|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Dec 29, 2022 21:10:41 GMT -5
As usual, there’s a lot of great movies mentioned here so far.
My two favorites from 1969 are The Wild Bunch and Fellini Satyricon.
I’m very glad Army of Shadows was mentioned. It’s one of the best French films of the 1960s.
I have seen a lot of Japanese films from the 1960s the last few years, so I looked to see which 1969 Japanese films might be worth considering if I ever decide to revamp my Favorite Movies list.
Wow. There’s a lot of them.
First, a shout-out to Godzilla’s Revenge, which has been a guilty pleasure of mine since the late 1970s. I’ve seen it dozens of times.
Next, a list of other great Japanese movies from 1969:
Boy
Eros + Massacre
The Funeral Parade of Roses
Blind Beast
Go, Go, Second-Time Virgin
|
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Dec 30, 2022 1:49:54 GMT -5
After a quick look through the wiki list for 1969 in movies, I'll go with La Piscine/The Swimming Pool, (it was filmed in both French and English) possibly in part due to a bit of recency bias as I saw the French version (with subtitles) at the local movie theatre just a year or so back. But the star power of Romy Schneider and Alain Delon is incredible in this picture, both individually and as a pair in terms of their onscreen chemistry together - they were a couple for some years but I believe had been separated, though still friendly, for some time before making this film, but that off-screen connection doesn't always translate to the onscreen interaction, and visa versa. The rest of the cast is really good too, notably Jane Birkin and Maurice Ronet. The story, characters, and Riviera setting are all intriguing. It's probably Schneider who makes this one stand out for me, if I have to name any single element that elevates it from a very good to a great piece of work, but really it's more the magic combination of a lot of excellent things working together.
|
|
|
|
Post by coke & comics on Jan 2, 2023 3:28:29 GMT -5
1969 feels like the last gasp of the westerns, a genre on its way out, with a bunch of movies that all seem to be about how the genre is on its way out. True Grit, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paint Your Wagon...
I think On Her Majesty's Secret Service is what the 007 franchise needed to revitalize itself after a couple lackluster films.
Nobody seems to appreciate Hitchcock's true life spy thriller Topaz, but I think it's another great espionage film by the master.
Easy Rider seems like one of the more acclaimed films of the year.
For science fiction, we get the Bradbury-based anthology, The Illustrated Man. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed wraps up the best series of Frankenstein films. And Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (also called Doppelganger) is an underseen gem.
A quick review of The Italian Job, particularly for those who haven't seen it. The first hour is garbage. Just fast forward. You won't miss anything. Then we come to the car chases, which is what we're here for. They have cool cars. And while it makes no pretense of being a coherent chase scene, it is a bunch of cool chase vignettes. We see the cars do some cool stunt, and then awkwardly cut to the next cool stunt. And then we come to the ending, the best part of the movie. Everybody is singing a song, from prison to their van, and then comes the literal cliffhanger. It's a solid final 30 minutes followed by an excellent ending. Just skip the first hour.
