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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 4:14:38 GMT
Well, I was so excited to finally get to this year as so many of my all-time favorites are from here (and this was the year I gave the most 10/10s before starting all of this), but it kind of felt like most of the films I had already seen wound up my favorites and there were very few new additions to my top 10. Plus, some re-watches (like Godfather Part II, except De Niro whose performance I once thought was pretty meh improved *greatly* this time around) weren't as kind to scrutiny this time around (I now think I vastly prefer the first film, but the second is still really strong) whereas others (like The Conversation and Blazing Saddles) improved immensely.
Despite the high expectations, I still really love this year and the top three alone would likely make my all-time top 50 (the top two maybe even top 20). Not to mention some all-time favorite stuff here (like Wilder in YF, Kahn in BS, Jerry Goldsmith's incredible score for Chinatown), so shouldn't complain too much. Yeah, there might not have been too many new favorites like I was hoping, but there were still a lot of strong films. Ali and Harry and Tonto in particular are very grounded dramas made for very little and yet have a massive impact (mainly due to two central performances that just blew me away, particularly Brigitte Mira).
A ton of movies I finally got to cross off of my list here though: Lenny, Phantom of the Paradise, A Woman Under the Influence, Badlands, Death Wish. Obviously some were more enjoyable than others, but it felt nice to finally cross these off of my list as I had been so excited to watch them for so long.
Highest ranking first time watch for me though was The Parallax View which, when I inevitably love All the President's Men on like a fifth re-watch, will put Pakula's paranoia trilogy up there with some of the greatest trilogies ever. How Klute and Parallax don't get talked about as highly as All the President's Men (which already feels underrated at times in film circles) is beyond me. Deftly made and suspense/paranoia oozing out of its ears. Only downside of Parallax compared to the other two is the sort of half-assed performance from Beatty. Outside of the airplane scene, he never felt fully lived in the way Redford/Hoffman were two years later in similar roles.
Biggest disappointment, however, was probably Badlands. I mean, with Death Wish I had hoped to at least find it entertaining considering how much I enjoyed Winner/Bronson's last collaboration I watched (The Mechanic) yet felt like a slog and even Bronson seemed to be on auto-pilot. Badlands, however, while I didn't dislike it, fell into the same Malickian traps that I've always had issues with. Such a shame too because I was hoping if there was one Malick I really loved it'd be this one considering everyone claims this to be his "most accessible". But I think the only reason it's called that is the short run-time because the pacing still felt horribly droll for a 90 minute movie. Worse than that, I felt like Sissy Spacek's performance (who is one of my favorite actresses) was terribly wooden. I know that was likely aligned more with Malick's intentions than Spacek's, but it made the film even less enjoyable for me. Sheen was a bit wooden too, but at least it made sense with his character being such a sociopath. Maybe in time I'll have to re-watch this one and see if things change, but for now it was a pretty big disappointment considering all the hype. I'll say this for him though: he offers some incredible cinematography in every single film of his I've seen. If only his pacing/writing matched his visual mastery. Here's to hoping Days of Heaven might finally be the Malick I finally fall in love with.
Overall, only a tiny bit disappointed with the year overall mainly because there were so few first time watches that had as strong of an impact as the ones I'd already seen (only two first time watches in my top 10), but I'm sure that's a pretty lame issue when the films in my top 10 are as good as they are (and even the ones down to my #20 are pretty darn strong). Here are the line-ups:
Best Picture:
01. Chinatown.
02. Young Frankenstein.
03. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
04. Blazing Saddles.
05. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
06. The Conversation.
07. The Parallax View.
08. Black Christmas.
09. The Godfather: Part II.
10. Harry and Tonto.
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11. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
12. Lenny.
13. Phantom of the Paradise.
14. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
15. A Woman Under the Influence.
16. The Phantom of Liberty.
17. Alice in the Cities.
18. Murder on the Orient Express.
19. The Sugarland Express.
20. The Towering Inferno.
21. The Great Gatsby.
22. The Man with the Golden Gun.
23. Parade.
24. Badlands.
25. Daisy Miller.
26. Arabian Nights.
27. Foxy Brown.
28. The Front Page.
29. Céline and Julie Go Boating.
30. The Night Porter.
31. Death Wish.
Best Director:
01. Tobe Hooper - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
02. Roman Pedolanski - Chinatown.
03. Alan J. Pakula - The Parallax View.
04. Francis Ford Coppola - The Conversation.
05. Bob Fosse - Lenny.
06. Mel Brooks - Blazing Saddles.
07. Joseph Sargent - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
Best Actor:
01. Gene Wilder - Young Frankenstein.
02. Gene Hackman - The Conversation.
03. Dustin Hoffman - Lenny.
04. Jack Nicholson - Chinatown.
05. Art Carney - Harry and Tonto.
06. Al Pacino - The Godfather: Part II.
07. Albert Finney - Murder on the Orient Express.
Best Actress:
01. Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence.
