Film Watch List: June 2008

*film has been seen previously/rewatching
†watched in theatre

in viewing order

American Hardcore (2006)
World Trade Center (2006)
Brief Encounter (1945)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Captain Blood (1935)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The Petrified Forest (1936)
Shanghai Express (1932)
Eagle vs Shark (2007)
Stagecoach (1939)
Halloween (2007)
Little Caesar (1931)
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
The Public Enemy (1931)
Werewolf of London (1935)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
The Illusionist (2006)
The Big Trail (1930)

Stats
Films watched: 22
Films previously seen: 0
Films watched in theatres: 0

Average # of films watched per day: 0.73

By Decade
1930s: 14
1940s: 1
1950s: 0
1960s: 0
1970s: 0
1980s: 0
1990s: 0
2000s: 7

Universal Monster Movies: 2
Warners Gangster Pictures: 5
Films featuring Warner Oland in Yellowface: 2 (and none of them as Charlie Chan)

Conclusion: June ended up becoming 1930s film education month. I'm less ambitious for July. I'll probably just try to watch as many of the excess DVDs and films taped off of TCM than more recent movies.

Inventory: DVDs by Director

Inventory: Where I look at the stuff I have.

DVDs by Director: Where I judge filmmakers by the part of their filmography I own.



David Cronenberg: The Brood, Eastern Promises, The Fly, A History of Violence, Scanners, Spider, Videodrome

Conclusion: The body is a very scary place.


Chan-wook Park: Lady Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Conclusion: Always choose revenge.


George A. Romero: Dawn of the Dead, Monkey Shines

Conclusion: Be wary of zombies and/or monkeys.


Martin Scorsese: The King of Comedy, Taxi Driver

Conclusion: Robert De Niro is a scary obsessive loner.

David Lynch's America: McDonald's

"Well, you know I like uhhh I still like McDonald's, I must say uhhh but I don't go there too often. But I like the Filet-O-Fish sandwich and the chocolate shake and fries, tha-the combo uhhh, but ummmm I like coffee shops very much."

Horror on Home Video: The '80s

The last three (3) DVDs I bought were:

• Prince of Darkness (1987)
• Monkey Shines (1988)
• C.H.U.D. (1984)

Awesome? Awesome.

Licensing Your Consumer Rights I

Have you ever noticed that DVDs produced by specialty boutiques (examples being Criterion and Anchor Bay) often don't have the myriad of warnings (FBI, Interpol) that plague major studio releases? That's suspiciously pro-consumer. Where's Joe McCarthy when you need him? Dead? Then bring me zombie Joe McCarthy.

These unskippable warnings have become so ubiquitous to become analogous to commercial breaks, allowing you to pop in your DVD and then get any food, adjust lighting while you wait for the menu to arrive. God forbid the product you purchased to not treat you like a criminal for legally obtaining it rather than download it illegally, perhaps through a torrent. Sorry did I say buy? That implies ownership, I meant to say license. Obviously.