The Odd Couple (1968) 9/10 2nd viewing
Spring In A Small Town (Xiao cheng zhi chun) (1948) 8.5/10
Last Ride (2009) 8/10
Ballast (2008) 8/10
Watch on the Rhine (1943) 7.5/10
Precious (2009) 5/10
Sauna (2008) 4/10
The Countess (2009) 4/10
Saw 6 (2009) 3/10

Sundays And Cybele (Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray) (1962) 9/10
Summer At Grandpa's (Dong dong de jia qi) (1984) 9/10
The Messenger (2009) 8.5/10
Men Who Hate Women (Män som hatar kvinnor) (2009) 8.5/10
Bonnie & Clyde (1967) 8.5/10 2nd viewing
Hold Back The Dawn (1941) 8/10
Korhinta (1956) 8/10
Little Soldier (Lille soldat) (2008) 7.5/10
Seraphine (2008) 7.5/10
The End Of Summer (Kohayagawa-ke no aki) (1961) 7/10
The Message (Feng Sheng) (2009) 7/10
The Edge Of The World (1937) 7/10
Winter In Wartime (Oorlogswinter) (2008) 7/10
Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis (1966) 6/10
Juste avant la nuit (1971) 6/10
2012 (2009) 5/10
The Rebound (2009) 4/10
Carriers (2009) 4/10
The Merry Gentleman (2008) 4/10

Leon (1994) 10/10 5th viewing
Forbidden Games (Jeux Interdits) (1954) 9.5/10 2nd viewing
Baran (2001) 8.5/10
Goodbye Mr Chips (1939) 8.5/10
Germany Pale Mother (Deutschland bleiche Mutter) (1980) 8.5/10
Bringing Out The Dead (1999) 8.5/10 3rd viewing
The Bone Man (Der Knochenmann) (2009) 8/10
Up In The Air (2009) 8/10
An Education (2009) 8/10
Ten (2002) 8/10
Minor Mishaps (Sma ulykker) (2002) 8/10
Oldas es kotes (1963) 7.5/10
Yatzy (2009) 7/10
Adam (2009) 7/10
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) 7/10
The Blind Side (2009) 5/10
Law Abiding Citizen (2009) 3/10
The Box (2009) 3/10
Halloween 2 (2009) 2/10

The Dawns Here Are Quiet (A zori zdes tikhie) (1972) 9.5/10
The Blue Dahlia (1946) 8.5/10
De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen (1965) 8/10
Blue Eyelids (Párpados azules) (2007) 7.5/10
Sabotage (1936) 7/10
The Lovely Bones (2009) 6/10
The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans (2009) 6/10
Paper Heart (2009) 3/10

Les rendez-vous d'Anna (1978) 9/10
The Road (2009) 9/10

A Serious Man (2009) 8.5/10
Okay (2002) 7.5/10
Bright Star (2009) 7/10

The Parallax View (1974) 6/10
City Island (2009) 6/10

The Age Of Stupid (2009) 6/10

Trucker (2008) 6/10
Twilight: New Moon (2009) 2/10

This is where Jack slaps me...
My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

There were a lot of films on t'telly last night but I'd seen them all so went out on a limb with the mindless tripe. Plus I like Luke Wilson. When Eddie Izzard appeared I was entirely won over. And I even laughed three times.

Cariad, when you consider some of Una Thurman's films such as Batman and Robin and The Avengers, My Super Ex-Girlfriend stands out as a masterpiece. (Having said that she has also appeared in some extremely good films, she just seems to have the ability to sometimes pick appalling films).

The last film I watched was Little Miss Sunshine which I really enjoyed. Still mulling over tonight's film. It's a toss-up between Where The Wild Things Are, Up In The Air or Beyond Any Reasonable Doubt.

.....Now where did I place that coin?

