2. Umberto D. - [re-watch] I took a whole class on Italian neorealism, and studied this film extensively. I remember really loving it, but that was over 20 years ago. I can't say that I still love it after rewatching. I do think it's great for its time, and is important in regards to film history, but it's also poorly paced for a 90 minute movie. I think I may have been swayed by the dog in the past (haha!). Some great shots, and wonderful, heartbreaking performances (by a lot of non-professional actors). But, certainly not a masterpiece (don't worry, everyone, I still give it 4 stars).
3. M - [re-watch] Okay, I realize my film card might be revoked with my thoughts on The Red Shoes and Umberto D., so please allow me to redeem myself. This is a masterpiece. One of my favorite movies of all-time. I don't think I've really talked about my love of Fritz Lang on here, but Metropolis is also one of my faves of all-time. Both are 5 star movies (and I don't think any other director has more than one 5 star movie, according to my Letterboxd? Okay, I actually just looked up my ratings and I've only rated 11 films TOTAL as 5 star films. Because 5 stars means perfect, and perfect is a rarity. But guess what? I'm wrong because Steven Spielberg has 2 as well - Saving Private Ryan and Jurassic Park. But I actually haven't even rated Metropolis on there, so it's not totally accurate. I'm sure maybe Hitch, too. I think I've only rated Vertigo as 5 stars, though. Hmmmm...I may be a little *too* strict with my ratings.). Anyway, this is a perfect movie, in my opinion. So many stunning, iconic shots, a cautionary story about mass hysteria, the problems with early detective work, and sensationalism in the press, plus a massive performance from Peter Lorre. Fritz Lang literally shaped the modern serial killer movie. And he was a master of lighting and shadow shots. I liked watching this from a lighter perspective (instead of my critical film brain - I think I have a better balance now than I did when I was studying film), but I was still blown away by it all. Especially the iconic shot of the "M" on his back. Ugh...it's just soooooo good.
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - [re-watch] I don't think I've seen this since I was probably 8ish? Snow White was never one of my favorites (as a young child I liked Aurora from Sleeping Beauty the best and then as an older child I loved Belle and Ariel). I'm surprised by how little I actually remembered of it. I think the only thing I did remember is the song the dwarfs sing as they head to and from work ("hi ho hi ho it's off to work we go" is kind a popular saying, though). Like, I had no recollection of her practically breaking into their home and cleaning it up, and then them all walking in on her while she was sleeping in one of their beds. What a weird story for children (!). There are parts of this that are really good - her running through the forest features some beautiful animation, especially for the time. But overall, I'm not a big fan. Most scenes drag on for far too long, Snow White is just not that interesting, the dwarfs are kind of rude to her, and the songs are dull. I'm interested in the Rachel Zeigler updated version (although casting Gal Gadot is probably going to be its downfall). I didn't mind the Kristen Stewart ones, either. It's definitely a story that can be remade into a lot of different renditions.
5. A Star is Born (1954) - [blind spot] I've only seen the most recent remake, and I loved it. I thought this was the original one, only to find out there's an even earlier version made in the 30s! I'll have to seek that one out soon. And also the Barbra Streisand one. I thought this one was ok. It's saved by Judy Garland's stunning voice. But, it's just way too long. 3 full hours is totally unnecessary, and most of that is the long performances. I could easily cut an hour from this movie, without harming the story at all (and Cooper basically did with his version - it's 2 hours & 15 minutes). There are also these odd still shots throughout the movie, that I actually thought were errors in my dvd copy. It's...weird. Also, I actually laughed out loud when he says "I just wanna take another look at you" because that became so iconic and memed like crazy, I thought it was specific to the new one. It's a classic story, but so weird that there are 4 different versions of it. It's not that good of a story?
6. Cleo from 5 to 7 - [blind spot] Wow. Stunning film. I think this is my first Varda, which is bullshit because I STUDIED FILM in college. But, unfortunately, in the early 2000s, studying film meant studying male filmmakers. I think it's changed slightly now (hopefully?). Obviously, female directors were rare, so a large focus will be on men. I'm not stupid, and I don't think we should focus on a female filmmaker just because she is a woman especially if the films are mediocre, but this film is spectacular. There is NO reason that it shouldn't have been part of my curriculum, especially since I studied other French New Wave filmmakers like Godard (who is in this), Rohmer, Resnais, etc. This is an absolutely beautiful movie, just stunningly made, and such an interesting "slice of life" story about this woman awaiting a call from a doctor to determine her fate. First, the composition of shots, especially when they are in the taxi are mind-blowing. There are so many complicated shots that are all so smooth and seem effortless. Second, the observational storytelling is wonderful - the way she focuses the camera on the "other" conversations happening. There is also something almost musical about the pace - the way the clicking of her heels match the music in the beginning really sets up the whole thing. It might actually be a perfect film now that I'm writing it all down (my initial rating is 4.5 stars, but it might change). I loved the little background reference to Un Chien andalou (a film known for surrealism and avant-guard filmmaking, basically the opposite of this film). And Corinne Marchand is impossibly gorgeous - and still going at 91!
