#61 Street of Chance (1942)

Directed by Jack Hively. Production: Paramount Studios.

This was an old Film Noir picture that was OK. It was clear that this was a B movie. It didn't have too interesting a story behind it. But a lot of typical Noir attributes. A man gets hit on the head, suffers an episode in which his memory suddenly changes and he doesn't know anything about his current life but only about the previous life that he disappeared from suddenly a year before. His knew (unfamiliar) life involves an attractive feisty blonde and a police detective pursuing him in regards to the murder of two wealthy associates. How the story unravels itself involves a bed-ridden mute grandmother who seems to know all the secrets and a femme fatale. A good picture to catch in the theater on a rainy day. It stars Burgess Meredith thirty years before his more famous role as Mickey, the old trainer of Rocky Balboa.

#57 Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder.

How lucky to get to see not one, but two absolutely classic movies in the span of 4 days! I do not have any desire to critique this movie in comparison to 8½ or perform an analysis of the two movies side-by-side or anything of the nature. In fact, these two movies seem to me to be so far apart from each other despite the iconic status that they both have deservedly received.

Sunset Boulevard is a great film for film-lovers. We saw it during the opening weekend of SIFF's "Noir City" mini-festival of restored and recovered Film Noir movies. This was easily the highlight. A digital restoration that was amazingly clear and flawless. It really made me realize that so many of the "classic oldies" seem not nearly as good as they could be because in many cases bad quality reproductions (bad sound is a huge detriment to old films or poor image quality, for example). I feel that many these films would have so much more appreciation if they could always be shown in the quality that they deserve to be shown in. 

This is a classic tale about a queen of the big screen many years past her heyday desperately awaiting her chance to become big and famous again. Norma Desmond was an icon in the silent motion picture era, but the film business has radically changed in the past 20 years. Or as she puts it in response to a comment that she used to be big, "I am big! It's the pictures that got small." 

Everything put all together about this film make it one of the all-time greats. I am happy that I got the opportunity to see it on the big screen. It is definitely one of my top ten of all time!

#41 Tabu (2012)

#28 — #35 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Animated (2012)

#28 Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare" (2012) — David Silverman

#29 Adam and Dog (2011) — Minkyu Lee

#30 Fresh Guacamole (2012) — PES

#31 Head over Heels (2012) — Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly

#32 Paperman (2012) — John Kahrs

Highly Commended:

#33 Abiogenesis (2011) — Richard Mans

#34 Dripped (2011) — Léo Verrier

#35 The Gruffalo's Child (2011) — Uwe Heidschötter and Johannes Weiland

#27 Ruby Sparks (2012)

#15 Away We Go (2009)

Directed by Sam Mendes.

We were recommended (and in fact loaned) this movie by some close friends. I have to admit that I laughed more during this movie than during any of the rest so far. It is a funny and touching movie. It is the story of Burt and Verona a couple very much in love as they go through the life-changing experience of realizing they are about to have a baby. Verona's pregnancy naturally causes each of them to reconsider themselves and most importantly reconsider who they are as a family. When they come to the decision to remake themselves in a new location, they embark on a journey to find that destination. It takes them to different cities and different friends and relatives and in particular to different mentalities about parenting and the nature of family. The supporting cast provide a great amount of laughs in their roles as several different stereotypes. My favorite is LN (pronounced Ellen) played by Maggie Gyllenhaal whose method of parenting (aside from involving as much breastfeeding as possible, including for her six-year-old Wolfie and a colleague's baby she was asked to babysit for) is based on the concept of prohibiting the three "S"es: no separation, no sugar and no strollers. Burt, played by John Krasinski of The Office fame, also provides a good number of laughs with his goofiness. He is nicely balanced by Maya Rudolph who plays Verona, a surprisingly real-seeming person with her natural fears and emotions as a woman in her mid-thirties coming to terms with herself while still overcoming the early loss of both her parents.

I really enjoyed this movie at times. It is cheesy as hell at times as well, filled with the long "so-in-love-but-what-are-we-gonna-do" stares between Burt and Verona or their stares into the distant fields as they ask themselves those same questions and it's beautiful countryside, on-the-road scenery, sunrise shots with it's Jack Johnsonesque soft-voiced guitar ballads soundtrack that are just enough to get right up to the tipping point of making you want to puke, but what can you expect? This is definitely in the genre of a "date movie", and you've got to put up with some of that at times. Luckily this movie also makes up for it with some good laughs.

#12 Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Directed by David O. Russell.

When some friends suggested we make an effort to see all the oscar-nominated films for this year's oscars, I thought it was an interesting idea and kind of opportune since I'm doing this almost365films thing (although I just realized it means I have to see Life of Pi). Since my parents were in town and we all wanted to go to a movie, we chose one that would be appealing to all the members of the family and went to the theater to see Silver Linings Playbook.

I didn't hate it.