Ok been a while since i have posted here, i will post the films i have seen in September and October 

September
Tomme Tonner (2010) 5/10
Love In A Puff (Chi ming yu chun giu) (2010) 8/10
Placido (1961) 9/10
Platinum Blonde (1931) 7.5/10
Bashing (2005) 8/10
The Woman That Dreamed About A Man (Kvinden der drømte om en mand) (2010) 6/10  
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010) 7/10
Next Stop Wonderland (1998) 6/10 
Three (Tri) (1965) 8/10
 Sounds Of Sand (Si le vent soulève les sables) (2006) 8/10
 Never On Sunday (Pote tin Kyriaki) (1960) 7/10
 Closely Observed Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky) (1966) 9/10 2nd viewing
 Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur) (2010) 7/10
 La moustache (2005) 6/10
 Piranha (2010) 4/10  
 The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life (Le premier jour du reste de ta vie) (2010) 8/10 
 Three Wise Men (Kolme viisasta miesta) (2008) 6/10
 Moolaade (2004) 8.5/10
 Hawks And Sparrows (Uccellacci e uccellini) (1966) 7.5/10
 The Expendables (2010) 4/10
 Confidentially Yours (Vivement dimanche) (1983) 8/10
 Four Lions (2010) 7/10
 When We Leave (Die Fremde) (2010) 8/10
 Silence (Chinmoku) (1971) 4/10
 Inherit The Wind (1960) 9/10  
 Troubled Water (DeUsynlige) (2008) 9/10
 Hidden Diary (Mères et filles) (2009) 6/10
The Disappearance Of Alice Creed (2010) 7/10
 I Vinti (1953) 7.5/10
 Family Nest (Csaladi tuzfeszek) (1979) 8/10
 Crossing Hennessey (Yut mun Hinneisi) (2010) 6/10
 Beijing Bicycle (Shiqi sui de dan che) (2001) 8/10  
 Entranced Earth (Terra em Transe) (1967) 7/10  
 Accused (Anklaget) (2005) 8/10
 The Happy Housewife (De gelukkige huisvrouw) (2010) 8/10
 Get Him To The Greek (2010) 4/10
 Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008) 8.5/10 
 Le Silence De Lorna (2008) 8.5/10 2nd viewing
 Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers (Funuke domo, kanashimi no ai wo misero) 8/10
 Women Without Men (Zanan-e bedun-e mardan) (2009) 6/10
 Shadows Of The Forgotten Ancestors (Tini zabutykh predkiv) (1964) 5/10
 The Railroad Man (Il ferroviere) (1956) 9/10

October
When Heaven Falls (Himlen falder) (2009) 6/10
The Judge (Dommeren) (2005) 7/10
Ivul (2009) 4/10
24 City (Er shi si cheng ji) (2008) 6/10
The Childhood Of Maxim Gorky (Detstvo Gorkogo) (1938) 8.5/10e
Day And Night (Dag och natt) (2004) 8.5/10
The Runaways (2010) 6/10
Rózyczka (2010) 7/10 
Das Experiment (2001) 9/10 2nd viewing
 Fish Story (Fisshu sutori) (2009)4/10 
Submarino (2010) 9/10
The Girl On The Train (La fille du RER) (2009) 7/10
Twilight: Eclipse (2010) 2/10
The River (He liu) (1997) 8/10
Manslaughter (Drabet) (2005) 7/10
Dust In The Wind (Lian lian feng chen) (1986) 8.5/10 
Brother (Brat) (1997) 8/10
 Stray Dog (Nora inu) (1949) 8.5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) 3/10
Animal Kingdom (2010) 8/10
Bjarnfreoarson (2009)
Shoeshine (Sciuscia) (1946) 9/10 2nd viewing
 Dreams (Kvinnodrom) (1955) 7/10
 After The Thin Man (1936) 9/10  
 Attack The Gas Station (Juyuso seubgyuksageun) (1999) 8/10  
 The Way Ahead (1944) 7.5/10
 Knight And Day (2010) 5/10
 Cry In The Woods (Den som frykter ulven) (2004) 6/10
 Winters Bone (2010) 9/10
 What Became Of Us (Mita meista tuli) (2009) 8/10
 Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (Kame wa igai to hayaku oyogu) (2005) 5/10  
 7 Days (Les 7 jours du talion) (2010) 5/10
 Le Cercle Rouge (1970) 9/10
 Lovely Rita (2001) 4/10
 Kissed By Winter (Vinterkyss) (2005) 7/10
 Ocean Heaven (Haiyang tiantang) (2010) 8/10
 The Bench (Bænken) (2000) 8.5/10  
 Children Of Hiroshima (Gembaku no ko) (1952) 9.5/10 Youtube
Blackmail (1929) 8/10
 The Happiest Girl In The World (Cea mai fericita fata din lume) (2009) 6/10
 Boy (2010) 7/10
 Poetry (Shi) (2010) 9/10 
 Nina Frisk (2007) 5/10  
 Taxi Blues (Taksi-Blyuz) (1990) 6/10  
 The Debt (Dlug) (1999) 7/10
 Defendor (2009) 4/10  
 Criss Cross (1949) 8/10

