Movies Watched -- Blue (1993)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In French. 93 minute running time … looked sort of promising in the beginning and Juliette Binoche is stunningly beautiful, but I got bored of it pretty fast and went to fast forward and can’t imagine watching the whole thing at normal speed. Another “Greatest Film of All Time” you can miss.

Do you have a cigarette? [Of course, it’s a French movie.]

Movies Watched -- The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

90 minute running time … amateur movie made by black lesbian with a shaved head … the story of Fae Richards looked interesting, but there wasn’t enough of it and I quickly quit watching this one. Clearly this is on The BFI Greatest Films of All Time list because it ticks the boxes of being a movie made by a black woman and a lesbian (a two for one deal!), but it doesn’t deserve to be on any list. It’s terrible how politics have invaded these lists… this is why it’s so important that I produce my own Greatest Films of All Time list that are truly great.

Movies Watched -- Morvern Callar (2001)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

97 minute running time … a Lynne Ramsay movie desperately in need of subtitles … I didn’t understand a word so I had to fast forward through all of it… this was on the BFI list so I saw it … the lead actress Samantha Morton reminds me of Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) … kind of a strange story, I don’t know what the audience is supposed to make of it? I’ve seen Ratcatcher (depressing), and I still think You Were Never Really Here is Ramsay’s best movie ever.

“Morvern Callar has no inner world that's penetrable, intelligible or even credible … She leaves us totally baffled about her motives, emotions and mental state.” — Alexander Walker .. it’s true, you do wonder about her…

“…rare is the movie that convincingly presents the interior life of a cracked mind.” — Michael Agger

Movies Watched -- Cat Person (2023)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

120 minute running time … I liked this a lot but it ran about 20 minutes too long .. I never read the original short story it is based on … Susan Fogel also made Booksmart, which I hated because it was filled with F-bombs, but Cat Person was much, much better. It’s about a girl who goes to Farleigh Dickinson U. (never named), she’s a 20-year-old sophomore … I liked that her Pomfret sweatshirt identifies her as a rich kid … she’s very attractive … there’s a tall, creepy, awkward 33-year-old guy that she has a relationship with… there’s a lot of texting involved (2023 movie after all). It’s pretty insightful about youth culture, I guess, the little I know of it. The main actress is really good, British it turns out… anyway, it’s a green-go recommended movie and since I saw it in the theater, I don’t have a screen-cap. The scene of terrible sex was hilarious and brilliantly done. I think I could do a fan edit and cut out a good 20 minute though to make it perfect. I guess a lot of people are upset about the tacked on last third of the movie compared with the short story, but I see why the filmmakers did it.

Shelia O’Malley correctly wrote: “The sex scene goes on forever! It's excruciating but also hilarious. Fogel and Ashford have found a way to explore what goes on in someone's mind during a bad hook-up, a hook-up you regret not just afterward but as it is happening. This is a very important scene, so perfectly realized it could have been a stand-alone short film.”

Movies Watched -- Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

~14 minute running time … silent movie from the 1940s, made by a woman… this was on the BFI Greatest Films of All Time list and my local library happened to have a copy, so I watched it and I have to say there wasn’t much here. I guess it was a “woke” selection since the BFI wants to include more movies by women and other “minorities,” even amateurish shorts like this one, but I can confirm that you can give Meshes of the Afternoon a miss. Tiny Maya Deren has a handsome face and good bones, but that’s about it. I guess she was interested in sex and violence and death, but don’t know for sure.

Playing with knives

The Greatest Films of All Time (Chronological) -- English Language Only

Added on by C. Maoxian.

The Greatest Films of All Time … 2022 poll … English Language Only, listed chronologically … movies I’ve see are in bold and movies I’ve see and recommend are noted:

