The thief who steals my time...

[wpqx]

Wow I haven't seen Daughters of Darkness in about a decade. I just came across my unrated VHS the other day, not too many memories of the film. I found it boring at the time, but that's to be expected when you're 12 or 13. I know its not a competition, but I may have seen more than 55 this month.

[R6dw6C]

Wow I haven't seen Daughters of Darkness in about a decade. I just came across my unrated VHS the other day, not too many memories of the film. I found it boring at the time, but that's to be expected when you're 12 or 13.

Oh my god, If I would've seen it at that age, it would've caused me terrible nightmares!
It's a very special, multilayered film that needs several viewings, imo. This second watch after only two months was inspired by my wish to review it extensively. Now that I've detected much more of the film's sensational melodramatic and self-reflexive complexity, this really is an overwhelming challenge (and Christ, a review of "Eastern Promises" is also in preparation...). If you're interested, the 2-Disc-Edition by Blue Underground is a real jewel and probably the first edition that reveals how far Kmel and his photographer Eduard van der Enden went with their visual extravaganza. The Scenes with the hypnotic Delphine Seyrig wearing the red and silver dresses probably never looked that clear.
There was an intriguing article about the history of Flemish cinema in a German Film Magazine which also included a long break about Harry Kmel. The whole article inspired me to watch more Flemish Films in the Future (If possible) and especially Kmel's most personal and intimate Work "Malpertuis" which he was able to realize after the huge success of "Daughters of Darkness" (which he himself considers to be a nice, but ugly piece of trash today - strange).

I know its not a competition, but I may have seen more than 55 this month.

Oh, that's really relieving to hear!
So, 55 doesn't seem too extreme to you. I was shocked about myself when I finished counting them...

[wpqx]

55 is a damn fine number, and if I could average that per month, I'd be very happy. Unfortunately from April to September I have this thing called baseball that keeps me from watching a lot of movies. This past month though I've had no job or school, so in all honesty I should have seen even more movies. "My" computer is not set up here yet, but I imagine within a day or so I'll post my own film journal. I'm really proud of myself for keeping up this film journal all year.

[A]

I have not seen nearly as much films as you two, and I must say that I'm kind of proud of that. I've decided that I really need a break and should watch way less films. A Film Festival every now and then is a good thing (this year the Silent Film fest in Erlangen, the Berlinale, Munich, the Fantasy Film Fest, and the 70mm Film Fest are already booked), but besides that, 3 or 4 films a week could or should be enough. I really need to focus more on other aspects of my life.

It is really great to see you two maintaining your film journals on such a regular basis. I have realy been a nuisance in this regard. I just noticed that I have published only one(!!!) month of film viewing in the whole year of 2007...

I will try to do better next year, and start right now with adding at least another month to my 2007 movie log.

[R6dw6C]

@ A:

You're probably absolutely right, as you can see, I slowly should start worrying - January was even heavier, 59 Feature Films and even some shorts / TV-Documentaries!!!

I think, that was too much... And now, in a few days, the Berlinale... hundreds of films... how about leaving the good intentions behind one more month? It's getting worse...

Don't worry about your viewing log, look how clumsy mine is done - you always care about it much more and it usually pays off.

* I forgot to mention it on top of this thread: If there are some numbers behind the version, for example 2nd or 5th, it's the number of times I've seen the certain film including the mentioned viewing.



01. 01. 08:
AUTUMN SONATA (Ingmar Bergman, West Germany/USA 1978) - 9/10 (23)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)
CLARENCE, THE CROSS-EYED LION (Andrew Marton, USA 1965) - 7/10 (18)
(TV / German dubbed version / 6th)



02. 01. 08:
IO HO PAURA / I AM AFRAID (Damiano Damiani, Italy 1977) - 10/10 (25)
(Betamax / German dubbed version)
LOST HIGHWAY (David Lynch, USA/France 1997) - 10/10 (24)
(DVD / O.V. with bad German subtitles / 2nd)



03. 01. 08:
WESTWORLD (Michael Crichton, USA 1973) - 9/10 (21)
(DVD / O.V. with German Subtitles)
FAUST - LOVE OF THE DAMNED (Brian Yuzna, Spain 2000) - 5/10 (16)
(DVD / O.V. with German Subtitles / 2nd)



04. 01. 08:
PHENOMENA (Dario Argento, Italy/Switzerland/France 1984) - 10/10 (24)
(DVD / Director's cut / Original English version / bad image and sound / wrong aspect ratio / 5th)
THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR[i] (Tom Tykwer, Germany 2000) - 7/10 (19)
(TV / Original German Version / wrong aspect ratio of 1:2,25)



05. 01. 08:
L'AVVERTIMENTO / THE WARNING (Damiano Damiani, Italy 1980) - 7/10 (18)
(Betamax / German dubbed version / very bad sound / wrong aspect ratio)
TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Ernst Lubitsch, USA 1942) - 9/10 (23)
(35mm / German dubbed version)
LOVE - ZERO = INFINITY (Hiyasayu Sato, Japan 1994) - 7/10 (20)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)



