I Love Films
Let this be like the 100 songs thing, i will on this very post here compile during 2020 100 films i absolutely adore, i have a few film posts i'm continually adding to, and this one will strictly be confined to the creme de la creme, the real classics of the grande tradition, my mode of reference here is basically, or my rationale is that the grandiose greats died in the 1980's, the subsequent greats are tainted, this might just be my own prejudice however, i love the tainted greats too, and MAYBE one or two will be included here.
#1 Nights of Cabiria - Federico Fellini - 1957 - i first got this in 2005, in the first wave of ideals, back when there was a HMV in the city i live close to. I instantly fell in love with it, it wasn't in the least challenging like some other more experimental works of the maestro, a simple story, it made me feel for the title character, played by his wife Giulietta Masina, who plays a woman of the night, she's angry at the world, she tries religion to make peace with herself, then after a humiliating night at a hypnotist show at a theatre a man starts wooing her, she begins to let her defenses down, she falls in love. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but wow!! You must see it, feel all the feels, the last scene then will amaze you and put a smile on your soul. I chose this to watch today because i wanted something good without looking for too long, it is very unorganized here, and i'm so fortunate to have gotten it, to have been so let down by hollywood, that brought me to such wondrous directors of the international variety, i encourage one and all to see this and the 99 others i'll eventually add here, unless i specify that it's not for everyone.
#2. Before Sunset - Richard Linklater - 2004 - this is not a tainted movie, incredibly. It takes the number 1 spot in my top romantic films, knocking down Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love. This film is so amazing, you need the see its predecessor first Before Sunrise to appreciate it fully, you get to know these 2 characters, and in Sunset it reaches utmost perfection, i was most impressed with the scene in the vehicle, how raw Julie Delpy's character expressed her feelings, and how Ethan Hawke's character was there for her, and how that scene flows into the final one with Nina Simone, ahhh THAT is what love ideally is. I am not watching it again for writing about it here, i shall ergo include films without having to see them as i write about them here, memories of certain films ought to stew in the mind instead of hastily being watched again, this is what Mike Figgis was talking about in a special feature of The New Yorker release of Godard's Weekend.
#3 The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Dreyer - 1928 - this is the best silent film i've ever seen and works excellently with The Voices of Light musical accompaniment. Renee Falconetti's acting is out of this world, the directing is absolute genius, i remember when i first saw it, i was a blubbering mess, cried my ass off, and shook me to the core, electrifying!!! Dreyer is one of the few GODS of cinema, and this is imo his greatest film.
#4 Berlin Alexanderplatz - Rainer Werner Fassbinder - 1980 - in this day and age the length of this isn't so impressive, in the age of netflix binging, but it is a behemoth, and completely immersive, a pitch dark tragedy, so deeply felt. Based on a novel that the director worshipped, it was a huge goal accomplished for him to adapt it. My 2 most favorite parts is the character Mieze, the love of Franz Biberkopf for her, the ups and downs of their relationship struck me as so powerful and rapturous, and very sad. The other thing i love is the surrealism in the epilogue, the 2 angels walking around all glitzy, and Handel's slow organ concerto movement. So, this is not Fassbinder at his peak, but it is close to it, and i love it, it is a part of me forever.
#5 I Stand Alone - Gaspar Noe - 1998 - why am i including something from the tainted modern era? Well, i feel compelled to do so, of all the Noe's i've seen, this is the best, it's got a bite to it, it's like the angrier more lethal brother to Taxi Driver, the cherry ontop is that it ultimately is a thoughtful film, it isn't completely mean spirited, the main character guy deep down has human affection in him, it is just very deeply hidden. It is wonderful to see goodness after seeing badness for so much. Young people shouldn't see this without permission from their legal guardians.
#6 A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes - 1974 - for American drama, this for me takes the top place, the drama sears through you, it's dynamite!! Everything is spot on, i showed it to the folk too, and was one of the few times when yes, they got it too, this stuff is amazing, they even mentioned it in phone conversations. Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands are a married couple, the other family members think they know what's best, this is a unique couple who are easily misunderstood by those around them, and only they themselves truly understand each other. Oh i love this film, Cassavetes at the top of his game, pure genius, i get a chill just thinking of it, the brutal honesty on display, so alive and going all out, a stunning tribute to the raw beauty of the human spirit.
#7 The Mother and the W#ore - Jean Eustache - 1973 - absolutely riveting, this is a very talky French masterpiece, go into it knowing the director committed suicide, that will add to the gravitas. Towards the end when the lady has that monologue has got to be one of the most gut wrenchingly awe inspiring scenes i have ever experienced, this film just as much as Gimme Shelter spelled out the end of the free love hippie era with raw, bleak unflinching realism, with one of my favorite actors at the peak of his career - Jean Pierre Leaud, he starred also in a Rivette masterwork which i'll mention here - Out 1, that's my favorite role he was in, but this Eustache role is a firm 2nd place, such a great film, The Criterion Collection MUST restore and release it before i die, they simply MUST!!!
