in a Italian farm at the end of the 19th century. It is slow paced and quite plotless, but it's a very interesting and engaging film and has a lot in common with neorealist works of the 40s and 50s as it's portrayal of rural life is incredibly realistic. It's probably Olmi's best work for me. Death Of The Nile is a very entertaining film and probably my favourite adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. Also, I hope you check out The Hypothesis Of The Stolen Painting. Raul Ruiz is a top 10 of all time director for me and his style is very unique and personal and his filmography is scattered with some amazing work. Thanks for the insight. I think I've decided to consider those two among the films I watch so I hope I enjoy them the same as you. Especially excited for Death on the Nile as I enjoy Agatha Christie adaptations, but have yet to find one I'm head over heels for - so perhaps that will be on the one! I take it one year at a time, but I'll definitely try to work it in! Either way you slice it, I'll have to watch Ruiz's work at some point. Mysteries of Lisbon has been on my watchlist forever (I know 2010 is a long, long way off, but it'll be essential for when I get there!).
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 1, 2020 23:51:30 GMT
glad you enjoyed Equus so much. Especially nice seeing Blakely and Plowright in those lineups. And Suspiria! '78 is my absolute least favorite year of the decade unfortunately. A good handful of the stuff being mentioned I really really disliked lol. But anyways, besides the ones you mentioned, these are the ones I enjoyed: Watership Down (beautiful hand-drawn animation and voiceover) La Cage aux Folles (delightful drag-themed comedy scored by Morricone) Interiors (Woody Allen's take on Bergman) The Buddy Holly Story (solid biopic anchored by Gary Busey's excellent performance) Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (black comedy from Bertrand Blier) Empire of Passion (horror-tinged infidelity drama from Nagisha Oshima set in Edo-period Japan) Same Time, Next Year (romantic melodrama featuring one of Ellen Burstyn's best performances) and some more that are worth checking out: An Unmarried Woman (for Jill Clayburgh) Heaven Can Wait (for the performances, mostly Dyan Cannon) Midnight Express (for the score/cinematography and John Hurt) Coming Home (for all the performances but Voight especially is heartbreaking) Straight Time (for Dustin Hoffman / M. Emmett Walsh / Harry Dean Stanton) Magic (for Anthony Hopkins and Burgess Meredith) Death on the Nile (for the costumes & sets and the ensemble) I mean, Sidney Lumet is my second favorite director after all so it shouldn't have been a surprise how much I liked Equus, but I was! That whole cast was fantastic. Burton and Firth of course steal the show, but I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed the work from Blakely, Plowright, and even Harry Andrews, Eileen Atkins, & Jenny Agutter. I just love how Lumet always gives each actor a chance to shine, even for a scene (as if Network isn't evidence enough of that). Also yeah, I saw Suspiria for the first time back in 2017 before the remake, in theaters, and it was such an incredible cinematic experience. Was my first Argento too, which is why I think I've made room to seek out some of his films as I work through the '70s (and will continue to do so in the '80s as well). Suspiria is easily one of the greatest auditory and visual experiences in film. A director's wet dream honestly. I will say there is quite a lot of stuff in '78 I'm excited to see, but I can definitely see it being more of a tame year compared to '77. I already know I'll love Deer Hunter as that was one of my all-time faves before this, and Halloween is always a lot of fun, but I have a feeling there will be a few surprises/disappointments with this year, and not with what I'd expect. Hope to be wrong though! Watership Down, Interiors, and La Cage aux Folles are definitely among the essentials for me (also had no idea Morricone scored Folles - that guy did everything). A lot of your honorable mentions are ones I'm on the fence on (except Straight Time which I am going to watch) and that didn't help in my decision-making but at least it's good to know there are pluses to checking them out anyway! Thanks again for the recs!