06. 01. 08:
THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (Vincente Minelli, USA 1952) - 9/10 (22)
(DVD / Original English version / extremely good image / wrong aspect ratio)
BEYOND THE DARKNESS (Aristide Massachesi, Italy 1979) - No Rating
(DVD / German dubbed version / incomplete version / 3rd)
QUEST (Tyron Montgomery, Germany 1996 / Short) - 8/10 (19)
(35mm / Original version)
THE RED DESERT (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/France 1964) - 10/10 (25)
(35mm / German dubbed version / very good print / 3rd)
LA NOTTE (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/France 1961) - 10/10 (24)
(35mm / German dubbed version / extremely good print / 2nd)



07. 01. 08:
2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (Sergio Martino, Italy/France/USA 1982) - 8/10 (19)
(DVD / German dubbed version)
TEA AND SYMPATHY (Vincente Minnelli, USA 1956) - 9/10 (22)
(VHS / German dubbed version / wrong aspect ratio of 1:2,20)



09. 01. 08:
HOLIDAY (George Cukor, USA 1938) - 9/10 (23)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)



10. 01. 08:
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (Mike Nichols, USA 1966) - 9/10 (24)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles / wrong aspect ratio of 1:1,78)
SUMMERTIME KILLER (Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi, Italy/Spain/France 1972) - 9/10 (22)
(VHS / German dubbed, edited version / wrong aspect ratio of 1:1,46)



12. 01. 08:
BLOW UP (Michelangelo Antonioni, UK/Italy 1966) - 10/10 (23)
(35mm / O.V. with German subtitles / dark, damaged print / 4th)
GIRLFRIENDS (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy 1955) - 7/10 (19)
(35mm / German dubbed version)



13. 01. 08:
PREUSSISCH GANGSTAR (Irma Stelmach, Bartosz Werner, Germany 2007) - 7/10 (19)
(35mm / Original German version / strong Berlin accent, difficult to understand)



14. 01. 08:
NOW, VOYAGER! (Irving Rapper, USA 1942) - 9/10 (21)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE [i](Paul Thomas Anderson, USA 2003) - No Rating
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)
CONTROL (Anton Corbijn, UK/France/Japan/Australia 2007) - 7/10 (18)
(35mm / O.V. with German subtitles)



15. 01. 08:
DEMONLOVER (Olivier Assayas, France 2002) - 9/10 (22)
(DVD / German dubbed version)



16. 01. 08:
SLIGHTLY FRENCH (Douglas Sirk, USA 1949) - 7/10 (20)
(Betamax / O.V. with extremely bad German subtitles / bad image)



17. 01. 08:
THE NINTH GATE (Roman Polanski, Spain/France/USA/Germany 1999) - 6/10 (16)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)
COLD EYES OF FEAR (Enzo G. Castellari, Italy/Spain 1970) - 5/10 (15)
(DVD / English dubbed version)



19. 01. 08:
BIRTH (Jonathan Glazer, USA 2004) - 8/10 (21)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles / bad sound)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE (Robert Aldrich, USA 1962) - 9/10 (22)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)



20. 01. 08:
DESPAIR (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany/France 1978) - 6/10 (15)
(VHS / German dubbed version / wrong aspect ratio / very bad image)
IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/France 1982) - 7/10 (20)
(35mm / German dubbed version / 2nd)
ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni, USA 1970) - 10/10 (25)
(35mm / German dubbed version / incomplete, damaged print / 3rd)



21. 01. 08:
IMITATION OF LIFE (Douglas Sirk, USA 1959) - 10/10 (25)
(DVD / Original English version / 3rd)
DIE DRESSIERTE FRAU (Ernst Hofbauer, West Germany 1972) - 7/10 (19)
(Betamax / Original German, edited and incomplete version / very bad image)
GOOD BOYS (Yair Hochner, Israel 2005) - 7/10 (18)
(DVD / O.V. with English subtitles)



22. 01. 08:
SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (Aldo Lado, Italy/West Germany/Czech Republic 1971) - 9/10 (23)
(DVD / German dubbed version - O.V. with German subtitles)



23. 01. 08:
BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (Mario Bava, Italy/Spain/West Germany 1964)- 8/10 (20)
(DVD / German dubbed version / 2nd)
FRIDAY THE 13TH (Sean S. Cunningham, USA 1980) - 7/10 (20)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles / 3rd)
HARALD REINL - KINO OHNE PROBLEME (--, West Germany 1985) - 5/10 (14)
(Betamax / Original German version)
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Frank Capra, USA 1934) - 9/10 (21)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles)



25. 01. 08:
THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock, USA 1956) - 10/10 (24)
(DVD / O.V. with German subtitles / 2nd)
INFERNO (Dario Argento, Italy 1980) - 10/10 (25)
(35mm / German dubbed version / 3rd)
THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/Spain/France 1975) - No Rating
(35mm / German dubbed version)