Despite Slam's protestations, I think my favorite movie of the year might be True Grit, though I could just as easily pick one of the other fading westerns.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 5, 2023 11:38:14 GMT -5
On to a new decade... 1970. Honestly I find 1970 to be kind of weak, at least as to the movies I can remember. Patton - It's honestly been quite a while since I've seen this film. I can definitely say it had a great starring performance by George C. Scott and a nice turn by Karl Malden as Omar Bradley. It's a technical and logistical marvel and the opening scene is simply brilliant cinema. But it's been long enough that my feelings are a little hard to coalesce. M*A*S*H* - A brilliant comedy. A brilliant skewering of the Vietnam War by proxy. This is also a film that hasn't aged super well with modern sensibilities. The humor here is, by and large, sadistic. It's bullying, misogynist and mean. I can still find it funny, because it's of its time, but I can definitely see how modern audiences could have serious issues with a lot of this movie. The real launching point for the careers of Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Sally Kellerman and Robert Duvall, it's full of very good performances, and it's certainly a slice of time. Kelly's Heroes - A war action comedy caper film, Kelly's Heroes has it all. A truly great cast with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles and an inspired performance by Donald Sutherland as Oddball. The movie is just fun. Just ludicrously fun, punctuated by enough moments of heightened tension (the mine-field scene) to remind you that there is a war out there. Two Mules for Sister Sara - I'm an unabashed fan of Don Siegel and there are very few Clint Eastwood movies that I won't at least give a shot. This isn't a great film, but it's a fun, solid western that's a little less revisionist than we'd seen from Eastwood before. As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; most of the big foreign language films; Five Easy Pieces; Little Big Man; Catch-22; etc. So what's my favorite film of 1970? It's Kelly's Heroes. Is it the best film of the year? Nah. But it's incredibly fun. There's just never going to be a time I'm not going to want to drink some wine, eat some cheese, catch some rays and watch this movie, you know. As usual 1970 in film for those as need a look. |
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 5, 2023 13:15:36 GMT -5
Ah, yes. 1970 saw the release of a personal favorite, Tko pjeva zlo ne misli...  ...often translated as "A Song a Day Takes the Mischief Away", which works as well as anything else, since it's virtually impossible to render the phrase in English that retains both its simplicity and playfulness. Anyway, it's a musical comedy of manners set in Zagreb in the mid-1930s, about the disruption caused to a middle-class family when a dapper stranger (a 'photographer' who's mostly just a BS-artist) starts to seriously put the moves on the wife. A classic of cinematography in the former Yugoslavia, considered by many the best Croatian film ever made. |
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jan 5, 2023 13:59:39 GMT -5
some 1970 favourites:
Beneath the Planet of the Apes - one of the first adult movies I saw at the cinema as a kid, so it left a huge impression; I still think it's an excellent movie, definitely the best of the series after the first one.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - Russ Meyer's biggest commercial success and probably his best movie except for Faster Pussycat.
Chariots of the Gods - OK, so it can't be taken seriously as a documentary, but so what? It's such a cool idea! I think you could watch it now as a mockumentary and be entertained, though I admit I haven't tried.
Colossus: The Forbin Project - a staple SF concept, the super-intelligent computer that takes over the world, handled entertainingly in this tv-movie.
El Topo - it's Jodorowsky, which probably says all you need to know.
Goin' Down the Road - Canadian classic about two guys from Cape Breton who move to Toronto to find work, very typical situation for people from eastern Canada to this day.
M*A*S*H - I saw this for the first time only a few years ago and yes, some parts don't go down well today, for me mostly the way Sally Kellerman's character is treated by the heroes. But still one of the best movies from this year that I recall seeing.
keeping in mind the idea of favourite as opposed to best, for me it's probably a toss-up between the first two I listed, Beneath and Beyond. Trying to decide between them, I ask myself which one would I most feel like watching at this moment and I think the answer is the Russ Meyer film, so my pick for 1970 is Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
|
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Jan 5, 2023 14:07:22 GMT -5
On my IMDb list of favorite movies, I have a tie for 1970: El Topo and Even Dwarfs Started Small.
I’m inclined to give it to Even Dwarfs Started Small. I liked El Topo a lot when I trekked to downtown Los Angeles to see it on a big screen nearly thirty years ago. But I haven’t seen it since.
On the other hand, I saw Even Dwarfs Started Small for the first time about twelve years ago. I watched it twice the same day, which is the only time I’ve ever watched a movie twice in one day. And I’ve seen it a few times since then because it’s so compelling. (The DVD has a commentary track with Crispin Glover interviewing Werner Herzog ... and it’s awesome!)
