movies in december
28 movies, from 1934 to 2008.
First Runs
Veer-Zaara (2004) - I thought this was a great, egalitarian love story with good music.
Rachel Getting Married (2008) - Not crazy about this movie, but I totally cried when the guy from TV on the Radio sang "Unknown Legend."
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) - Sad and hilarious.
Le Placard (2001) (The Closet) - We can all agree that the most important part of this movie was the kitten(s).
Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006) - Actually, I thought this was kind of an interesting look at the "you can't have everything" school of thought, plus there were good jokes. It probably helped that Rahul Bose reminded me so strongly of Rufus Sewell.
Rio Bravo (1959) - Ahhem. I think I've made my point.
Heathers (1988) - Probably one of the top ten most quotable movie in the world. But it hasn't aged well.
Beonjijeompeureul hada (2001) (Bungee Jumping of Their Own) - I envy Seoul's wool coat population and Lee Byung-hun is a very good actor. (Was I crazy about the way this movie worked out? No. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad movie.)
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008) - Not sure if this is eligible for an Oscar, but I really hope it is and that it gets nominated. It's an excellent documentary, I think especially for the parts about Giancarlo Giametti.
Running on Empty (1988) - Both River Phoenix and Christine Lahti are really good, but I think we're supposed to sympathize with the parents and their position is so smug and disingenuous - and ultimately they're total hypocrites. Well, at least the father is. Ugh.
Orlando (1992) - In a lot of ways this is quite true to the novel(la), but mostly that means it carries over a lot of the flaws without also carrying over the primary charm (how personal a book it is).
Love's Labour's Lost (2000) - Quite slight, but still enjoyable.
The Mission (1986) - Jeremy Irons makes me reconsider my "priests are not hot" stance.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - You know, I don't mind watching movies about terrible people. I just ask that they be interesting while they are horrible, and no one in this movie qualified.
The Entertainer (1960) - Possibly due to a generational thing, Laurence Olivier doesn't impress me much outside of his Hamlet. That was true here, maybe because I don't understand his acting style. However, I really thought Joan Plowright, Roger Livesey, and Shirley Anne Field were good here.
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) - Uuuuugh. How not to be an empathetic documentarian.
Kya Kehna (2000) - Could have been good, except it's not directed well. Basically, Saif Ali Khan plays Jordan Catalano, except rich. (And I do love the way he leans.) This is the best song. This is the most unintentionally hilarious one. Leather trousers! A terrible sex scene! Late 90s hair. D: Saif, I forgive you. It's okay.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) - I suck, and this is the first ever James Dean movie I've watched. Sorry, sorry. I wish it had been more feminist, or at least less narrow in its definition of masculinity.
Enchanted April (1994) - Some really lovely visuals, as you might expect from an English-people-in-Italy movie, and good female characters.
Monsoon Wedding (2000) - This reminded me both of A Suitable Boy and Shakespeare, and although I do not think it is quite as excellent as those comparisons might lead you to believe, I still think it is very, very good.
Adoration (2008) - Scott Speedman was so good I actually resented when other people were on screen.
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007) - Mostly this was a movie about male bonding. More importantly: John Abraham (different movie). As Derek Zoolander put it so eloquently, he is really really ridiculously good looking. He is so good looking that if David Bowie were judging him in a walk off, he would probably revert back to his 70s sexual orientation.
Repeats
Eastern Promises (2007) - My mother watched this interview with Vincent Cassel after I unwisely showed it to her, and then she asked if she could watch this movie. Ahahahaha. No. No. A thousand times no. At least she didn't ask about Irréversible (et Vincent Cassel et si charmant que j'ai failli vouler regarder ce film! But only almost). So I told her it was like The Wire except without the jokes, and that turned her off it. Although, to be honest, I do quite like Eastern Promises. I don't think it's as good as Dirty Pretty Things, just because the moral schema is much more black and white in this movie as far as good/evil goes. But I do like it - I like Cronenberg, and I admire his creativity.
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) - Okay, seriously, what else can I say about this movie now?
Ocean's Twelve (2004) - The most pointless movie ever, seriously. But Vincent Cassel . . . In HD . . .
Last Night (1998) - I liked it a lot the first time I saw it, and it improves upon rewatching. So, you know, nice job there.
The Thin Man (1934) - This year's Christmas movie! Still want to be Myrna Loy when I grow up.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - So, I haven't seen this movie since I was like 12? So I'd forgotten a lot of it, like, for example, how Kirk and Spock are totally the Adamas. Kirk is all, "Love me!" and Spock is just like, "Um, pass" for most of the movie. And then, of course, they hug. I see why it is the fandom that created slash.