I kind of enjoyed it at times. So I guess its gimmick is that it's not your typical rom-com because it also deals with deeper issues like mental health, recovery, etc. What it's gimmick really seemed to be was everyone yelling at each other a lot. My wife (who is not American) was fairly confused by this movie. The recurring adjective she kept using for it was "bizarre." I guess that we Americans understand and even enjoy people yelling at each other all the time. Especially if it's about football, bets or some competition of some sort. Or as a way of flirting. I guess America is addicted to dance competitions also, so that got worked into it. Charming. When we spoke about it with the friends with whom we are going to do this "see all the oscar-nominated films" project, we brought up that since it was nominated for best picture we were thinking it might have been something other than a typical romantic American, happy-ending, the team wins, our savings didn't get lost in the bet by a tenth of a point, the guy chases after the girl to tell her he loves her climactic-type movie. But as Bob put it, "Man, what the hell were you expecting when you have Robert De Niro acting like an idiot and the guy from the Hangover part 3?"

#8 - Dangerous Moonlight (Suicide Squadron) (1941)

Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. Starring Anton Walbrook and Sally Gray.

There are several things that occurred to me while watching this movie.

First, it isn't quite as good as the Hitchcock films I've seen this month in terms of writing. The storyline and many of the initial dialogues don't seem as witty. And the development of a romantic spark between the characters is too quick for the viewer to feel much empathy. This film did in the end win me over with it's wonderful argument presented in the second half of the film. Should the world-renown pianist possibly sacrifice himself and give up his ability to provide the world with his wonderful music in order to contribute to a greater cause by being only a contributing member of the war effort as an airman fighting against the evils ravaging Europe? It in some way offers a nice counter view to the movie from last night, Hannah Arendt, in that the cause of the greatest evil ever known is from the loss of the individual and thus the formation of totalitarianism (see blog post for more in depth comments). Whereas here, the question is raised, in order to defeat this evil is the abandonment of the individual also necessary? 

Second, I wasn't happy with how it ended. But, without trying to give too much away (at least no more than what is already revealed in the first scene of the movie), I have to believe that the ending comes from the fact that this movie was made in 1941, and the American public even without wanting to admit it knew that their fate was to join the war effort as well. With that in mind, I can't imagine any wartime movie made with a different ending and receive any public appreciation at the time. (This idea has also made me decide at some point to watch The Pianist by Polanski–a movie that I am yet to see, but which must have a great deal in common with this one, I think.) 

Third, the motivation for watching this movie came from the fact that we have been listening to the Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell on our record player, and M has said how it is her favorite track. Upon looking it up, I came to realize it was written especially for this movie. So, we decided to get ahold of the movie and see if we liked it. The song is ubiquitous throughout, to the point where M was already annoyed with the music despite only sticking around (awake) for the first couple scenes. But, all-in-all, the song really is quite marvelous (embedded video below).

#2 - The Lady Vanishes (1938)

I was very impressed by the political connotations of this Hitchcock comedy. Made during the era of the British and French policies of "Appeasement" of Hitler and the Nazis, it is made clear the director's opinions on this matter. He shows the outright futility of the silly British "pacificist" in his belief that the Germans won't do anything to harm them as, "We are British citizens!" As in the 39 steps, it entails a playful love story between a couple that initially have a strong dislike for each other. I am quite more drawn to the burgeoning romance between the two main characters than I was with the 39 steps, as Margaret Lockwood is a much more interesting actress and the Michael Redgrave-played Gilbert is a playful musician with a good deal of audacity and spunk, and quite not your typical leading male from 30s/40s era films.

#1 - The 39 Steps (1935)

Naturally getting started off with one by a master, Alfred Hitchcock.

I had wanted to watch this and had it waiting on the computer when I got home from my trip. Then I realized while I was away that it appears in my favorite book Catcher in the Rye (which I try to read every year around Christmas time), as one of the few movies the Holden can tolerate and in particular because Phoebe has the whole movie memorized.

I mean if you tell old Phoebe something she knows exactly what the hell you’re talking about. I mean you can even take her anywhere with you. If you take her to a lousy movie, for instance, she knows it’s a lousy movie. If you take her to a pretty good movie, she knows it’s a pretty good movie. D.B. and I took her to see this French movie, The Baker’s Wife, with Raimu in it. It killed her. Her favourite is The 39 Steps, though, with Robert Donat. She knows the whole goddamn movie by heart, because I’ve taken her to see it about ten times. When old Donat comes up from this Scotch farmhouse, for instance, when he’s running away from the cops and all, Pheobe’ll say right out loud in the movie – right when the Scotch guy in the picture says it – ‘Can you eat the herring?’ She knows all the talk by heart. And when this professor in the picture, that really jolly German spy, sticks up his little finger with part of the middle joint missing, to show Robert Donat, old Pheobe beats him to it – she holds up her little finger at me in the dark, right in front of my face.