02. Brigitte Mira - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
03. Marilyn Burns - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
04. Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
05. Juliet Berto - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
06. Dominique Labourier - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
07. Charlotte Rampling - The Night Porter.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Gene Wilder - Blazing Saddles.
02. John Cazale - The Godfather: Part II.
03. Robert De Niro - The Godfather: Part II.
04. Harvey Korman - Blazing Saddles.
05. Robert Shaw - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
06. John Huston - Chinatown.
07. Marty Feldman - Young Frankenstein.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Madeline Kahn - Blazing Saddles.
02. Faye Dunaway - Chinatown.
03. Valerie Perrine - Lenny.
04. Lauren Bacall - Murder on the Orient Express.
05. Jan Miner - Lenny.
06. Cloris Leachman - Young Frankenstein.
07. Ingrid Bergman - Murder on the Orient Express.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Chinatown.
02. Blazing Saddles.
03. The Conversation.
04. Harry and Tonto.
05. The Phantom of Liberty.
06. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
07. Alice in the Cities.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Young Frankenstein.
02. The Godfather: Part II.
03. Lenny.
04. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
05. The Parallax View.
06. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
07. Murder on the Orient Express.
Best Ensemble:
01. Blazing Saddles.
02. The Godfather: Part II.
03. Young Frankenstein.
04. Murder on the Orient Express.
05. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
06. Chinatown.
07. Lenny.
Best Editing:
01. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
02. Lenny.
03. The Parallax View.
Best Cinematography:
01. Chinatown.
02. The Godfather: Part II.
03. Lenny.
Best Art Direction:
01. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
02. The Godfather: Part II.
03. The Great Gatsby.
Best Costume Design:
01. Chinatown.
02. The Great Gatsby.
03. The Godfather: Part II.
Best Makeup:
01. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
02. Phantom of the Paradise.
03. Young Frankenstein.
Best Visual Effects:
01. The Towering Inferno.
02. The Man with the Golden Gun.
03. Blazing Saddles.
Best Sound Design:
01. The Conversation.
02. The Towering Inferno.
03. Phantom of the Paradise.
Best Original Score:
01. Jerry Goldsmith - Chinatown.
02. David Shire - The Conversation.
03a. John Morris - Young Frankenstein.
03b. Bill Conti - Harry and Tonto.
Best Original Song:
01. "I'm Tired" - Blazing Saddles.
02. "Faust" - Phantom of the Paradise.
03. "Upholstery" - Phantom of the Paradise.
Best Choreography:
01. The Sugarland Express.
02. Parade.
03. Blazing Saddles.
Also would one consider Phantom of the Paradise in Original or Adapted Screenplay? I mean, it clearly steals a ton from Phantom of the Opera and Faust, but doesn't credit either.
Anyway, excited for 1975. A ton of other first time watches that have been on my list for far too long (like Mirror, Nashville, Barry Lyndon, Dersu Uzala, Deep Red, F for Fake, Rocky Horror Picture Show... just for starters). So definitely need help narrowing down my selection!
Also have already seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Jaws, Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Three Days of the Condor, and French Connection II so will be re-watching those as well. The first three are among my all-time favorites as well, particularly Dog Day Afternoon which I'm excited to see if this re-watch solidifies it in my top 20 of all-time or not.
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Post by akittystang on May 23, 2020 5:02:08 GMT
Best Actress:
01. Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence.
02. Brigitte Mira - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
03. Marilyn Burns - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
04. Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
05. Juliet Berto - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
06. Dominique Labourier - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
07. Charlotte Rampling - The Night Porter.
Literally the first thing I scrolled to.  |
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Post by themoviesinner on May 23, 2020 5:10:16 GMT
What were your thoughts on The Phantom Of Liberty? It's probably the funniest film of all time for me and I think that everything it satirises is extremely on point and relevant even today. Also, it's a shame that you didn't like Celine And Julie Go Boating. It's a celebration of the imagination and the creative process and one of the loveliest films I've seen.
1975 is another really strong year for cinema. Here is my top 10:
1. Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom (my #1 of all time)
2. Dersu Uzala
3. The Travelling Players
4. The Passenger
5. Monty Python And The Holy Grail
6. The Story Of Adele H.
7. Chronicle Of The Years Of Fire
8. Dog Day Afternoon
9. Manila In The Claws Of Light
10. The Lost Honor Of Katharina Blum
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Post by therealcomicman117 on May 23, 2020 18:40:28 GMT
Some films from this year I recommend.
Smile
Tommy - It's an insane movie, and not for everyone, but boy is it something else.
