October 2010 RECAP

A new month has arrived and that means we take a minute to look back on the previous month and do some rating revisions (if necessary). Below you'll find a list of the films I watched in October 2010 and the rating that I would give them in retrospect. Also, at the bottom, you'll find a list of the movies I watched that were not on the "1001" book and my thoughts on those as well.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in October 2010
1) Satyricon (1969 - Federico Fellini) 6.5/10 - I still think about this one a lot and can still see some of the awesome images that graced the screen. Although the content is a little questionable, I am in agreement that this IS a must see film.
2) Amarcord (1973 - Federico Fellini) 6.5/10
3) Raising Arizona (1987 - Joel Coen) 7/10 - I went a little high on this one at first and although it is a terrific movie and will give you a good time, it's still a little too childish for a really high rating and thus gets demoted...but just a bit.
4) Shadow of a Doubt (1943 - Alfred Hitchcock) 10/10 - Probably the best movie I saw in October.
5) Spellbound (1945 - Alfred Hitchcock) 4.5/10
6) The Big Chill (1983 - Lawrence Kasdan) 8.5/10 - Demoted just a half a point, for no reason other than reflection on it. Still a really warm dramedy that I think is really easy to enjoy.
7) Notorious (1946 - Alfred Hitchcock) 4/10
8) ROPE (1948 - Alfred Hitchcock) 6.5/10
9) Strangers on a Train (1951 - Alfred Hitchcock) 9/10 - This one probably really deserves a full blown '10', but I'm just not getting that '10' vibe off of it.
10) Rear Window (1954 - Alfred Hitchcock) 10/10 - A personal favorite going in and still a personal favorite coming out. The best re-watch I saw in October.
11) Rocky (1976 - John G. Avildsen) 7/10 - Went a little high on this one too, the first time around...Great, underdog/inspiration film, but no better than a '7'.
12) Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975 - Pier Paolo Pasolini) 5/10 - I stick to my original rating and thoughts on this one.
13) Edward Scissorhands (1990 - Tim Burton) 8/10
14) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 - Alfred Hitchcock) 9/10 - I deducted a point because the film became a tad forgettable quickly after viewing. Still a great film with tons of fun, intriguing, exciting elements.
15) The Wrong Man (1956 - Alfred Hitchcock) 9/10 - I'm only deducting points due to the breakdown of Rose, otherwise a perfect movie.
16) Being There (1979 - Hal Ashby) 8.5/10
17) Vertigo (1958 - Alfred Hitchcock) 7/10 - I knew that rating would go up. This one has too many memorable elements to be below a '7', but too many flaws to get it higher than that.
18) North by Northwest (1959 - Alfred Hitchcock) 5/10 - I may have caved on "Vertigo" but not this one...I stand by my initial review and rating.
19) Dances with Wolves (1990 - Kevin Costner) 5.5/10 - Why is it that we feel compelled to give long movies a high rating? This movie really isn't that good and in hindsight, its win over "Goodfellas" at the Oscars is even more laughable.
20) To Be or Not to Be (1942 - Ernst Lubitsch) 7/10
21) The Piano (1993 - Jane Campion) 10/10 - Screw it, I'm going all the way. I watched "The Piano" on October 28th and it wasn't a part of my DVD collection. Today...it is.
22) Cat People (1942 - Jacques Tourneur) 2/10
23) RING (1998 - Hideo Nakata) 7.5/10
24) Dracula (1958 - Terence Fisher) 5.5/10 - Just a day removed and already an altered rating.
25) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 - Wes Craven) 3.5/10

NON-1001 MOVIES - As seen in October 2010
1) Slumdog Millionaire (2008 - Danny Boyle) 5/10 - Maybe I was expecting something better, but this didn't do a whole lot for me and in my opinion, the love story aspect of the film was much better than the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" portion. The camera work was a way too herky jerky for me, even for Danny Boyle standards and I hated how we got a bunch of elements of Jamal's life that weren't integral to the interrogation (ie. that he "worked" at the Taj Mahal being a makeshift tour guide). "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" playing second fiddle to this film at the Oscars, is yet another laughable moment in the history of the "esteemed" Academy.
2) In the Name of the Father (1993 - Jim Sheridan) 8.5/10 - The Day-Lewis/Sheridan alliance continued to impress me last month (after my viewing of "My Left Foot" in September), as this one was also great. I have to wonder if Daniel Day-Lewis is the best actor still working today, after seeing him turn in two STELLAR performances in the last two months. I watched this the day after "The Wrong Man" and thus my faith in the justice systems of the world was totally destroyed. Pete Postlethwaite was also outstanding in this heartbreaking true story about Gerry Conlon.

November 1, 2010 10:59pm