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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 12:40:08 GMT -5
1961. Seen 9 films. Haven't seen The Guns of Navarone, but will prioritise it.
This #1 takes no thought, as Judgment at Nuremberg is a top 20 or so film for me.
#2 is another film from Kobayashi, who I just mentioned in regards to my late 1962 entry (going backwards). The conclusion to his masterful World War II trilogy, The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer. All three movies were filmed together, so it's best to think of them as one 9-hour film and watch in close proximity to each other.
Those are the only masterpieces of the year for me. Next I'd look to a favorite sci/fi film, The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Then probably Breakfast at Tiffany's and West Side Story (I do love musicals).
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 12:43:34 GMT -5
You nailed a few of my top dogs from 1960, Slam_Bradley : Psycho, Magnificent Seven, Inherit the Wind, Sparatacus. Hell of a starting rotation. For 1960, I'll just echo Hal's comment. Those are my top 4 for the year, with Psycho at #1. For #5, I'll put the British version of Psycho, Peeping Tom. Which I think destroyed Michael Powell's career and gave Hitchcock some ideas for how to better market Psycho (like don't let the critics see it before audiences). Also a couple great sci/fi films this year: Village of the Damned and The Time Machine. |
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 12:50:58 GMT -5
1959. Right at the top are the first two chapters of the Human Condition trilogy by Kobayashi. He's a fixture for my favorite films of the coming 5 years.
Human Condition I: No Greater Love and Human Condition II: Road to Eternity. But right along with them is Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life. I feel like North by Northwest basically invented action movies as I know them. Anatomy of a Murder rounds out my top 5.
Not a big fan of Rio Bravo. More of a High Noon guy, I guess. And I've never appreciated the insanely high regard for Some Like It Hot.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 12:54:50 GMT -5
For 1958, Slam named my top 4: Vertigo, The Defiant Ones, Touch of Evil, and The Fly. And I love a good submarine thriller, so Run Silent, Run Deep rounds out my top 5.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 13:13:09 GMT -5
For 1957, I figured I could spare 7 minutes to watch What's Opera Doc after the glowing recommendation. It had been a few decades. It is great, but probably won't crack my top 5 for the year.
12 Angry Men is one of my favorite movies ever and my no-brainer #1. Great year for legal dramas, war films, and films that blend the two genres. Bridge on the River Kwai, Paths of Glory, Witness for the Prosecution.
The Incredible Shrinking Man is one of the greatest science fiction films, way more philosophical and introspective than people tend to suspect before seeing it.
Those are my top 5, but it's a great year. I love Cushing's take on Dr. Frankenstein and I think Curse of Frankenstein may be the best Frankenstein film ever. Over in Japan, we have another great Kobayashi film taking a look at an American military base in post-war Japan with Black River. And Kurosawa with one of his great Shakespeare/Samurai mash-ups in Throne of Blood.
Not quite sure what to make of The Cranes are Flying. It's supposed to be one of the greatest films of all time. And maybe it is. I suspect it hasn't aged well. Did I mention I love submarine movies like The Enemy Below.
And just today for the first time I watched The Mysterians. I really need to finish watching those Honda monster movies. Varan is next on my list.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 13:58:22 GMT -5
For 1956, Slam hit my top 3: Forbidden Planet, The Searchers, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He surprisingly failed to include my favorite musical of the year: The King and I. And left out a favorite samurai film, Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island. Finishing off the trilogy telling the story of famed samurai Miyamoto Musashi, who inspired comicdom's favorite samurai rabbit, Miyamoto Usagi.
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 6, 2022 14:01:01 GMT -5
I see I've missed about two decades. Maybe I'll catch up. Maybe I won't. I'll start with where you are. 1963. Seen 11 films. 3 I consider masterpieces. You named two of them. The Great Escape I just saw for the first time last year. But loved it. What I appreciate about The Birds as well as Psycho is that the movie seems entirely invested in its essentially red herring plot. Had this just been a romantic comedy about a quirky woman annoying a guy until they fall in love, it would have been an entirely enjoyable one. Similarly, if Psycho had been a straightforward noir about a woman facing the spiraling consequences of a bad decision. These are great movies before their plots take sharp turns. My #1 choice for the year though is High and Low, which is my single favorite Kurosawa film. A seemingly straightforward procedural investigation into a botched kidnapping slowly unpacks the nature of class imbalance in society. From Russia with Love and It's a Mad Mad Mad World round out my top 5. I really love High and Low. It’s my second favorite Kurosawa film after Yojimbo. But it just can’t compete with the nostalgia factor involved for The Birds and King Kong vs. Godzilla. These are two highly entertaining movies that I haven’t gotten tired of after decades of repeated viewings. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 6, 2022 14:04:13 GMT -5
1961. Seen 9 films. Haven't seen The Guns of Navarone, but will prioritise it. This #1 takes no thought, as Judgment at Nuremberg is a top 20 or so film for me. #2 is another film from Kobayashi, who I just mentioned in regards to my late 1962 entry (going backwards). The conclusion to his masterful World War II trilogy, The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer. All three movies were filmed together, so it's best to think of them as one 9-hour film and watch in close proximity to each other. Those are the only masterpieces of the year for me. Next I'd look to a favorite sci/fi film, The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Then probably Breakfast at Tiffany's and West Side Story (I do love musicals). The Human Condition is an amazing film. All three parts. I put it off for a while because it seemed pretty heavy. And I wasn’t intending to watch them all at once. But as soon as I started, I watched them as fast as I could get them from the library. Highly recommended. |
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 16:23:06 GMT -5
1955. At Slam's suggestion I took the 7 minutes to rewatch One Froggy Evening, which I hadn't seen in decades. Definitely brought back fond memories and is a strong contender for my favorite Looney Tunes short.
