(Film #14) 25 February 2014

Back at it again, attempting to log all of the shows I've been watching as well.

This weekend brings the Oscars, so it'll be a scramble to see them all.  I'm hoping by the time I post this, I've seen 12 Years a Slave at the Kelso Theatre Pub.  :)

The Last Films I've Seen
1. World on a Wire, Part 2, 1973, Fassbinder, (total film grade) 8.0/10.0.
The Matrix, with subtlety, no special effects, and a 70s sheen, this is a much under-seen semi-masterpiece by Fassbinder.  Mirrors, mystery, and some excellent acting.  All hail New German Cinema!
2. "A Hat", Gunsmoke, Season 13, Episode 6, 1967, Totten, 8.8/10.
This show continues to grow on me, and this episode is one of the best I've seen, despite the falseness of the "Ishmay Omay" Blackfoot saying.
3. "Hard Luck Henry", Gunsmoke, Season 13, Episode 7, 1967, Rich, 6.5/10.
The Haggens provide a need comedy relief to this show and this episode is just that, relief.  Fun.
4. Donovan's Reef, 1963, Ford, 6.3/10.
Been on a Ford kick, and this was a capable comedy.  Would definitely watch it again, though it wasn't all that incredible.  The social commentary is a bit weak, and of course John Wayne's character is too manly to make any direct comments on any of it.
5. Odd Thomas, 2013, Sommers, 6.3/10.
Lacking some of the nuances that made the book a bit more appealing to me, it nevertheless allowed me to flesh out more of my feelings about the character and the story arc of the first novel (of a series, of which I've only read the first).  Koontz seems to have purposely jumped the shark here and fully embraced the aphorism that there is nothing new under the sun.  From a protagonist who can see the dead to even more simple tropes of good vs. evil, an afterlife where we'll see our loved ones, and several others not worth noting, Koontz decides to take a staid set of formulas and attempt to breathe new life into them.  Well, as a first-time Koontz reader, I'll report that he has made a few small victories here.  The movie, likewise, is quite enjoyable and emotionally vivid.  That being said, even a monumental victory in a small battle is barely noteworthy, and that's what we have here.
6. Captain Phillips, 2013, Greengrass, 6.4/10.
It's supposed to be a true story, naturally inflected with a Hollywood sheen, right?  I dunno.  I was bored out of my mind.  Somalians are poor and need better ways to better themselves than pirating.  That was the only redemptive message of the movie, in my eyes, and it was an obvious one.  Great acting and cinematography make it a good movie, worth seeing, but that's about it.
7. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, 1949, Ford, 7.0/10.
Yep, another Western.  Another Ford.  Clearly deserving his auteur status, I'm now onto "Fort Apache."  This one was about a wagon train to get the commander's wife out of the fort for the winter and its failed attempt.  Great acting, interesting piece of post-Custer history, jingoistic as it may have been, even subtly, this film is a must see for the film student.