Last month I posted about my summer goal to watch at least fifteen movies a month, which is roughly a movie every other day. My rationale is that I feel like I haven't seen as many movies as the average person. On top of that, I feel like there are a lot of pop cultural gaps that I've got that could use some filling.
In May I managed to make it just above my minimum of fifteen films. This month I did a heck of a lot better than before, tallying up about twenty five films. Without further ado, here's a rundown of them all.
A quick note about the order so I don't get into digressions like last time. The rankings here represent how much I enjoyed the film. Not how great the film is considered by scholars or the AFI to be - it's all a matter of enjoyment. Number one is the one that I liked the best, while the bottom indicates…well, the bottom. Numbers that are close to one another have a good chance of being interchangeable, though.
1.
Twelve Angry Men - It's been a while since I've seen a five-star film. You know. The kind of movie that leaves you feeling afterwards like watching any other is going to be a waste of time compared to what you just saw. The plot of the film is pretty basic - twelve guys arguing about whether or not a kid is guilty - as is the direction and cinematography. But the acting and the script is anything but. One of my new favorites.
2.
Strangers on a Train - Alfred Hitchcock has still got it. I don't mean that literally of course. He's dead. What I mean is that his films still hold up. They're still thrilling, clever, and very very funny. Case in point: this movie. And on top of that, you've got one of Hitchcock's most frightening and charming villians and some of his best shots ever.
3.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - The one from the early 50s. Not the one with Keanu Reeves. I have no desire to see the latter. And frankly, I was surprised that this one was made so early. For one thing, the special effects are pretty good for their time. And for another, the film's main theme - that humanity might be too strong for its own good - manages to hit so hard today that I can only imagine what sort of reaction it got from audiences not long after the wake of World War II.
4.
Up In The Air - Jason Reitman, the man responsible for directing Thank You For Smoking and Juno, is now officially three for three. I'm not sure if he can get a Pixar streak going on - you know, getting to a point where he never ever makes a bad movie - but so far he's doing a really damn good job. Up In The Air might be the best of his work so far. It more or less epitomizes the kind of moments he creates. Scenes are tender without being sentimental or schlocky; moments are witty without being insincere or overly cynical. Reitman is damn good at balancing.
5.
The Informant! - From the first ten minutes I didn't think I was going to like this one very much. "Oh, hey. It's Matt Damon playing a naive idiot who likes to make believe he's a secret agent." But I gotta admit: the character grew on me. And just when I was really staring to like him, the film takes a surprising turn - and everything you thought about Damon's character just flips. A wonderful film about greed and the relativity of goodness. And keep on the lookout for a cameo by a bizarrely sedate Patton Oswalt.
6.
Toy Story 3 - Is it better than Toy Story 2? Hell no. Is it better than the first Toy Story? Probably not. Well, maybe. But probably not. But is it better than any other "family" film out there right now? I'd put money on that. Let me make something clear, though: don't let the hype sweep you up too much. This is a great movie - and yes, I can name at least two moments in which I started to tear up - but Pixar has done better than this.
7.
Where The Wild Things Are - I think this one is supposed to be a family film, too. But it's really, really dark. I can't remember ever seeing a family film about what happens when you realize that your parents aren't infallible, nor can I remember seeing a family film with an affixation on the notion of mortality. Okay, okay. I'm making this sound like a gloom and doom fest. But it's really not. It's a wonderful movie. Props to Dave Eggers for writing dialogue that embodies the spirit of a rambunctious kid to a T.
8.
Knocked Up - My expectations were low for this one. I thought that The 40 Year Old Virgin was okay, but by no means great. Maybe that's why I ended up enjoying this one so much. A nice combo of tenderness and gross-out humor. And also: Judd Apatow is really good at capturing many twenty-something guys in their natural element, which is to say gleefully immature.
9.
Modern Times - I've never been a huge Chaplin fan. But this film is making me turn around. As far as plot or story goes, there's nothing groundbreaking going on here. But as far as comedic moments go, well…it's pretty damn amazing. And the goofiness and joy of Chaplin's Nonsense Song scene is totally infectious.
10.
The Jerk - I watched the first twenty minutes of this one a few years ago and wasn't a fan. But I was younger and more serious then. (A weird phrase, I know. But trust me.) Now that I've loosened up a bit more, I really enjoyed this one. There is some sublime goofiness going on. And the scene in which Steve Martin's character sings "Tonight You Belong To Me" with his girlfriend while playing the ukelele is more than just the setup to a bizarre joke. It's an adorable scene in its own right.
