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Post by Mattsby on Feb 29, 2020 19:10:48 GMT
Agree with mentions of Frenzy, Sounder, Aguirre the Wrath of God, The Heartbreak Kid, Play It Again Sam...... others not mentioned:
Culpepper Cattle Company - an excellent, underrated coming-of-age Western.
Season of the Witch - somewhat light horror from George A Romero, about middle-aged malaise and repression, with a peppy handmade style.
Hapkido - since you mentioned martial arts movies, this stars the legendary, badass Angelo Mao, with several great fight scenes, and great use of props (shirts, umbrellas).
I also like The Visitors and Wedding in White , both brutal domestic dramas that are deeply tragic and borderline horror and difficult to watch.
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Post by themoviesinner on Feb 29, 2020 19:26:44 GMT
I did enjoy Decameron and Touch of Zen! Just sadly a bit stacked of a year. Would have likely made my top ten in the previous one easily. Very excited to check out Canterbury Tales (which I'm surprised doesn't make your list here but as you said it is your favorite year for film so it's possibly somewhere a little further down the list). May just have to make room for Red Psalm in that case! Thanks for the list! Cantebury Tales is good, but I think it's just a lesser version of The Decameron. It's still worth watching though, but I consider it the weakest of Pasolini's trilogy of life by quite a bit. And Red Psalm is an absolute masterpiece, one of the most visually arresting films I have seen, but it's a challenging work, as it doesn't follow any kind of narrative norm. It's way more abstract than Jancso's previous works like The Red And The White, which weren't very story or character based either, but Red Psalm takes that to a whole new level. It's like a philosophical cinematic ballet more than anything else. |
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 29, 2020 19:29:37 GMT
1971 was a banner year indeed. I have quite a few left to see myself but there are some really inspired picks in those lineups. Wilder at #1 hell yes! Wonka's snark is legendary  No sweat about missing The Beguiled. There's always time. It is pretty fantastic though. I'm much cooler on 1972. Definitely second the recs for State of Siege (goes hand in hand with Z), Solaris, Heartbreak Kid (Elaine May's assault on masculine naiveté), Cabaret (obviously!), What's Up Doc? (hilarious ensemble comedy), Fat CitySome great ones that haven't been mentioned: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds: Pretty shocking and grotesque portrayal of lower class stagnation. Paul Newman directs with a lot of stylistic confidence and Joanne Woodward absolutely goes for broke in the lead performance. Based on a play but feels unglamorously naturalistic. Honestly one of the most unpleasant films I've seen but also genuinely affecting and grounded. Caliber 9: Since you enjoy crime/cop movies I think you'll love this Italian one about a small-time gangster looking to extricate himself from organized crime with one last score. The first in a trilogy directed by Fernando Di Leo (I've only seen this one and the second, which IMO isn't as good), it stars a bullish Gastone Moschin and features an insanely catchy score by Luis Bacalov. You can find it on Kanopy but it has to be on other platforms too. Really surprising and entertaining, and very tightly edited. Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key: A really subversive Italian horror film from Sergio Martino based on Poe's "Black Cat." Anita Strindberg stars and gives a wonderfully steely performance playing the battered wife to a failed alcoholic writer. There's some steamy lesbian scenes, some wonderful kills, a slapping score, and a twisty plot that's both shocking and incredibly satisfying. Saw this on Amazon Prime last October so I imagine it's still there. I think it's going to be your alley. Play It As It Lays: You really liked The Swimmer didn't you? Not sure how many of Perry's other films you've watched but this one's pretty underseen. Starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins (both mesmeric), the film follows the decline of a mentally unstable actress while assuming the kind of counterculture aesthetics immortalized by films like Midnight Cowboy and Easy Rider, and it's a really striking combination. This one's pretty hard to find but there are ways! and piggybacking on Stephen's recommendation... Sounder: You must watch this for the performances if nothing else, but it's also a groundbreaking moment for black representation. The film itself is quite good and follows the struggles of a Depression Era black family of sharecroppers whose patriarch is imprisoned for stealing food. Cicely Tyson is really wonderful but Paul Winfield was just on another level. He projects so much strength, warmth, and so much charm in his limited screentime. Both him and Tyson received Oscar nods in the leading category and IMO neither are leads but both are exceptional as the loving and longsuffering heads of this family. The film itself is worth seeing for the historical value alone. It was the first wholly black film nominated for BP and is a lasting celebration of black resilience. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 29, 2020 22:03:51 GMT
