Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 12, 2023 13:40:27 GMT -5
I'm somehow managing to keep a pretty steady once a week progress. Yay Me! On to 1971.
A Clockwork Orange - Honestly, it's been long enough since I've watched this one that I maybe shouldn't have it in the main list. But here we are...because I said so, dammit. What I can say is that Malcolm McDowell is bloody brilliant. Beyond that, it's probably been too long for me to say a lot. I know that I really liked it a lot the last time I watched it, unlike 2001. But it's been a bit too long for it to get real consideration as my favorite.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - I've mentioned that I hate musicals. This is one of the few exceptions. And, overall, I'm not much on live-action movies aimed at children (animation is another story). This is another exception. And at least 80% of that comes down to Gene Wilder. Damn he's amazing in this movie. There are so many sinister undertones and decently scary moments in this movie that set it apart from most kiddy fare. But for me the movie is all about how damn good Wilder is. And the Oompa Loompa songs are pretty funny.
The French Connection - It's honestly been a long time since I've seen this one also and it deserves a re-watch. I do remember Gene Hackman giving a very good performance as Popeye Doyle. And that car chase is a classic. But I really should watch this one again.
Dirty Harry - Twenty years ago this would have been the no-brainer choice for me. But I've changed and I've reevaluated a number of things in life. I probably owe this one a re-watch also. It was definitely a ground-breaking film at the time and I can't, as I recall, fault anything in the direction of Don Siegel or in Eastwood's performance. I just need to watch it again to see if it's really as reactionary as I remember it being.
Duck, You Sucker! - The forgotten Sergio Leone film. It's been quite a while since I've seen this one too. It's not a patch on Leone's better films, but it's still a very good spaghetti western and James Coburn and Rod Steiger work very well together.
Play Misty for Me - Not a great film, but a very good, underrated thriller. Eastwood was still learning and growing as a director and made some good moves here. Jessica Walter was pretty great as the obsessed fan. Well worth another look.
Shaft - I mean, c'mon, he's a bad mother. One of the earliest really successful and important blaxploitation films. Is it great. I dunno. It's damn fun. Richard Roundtree is super convincing as the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks. The film is appropriately gritty. The soundtrack and the theme are all-time greats. I'm just talkin' about Shaft.
The Beguiled - Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood team up again to make a movie that I don't think anyone expected from them at this point. Almost an art-house film nobody knew what to think of it or how to market it in 1971. It's just a weirdly interesting movie that's far from successful but needs a look because of what it is.
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - The other half of the duo (along with Shaft) that entered in the Blaxploitation era. A flawed film that was just super important in showing there was a market for movies about black people made by black people. It stood out as being the anti-Sydney Poitier movie. Melvin Van Peebles showed a world that had not been seen in movies or TV. And that was more than enough to make the movie great.
Support Your Local Gunfighter - Almost a remake of Support Your Local Sheriff. I love both movies because I'm a huge James Garner fan. I like this one a little bit better because Suzanne Pleshette is better than Joan Hackett. It's just a fun silly comedy western.
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; Diamonds Are Forever; The Last Picture Show; McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Get Carter (I really want to re-watch this one); The Omega Man; Walkabout;
And there's an omission that may seem strange, especially considering I'm a fairly big Peckinpah fan. I hate Straw Dogs. Part of it is that I really don't like Dustin Hoffman. But it mostly just feels like violence for violence sake. And I have a pretty strong threshold for violence.
So what's my favorite film of 1971? It's Shaft. He's a bad mutha. Just a fun movie that's still pretty important historically. I'm always happy to sit down and watch it.
As usual 1971 in film for those as need a look.
A Clockwork Orange - Honestly, it's been long enough since I've watched this one that I maybe shouldn't have it in the main list. But here we are...because I said so, dammit. What I can say is that Malcolm McDowell is bloody brilliant. Beyond that, it's probably been too long for me to say a lot. I know that I really liked it a lot the last time I watched it, unlike 2001. But it's been a bit too long for it to get real consideration as my favorite.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - I've mentioned that I hate musicals. This is one of the few exceptions. And, overall, I'm not much on live-action movies aimed at children (animation is another story). This is another exception. And at least 80% of that comes down to Gene Wilder. Damn he's amazing in this movie. There are so many sinister undertones and decently scary moments in this movie that set it apart from most kiddy fare. But for me the movie is all about how damn good Wilder is. And the Oompa Loompa songs are pretty funny.
The French Connection - It's honestly been a long time since I've seen this one also and it deserves a re-watch. I do remember Gene Hackman giving a very good performance as Popeye Doyle. And that car chase is a classic. But I really should watch this one again.
Dirty Harry - Twenty years ago this would have been the no-brainer choice for me. But I've changed and I've reevaluated a number of things in life. I probably owe this one a re-watch also. It was definitely a ground-breaking film at the time and I can't, as I recall, fault anything in the direction of Don Siegel or in Eastwood's performance. I just need to watch it again to see if it's really as reactionary as I remember it being.
Duck, You Sucker! - The forgotten Sergio Leone film. It's been quite a while since I've seen this one too. It's not a patch on Leone's better films, but it's still a very good spaghetti western and James Coburn and Rod Steiger work very well together.
Play Misty for Me - Not a great film, but a very good, underrated thriller. Eastwood was still learning and growing as a director and made some good moves here. Jessica Walter was pretty great as the obsessed fan. Well worth another look.
Shaft - I mean, c'mon, he's a bad mother. One of the earliest really successful and important blaxploitation films. Is it great. I dunno. It's damn fun. Richard Roundtree is super convincing as the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks. The film is appropriately gritty. The soundtrack and the theme are all-time greats. I'm just talkin' about Shaft.
The Beguiled - Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood team up again to make a movie that I don't think anyone expected from them at this point. Almost an art-house film nobody knew what to think of it or how to market it in 1971. It's just a weirdly interesting movie that's far from successful but needs a look because of what it is.
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - The other half of the duo (along with Shaft) that entered in the Blaxploitation era. A flawed film that was just super important in showing there was a market for movies about black people made by black people. It stood out as being the anti-Sydney Poitier movie. Melvin Van Peebles showed a world that had not been seen in movies or TV. And that was more than enough to make the movie great.
Support Your Local Gunfighter - Almost a remake of Support Your Local Sheriff. I love both movies because I'm a huge James Garner fan. I like this one a little bit better because Suzanne Pleshette is better than Joan Hackett. It's just a fun silly comedy western.
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; Diamonds Are Forever; The Last Picture Show; McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Get Carter (I really want to re-watch this one); The Omega Man; Walkabout;
And there's an omission that may seem strange, especially considering I'm a fairly big Peckinpah fan. I hate Straw Dogs. Part of it is that I really don't like Dustin Hoffman. But it mostly just feels like violence for violence sake. And I have a pretty strong threshold for violence.
So what's my favorite film of 1971? It's Shaft. He's a bad mutha. Just a fun movie that's still pretty important historically. I'm always happy to sit down and watch it.
As usual 1971 in film for those as need a look.
