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There's nothing wrong with elevating Rocky to that level, if the actual boxing wasn't so ridiculously wrong and bad I would have it among my best,

As usual, full reviews can be found at,

Bill's Movie Emporium
http://billsmovieemporium.wordpress.com/

The Great Escape (1963)
This was fun, but that was about it. A little too long in the tooth, and every character was too one note across the board. My biggest gripe was how stupid the Germans were made to look, the reason the Germans were so feared was because of how competent they were, not how stupid they were, and I felt the first 30 or so minutes especially went too far in making the Germans out to be stupid. But, it had McQueen on a moto bike giving us a preview of the X games years before anyone thought of the X games.

A History Of Violence (2005)
So you would think that you couldn't screw up a film with Viggo Motensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt? Well, I'm sure someone can, but that person is not David Cronenberg. I will admit my bias in that Cronenberg is if not my favorite, one of my favorites directors. But, even with that being the case I felt his direction was spot on in AHOV, and then when you add in his brilliant use of restrained gore, and the acting of Hurt, Harris, Bello, and especially Viggo you have one of the best movies I've ever seen. And of course, that's without even getting into the way the film subverts the standard view of violence in our culture and on film.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
I know a lot of people have complained about the pace of this movie, but I really loved how it was paced. I would have gotten rid of a few tangential stories with Jesse's gang that didn't matter to the overall story and I would have liked to see more about Jesse's wife and brother and how they deal with Jesse's fame. But, I really did like this and thought it did a great job breaking down the cult of celebrity. Casey Affleck was really good as Ford, but Brad Pitt was the best he's ever been as Jesse James.

Best In Show (2000)
I wasn't a big fan of Waiting For Guffman, but after loving Best In Show so much I'm going to have to give Waiting For Guffman another shot. This movie was funny, that's all there was to it. Great performances all around and this wasn't mean funny, which was a nice change of pace.

A Scanner Darkly (2006)
I'm not going to lie to you, I don't believe I completely understood this movie. I think there has to be depth beyond the obvious "big brother is watching you this is an allegory for what the Bush administration is doing" theme, because if that's it then this really isn't a good movie. But, I do believe there is more, I just need more time with the film to better understand it. The rotoscope was cool at times, but it was also too distracting and took away from the need to pat attention to the story other times. But hey, Keanu Reeves was actually really, really good, so that counts for a lot.

Laura (1944)
I'm still trying to figure out why this movie worked so much for me. Outside of Clifton Lee's performance it really wasn't anything to write home about and in so many places the story was convoluted and contrived defying all common sense or realism. But, for some reason when this was over I thought, "heh, that was pretty great". There's been a few movies that for reasons unbeknownst to me I ended up loving, and Laura is one of those movies. Not the bets breakdown of the film, but that's what I got.

On The Waterfront (1954)
Brando is amazing, but that goes without saying. Some of the material is a bit too clunky and heavy handed, and my gosh, the editing is just atrocious in places, as is the ridiculously obvious use of stunt doubles in the final fight. But, it's still a story that holds up, is filled with a lot of great performances and was a good watch.

Watchmen (2009)
So yeah, I loved this film and would put it in the upper echelon of comic based films, far above anything offered last year. The story was great, the acting was good across the board, with a couple of stand out performances, the effects were done well, and I loved the takes on violence, heroes and how sex ties into both of those. It's not the greatest film of all time or anything like that, but it is a great film.

Appaloosa (2008)
Remove Renee Zellwegger from this and you would have a much better picture. She doesn't belong in this setting, she's still a terrible actress and she is not a woman that multiple men would lust over. Viggo and Harris were a great pair and I did like Harris' no frills style of direction, but the story felt like it was lacking something.

Into The Wild (2007)
Emile Hirsch is excellent, and the supporting cast is good as well. What I loved most about the film was how it portrayed Hirsch's journey as amazing, but didn't make the man himself amazing, instead it provided continual counterpoints to show him how foolish he was being and portrayed Hirsch as a headstrong idiot for not heeding the advice of others and not realizing that life isn't mean to be a singular experience. The best moments for Hirsch in the film are when he is with others, the worst are when he is by himself. Great movie, I really liked it.
 
I disagree that the boxing in the original Rocky was bad. The opening seen in the chapel was especially accurate, and Stallone did a fine job of learning the sport enough to portray it in the film. I'm a fan of the sport and train in it (though at a very beginning, amateur level).