  1. Intolerance (1916)

  2. Greed (1923)

  3. Sherlock Jr. (1924)

  4. The General (1926)

  5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

  6. The Crowd (1928)

  7. City Lights (1931)

  8. Trouble in Paradise (1932)

  9. Duck Soup (1933)

  10. Modern Times (1936)

  11. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

  12. His Girl Friday (1939)

  13. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

  14. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

  15. Citizen Kane (1941)

  16. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) — recommended

  17. Casablanca (1942)

  18. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

  19. To Be Or Not To Be (1942) — recommended

  20. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

  21. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

  22. A Canterbury Tale (1944)

  23. Double Indemnity (1944) — recommended

  24. Brief Encounter (1945)

  25. I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)

  26. My Darling Clementine (1946)

  27. Notorious (1946) — recommended

  28. Black Narcissus (1947)

  29. It’s a Wonderful Life (1947)

  30. Out of the Past (1947) — recommended

  31. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) — long, boring, unrealistic

  32. The Red Shoes (1948) — too long, too boring, too gay

  33. The Third Man (1949) — recommended

  34. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

  35. All about Eve (1950)

  36. In a Lonely Place (1950)

  37. Sunset Blvd. (1950)

  38. SIngin’ in the Rain (1951) — recommended

  39. The River (1951)

  40. Johnny Guitar (1954)

  41. Rear Window (1954) — recommended

  42. All That Heaven Allows (1955) — recommended

  43. The Night of the Hunter (1955) — recommended

  44. The Searchers (1956)

  45. Rio Bravo (1958)

  46. Vertigo (1958) — recommended

  47. Imitation of Life (1959) — another Sirk? One Sirk is enough

  48. North by Northwest (1959) — recommended

  49. Some Like It Hot (1959) — recommended

  50. Touch of Evil (1958)

  51. Psycho (1960)

  52. The Apartment (1960) — recommended

  53. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

  54. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

  55. Dr. Strangelove or… (1963) — recommended

  56. The Birds (1963)

  57. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

  58. Symbiopyschotaxiplasm: Take One (1967)

  59. Wavelength (1967)

  60. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

  61. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

  62. The Wild Bunch (1969)

  63. Wanda (1970) — token “feminist” movie

  64. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

  65. The Godfather (1972) — recommended

  66. Pink Flamingos (1972) — John Waters’ movies good if you need to induce vomiting

  67. Don’t Look Now (1973)

  68. A Woman under the Influence (1974) — Cassavetes means hell no, hard pass, awful awful awful

  69. Chinatown (1974) — recommended

  70. The Godfather Part II (1974) — recommended

  71. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

  72. Barry Lyndon (1975)

  73. Jaws (1975)

  74. Mirror (1975)

  75. Nashville (1975)

  76. Harlan County, USA (1976)

  77. News from Home (1976)

  78. Taxi Driver (1976) — recommended

  79. Annie Hall (1977) — recommended

  80. Killer of Sheep (1977)

  81. Star Wars (1977) — recommended

  82. Days of Heaven (1978) — recommended

  83. The Deer Hunter (1978)

  84. Alien (1979)

  85. Apocalypse Now (1979)

  86. Raging Bull (1980)

  87. The Shining (1980) — recommended

  88. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) — recommended

  89. Blade Runner (1982) — recommended

  90. The Thing (1982)

  91. Born in Flames (1983)

  92. Once upon a Time in America (1983)

  93. Videodrome (1983)

  94. Love Streams (1984) — there is NOTHING WORSE on the planet than a Cassavetes movie

  95. Paris, Texas (1984) — hated this

  96. Blue Velvet (1986) — creepy weirdo David Lynch (not again)

  97. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

  98. Do the Right Thing (1989) — if you’re going to include a token black movie, I guess this it it

  99. GoodFellas (1990)

  100. Paris is Burning (1990)

  101. Daughters of the Dust (1991)

  102. Orlando (1992) — sort of interesting

  103. The Piano (1992)

  104. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) — creepy weirdo David Lynch

  105. Pulp Fiction (1994) — recommended (with caveats)

  106. Heat (1995) — recommended (with caveats)

  107. Crash (1996)

  108. The Watermelon Woman (1997) — token black homosexual movie (two for one), bah

  109. Magnolia (1999) — PT Anderson, hard pass

  110. The Matrix (1999)

  111. As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)

  112. Morvern Callar (2001) — incomprehensible without subtitles

  113. Mulholland Dr. (2001) — recommended

  114. There Will Be Blood (2007) — way way too long

  115. The Tree of Life (2010) — interminable navel gazing, Malick made one good movie

  116. Under the Skin (2013) — recommended

  117. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — recommended

  118. Moonlight (2016) — token black homosexual movie (two for one), bah

  119. Get Out (2017) — token black movie, bah

  120. Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) — creepy weirdo David lynch, bah

  121. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) — Lesbians, bah

The Greatest Films of All Time (BFI Ranked) -- English Language Only

Added on by C. Maoxian.

