Thunderbolt's 2021 Movie Diary

189. Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage) (1960) DVD rewatch
The film well known for its face removal scene which some may find grotesque for its period. Just when you think the camera will cut away, and it just doesn’t. There is the recurring theme of man meddling a bit to far and justice really hits home in the finale. Early scenes are reminiscent of Hitchcock’s style. I have to rate this highly for having the guts to push boundaries for its time.

I will always look back fondly on this movie as well as the TV series.

190. Batman and Robin (1997) DVD rewatch
I rated Batman Forever as a guilty pleasure but I’m not convinced Batman and Robin even hits this status. Full marks for camp and even though I would view this again it just doesn’t hit the mark. The arrival of Batgirl doesn’t happen until the very end of the plot and her inclusion fails to take thing to another level.

191. Lego Batman Movie (2017) DVD rewatch
Last day of the school holidays and I happily gave this a repeated watch. Great animation and humour.

192. The Cowboys (1972) TV first watch
William Andersen (John Wayne) hires a group of school children to help him on a 400 mile cattle drive. I knew nothing of this movie and the review I read didn’t rate it too highly so I didn’t expect much. I actually thought it was fantastic. I was surprised by some of the content for a John Wayne film and was genuinely shocked by the death of a lead character.

193. Metropolis (1927) New purchase
There’s probably not much to say about this that hasn’t already been said. An epic for its time, it’s hard to believe that a movie on this scale was made almost a century ago. With the way that the big business tycoon undermined his workers and their revolt against him, well, not much has changed in the class system. Although this movie is classed as a Sci Fi, I could pretty much see every genre I can think of all amalgamated in. Not a film I could sit down and view again for a year or so but I’m glad it’s added to my collection.

194. The Skeleton Key (2005) DVD rewatch
A nicely put together story from the writer of The Ring and directed by Iain Softley (K-PAX). Kate Hudson stars as a live in nurse hired to look after a bedridden man in a dilapidated New Orleans house. But the Skeleton Key she is given unlocks more than just the doors in this superb supernatural thriller. Some great atmosphere created here with very little CGI and more old school effects. Nice to hear a Robert Johnson song used along with various other blues artists along with the very eerie Conjure of Sacrifice record. Good shouldn’t always triumph against evil in a horror film, and this is proved in this great plot twist finale.

i agree poor cgi and at the waterfall scene it goes backwards

195. Detour (1945) TV rewatch
Short and fast paced film noir. After a hitchhiker is picked up and the driver dies, he tries to used the deceased’s identity to get across country and make a buck. Unfortunately he seems to be cursed with bad luck.

196. Last Action Hero (1993) TV rewatch
A good idea badly executed. This ended up being a bit of a mess. Most of the budget must’ve been taken up by cameos.

197. Birth of the Dragon (2016) TV first watch
Biopic about Bruce Lee’s fight with a Shaolin Monk. This was OK until the action started to look unnatural towards the climax. No person will ever be able to recreate the genius of Bruce Lee.

198. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) DVD rewatch
I remember sitting down to watch this for the first time thinking it wouldn’t amount to much. Even on a repeated view it’s still pretty amusing. Tim Burton’s vision hits the mark for children and adults.

199. Hotel Transylvania (2012) DVD rewatch
Gothic animation with some imaginative characters and funny moments. The series must be a success as the 4th instalment is released next month.

200. Pacific Heights (1990) DVD rewatch
Great 90s psycho thriller. Well cast with Michael Keaton doing a fine job as the tenant from hell. He’s one of those characters that you love to hate as he manages to get away with wrecking peoples lives and properties. The house itself sets up some great moments of atmosphere but it’s the fine acting from the whole cast that makes this so believable.

So I have achieved my goal of 200 movies with still 4 months of the year left. I actually thought that I would struggle to reach this by the end of the year. This is already by far the most films that I have watched in a single year. Logging them has certainly kept me motivated to press on and reach this point.
Thank you to all who have left comments and checked out this thread. You have all made this seem worth while. I’m intrigued how far I will get to by the end of the year and with the horror month fast approaching, I can’t wait to continue.

Congrats on reaching your goal!

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Thanks. It’s been a blast.

201. Howl (2015) TV rewatch
I shouldn’t really expect more from a film which is aired on The horror channel in the UK. The film didn’t appear very well lit so much of the action was in semi darkness. Is this a way to make cheap effects so they can’t really be seen? A good idea which didn’t really climax.

I think Hotel Transylvania is an underrated movie. I haven't seen any of the sequels yet, but I thought the first movie was a lot of fun.

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