2. Dog Day Afternoon - [rewatch] A very rare 5 star movie. It's perfect. I haven't seen it in a while though (probably a decade or so). I thought that maybe it wouldn't be as good as I remember, but then the opening shots happen with "Amoreena" playing in the background and I was like "nope, it's a masterpiece just like I remembered!". And I think this is the best that Al Pacino has ever been. He sort of became a caricature of himself, but he used to be a terrific actor. It's shocking that he didn't win the Oscar for this. I would argue that Cazale deserved a supporting nod too (what a career - did both The Godfather movies, The Deer Hunter, and this, before dying of Cancer. Imagine what could have been?). What I think makes this film so special though is that it is lightyears ahead of its time - not only with the trans stuff, but with the racism/police stuff. Or, maybe the fact is that none of the issues we are seeing shoved in our face every second of every day is *new*, we're just seeing it more? So, I take that back, the film was *of* it's time, but still very meaningful today.
3. Clue - [rewatch] This is another one that I don't really have a strong recollection of, but I *know* I watched this as a kid. And multiple times. I used to love this and Once Upon a Crime (definitely more of a fan of the latter) as a kid and would watch them over and over again. But for some reason, this dropped from my memory. I watched this about a week before Tim Curry died too, so that was weird timing. This has an amazing cast, but Curry is obviously the stand-out. It's weird seeing Christopher Lloyd *not* look 100 years old. I was actually a little disappointed with this rewatch though - aside from a few funny moments, it's a little boring? And the ending....just never fucking ends! No wonder I couldn't remember who the actual killer was?! LOL.
4. A Night to Remember - [blind spot] I don't care how cliched it is, Titanic is one of the best films ever made and it will always be in my Top 10 favorite films. I do think part of this is my age - I was 16/17 when it was released and it was the biggest movie EVER. I saw it in the theaters 12 times, bought a bootleg copy of the VHS on Canal St in NYC, "My Heart Will Go On" was our prom song, and everything was Titanic themed, Leo DiCaprio posters were plastered on my walls (to be fair, I was obsessed with him since Growing Pains (Jesus, I had really declared my type of guy at 11 year old didn't I??? He was the beta test for Ryan Atwood on The O.C. if you really think about it). Anyway, it's weird that I never watched this, considering how obsessed I was with Titanic. And guess what?! It's the SAME movie minus the love story (obvi the love story is what makes Titanic so great). I get that it's all based on true accounts of what happened, but I was not expecting the dialogue to be so similar! And there are little love stories sprinkled throughout, so it's an enjoyable watch. And the actress who plays Molly Brown has *perfect* line delivery. NO NOTES. Hahaha! They obviously get the sinking of the ship wrong (it does not show the ship splitting in half - even though several survivors witnessed it doing so). But otherwise, I loved this!
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley - [rewatch] Another PERFECT MOVIE! I only have 19 films rated 5 stars on LB, and that's because I only rate films that I've watched since I started an LB account (about 6 years ago - I was that bored during Covid). So there are obviously more than 19 5 star films, but probably not many. I've always been a big fan of this film and would list it among my favorites, but this rewatch definitely confirmed its 5 star status. I think reading the book a few years back definitely helps give a new perspective on Ripley, and some added depth, but it's all there in the film as well in a lot of subtle but brilliant ways. Matt Damon should have won an Oscar for this, and I don't even think he was nominated??? HOW RUDE. Jude Law was nominated though, and he probably should have won too. And when those social media prompts go around about "the hottest someone has looked in a film", I always instantly think of Jude in this film (and Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn. And Isabella Rossellini in Death Becomes Her. I could go on forever. I love hot people in films!). Even Gwyneth is great in this! And I don't really rate her as a good actress (although she's in some of my favorite movies). Just a great cast overall, it's gorgeous, and I love the build-up of suspense. I also think you root for Ripley because of how well it's written and Damon's natural charisma, and that is hard to pull off considering he's...a murderer.
6. Cape Fear (1991) - [rewatch] Ok, so I finally realized that I've been confusing this movie with Dead Calm. Because when I think about Cape Fear (1991), I think about Nicole Kidman on a boat trying to get away from Robert DeNiro. But obviously I am mixing the two together. I have no idea why my brain combined the movies, but brains are weird! Anyway, this is great! Just as good as the original, and actually a bit more suspenseful due to DeNiro's unhinged performance. He's genuinely terrifying. And Scorsese really pulled out all the stops with the technical shots for this film (the triple mirror shot, the fade to negative shot, the angles of the car scene??? It's all brilliant!). It feels far more Hitchcockian than any of his previous films. Jessica Lange gives an award worthy performance, so it's weird that Juliette Lewis was nominated for an Oscar (she's actually kind of terrible in this??? Something is off). They also add a whole mistress aspect and a brutal rape scene, which feels very 90s (the brutality of it isn't seen as often in modern American films, but I think the 90s were ripe for these scenes with all those serial killer psychological thrillers).
