My viewing log

[A]

Comparing my chaotic listings of previous years to wpqx's orderly film log, I've decided to adapt a bit and somewhat copy his format. I hope this will make it easier for you to get the relevant information (if there is any, that is ).
Unfortunately i am not only behind on a lot of reviews but have also to catch up with my film listings from April 2006 onwards. But as I do this on another internetsite and in the old format (and I have 6 more lists to update), this shouldn't concern this thread too much.

My ratings range from 0 to 100, with 50 being the "middle". In general I liked films with a higher rating, and disliked the ones with a lower. Personal favorites start with 75, and absolutely everything with a rating above 80 is not only considered essential viewing but imo includes the best films ever made. Masterpieces start with 90, though.

short legend:
seen in a filmtheater
/repeated viewing/
masterpiece

And for a start, here's January:

Jan 01
[100] /The Maltese Falcon/ (John Huston / USA / 1940)
[88] /Sunset Blvd./ (Billy Wilder / USA / 1950)

Jan 02
[65] /The Big Sleep/ (Howard Hawks / USA / 1946)
[45] Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman / USA / 2005)
[75] /Los amantes del Crculo Polar/ "Lovers of the Arctic Circle" (Julio Medem / Spain, France / 1997)

Jan 03
[76] Iko shashvi mgalobeli "Lived Once a Song-Thrush" (Otar Iosseliani / Soviet Union / 1970)

Jan 04
[59] Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina "Slap the Monster on Page One" [wrong aspect ratio] (Marco Bellocchio / Italy, France / 1972)

Jan 09
[61] /First Blood/ (Ted Kotcheff / USA / 1982)

Jan 10
[64] Tokyo Eyes [German dubbed version] (Jean-Pierre Limosin / France, Japan / 1997)

Jan 11
[47] Frken Julie "Miss Julie" (Alf Sjoberg / Sweden / 1951)
[61] /Forces of Nature/ (Bronwen Hughes / USA / 1999)

Jan 12
[30] Texas, addio "The Avenger" [extremely bad subtitling] (Ferdinando Baldi / Italy, Spain / 1966)
[63] La veuve de Saint-Pierre [bad subtitling] (Patrice Leconte / France, Canada / 2000)

Jan 13
[66] Salut les cubains (Agns Varda / France, Cuba / 1963)
[57] At One View (Menno de Nooijer, Paul de Nooijer / Netherlands, Canada, UK / 1989)
[64] Hold (Dryden Goodwin / UK / 1996)
[52] Pas de repos pour Billy Brakko (Jean-Pierre Jeunet / France / 1983)
[35] De tuin ( ?? / Netherlands / 1999)
[42] Der Besenbinder, der Fotograph und der Koch (Franz Winzentsen / Germany / 1997)
[40] Copy Shop (Virgil Widrich / Austria / 2001)

Jan 14
[39] The Postman Always Rings Twice (Tay Garnett / USA / 1946)
[68] /Invisible Waves/ (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang / Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Netherlands / 2006)

Jan 15
[45] Dead Reckoning (John Cromwell / USA / 1947)

Jan 16
[65] Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black / USA / 2005)

Jan 17
[68] /Mou gaan dou/ "Infernal Affairs" (Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak / Hong Kong / 2002)
[75] /Casablanca/ (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1942)

Jan 18
[59] Freddie Rich and His Orchestra (Lloyd French / USA / 1938)
[58] Katnip Kollege (?? / USA / 1938)
[42] /The Adventures of Robin Hood/ (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1938)

Jan 19
[--] /Batalla en el cielo/ "Battle in Heaven" (Carlos Reygadas / Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany / 2005)
[55] Le sphinx (Thierry Knauff / Belgium / 1986)
[68] Ulysse (Agns Varda / France / 1982)
[70] Die Anprobe (1938) (Franz Winzentsen / West Germany / 1985)
[65] Album Fleischera [wrong aspect ratio] (Janusz Majewski / Poland / 1962)
[59] Bezhin lug "Bezhin Meadow" [bad subtitling] (?? / ?? / ??)
[18] Enbamingu "Embalming" (Shinji Aoyama / Japan / 1999)

Jan 20
[70] Profondo rosso "Deep Red" [Italian language version] (Dario Argento / Italy / 1975)