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 2, 2020 0:01:07 GMT
jimmalone Yeah, I think stephen gave me a hard time back in '53/'54 for my take on The Wages of Fear as well, but unfortunately Sorcerer only strengthened my opinion on it. I can definitely see how Sorcerer would feel unnecessary though if you already were a fan of The Wages of Fear (like most are), but I did think it was a slight improvement over it personally. Yay! I do hope you check out Le Notti Bianche. It's very much in the vein of A Special Day, Before Sunrise, and Brief Encounter (maybe more of the latter) and it's no surprise why all four are among my favorites of their respective decades. I hope you enjoy it! As for those 3 films from my top, I do hope you enjoy them, though I can definitely see all three not working for you as well. Winnie the Pooh probably only worked so well for me because I grew up with it and the nostalgia hit hard. And the other two I can see being very divisive, especially House which is just bizzaro from hell (but I love it). Will be curious to hear your thoughts on them whenever you check them out too! Shame to hear about 1978 though. I'm starting to get that vibe even just narrowing down my list. There are some bona fide essentials for the year that I'll check out, but even the bigger name picks for the year (i.e. Heaven Can Wait, Coming Home) seem like they could go either way for me so it's actually really tough to narrow down as there doesn't seem to be a strong consensus on what to see so just going with my gut at this point haha. Glad to see you enjoy Interiors, Midnight Express, and Coming Home though. Definitely gonna check out the first two, but will try to check out the last as well. Also I totally agree about '56 which was the weakest year of the '50s for me as well, though at least there were still some films I loved there too ( Aparajito and Street of Shame). Thanks again for the list/recommendations!
|
|
|
Post by urbanpatrician on Aug 16, 2020 17:12:40 GMT
GOAT year. That Top 8.... OMG. I don't think there's a more impressive Top 8 in any other year. I do prefer 1974 and 2000 slightly at the top. And 2003 altogether top to bottom but besides that, it seems like cinema was blossoming into its fullest form, with contributions from everybody hitting a decisive peak from around 1974-1977.
The supporting actor category is lame, and lead actor isn't great but everything else in this year is to die for.
Best Picture
1. Strozek 2. A Grin Without a Cat 3. Annie Hall 4. Baxter, Vera Baxter 5. News From Home 6. The Spy Who Loved Me 7. Star Wars 8. 3 Women 9. A Special Day 10. The Hills Have Eyes
(maybe New York, New York over The Hills Have Eyes. Kinda unsure how to arrange #9-11.)
Lead Actor
1. Gérard Depardieu - This Sweet Sickness 2. Robert DeNiro - New York, New York 3. Marcello Mastroianni - A Special Day 4. Henry Winkler – Heroes 5. Laurence Olivier - Come Back, Little Sheba
Lead Actress
1. Shelley Duvall - 3 Women 2. Kathleen Quinlan - I Never Promised You a Rose Garden 3. Sophia Loren - A Special Day 4. Delphine Seyrig - Baxter, Vera Baxter 5. Jane Fonda - Julia
Supporting Actor
1. Alec Guinness - Star Wars 2. Gérard Depardieu – Baxter, Vera Baxter 3. Maximilian Schell – A Bridge Too Far 4. Gene Hackman – A Bridge Too Far 5. Laurence Olivier – A Bridge Too Far
Supporting Actress
1. Liv Ullmann - The Serpent's Egg 2. Tuesday Weld - Looking for Mr. Goodbar 3. Sissy Spacek - 3 Women 4. Vanessa Redgrave - Julia 5. Melinda Dillon – Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(Maybe Miou-miou in place of Dillon. Oversight on my part...Mattsby)
|
|
|
Post by dadsburgers on Aug 16, 2020 18:45:11 GMT
A few incredible films this year, but some odd lineups. The best films of this year are also rather experimental in different ways, and thus a little messy. Best Picture3 Women Close Encounters of the Third Kind Equus Eraserhead
Star Wars Best Director