Sholay
Love and Death
Hard Times
Dolemite - Low budget & amateurishly made, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Death Race 2000
Cooley High
The Eiger Sanction
Shivers
The Return of The Pink Panther
Coonskin - extremely problematic film from Bakshi, but as a parody of racism it's interesting. Also it features the best known actors he ever worked with.
Breakout
Night Moves
The Man Who Would Be King
Farewell My Lovely
The Wind and The Lion
The Stepford Wives
French Connection II
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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 18:42:27 GMT
Best Actress:
01. Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence.
02. Brigitte Mira - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
03. Marilyn Burns - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
04. Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
05. Juliet Berto - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
06. Dominique Labourier - Céline and Julie Go Boating.
07. Charlotte Rampling - The Night Porter.
Literally the first thing I scrolled to. It's such a strong category too because I could give my win to any of the first four, but that top 2 blew me away so much. And while my heart wants to give the edge to Mira, I just can't imagine any other performance quite as lived in as Rowlands'. I didn't know where Gena stopped and Mabel began. |
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Post by Mattsby on May 23, 2020 18:57:28 GMT
Love that Pelham 123 and Black Christmas make your Top 10!  1975 - not mentioned yet, Shampoo - a terrific cast and very of its time yet def holds up, slyly written and a boldly revealing Beatty role/perf. Could also do a lot of fun double features.... Love and Death Monty Python and the Holy Grail Picnic at Hanging Rock The Story of Adele H Night Moves French Connection 2 |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 18:59:07 GMT
What were your thoughts on The Phantom Of Liberty? It's probably the funniest film of all time for me and I think that everything it satirises is extremely on point and relevant even today. Also, it's a shame that you didn't like Celine And Julie Go Boating. It's a celebration of the imagination and the creative process and one of the loveliest films I've seen. 1975 is another really strong year for cinema. Here is my top 10: 1. Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom (my #1 of all time) 2. Dersu Uzala 3. The Travelling Players 4. The Passenger 5. Monty Python And The Holy Grail 6. The Story Of Adele H. 7. Chronicle Of The Years Of Fire 8. Dog Day Afternoon 9. Manila In The Claws Of Light 10. The Lost Honor Of Katharina Blum I did really enjoy Phantom of Liberty! I've really liked the last few films of Buñuel's I've seen (generally in fact the only film of his I haven't enjoyed is Belle de Jour). My favorite is still probably The Exterminating Angel which I actually found to be both biting in its satire and kind of hilarious. Phantom of Liberty didn't strike as hilarious for me, but I still enjoyed the satire and how oddball it was willing to get compared to his previous films (the bit with the "dirty" pictures was wonderfully goofy while still remaining satirical). His filmography is certainly one I'd love to revisit down the road and see if they improve even more. I feel there is always something that's easy to miss on a first viewing with his films that you can pick up on later ones. As for Celine and Julie, I actually *really* dug the first hour of it and had it stuck to that sort of modernized Alice in Wonderland that it was going for (I mean Celine is basically the white rabbit and Julie is Alice chasing her down), I probably would have *loved* it. But all the stuff with the "haunted house" went on a bit too long for me and I felt the creativity/character journey got too stale for me. I still admire that it's one of the big feminist movies of the era where these two women sort of make up their own story (I mean, generally I'm a sucker for any sort of feminist filmmaking), however I'll admit that I didn't realize what a lot of what I watched meant until I looked it up after the fact so maybe I'll have to dig a little more into the meaning of it and go in with different eyes later on and perhaps I'll enjoy it more. I still feel like it could have been about an hour shorter and had the same impact (maybe even more of one), but at least I really enjoyed the chemistry of the leads and its overlying message. I also feel like Greta Gerwig has to be a huge fan of the film because it reminded me a lot of Frances Ha and Lady Bird in some ways. In fact, it kind of feels like a huge inspiration to feminist filmmaking altogether. So I actually looked into the release dates and Salo is a bit tricky since I couldn't find an official account of when it was released in Italy before being banned, but the one IMDB lists says January 1976, so I'll be moving that to '76. I'll absolutely be watching that one then though (same goes with Jeanne Dielman). That's really cool to see you're a fan of Holy Grail though! It's one of my all-time favorite comedies. It'll be so interesting to watch it again having seen quite a lot of the foreign films its inspired by (particularly Bergman). As for the rest of the list, I actually have them all on my list for once! No idea if I'll get to all of them, but probably a strong majority of them. I really want to see The Travelling Players as I've never seen an Angelopoulos film before, but I've not been able to find it anywhere yet. Thanks again for the list! |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 19:04:26 GMT
