Screening Log, October 2006
October 1st
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Dir: Robert Weine
Source: Internet Archive
Full review here.
October 2nd
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Dir: Michael Caton-Jones
Source: Columbia Pictures DVD
Some things never change. Peice. Of. Shit.
The Fury (1978)
Dir: Brian DePalma
Source: Fox DVD
I liked Carrie, but this surpasses it on almost every level. Insanely pitched and gloriously executed, the movie is like one long, mounting orgasm of angst and psychological frustration.
Nosferatu (1922)
Dir: F.W. Murnau
Source: Google Video
This classic just gets better with each viewing (this being my sixth or seventh). The organ score on this version is particularly effective. Full review here.
October 3rd
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Dir: Rupert Julian
Source: Google Video
Full review here. Not a particularly good copy, but it'll get the job done if, say, you have a deadline and a missing DVD on your hands. Something tells me the soundtrack was lifted from another source; if not, then whoever made it for this film had some serious issues with pairing the music to the images on screen.
October 4th
Dracula (1931)
Dir: Tod Browning
Source: Universal DVD (Legacy Set)
I liked this one a lot more in my youth. Full review here.
October 5th
Frankenstein (1931)
Dir: James Whale
Source: Universal DVD (Legacy Set)
Nothing since quite matches the endowment of life on the monster. Full review here.
Frankenstein (1910)
Dir: J. Searle Dawley
Source: Google Video
Not very good, but certainly an interesting chapter in film history. Full review here.
October 6th
The Departed (2006)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Source: Theatrical Print
Best since GoodFellas? Unless a second viewing takes my opinion from "really like" to "love," I doubt it. I certainly want to see the original Internal Affairs now, though. Full review here.
October 8th
Little Children (2006)
Dir: Todd Field
Source: Theatrical Print
And to think that I could have seen Inland Empire instead of this thing... *expletive deleted*
Full review here.
October 12th
Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said (2006)
Dir: Makoto Sato
Source: Screener VHS
No IMDb page for this one, yet. Playing in limited release in New York City. Full review here.
October 12th
The Marine (2006)
Dir: John Bonito
Source: Theatrical Print
Execrable crap; I preferred Doom. Seriously, movies like this are part of why people hate America. Full review here.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2006)
Dir: Jonathan Mostow
Source: Warner Bros. DVD
I was moderately disappointed with this film when it first came out; the first two films being the formulative films of my youth, my expectations were both high and firmly demanding of an epic continuation. Now, in hindsight and with more experience under my belt, I adore it, not so much as a direct sequel, but as a loving continuation and a playfully tongue-in-cheek send-up of the mythology and conventions of the series. If this movie were a person and I met it at a party, I'd probably start humping it immediately.
October 14th
Freaks (1932)
Dir: Tod Browning
Source: VHS
Full review here.
October 15th
The Mummy (1932)
Dir: Karl Freund
Source: Universal DVD
Full review here.
October 16th
Sweet Land (2005)
Dir: Ali Selim
Source: Screener DVD
The best movie I've yet seen in my reviewing for Slant. Problematic at times, but terribly genuine. Full review here.
October 18th
Tremors (1990)
Dir: Ron Underwood
Source: Universal DVD
Age either diminishes your youthfully treasured memories or elevates them to an even higher realm. This one falls in the latter category. Full review here.
The Blob (1988)
Dir: Chuck Russell
Source: Columbia DVD
I never realized how grizzly violent this was as a kid. Certainly an unnecassary remake, but somehow it's balls-out 80's cynicism seems somewhat refreshing. Review coming soon.
October 19th
Flags of Our Fathers (2005)
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Source: Theatrical Print
This should be retitled Haggis Strangles Eastwood. Ugh. Full review here.
October 20th
Vampyr (1932)
Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Source: Image DVD
Full review here.
October 21st
Marie Antoinette (2005)
Dir: Sofia Coppola
Source: Theatrical Print
How divinely sublime this film is. I didn't quite explode with excitement as I did over Lost in Translation, but this one's cumulative effect was just as profound. Very strong candidate for best of the year, so far. Full review here.
October 22nd
The Wicker Man (1973)
Dir: Robin Hardy
Source: Anchor Bay DVD
Full review here.
October 23rd
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Dir: James Whale
Source: Universal Legacy DVD
Possibly the best of Universal's monster series (pending my seeing The Black Cat). Full review here.
October 24th
The Blob (1958)
Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.