Robert Altman (3 Women) Dario Argento (Suspiria) Luis Bunuel (That Obscure Object of Desire) David Lynch (Eraserhead)
Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Best Screenplay
Annie Hall Close Encounters of the Third Kind Equus Star Wars That Obscure Object of Desire
Best Lead Actor
Woody Allen (Annie Hall) Richard Burton (Equus) Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Peter Firth (Equus) George Segal (Fun with Dick and Jane) Best Lead Actress
Shelley Duvall (3 Women) Jane Fonda (Fun with Dick and Jane) Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) Gena Rowlands (Opening Night) Sissy Spacek (3 Women)
Best Supporting Actor
Colin Blakely (Equus) Jim Dale (Pete’s Dragon) Harrison Ford (Star Wars)
Ben Gazzaro (Opening Night) Christopher Walken (Annie Hall) Best Supporting Actress Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Carrie Fisher (Star Wars) Joan Plowright (Equus) Janice Rule (3 Women) Shelley Winters (Pete’s Dragon)
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Aug 16, 2020 19:12:30 GMT
I'm to 27 films and can't say I'm a fan of this year outside of my top 5. A handful of inspiring surprises (very few admit how good Equus actually is) coupled with disappointing sacred bulls (Eraserhead is near-unwatchable)
picture / top 10 01. Ballad of Orin 02. Suspiria 03. Looking for Mr. Goodbar 04. Equus 05. Sorcerer ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 06. Madame Rosa 07. Annie Hall 08. Rolling Thunder 09. Star War 10. A Special Day
director 1. Masahiro Shinoda, Ballad of Orin 2. Dario Argento, Suspiria 3. William Friedkin, Sorcerer 4. Sidney Lumet, Equus 5. George Lucas, Star Wars
lead actress 1. Shelley Duvall, 3 Women 2. Sophia Loren, A Special Day 3. Simone Signoret, Madame Rosa 4. Shima Iwashita, Ballad of Orin 5. Diane Keaton, Looking for Mr. Goodbar
lead actor 1. Marcello Mastroianni, A Special Day 2. John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever 3. Peter Firth, Equus 4. Richard Burton, Equus 5. Ben Gazzara, Opening Night
supporting actress 1. Linda Haynes, Rolling Thunder 2. Joan Plowright, Equus 3. Edith Massey, Desperate Living 4. Sissy Spacek, 3 Women 5. Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
supporting actor 1. Martin Sheen, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane 2. Bruno Cremer, Sorcerer 3. Colin Blakely, Equus 4. Yoshio Harada, Ballad of Orin 5. Tommy Lee Jones, Rolling Thunder
cinematography 1. The Duellists - Frank Tidy 2. Suspiria - Luciano Tovoli 3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Vilmos Zsigmund 4. Ballad of Orin - Kazuo Miyagawa 5. Saturday Night Fever - Ralf D. Bode
original score 1. Star Wars - John Williams 2. Suspiria - Goblin 3. Ballad of Orin - Tōru Takemitsu 4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams 5. Sorcerer - Tangerine Dream
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on Aug 16, 2020 19:33:49 GMT
Annie Hall Slap Shot Stroszek The American Friend 3 Women
Martin The Ascent This Sweet Sickness The Blue Hotel Rabid
actor Paul Newman, Slap Shot Bruno Ganz, The American Friend Gerard Depardieu, This Sweet Sickness (cheers urban!!!) Marcello Mastroianni, A Special Day Woody Allen, Annie Hall
actress Diane Keaton, Annie Hall/Goodbar Isabelle Huppert, The Lacemaker Sissy Spacek/Duvall, 3 Women Alison Steadman, Abigail’s Party Sophia Loren, A Special Day
supp actor Martin Sheen, Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane Dennis Hopper, The American Friend Anthony Hopkins, Audrey Rose David Niven/Leo McKern, Candleshoe Albert Finney, The Duellists
supp actress Sandy Dennis, Nasty Habits Geraldine Page, Nasty Habits Harriet Reynolds, Abigail’s Party Miou-Miou, This Sweet Sickness Helen Hayes, Candleshoe
|
|
|
Post by dadsburgers on Aug 16, 2020 21:01:46 GMT
disappointing sacred bulls ( Eraserhead is near-unwatchable) Honestly near-unwatchable is the perfect way to describe Eraserhead
|
|
|
Post by urbanpatrician on Aug 16, 2020 21:16:32 GMT
This is the point where we meet, IdioticBunny.
