1959: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 12:21
Tags:
Loved
- None Yet
Really Liked
Rio Bravo
... I cut my teeth on Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, and I'm only now starting to fill in the John Wayne hole in my western education. After watching countless Eastwood man-with-no-name entrances that immediate put his prowess on display (Eastwood, perhaps conscious of this, falls face-first into pig-shit when we first meet him in Unforgiven), it's refreshing to see a western where the hero's entrance is decidedly more human (knocked cold by a drunk inside of 10 seconds). A very good western, although quite different than what I'm used to - much more character-driven, and with with greater emotional range than the greed- and revenge-driven plots I grew up on. Everyone was very good, and to my surprise Dean Martin in particular stood out.Some Like it Hot
... Great cast, and Jack Lemmon's character had it right: Marilyn Monroe really was a whole different sex. Actually, I was surprised at how funny she was. I never really gave her much thought, and had her pegged as little more than a pin-up girl. On the one hand, the stories from the set make it seem like a miracle she was even watchable, with all those stories of dozens and dozens of takes, but then there's the end result, which is great. Tony Curtis is very good too, and Jack Lemmon is the best of all. I was surprised by all the not-so-veiled sex references, but I think it was the black-and-white cinematography that had me thinking this was older, when in fact the sixties were right around the corner.Glad I Saw
Black Orpheus
... I enjoyed this rendition of the Orpheus/Eurydice myth set against the backdrop of Carnival in Rio. This movie is about the music and dance as much as the story. In fact that would be my only complaint: there's probably a fifty/fifty split between story and music/dance. Not that I didn't enjoy the latter, but I couldn't help feeling the shortness of the tale itself. Still, a beautiful movie to see and hear, and the tragedy hasn't lost much in a couple thousand years.North by Northwest
... A good spy-thriller, but I wanted to like this even more. Thought it was a bit slow at times, and lacked some of the darkness and tension I've enjoyed more in other Hitchcock movies. Still, great plot with very enjoyable performance from Cary Grant.Guilty Pleasures
- None Yet
Could Have Missed
Ben Hur
... A blasphemous entry, I know. A huge, sweeping movie; epic in every sense. The chariot race didn't disappoint. But the film can't redeem Heston's awful performance, which flipped between wooden and histrionic without hitting anything in between. Worth watching once - after all, it's Ben Hur, fer cryin' out loud.The 400 Blows
... I can see why film school grads drool over this one. It has it all: beautifully shot in a new (at the time) aspect ratio, adolescent angnt, alienation at home and at school, the sense of inevitability about our hero's doomed pursuits, an ironic title, failed (or at least naive) aspirations, ambiguous ending . . . and boring. I certainly can't deny its historical importance, but I could have passed on this one. If this doesn't prove that I'm a philistine, nothing will.Should Have Missed
- None Yet
El Sucko Grande
- None Yet
Unranked
- None Yet
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