Even the sequels are pretty decent (Mr T knew how to handle himself in a ring) up until the 4th. Dolph Lundgren looked completely ridiculous.


I watched two comedies recently:

1. Religulous- Bill Maher's documentary that makes fun of religion. It's pretty much his talk-show/stand-up routine in movie form, so fans of Maher will enjoy it well enough, others might not. Don't expect to get any interesting or relevant analysis or commentary here, just go into it for the entertainment value.

2. Zack and Miri Make A Porno- Kevin Smith's latest. Movies with Seth Rogan will continue to be enjoyable until we get sick of him, and I haven't yet. Pineapple Express was the first of his I didn't like, but he's a fine enough standard "average schlub gets into wacky adventures" comic actor to carry a movie with a decent script, and that's how I would describe this one- decent. I'm not a Kevin Smith fanboy- love Clerks and find the rest of his movies to have funny moments surrounded by predictable childish humor and ineffective attempts to bring poignancy into it, and this is more of the same.

The x-factor for me is Elizabeth Banks, who I'm in love with. Other than maybe Jenna Fischer, I've never seen anyone who is both that gorgeous and hilarious. He open-throated laugh is infectious and sexy as hell. The killer is that she has a classic Hollywood beauty look- blonde, blue-eyed, thin, could be on the cover of Vogue or headline a mainstream "dramady" with the best of them, yet does hip projects.

Of course I also appreciated the presence of Traci Lords and Katie Morgan, a porn legend and super-star, respectively.
 
GKarsEye said:
I disagree that the boxing in the original Rocky was bad. The opening seen in the chapel was especially accurate, and Stallone did a fine job of learning the sport enough to portray it in the film. I'm a fan of the sport and train in it (though at a very beginning, amateur level).
Click to expand...

I train in the sport now, have for close to four years. I've competed in amateur boxing and professional kickboxing, and the boxing in Rocky is ridiculously bad. It's all haymakers and direct shots to the face with no one ever covering up or bother to actually use head or foot movement. What Rocky shows is street fighting, and while it does work to heighten the drama and tension, it doesn't work in a technical sense. I know if I ever boxed like they do in Rocky I'd be yelled at for days by every one of my trainers and probably my opponents trainers as well.
 
Well isn't that the point of the story- that Rocky is more of a puncher/brawler type? The reason Micky didn't want to train him is that he was too distracted by his street life to completely dedicate himself to studying the sport? Heck, the guy didn't even really learn proper footwork until the second sequel.

I see fighters nowadays keep their heels on the ground, their heads are static and yes even their arms are low. It just ain't the old days.
 
GKarsEye said:
Well isn't that the point of the story- that Rocky is more of a puncher/brawler type? The reason Micky didn't want to train him is that he was too distracted by his street life to completely dedicate himself to studying the sport? Heck, the guy didn't even really learn proper footwork until the second sequel.

I see fighters nowadays keep their heels on the ground, their heads are static and yes even their arms are low. It just ain't the old days.
Click to expand...

He did it when he was training to, and Creed did the same stuff. I wouldn't have had a big problem with it in the fight, because In understood the dramatic reasons for it there. But training is when even brawlers do everything right, then go out and start brawling in the fight while their trainers just shake their head. For as much as Ali was a severely inferior film, the one area I thought it completely trumped Rocky at was in the technical display of boxing, but it's no biggie.
 
Surprisingly I didn't see Ali, despite its subject matter. I don't necessarily have a problem with Will Smith but I couldn't imagine him doing the movie and character justice.

I wonder if my favorite boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, might make a worthy biopic. Or any of the old greats- Luis, Dempsy, etc. The only one I can think of is LaMotta in my 2nd favorite boxing movie of all time, Raging Bull. But those old timers had much more interesting careers than the modern guys.
 
GKarsEye said:
Surprisingly I didn't see Ali, despite its subject matter. I don't necessarily have a problem with Will Smith but I couldn't imagine him doing the movie and character justice.
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Watched some of it the other day. I don't think he did, and I am a bit of a Will Smith fan.
 