11.
An American Werewolf In London - For a John Landis comedy, there's some pretty heavy shit going on here. The protagonist becomes a werewolf and is haunted by the ghost of his dead best friend. And the solution to allowing his friend's soul to finally rest? Let's just say it's morbid and very dark. But still - this is a very enjoyable film. Great soundtrack and amazing special effects work. And the ending is one of the most "HOLY SHIT" moments I've had watching movies in a long time.
12.
Lost In Translation - Critics gushed all over this film. It was good, sure, but I couldn't find a whole lot to like about it beyond some very entertaning vingettes regarding the absurdities and frusteration that comes from living in another country. Worth checking out.
13.
Cars - I still believe that Pixar can do no wrong. But this is probably the closest they've ever come to that. It's by no means a bad film, but it's not brilliant, either. It's very, very "eh." Probably the most "eh" film Pixar has made. Again, though, it's a hell of a lot better than most of the so-called family films out there.
14.
Bad Boys - I can't say that I expected to like this one as much as I did. Yes, the film has its share of cliches and cop/buddy/action movie tropes. But it's still a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention funny. And intentionally funny, too. By the end it succumbs to standard let's-blow-shit-up fare, but the ride that leads up to it is pretty damn enjoyable, at least.
15.
Run Lola Run - Speaking of rides: Run Lola Run. Exciting? Yes. Funny? At times. Interesting? Generally. Style? Lots. Substance? Well, not so much.
16.
Wayne's World - Of all the genres, comedy is probably the one that ages the worst. But Wayne's World still works pretty well. It's by no means brilliant, but the running time is perfect and the gags still hold their own.
17.
The Evil Dead - Much in the same way that Bad Boys is a prime stereotypical action/cop/buddy movie, The Evil Dead is a prime stereotypical horror film. Teenagers in a cabin in the woods. No-names playing lead roles. And massive amounts of gross-looking food repurposed as gore. And it's still fun to watch, especially in a group.
18.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated - I think I expressed my qualms about documentaries trying to persuade you of an opinion in my last movie post. Whenever I watch them, I always get the impression that I'm not getting the full story and just what the director wants me to see. The same sort of thing applies here. While there are certainly some valid points made throughout the film (and actually caused the MPAA to make some changes in the way they rate films), my same qualms apply here.
19.
Being There - There's a particular type of comedy that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. It's that kind of movie that has hundreds of happy coincidences - characters who happen to be at the right place at the right time, characters who happen to speak just ambiguously enough so that these coincidences can continue to flourish. When all is said and done it's up to the viewer as to whether or not these happy coincidences all work. While this is a fine movie - and Peter Sellers is sublime as Chance the gardener - there are a LOT of happy coincidences in this movie.
20.
Harvey - And somehow those happy coincidences are even more frustrating in Harvey. I really wanted to like this film a lot, but the first two thirds are a little too goofy and happy coincidence-y for my taste. The last third, though, is pretty poignant, albeit saccharine filled. And James Stewart is amazing here.
21.
Fantastic Mr. Fox - There's something about Wes Anderson's movies that don't quite do it for me. After I watch a Wes Anderson movie, I feel a little unfulfilled; not like I've just wasted my time, but like I could have had a fine film-viewing life without seeing that movie he'd just made. Same thing applies here. Beautiful animation and some clever lines of dialogue, but all in all, things just seem…empty.
22.
American Psycho - Speaking of empty: Christian Bale does a fine job as a psychopathic yuppie, but behind all of the shock and gore, the film's message isn't handled all that deftly. On top of that, there's not a whole lot of depth to the film's protagonist. Compelling portraits of psychopaths have been done much better from A Clockwork Orange to Dexter. Maybe there's more to the book - and I'm still willing to check that out, by the way - but the movie just feels a little incomplete.
23.
There's Something About Mary - I'm sure this is a fine gross-out comedy. But I learned something while watching this one: I don't like gross-out comedies. Nor did I like this one. The gags just didn't do it for me, and when you get rid of the gags, this movie doesn't have a whole lot going for it, aside from some wonderful work by Jonathan Richman. Then again I'm a little biased when it comes to all things Richman.
24.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror - This is not a "so bad it's good" film like The Room. It's just a bad movie, plain and simple. There's only one way to really enjoy this movie: remove any ounce of sobriety from your body and shout things at the screen with a few friends.