|
|
|
|
Post by commond on Jan 5, 2023 16:16:42 GMT -5
I conveniently dated this ballot for Best Films of the 70s: {Spoiler: Click to show}
100. Amar Akbar Anthony (Manmohan Desai, 1977)
099. Série Noire (Alain Corneau 1979)
098. Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971)
097. White Sun of the Desert (Vladimir Motyl, 1970)
096. Cross of Iron (Sam Peckinpah, 1977)
095. State of Seige (Costa-Gavras, 1972)
094. The Outfit (John Flynn, 1973)
093. L'important c'est d'aimer (Andrzej Zulawski, 1975)
092. That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel, 1977)
091. Buffet Froid (Bertrand Blier 1979)
090. The Travelling Players (Theodoros Angelopoulos, 1975)
089. Klute (Alan J. Pakula, 1971)
088. The Judge and the Assassin (Bertrand Tavernier, 1976)
087. The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich, 1971)
086. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
085. Emperor of the North (Robert Aldrich.1973)
084. Claire's Knee (Eric Rohmer, 1970)
083. Insiang (Lino Brocka, 1976)
082. Umut (Yilmaz Güney, 1970)
081. Grin Without a Cat (Chris Marker, 1977)
080. The Fantastic Planet (Rene Laloux, 1973)
079. The Longest Yard (Robert Aldrich, 1974)
078. Lady Snowblood (Toshiya Fujita, 1973)
077. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Kenji Misumi, 1972)
076. Battles Without Honour and Humanity (Kinji Fukasaku, 1972)
075. Avenging Warriors of Shaolin (Cheh Chang, 1979)
074. The Magnificent Butcher (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Woo-ping Yuen, 1979)
073. Five Venoms (Cheh Chang, 1978)
072. Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)
071. Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)
070. A Man Called Horse (Elliot Silverstein, 1970)
069. The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston, 1975)
068. The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann, 1973)
067. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)
066. The Butcher (Claude Chabrol, 1970)
065. Mon oncle Antoine (Claude Jutra, 1971)
064. Cría Cuervos (Carlos Saura, 1976)
063. Lancelot du Lac (Robert Bresson, 1974)
062. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Elio Petri, 1970)
061. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel, 1972)
060. O Lucky Man! (Lindsay Anderson, 1973)
059. Little Big Man (Arthur Penn, 1970)
058. Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven, 1977)
057. Sandakan No. 8 (Kei Kumai, 1974)
056. Ghatashraddha (Girish Kasaravalli. 1977)
055. Harlan County U.S.A. (Barbara Kopple, 1976)
054. Lacombe, Lucien (Louis Malle, 1974)
053. Galaxy Express 999 (Rintaro, 1979)
052. Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)
051. 21 Up (Michael Apted, 1977)
050. Marjoe (Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, 1972)
049. The Working Class Goes to Heaven (Elio Petri, 1971)
048. Ulzana's Raid (Robert Aldrich, 1972)
047. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
046. Le Cercle Rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville 1970)
045. The Mouth Agape (Maurice Pialat, 1974)
044. Ankur (Shyam Benegal, 1974)
043. The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)
042. L' Aveu/The Confession (Costa-Gavras, 1970)
041. The American Friend (Wim Wenders, 1977)
040. Day for Night (Francois Truffaut, 1973)
039. Murmur of the Heart (Louis Malle, 1971)
038. Fox and His Friends (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1975)
037. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
036. Fat City (John Huston, 1972)
035. The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
034. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
033. Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa, 1975)
032. Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977)
031. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Vittorio De Sica, 1970)
030. A River Named Titas (Ritwik Ghatak, 1973)
029. Distant Thunder (Satyajit Ray, 1973)
028. The Genealogy (Im Kwon-taek, 1979)
027. Turks Fruit (Paul Verhoeven, 1973)
026. O Pasado e o Presente (Manuel de Oliveira, 1971)
025. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
024. The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache, 1973)
023. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
022. The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)
021. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
020. An Unfinished Piece for a Player Piano (Nikita Mikhalkov, 1977)
019. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)
018. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
017. Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970)
016. The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi, 1978)
015. The Third Part of the Night (Andrzej Zulawski, 1971)
014. The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970)
013. The Place Without Limits (Arturo Ripstein, 1978)
012. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
011. Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972)
010. Pakeezah (Kamal Amrohi, 1972)
009. Vengeance is Mine (Shohei Imamura, 1979)
008. Ugly, Dirty and Bad (Ettore Scola, 1976)
007. The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)
006. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)
005. The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974)
004. Xala (Ousmane Sembene, 1975)
003. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974)
002. Manila in the Claws of Neon (Lino Brocka, 1975)
001. Hearts and Minds (Peter Davis, 1974) |
|
|
|
Post by commond on Jan 5, 2023 16:22:04 GMT -5
It appears that The Conformist and Five Easy Pieces were my favorite films of 1970, but it's been an age. Jack Nicholson's performance sticks in the memory, so I'll go with Five Easy Pieces.
