1. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - [blind spot] I've seen the remake with Denzel and I liked it (from what I remember) - it's a proper action 90s action flick (but apparently made in 2009?? Why did I think it was a 90s movie? Weird!). But this is something else entirely! NYC in the 1970s is one of my favorite film settings - there's something so gritty, raw & cool about it. It just feels alive. And I think this movie showcases this very well. It's also very funny, which I wasn't expecting (like the mayor with the man-flu LOL). It's a little ridiculous, at times (like, do they really believe that they can go 28 blocks in 50 seconds? Also, why didn't they use motorcycles from the beginning? Obviously would be more useful getting through NYC traffic? Kinda dumb if you ask me), but mostly has the right amount of tense moments mixed in. And that ending might be one of my favorite movie endings OF ALL TIME. I died laughing. I'm going to give that look to anyone who sneezes for the rest of my life (and nobody will get it but that's fine, I amuse myself).
2. Mean Streets - [blind spot] A Scorsese film that I've never seen! Surprisingly, there are quite a few - Kundun, The Age of Innocence, After Hours, RAGING BULL, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Honestly, I thought I would like this more. Harvey Keitel is just one of the best to ever do it, and this is one of De Niro's first roles. Plus it's also another NYC 70s aesthetic, and Scorsese always gets that vibe right. But, it's just not that interesting and the red lighting that persists through a lot of the movie really bothered me. There are a few really good scenes, though. It's just not something that will stick with me.
3. Cinderella (1950) - [rewatch] I remember way more of this that I did with Snow White. And I literally still sing the "Cinderelly, Cinderelly" song as I clean my house. Gus was always one of my favorite animated characters, and probably the reason that I've never been freaked out by mice. Why are people so scared of them? They're so cute! I was never really the biggest Cinderella fan growing up, but I think as I grow older, I appreciate the character more and more because her main attribute is kindness. She's kind to literally everyone around her - not only her evil step-mother & step-sisters, but also to Lucifer (the bitchy cat). It's really inspirational. Something else that really stood out to me during this re-watch, too, is that the prince really has, like, zero dialogue. It's definitely a weird story, romance-wise, because she doesn't even know him, but we're supposed to root for them as a couple because he's rich & handsome, I guess? But if you just focus on her, and who she is and what she stands for, then I really like it.
4. The Exorcist - [rewatch] I rewatched this before I watched the new one as a refresher because I didn't remember much about it, other than it being kind of stupid and not scary at all (plus I always get this, The Omen, and Poltergeist mixed up!). But on this rewatch I definitely appreciated a lot about it (even though I stand firm that it is kind of stupid and not scary at all). I'm not necessarily a Friedkin fan, as most film buffs are, but would probably include Bug as one of my favorite films of the last 20 years (I even stole one of the original screenplays from the production office that I worked in right after this film was released. Shhhhhhhhhh!!!!). I have The French Connection on my list to rewatch this year, and maybe Sorcerer too (which I've never seen). I am a big fan of Ellen Burstyn, though (and one of my favorite acting performances ever is her in Requiem for a Dream - just a sublime performance!). She's incredible in this, and so is Linda Blair. I just don't really connect with religious stuff (neither the heaven; nor the hell stuff - just all a bit ridiculous and I don't believe any of it). I also didn't realize that the guy in this (Jason Miller) is Jason Patric's dad! (Also on a side-note, as I was looking up what Jason Patric has been up to lately, bc I haven't seen him in anything for a while and he was a favorite actor of mine back in the day - Sleepers is one of my favorite films!! Anyway, I saw that apparently his brother was hit by a bus in NJ last month very close to where I used to live and he died! How sad!). Well, I'm happy to report that this rewatch really enhanced my feelings for this film because it is actually quite excellent. Almost a masterpiece - the shots are stunning, the way the story builds is perfect, and the shock of watching this young girl become possessed is really engrossing. I can see now why it's always been hailed as such a classic. I love when that happens.
5. L'Avventura - [blind spot] So I've seen La Notte (and loved it), not even realizing that it's part of a trilogy (more of an anthology, really, but called the "trilogy of decadence" along with L'eclisse as the third film. This is a beautiful film - I really instantly fell in love with it from the beginning, but especially the shot when she opens up that door and the sun is setting. Such a gorgeous shot. It also helps that Monica Vitti and Lea Massari are stunning women. I like that the story really focuses on "absence" - at first, it's about this long distance relationship and how when you're apart you can imagine so much about your relationship, but when you're together that imagination disappears and reality sets in, and sometimes it doesn't live up to what's in your head. Then it becomes about the disappearance of this woman, and the eventual love story that happens through the search for her. It definitely takes a few twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and has some genuinely funny moments. Also, the scene in which Vitti shows up in that Italian town and all the men start staring at her is brilliant, but SO familiar and then I realized that this is the scene that The White Lotus copied in season 2. I remember a lot of film people freaking out about the scene, but I never read about why. It's actually super, duper cool that they did that. I like little nods to film history in modern cinema/television - that added layer is always fun to discover.
6. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - [blind spot] Sort of weird that Denzel was in the remake for this movie too! But I don't think I've seen either version (I thought for sure that I had seen the remake, but once the story started going, I realized that I definitely haven't, unless the remake is wildly different than the original???). I think this is definitely another disappointment for me. Sometimes these classic films are just too hyped and my expectations are too high. I just was kind of bored for most of it. Stunning cast though - I love seeing Angela Lansbury in a more villainous role, plus Frank Sinatra AND Janet Leigh! I think it's very weird that this came out before JFK was assassinated. What an eerie coincidence - and also probably added flames to the conspiracy theories surrounding his death.
7. Chinatown - [blind spot, mostly] "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown", is perhaps one the most famous lines of dialogue in film history, so I know it's absolutely crazy that I've never seen this movie in its entirety. I've definitely seen most of it here and there, but never all in one sitting (similar to Mary Poppins! Just never sat and watched the whole thing from beginning to end, but I think I've seen the whole movie by now). I loved it! Obviously, the blue print and inspiration for a lot of film noir that came afterwards, but it's also just a really strong thriller. And I did not see the twists coming ("my sister! my daughter! my sister!" WHAT?! My eyes popped right out of my head at that twist!) - it's paced perfectly so that you focus on the drama, even knowing that something isn't adding up but you're never distracted or bored enough to over-think it. I'm not sure that sentence made sense, but I just mean I was so focused on the story being told that I didn't have time to think about the possibilities, so it all hit me as a shock. And Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway have so much chemistry together that it's felt when they aren't even sharing a scene together. I just loved it. Such a shame that Polanski is such a garbage human.
8. A Woman Under the Influence - [blind spot] I'm shocked by how ahead of its time this film is. Gena Rowlands is incredible - a performance of a lifetime. I immediately googled to see if she won the Oscar for this, but unfortunately she was up against some strong contenders in 1974 (Ellen Burstyn ended up winning for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore). This is just such a strong story about mental illness, but specific to the role of the "housewife". It's never really made clear what exactly is wrong with her, as she grows more and more unstable, but also, in the 70s nobody really understood PPD like we do now, and I think a lot of women went through undiagnosed PPD which led to an unstoppable spiral. Her children are older, but I think it probably stemmed from that. And also just the loneliness that comes with being stuck in your house while your husband is at work. It's like she doesn't know how to act around other people because she's stuck in her own head. I also love how much they show her husband loving her - he just adores her and wants her to be herself, but also is worried about her safety. It's heartbreaking and I think really relevant to modern day relationships that are dealing with a partner with mental illness. I definitely think this is one of those films that I would have loved a stronger editing - if they cut down a few scenes that linger too long, and made it 120 minutes, it probably would be a masterpiece. Instead, it's 155 minutes, so it feels overly long and a little repetitive.
9. Blazing Saddles - [rewatch] I watched this as a kid, and I assume that most of the jokes went over my head, so I was excited for this rewatch. I love a Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor (who was a producer on this) combo. Just three of the funniest people to ever exist. I also assumed that there's probably a whole lot of offensive humor, but I'm fine with offensive humor. I miss it, actually. I think everyone's so terrified of offending, but It's Always Sunny is going on its 17th season and it's still a very popular show, so I don't know what everyone is so scared of it. Anyway, this is just as funny as I was expecting. I immediately started laughing with them singing to "Camptown Races", and then the whole quicksand thing is hilarious. I love that meme that goes around every once in a while about how as kids we definitely thought quicksand was going to be a problem as an adult. I remember even learning about how to get out of quicksand in gym class???! Why the F did they teach us that? Baffling. There's also an ongoing joke about Hedy Lamarr (but his name is Hedley Lamarr). I looked into this, and apparently she sued Mel Brooks for this joke and he was happy about it because it meant he got to interact with her. LOL. Surprisingly, the standout performance in this is Harvey Korman (I mean that's not surprising - he's a funny guy, but compared to Wilder and Brooks, I just wasn't expecting it).
10. The Philadelphia Story - [rewatch] I actually watched this film for the first time fairly recently (about 3 years ago, I think) and I really enjoyed it. I don't really know why I was in the mood to watch it again, so I figured I would watch it for this retrospective. It just has such a great cast working on all cylinders - the dialogue is snappy, the chemistry is off the charts, and the screen presence of Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart AND Carey Grant in the same movie is incredible. I, like a lot of people, do think she ends up with the wrong guy at the end, but otherwise it's a very cute rom-com. Hepburn shines during her "drunk" scene. I got really distracted by the fact that her character name is Tracy Lord because it reminds me of the late 90s porn actress, Traci Lords (I googled to see if she named herself after this movie, but couldn't find anything - just that it's obviously not her real name). Anyway, I know I get distracted easily, as you can tell by my very chaotic writing. I's surprised this story hasn't been remade and updated - so I looked that up too - and APPARENTLY High Society is a musical remake of this movie. LOL. I've seen that movie multiple times and I never fucking realized it. I can be really dumb sometimes. It's so obvious!!! It's literally the same story.
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