26. 01. 08:
DIARY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero, USA/Canada 2007) - 7/10 (20)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (Jonathan Levine, USA 2006) - 8/10 (20)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)
THE AWFUL DOCTOR ORLOFF (Jesus Franco, Spain 1962) - No Rating
(35mm / French dubbed Version / wrong aspect ratio / totally out of focus)
THE CREMATOR (Juraj Herz, Czech Republic 1968) - No Rating
(35mm / Original Czech version with French subtitles / wrong aspect ratio / totally out of focus)
FEAR X (Nicolas Winding Refn, Denmark/UK/Canada/Brazil 2003) - 10/10 (25)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)



27. 01. 08:
THE BR ø KEN (Sean Ellis, UK/France 2006) - 3/10 (9)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)
THE END OF THE LINE (Maurice Devereaux, Canada 2006) - 7/10 (18)
(DVD / O.V. with French subtitles)
ROGUE (Greg McLean, Australia/USA 2007) - 6/10 (15)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)
SHROOMS (Paddy Breathnach, Ireland 2006) - 6/10 (16)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles / extremely loud sound)
THE MOTHER OF TEARS (Dario Argento, Italy/USA 2007) - 4/10 (13)
(35mm / O.V. with French subtitles)



28. 01. 08:
THE BEACH (Danny Boyle, USA 2000)- 6/10 (16)
(TV / German dubbed version / wrong aspect ratio of 1:1,85 / bad image)
INTO THE WILD (Sean Penn, USA 2007) - 7/10 (20)
(35 mm / German dubbed version / wrong aspect ratio / out of focus)



30. 01. 08
CUT AND RUN (Ruggero Deodato, USA/Italy 1984) - 6/10 (17)
(DVD / Original English version)



31. 01. 08
LATE AUTUMN (Yasujiro Ozu, Japan 1960) - 8/10 (21)
(Betamax / German dubbed version)
Best film(s) of the month (which I've seen for the first time): FEAR X (2003), I AM AFRAID (1977), HOLIDAY (1938); actually, most of the films I rated 24 - 25.
Best rewatch(es) of the month: INFERNO (1980), ZABRISKIE POINT (1970), THE RED DESERT (1964), THE WRONG MAN (1956)
Best Re-discovery of the month: PHENOMENA (1984), SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (1971)
Best new discovery of the month: THE CREMATOR (1968), DEMONLOVER (2002), IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), SUMMERTIME KILLER (1973)
Biggest disappointment of the month: THE MOTHER OF TEARS (2007)
Worst film of the month: THE BROKEN (2007)

I could've mentioned a few more but films like "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" or "Whatever happened to Baby Jane" were films which I already intended to watch since quite a long time while, for example, "It happened one Night" is one either but I watched it more spontaneously without knowing that it's a classic.

[A]

Looks once again like an excellent month with lots of masterpieces. I'm surprised at your high rating of the Ozu. I thought you didn't like it as much. What's wrong with Fassbinder's Despair ?

[R6dw6C]

I thought I told you that I was really intrigued by it, though it didn't leave me enthusiastic or something. It was very good, actually. But honestly, I don't feel aspirations to watch more Ozu, at least at the moment. The mix of natural humanity and strong, mathematic stylization left a somehow confused and bitter aftertaste.

"Despair" - I felt a bit undecided because I couldn't really figure out what Fassbinder was up to with it (it's been the first time this happened - Fassbinder always left me self-conscious) - Every thought about the film left a big "SUGGESTION" as a trace and overall, the film was too uneven and striking ( - You remember our conversation about striking messages and suggestions yesterday, do you?). I wish that my version would've been the original English one, even though the dubbing was quite good and preserved Dirk Bogarde's wonderfully excessive Rogue-Performance.

[A]

Now that you mention Dirk Bogarde, I have to see it. Somehow I had completely forgotten about this Fassbinder movie. I do recall our interesting conversation yesterday. Too bad we were too tired to carry it on. And I couldn't sleep again today. Woke up after 6 hours, and I'm still feeling dizzy as hell. This will be a very unproductive day.

[R6dw6C]

Why don't you come over to Nuremberg? Benjamin and I intend to celebrate Trash Movies (as we do so often) this Night and in our regular programme, we can also offer two nice films, a bavarian B-Movie and a pornographic cartoon. Isn't this a nice opportunity to join some other people who also spend their day quite unproductive?

Think about it, it would do you no harm to fall asleep during a film like "Creatures from the Abyss" or something laughable like that.

Dirk Bogarde's performance is certainly the best thing "Despair" has - he is such an cynical %+@*+!%, unbelievable...

[A]

Oh, I don't think I'll make it today. I need to finally get some sleep, and I should work on my night-day rhythm. Berlinale is only one week away. Otherwise this would be a great idea. And I always love watching Dirk Bogarde.