Heres August viewings as well

 
To Get To Heaven First You Have To Die (Bihisht faqat baroi murdagon) (2006) 7/10
Toy Story 3 (2010) 8.5/10
Death At A Funeral (2010) 3/10
Here And There (Tamo i ovde) (2009) 6/10  
Black Girl (La noire de) (1966) 8/10e
Bo (2010) 8/10
You Will Be Mine (Je te mangerais) (2009) 5/10 
The Only Son (Hitori musuko) (1936) 9/10
No One Knows About Persian Cats (Kasi az gorbehaye irani khabar nadareh) (2009) 4/10  
Poker (2010) 5/10
 Face To Face (Ansikte mot ansikte) (1976) 9/10
 Theres Always Tomorrow (1956) 7.5/10
Love Is Colder Than Death (Liebe ist kälter als der Tod) (1969) 6/10
 Prefab People (Panelkapcsolat) (1982) 8/10
 Greenberg (2010) 4/10
 Blue Spring (Aoi haru) (2001) 7.5/10
 The Housemaid (Hanyo) (2010) 6/10 
 L'enfance nue (1968) 7/10
 About Elly (Darbareye Elly) (2009) 7.5/10
 At The End Of Daybreak (Sham Moh) (2009) 7/10  
 Reconstituirea (1968) 8.5/10
 Gilda (1946) 9/10
 Insomnia (1997) 8/10 
 The A Team (2010) 4/10  
 Question In Details (Köntörfalak) (2010) 8/10
 Cemetary Junction (2010) 6/10
 Splice (2010) 4/10  
 What Time Is It There (Ni na bian ji dian) (2001) 9/10
 Autumn Ball (Sugisball) (2007) 8/10
 Sweet Rush (Tatarak) (2009) 6/10  
 The Exterminating Angel (El ángel exterminador) (1962) 7/10  
 The Face (Ansiktet) (1958) 7/10
 Bienvenido Mr Marshall (1953) 8.5/10
 Le Crime De Monsieur Lange (1936) 7.5/10
 Au Revoir Taipei (2010) 8.5/10
 The Ghost Writer (2010) 6/10
 Shrek Forever After (2010) 4/10 
 The Family Way (1966) 9/10  
 Accident (1967) 7/10
 Buddah Collapsed Out Of Shame (Buda as sharm foru rikht) (2007) 8/10 
 Love In Another Language (Baska Dilde Ask) (2009) 7.5/10
 The World Is Big And Salvation Lurks Around The Corner (Svetat e golyam i spasenie debne ovsyakade) (2009) 7/10
Black Snow (Ben ming nian) (1990) 7/10
 The Liar (Valehtelija) (1981) 6/10
 The Nightingales Prayer (Doa al karawan) (1959) 8.5/10
 The Northerners (De noorderlingen) (1992) 7/10e
Ajami (2009) 7/10

Jackassfan me thinks I've stirred you into action

Maybe my estimate of 1000 films was a bit out, but on the basis of your postings above, it must have been around 400 since mid January.

I was looking at your list of your top 60 films and noticed that there were no silent films. It maybe that you are not into silent films, but if I were to recommend one silent film to see it would be F W Murnau's 1927 film Sunrise. The film is so well told and acted by Janet Gaynor that you do not miss the fact that it is silent, and in reality words are superfluous. It stands out from all other silent films IMO.

You did


I have all the films that i have seen this year and rated (and all other years from 2005 onwards) on my Laptop and so far i have seen 467 films, so you are about right really


For some reason i havent watched any silent so far, but i will have to change that soon and start watching them
Though a Japanese film from 1960  Naked Island (which i watched earlier this year) is almost silent except for one scene where you hear a group of people singing

Yesterdays films....