Actually just mentioned in the thread above but torn between which Bruce Lee to watch. Either Fist of Fury or Way of the Dragon. And also if you have any insight into the other martial arts/exploitation films I mentioned at the bottom of my post above?  Just saw that! I have watched only a few martial arts movies except from these two Bruce Lee movies. I just mentioned Fist of Fury because it wasn't mentioned before in this thread. I consider it pretty good but not better than Way of the Dragon. The latter is an iconic Bruce Lee film. Oh, awesome! Looks like I'm going with Way of the Dragon then, thanks! |
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 29, 2020 22:06:45 GMT
I'll definitely be watching Deliverance so I'll be sure to let you know about that one! Possibly Fat City as well. Diabel is on my ever-growing horror list, though so won't get to that one at least until October if I do watch it then. Thanks for the list! So many great arthouse/foreign films this year that I've not seen yet so pretty excited for those. Also if I haven't watched any other Rohmer (particularly his six film series that this ends on), think I should check out Chloe in the Afternoon or wait until I've watched the other 5 films? It doesn't have any explicit connection to the films that preceded it, though I would say conceptually it brings closure to the series with a final indictment. I like it quite a lot. Maybe I could have put it a couple of spots higher on the list but I don't think it's quite up there with the other 3 feature films of the moral tales series. It's definitely the most straight-forward one, maybe the most graceful, the cinematography is absoutely stunning, though quite subdued, would probably be my #1 of the year on that metric but then again I'm an absolute sucker for Nestor Alemdros. There's nothing speaking against starting here but it's not a film I would classically recommend to start out with either. If you go for it don't expect anything grand. It's a very subdued slice of life drama with a very simple premise. What hits it home is in my mind actually the earnesty in the simplicity. Thanks for the insight! I definitely am curious to seek out Rohmer's filmography at some point, but I think if I check out his "Six Moral Tales" series, I'd like to start from the beginning as well and wish I had when I was back in the '50s (just didn't realize it was part of a series until late '60s). Sounds like this one might be one I'd enjoy too. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 29, 2020 22:09:41 GMT
Agree with mentions of Frenzy, Sounder, Aguirre the Wrath of God, The Heartbreak Kid, Play It Again Sam...... others not mentioned: Culpepper Cattle Company - an excellent, underrated coming-of-age Western. Season of the Witch - somewhat light horror from George A Romero, about middle-aged malaise and repression, with a peppy handmade style. Hapkido - since you mentioned martial arts movies, this stars the legendary, badass Angelo Mao, with several great fight scenes, and great use of props (shirts, umbrellas). I also like The Visitors and Wedding in White , both brutal domestic dramas that are deeply tragic and borderline horror and difficult to watch. Actually had those first three in my watchlist, though will likely have to pass on them just since my list is pretty big as it is. I'm always curious to seek out more Romero though, as well as martial arts films with badass female heroines  (and using props in fight sequences is always a plus for me - one reason why I looooove Jackie Chan films). Haven't heard of those last two though and had no idea James Woods worked with Elia Kazan in any capacity so certainly intrigued there. Thanks! |
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 29, 2020 22:11:39 GMT
I did enjoy Decameron and Touch of Zen! Just sadly a bit stacked of a year. Would have likely made my top ten in the previous one easily. Very excited to check out Canterbury Tales (which I'm surprised doesn't make your list here but as you said it is your favorite year for film so it's possibly somewhere a little further down the list). May just have to make room for Red Psalm in that case! Thanks for the list! Cantebury Tales is good, but I think it's just a lesser version of The Decameron. It's still worth watching though, but I consider it the weakest of Pasolini's trilogy of life by quite a bit. And Red Psalm is an absolute masterpiece, one of the most visually arresting films I have seen, but it's a challenging work, as it doesn't follow any kind of narrative norm. It's way more abstract than Jancso's previous works like The Red And The White, which weren't very story or character based either, but Red Psalm takes that to a whole new level. It's like a philosophical cinematic ballet more than anything else. I'm hoping to at least be entertained in regards to Canterbury, but I will say the one of the trilogy I'm most excited for is Arabian Nights. But want to watch all three just to complete the trilogy of course. Red Psalm sounds like it could go either way for me then. Just depends on how much I'm digging the style of course, so hope it works for me as well as it did for you! |
