InThreeFour

After a long break from updating this goal, I can look back at the last ten films I watched with pleasure.

I discovered not one, but two films I loved, that I haven’t seen before – The 400 Blows and 12 Angry Men. Both, and especially the latter, are timeless.

I also saw for the first time in a long time one of my all-time favorite movies, Glengarry Glen Ross. If you haven’t seen it, you must check it out.

There were a couple disappointments; Caddyshack is mediocre, and Akira – as good as it may be – just didn’t appeal to me.

All in all, though, I’m really happy with this last batch.

The fortieth classic film I watched was The 400 Blows, directed by François Truffaut and starring a young Jean-Pierre Léaud.

This is a great example of effective subtlety, of a film that doesn’t grab you so much as seek into your psyche. What seems at first to be a quiet drama about a rascally kid soon becomes much more a comment on the human condition and contemporary society.

There are some very beautiful and memorable shots and sequences – the carnival ride, the children at the puppet show, the psychologist’s interview, the two long running sequences – these are all examples of masterful filmmaking.

This is the first Truffaut film I’ve seen, and I look forward eagerly to watching more of them.

40 down, 60 to go.

The thirty-ninth classic film I watched was Caddyshack, directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, and others.

This movie has a lot of myth surrounding it – such as the myth that it’s really funny. Frankly this was a major disappointment, and other than a few decent one-liners and some quirky antics by Chase, I didn’t really laugh much.

Bill Murray’s character, for example – pretty famous. Not even remotely funny.

One of the most overrated sports comedies of all time.

39 down, 61 to go.