#8 My faves of Werner Schroeter, when this guy is on, i like him MORE than Fassbinder, his experimental work was inspired by Kenneth Anger among others, that right there should tell you why i love those so much, for Anger is firmly situated at the top of my appreciation model, so those experimental works include a short about Maria Callas, his debut award winning feature Eika Katappa (1969), the absolute BEST, that was praised by Michel Foucault - THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN- oh what a marvel, sound and visual design at their finest!!, and der bomberpilot, some i still am waiting for releases of, namely Goldflocken. Then, the only other Schroeter i've seen that comes close to how much i feel for the already mentioned - MALINA - heart wrenching schizoid storytelling, adaptation of a book i need to check out, i forgot to mention in the experimentals a short film i won't bother to remember the title of but it's all in split screen, inspired surely by The Chelsea Girls. MORE people need to know about Werner Schroeter, so that edition filmmuseum and perhaps Criterion will give him the attention he so richly deserves, and fans like me are dying for. Willow Springs is good too, but, technically better than der bomberpilot, but more conventional, and the narrative films, they're really not so bad, he vibed off on Visconti a bit, but when you make films like Katappa and Malibran, don't be expecting me to be liking the conventional stuff that much, he actually said that he was basically doing the same thing, i strongly disagree, but i am perhaps in error. The next generation i prophesy will explode with Schroeter awareness, and i will miss it. :(
#9 THE AKI KAURISMAKI COLLECTION - this amazing set by Curzon Artifical Eye gathers most of the Finnish master's films which i group here for number 9, as i do for the book list i shall also do here for films. Aki is simply wonderful, his inspirations are the likes of Ozu, and he's had an influence and a kindred spirit in Jim Jarmusch, all of these are wonderful films, deapan, dark humor, crisp clean visuals and style, a joy to watch and experience, he may not be earth shatteringly awesome, but he's very endearing, and lovable for cinephiles. Jean-Pierre Leaud pops up in a couple too, La vie de boheme, and Le Havre, will so enjoy repeatedly watching these till the time i can get more films, plus there are 3 superb Criterion sets slowly on their way, due to arrive at the end of April, May, and June will be where i economically recuperate a bit, July for Tati and something else, then August and September more recuperating, and then on October something, afterwards nothing till the first month of 2021. I have it mapped out till then, 4 main purchases per year from then on. Giving me time to enjoy what was collected since 2004. CINEMA FOREVER!!!!
#1 Nights of Cabiria - Federico Fellini - 1957 - i first got this in 2005, in the first wave of ideals, back when there was a HMV in the city i live close to. I instantly fell in love with it, it wasn't in the least challenging like some other more experimental works of the maestro, a simple story, it made me feel for the title character, played by his wife Giulietta Masina, who plays a woman of the night, she's angry at the world, she tries religion to make peace with herself, then after a humiliating night at a hypnotist show at a theatre a man starts wooing her, she begins to let her defenses down, she falls in love. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but wow!! You must see it, feel all the feels, the last scene then will amaze you and put a smile on your soul. I chose this to watch today because i wanted something good without looking for too long, it is very unorganized here, and i'm so fortunate to have gotten it, to have been so let down by hollywood, that brought me to such wondrous directors of the international variety, i encourage one and all to see this and the 99 others i'll eventually add here, unless i specify that it's not for everyone.
#2. Before Sunset - Richard Linklater - 2004 - this is not a tainted movie, incredibly. It takes the number 1 spot in my top romantic films, knocking down Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love. This film is so amazing, you need the see its predecessor first Before Sunrise to appreciate it fully, you get to know these 2 characters, and in Sunset it reaches utmost perfection, i was most impressed with the scene in the vehicle, how raw Julie Delpy's character expressed her feelings, and how Ethan Hawke's character was there for her, and how that scene flows into the final one with Nina Simone, ahhh THAT is what love ideally is. I am not watching it again for writing about it here, i shall ergo include films without having to see them as i write about them here, memories of certain films ought to stew in the mind instead of hastily being watched again, this is what Mike Figgis was talking about in a special feature of The New Yorker release of Godard's Weekend.
#3 The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Dreyer - 1928 - this is the best silent film i've ever seen and works excellently with The Voices of Light musical accompaniment. Renee Falconetti's acting is out of this world, the directing is absolute genius, i remember when i first saw it, i was a blubbering mess, cried my ass off, and shook me to the core, electrifying!!! Dreyer is one of the few GODS of cinema, and this is imo his greatest film.
