The Movies from Within My Lifetime: 2012 Edition

[Achim]

The Movies from Within My Lifetime
2012 Edition

In this thread I will review one movie from each year of my life, 45 films from 1967 to 2012. The movies are listed here

[Achim]

Playtime (The Criterion Collection) (1967/France) The Criterion Collection, Les Films de Mon Oncle, Vivendi Universal (United States) Director: Jacques Tati Writing: Jacques Tati (Writer), Jacques Lagrange (Writer) Length: 125 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: French: PCM: 2-Channel Stereo, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

Stars:
Barbara Dennek as Young Tourist
Rita Maïden as Mr. Schultz's Companion
France Rumilly as Woman Selling Eyeglasses
France Delahalle as Shopper in Department Store
Valérie Camille as Mr. Lacs's Secretary

Plot:
Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in the age of technology reached their creative apex with Playtime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the endearingly clumsy, resolutely old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a bafflingly modernist Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, Playtime is a lasting testament to a modern age tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Cours du soir, short

My Thoughts:

Originally filmed for 70mm presentation the film naturally looses some of its glory on the small screen. Still, it's an interesting to watch Tati's alter ego Mr. Hulot struggle with the modern Paris, just like in parallel a group of tourists tries to see the sights but apparently has trouble to find them in the city jungle. The traditional sights are only quickly glimpsed in the distance or reflected in a window, the skyline is now ruled by identical glass facade buildings. Only towards the end in an unfortunately overlong restaurant scene does an American find a way to revive the old ways for a brief moment, which fades away quickly once the new day dawns and modern life takes its toll again while the tourist make their way back to the airport.

Since there is no story to speak of and only very little dialog I found the film to be too long. While there is loads of great characters populating the scenes it often takes too long to move on. But there are a few good laughs through funny background moments or typical Tati/Hulot slapstick and many scenes are a joy to watch for their photography and choreography alone (the Criterion's cover text promised). I guess some of the humor got lost in the years since the movie was made, because the caricature cannot be seen as clearly anymore, since it actually has become way of life.

Rating:

[Achim]

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968/United States) Warner Home Video (United States) Director: Stanley Kubrick Writing: Stanley Kubrick (Screenwriter), Arthur C. Clarke (Screenwriter) Length: 149 min. Video: Widescreen 2.20:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: PCM: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, German: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
Keir Dullea as Dr. Dave Bowman
Gary Lockwood as Dr. Frank Poole
William Sylvester as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd
Daniel Richter as Moonwatcher
Leonard Rossiter as Dr. Andreas Smyslov

Plot:
Stanley Kubrick's dazzling, Academy Award®-winning** achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Let an awesome journey unlike any other begin.

**1968: Best Visual Effects (Kubrick).

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews

My Thoughts:

Franky, I never quite understood 2001: A Space Odyssey. I don't quite understand the thread of the black monolith and from the documentaries I have seen very few people have a strong understanding of what the last 30 minutes are supposed to be about. The film moves at a very slow pace and people not prepared for this may find that rather irritating. And still there is this fascination for the film even beyond it's beautiful looks (which hold up wonderfully even 44(!) years later). My favorite section is the story about HAL, followed closely by the opening about The Dawn of Man.

Rating:

[samuelrichardscott]

I saw this once, in my early years (12/13?) and was bored to tears. Obviously my tastes have developed a LOT since then and I keep meaning to check it out again. So many films... so little time!

[Jon]

I find Kubrick a bit cold, but I adore 2001. Probably saw it first when I was a kid and watched it properly a couple more times since. I find the first sequence strangely moving while even the mundane mechanics of moon politics don't slow it down for me. And of course the whole HAL section and the psychedelic evolution is just spell-binding.

It's inception is fascinating, with many people assuming it is an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's book, but in fact it was a true collaboration with both the book and the film developed in sync, influencing one another. I remember reading a fairly recent Empire article which included interviews with Clarke and it's also interesting how bits you would assume were down to Kubrick were actually his, and vice versa.

Empire don't have that article on their site, but I did find their 'Essay' version of the review. It echoes much of what I had interpreted, especially the relation between why the apes do what they do and why HAL goes nuts and the meaning of the consequences. You might find it interesting, but it's important to remember that no-one really knows what it actually means! In that sense, it is pure cinema.

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132770

[Achim]

It's inception is fascinating, with many people assuming it is an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's book, but in fact it was a true collaboration with both the book and the film developed in sync, influencing one another.

You might find it interesting, but it's important to remember that no-one really knows what it actually means! In that sense, it is pure cinema.

I learned both these points from the documentary included in the set (A Life In Pictures).

I think in relation to apes Hal's behavior could have been made clearer if the presence of the monolith had been made obvious a little earlier. Unless they didn't mean his "motivation" came from the monolith.


EDIT:
First time I saw it was as a teenager. We rented it on video with a bunch of friends. It was my choice and let me tell you, the others were not happy I saw it again a few yers later at a spiel screening in a cinema. I may have seen it once after that. The pace makes it necessary to be in the required mood when watching...

[Achim]

The Italian Job (Widescreen Collection) (1969/United Kingdom) Paramount Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Peter Collinson Writing: Troy Kennedy Martin (Writer) Length: 95 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, German: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish, Commentary

Stars:
Michael Caine as Charlie Croker
Noël Coward as Mr. Bridger
Benny Hill as Professor Simon Peach
Raf Vallone as Altabani
Tony Beckley as Freddie

Plot:
Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) is out of jail and on the make with an ingenious plan for the heist of the century. Aided and abetted by top criminal mastermind Mr Bridger (Noël Coward), Charlie sets off with an ace team of villains and three very special minis to lift $4,000,000 from under the noses of the Turin Polizei. The trouble is, with the cops and the Mafia on his tail, Charlie finds that grabbing the money is kid's stuff compared to getting away with it.....

This action packed comedy drama is an all-time cult classic of the 60's, with the craziest car chase in movie history and an incredible cliff hanger finale, The Italian Job is the caper movie to beat them all.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

A very British comedy with a heist film mixed in for good measure. The film is split in half between the preparation of the job and the actual execution. Especially Michael Caine, Noël Coward and Benny Hill are enjoying themselves. Good camera work and mostly well written dialog make this 90 minutes well spent.

When in Italy Michael Caine reminds the others: In this country the drive on the wrong side of the road.

Rating: