Much of this will be disjointed, since my recollection of a lot of these is hazy, but with all of my assignment done for the year, I'm feeling pretty good. As always, check out the plot descriptions in the links in the movies' titles.
291. A Night at the Opera (1935) - October 30th, 2018
In retrospect, I feel like it was a bad idea to start on the Marx Brothers with Duck Soup, because as funny as this is, I only have their best to compare it to. It's still filled with a bunch of great comedy bits, my favourite being the contract scene, as well as bites of social satire, but none of it really had me going the same as something like the mirror scene from Soup. It's also still an important piece of comedy history, at least as it's considered one of the Marx Brothers' best, but the increase in musical numbers and my mental state at the time left me a little checked out of this one. - 8/10
292. Elf (2003) - October 31st
Yet another reminder that Will Ferrell can actually be quite delightful when he's not constantly screaming. While the film's story is paper thin and the turn-around of the father is hardly earned, I can't dislike such an unabashedly warm and happy film. Even the sly digs the film makes feel free from cynicism, instead opting for a much more charming lens on everything, happy to just be a nice Christmas movie that's suitable for the whole family, without really trying to think deeper about what it has to say. - 6.5/10
293. Tequila Sunrise (1988) - November 1st
Good actors give good performances with minimal characterisation as they wade through an overwritten story. There's a lot of betrayals and twists and no real focus, but everyone plays their part with undeniable presence that suits what little is actually given about each character. - 6/10
294. Road to Perdition (2002) - November 2nd
I honestly felt very little about any of the characters in this movie, but the film nevertheless drew me in with its incredible sense of atmosphere, the mood of each scene backed by strong performances often enough for me to not care that much about the film's central conflict. A good movie, worth yof recognition, just not one I fell for. - 7/10
295. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - November 3rd
John Carpenter's horror is always intriguing, even when it's not at its best, and this movie's meta-commentary is crazy enough to make this worth a watch. If you liked the crazy Sam Neill in Event Horizon, I definitely recommend this one, it's a lot of bleak Eldritch horror that isn't dampened by its foregone conclusion because of the weird level that the film is working on. - 6/10
296. The Great Train Robbery (1903) - November 3rd
This feels a little like cheating to add this to the list, since it's only about twelve minutes long, and I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to rate this sort of thing, since the film as it exists is both a piece of history so removed from what we understand film to be today, and fundamental to that understanding. Something as simple as the camera moving is now a default, yet was unconventional at the time of the film's release. This film can be pointed to as one of many that pushed the medium forward in its time and became an important stepping stone in getting to where we are today.
297. The Other Side of the Wind (2018) - November 5th
This is harder to talk about than the other films, not in the least because it's technically forty years old and directed by one of my favourites. As Orson Welles' legacy, this is a must-watch, but the content of the film and the genre that it satirises is so niche in scope that I can't imagine who I would recommend this to. As satire that's almost unrecognisable from its source, this is pretty outstanding stuff, with lots of obnoxious imagery that it beats you over the head with planted within the story of the film itself; the film is two layers of satire that work very well together, but the film is satirising a genre and style within that genre from forty years ago. This feels like a great piece for film historians, and it's the sort of work with such a self-deprecating touch that I couldn't help but recall such masterpieces as 8½ . - 8/10
298. Never Hike Alone (2017) - November 6th
This is a low-budget fan-made Friday the 13th movie, and it's also one of the most surprisingly good films I've ever seen. It's not amazing, but the creators obviously understand horror techniques, and trade the tasteless gore of the actual films in the franchise for something tighter, tenser, more intimate, and ultimately better than almost every actual Friday the 13th film (not a high bar, but a cleared one nonetheless). The film's first half is a little padded for such a short movie, but the focus on a single character's survival and some really damn good early scares kept me invested as it transitioned in to a sometimes terrifying and sometimes experimental second half. I liked this film, which is something that feels strange to say about a Friday the 13th film. If you're interested, I urge you to check the film out - it's available to watch for free right now on YouTube, and it's only 50 minutes long. It's well worth the time. - 6/10
299. The Boxtrolls (2014) - November 7th
My only previous experience with Laika's work was Kubo and the Two Strings, which is the third-best stop-motion feature film I've ever seen (I love it, but it can never replace Aardman's early feature work in my heart), and probably the best animated film of 2016, so my expectations were set pretty high. The Boxtrolls met those expectations in the animation department. The film's art design is so imaginative, and seeing it move with such tactile grace was often astounding. I love the way everything is distorted, these malformed villains and teetering buildings on uneven cobblestone roads, both lifeless and yet charming, and in the villains' case supported by a wonderful voice cast. Unfortunately, I was let down a little by the story, which was decent, but didn't stand out nearly as well as the animation. It's weird to feel negatively about something that was quite good, especially the sly criticism of the system in which the story works through the final act of its main villain (one that didn't really get followed up on outside of the idea that it's self-perpetuating by way of ignorance), but it's more that after the film was over, I cared far more for what I had seen than what I had watched. - 7/10
300. The Phantom (1996) - November 8th
Another surprisingly enjoyable film, The Phantom fits the era of 90s camp very well, but manages to be significantly better than other silly films of its time. There's a real passion in the work being done here; this mash-up of Indiana Jones and Superhero fare is served well by the unwavering commitment to having fun with every silly addition to the story, from the most cartoonish of femme fatales to quips and dialogue that feels ripped right out of the pages of comic books. As a small note, I loved the set design of this film; it's a weird thing to think about, but the film does a great job of making them feel "real" despite the era and the nature of the sets themselves, and it's not usually something I examine, but I couldn't help myself here because they really were well done. This was the sort of fun palate cleanser I needed at the end of a hard semester. - 6/10
301. Suspiria (2018) - November 9th
This was messy and unsettling, with subtle performances alongside not so subtle imagery and a lot of passion but a lack in focus. My full review can be found here. - 6.5/10
302. Coraline (2009) - November 10th
This was super lite on the horror, and still ended up being the most compelling horror movie I've seen recently. The incredible animation is supported by the creepy imagery to create a candy-coloured sense of unease that is juxtaposed so well again the drab lack of stimulation in the real world. Combine that with an interesting take on the meaning of happiness, the nature of sacrifice, and the reconciliation of the two as a part of growing up, and you have my favourite film in this set. - 8/10
303. The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - November 11th
Hardly Wes Anderson's most revelatory work, mostly developing the themes and ideas he originally explored in The Royal Tenenbaums, but if you appreciate his aesthetic and don't mind something a little 'done before' by the same director, this is definitely a good movie, assuming you don't think to hard about how little it actually cares for the culture it uses as little more than window dressing. - 7/10
Published November 19th, 2018
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