06.24.05

per pica's suggestion, the music / book meme, hollywoodland edition (it was bound to happen):

number of films i see in a year: on average, about 40. since i hate new york movie theaters (the ziegfeld excepted), 95% of those are courtesy of the video cafe.

last film i rented / saw at home: live forever, a documentary on '90s british pop featuring interviews with jarvis cocker, damon albarn (call me!), and the brothers gallagher. liam gallagher on the title song: "it's about livin' forever, innit."

last film i saw at a theater: mysterious skin, as discussed a few posts ago.

last film i saw and hated: ace ventura: when nature calls. i was overcome by a severe case of saturday morning lethargy while tbs was running a jim carrey marathon. i have no one but myself to blame for this.

film i know i should see: dr. strangelove. i have yet to see a kubrick film that makes me like him as much as i'd, erm, like to like him, and i suspect that this would do the trick.

3 films i love:
labyrinth: honestly, david bowie's crotch bulge didn't start bothering me until my little sister pointed it out during The Labyrinth Drinking Game. it's faint praise to say that this is one of the best mainstream fantasy movies around (the field isn't exactly crowded - where's our blade runner?), but, well, it is.

metropolis: i became obsessed with fritz lang at oxford even though the town's only available copy of metropolis had a soundtrack by enya. that's commitment.

pretty in pink: the real reason i began to listen to the smiths (and otis redding, for that matter) and have been dyeing my hear red for the last decade.

3 unsuspecting baton recipients: pica [ding!], paul [ding!], and sara [ding!]. and, of course, the comment crew.

4 comments:

Happy fun ball said...

Number of films I see in a year: Depends on the year... Varies from around 100 to 300.

Last film I rented/saw at home: The shape of things. Another Neil Labute film. Same old shitck, disturbing as usual.

last film I saw at a theatre: Constantine (movie selection in Japan is terrible)

last film I saw and hated: Clean (I love france, but if ever there were a reason to hate it, it would be because of films like this. Insufferable pompousness desperately trying to hide the lack of any substance. This movie had the uncanny ability to bore and annoy simulateously.)

film I know I should see: Andrei Rublev. I always intend to see it, but then back out at the last minute because it just seems too damn long and boring.

3 film I love:

Together: Hands down the best European film that I've seen in a long time.

Five Easy Pieces: so sad but so good

Ichi the Killer: One of the bloodiest, grossest films I've ever seen (not quite as bad as "trouble every day" though). I'm not sure why, but for some reason I find myself recommending this film all the time.

bassett h.q. said...

number of films i see in a year:

+/- 15 or so in theaters, fewer at home.

last film i rented / saw at home:

Spike Lee's "Malcolm X". This morning, while in a state of half-awakeness. Shoulda been picking up around the joint, but there I was, on the couch, not wanting to move for about three hours. A three-hour movie is good for that.

last film i saw at a theater:

"Layer Cake." Darker than the other material from the same house ("Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Snatch"), but still rather satisfying.

last film i saw and hated:

"What The [bleep] Do We Know?" The pyhsics of metaphysics, taught by mystics. For two *fucking* hours. Portland must have shuddered when it discovered it was the backdrop this this thing--as much as San Francisco must have when it learned that it was the city built on rock n'roll. Hell, even Tom Cruise's psychiatry-hating ass would have loathed this crap. (Meanwhile: I am still with the populace on this one. Run, Katie. Run.)

film i know i should see:

"Duck Soup." Saw only a snip of it a couple of weeks ago on cable. Good stuff. I want more.

3 films i love:

"Network." I mean: "Hi. I'm Diana Christensen, a racist lackey of the imperialist ruling circles." "I'm Laureen Hobbs, a badass commie nigger." The Max & Diana love scene is pure joy. And the parallels between this and the Fox television empire (minus Howard Beale) are stunning.

"Dr. Strangelove." Lauren--you *haven't* seen this? Geez. Rent it tonight.

"Bull Durham" and "The Natural" (tie). One being impossibly fun, the other quite powerful (if overwrought) and beautifully shot. There are a lot of decent films about baseball (mostly comedies, sure), but these are the two best.

sara said...

i promise i'mot ignoring you! our houseguests have been staying in the spare room where we keep the computer & my weekend's been pretty full. i'll get to this soon :)

sara said...

finally! just what you've been waiting for! my response!