7. The Faculty - [rewatch] I was all about the 90s teen horror films that came out around this time. I loved them all (Scream was obviously the best one, but I loved I Know What You Did Last Summer, Disturbing Behavior, Final Destination, Urban Legend, etc.). I definitely get this and Disturbing Behavior mixed up, while I know which cast is which, the plot details are mixed for me and the music! Because I definitely thought that the Harvey Danger song was from this one, but it's not! I definitely listened to both soundtracks regularly. Anyway, I'm under the impression that this is the better one (it's directed by Robert Rodriguez and has a better cast!). It's basically Invasion of the Body Snatchers set in high school (genius!). And has Josh Hartnett with his bed head, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy (who is finally getting acclaim for The Pitt, but he was better in SouthLAnd), Salma Hayek, Clea DuVall...should I keep going?? Ok...Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart, Bebe Neuwirth and the adorably innocent (lol) Laura Harris. Oh and Usher (who I used to be a big fan of, but is currently touring with Chris Brown, so FUCK USHER). Just an insane cast for a teen horror film. And it has some really, really strong scenes too - like the scene in which Hatosy pours the drugs out while staring down Clea (perfect!). It's surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be (while I think a rewatch of other 90s films like I Know What You Did Last Summer might have the opposite response?).
8. Contempt - [rewatch] I remember watching this in a film history class (during the French New Wave portion of film history - we watched this and Breathless), and I didn't really think much of it (I KNOW!). But I was interested in how I would respond to it now - 20 years later! I love a lot about it - Fritz Lang playing himself as a director trying to adapt The Odyssey. And opening a film with one of the most beautiful women in the world (Bridget Bardot), asking if her body parts are pretty, is certainly a way to capture an audience's attention. The primary color scheme in certain scenes and the blocking are *chef's kiss*. But it's a film I *should* LOVE (as a film fan, as a Greek literature fan, as a Bridget Bardot naked fan, etc.), and I just *don't*. It's dull and hard to connect to. And the score is so annoying - the same notes over and over again made me want to blow my brains out. Don't worry, I still rated it 3.5 stars. It's obviously an above average film. I just don't enjoy it and has an important place in film history.
9. Tremors - [blind spot] Not sure how I haven't seen this??? It's one of those films that I assumed I watched as a kid, but then I read the cast and the description and...nope?! It's really good! The monster design is great, the suspense is perfect, and I love that they are smart and actually come up with really good ways to survive. Kevin Bacon is a perfect leading man in this - has that rebellious working man vibe. Plus, REBA! I'm not even a country music fan and I love Reba! And one of her songs plays at the end! Oh and also the girl from Jurassic Park!! I don't know if I've ever seen her in anything else before? But it's a shame because she was an incredible young actress (and I don't say that about child/teen actors very often). Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this, but then I looked up the sequels and there is just no way in Hell I'm watching any of those - haha! They all look like made-for-tv garbage. Total shame because I would definitely watch a legit sequel!
10. Mermaids - [rewatch] One of my favorite films as a kid. I think I connected to it a little bit, with being raised by a single mom who was a bit unconventional ("sometimes I feel like you're the child and I'm the grown-up" was a common feeling. And it still is! I constantly feel like I'm my mom's mother instead of her daughter). And I thought Winona Ryder in this movie was the COOLEST. Just the epitome of teen angst and horniness. I remembered way more about this than I expected to - I vividly remember the dancing scene at the end (although I thought *for sure* that the song used was "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" but it's "If You Want to Be Happy"???? That's WILD! Memories are so weird because I would have BET MONEY on being correct). But there's a lot that I didn't remember, that I still connected with - like how they learn about JFK's assassination during school (I know a lot of people my age learned about 9/11 during class. I was in college and actually heard on the radio that a plane crashed into the WTC, because I was late for class. But I thought it was, like, a private plane that clipped the top of it or something. It was weird that they stopped the broadcast to make the announcement, but I just didn't naturally think that it was an actual plane and that it was a terrorist attack. So I went to class like normal. We were watching a movie - just like Winona in this movie- and then I started to see people around me checking their phones and another professor came into our room and started whispering stuff to our professor and I felt my whole body sink into my chair). There is something inherently comforting when people come together after a national tragedy (I don't think "comforting" is the right word, but I can't think of the word I'm looking for and I'm already on my next thought). I also didn't remember all of the religious stuff, but it's done really well. And it's funny - Cher's line delivery is perfect ("Charlotte, we're Jewish" lol). The burn at the end is unforgettable though - "what's your major? Town tramp?", "no mom, the town already has one" BURN! It's so good. Honestly, this is close to a perfect movie for me. Just such a good coming-of-age story that has something to say, feels genuine, has great actors and dialogue, and has heartwarming moments that don't feel forced or cliched.
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