Jan 21
[73] Hsia nu "A Touch of Zen" [180 min. / bad image] (King Hu / Taiwan / 1969)
[61] The Image (Radley Metzger / USA / 1973)
[56] Out Where the Stars Begin (Bobby Connolly / USA / 1938)
[54] Porky & Daffy (Robert Clampett / USA / 1938)
[68] Angels with Dirty Faces (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1938)
[64] Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie "The Saragossa Manuscript" (Wojciech Has / Poland / 1965)

Jan 23
[66] Last Resort (Pawel Pawlikowski / UK / 2000)

Jan 24
[65] Exils "Exiles" (Tony Gatlif / France, Japan / 2004)

Jan 25
[62] The Comancheros (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1961)
[56] Shinobi (Ten Shimoyama / Japan / 2005)

Jan 26
[55] At the Earth's Core (Kevin Connor / UK, USA / 1976)

Jan 27
[48] The Royal Rodeo (George Amy / USA / 1939)
[50] Old Glory (Chuck Jones / USA / 1939)
[56] The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1939)
[66] We're No Angels (Micheal Curtiz / USA / 1955)
[35] Der Rosenkavalier [105 min. / tinted / live score by Ensemble Kontraste conducted by Stefan Hippe after motives by Richard Strauss] (Robert Wiene / Austria / 1925, 2006)
[70] La chute de la maison Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" [hand-colored / extremely good live music by Interzone Perceptible] (Jean Epstein / France, USA / 1928)

Jan 28
[64] Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino / USA / 2004)
[82] /Hana-bi/ "Fireworks" (Takeshi Kitano / Japan / 1997)

Jan 29
[65] L'cole des facteurs "School for Postmen" [without subtitles] (Jacques Tati / France / 1947)

Jan 30
[52] White Christmas (Michael Curtiz / USA / 1954)

Jan 31
[63] Mon Oncle "My Uncle" (Jacques Tati / France, Italy / 1958)
[75] /Play Time/ (Jacques Tati / France, Italy / 1967)
[63] /Mong bat liu/ "Lost in Time" [Mandarin dubbed version] (Tung-Shing Yee / Hong Kong / 2003)

[A]

Finally decided to put up the february edition. Enjoy.

Feb 01
[71] Spite Marriage (Edward Sedgwick, Buster Keaton / USA / 1929)
[86] /Before Night Falls/ (Julian Schnabel / USA / 2000)

Feb 02
[48] The Door in the Floor (Tod Williams / USA / 2004)

Feb 04
[90] /The Brown Bunny/ (Vincent Gallo / USA, Japan, France / 2003)
[72] Der Kaktus (Franz Winzentsen / Germany / 1995)
[58] Kizzu ritn "Kids Return" (Takeshi Kitano / Japan / 1996)
[71] /Der Kaktus/ (Franz Winzentsen / Germany / 1995)
[58] Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi "A Scene at the Sea" (Takeshi Kitano / Japan / 1991)

Feb 09
[63] The Escape on the Fast Freight [very good live piano music by Stephen Horne] (J.P. McGowan / USA / 1915)
[37] East is East [wrong aspect ratio / live piano music by Stephen Horne] (Henry Edwards / UK / 1916)
[65] Substitute (Fred Poulet, Vikash Dhorasoo / France / 2006)
[60] The Social Secretary [wrong aspect ratio / live piano music by Maud Nelissen] (John Emerson / USA / 1916)
[60] Something New [wrong aspect ratio / tinted / very good live piano music by Maud Nelissen] (Nell Shipman, Bert Van Tuyle / USA / 1920)
[56] Afgrunden "The Abyss" [wrong aspect ratio / tinted / very good live piano music by Maud Nelissen] (Urban Gad / Denmark / 1910)
[54] Zapatas Bande "Zapata's Gang" [wrong aspect ratio / tinted / live piano music by Maud Nelissen] (Urban Gad / Germany / 1914)
[55] Die Filmprimadonna "The Film Primadonna" [fragment / wrong aspect ratio / tinted / live piano music by Maud Nelissen] (Urban Gad / Germany, Denmark / 1913)

