Post by idioticbunny on Dec 31, 2018 6:55:27 GMT
Well, it sure took me a loooong time to finish this year off. With getting caught up in October watching horror movies (most of which from this year alone as you can see), my internship turning into a temporary job that took up a lot of my time, and the holidays, I finally watched my last movie for the year last night. Sadly, I missed out on quite a few I wanted to get around to (Rocco; The Housemaid; etc.), but this is still a pretty damn solid list. What a way to jump right into the new decade with a 10/10 (sadly The Apartment which once made my top 20 of all-time fell a bit with this re-watch, but I still love it madly and it's probably my favorite Wilder, though Sabrina is dangerously close) and a slew of 9s and 8s.
Biggest disappointment for me was probably Eyes Without a Face. That had been high on my list to see for a long time and I thought it'd be right up my alley, but aside from a few memorable scenes, it really meanders too much without much depth or plot for my taste. Also felt La Dolce Vita was a bit of a chore to get through, but has sat with me well since finishing (Fellini may linger too long, but his endings are always incredibly memorable and stick with you - at least judging from the three of his I've seen).
Was also surprised that Breathless, which had once been only a 3/10 bumped up to a 6 on this watch. Perhaps I just needed to get more context of its era whereas before I jumped right into the French New Wave with that film, but it sat better with me this time around - even if I still don't find it to be anything that special, especially when there have been other, better French New Wave films a year or two before.
Regardless, it was a damn good year all around. Probably my favorite Kurosawa and Bergman thus far (though still have all of their '60s work to get through) and Jigoku was a pleasantly unpleasant surprise that I think everyone ought to watch - if you can stomach it. And if anyone has any good Roger Corman recommendations, send them my way. I love how he has his goofy side (Little Shop of Horrors; Bucket of Blood) and then his serious, atmospheric side (House of Usher; Pit and the Pendulum) and I've enjoyed them all tremendously.
Best Picture:
01. Psycho.
02. The Apartment.
03. The Bad Sleep Well.
04. The Virgin Spring.
05. Jigoku.
06. Purple Noon.
07. The Little Shop of Horrors.
08. Peeping Tom.
09. Testament of Orpheus
10. Spartacus.
-----------------
11. La Dolce Vita.
12. Primary.
13. House of Usher.
14. Letter Never Sent.
15. The Naked Island.
16. Le Trou.
17. L'Avventura.
18. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
19. The Magnificent Seven.
20. Black Sunday.
21. Eyes Without a Face.
22. Ocean's 11.
23. 13 Ghosts.
24. Shoot the Piano Player.
25. Breathless.
Best Director:
01. Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho.
02. Nobuo Nakagawa - Jigoku.
03. Ingmar Bergman - The Virgin Spring.
04. Akira Kurosawa - The Bad Sleep Well.
05. Mikhail Kalatozov - Letter Never Sent.
Best Actor:
01. Jack Lemmon - The Apartment.
02. Anthony Perkins - Psycho.
03. Karlheinz Böhm - Peeping Tom.
04. Alain Delon - Purple Noon.
05. Kirk Douglas - Spartacus.
Best Actress:
01. Hideko Takamine - When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
02. Shirley MacLaine - The Apartment.
03. Monica Vitti - L'Avventura.
04. Nobuko Otowa - The Naked Island.
05. Jean Seberg - Breathless.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Vincent Price - House of Usher.
02. Maurice Ronet - Purple Noon.
03. Max von Sydow - The Virgin Spring.
04. Eli Wallach - The Magnificent Seven.
05. Jack Nicholson - The Little Shop of Horrors.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Birgitta Pettersson - The Virgin Spring.
02. Janet Leigh - Psycho.
03. Birgitta Valberg - The Virgin Spring.
04. Kyôko Kagawa - The Bad Sleep Well.
05. Myrtle Vail - The Little Shop of Horrors.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Apartment.
02. The Bad Sleep Well.
03. The Little Shop of Horrors.
04. The Virgin Spring.
05. Testament of Orpheus.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Psycho.
02. Purple Noon.
03. Spartacus.
04. Letter Never Sent.
05. Le Trou.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Bad Sleep Well.
02. The Virgin Spring.
03. La Dolce Vita.
04. Spartacus.
05. Peeping Tom.
Best Editing:
Primary.
Best Cinematography:
*TIE - Letter Never Sent // Jigoku.
Best Art Direction:
Spartacus.
Best Costume Design:
Purple Noon.
Best Makeup:
Eyes Without a Face.
Best Visual Effects:
Jigoku.
Best Sound Design:
Le Trou.
Best Original Score:
Bernard Herrmann - Psycho.
Best Original Song:
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head" - Ocean's 11.
Best Choreography:
The Magnificent Seven.