Some films from this year I recommend. Smile Tommy - It's an insane movie, and not for everyone, but boy is it something else. Sholay Love and Death Hard Times Dolemite - Low budget & amateurishly made, but I enjoyed it a lot. Death Race 2000 Cooley High The Eiger Sanction Shivers The Return of The Pink Panther Coonskin - extremely problematic film from Bakshi, but as a parody of racism it's interesting. Also it features the best known actors he ever worked with. Breakout Night Moves The Man Who Would Be King Farewell My Lovely The Wind and The Lion The Stepford Wives French Connection II I'll definitely be seeing Tommy, Love and Death, Night Moves, French Connection II (a re-watch) and Dolemite. Hoping to make room for a few others here too. Just like most of the '70s, there are just so many great hidden gems that I'll probably have to skip over until next time just because of all the more "essential" picks to watch first that I've missed out on. I'm also pretty much only watching Dolemite because I'm so curious now after having seen Dolemite Is My Name (well that and Blaxploitation is super entertaining and empowering). How is Return of the Pink Panther compared to A Shot in the Dark? I wasn't as big a fan of the first film, but Shot in the Dark was pretty funny and entertaining. Also have you happened to see The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother? I'm obviously a massive Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn fan so I've been curious to see his directing debut in something that sounds similar to Young Frankenstein but doesn't seem to have the following or passion of it. Thanks for the list of hidden gems! |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 19:09:44 GMT
Love that Pelham 123 and Black Christmas make your Top 10! 1975 - not mentioned yet, Shampoo - a terrific cast and very of its time yet def holds up, slyly written and a boldly revealing Beatty role/perf. Could also do a lot of fun double features.... Love and Death Monty Python and the Holy Grail Picnic at Hanging Rock The Story of Adele H Night Moves French Connection 2 I totally expected to get some flack for my very unusual top 5, particularly that film, but man Taking of Pelham is just a near-perfect action thriller. It's easy to see, between this and Towering Inferno, where a lot of inspiration for Die Hard came from too which is my favorite action film. But aside from a few sexist jokes/remarks (there are a couple racist ones too, but they seem less a feeling of the writer and more a feeling of a character), Pelham would likely be a perfect 10 for me. Black Christmas also didn't hit as hard as it did on my first viewing, but it's still incredibly effective. And that ending... my girlfriend is rarely scared by horror films, but she hates when I do an impression of "Billy"  "Hey Agnes..." I've had Shampoo high on my list but figured it was only because of Ashby (whose Harold and Maude I loved), but glad to hear it's actually pretty good. I hope to give it a shot. Love the idea of the double features! I'm likely going to watch all six of those films too, so that's super helpful because sometimes I'll watch something and have no idea what to watch next so I'll keep these in mind. Thanks! |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on May 23, 2020 19:11:21 GMT
Some films from this year I recommend. Smile Tommy - It's an insane movie, and not for everyone, but boy is it something else. Sholay Love and Death Hard Times Dolemite - Low budget & amateurishly made, but I enjoyed it a lot. Death Race 2000 Cooley High The Eiger Sanction Shivers The Return of The Pink Panther Coonskin - extremely problematic film from Bakshi, but as a parody of racism it's interesting. Also it features the best known actors he ever worked with. Breakout Night Moves The Man Who Would Be King Farewell My Lovely The Wind and The Lion The Stepford Wives French Connection II I'll definitely be seeing Tommy, Love and Death, Night Moves, French Connection II (a re-watch) and Dolemite. Hoping to make room for a few others here too. Just like most of the '70s, there are just so many great hidden gems that I'll probably have to skip over until next time just because of all the more "essential" picks to watch first that I've missed out on. I'm also pretty much only watching Dolemite because I'm so curious now after having seen Dolemite Is My Name (well that and Blaxploitation is super entertaining and empowering). How is Return of the Pink Panther compared to A Shot in the Dark? I wasn't as big a fan of the first film, but Shot in the Dark was pretty funny and entertaining. Also have you happened to see The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother? I'm obviously a massive Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn fan so I've been curious to see his directing debut in something that sounds similar to Young Frankenstein but doesn't seem to have the following or passion of it. Thanks for the list of hidden gems! My pleasure. Return of The Pink Panther's a lot of fun. It's more cartoony compared to the first two, but Clouseau is officially now the center of attention, and Peter Sellers is brilliant as ever as the silly Frenchmen detective. Plus Christopher Plummer is great re-casting as The Phantom. As for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother, it's got a lot of inspired setpieces, and it's a nice cool 91 minutes, but like a lot of Gene Wilder directed films, it's also weighted down unnecessarily. Like the movie turns into a musical, and the songs aren't the greatest unfortunately. Also the plot gets a confusing by the end. Still it's not a bad way to waste time, oh and it's got a pretty great voice cameo by Mel Brooks too. |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 23, 2020 19:16:18 GMT