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 29, 2020 22:18:57 GMT
1971 was a banner year indeed. I have quite a few left to see myself but there are some really inspired picks in those lineups. Wilder at #1 hell yes! Wonka's snark is legendary No sweat about missing The Beguiled. There's always time. It is pretty fantastic though. I'm much cooler on 1972. Definitely second the recs for State of Siege (goes hand in hand with Z), Solaris, Heartbreak Kid (Elaine May's assault on masculine naiveté), Cabaret (obviously!), What's Up Doc? (hilarious ensemble comedy), Fat CitySome great ones that haven't been mentioned: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds: Pretty shocking and grotesque portrayal of lower class stagnation. Paul Newman directs with a lot of stylistic confidence and Joanne Woodward absolutely goes for broke in the lead performance. Based on a play but feels unglamorously naturalistic. Honestly one of the most unpleasant films I've seen but also genuinely affecting and grounded. Caliber 9: Since you enjoy crime/cop movies I think you'll love this Italian one about a small-time gangster looking to extricate himself from organized crime with one last score. The first in a trilogy directed by Fernando Di Leo (I've only seen this one and the second, which IMO isn't as good), it stars a bullish Gastone Moschin and features an insanely catchy score by Luis Bacalov. You can find it on Kanopy but it has to be on other platforms too. Really surprising and entertaining, and very tightly edited. Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key: A really subversive Italian horror film from Sergio Martino based on Poe's "Black Cat." Anita Strindberg stars and gives a wonderfully steely performance playing the battered wife to a failed alcoholic writer. There's some steamy lesbian scenes, some wonderful kills, a slapping score, and a twisty plot that's both shocking and incredibly satisfying. Saw this on Amazon Prime last October so I imagine it's still there. I think it's going to be your alley. Play It As It Lays: You really liked The Swimmer didn't you? Not sure how many of Perry's other films you've watched but this one's pretty underseen. Starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins (both mesmeric), the film follows the decline of a mentally unstable actress while assuming the kind of counterculture aesthetics immortalized by films like Midnight Cowboy and Easy Rider, and it's a really striking combination. This one's pretty hard to find but there are ways! and piggybacking on Stephen's recommendation... Sounder: You must watch this for the performances if nothing else, but it's also a groundbreaking moment for black representation. The film itself is quite good and follows the struggles of a Depression Era black family of sharecroppers whose patriarch is imprisoned for stealing food. Cicely Tyson is really wonderful but Paul Winfield was just on another level. He projects so much strength, warmth, and so much charm in his limited screentime. Both him and Tyson received Oscar nods in the leading category and IMO neither are leads but both are exceptional as the loving and longsuffering heads of this family. The film itself is worth seeing for the historical value alone. It was the first wholly black film nominated for BP and is a lasting celebration of black resilience. Thanks for feeling my picks are inspired! Oh yes, Wilder is one of my all-time favorite actors. Possibly top three. So of course I knew his performance would win me over, but I didn't realize just how good he was. That snark indeed. I'm pretty sure that's where I picked up my sarcastic language. *Looks bored* "No please don't, stop..."  Still crazy that Newman directed a film with that ridiculous of a title but I'm always intrigued. I likely won't get to any of his directorial work this go-round, but definitely want to seek it out down the line. Glad to see someone mention Caliber 9, if only to give me an excuse to watch it. It sounds right up my alley and I love finding hidden thriller gems. Seems like the director has a whole slew of them too (didn't realize this was the first in a trilogy though so that's cool). Also really want to seek out Your Vice..., but will probably save it for my October watches. Definitely anything giallo is up my alley though. I did love The Swimmer! But haven't seen any other Perry films yet. Might not get the chance with this one but do want to check it out at some point (and more of Perry's work). Glad to hear that about Sounder and can't believe I always thought it was just a movie about a dog (i.e. Old Yeller). Was totally going to skip it, but now I might actually have to give it a shot. Too bad I didn't get it in before Black History Month was up! Thanks again for the recs! |