|
|
|
|
Post by coke & comics on Jan 9, 2023 17:49:57 GMT -5
Top 5 in reverse order.
My obligatory science fiction entry is Colossus: The Forbin Project.
A friend who's a war buff was just telling me how great and accurate Patton is, and how he visited sites from it on a recent trip. I owe it a rewatch.
I want to like MASH more than I do. I appreciate it being a dark comedy that goes out of its way to not glamorize war. And it has its moments. But not every scene hits for me. And by the time they're all playing football, I'm beginning to lose interest.
I much prefer Slam's movie of the year when it comes to war comedy films, Kelly's Heroes.
My #1 film for the year is probably Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. A lot of what I loved about American Psycho can be found in this old Italian film.
But this is very much not a favorite year for film.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 9, 2023 18:12:58 GMT -5
But this is very much not a favorite year for film. Yeah...for me it's a very weak year. Now some of that may just be that I haven't watched that many movies from the year...or that it's been eons since I've watched them. But overall not a great year in my opinion. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2023 18:32:55 GMT -5
Allow me to be self-indulgent: Carry on up the Jungle is my favourite Carry On… film. I don’t know how well such films would stand up today, and I doubt any Carry On film has any rewatch value, but I remember enjoying this one many years ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Jan 9, 2023 21:41:10 GMT -5
Allow me to be self-indulgent: Carry on up the Jungle is my favourite Carry On… film. I don’t know how well such films would stand up today, and I doubt any Carry On film has any rewatch value, but I remember enjoying this one many years ago. I’ve been wanting to watch Carry On Cleo again. |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Jan 9, 2023 21:43:49 GMT -5
Top 5 in reverse order. My obligatory science fiction entry is Colossus: The Forbin Project. A friend who's a war buff was just telling me how great and accurate Patton is, and how he visited sites from it on a recent trip. I owe it a rewatch. I want to like MASH more than I do. I appreciate it being a dark comedy that goes out of its way to not glamorize war. And it has its moments. But not every scene hits for me. And by the time they're all playing football, I'm beginning to lose interest. I much prefer Slam's movie of the year when it comes to war comedy films, Kelly's Heroes. My #1 film for the year is probably Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. A lot of what I loved about American Psycho can be found in this old Italian film. But this is very much not a favorite year for film. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion is a GREAT CHOICE! I only saw it once and it’s been almost twenty years, but I saw it on a big screen with an audience and it was an experience. Great soundtrack too! |
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jan 10, 2023 9:15:44 GMT -5
Allow me to be self-indulgent: Carry on up the Jungle is my favourite Carry On… film. I don’t know how well such films would stand up today, and I doubt any Carry On film has any rewatch value, but I remember enjoying this one many years ago. I’ve been wanting to watch Carry On Cleo again.
I remember Carry On Up the Khyber as my favourite when I was a kid but haven't seen them for so long that they tend to blend together in my mind. I did recently watch the very first one, Carry On Sergeant, which I had not seen before and found it very enjoyable, so I think I will be carrying on with the Carry On series, though I won't try to see every single one for now. Next up: Carry On Nurse, another one I'm pretty sure I didn't see back in the day. I know I saw one of the medical ones but I think it was Carry On Doctor, which came a few years later.
|
|