Social Network (2010) 8.5/10
Slim Susie (Smala Sussie) (2003) 6/10

As a sampler to silent films, these are some, besides Sunrise:

From a historical point of view, D W Griffiths' Intolerance as being the first major full length American film made. The full length version runs for just over 3 hours. It is an examination of intolerance in 4 historical eras. It is an epic, but being Griffiths it does feel in places a bit preachy.
It is actually his second major film, but I cannot recommend his first "Birth of a Nation" as it notoriously has the Klu Klux Klan as the goodies going after a black man accused of raping a white woman. That should only be seen if you have done research on the film first of all and realise that it was a reflection of attitudes then which are unacceptable now.

There are of course the comedies. I'm not a great fan of Chaplin, but if I were to select one it would be The Goldrush.City Lights is also highly regarded. Harold Lloyd was excellent and Safety Last! is probably his best.

Buster Keaton is for many the greatest of the lot. Not only are his films funny, they are also exciting and he is famous for effectively being the first key stuntman in film. Many of his films are gems - my personal favourite is Our Hospitality with the most delightful train scene in the history of film, but his The General is generally regarded as his best.

In terms of science fiction, there is one stand out. Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A more complete version has recently been found, and I think a DVD is due to be issued in the near future.

This is a link to a site which is devoted to silent films and shows a list of their top 100.

Not surprisingly, all the films I have mentioned are listed. Looking quickly at that list, it is a good quality list and you could well use it as a checklist. Most of those listed in the first part are obtainable in this country. However number 7 on the list Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc is not available on DVD in the UK. If your DVD player can play American DVDs, then you can import it quite readily from the States. My DVD player does not. I had been waiting for this film to become available for years. I had tracked down the UK distributor which holds the rights as they had arranged for a cinema showing some years ago. I got in touch with them, but they said that as the film had no music score, they were trying to arrange for a suitable score to be prepared. That was a few years ago.

Eventually I discovered that I could import a South Korean distrbutor's DVD from the States which carried UK subtitles, besides French and Korean, and South Korean DVDs are the same region as the UK. So I have now got a copy, but this is an extreme rarity. There may be online streaming versions around, but their quality and legailty may be questionable.

Thanks for all the recommendations


Passion Of Joan Of Arc is on youtube in 8 parts (Not sure if you want to watch it like that though, but will post the link below incase you do)

http://www.youtube.com/user/pa...p/c/23C0F1A9EE3F0B4B


If you want a DVD player that will play all regions, go on ebay.co.uk and have a look, i bought a multi region player on there a few years ago and received it after a few days

Thank you jackassfan for finding and posting that link. It is better to have that than nothing, but I have the DVD and if you want to see the film, I strongly advise you to get an imported copy, particularly as you have a multi-region player. You will find that it was released in the States, so you won't have the hassle of trying to find a copy which will only play on Region 2 players.

The film is so intense that it needs to be seen without a break, with no interruptions and with the lights turned off and curtains drawn. Dreyer intended the film to be viewed with no music track in complete silence, but although the DVD I have has this option, it is too much. It was Falconetti's only film (she is generally referred to with just her surname) and many people consider her performance to be the greatest performance in the history of film.

This is a link to Amazon to the US DVD version.
I have noticed on the page that it is described as without English subtitles, though the user comment says that it does. So I have also provided a link to Amazon.com where you will see more than 1 possibility.
Amazon.com

Thanks for the links, i shall take a look and will probably buy a copy

Angels In Fast Motion (Nordkraft) (2005) 8/10
I Live In Fear (Ikimono no kiroku) (1955) 7/10

Street Of Shame (Akasen chitai) (1956) 8/10

Juno - a good compassionate film.

Night Train (Pociag) (1959) 9/10
The Wolfman (2010) 3/10

How I ended This Summer (Kak ya provyol etim letom) (2010) 9/10
Red (2010) 5/10

Win/Win (2010) 8/10
Daisy Diamond (2007)  7/10

Inception (2010) 7/10

Yesterday I resaw The Accidental Tourist (from 1988). A very well told and acted story. William Hurt gives one of his best performances. With good reason, he comes across as very subdued. It is only right at the end of the film when he stops the taxi he's in to let Geena Davis in, that you see the darkness lifting away from him and the warmth and smile of his face and on Geena Davis' face as they see each other tells the viewer that he has found a new happiness and beginning to his life, far more effectively than the typical passionate kiss that lesser films would have done.