But I think my favorite for the year stands at The Lady and the Tramp. Could the frog short be #2? I'm now at Slam's dilemma of trying to compare it to The Night of the Hunter. Very different films. Same goes for Diabolique. I think I would take Froggy over Bad Day at Black Rock or This Island Earth.
Other contenders for the year are Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, All That Heaven Allows, and the Quatermass Xperiment.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 6, 2022 16:31:56 GMT -5
1954 is a great year in film for me. The winner is going to be the original Japanese Godzilla. But a close contender is Rear Window, probably my #2 Hitchcock film after Psycho, Hitchcock being my top director. Another strong contender is my 3rd favorite film from my 7th favorite director, Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, probably the greatest samurai film after Rashomon and any samurai films Kobayashi made.
Of course Hitchcock also had another masterpiece that year with Dial M for Murder. And Johnny Guitar is a great western film, and perhaps the only woman-centric western film of the era.
That's a top 5, but it's also a great year for science fiction, with 20000 Leagues Under the Sea and Creature from the Black Lagoon. (And Gog and Them!)
Other great films are On the Waterfront, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, and Riot in Cell Block 11.
OK, admittedly I've now named almost every movie I've seen from the year, but they're all great. The only other movie I've seen is Sabrina. Also great.
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Post by berkley on Nov 7, 2022 0:19:39 GMT -5
1963:
Jason and the Argonauts - a Harryhausen classic, some of his best set-pieces
Charade - Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, two of my favourites; the age gap should be too much but it's Grant so I can accept it
The Pink Panther - different from the rest of the series in that Sellers's Clouseau is a supporting character but still great fun
4 for Texas - a bit of fluff but great cast in this one with Dean Martin, Sinatra, plus Charles Bronson as the bad guy; but it's Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress who steal the show for me with their incredible beauty
Bye Bye Birdie - I remember liking this as a kid; comedy about a teen idol who is drafted into the army, like Elvis; a young Ann Margaret is really good in it
Contempt -famous Godard with Bardot, Jack Palance; I need to see this one again as I don't remember it that well
From Russia with Love - many fans' pick as both the best Bond movie and the best Bond novel; I'd likely agree for the movies, might have to think about the novels
Call Me Bwana - lightweight Bob Hope comedy, enjoyable enough if you like his schtick (which I do) but this one is mostly memorable for Anita Ekberg (yes, I'm a fan) as a Russian spy, looking stunning in a black pullover
I'll go with From Russia with Love as my favourite for this year, though Charade and the Pink Panther would be close contenders
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 7, 2022 7:53:04 GMT -5
Still working backwards until I find where I left off. 1953. Rewatched Duck Amuck per Tim's suggestion. Think I prefer Duck Dodgers, but neither quite cracks my top 5.
#1 is Shane. I like the stranger-comes-to-town-in-need genre, e.g. Seven Samurai.
#2 is Tokyo Story. Ozu's meditation on aging.
Then the Vincent Price horror, House of Wax. And some influential science fiction films. The aliens that looks like us in It Came From Outer Space and Invaders from Mars. And before Godzilla, there was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.
That's quite a lot of films to inspire so much that came later.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 7, 2022 8:10:23 GMT -5
1952 is tricky for me because I'm a science fiction guy, and 1951 and 1953 are brimming with landmark science fiction films, but they took this year off. Partly because of that, I've only seen 7 movies from this year, a couple of which were not very good.
#1 is Singin' in the Rain. Duh. One of the best musical films and comedy films. Though Ikiru makes a strong contender. Probably my #4 Kurosawa film. And then High Noon is my #3. Then I start to struggle. Rabbit Seasoning makes a fine #4, but I don't really have a proper top 5. I guess Red Planet Mars if you put a gun to my head to come up with a 5th.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 7, 2022 8:20:25 GMT -5
1951 is the dawn of science fiction cinema and thus a big year for me.
#1 is pretty easily The Man in the White Suit. I feel like it comes at capitalism from an unusual angle, but pointing out the ways in which capitalism suppresses innovation, the very thing it's supposed to breed. Somewhere between satire and science fiction, I just think there's a lot to take away from this film.
Science fiction films make up my top 3, with Day the Earth Stood Still and When Worlds Collide. I'd loved Deep Impact as a teenager and was excited to find it basically all done a half century earlier.
Then I'll look to Disney for its most surreal film in Alice in Wonderland.
And then to Japan for Ozu's Early Summer. Something of a middle chapter in a thematic trilogy between Late Spring and Tokyo Story.
But this is a great year for science fiction, with Thing from Another World. Five is one of the first post-apocalyptic films, about people struggling to figure out what to do after society is gone. Unknown World is perhaps the first "Hollow Earth" film about what lies below us. The first non-serial comic-based live action superhero film in Superman and the Mole Men.
That's already 9 movies without even getting to Hitchcock, Huston, or Wilder. What a great year.
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Post by coke & comics on Nov 7, 2022 8:25:03 GMT -5
1950. If 1951 saw an explosion of science fiction, some credit should go to Destination Moon for truly launching the golden age of science fiction cinema. And thus easily making my #1 film of 1950.
#2 is Rashomon, my #2 Kurosawa film after High and Low. Then Cinderella, All About Eve, and In a Lonely Place.
Thinking about it, I'm quite proud of the variety of that list. Science fiction, Japanese samurai, animated family film, romantic drama, and crime noir.
Apologies to Sunset Blvd, coming in at #6. I'm not trying to be iconoclastic.
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