1977 is a not a weak year at all. The reason I think 1974-1977 is like a golden age of cinema is because everything came together. New Hollywood was near the end, but still plenty left undone. (1975 is the ultimate New Hollywood year) Low budget cult masters were coming on, lots of foreign and obscure experimentalists were just beginning with their ideas. And in the mainstream there were several revolutions.... Star Wars. The Godfather was a good mix of artistic cinema and commercial pedigree. Good mix of the obscure, the foreign, the American film revolution, and the mainstream gamechangers.
1976 and 1977 were the last years of New Hollywood, if not already the end of it. But I think the end of it is exactly the reason 1977 was the last year cinema was like this again, until the mid-to-late 90s. Not to say there haven't been awesome years from 1978-1994, but I just think it wasn't until 1994/1995 where a new wave was coming on again, again combining spheres of influence altogether into a catalogue.
My 1977 Lineup:
Best Picture
1. Strozek 2. A Grin Without a Cat 3. Annie Hall 4. Baxter, Vera Baxter 5. News From Home 6. The Spy Who Loved Me 7. Star Wars 8. 3 Women 9. A Special Day 10. The Hills Have Eyes 11. New York, New York
Lead Actor
1. Gérard Depardieu - This Sweet Sickness 2. Robert DeNiro - New York, New York 3. Marcello Mastroianni - A Special Day 4. Henry Winkler – Heroes 5. Laurence Olivier - Come Back, Little Sheba
Lead Actress
1. Shelley Duvall - 3 Women 2. Kathleen Quinlan - I Never Promised You a Rose Garden 3. Sophia Loren - A Special Day 4. Delphine Seyrig - Baxter, Vera Baxter 5. Jane Fonda - Julia
Supporting Actor
1. Alec Guinness - Star Wars 2. Gérard Depardieu – Baxter, Vera Baxter 3. Maximilian Schell – A Bridge Too Far 4. Gene Hackman – A Bridge Too Far 5. Laurence Olivier – A Bridge Too Far
Supporting Actress
1. Liv Ullmann - The Serpent's Egg 2. Tuesday Weld - Looking for Mr. Goodbar 3. Sissy Spacek - 3 Women 4. Vanessa Redgrave - Julia 5. Miou-Miou - This Sweet Sickness
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 16, 2020 22:26:40 GMT
I'm to 27 films and can't say I'm a fan of this year outside of my top 5. A handful of inspiring surprises (very few admit how good Equus actually is) coupled with disappointing sacred bulls ( Eraserhead is near-unwatchable) Funny, I totally felt the same about Eraserhead the first time I watched it, but re-watching it recently for '77 opened my eyes to it. I think it helps to see everything that came before it and how singular a vision it was at the time. Like that and Hausu coming out the same year when Hollywood and arthouse films were starting to lose a bit of their uniqueness was just mind-blowing to see. Then again, Lynch is a director whose work I always hated the first time around (except Twin Peaks) and only came to appreciate many years later. Also totally agree on Equus. I mean, Lumet is a top 3 filmmaker for me so I shouldn't have been surprised, but considering it's hardly ever discussed and so difficult to find I was amazed by how much I loved it.
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 16, 2020 22:27:48 GMT
Also super weird to see my thread was moved here and NOW people finally share their line-ups with me But that's totally okay with me.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Aug 16, 2020 23:00:55 GMT
Also super weird to see my thread was moved here and NOW people finally share their line-ups with me But that's totally okay with me. no clue why this was moved. I thought these threads were mainly for recs
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on Aug 17, 2020 0:27:18 GMT
Also super weird to see my thread was moved here and NOW people finally share their line-ups with me But that's totally okay with me. no clue why this was moved. I thought these threads were mainly for recs Haha oh well, it might be my fault anyway for when I get close to finishing a year I delete the "+ ___ recommendations" part of the title, but either way was planning on moving all my posts to here at some point anyway. Someone just beat me to it!
|
|