My pleasure. Return of The Pink Panther's a lot of fun. It's more cartoony compared to the first two, but Clouseau is officially now the center of attention, and Peter Sellers is brilliant as ever as the silly Frenchmen detective. Plus Christopher Plummer is great re-casting as The Phantom. As for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother, it's got a lot of inspired setpieces, and it's a nice cool 91 minutes, but like a lot of Gene Wilder's directed film, it's also weighted down unnecessarily. Like the movie turns into a musical, and the songs aren't the greatest unfortunately. Also the plot gets a confusing by the end. Still it's not a bad way to waste time, oh and it's got a pretty great voice cameo by Mel Brooks too. Thanks so much for the insight! I'm always looking to add just a couple more films here and there that my girlfriend wouldn't mind watching and those two sounded up her alley, so I'm glad to hear Return of the Pink Panther sounds pretty fun. I don't mind cartoony either, in fact I always felt the original two should have been even more so (or, at least, I *expected* them to be). Hmm, it does sound like a bit of a mess, but I am pretty curious. I mean after Willy Wonka in '71, I went through and added every single Wilder-starring film to my watchlist and it was kind of sad to see how many films rated under 6.0 he had in his filmography. It seemed almost everything after Young Frankenstein had a ratio of like 1:5 in terms of hits to misses. Perhaps if I have the time (and can even find it), I'll check out Sherlock Holmes. I do love me a silly comedy, but won't make it a priority. Thanks! |
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 23, 2020 21:46:25 GMT
A shame you couldn't get into Badlands. To be honest a lot of Malick's performances seem to be wooden to me, or at least almost always secondary to everything else going on in frame. I found that to be the case with Badlands too but was so swept up with Malick's vision that it wasn't a consideration. I just love the "Gassenhauer" montage in the woods where the two outlaws live in their own innocent private utopia away from civilization. love seeing Harry and Tonto break your top 10. It's such a sweet movie btw I too couldn't get into Night Porter. On paper it seemed like something I would have loved but I couldn't get into it at all, not even the performances and I'm lowkey obsessed with Dirk Bogarde. as for '75... decent year. I think what stands out to me most this year was the dirth of lead female performances. I had to dig really deep for some of the ladies in my lineup. Otherwise it's a pretty solid year. Some recs: Picnic at Hanging Rock - Don't know if you've already seen this. I've ranted about it enough but it's still definitely my all-time favorite movie. I don't think a more titillating premise has ever existed, and Weir exploits the sexual undertones and horror of the unknown in the narrative to perfection. The Man Who Would Be King - I think you'd dig this one if you haven't already seen it. A classic adventure film starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine taking the form of a Colonialist Kipling story but with a surprising self-reflectiveness. The Passenger - Kind of a hypnotic and strange film. One of Antonioni's English language efforts but you're always distinctly aware of the European cinematic influence. Jack Nicholson is good, Maria Schneider is excellent, Luciano Tovoli's cinematography is breathtaking. Fantastic screenplay. Hedda - small chamber piece based on the Henrik Ibsen play. I think I saw this late last year and it was much better than I had expected. Tracked it down on rarefilm.com (not great quality but good enough to appreciate the performances/dialogue) and watched it mainly for Glenda Jackson's Oscar-nominated performance. She didn't disappoint--this may be one of her best--but I also liked the film around her too. It's a brilliant female-centric character-driven tragedy. Fox and His Friends - Important Fassbinder piece. Not my favorite but an essential semi-autobiographical glimpse into Fassbinder's world and important entry in queer cinema. Night Moves - interesting bit of 70s noir with a fantastic finale action piece and lurid cinematography by Bruce Surtees. Don't remember much about the story but Gene Hackman and [highly-underrated] Susan Clark make it worth seeing all on their own. that's all for the films I liked, here are some that I didn't like as much but am still very glad I watched and you might enjoy them more: The Story of Adèle H. - This is probably my favorite Adjani performance. The movie itself is fine, I was mostly bothered by its focus on the romanticism (even melodrama) of Adèle Hugo's situation at the expense of delving into her mental health but it's still worth seeing, especially given 1975's dirth of leading female performances. Adjani is stunning. Lovely costumes/sets too. Shampoo - didn't care for this one but I really think you might enjoy it. At the very least watch for the performances: Lee Grant for her Oscar-winning turn and Goldie Hawn, who IMO is even better and showcases a dramatic bent to her adorableness that hadn't been tapped until this point. Jack Warden is a lot of fun too, and Julie Christie as always is no slouch. The Sunshine Boys - not sure how you'd feel about this. I only watched it because of the Oscar noms but at the very least I'll say George Burns is A LOT of fun in a dry deadpan sort of way and the movie's worth seeing for him alone. I know Jango just watched it and liked it a lot so you never know. I'd say give it a try if you have room. hope you enjoy Rocky Horror!! |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 24, 2020 0:24:09 GMT
