Summer is finally ending and honestly, it’s kind of relief. Personally, it wasn’t a very good summer due to personal issues and such. Still, it didn’t stop me from watching a lot of films as the month of August started off slow. Thanks to a change in medication, I was able to feel relaxed and watch films with more focus. Though the change in medication would have me take a much longer time in writing a review, depending on the film, it at least made me less worrisome.
For the month of August, I saw a total of 41 films. 18 first-timers and 23 re-watches. Down from last month but enthusiasm has grown. Even as I went into a period of watching some films by Andrei Tarkovsky for my Auteurs series as it was definitely the highlight of the month. There was also a brief period of the movie channel EPIX playing on my satellite for a while as I got a chance to DVR some movies to late in the month with a few for next month. Here is a list of the top 10 first-timers that I saw:
1. The Sacrifice
2. The Killing
3. Stalker
4. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring...
5. This is England
6. Super 8
7. Ivan's Childhood
8. Nostalghia
9. Les Caribiniers
10. Down to the Bone
Monthly Mini-Reviews:
Can: The Documentary
A documentary about the legendary Krautrock band explores the band’s history just as they were set to release a remix album made by other artist. It features interviews with the band along with loads of performance clips as well as rare footage of rehearsals and such. One poignant scene is the meeting between the band’s two singers in Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki as they talk about their contributions to the music of Can.
Puss in Boots
I do love the Puss in Boots character as I was interested to see his origin story. While it is better than the last two Shrek films, it doesn’t reach the heights of some of Dreamworks Animations films like Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and the original Shrek. Still, it was entertaining enough as it is filled with lots of adventures along with some great voice work from Salma Hayek, Billy Bob Thornton, and Guillermo del Toro in a small roles as the Commadante.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. Almost Famous
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Back to the Future
4. American Splendor
5. Monsoon Wedding
6. Licence to Kill
7. Rachel Getting Married
8. The Skin I Live In
9. Girl with a Pearl Earring
10. Live Flesh
Well, that is it for August. In September, I hope to release my Favorite Films piece on the Dollars trilogy as it’s only 2/3s finished as I’m also leaning towards Almost Famous as my next essay. Along with the next Auteurs piece on Paul Thomas Anderson in anticipation for The Master. The James Bond marathon will continue with the four films starring Pierce Brosnan along with the documentary Bond Girls are Forever. There will be a few 2010/2011 films I will be watching as I’m also leaning towards some French films by Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. If I have time and energy, I hope to do some films by Samuel Fuller. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off.
© thevoid99 2012
6 comments:
Oh wow. I almost forgot Rosemarie Dewitt was in Rachel's Getting Married. I like that actress, hope to see her in more things Great list of watches and rewatches. What did you think of "The Killing"?
I already have my review of The Killing finished. Wait around tomorrow.
Glad to hear you are less worrisome. Lots of classics on your list this month! Stalker is a masterpiece, I prefer it over The Sacrifice(that image of the house on fire is a magnificent scene)
I usually enjoy Kim Ki Duk, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring is beautiful. If you ever feel in the mood to watch other films from his career, I'd recommend: Time (2006) or The Bow (2005)
@Chris-It's the change of medication that helped me. I don't recommend Risperidone. It makes you antsy, you feel drowsy all the time, and you can't sit still.
I definitely want to see more Kim Ki-Duk films. I hope to do more of his work in the future.
Glad to see some love for Girl with a Pearl Earring. Johannson's performance that same year in Lost in Translation always seems to overshadow it.
@Chip-Scarlett was pretty much my favorite actress back in 2003 and she completely knocked it out the ballpark that year with not one but 2 great performances. I often said that Girl with the Pearl Earring is her best performance but Lost in Translation remains her best film.
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