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30 days, 30 movies
 205  8.3  7.8  Robert Bresson's realistic directing style is part of what makes this film so poignant; Bresson used mostly non-actors or 'models' to not act or be expressive, and the film feels true to life. The protagonist's life mirrors the fate of her donkey Balthazar; Balthazar became a metaphor for whenever we felt powerless in our lives. Jean-Luc Godard didn't lie when he said Au Hasard Balthazar is 'the world in an hour and a half.' Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
3171 8 8.4  Too many people probably expected too much of the movie and feeling it was 'overhyped' and 'overrated', and compensated by underrating the film. Mr. Saturn's rating:
497 8.4 8.3  Do not be put off if you read the plot synopsis; Ikiru isn't a bleak film, but a triumph. I wish sometime in my life, my life will be as meaningful as Shimura's character life is in his final moments. Mr. Saturn's rating:
869 8.4 8.4 You should watch Bicycle Thieves before watching this clip by Martin Scorsese; it contains spoilers. Mr. Saturn's rating:
144 8 7.8  Please don't read spoilers before watching Mouchette. Mouchette is one of Andrei Tarkovsky's favorite films. Mr. Saturn's rating:
3017 7.6 8.2  The Wizard of Oz was beautiful seeing it as a child when Dorothy first stepped into Oz and the film magically changed to technicolor, and it's just as beautiful today. [The Wizard of Oz is] a film whose driving force is the inadequacy of adults, even of good adults, and how the weakness of grown-ups forces children to take control of their own destinies, and so, ironically, grow up themselves. - Salman Rushdie Mr. Saturn's rating:
79 9 7.7 This film will make even the most ardent pacifist question if the ends can ever justify the means. Kenzo's decision to shoot the person's son was futile, and to blindly accept his logic could be a form of military worship and reverence (what Kenzo rallies against). Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
2845 7.3 7.9  Crash is saccharine and condescending. I couldn't say it any better than A.O. Scott So what kind of a movie is "Crash"? A frustrating movie: full of heart and devoid of life; crudely manipulative when it tries hardest to be subtle; and profoundly complacent in spite of its intention to unsettle and disturb. Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
132 6.9 7   I don't understand the backlash against this documentary. It could be the narrator's homosexuality, or a perceived 'fatalism' about his abusive past of rape and his fear that he'll lose grip on reality like his mother, or maybe it's because he made the movie on Imovie or whatever Apple computers have. Tarnation is a worthy experience. Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
160 8.6 8.3  Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? - Epicurus As a secular humanist I don't believe in any supernatural beings, but that doesn't mean I'm not a spiritual or empathetic person. I made a list about The Decalogue films; this is the greatest film in the series, but most of the other films are just as great. Mr. Saturn's rating:
247 7.6 7.9 I really related to George because of his nostalgia, his reluctance to work, his fears of being slandered, and worse his fears of death and becoming a shadow of his former self. Despite his mistakes, he didn't deserve his comeuppance. Mr. Saturn's rating:
2156 5.5 5.9  I don't hate the film (I think it's average), but I loved it when I was a child. Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
87 7.8 7.7  A disappointing sequel to The 400 Blows. The third Antoine Doinel film, Stolen Kisses, was criticized for being bourgeois (modern viewers might think it's twee), but it's a better film than Antoine and Colette. Mr. Saturn's rating:
 
96 7.9 7 The Uncobbled Cut  Richard Williams worked on the film for decades, only to lose creative control; the animation scenes, particularly at the end  are genius, and are more imaginatively animated than most modern Disney films. Mr. Saturn's rating:
3354 8.6 9  I liked Robert De Niro's performance even more than Marlon Brando's brilliant performance in the first movie. Mr. Saturn's rating:
482 8.8 8.1  For Falconetti, the performance was an ordeal. Legends from the set tell of Dreyer forcing her to kneel painfully on stone and then wipe all expression from her face--so that the viewer would read suppressed or inner pain. He filmed the same shots again and again, hoping that in the editing room he could find exactly the right nuance in her facial expression. - Roger Ebert Mr. Saturn's rating:
315 8.9 8.4  The greatest anti-war film ever made. Masaki Kobayashi was critical of the Samurai code, which influenced Japan's actions during WWII (he made the Human Condition trilogy about this). Mr. Saturn's rating:
2044 8.1 8.5  Citizen Kane was based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Mr. Saturn's rating:
2307 8.3 8.6  Mr. Saturn's rating:
353 6.6 7  The film is beautiful, despite containing lies and bigotry. The film was used by the KKK, but Griffith tried to make amends by making Intolerance and Broken Blossoms (the film would be racist by today's standards, but it's one of the first examples of interracial couples in film). The Birth of a Nation isn't a blight on D.W. Griffith's career; it's one of the most important films ever made. Erich von Stroheim, one of Griffith's assistants, said that he was the pioneer of filmdom. The first to put beauty and poetry into a cheap and tawdry sort of amusement. - Martin Scorsese, from A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies Mr. Saturn's rating:
546 8.3 8.1  ... there's a kind of magical sense in the film. For example, Gelsomina, her wonderful ability, like a child, to be exited by everything's she's seen in the world. - Martin Scorsese, La Strada: Criterion Collection Mr. Saturn's rating:
1540 8.6 8.8  Akira Kuroswa's film Rashomon is just as great for different reasons. Mr. Saturn's rating:
26 7.7 7.7  Children try to rescue their friend's life and decide to sacrifice one year of their lives to rescue their dying friend. The Halloween Tree is a great coming of age film for children. Mr. Saturn's rating:
245 8.4 7.9   I recommend the 4 hour reconstruction using film stills (the original lost film was almost ten hours). Unfortunately, it's only available on Itunes, and no DVD is planned for release. According to Stroheim, “The rest of the negative” — 35 of the 45 reels in the original workprint — “was burned to get the 43 cents worth of silver out.” Mr. Saturn's rating:
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Anyways, great choices--quite obscure, which usually means I'll like them. Thanks for bringing these fine films to my attention!