Tommen_SapersteinIt's the bits with the music/soundtrack of Badlands that I kind of wish the film had more of. I actually think of the Nat King Cole dance scene that I really, really loved. It's the way Malick couples them with the visuals that really works, but once the characters speak or that voiceover kicks in (*especially* that voiceover) that's when it loses me. Maybe in time I'll come around, but for now I've yet to really fall for Malick. Harry and Tonto was incredibly sweet. I felt this with Bob & Carol too, but it's kind of crazy how Mazursky's films seem like twenty years ahead of their time. Like I remember growing up watching films like the '92 Scent of a Woman or Dead Poets Society and stuff like that and his films feel just like those. Sweet and endearing and sentimental without going overboard (though from what I hear now Scent goes overboard, but young me didn't think so). Would like to seek out more of his stuff. Agree on Night Porter. I liked Bogarde and Rampling well enough, and the first act was solid tension-building, but after that it felt too meandering and too repetitive. Felt so long too because of it despite being under 2 hours. Shame to hear about female performances for '75. As it stands my only lead actress for '75 is Fletcher from Cuckoo's Nest, but I have a feeling I'll be moving her Supporting this time around. Really excited for Picnic at Hanging Rock and can see quite a lot of my female favorites coming from that one even though I don't know much about it at all other than it's Weir and a big inspiration for filmmakers like Sofia Coppola. Also had never heard of rarefilm.com, so thanks for the link! I'm not sure if I'll get to Hedda, but glad to know about it for next time! The rest are all pretty high on my gigantic list though. I'm a bit hesistant on The Passenger though. I love Nicholson but the only Antonionis I've liked are Blow Up (which I loved) and La Notte. The rest haven't really hit me as hard as those two and haven't been crazy to watch other ones since, but I do reeeeally love Nicholson... Perhaps if you could expand a bit more on that one, maybe which film of Antonioni's it's more akin to? Either way, thanks for the recommendations! Looking forward to the year.
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Post by themoviesinner on May 24, 2020 5:12:53 GMT
idioticbunny I think Celine And Julie Go Boating is a film that probably requires a rewatch to fully grasp it's intent. It became one of my favourite films after multiple viewings, so if you ever find the time and patience to watch it again, I'm pretty sure you won't regret it. I'm a big fan of Holy Grail (and Monty Python in general) as I always tend to prefer that kind of absurdist comedy to the more traditional type and Monty Python were the best at that. Also, Angelopoulos is one of my favourite directors (top 5 of all time), but The Travelling Players, as masterful as I consider it, definitely isn't the film I'd recommend for an introduction to his filmography. It's among his most inaccessible works, as it is extremely non-linear and requires quite a bit of knowledge on Greek history to fully understand. But if you manage to find it, give it a watch anyway, I'm pretty sure you'll find it quite interesting at least.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 25, 2020 2:03:08 GMT
themoviesinner Glad to hear re-watches seemed to do the trick for you on Celine and Julie. I'll certainly be re-watching it at some point and maybe I'll enjoy it even more then! I generally love comedy, but Monty Python as you said is the exact absurdist type of comedy I love as well. I always enjoyed the film as a kid, but think over time I've appreciated the satire and absurdity even more. Can't wait to watch it again (and Life of Brian in '79 as I haven't seen that one since I was probably in my single digits). Good to know about The Travelling Players! I do really want to check out Angelopoulos at some point, but perhaps I'll save this one for later on (especially when I'm able to access it more easily, maybe whenever Criterion adds some of his films). Also good to know I ought to learn a bit more about Greek history first as well. I'm a big history buff, so I'd love to learn! Thanks so much for the insight.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 25, 2020 6:13:03 GMT
I'm a bit hesistant on The Passenger though. I love Nicholson but the only Antonionis I've liked are Blow Up (which I loved) and La Notte. The rest haven't really hit me as hard as those two and haven't been crazy to watch other ones since, but I do reeeeally love Nicholson... Perhaps if you could expand a bit more on that one, maybe which film of Antonioni's it's more akin to? Hmmm, it has been awhile since I saw it. I've also struggled with Antonioni but I didn't struggle with this one, and I also loved Blow-Up and La Notte. Don't remember The Passenger feeling like any of those others, apart from the deliberate pacing (but sometimes that's used to transfixing effect with long-takes). What I remember most about the film was how poetic the dialogue sounded. It's hard to describe but I distinctly remember the dialogue both sounding really beautiful in English and also feeling out of place, like they had been written in Italian and then translated to English, like the screenplay was made up of Criterion English subtitles. Does that make sense? Anyways, I found that really fascinating. I'm probably not the best on to recommend it because I don't remember much about the story, except that Nicholson's character assumes the identity of a recently-deceased person (I think a diplomat?). But I do remember it feeling really special when I watched it. |
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Post by jimmalone on May 25, 2020 9:33:25 GMT
I don't rate that year quite as highly as others I think. It has quite a depth for me, but lacks at the top.