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Mar 1, 2020 2:18:16 GMT
It doesn't have any explicit connection to the films that preceded it, though I would say conceptually it brings closure to the series with a final indictment. I like it quite a lot. Maybe I could have put it a couple of spots higher on the list but I don't think it's quite up there with the other 3 feature films of the moral tales series. It's definitely the most straight-forward one, maybe the most graceful, the cinematography is absoutely stunning, though quite subdued, would probably be my #1 of the year on that metric but then again I'm an absolute sucker for Nestor Alemdros. There's nothing speaking against starting here but it's not a film I would classically recommend to start out with either. If you go for it don't expect anything grand. It's a very subdued slice of life drama with a very simple premise. What hits it home is in my mind actually the earnesty in the simplicity. Thanks for the insight! I definitely am curious to seek out Rohmer's filmography at some point, but I think if I check out his "Six Moral Tales" series, I'd like to start from the beginning as well and wish I had when I was back in the '50s (just didn't realize it was part of a series until late '60s). Sounds like this one might be one I'd enjoy too. Well, they're only thematically connected, not plotwise at all and they certainly all stand on their own. I think I watched Claire's Knee and My night at Maud's first when ARTE showed them as a double feature one good evening a couple of years back. There's no necessity in going through them chronologically, it's just that Love in the Afternoon offers in some sense an interesting contrast to the films beforehand,it's more redemptive.
You can still go through his comedies and proverbs chronologically if you want to. The Aviator's Wife from 1981 is in my view one of Rohmer's best and most approachable films as long as you go along with its more lowkey slice of life approach (even more so than the moral tales).
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Post by gradytripp on Mar 1, 2020 12:22:47 GMT
Interested to know: how did stephen help you out with the missing films? My favorites of 1972: 10/10 The Godfather9.5/10 Sleuth9/10 Deliverance
Cabaret
Frenzy8/10 Butterflies Are Free
Cries and Whispers
Aguirre, the Wrath of God7.5/10 What's Up, Doc?
Play It Again, Sam
Tomorrow
Images
Un flic
The King of Marvin Gardens
Don't Torture a Duckling |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Mar 1, 2020 23:50:59 GMT
Some other 1972 films not mentioned yet, that I recommend. It's a great year for cinema in general.
Superfly
Lady Sings The Blue
ZPG
Trouble Man
Bone
Silent Running
Fists of Fury
Ulzana's Raid
Joe Kidd
Slaughterhouse Five
Prime Cut
The Mechanic
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Post by idioticbunny on Mar 3, 2020 17:00:09 GMT
Interested to know: how did stephen help you out with the missing films? He just happens to own a selection of films that are a bit more difficult to find, at least for me. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Mar 3, 2020 17:01:28 GMT
Thanks for the insight! I definitely am curious to seek out Rohmer's filmography at some point, but I think if I check out his "Six Moral Tales" series, I'd like to start from the beginning as well and wish I had when I was back in the '50s (just didn't realize it was part of a series until late '60s). Sounds like this one might be one I'd enjoy too. Well, they're only thematically connected, not plotwise at all and they certainly all stand on their own. I think I watched Claire's Knee and My night at Maud's first when ARTE showed them as a double feature one good evening a couple of years back. There's no necessity in going through them chronologically, it's just that Love in the Afternoon offers in some sense an interesting contrast to the films beforehand,it's more redemptive.
You can still go through his comedies and proverbs chronologically if you want to. The Aviator's Wife from 1981 is in my view one of Rohmer's best and most approachable films as long as you go along with its more lowkey slice of life approach (even more so than the moral tales).
Oh yes, I definitely understand what you mean. I think I'll still hold off just because I do think it'd be interesting to see how his style progresses with each one. I'll likely try and check out some of his later works though, particularly the one you mention. |
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No sweat about missing The Beguiled. There's always time. It is pretty fantastic though.
(and using props in fight sequences is always a plus for me - one reason why I looooove Jackie Chan films).