Source: Criterion DVD
I'd have never expected this film to age so well, either as a work of cinema or as a memory from my own childhood. Call it silly and campy - I think it's one of the most pitch-perfect, efficient examples of the sci-fi horror genre. And it's a heluva lot of fun. Full review here.
October 25th
White Zombie (1932)
Dir: Victor Halperin
Source: Google Video
Full review here.
The Wolf Man (1941)
Dir: George Waggner
Source: Universal DVD
Here's looking forward to Benicio Del Toro in the remake. Full review here.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dir: George A. Romero
Source: DVD
Few films - horror or otherwise - are as pure as this one. One of my all-time favorites. Full review here.
October 26th
Brazil (1985)
Dir: Terry Gilliam
Source: Criterion DVD
Terry Gilliam's dystopian masterpiece gains both relevance and enjoyability with each passing year, a giddy orgasm of images that seems to combust inwardly from start to finish.
October 28th
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Source: Grindhouse DVD
If I could never come close to this thing again in my life, death will be a sweet thing indeed. It's not the violence itself that infuriates me - it's the hollow grab towards subversion, which is both dishonest and completely tepid. Please, don't even see this to see how bad it really is. I'd like to think I suffered so that you would not. Full review here.
GoodFellas (1990)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Source: Warner Bros. DVD
If I could only pick a handful of films to watch again for the first time, this would be in the running. So few works of art in any medium come close to such a seamlessly sewn whirlwind.
October 29th
The Rock (1996)
Dir: Michael Bay
Source: Criterion DVD
What happened to this Michael Bay? Was he kidnapped by aliens and replaced by an evil, inept spawn of Satan? Either way, The Rock is one of the most enjoyable, relentless and - dare I say it - smart - action films of the 90's (or ever, for that matter). At times it's damn near operatic in tone.
October 30th
Brazil - The "Love Conquers All" Version (1985)
Dir: The Corporate Whores of Universal Studios
Source: Criterion DVD
This cinematic miscarriage is a double edged sword. Fans of Gilliam's masterpiece will be infuriated to see their beloved film ripped apart and reassembled into this purportedly more "commercial" endeavor - a soulless peice of work embarrasingly uneven in tone, a full hour shorter, and obviously culled together from many alternate takes. It has the same skin as Brazil, but hardly anything underneath is the same. On the other hand, the painful experience of this version only makes the real film more savory when one images how close it came to never happening.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Dir: Robert Weine
Source: Internet Archive
Full review here.
October 2nd
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Dir: Michael Caton-Jones
Source: Columbia Pictures DVD
Some things never change. Peice. Of. Shit.
The Fury (1978)
Dir: Brian DePalma
Source: Fox DVD
I liked Carrie, but this surpasses it on almost every level. Insanely pitched and gloriously executed, the movie is like one long, mounting orgasm of angst and psychological frustration.
Nosferatu (1922)
Dir: F.W. Murnau
Source: Google Video
This classic just gets better with each viewing (this being my sixth or seventh). The organ score on this version is particularly effective. Full review here.
October 3rd
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Dir: Rupert Julian
Source: Google Video
Full review here. Not a particularly good copy, but it'll get the job done if, say, you have a deadline and a missing DVD on your hands. Something tells me the soundtrack was lifted from another source; if not, then whoever made it for this film had some serious issues with pairing the music to the images on screen.
October 4th
Dracula (1931)
Dir: Tod Browning
Source: Universal DVD (Legacy Set)
I liked this one a lot more in my youth. Full review here.
October 5th
Frankenstein (1931)
Dir: James Whale
Source: Universal DVD (Legacy Set)
Nothing since quite matches the endowment of life on the monster. Full review here.
Frankenstein (1910)
Dir: J. Searle Dawley
Source: Google Video
Not very good, but certainly an interesting chapter in film history. Full review here.
October 6th
The Departed (2006)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Source: Theatrical Print
Best since GoodFellas? Unless a second viewing takes my opinion from "really like" to "love," I doubt it. I certainly want to see the original Internal Affairs now, though. Full review here.
October 8th
Little Children (2006)
Dir: Todd Field
Source: Theatrical Print
And to think that I could have seen Inland Empire instead of this thing... *expletive deleted*
Full review here.
October 12th
Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said (2006)
Dir: Makoto Sato
Source: Screener VHS
No IMDb page for this one, yet. Playing in limited release in New York City. Full review here.
