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Films seen in September
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02. The Enforcer (1976, USA) James Fargo -

worth seeing

An enjoyable cop film, however this time around the Harry Callahan character is merely delivering the goods -- clever one-liners whilst blasting away bad guys -- no surprise that there are moments were this borders on self-parody. Director James Fargo has no style to speak of, so the entire thing is held together by Eastwood’s screen presence (don’t get me started on the secondary players). It is not hard to see why Clint took the series into his own hands with the next film.

04. The Monster Squad (1987, USA) Fred Dekker - 6th? viewing [last seen Jul. '07]

05. Theater of Blood (1973, UK) Douglas Hickox -

a must see

06. Heavy Metal (1981, Canada) Gerald Potterron -

worth seeing

07. Expired (2007, USA) Cecilia Miniucchi -

worthless [F]

09. Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Rosamanta (2004, Spain) Paco Plaza -

worth seeing [C-]

11. Prophecy (1979, USA) John Frankenheimer -

Excellent

12. The Love Parade (1929, USA) Ernst Lubitsch -

a must see

13. American Zombie (2007, USA) Grace Lee -

has redeeming facet [D+]

15. Party 7 (2000, Japan) Katsuhito Ishii -

a must see

16. High School Confidential! (1958, USA) Jack Arnold -

Excellent

17. The Three Trials (2006, USA) Randy Greif [2007 based on DVD premiere] -

worthless [F]

18. Paraliminal 2 (2006, USA) Randy Greif [short] - not recommended

19. Paraliminal 3 (2006, USA) Randy Greif [short] - recommended

20. Une Catastrophe (2008, France) Jean-Luc Godard [short] 1 min. - recommended

Viennale trailer, but shows the master is still the same filmmaker he was with Notre Musique.

21. Happy Birthday to Me (1981, USA) J. Lee Thompson -

has redeeming facet

80’s slasher that rips-off Castle’s phenomenal Strait-Jacket.

22. Boachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1973, Japan) Teruo Ishii -

a must see

Gives new meaning to the phrase “has to be seen to be believed.” Makes me want to watch every Pinky Violence film ever made. Stylized studio sets featuring dazzling colors, copious geysers of blood, and a vast array of nude women performing any number of violent and exploitive acts. Only Japan could produce a film this fucking insane and yet still be considered Art.

23. The Bridge (2006, USA) Eric Steel -

a must see [B-]

Eric Steel set-up camera in San Francisco filming every daylight hour of the Golden Gate Bridge. All told, he captured 23 suicide jumpers on film. Filmmaker motives aside, there is something genuinely compelling about a documentary like this. One could almost pair it up with Mondo Docs like Faces of Death, or horror cinema in general, and come up with quite a profound program on death and the cinematic fascination with it.

24. Gantz - Vol. 7 (2004, Japan) Ichirô Itano [Ep.14-17] - mixed

I’m sort of hating this Anime series, but I find myself unable to toss it aside. Episode 26 is in my future I know it…

25. Radio Days (1987, USA) Woody Allen -

a must see

Very unique cinematic form (vignettes) for Allen’s style of writing and while he doesn’t have much flair for period films, I’d love to see more works like this by him.

26. The Fall (2006, USA) Tarsem Singh - 2nd viewing [last seen Sept. '06] rating lowered ** [C+]

It’s strange because I feel about Pan’s Labyrinth everything that people who hate this film feel...

27. Gantz - Vol. 8 (2004, Japan) Ichirô Itano [Ep.18-20] - mixed

CAN’T.STOP.WATCHING.

28. Giants and Toys (1958, Japan) Yasuzo Masumura -

a must see

Quite a special little film, which has justly garnered comparisons to Frank Tashlin, about rival candy corporations vying for their share of the market. Viewed today the rich images are tad ‘time capsule-esque, however the underlying human drama remains completely modern. I only wish the ending pushed even further…

29. Private School (1983, USA) Noel Black -

worth seeing

It’s no Porky’s, but as far as 80’s sex-farces are concerned you could do much worse. I’m left wondering why Betsy Russell didn’t skyrocket to stardom after this?

30. Baby Mama (2008, USA) Michael McCullers -

worth seeing [C-]

The comedy is effective, but I prefer a little more substance (or none at all) when confronted with the genre. There was a draft of this script that I’m sure had a message, but it certainly got lost once the SNL crew touched it up. The end result is a film that passes the time well enough, but winds up being entirely inconsequential.

31. Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947, Japan) Yasujiro Ozu -

Excellent

Ozu at his most sentimental, yet entirely restrained. Amazing.

32. Postal (2007, USA) Uwe Boll -

has redeeming facet [D]

The problem here is that the South Park writers are actually intelligent guys with a sharp understanding for the world of mass media, while Uwe Boll is a German who just saw his first South Park episode.

33. Ivan's Childhood (1962, Soviet Union) Andrei Tarkovsky -

Excellent

I had seen this film many years ago, long before I ever knew anything of Tarkovsky or his work, and it’s amazing how many of the images were still fresh in my mind. Clearly the work of a master filmmaker, this is probably the one film in his oeuvre that best lends itself to home viewing. There is also a warmth -- a love if you will -- that seems to pulse throughout this near masterpiece, giving it a unique place in the Tarkovsky canon.

34. Gantz - Vol. 9 (2004, Japan) Ichirô Itano [Ep.21-23] - not recommended

I’m ready for this to end…

35. Sex and the City (2008, USA) Michael Patrick King -

has redeeming facet [D+]

I'll keep my comments to myself on this one, however head on over to Slant, and you'll find Ed Gonzalez echoing my thoughts exactly.

36. Run Fat Boy Run (2007, UK) David Schwimmer -

worth seeing [C+]

Call me skeptical as I’m inclined to think that Simon Pegg is the real auteur here, but kudos to Mr. Schimmer on very solid outing all around.

37. Keoma (1976, Italy) Enzo G. Castellari -

a must see

Dominated by a wild narrative score, this is one odd Spaghetti Western.

38. They Wait (2007, Canada) Ernie Barbarash -