As usual, full reviews can be found at,

Bill's Movie Emporium
http://billsmovieemporium.wordpress.com/

Smultronstället (1957)
It's Bergman, so that's already a plus. Bibi Andersson is in it, that's another plus. But, the performance of Victor Sjöström as Borg makes the film as great as it is, but I'm not telling anyone something they don't already know. The idea of someone coming to a great understanding near the end of their life and being happier for it is pretty universal and something everyone should be able to relate to, and it is quite exhilarating watching Borg become content, and that sounds weird, but ya know. Fanny Och Alexander is my favorite Bergman, but this may be his best.

Dreams (1990)
First, beautiful on a truly amazing scale. Every segment features a plethora of shots that are astonishingly beautiful, lush and full of color, at times I was at a loss for words just from the images. I didn't so much get behind the connective story, if you even want to say there was one, as much as I enjoyed the experience of Dreams. Taking a look into the mind of one of the greatest directors the world has ever seen was a wonderful journey, to see his fears, his hopes, the dreams that made him who he was, and haunted him through his years. It's certainly not Kurosawa's most conventional work, but I'd put it up there with his very best.

Tôkyô Monogatari (1953)
Everyday realism is the best way i can think to describe this. Every person, myself included, flits through life and ignores the things that should matter in favor of superficial constructs that shouldn't matter. This film doesn't judge, it simply shows how that can and does happen and how the people who should matter the most to us in the world can become a burden in our eyes.

The Elephant Man (1980)
Only my second Lynch, but i felt this was a few steps below Blue Velvet. John Hurt is very good, he makes an actual man, not some guy in a rubber suit. However, I felt sometimes the film was too on the nose with how it wanted us to think, there were too many big false moments, When the Night Keeper finally goes overboard for instance, and I could have done with the immense sentimentality Lynch decided to pour onto Merrick's character. He did do a great job of building suspense and mystery over the appearance of Merrick early in the film. An uneven, but still good film.

Mou Gann Dou (2002)
As close to a perfect thriller as you will ever find. This kept a tense and taut atmosphere throughout, from the initial cell phone game of tag to the movie theater incident to the final rooftop showdown. I always love Tony Leung, but Andy Lau was really good in this, as was Anthony Wong. Eric Tsang was great as Sam, and the interrogation scene between Tsang and Wong was one of the best two man exchanges put to film. I know I've had this argument before, but this just completely smokes the remake in every possible way.

Saw (2004)
Quite different from the rest of the Saw franchise, the first entry is actually more of an attempt at a real story as opposed to just mindless torture scene after mindless torture scene. In that regard I really did like the idea for the film as well as the creativity behind it. But, some truly atrocious acting from Danny Glover, a climax that was very contrived and the fact that the creativity I liked never really went anywhere left this flat.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Yet another PT Anderson film that I really loved. Sandler was great, although I would differ with the people who feel this is some sort of revelatory performance, there were echoes of this character in most of his comedic roles. This had some really funny moments, looked great, featured some great music and the usual PTA randomness & quirkiness I really like. My only complaint was that I would have liked for the supporting character s to be fleshed out more, but otherwise a very enjoyable film.

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
I'm not a big fan of David Lean epics, I mush prefer Lean when he was directing, uh, lean pictures that didn't meander all over the place and feel unnecessarily bloated. The Bridge On The River Kwai looks great and I was engaged with the Col. Nicholson part of the story. But, I could have done without William Holden's character entirely and a good chunk of the story as a result, and the finale was too high on melodrama and irony for my liking.

The Terminator (1984)
One of my favorite sci-fi films. The concept is pretty simple and only stays that way because Cameron makes sure to not focus heavily on the time travel aspect. Essentially this is a really cool and fun shoot-em up movie with some added sci-fi elements. There are a few spots where the CGI looks dated, and the sex scene is plain bad, but otherwise a really good sci-fi movie.

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Fun movie, but that's about it. Nowhere near as smart or irreverent as most people claim and it would have been nice if it would have acknowledged that it actually is a Western. Redford and New man do have great chemistry and there are moments of enjoyment, but it's really quite a shallow and empty picture.

Fantasia (1940)
One of my all time favorites, this had a big impact on me as a child. It's pretty hard to describe the movie as a whole, but it does feature the usual superlatives in music and animation. Every segment is beautiful, just an all around fantastic picture.
 
GKarsEye said:
Surprisingly I didn't see Ali, despite its subject matter. I don't necessarily have a problem with Will Smith but I couldn't imagine him doing the movie and character justice.