My Top List of 1975:
1. Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
2. Farewell my Lovely (Dick Ricahrds) - great atmospheric Philip Marlowe adaptation
3. Love and Death (Woody Allen) - to me easily Allen's funniest film
4. The Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack)
5. Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet)
6. Night Moves (Arthur Penn) - another great Neo-noir
7. French Connection II (John Frankenheimer) - not quite as good as the first one, but still great
8. Le Vieux Fusil (Robert Enrico)
9. The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston)
10. Peur Sur la Ville (Henri Verneuil) - watchable alone for that tremendous chase scene
11. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick)
12. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir) - I don't care about the story here, but the atmosphere is wonderful - haunting and beautiful at the same time
13. Adieu Poulet (Pierre Granier-Deferre)
14. Hard Times (Walter Hill)
15. Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa) - need to rewatch this, might have this even higher now
16. One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest (Milos Forman)
17. Bite the Bullet (Richard Brooks)
18. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones)
19. Flic Story (Jacques Deray)
20. Section speciale (Costa-Gavras)
21. The Sunshine Boys (Herbert Ross)
22. Le Sauvage (Jean-Paul Rappeneau)
23. The Killer Elite (Sam Peckinpah)
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Post by JangoB on May 25, 2020 10:35:46 GMT
Seeing Art Carney right over Pacino brings back the Oscar pain all over again I don't have much to add about 1975 since so much has already been mentioned but I can't help but mention a few films anyway! Dersu Uzala is a marvelously human piece of work AND a visual triumph. I hope you find a good quality version of it. Plus it's a Soviet film by Kurosawa - quite a blend! I do appreciate Tommen_Saperstein mentioning my admiration for The Sunshine Boys - indeed I think it's very good and in particular a must-see in terms of Walter Matthau's amazing performance which I think is easily his best one from what I've seen. I also really liked Louis Malle's Black Moon - a highly peculiar auteur fairytale. It doesn't seem like surrealism is your thing but hey, give it a try anyway! The Day of the Locust is not great but if you like those 'Hollywood is actually a hellhole' types of movies then definitely check that out. It's got some very good performances and techs too. I really like the Soviet movie Woodpeckers Don’t Get Headaches about a young kid in love but I'm not sure about its availability to English speakers. But if somehow you do find it, give it a shot. It's lovely and very genuine. Like a childhood time machine with a Russian flavor. Plus it's only 70 minutes long! And as much as it is maligned, do give Peter Bogdanovich's At Long Last Love a try. It's not great but it's far better than its reputation seems to suggest. Just a lovely little homage to classic musicals of the older era. With some very noteworthy production design and costume design achievements. And a gorgeous Cybill Shepherd. Plus they sing live! |
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Post by TerryMontana on May 25, 2020 15:54:05 GMT
Great great year!! All of the films I love have already been mentioned except for Rooster Cogburn.
I remember almost nothing of it as it's been about 20 years I've watched it but I love John Wayne and I adore K.Hep, so I recommend it. Not Wayne's greatest western, nor Hepburn's best film. But a very enjoyable and slick little film. If you're a fan of the genre you gonna like it.
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Post by Archie on May 25, 2020 17:53:25 GMT
Aww man, I'm really heartbroken you didn't love Badlands, but at least you acknowledged the legendary cinematography. I can't believe you called Spacek and Sheen wooden!
'75 is a goddamn phenomenal year, and most of my favorites have already been mentioned. I'd like to add Nashville which is maybe my favorite film of all time. Don't miss it!