#4 Berlin Alexanderplatz - Rainer Werner Fassbinder - 1980 - in this day and age the length of this isn't so impressive, in the age of netflix binging, but it is a behemoth, and completely immersive, a pitch dark tragedy, so deeply felt. Based on a novel that the director worshipped, it was a huge goal accomplished for him to adapt it. My 2 most favorite parts is the character Mieze, the love of Franz Biberkopf for her, the ups and downs of their relationship struck me as so powerful and rapturous, and very sad. The other thing i love is the surrealism in the epilogue, the 2 angels walking around all glitzy, and Handel's slow organ concerto movement. So, this is not Fassbinder at his peak, but it is close to it, and i love it, it is a part of me forever.
#5 I Stand Alone - Gaspar Noe - 1998 - why am i including something from the tainted modern era? Well, i feel compelled to do so, of all the Noe's i've seen, this is the best, it's got a bite to it, it's like the angrier more lethal brother to Taxi Driver, the cherry ontop is that it ultimately is a thoughtful film, it isn't completely mean spirited, the main character guy deep down has human affection in him, it is just very deeply hidden. It is wonderful to see goodness after seeing badness for so much. Young people shouldn't see this without permission from their legal guardians.
#6 A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes - 1974 - for American drama, this for me takes the top place, the drama sears through you, it's dynamite!! Everything is spot on, i showed it to the folk too, and was one of the few times when yes, they got it too, this stuff is amazing, they even mentioned it in phone conversations. Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands are a married couple, the other family members think they know what's best, this is a unique couple who are easily misunderstood by those around them, and only they themselves truly understand each other. Oh i love this film, Cassavetes at the top of his game, pure genius, i get a chill just thinking of it, the brutal honesty on display, so alive and going all out, a stunning tribute to the raw beauty of the human spirit.
#7 The Mother and the W#ore - Jean Eustache - 1973 - absolutely riveting, this is a very talky French masterpiece, go into it knowing the director committed suicide, that will add to the gravitas. Towards the end when the lady has that monologue has got to be one of the most gut wrenchingly awe inspiring scenes i have ever experienced, this film just as much as Gimme Shelter spelled out the end of the free love hippie era with raw, bleak unflinching realism, with one of my favorite actors at the peak of his career - Jean Pierre Leaud, he starred also in a Rivette masterwork which i'll mention here - Out 1, that's my favorite role he was in, but this Eustache role is a firm 2nd place, such a great film, The Criterion Collection MUST restore and release it before i die, they simply MUST!!!
#8 My faves of Werner Schroeter, when this guy is on, i like him MORE than Fassbinder, his experimental work was inspired by Kenneth Anger among others, that right there should tell you why i love those so much, for Anger is firmly situated at the top of my appreciation model, so those experimental works include a short about Maria Callas, his debut award winning feature Eika Katappa (1969), the absolute BEST, that was praised by Michel Foucault - THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN- oh what a marvel, sound and visual design at their finest!!, and der bomberpilot, some i still am waiting for releases of, namely Goldflocken. Then, the only other Schroeter i've seen that comes close to how much i feel for the already mentioned - MALINA - heart wrenching schizoid storytelling, adaptation of a book i need to check out, i forgot to mention in the experimentals a short film i won't bother to remember the title of but it's all in split screen, inspired surely by The Chelsea Girls. MORE people need to know about Werner Schroeter, so that edition filmmuseum and perhaps Criterion will give him the attention he so richly deserves, and fans like me are dying for. Willow Springs is good too, but, technically better than der bomberpilot, but more conventional, and the narrative films, they're really not so bad, he vibed off on Visconti a bit, but when you make films like Katappa and Malibran, don't be expecting me to be liking the conventional stuff that much, he actually said that he was basically doing the same thing, i strongly disagree, but i am perhaps in error. The next generation i prophesy will explode with Schroeter awareness, and i will miss it. :(
#9 THE AKI KAURISMAKI COLLECTION - this amazing set by Curzon Artifical Eye gathers most of the Finnish master's films which i group here for number 9, as i do for the book list i shall also do here for films. Aki is simply wonderful, his inspirations are the likes of Ozu, and he's had an influence and a kindred spirit in Jim Jarmusch, all of these are wonderful films, deapan, dark humor, crisp clean visuals and style, a joy to watch and experience, he may not be earth shatteringly awesome, but he's very endearing, and lovable for cinephiles. Jean-Pierre Leaud pops up in a couple too, La vie de boheme, and Le Havre, will so enjoy repeatedly watching these till the time i can get more films, plus there are 3 superb Criterion sets slowly on their way, due to arrive at the end of April, May, and June will be where i economically recuperate a bit, July for Tati and something else, then August and September more recuperating, and then on October something, afterwards nothing till the first month of 2021. I have it mapped out till then, 4 main purchases per year from then on. Giving me time to enjoy what was collected since 2004. CINEMA FOREVER!!!!
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