The Greatest Films of All Time (Foreign language movies in italics) … 2022 poll … English Language Only … stupid ranking… see my Chronological Listing instead!

  1. Vertigo (1958)

  2. Citizen Kane (1941)

  3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

  4. Mulholland Dr. (2001)

  5. SIngin’ in the Rain (1951)

  6. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

  7. The Godfather (1972)

  8. The Searchers (1956)

  9. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

  10. Apocalypse Now (1979)

  11. Do the Right Thing (1989)

  12. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

  13. Taxi Driver (1976)

  14. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

  15. Mirror (1975)

  16. Psycho (1960)

  17. City Lights (1931)

  18. Some Like It Hot (1959)

  19. Rear Window (1954)

  20. Killer of Sheep (1977)

  21. North by Northwest (1959)

  22. Barry Lyndon (1975)

  23. Wanda (1970)

  24. The Piano (1992)

  25. News from Home (1976)

  26. Blade Runner (1982)

  27. Sherlock Jr. (1924)

  28. The Apartment (1960)

  29. Moonlight (2016)

  30. Daughters of the Dust (1991)

  31. Casablanca (1942)

  32. GoodFellas (1990)

  33. The Third Man (1949)

  34. The Red Shoes (1948)

  35. Imitation of Life (1959)

  36. Sunset Blvd. (1950)

  37. Modern Times (1936)

  38. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

  39. Blue Velvet (1986)

  40. The Shining (1980)

  41. Get Out (2017)

  42. The General (1926)

  43. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

  44. Rio Bravo (1958)

  45. Jaws (1975)

  46. The Godfather Part II (1974)

  47. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

  48. Touch of Evil (1958)

  49. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

  50. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

  51. To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

  52. A Woman under the Influence (1974)

  53. Nashville (1975)

  54. Don’t Look Now (1973)

  55. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

  56. The Thing (1982)

  57. There Will Be Blood (2007)

  58. The Matrix (1999)

  59. Johnny Guitar (1954)

  60. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

  61. His Girl Friday (1939)

  62. Raging Bull (1980)

  63. Pulp Fiction (1994)

  64. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

  65. Notorious (1946)

  66. It’s a Wonderful Life (1947)

  67. The Wild Bunch (1969)

  68. Trouble in Paradise (1932)

  69. All That Heaven Allows (1955)

  70. The Watermelon Woman (1997)

  71. Alien (1979)

  72. Chinatown (1974)

  73. Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

  74. Days of Heaven (1978)

  75. Orlando (1992)

  76. Once upon a Time in America (1983)

  77. Out of the Past (1947)

  78. Symbiopyschotaxiplasm: Take One (1967)

  79. Heat (1995)

  80. Under the Skin (2013)

  81. Black Narcissus (1947)

  82. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

  83. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

  84. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

  85. Magnolia (1999)

  86. Greed (1923)

  87. Love Streams (1984)

  88. The River (1951)

  89. The Birds (1963)

  90. Paris, Texas (1984)

  91. Paris is Burning (1990)

  92. The Tree of Life (2010)

  93. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

  94. Dr. Strangelove or… (1963)

  95. Double Indemnity (1944)

  96. I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)

  97. Wavelength (1967)

  98. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

  99. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

  100. Pink Flamingos (1972)

  101. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

  102. The Deer Hunter (1978)

  103. In a Lonely Place (1950)

  104. Brief Encounter (1945)

  105. All about Eve (1950)

  106. Duck Soup (1933)

  107. Crash (1996)

  108. As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)

  109. The Crowd (1928)

  110. Intolerance (1916)

  111. Star Wars (1977)

  112. Harlan County, USA (1976)

  113. Morvern Callar (2001)

  114. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

  115. Videodrome (1983)

  116. A Canterbury Tale (1944)

  117. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

  118. My Darling Clementine (1946)

  119. Annie Hall (1977)

  120. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

  121. Born in Flames (1983)