May 2012 Recap

And away we go...

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in May 2012
1) 3-Iron (2004 - Kim Ki-duk) 10/10 - The standout film of this 100, that I hadn't previously seen. A definite top contender for the TOP 20.
2) Murder, My Sweet (1944 - Edward Dmytryk) 5.5/10
3) Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989 - Steven Soderbergh) 8.5/10 - Great Soderbergh film, highly recommended.
4) Mildred Pierce (1945 - Michael Curtiz) 8/10
5) The Host (2006 - Bong Joon-ho) 7.5/10
6) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 - Tay Garnett) 6.5/10 - It had a good setup, but fell short toward the end.
7) Traffic (2000 - Steven Soderbergh) 3/10 - Terrible Soderbergh film, recommendation to avoid.
8) The Killers (1946 - Robert Siodmak) 6/10 - It had traces of greatness, but ultimately just wasn't my movie.
9) Out of the Past (1947 - Jacques Tourneur) 8/10 - Hard to believe Tourneur directed one of the best films I saw this 100 and one of the worst.
10) City of God (2002 - Mierelles, Lund) 8/10
11) Gun Crazy (1949 - Joseph H. Lewis) 7.5/10 - This is one I like to call "obviously good". It was something that was obviously going to appeal to me from the get go and it did.
12) The Asphalt Jungle (1950 - John Huston) 8/10 - I went all fanboy on this one initially. Still really good though.
13) The Mother and the Whore (1973 - Jean Eustache) 7/10 - It will be interesting to see where this one lands on the TOP 20. If it gets in, it will barely get in. Remember, I've had a loaded 100, with tons of great stuff.
14) Uzak (2002 - Nuri Bilge Ceylan) 7/10- I feel like I should've liked this one more and even now, I can't really think of anything too terribly wrong with it.
15) Now, Voyager (1942 - Irving Rapper) 2/10 - I really wish the 40's would've delivered more during this 100. This one was a huge disappointment.
16) The Paleface (1948 - Norman Z. McLeod) 6/10 - There's nothing wrong with this one either, but I've seen the cream of the crop as it pertains to comedies, so this one had some tough competition.
17) Seven (1995 - David Fincher) 10/10 - This, "Lord of the Rings" and perhaps a couple others are currently doing battle in my head over the #1 spot of the next TOP 20.
18) The Lion King (1994 - Allers, Minkoff) 7/10 - A great Disney film, but I don't get all giddy for those anymore. On a side note, I caught a little bit of "Aladdin" on television the other night and was left scratching my head as to why it wasn't included in THE BOOK.
19) A Tale of Winter (1992 - Eric Rohmer) 7.5/10
20) Dancer in the Dark (2000 - Lars von Trier) 6.5/10 - Still disappointed by this one. On a side note, it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get to "Breaking the Waves" this time around, so we'll catch it in the future.
21) Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949 - Robert Hamer) 6/10
22) Tsotsi (2005 - Gavin Hood) 5.5/10
23) Head-On (2004 - Fatih Akin) 9.5/10 - Still can't bring myself to go all the way on this one, but it's still damn good. Another TOP 10 candidate for the TOP 20.
24) Kippur (2000 - Amos Gitai) 2/10
25) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974 - Sam Peckinpah) 5/10
26) Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965 - Russ Meyer) 4/10 - Still hard to believe that this one was included over such greats as "Dial M for Murder", "Life is Beautiful" and "Scenes from a Marriage", to name a few.
27) The Magnificent Ambersons (1942 - Orson Welles) 3.5/10
28) The Stranger (1946 - Orson Welles) 8.5/10
29) The Lady from Shanghai (1948 - Orson Welles) 7/10 - I could see this one really growing on me, especially if I watched it another time or two. I don't necessarily like the story, but the picture looks magnificent!
30) The Third Man (1949 - Carol Reed) 6/10
31) I Walked with a Zombie (1943 - Jacques Tourneur) 1/10
32) Moulin Rouge! (2001 - Baz Luhrman) 7.5/10
33) Touch of Evil (1958 - Orson Welles) 5/10
34) Chimes at Midnight (1965 - Orson Welles) 1/10

So there you have it guys. I watched a total of twenty-seven films in May (not counting the "Seven Shadows" movies, which I actually watched in April). If I can do that again in June, then I should be on track to make my TOP 20 in the first week of July. Can't believe it's almost time for that again.

NON-1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in May 2012
1) Child's Play (1988 - Tom Holland) 4/10 - When I was a kid, “Child’s Play” scared the hell out of me, causing me to toss my “My Buddy” doll. As I grew up, Chucky graduated from scary to fun and now, at twenty-eight years of age, he’s graduated from fun to stupid. The acting is downright offensive and it’s from the 80s, so it comes complete with cheesy lines from the cast – “This IS the end friend!” I suppose it’ll do fine for a date night in with your significant other and some may still be able to have fun making fun of the stupidity of it all and grabbing a cheap thrill. For serious movie goers, however, don’t waste your time. 

June 2, 2012  7:39pm