7. The Hustler - [blind spot] This is an okay movie - it becomes a little repetitive, but overall I was entertained. Paul Newman is good, as expected, and I didn't realize that Piper Laurie was in this (and she died the day before I watched this). She definitely steals the movie - her character is really interesting - all the brashness and mystery made me want to continue watching for her story, not necessarily his. But the whole "hustler" angle is interesting too - I would love to be able to hustle people but I'm too nice, and I would end up feeling bad. I also can't really play pool (I mean, I can play pool, but it's mostly luck instead of strategy. But, my mom is an excellent pool player and my mom's sister, who I don't speak to because she is legitimately an awful person, was a national pool champion at one point. They grew up in a bar, though, so I guess it makes sense). I think the funniest part of the whole movie is when they break his thumbs and he's a big crybaby about it. I thought they broke his arms - why did they cast all the way up his arms for just his thumbs??? It's so funny. I'm sorry, I know it's painful, but I broke my ring finger when I was a child and I didn't even cry. I break toes all the time and it's like..."ok that hurts" but it's not something to cry about. He's like this big tough, macho guy and he's crying over broken thumbs. I think it's hilarious.
8. Tokyo Story - [blind spot] I do think that I've seen a few scenes from this (most likely in a film class) because some of it seemed familiar, but as a whole I don't think I've watched the entire thing. It's heartbreaking. I think I was expecting something more groundbreaking in terms of style, but I think it's a very quiet film, the camera is mostly motion-less, and it's all very grounded. I guess, that it's groundbreaking by not being flashy and exploitative? Sort of camera as the observer storytelling? I'll have to do some research, but my honest initial reaction was a bit subdued. I did love the story, though, and it's obviously culturally important to show this Japanese family in post WWII turmoil, the shift in traditions, etc. And there's a crushing line of dialogue towards the end: "isn't life disappointing". Just about destroyed me.
9. Rebel Without a Cause - [re-watch] I was hesitant to watch this again, now that I know Natalie Wood's backstory and how shitty Nicholas Ray (the director) is. It's stomach turning - she was just endlessly exploited by so many men in Hollywood (and Ray is "allegedly" one of them). But it's such a good movie that I haven't seen in quite some time. I forgot a lot of it - I vaguely just remembered the drag racing stuff, but not much else. I think it's funny that she's accused of having "daddy issues" within the first 10 minutes. It made me laugh. And how there's like 9 people shoved in that car that is built for a maximum of 4. Imagine seeing that now? It's like a clown car. Anyway, I think this film's biggest success is the whole "cool factor" that it has going for it. Natalie Wood is just pure class - she just had "it". And James Dean is so effortless - his style, his attitude. I think anyone watching this movie when it was released wanted to be these two people, and yet we still want to be these people. They were so aspirational. I don't feel like that happens much anymore (and a lot of the popular young movie stars feel derivative - like Timothee Chamalet/Chalamet does this whole James Dean "look", which is probably why I don't like him). I do think some young actresses have potential to have that iconic staying power 70 years from now (I think Florence Pugh has the most potential - an incredible actress and has a specific style that nobody else is doing. She feels classic, yet modern and trendy - and I think she puts a lot of thought behind how she presents herself to the world (even the whole "cooking with Flo" thing gives her that "relatability" edge). Anyway, this movie just got me thinking about the power of the "movie star", and how it can really make a film transcend into a classic.
10. Night of the Living Dead - [re-watch] I wanted to watch a classic horror movie on Halloween, so I picked this one because it's one of the bigger ones that I remember the least. I actually watched this movie the first time, not in a film class, but in a class that focused on gender and race in the media (although I think the class fulfilled a film requirement? Probably. I took a lot of gender focused classes in college too). I've seen it a few times since then, but for some reason it just never really stuck out in my brain. It's definitely filled with some iconic horror shots - like her shoes falling off in the beginning as she's running, the skull with the eyeballs popping out, etc. And the cast is fantastic - my favorite is Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper. She's definitely my favorite character, with her no nonsense dialogue "we may not like living together, but dying together will do no good". She's also gorgeous - I never realized how much Julia Roberts resembled her??? It actually prompted me to see if they were related (they're not). I have not watched any of the sequels, which is weird because I'm definitely interested knowing that Romero is involved in all of them.
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