Ryan McNeil
I tried to actually make some headway on the glut of movies I have recorded on my PVR this week.
I was slightly successful, which is to say that I got two titles scratched off (The Marx Brothers and Sans Soleil), but then I went and recorded two new ones off TCM. Sorta makes me think I’ll never get them all watched. Not even if I went down for a week with some nasty bug and the doctor said “Don’t you dare get off the couch”.
It’s almost enough to make one grab the remote and tap “Delete All” in a fit of frustration. Almost. I mean, I do want to watch DOCTOR ZHIVAGO someday…
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
THE EQUALIZER – If I wanted HOME ALONE DEPOT, I would have asked for it.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
THE BIG CHILL – So boomers were angsty once, eh?
COFFEE AND CIGARETTES – Loved the Jack White sketch. Try to act surprised.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA – There’s something about corny jokes that always makes me laugh myself stupid.
SANS SOLEIL – This might sound blasphemous, but I prefer BARAKA and SAMSARA
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Seen Before
RED DRAGON – Hey, know what makes a pretty good follow-up to GONE GIRL?
MEMENTO – Remember last week when I said I want to stop going on director-benders? It hasn’t taken yet.
INSOMNIA (2002) – …it really hasn’t taken.
OBVIOUS CHILD – Spoiler Alert: This will be on the year-end top five
ROCKNROLLA – Guess what movie is better than you remember?
Boxscore for The Year
222 First-Timers, 156 Re-Watched
82 Screenings
378 Movies in Total
Oh god, the Jack White sketch was one of my least favourites 😛 I have a soft spot for the segment called Renée. She is one of the coolest characters I have ever seen in any film.
I started watching Twin Peaks this week so I didn’t have that much time for movies.
Firsts: Horns– It was so dumb.
Rewatched: Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo– I really love this one.
I did really enjoy Renee too. It’s amazing how a simple concept can turn into something so charming. Your dislike of Horns has me wary…I was really looking forward to that one.
Obvious Child was definitely a good one! Will probably end up on my top tier of the year as well!
Jenny Slate is my spirit animal
First-Timers: Bug, Peeping Tom, Cruising, Strangers on a Train, Storytime, Miracle of Flight, and later tonight, Sorcerer.
Re-Watches: Tank Girl and Tora! Tora! Tora!
I’ve been meaning to watch Sorcerer for over a year now, and I keep on forgetting. Maybe I should make that a blindspot for next year.
Believe me, Doctor Zhivago can wait. It’s alright, but it can wait. Obvious Child is up there for me too.
This week I watched:
Far From Heaven – I didn’t expect it too look exactly like those old movies it pays homage too. It was wonderful and thoughtful.
The Secret In Their Eyes – Very well made film. I was impressed.
Eros – The music is extremely beautiful. Antonioni’s film is the weakest. Thought it was pretentious. In this case the word fits. Soderbergh’s was stylish and the actors were great but I couldn’t understand what it tried to say. Wong Kar Wai’s is the best and closest to the themes of the project.
Life of Crime – Not bad.
The Insider – Wow.
Frank – It’s quite charming but after I found out about the man it’s based on I got depressed.
Eastern Promises – Great acting from Mortensen. Enjoyed the twists and turns. However the ending was weak.
Have a great week!
…wait, Frank is based on a real dude?
It’s more inspired by a man named Chris Sievey aka Frank Sidebottom. I believe the character is not the same but the head is there.
I say delete them all and start fresh! And I say this as a person who used to record tons of movies I wanted to see onto VHS, and still to this day hasn’t seen many of those same movies. Clearing out the Netflix queue is also very liberating.
As for me, first timers:
Trophy Heads
Hex Vs. Witchcraft
Night of the Demons
Not of This Earth (1988)
Ganja & Hess
And I re-watched:
Witchboard
I should note that I still have those VHS, and have lugged them through multiple moves, all with “One day I’ll watch these” in mind. 🙂
You’ll dig this: Last night Lindsay and I watch “Swing Time” which had been recorded on TCM. The film gets intro’d by Robert Osborne saying “So for the next film we’ve selected for you on this Christmsa Eve…”