I wonder if my favorite boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, might make a worthy biopic. Or any of the old greats- Luis, Dempsy, etc. The only one I can think of is LaMotta in my 2nd favorite boxing movie of all time, Raging Bull. But those old timers had much more interesting careers than the modern guys.
Click to expand...

seriously 2nd? surely anybodies top two are rocky and million dollar baby.
 
GKarsEye said:
No way. I liked Million Dollar Baby, but Raging Bull is a perfect movie in every way.
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Raging Bull is a very hard film to watch, i own it on DVD and have watched it twice in 5 years, no character has one redeeming feature, i respect it as an important film, but i don't like it.
 
I'm off for 11 days, most of it will be spent at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. I just wanted to alert those folks who get Turner Classic Movies That a rarely shown film, rarer still because it is the letter-boxed version, will be on Friday, at 3:30pm, EDT.

The film is Billion Dollar Brain, Michael Caine's third outing as Harry Palmer, reluctant spy. Like the first two films, The Ipcress File, and Funeral In Berlin, it is based on a Len Deighton novel. Unlike the first two, it isn't played entirely straight. It is directed by one of my favorite, slightly mad, British directors, Ken Russell. Not silly satire like In Like Flint, but subtly over the top. Also, it has strangely pertinent parallels to recent events... :D Costars are Karl Malden, and Ed Begley Sr. Check it out, if you get the chance.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061405/
 
As usual, full reviews can be found at,

Bill's Movie Emporium
http://billsmovieemporium.wordpress.com/

Amadeus (1984)
Outside of one major, "huh" moment and some light breaks in narrative structure, a beauty to watch. Genius when handled correctly can be exhilarating and frustrating to watch, and Milos Forman perfectly captured that in Amadeus. But, genius wasn't all we were given, because F. Murray Abraham brought complete jealousy to the table as well. The music was excellent and really moved the picture, basically I had a lot of fun with this.

The Birds (1963)
Hitchcock's last great film, or so I'm told. It works as a horror film because Hitch really knows how to build the suspense, but of course since it is Hitch there are plenty of allegorical jumps that one can make. Unfortunately Hitch once again used a static background driving shot, the one thing in a movie he was never able to make look the least bit good. But otherwise, a great swansong, of sorts, for Hitch.

Manhattan (1979)
I care nothing for Manhattan the city, so right off the bat the many attempts to romanticize it fell flat for me, because I don't find it to be a remarkable city in any way. Outside of that, this was another great Allen picture. He has a way of using ridiculous characters to reveal truths about relationships that most of us would rather ignore. Manhattan was all about that false outer layer we all try to project and how that may be what stops us from ever truly finding happiness, and how it may lead us to pass up a sure thing because of our rigid adherence to our outer image. And, in typical Woody fashion it was was funny with all kinds of great eccentric one liners.

East Of Eden (1955)
I would be interested to know why anyone thinks James Dean was a decent actor, let alone a good one? He is atrocious in East Of Eden, flailing all over the place, imping Marlon Brando in the worst way possible, and that's what he felt like, an F level Marlon Brando. Dean literally dragged what could have been at the very least a borderline good movie into the dredges with his terrible performance. The lead actress also reminded me too much of a not quite so ugly Kathy Griffin, and that's never a good thing. Still, some things were done right, but on the whole a very mediocre film.

Stroszek (1977)
Probably my favorite Herzog and I feel his best of what I have seen. He rips the American dream as seen through the eyes of foreigners to shreds, but he balances that by also lambasting German society and the Germans who try for the American dream. I know Bruno S. isn't really an actor, but I love the guy, he is so funny whenever he needs to be and his interesting speech syntax creates some unique dramatic moments with him as well. Oh yeah, lots of humor, something I really wasn't expecting from Herzog, tremendous movie.

Xin Buliao Qing (1994)
A sweet love story, but that's about it. I liked it on the whole and its integration of music as well as the acting of Anita Yuen stropped it from falling too far into its own conventions. But, I couldn't help but think, "I've seen this story done so many times before and I know exactly what is going to happen at every turn."

Da Hong Deng Long Gao Gao Gua (1991)
Beautiful film, with luscious set designs and costumes. Great cinematography and use of the camera to create a prison like atmosphere as well. All the actresses were good, but Li Gong stood out most of all, but that should be expected. One of the best takes on loneliness and how it can destroy a person over time that I have ever seen, easily one of the best films of the 90's.

Woyzeck (1979)
The first Herzog that I didn't think was near perfection. A lot of people rave about Klaus Kinski's performance in Woyzeck, but I couldn't help feeling it was the same ole same old from Klaus where where plays a guy who is crazy in someway. It looked great, and a lot of it did work, although I didn't like the slow motion ending, Herzog's first misfire in my eyes.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)
A lot of fun, I really liked the clean unfettered look of the animation. Not the best in any regard, but I laughed a lot, enjoyed the fight scenes and was happy with what I was watching.

Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie Des Grauens (1922)
My first Murnau, and it was a very good one. I took the film as one giant argument about how purity and virginal qualities will always overcome the darkness while wanton lust will be swallowed whole by it. Orlok epitomizes the allure of the Dracula myth, because he is repulsive, yet he enraptures everyone around him with ease. There were a few instances where the fast motion didn't quite work, but otherwise a well crafted, very good horror film.

Jeder Für Sich Und Gott Gegen Alle (1974)
More excellence from Werner Herzog. This movie questions society and our view of society to the extreme. It questions little things like why we drink out of one mug as opposed to another all the way to large things, like why women play the role they do in our society. All of this questioning is provided by Bruno S. in another great performance, his first actually. I'd put this right behind Stroszek, Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo as far as Herzog is concerned, but it is an amazing film.

Big Fish (2003)
To get it out of the way, this was visually appealing with lots of outstanding Burton visuals. The first half was excellent and was a lot like Finding Neverland in its glorification of the imagination. The second half was much different and not for the better. Imagination was no longer imagination, it had to be tied into the real world and real world dynamics and became far too schmaltzy and sentimental. That first half was really something special though, it's a shame Burton couldn't keep it up for the entire film.
 
Amadeus is one of my favorite movies ever. Mozart, costumes, scenery-chewing- what's not to like?

The other day I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt as the former and Casey Affleck as the latter. Very good, but slow paced and long so would only be of interest for fans of westerns or the legend of James, though the movie is really about Robert Ford. Affleck gives an excellent performance and seems a way better actor than his brother.
 
crazyhorse said:
Supernatural is about the only programme that I make the effort to see every week :thumbsup:

I love me some Ruby :devil::drool:
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It just amazes me that more people aren't watching this show. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a series where you hear "dick" or "douche" or at least once an episode? :)

And I adore Ruby. Though I like the newer version, I must admit.

And the Ghostfacers always make me laugh my ass off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTciPpdzU2k
 
As usual, full reviews can be found at,

Bill's Movie Emporium
http://billsmovieemporium.wordpress.com/

The Strangers (Unrated) (2008)
The Strangers unfortunately suffers from the gore horror backlash that has been taking place among non-horror fans for a few years now. The funny thing, The Strangers isn't even close to gore. I had to read a few reviews and listen to one idiot whose name has a Rope in it declare The Strangers nothing but another entry in the useless torture porn genre. Apparently nowadays a horror film that focuses on the suspense and actual scares and doesn't show hardly any violence, no gore and one scene that is more tame than anything you'll ever see on Wednesday nights on CBS is torture porn to the extreme. Idiotic breakdowns of this film aside, the Strangers is actually a good little horror flick. It's a bit predictable, but I did like the way the suspense was built, how they held back on the gore and blood, but I had a problem with a few key points near the end. Still, a fun horror flick that is not torture porn in any way.

Paprika (2006)
I didn't love Paprika, but I did like it. Visually it was appealing and I did like the free interpretation style of the storytelling. I wish the story would have been a bit more cognizant, because most of the time it felt like Kon was just saying to hell with the story and going for the visual experience, sometimes that worked, other times it didn't. But, I still liked it.

Lifeboat (1944)
Hitchcock takes one set, a small group of people and weaves magic. For some reason people thought this was propaganda for the Nazis when it was released, but it's actually an indictment of all of humanity. The tight cloistered feel could have been tedious, but Hitchcock keeps the suspense flowing and the ending is a nice call-back to the beginning and a finale on the allegorical meaning that Hitchcock was getting at all film long.

