I have very shamefully been neglecting this blog for the last couple of month and I apologise profusely. I have not, however, been neglecting films. Like last year, I hope to have watched 365 films before the it's time to sing Auld Lang Syne and, although technically I'm 20 films behind, I'm ever hopeful that I can accomplish my goal. I've seen some absolutely brilliant films in January and February, something I hope will continue to happen throughout the rest of the year.
2012's round-up posts will be in the same format as last year, minus the most watched actors and actresses lists (because they were a real pain to compile). Feel free to comment with film suggestions, whether they be your favourites or just films you think everyone should see at least once!
1. Avanti! (1972) - Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills ★★★★★
2. *Another Thin Man (1939) - Myrna Loy, William Powell, Virginia Grey ★★★★
3. Irma La Douce (1963) - Shirley MacLaine, Jack Lemmon ★★★★★
4. Easy Living (1936) - Jean Arthur, Ray Milland ★★★★★
5. Revolutionary Road (2008) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet ★★★★
6. Defiance (2008) - Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell ★★★★
7. *The Mad Miss Manton (1938) - Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda ★★★★
8. The Notorious Landlady (1962) - Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire ★★★★
9. *Mamma Mia! (2008) - Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried ★★★★★
10. No Highway in the Sky (1951) - Glynis Johns, Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart ★★★★★
11. *The Awful Truth (1937) - Irene Dunne, Cary Grant ★★★★★
12. *The Palm Beach Story (1942) - Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Valee ★★★★★
13. *The King and I (1956) - Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno ★★★★★
14. *Random Harvest (1942) - Greer Garson, Ronald Colman, Henry Travers ★★★★★
15. *The Lady Eve (1941) - Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn ★★★★★
16. While You Were Sleeping (1995) - Sandra Bullock, Glynis Johns, Bill Pullman ★★★
17. Papa's Delicate Condition (1963) - Glynis Johns, Jackie Gleason ★★★
18. The Hours (2002) - Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Clare Danes, Ed Harris ★★★★★
19. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) - Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan ★★★
20. Stepmom (1998) - Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts ★★★★★
21. The Great Lie (1941) - Mary Astor, Bette Davis, George Brent ★★★★
22. *Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968) - Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Van Johnson ★★★★★
February
23. Blonde Fever (1944) - Mary Astor, Philip Dorn, Felix Bressart, Gloria Grahame ★★
24. Red Dust (1932) - Jean Harlow, Mary Astor, Clark Gable ★★★★
25. Little Women (1949) - Mary Astor, June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O'Brien, Janet Leigh ★★★
26. Across the Pacific (1942) - Mary Astor, Humphrey Bogart ★★
27 *Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) - Mary Astor, Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien ★★★★★
28. Chromophobia (2005) - Damian Lewis, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Chaplin, Ian Holm, Penélope Cruz ★★★★★
29. La Vie en Rose (2007) - Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud ★★★★★
30. Chocolat (2000) - Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench ★★
31. Noel (2004) - Susan Sarandon, Penélope Cruz, Paul Walker, Robin Williams ★★★★
32. Superstar (1998) - Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Glynis Johns ★★★★
33. That Darn Cat! (1965) - Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Elsa Lanchester ★★★★
34. Bottle Shock (2008) - Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman ★★★★
35. Lost in Translation (2003) - Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsson, Giovanni Ribisi ★★★★★
36. Oorlogswinter (2008) - Martijn Lakemeier, Yorick van Wageningen, Jamie Cambell Bower ★★★★★
37. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman, Helen Mirren, Warwick Davis, Steven Fry ★★★★
38. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) - Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, Sam Rockwell, Iggy Pop, Steve Buscemi ★★★
39. One Fine Day (1996) - Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney ★★★
40. *Dodsworth (1936) - Mary Astor, Ruth Chatterton, Walter Huston, David Niven ★★★★
41. Zwartboek (2006) - Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn ★★★★★
42. She-Devil (1989) - Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr ★★
43. Das Boot: Director's Cut (1981) - Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, KlausWennemann ★★★★★
44. Das Leben der Anderen (2006) - Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Tukur ★★★★★
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 6
1940s - 8
1950s - 2
1960s - 5
1970s - 1
1980s - 2
1990s - 4
2000s - 16
2010s - 0
As well as the following five, two of my other most loved films of the past two months are Avanti! (1972) and Zwartboek (2008).
Irma La Douce, 1963
I firmly believed that Wilder, Lemmon, and MacLaine couldn't possibly do anything better together than they did in The Apartment, but, boy, was I wrong! Whilst it does feel a little sacrilegious to say that it surpasses the aforementioned film, Irma La Douce certainly gives it a run for it's money. Wilder made some of his finest films with Jack Lemmon, and I firmly believe that they are one of the most noteworthy examples of director & actor working together like a well-oiled machine to create something of extreme quality.
La Vie en Rose, 2007
La Vie en Rose is a film I've wanted to see for a long time but have never got around to watching. Although I'm not exactly fanatical about Edith Piaf, I do have a soft spot for her and, although by all accounts it's not the most accurate of biopics, LVER is a tremendous film that packs an incredible emotional punch. Marion Cotillard's performance as Piaf is alone worth watching the film for. It's rare to see such precise characterisation that isn't just overt mimicry in a biopic (a nod to Cate Blanchett as K.Hep. in The Aviator is called for at this point. Best!).
Lost in Translation, 2003
I found this film, a story of two lost souls in a foreign city, extremely touching and poignant. There's something very Brief Encounter-esque about it but without a single trace sentimentality. From what I've heard you either love it or you hate it, but, personally, I think it's a case of watching it at the right moment in your life. There's something in there for everyone and if you've watched it previously and disliked it, I urge you to give it another shot.
Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime), 2008
What could be more compelling than a film about occupied Holland seen through the eyes of a young boy who is old enough to understand what is what is happening around him but not quite old enough to do anything about it? Absolutely nothing. I wasn't expecting anything from this film, I watched it because I often would rather watch a mediocre film about WWII than a film about anything else. Needless to say, it completely bowled me over. The young actor (Martijn Lakemeir) who played the main character, Michiel, is very talented and, although it's entirely beside the point, has an incredibly sweet English accent.
Das Boot, 1981
Ever since I was little I've heard my Dad singing the praises of Das Boot but until now I'd never got around to watching it. Big mistake. I saw the director's cut which is 208 minutes long and I became more and more tense with each passing minute. The realism of the dialogue, the acting, and the undercurrent of strained emotion is incredible. It has a depth (no pun intended) that not many films focusing on the World War II manage to achieve.
Thanks for reading! :)
Thanks for reading! :)
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