List of Movies

This semester, I’ve been watching almost two movies/day. I’ve decided to keep track of them and thought, what better way to do this than on my film blog! I’ve only been noting them down recently, so there are movies that I am missing (from this semester). I also intend to write 2-3 sentences about some of the them. This list solely includes the ones that I’ve watched over the winter semester (January 2013-present). There are films that I’ve already seen and re-watched. Every time I watch a movie it will go at the top of the list, stay posted for the updates!

*french: My father just recently switched from Videotron to Bell and there is only one functioning television in the house so far. He says that the French channels are the only channels that show good movies, which is why I am “forced” to watch these movies translated in french.

MAY-… 2013 (SUMMER LIST)

  • Gunfight at Okay Corral, John Sturges (1957)*french
  • Le jour ce leve, Marcel Carne (1939)
  • Hell is for Heroes, Don Siegel (1962)
  • White Heat, Raoul Walsh (1949)
  • Little Caesar, Mervyn LeRoy (1931)
  • Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe (2000)
  • Sentimental Journey, Walter Lang (1946)
  • The Iron Lady, Phyllis’s Lloyd (2011): the parallel cuts help connect the past with the present, but also the ‘imaginative’. The way the narration is told (tying flashbacks with her mental condition) makes the Alzheimer’s more prominent than her actual achievements/accomplishments.
  • Terms of Endearment, James L. Brooks (1983)
  • Sixteen Candles, John Hughes (1984): almost like a modern-day-Disney movie. The special effect sounds (non diegetical sound), theme, plot, denouement are all romanticized, which are responsible for disillusioning young girls’ expectations of men. Sam’s sister is getting married, parents forget her sixteenth birthday, teenager (or princess) is being neglected, but then Jake comes along! However, I still love this movie and is definitely a classic worth watching (not too early in childhood or it may give false hope). Anthony Michael Hall, as always, stole the show from the main character with his charisma.
  • Seven Samurai , Akira Kurosawa (1954): Great movie showing the strong morals and Japanese principles. The characters are engaging and makes this film a universal one despite it’s time and location.
  • La belle et la bête, Jean Cocteau (1946): classic movie, yet women’s role/customs have changed. Belle is sometimes annoying with her martyrdom, it is no longer heroic or honourable. She should stand up for herself! Nonetheless, brilliantly made. The lighting and the effects of wind with long drapery… The “magical” aspects, considering the years it was made, are praise worthy. It would of been interesting to analyze this from a feminist point of view or with the bechdel test. The overacting and the french accents help create this diegesis. People might say it is outdated, but I love it.
  • High Noon, Fred Zinnemann (1952)

JANUARY-MAY 2013 (Winter/Spring List)

  • Einstein and Eddington, Philip Martin (2008)*french
  • The Good Shepard, Robert De Niro (2006)*french: The parallel cuts and montage are used as a device for the audience to make out the thriller/mystery.
  • Reprise, Joachim Trier (2006)
  • Bodies of Lies, Ridley Scott (2008)
  • Rebel Without A Cause, Nicholas Ray (1955)
  • This Guns for Hire, Frank Tuttle (1942)
  • Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick (1975) *french: The ending of this movie and A Dangerous Liaison are similar in that they both rely on facial expression. It seems as though the final scenes of both films use half of the Kuleshov effect. Shot A is shown, but not B. Because of the music and the specific atmosphere that surrounds the shot, the audience knows shot C.
  • State of Grace, Phil Joanou (1990) *french
  • In The Mood for Love, Kar Wai Wong (2000)
  • Sleeper, Woody Allen (1973)
  • Singing in the Rain, Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly (1952)
  • (The Five Obstructions, Lars Von Trier (2003): missing the last 15 minutes)
  • Bananas, Woody Allen (1971)
  • The Ice Storm, Ang Lee (1997)
  • Jane Eyre, Cary Fukunaga (2011)
  • Born on the Forth of July, Oliver Stone (1989)
  • River of No Return, Otto Preminger (1953)
  • (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam (1988): Not my kind of movie, I only last through 1/3 and deleted it.)
  • Music and Lyrics, Marc Lawrence (2007)
  • A Dangerous Method, David Cronenberg (2011): Fascinating story between the two fathers of psychoanalysis. The casting and the acting were the low points of this film.
  • The Return, Andrey Zvyagintsev (2003)
  • Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen (1983)
  • Good Night and Good Luck, George Clooney (2005)
  • Small Town Murder Songs, Ed Gass-Donnelly (2010)
  • Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson (2012)
  • Love and Death, Woody Allen (1975)
  • The Postman Always Rings Twice, Bob Rafelson (1981)
  • The Postman Always Rings Twice, Tay Garnett (1946)
  • Touch of Evil, O. Welles (1958)
  • The Man Who Knew Too Much, Alfred Hitchcock (1956)
  • All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950)
  • The 39 steps, Alfred Hitchcock (1935)
  • Wag the Dog, Barry Levinson (1997): Comparison between the art of politics and Hollywood, not so different. Echoes what has been said in film theory about Hollywood’s industry.
  • Rebel Without A Cause, Nicholas Ray (1955)
  • Cafe de Flore, Jean-Marc Vallée (2011)
  • Fried Green Tomatoes, Jon Avnet (1991): A mix of Titanic, The Help and Thelma and Louise.
  • The Great Escape, John Sturges (1963)
  • The Verdict, Sidney Lumet (1982)
  • Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy (2007)
  • My Cousin Vinny, Jonathan Lynn (1992)
  • Thelma and Louise, Ridley Scott (1991): a movie which depict two women as bad-ass. The story and the character development makes this worth while.
  • The Fugitive, Andrew Davis (1993)
  • Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
  • A Farewell to Arms, Franz Borzage (1932)
  • Dog Day Afternoon, Sidney Lumet (1975)
  • The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino (1978)
  • Hiroshima mon amour, Alain Resnais (1959)
  • Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock (1960)
  • Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen (2008)
  • Little Women, Gillian Armstrong (1994)
  • Annie Hall, Woody Allen (1977)
  • Crimes and Misdeameanors, Woody Allen (1989)
  • Manhattan, Woody Allen (1979)
  • War Horse, Steven Spielberg (2011): Cute and heartwarming story between the relationship of a boy and his horse. Spielberg always does a fair job at portraying war (i.e: TV series Band of Brothers, The pacific and other movies)
  • Gandhi, Richard Attenborough (1982)
  • Apollo 18, Gonzalo López-Gallego (2011): The sound effects and the unknown sets up the atmosphere for this movie.
  • Un secret, Claude Miller (2007)
  • Dangerous Liaison, Stephen Frears (1988)
  • Dr. Strangelove (How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), Stanley Kubrick (1964)
  • Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese (1976)
  • Eat Drink Man Women, Ang Lee (1994): A totally different culture, yet depicts the universal human condition and basic emotions/desires. This makes the viewer able to relate to these characters.
  • The Kid With A Bike, Luc Dardenne (2011)
  • Where the Truth Lies, Atom Egoyan (2005)
  • Jane Eyre, Cary Fukunaga (2011)
  • Howards End, James Ivory (1992)
  • Somewhere, Sofia Coppola (2010)
  • Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini (1960)
  • Nous nous sommes tant aimes!, Ettore Scola (1974)
  • Life of Pie, Ang Lee  (2012)
  • Laura, Otto Preminger (1944)
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson (2011)
  • Tous les matins du monde, Alain Corneau (1991)

Leave a comment