July 2012 Recap

I nearly forgot about the July 2012 Recap, but, as they say, better late than never...

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in July 2012
1) Pi (1998 - Darren Aronofsky) 8/10 - This one came incredibly close to nabbing a "Ten Worth Mentioning" spot on the most recent TOP 20, but couldn't quite get there. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my theories and ideas about the film superseded the actual quality of the production. Still really good though.
2) Downfall (2004 - Oliver Hirschbiegel) 5.5/10 - One that I had really high hopes for, but one that turned out being more forgettable than memorable.
3) Requiem for a Dream (2000 - Darren Aronofsky) 9/10 - Earned the #11 spot on the TOP 20 - need I say more.
4) The Reckless Moment (1949 - Max Ophuls) 7/10 - A fun little noir, but nothing worth getting too excited over. Could've used a longer running time and a little more intricacies in the plot to drive it home further.
5) Amores perros (2000 - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) 9.5/10 - #8 on the TOP 20 and a really fantastic film that gets my highest of recommendations.
6) Go, See and Become (2005 - Radu Mihaileanu) 4/10 - Too long and unappealing for me.
7) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007 - Julian Schnabel) 8/10 - It's worth noting that it came down to this and "Gun Crazy" for the tenth spot in the "Ten Worth Mentioning", but, at that time, my leaned more toward the 1950 film-noir. Still though, this was really great and an easy recommendation from yours truly.
8) Adam's Rib (1949 - George Cukor) 6.5/10 - Too little, too late for this one, as it came when I was nearing the end of the last 100 and didn't deliver enough to make it into any noteworthy position. It was funny, clever and cute though, and had it come earlier and I'd had more time to reflect on it, it could've gone further.
9) Good Bye Lenin! (2003 - Wolfgang Becker) 8/10 - #19 on the most recent TOP 20.
10) Easy Rider (1969 - Dennis Hopper) 3.5/10
11) Casablanca (1942 - Michael Curtiz) 3/10 - Well, needless to say, the last 100 ended with a fizzle, rather than with a bang.

And that's all I watched in the month of July. I'll more than likely be back to the blog in the month of September and ready to kickoff the second half with the "Kubrick Week" festivities. I caught about forty-five minutes worth of "Rear Window" on one of the move channels the other night and it only got me more excited to delve back into the pages of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". Stay tuned...

August 8, 2012  11:22pm