October 12th
The Marine (2006)
Dir: John Bonito
Source: Theatrical Print
Execrable crap; I preferred Doom. Seriously, movies like this are part of why people hate America. Full review here.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2006)
Dir: Jonathan Mostow
Source: Warner Bros. DVD
I was moderately disappointed with this film when it first came out; the first two films being the formulative films of my youth, my expectations were both high and firmly demanding of an epic continuation. Now, in hindsight and with more experience under my belt, I adore it, not so much as a direct sequel, but as a loving continuation and a playfully tongue-in-cheek send-up of the mythology and conventions of the series. If this movie were a person and I met it at a party, I'd probably start humping it immediately.
October 14th
Freaks (1932)
Dir: Tod Browning
Source: VHS
Full review here.
October 15th
The Mummy (1932)
Dir: Karl Freund
Source: Universal DVD
Full review here.
October 16th
Sweet Land (2005)
Dir: Ali Selim
Source: Screener DVD
The best movie I've yet seen in my reviewing for Slant. Problematic at times, but terribly genuine. Full review here.
October 18th
Tremors (1990)
Dir: Ron Underwood
Source: Universal DVD
Age either diminishes your youthfully treasured memories or elevates them to an even higher realm. This one falls in the latter category. Full review here.
The Blob (1988)
Dir: Chuck Russell
Source: Columbia DVD
I never realized how grizzly violent this was as a kid. Certainly an unnecassary remake, but somehow it's balls-out 80's cynicism seems somewhat refreshing. Review coming soon.
October 19th
Flags of Our Fathers (2005)
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Source: Theatrical Print
This should be retitled Haggis Strangles Eastwood. Ugh. Full review here.
October 20th
Vampyr (1932)
Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Source: Image DVD
Full review here.
October 21st
Marie Antoinette (2005)
Dir: Sofia Coppola
Source: Theatrical Print
How divinely sublime this film is. I didn't quite explode with excitement as I did over Lost in Translation, but this one's cumulative effect was just as profound. Very strong candidate for best of the year, so far. Full review here.
October 22nd
The Wicker Man (1973)
Dir: Robin Hardy
Source: Anchor Bay DVD
Full review here.
October 23rd
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Dir: James Whale
Source: Universal Legacy DVD
Possibly the best of Universal's monster series (pending my seeing The Black Cat). Full review here.
October 24th
The Blob (1958)
Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.
Source: Criterion DVD
I'd have never expected this film to age so well, either as a work of cinema or as a memory from my own childhood. Call it silly and campy - I think it's one of the most pitch-perfect, efficient examples of the sci-fi horror genre. And it's a heluva lot of fun. Full review here.
October 25th
White Zombie (1932)
Dir: Victor Halperin
Source: Google Video
Full review here.
The Wolf Man (1941)
Dir: George Waggner
Source: Universal DVD
Here's looking forward to Benicio Del Toro in the remake. Full review here.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dir: George A. Romero
Source: DVD
Few films - horror or otherwise - are as pure as this one. One of my all-time favorites. Full review here.
October 26th
Brazil (1985)
Dir: Terry Gilliam
Source: Criterion DVD
Terry Gilliam's dystopian masterpiece gains both relevance and enjoyability with each passing year, a giddy orgasm of images that seems to combust inwardly from start to finish.
October 28th
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Source: Grindhouse DVD
If I could never come close to this thing again in my life, death will be a sweet thing indeed. It's not the violence itself that infuriates me - it's the hollow grab towards subversion, which is both dishonest and completely tepid. Please, don't even see this to see how bad it really is. I'd like to think I suffered so that you would not. Full review here.
GoodFellas (1990)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Source: Warner Bros. DVD
If I could only pick a handful of films to watch again for the first time, this would be in the running. So few works of art in any medium come close to such a seamlessly sewn whirlwind.
October 29th
The Rock (1996)
Dir: Michael Bay
Source: Criterion DVD
What happened to this Michael Bay? Was he kidnapped by aliens and replaced by an evil, inept spawn of Satan? Either way, The Rock is one of the most enjoyable, relentless and - dare I say it - smart - action films of the 90's (or ever, for that matter). At times it's damn near operatic in tone.
October 30th
Brazil - The "Love Conquers All" Version (1985)
Dir: The Corporate Whores of Universal Studios
Source: Criterion DVD
This cinematic miscarriage is a double edged sword. Fans of Gilliam's masterpiece will be infuriated to see their beloved film ripped apart and reassembled into this purportedly more "commercial" endeavor - a soulless peice of work embarrasingly uneven in tone, a full hour shorter, and obviously culled together from many alternate takes. It has the same skin as Brazil, but hardly anything underneath is the same. On the other hand, the painful experience of this version only makes the real film more savory when one images how close it came to never happening.