It is one of the few genuinely good adult films made in the States in recent times. (and I mean adult in the correct sense, not in the "adult entertainment" sense).

Ordet (1955) 9.5/10
Black Ice (Musta Jaa) (2007) 6/10

I don't know if this was a coincidence or not, but Ordet was directed by Carl Dreyer who had previously directed The Passion of Joan of Arc.

His other films include:
Vampyr (1932) which is close to being a home movie being financed & produced by the lead actor Julian West (real name Baron Nicholas De Gunzberg) - this being his only film. A very strange dreamlike film unlike any other vampire film.

Day of Wrath (1943) which deals with religion and witchcraft in the 17th century.

His last film was Gertrud (1964)

Dreyer was one of the most important of Danish film directors. Benjamin Christensen predated him - he was best known for Haxan (1922) an extraordinary film looking at witchcraft through the ages, and would have to feature on any list of the most controversial films through film history.

And in modern times, there is Lars von Trier.

I'm sure there is scope for a study of these three directors' work to see how they compare and the influence of Christensen on Dreyer, and in turn Dreyer and Christensen on von Trier.

I know


I have seen Vampyr which i thought was ok, i gave it a 6/10 and i have also seen Day Of Wrath which i gave 8.5/10, Gertrud is on my lovefilm rental queue

The Kids Are All Right (2010) 7.5/10
Fear Me Not (Den du frygter) (2008) 7/10

Yesterday I resaw "A Man Escaped" (1956) by Robert Bresson. A minimalistic prisoner of war escape film, very different from films such as The Great Escape. It is based on a true story of a French resistance fighter who had been captured by the Nazis.

The music is used very sparingly - Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor.

At the end of the film, the escapees are seen walking off whilst the music is playing, Fin (being a French film) is the only end title, then the screen goes to black, and the music carries on for a good minute with nothing on the screen.

One day I'll have to try Bresson's The Trial of Joan of Arc as a comparison with Dreyer's version.

A couple of days ago I mentioned Benjamin Christensen's Haxan (1922). So I thought I would resee it but on my TV rather than my PC to get a better result.

I suppose I would describe it as a partially dramatised shockumentary looking at witchcraft through the ages (its other title). It is in 7 chapters, but the account of a witchcraft trial is spread over more than one chapter. The first chapter is the least effective as it is closer to a history lesson without anyone appearing, just pictures with a lecturer using a pointer to indicate various things. It is only when chapter 2 starts that the real film begins.

And it's fair to say that its unlike any film made since. Some of it is amusing at least in modern times, some of it is bizarre, some of it is fascinating, some of it is still disturbing.

At times, it's a combination of say Terry Gilliam, Ken Russell, with a touch of Tim Burton. But then when it is dealing with the trial, it is closer to The Crucible and Witchfinder General.

The last chapter deals with the then modern times. It looks as how mentally ill people are treated and regarded, and saying that some of these in the past would have been regarded as witches.

I won't try to give it a rating as it is unique.

Les Anges Du Peche (1943) 7.5/10

Death Of A Bureaucrat (La muerte de un burócrata) (1966) 7/10
Iron Man 2 (2010) 4/10

Father Of A Soldier (Jariskatsis mama) (1964) 9.5/10
Despicable Me (2010) 7/10

Kairat (1992) 8.5/10
Prague (2006) 7/10

Goodbye Dragon Inn (Bu San) (2003) 7.5/10
Machete (2010) 5/10

The Two Of Us (Le vieil homme et l'enfant) (1967) 9/10
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (Ensayo de un crimen) (1955) 7/10

 

jackassfan, I've noticed you have seen at least 2 of Luis Bunuel's films and I guess have seen quite a few more. I've only seen his later films Belle de Jour. The Discrete Charm of.., The Phantom of Liberty and That Obscure Object of Desire - the latter three at the cinema when they were released.

Of his films you've seen do you have any favourites?

I have seen the ones you have mentioned above, i have also seen Viridiana, Diary Of A Chambermaid, Los Olvidados, Tristana, Death In The Garden, A Woman Without Love, Susana, Ascent To Heaven

My favourite of his is Viridiana and Los Olvidados

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them.

Jackass 3D

It was great fun, brilliant use of 3D graphics too