Favorite Viewing of The Month?

Not sure what I'll be watching tonight, so I could add another. But, sticking to first-time viewings, here's what I liked best.



* For Noirvember 2024 - Time Without Pity and Shakedown were 2 that stood out.

* For the last couple of years, I've been casually going through Japan's Mainichi Award winners for Best Picture- in Nov it was The Long Darkness (1972)

* For Godzilla Day, Nov 3rd - It was the 2022 short Godzilla Fest 3: Gigan Attacks (I don't know why they haven't posted this year's short, but that's a bummer)

* I got to see Eastwood's rumored "final" film, Juror #2 on the big screen (yay!)

* Watched a fantastic Iranian picture, Chess of the Wind (1976)

* The Thicket (2024), which became my first submitted and accepted review on the forum, so that'll be a cool Nov 2024 memory.

* I've always struggled with Pedro Costa's sloooow features, but tried his first 2, more accessible movies, and enjoyed both - Blood (1989) and Casa de Lava (1994)

* Finally watched Melody (1971)

Can't pick just one, and don't feel the urge to list and rank them, but those were the 'new to me' highlights

While I didn't have a stand out film, I did like all of those I saw and four of them ended up with the same grade:

Immaculate (finishing up from October): Suspenseful Sydney Sweeney film where she plays a young nun in an Italian convent and strange things start to happen to her. Not sure why she didn't feel the need to learn Italian, but the film builds up the atmosphere while not skimping on the gore when necessary. One of my top memories in 2024 will be her attacking an older nun to Ave Maria.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: Documentary about an aging chef whose 10 seat restaurant in Japan regularly gets 3 stars from Michelin while working on innovating and improving the sushi experience. His dedication to work may not have made him the world's best father, but it appears both his sons are ending up in a good place by the climax.

Bread and Roses: Documentary about women in Afghanistan who start protesting after the Taliban takes over the country and rolls back their rights. It celebrates their small victories while not holding back on the tall odds against them

Barbie: Hilarious comedy about a Barbie doll who starts to have all too common thoughts about dying and body flaws. She heads into the real world along with "boyfriend" Ken and all their eyes are opened as a result. Fared better with the music and laughs, but somewhat less well in trying to relate to the state of women today.

Successive Slidings of Pleasure
Ulysses' Gaze
Utopia

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Favourite films for November 2024: it's a tie!...
Federico Fellini's Amarcord (1973) and Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest (2023)

November '24

Shadows in Paradise - Kaurismaki classic about romance in Helsinki's working class fringes.

Look Back - A short and sweet Anime about the medium itself that's also about friendship, the power of competition between friends and regret. One of the best of the year.

Broadcast News - One of those movies that's been hanging around my watchlist for seemingly decades that I finally saw, and I'm glad I did. Some of the best performances and one of the greatest love triangles I've ever seen.

I’ve been really slacking this year. Sorry about it.

All I watched was Klute and Ghost Dog.

Oh and the first season of . . . .

Name this character:



I do not know where I got the idea of watching it, but it just came to me somehow and somewhere. I had to watch the restoration version to see the show in its full glory. It was very helpful for me during my Election Day stress especially with the girl’s thoughtful insight on everything.

Yôjinbô (1961) – Akira Kurosawa: 7.5/10

November
An Autumn Afternoon (1962) Japan Yasujirō Ozu 8
Miss Oyu (1951) Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi 8.25
Kings of the Road (1976) 8.5
Il Grido (1957) 8.5 - 8.75
A Geisha (1953) Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi 8.75
There was A Father (1942) Japan, Ozu 8.75
Two Lane Blacktop (1971) 8.9
Last of the Chrysanthemums (1939) 9-9.25
Stranger than Paradise (1984) 9.25
Late Spring (1949) 9.75


December
Story of a Prostitute (1965) 8.25
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) 8.75
The Travelling Players (1975) 8.75-9
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) Louis Malle. 9
Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 9
Rio Bravo (1959) 9-9.25
Seven Chances (1925) 9.5
Strike (1925) 9.75