Cobra Verde (1987)
My trek through Herzog continues with yet another great film. Not at the level of Herzog's best, but a great cold look film. Sometimes a movie doesn't need sympathetic moments or musical cues to get the point across, and Cobra Verde is not sympathetic in any way towards slavery and yet by taking such an amoral stance Herzog forces you to truly confront how abhorrent slavery is without the usual moral trappings.

The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006)
My problem with political movies was summed up in my review of The Battle Of Algiers. In that film the director took a stance, yet tried to appear as if he was making a non-biased film all the while giving away his bias with musical manipulation. The Wind that Shakes The Barley is the opposite of that. It refuses to take sides, it refuses to label either side as in the right, all Ken Loach does is take you down the same path as the characters and allow you to experience what they do. There are moments when you can take either side's view, but Loach never tells you to take a side, he shows even the greatest of ideals can turn into total ugliness.

Toy Story (1995)
This does work on every conceivable level, even if there is one too many Randy Newman musical montages. The voice work is superb throughout, it looks fantastic and the theme is timeless, yet presented in a fresh way. One of my favorites as a teen, and it still holds up today.

Hauru No Ugoku Shiro (Howl's Moving Castle, 2004)
I've never understood the dislike for this Miyazaki gem, it's a fantasy tale and yet from some reason or another a lot of people wouldn't let themselves be taken in by the fantasy. Instead they attacked the fantasy elements, asking them to make sense in a real world setting and that's not how fantasy operates. I loved the fantasy, the animation, the theme of appearances and the characters. The lead character was a tad too weak at times, but a very minor flaw in a great movie.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
I can relate to towns like Endora and characters like Gilbert. I've met guys like him and visited towns like Endora all the time when I was a cross country mover. Outside of the unsympathetic and badly done plight of the movie, I thought this hit all the right notes in regards to character drama and such.

Il Y A Longtemps Que Je T’aime (I've Loved You So Long, 2008)
This is a performance film, because you remove the two sisters and you're left with an awkwardly paced movie that has a bit of a cop out ending. But, Thomas and Zylberstein are very good and you believe their relationship, at times their chemistry is the only thing giving the film any momentum. Still, a decent debut effort from Claudel.

Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)
Cary Grant runs all over the place hamming it up to the nth degree, sometimes to the detriment of the film. When he's not doing that the movie is very funny, the aunts are hilarious, Teddy is funny if a bit overkill while Raymond Massey is a great Frankenstein. I had a lot of fun.

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
Smart and hilarious. Whether it was Keenan Wynn, Sterling Hayden, George C. Scott or Peter Sellers it's been a long time since I laughed so hard during a movie. Wynn's refusal to steal from a coke machine, the President's phone call with the Russian Premier, everything George C. Scott did, I could go on and on with how funny Dr. Strangelove is. Not just funny, but smart and with something to say, possibly Kubrick's best film, although I still think I'd put 2001: A Space Odyssey above it.

The Seven Year Itch (1955)
The film that launched Marilyn Monroe's career into another stratosphere. Beyond her sex appeal it is a funny movie at times, but I never quite felt that the message on men that Wilder was going for jived with how his camera and script treated women, especially Monroe.

Battlefield Earth: A Saga Of The Year 3000 (2000)
Terrible, that's really all there is to it. There are movies that are so bad I love them, this is one that was so bad it made my head hurt. The early looks at a desolated Earth were cool, but that's the only positive in the entire film, and there are far too many negatives to list.

Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
Excellence through and through, from this film alone I can see why Murnau has such a legendary reputation. Brilliant use of shadow, spacing, framing and movement. Beautiful imagery and a truly beautiful story. It's always a good sign when I start begging with my TV for something to not happen in a movie and feel delighted when my wishes come true. Of course Murnau later wrenches with me and tricks me into thinking my wishes were dashed. Easily in my top 10 of all time.

Irma La Douce (1963)
The first Billy Wilder film that I didn't think was all that good. Jack Lemmon was a big reason for that, his constant histrionics and uber hamming it up in every scene did not work for me at all. This is the first film I've seen of his where he's been out of control, it's almost as if Wilder just let him go and decided not to reign him in at all. The film also goes on for fifteen minutes too long, but there were some things to like. Shirley MacLaine was charming as Irma and I liked the technicolor look of the picture, but the story and Lemmon's acting really turned me off.
 
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