Last movie you watched......

I think Citizen Kane is a great movie and a super feat of film making, but it's not as enjoyable to watch as Casablanca, for example.

 

It's not "better," really. The No. 1 ranking is for its significance, more than anything.

Here's the Directors version of the Sight and Sound poll in 2012. Top 100. It's a damned good list, and international at that.

http://www.imdb.com/list/iNYeoRd5TGM/

Here's the critics. Not quite as good, IMO. But very good.
http://www.imdb.com/list/TABQYzmdVYg/

If you're serious about it, go by these lists. Not AFI. This will give you an entry point into which directors matter in which time periods around the world. I don't agree with all of the picks, but they're insightful anyway.

 

The list is an embarrassment from a critical perspective. As entertainment, I guess, whatever. It's impossible to take seriously a list that has The Lord of the Rings on it.

 

Harsh! I don't know. I'm not crazy into LotR, but I imagine that if you're in that 7 to 13 age range, LotR might have been the 2000s version of Star Wars. They're well-done and capable films, but like Star Wars, I imagine that part of the backlash I see toward them now is because they've been marketed way too aggressively, complete with the three-part Hobbit that's still coming. They wouldn't be on my personal Top 100, but one of them was nominated for Best Picture and they're very well-done "blockbuster" type movies.

 

Why did "Casablanca" fall to No. 85 in the critics' poll and not even get a mention in the directors' poll? I understand that many of them might snub it for top 10 or whatever, but that level of scorn makes both polls look suspect to me.

Godfathers I and II also took some minor hits. Is that the cool thing to do?

 

When foreign films flood in, you're adding a lot. And, remember, that foreign critics and directors don't necessarily love all American films the same way AFI might.

 

We watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest last night.

Good, not great. Billy was definitely Doc Cochran from Deadwood, so that was cool. Seeing DeVito and Doc Brown in those roles was interesting, too.

We'll pick three more for next weekend.

 

There's some good recommendations on those lists, but don't be fooled by the order. Some of these are given higher placement because of things like technical achievements or historical influence. The one that jumped out at me on the director's list was Andrei Rublev at No. 15. Very beautifully composed film, but fuck is it long and tedious to get through.

 

Watched Moonrise Kingdom last night. Going in all I knew were the big names in the cast. It's a very enjoyable throwback, a well-told story that didn't need CGI. Good fun.

 

"Despicable Me 2."

Every bit as adorable as the first one. Actually reminded me quite a bit of "Gremlins."

 

Moonrise Kingdom is one of those movies, as soon as I saw it I knew I'd probably watch it again and again. Good story, funny performances and the way Wes Anderson framed his shots is amazing.

Saw Big Fan in the last week. I think it missed the mark in that it could have been a lot more than it was - instead it was just a goof on sports fans.

 

I watched the first one over the weekend. We're seeing the second one this week and my wife had never seen the first one.

If the second is as good as the first, that's pretty high praise.