First Runs
Veer-Zaara (2004) - I thought this was a great, egalitarian love story with good music.
Rachel Getting Married (2008) - Not crazy about this movie, but I totally cried when the guy from TV on the Radio sang "Unknown Legend."
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) - Sad and hilarious.
Le Placard (2001) (The Closet) - We can all agree that the most important part of this movie was the kitten(s).
Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006) - Actually, I thought this was kind of an interesting look at the "you can't have everything" school of thought, plus there were good jokes. It probably helped that Rahul Bose reminded me so strongly of Rufus Sewell.
Rio Bravo (1959) - Ahhem. I think I've made my point.
Heathers (1988) - Probably one of the top ten most quotable movie in the world. But it hasn't aged well.
Beonjijeompeureul hada (2001) (Bungee Jumping of Their Own) - I envy Seoul's wool coat population and Lee Byung-hun is a very good actor. (Was I crazy about the way this movie worked out? No. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad movie.)
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008) - Not sure if this is eligible for an Oscar, but I really hope it is and that it gets nominated. It's an excellent documentary, I think especially for the parts about Giancarlo Giametti.
Running on Empty (1988) - Both River Phoenix and Christine Lahti are really good, but I think we're supposed to sympathize with the parents and their position is so smug and disingenuous - and ultimately they're total hypocrites. Well, at least the father is. Ugh.
Orlando (1992) - In a lot of ways this is quite true to the novel(la), but mostly that means it carries over a lot of the flaws without also carrying over the primary charm (how personal a book it is).
Love's Labour's Lost (2000) - Quite slight, but still enjoyable.
The Mission (1986) - Jeremy Irons makes me reconsider my "priests are not hot" stance.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - You know, I don't mind watching movies about terrible people. I just ask that they be interesting while they are horrible, and no one in this movie qualified.
The Entertainer (1960) - Possibly due to a generational thing, Laurence Olivier doesn't impress me much outside of his Hamlet. That was true here, maybe because I don't understand his acting style. However, I really thought Joan Plowright, Roger Livesey, and Shirley Anne Field were good here.
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) - Uuuuugh. How not to be an empathetic documentarian.
Kya Kehna (2000) - Could have been good, except it's not directed well. Basically, Saif Ali Khan plays Jordan Catalano, except rich. (And I do love the way he leans.) This is the best song. This is the most unintentionally hilarious one. Leather trousers! A terrible sex scene! Late 90s hair. D: Saif, I forgive you. It's okay.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) - I suck, and this is the first ever James Dean movie I've watched. Sorry, sorry. I wish it had been more feminist, or at least less narrow in its definition of masculinity.
Enchanted April (1994) - Some really lovely visuals, as you might expect from an English-people-in-Italy movie, and good female characters.
Monsoon Wedding (2000) - This reminded me both of A Suitable Boy and Shakespeare, and although I do not think it is quite as excellent as those comparisons might lead you to believe, I still think it is very, very good.
Adoration (2008) - Scott Speedman was so good I actually resented when other people were on screen.
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007) - Mostly this was a movie about male bonding. More importantly: John Abraham (different movie). As Derek Zoolander put it so eloquently, he is really really ridiculously good looking. He is so good looking that if David Bowie were judging him in a walk off, he would probably revert back to his 70s sexual orientation.
Repeats
Eastern Promises (2007) - My mother watched this interview with Vincent Cassel after I unwisely showed it to her, and then she asked if she could watch this movie. Ahahahaha. No. No. A thousand times no. At least she didn't ask about Irréversible (et Vincent Cassel et si charmant que j'ai failli vouler regarder ce film! But only almost). So I told her it was like The Wire except without the jokes, and that turned her off it. Although, to be honest, I do quite like Eastern Promises. I don't think it's as good as Dirty Pretty Things, just because the moral schema is much more black and white in this movie as far as good/evil goes. But I do like it - I like Cronenberg, and I admire his creativity.
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) - Okay, seriously, what else can I say about this movie now?
Ocean's Twelve (2004) - The most pointless movie ever, seriously. But Vincent Cassel . . . In HD . . .
Last Night (1998) - I liked it a lot the first time I saw it, and it improves upon rewatching. So, you know, nice job there.
The Thin Man (1934) - This year's Christmas movie! Still want to be Myrna Loy when I grow up.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - So, I haven't seen this movie since I was like 12? So I'd forgotten a lot of it, like, for example, how Kirk and Spock are totally the Adamas. Kirk is all, "Love me!" and Spock is just like, "Um, pass" for most of the movie. And then, of course, they hug. I see why it is the fandom that created slash.