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Post by idioticbunny on May 26, 2020 18:02:39 GMT
Hmmm, it has been awhile since I saw it. I've also struggled with Antonioni but I didn't struggle with this one, and I also loved Blow-Up and La Notte. Don't remember The Passenger feeling like any of those others, apart from the deliberate pacing (but sometimes that's used to transfixing effect with long-takes). What I remember most about the film was how poetic the dialogue sounded. It's hard to describe but I distinctly remember the dialogue both sounding really beautiful in English and also feeling out of place, like they had been written in Italian and then translated to English, like the screenplay was made up of Criterion English subtitles. Does that make sense? Anyways, I found that really fascinating. I'm probably not the best on to recommend it because I don't remember much about the story, except that Nicholson's character assumes the identity of a recently-deceased person (I think a diplomat?). But I do remember it feeling really special when I watched it. That's really good to know! I'll probably be checking it out then and report back my thoughts! Hope I love it as much as you did. |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 26, 2020 18:08:28 GMT
jimmaloneThanks so much for the list! Glad to see Farewell, My Lovely ranked so highly for you! It sounded really intriguing and I'm a sucker for private eye movies (particularly if they're written by Raymond Chandler). I'll see if I can squeeze that one in because it sounds like I'd really dig it. At least a strong majority of the rest of your top ten are ones I'll for sure be checking out so good to hear they place so highly for you! I have a feeling my previous top three will stay the same for this year, but hoping for some big surprises. Also hadn't had about 4 or 5 of those foreign thrillers in my watchlist before so thanks for sending those my way, I always love a good thriller.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 26, 2020 18:15:46 GMT
Seeing Art Carney right over Pacino brings back the Oscar pain all over again I don't have much to add about 1975 since so much has already been mentioned but I can't help but mention a few films anyway! Dersu Uzala is a marvelously human piece of work AND a visual triumph. I hope you find a good quality version of it. Plus it's a Soviet film by Kurosawa - quite a blend! I do appreciate Tommen_Saperstein mentioning my admiration for The Sunshine Boys - indeed I think it's very good and in particular a must-see in terms of Walter Matthau's amazing performance which I think is easily his best one from what I've seen. I also really liked Louis Malle's Black Moon - a highly peculiar auteur fairytale. It doesn't seem like surrealism is your thing but hey, give it a try anyway! The Day of the Locust is not great but if you like those 'Hollywood is actually a hellhole' types of movies then definitely check that out. It's got some very good performances and techs too. I really like the Soviet movie Woodpeckers Don’t Get Headaches about a young kid in love but I'm not sure about its availability to English speakers. But if somehow you do find it, give it a shot. It's lovely and very genuine. Like a childhood time machine with a Russian flavor. Plus it's only 70 minutes long! And as much as it is maligned, do give Peter Bogdanovich's At Long Last Love a try. It's not great but it's far better than its reputation seems to suggest. Just a lovely little homage to classic musicals of the older era. With some very noteworthy production design and costume design achievements. And a gorgeous Cybill Shepherd. Plus they sing live! I could easily swap Carney and Pacino, but felt Carney did more with less so I gave him the edge. That whole top 7 is fantastic though. I'm absolutely checking out Dersu Uzala and I'm happy to hear all the good word about it since I felt it might be a weaker Kurosawa since it never seems to be discussed as much as his others. I'll be checking it out on the Criterion Channel, so should be the best quality! I do love me some Walter Matthau, so might check out Sunshine Boys. It would seem like surrealism isn't my thing, but there are some that I really love (I really like Bunuel's work!), I guess it just depends on if I like the style or not. Might give Black Moon a go, we shall see how the year shapes up for me! Thanks for the insight on the other three! Had not heard of Woodpeckers but added it to my watchlist for next time (as I'm sure it'll be incredibly difficult to track down sadly). I actually had no idea At Long Last Love was a musical, but I have been curious to check out almost everything Bogdanovich including that - just depends on if I make time for them now or later. I love how he seems to make all his films about a throwback to a different era of film and I love it. Even though Daisy Miller was a flop in comparison to his previous four films, it still had a lot of elements to love too. Thanks again! |
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Post by idioticbunny on May 26, 2020 18:20:15 GMT
Aww man, I'm really heartbroken you didn't love Badlands, but at least you acknowledged the legendary cinematography. I can't believe you called Spacek and Sheen wooden! '75 is a goddamn phenomenal year, and most of my favorites have already been mentioned. I'd like to add Nashville which is maybe my favorite film of all time. Don't miss it! I really wanted to love it too! We'll see how Days of Heaven hits me, but I guess Malick just isn't my thing. I actually feel like Spacek and Sheen's woodenness was intentional! I wish I could see otherwise. At least Sheen did a good James Dean impersonation and his character being a sociopath made the woodenness feel purposeful (he actually is my #8 right behind Finney in Lead Actor), but Spacek was the one I couldn't get past I think - and as mentioned she's one of my favorite actresses. So I think it had more to do with Malick's intent as a director to paint her a bit too child-like (the voice-over in particular) so certainly don't blame her!  Altman has been mostly miss for me, but there is no way I was going to pass on Nashville! It's the one Altman remaining that I think I might really enjoy (though I do hope to enjoy others too).  |
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Post by Mattsby on Oct 1, 2020 23:49:30 GMT
I really like the Soviet movie Woodpeckers Don’t Get Headaches about a young kid in love but I'm not sure about its availability to English speakers. But if somehow you do find it, give it a shot. It's lovely and very genuine. Like a childhood time machine with a Russian flavor. Plus it's only 70 minutes long! I watched this last month and liked it - didn't realize anyone here had seen it! Very believable kid perf and lotta memorable little moments, some funny like the flippers in class, the gate squeak sounding like music, and some of the quotes ("Who did you bite and how did it happen?" "I bit him and it happened very fast").... and some moments that are sort of poetically sad like the scratches up the tenement walls (made by coffins, they say) and the ending running, missing more than just the train! |
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