1961 is shaping up to be a pretty strong year as well, maybe even stronger. A lot of big ones on my list that I'll finally be getting around to for the first time (West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Judgment at Nuremburg, The Hustler, etc.). Very, very excited, though might mean me pushing up to 15-20 again. Also already caught The Innocents and The Pit and the Pendulum during my October horror marathon, and enjoyed them both (particularly the former) and rounded off the beautiful Human Condition trilogy as my farewell to FilmStruck. Pretty wide open beyond that.
Biggest disappointment for me was probably Eyes Without a Face. That had been high on my list to see for a long time and I thought it'd be right up my alley, but aside from a few memorable scenes, it really meanders too much without much depth or plot for my taste. Also felt La Dolce Vita was a bit of a chore to get through, but has sat with me well since finishing (Fellini may linger too long, but his endings are always incredibly memorable and stick with you - at least judging from the three of his I've seen).
Was also surprised that Breathless, which had once been only a 3/10 bumped up to a 6 on this watch. Perhaps I just needed to get more context of its era whereas before I jumped right into the French New Wave with that film, but it sat better with me this time around - even if I still don't find it to be anything that special, especially when there have been other, better French New Wave films a year or two before.
Regardless, it was a damn good year all around. Probably my favorite Kurosawa and Bergman thus far (though still have all of their '60s work to get through) and Jigoku was a pleasantly unpleasant surprise that I think everyone ought to watch - if you can stomach it. And if anyone has any good Roger Corman recommendations, send them my way. I love how he has his goofy side (Little Shop of Horrors; Bucket of Blood) and then his serious, atmospheric side (House of Usher; Pit and the Pendulum) and I've enjoyed them all tremendously.
Best Picture:
01. Psycho.
02. The Apartment.
03. The Bad Sleep Well.
04. The Virgin Spring.
05. Jigoku.
06. Purple Noon.
07. The Little Shop of Horrors.
08. Peeping Tom.
09. Testament of Orpheus
10. Spartacus.
-----------------
11. La Dolce Vita.
12. Primary.
13. House of Usher.
14. Letter Never Sent.
15. The Naked Island.
16. Le Trou.
17. L'Avventura.
18. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
19. The Magnificent Seven.
20. Black Sunday.
21. Eyes Without a Face.
22. Ocean's 11.
23. 13 Ghosts.
24. Shoot the Piano Player.
25. Breathless.
Best Director:
01. Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho.
02. Nobuo Nakagawa - Jigoku.
03. Ingmar Bergman - The Virgin Spring.
04. Akira Kurosawa - The Bad Sleep Well.
05. Mikhail Kalatozov - Letter Never Sent.
Best Actor:
01. Jack Lemmon - The Apartment.
02. Anthony Perkins - Psycho.
03. Karlheinz Böhm - Peeping Tom.
04. Alain Delon - Purple Noon.
05. Kirk Douglas - Spartacus.
Best Actress:
01. Hideko Takamine - When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
02. Shirley MacLaine - The Apartment.
03. Monica Vitti - L'Avventura.
04. Nobuko Otowa - The Naked Island.
05. Jean Seberg - Breathless.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Vincent Price - House of Usher.
02. Maurice Ronet - Purple Noon.
03. Max von Sydow - The Virgin Spring.
04. Eli Wallach - The Magnificent Seven.
05. Jack Nicholson - The Little Shop of Horrors.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Birgitta Pettersson - The Virgin Spring.
02. Janet Leigh - Psycho.
03. Birgitta Valberg - The Virgin Spring.
04. Kyôko Kagawa - The Bad Sleep Well.
05. Myrtle Vail - The Little Shop of Horrors.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Apartment.
02. The Bad Sleep Well.
03. The Little Shop of Horrors.
04. The Virgin Spring.
05. Testament of Orpheus.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Psycho.
02. Purple Noon.
03. Spartacus.
04. Letter Never Sent.
05. Le Trou.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Bad Sleep Well.
02. The Virgin Spring.
03. La Dolce Vita.
04. Spartacus.
05. Peeping Tom.
Best Editing:
Primary.
Best Cinematography:
*TIE - Letter Never Sent // Jigoku.
Best Art Direction:
Spartacus.
Best Costume Design:
Purple Noon.
Best Makeup:
Eyes Without a Face.
Best Visual Effects:
Jigoku.
Best Sound Design:
Le Trou.
Best Original Score:
Bernard Herrmann - Psycho.
Best Original Song:
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head" - Ocean's 11.
Best Choreography:
The Magnificent Seven.
1961 is shaping up to be a pretty strong year as well, maybe even stronger. A lot of big ones on my list that I'll finally be getting around to for the first time (West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Judgment at Nuremburg, The Hustler, etc.). Very, very excited, though might mean me pushing up to 15-20 again. Also already caught The Innocents and The Pit and the Pendulum during my October horror marathon, and enjoyed them both (particularly the former) and rounded off the beautiful Human Condition trilogy as my farewell to FilmStruck. Pretty wide open beyond that.