Feb 10
[67] Aju teukbyeolhan sonnim "Ad Lib Night" (Lee Yoon-ki / South Korea / 2006)
[56] Tout refleurit "All blossoms again" (Aurlien Gerbault / France / 2006)
[55] Le Cercle des noys "Drowned in Oblivion" (Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd / Belgium, France / 2007)
[50] Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett / USA / 1977)

Feb 11
[59] A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory (Esther B. Robinson / USA / 2007)

Feb 12
[70] Lady Chatterley [wrong aspect ratio / out of focus] (Pascale Ferran / France, Belgium / 2006)
[52] Guacho "Fatherless" (Juan Minujin / Argentina / 2006)
[51] La Len (Santiago Otheguy / Argentina, France / 2006)
[57] Factory, October 14-25, 1965 (Danny Williams / USA / 1965)
[59] Harold Stevenson No.1 and No.2 (Danny Williams / USA / 1965)
[51] Trips and Parties (Danny Williams / USA / 1965)
[50] Armin [wrong aspect ratio] (Ognjen Svilicic / Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany / 2007)
[43] Jackie Raynal Cinematon Nr. 110 (Grard Courant / France / 1981)
[40] Deux fois (Jackie Raynal / France / 1968)

Feb 13
[62] Les Tmoins "The Witnesses" (Andr Tchin / France / 2006)
[58] Ferien "Vacations" (Thomas Arslan / Germany / 2006)
[58] Meng Na Li Sha "Mona Lisa" (Li Ying / China, Japan / 2007)
[85] /rkbefogads/ "Adoption" [wrong aspect ratio] (Mrta Mszros / Hungary / 1975)

Feb 14
[72] Clbration "Celebration" (Olivier Meyrou / France / 2006)
[50] Moskva. Pride '06 "Moscow Gay Pride Festival" (Vladimir Ivanov / Russia / 2006)
[51] Yogoto no yume "Every Night Dreams" [wrong aspect ratio / live piano music by Gnter Buchwald] (Mikio Naruse / Japan / 1933)

Feb 15
[63] Away From Her (Sarah Polley / Canada / 2006)
[54] Bushi no Ichibun "Love And Honor" (Yuji Yamada / Japan / 2006)
[20] La masseria delle allodole "The Lark Farm" [out of focus] (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani / Italy, Spain, France, Bulgaria / 2007)
[32] Nasanu naka "Not Blood Relations" [wrong aspect ratio / live piano music by Gnter Buchwald] (Mikio Naruse / Japan / 1932)

Feb 16
[59] A Pair of Tights [live piano and violin music by Sabrina Hausmann and Aljoscha Zimmermann] (Hal Yates / USA / 1928)
[64] Napule... e niente cchi "Naples... and nothing else" [wrong aspect ratio / very good live piano and violin music by Sabrina Hausmann and Aljoscha Zimmermann] (Eugenio Perego / Italy / 1928)
[72] /The Missouri Breaks/ [wrong aspect ratio / out of focus] (Arthur Penn / USA / 1976)

Feb 17
[50] Gucha "Gucha - Distant Trumpet" (Dusan Milic / Republic of Serbia, Germany, Bulgaria, Austria / 2006)
[42] Haebyuneui Yoein "Woman On The Beach" (Hong Sangsoo / South Korea / 2006)

Feb 18
[65] Nachmittag "Afternoon" (Angela Schanelec / Germany / 2007)
[45] Love 'em and Leave 'em (Frank Tuttle / USA / 1926)
[39] Brand Upon the Brain! (Guy Maddin / Canada / 2006)

Feb 19
[58] Dokuritsu gurentai "Desperado Outpost" [extremely bad sound] (Kihachi Okamoto / Japan / 1959)
[72] Unser tglich Brot "Our Daily Bread" (Nikolaus Geyrhalter / Austria, Germany / 2005)

Feb 21
[71] /Tierra/ "Earth" (Julio Medem / Spain / 1995)
[55] Trafic (Jacques Tati / Italy, France / 1971)

Feb 22
[56] Eburi manshi no yga-na seikatsu "The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman" (Kihachi Okamoto / Japan / 1963)

Feb 26
[62] L'ultima diva: Francesca Bertini "The Last Diva" [edited version / 85 min. / very bad subtitling] (Gianfranco Mingozzi / Italy / 1982)

Feb 28
[67] Assunta Spina [bad image / tinted] (Gustavo Serena, Francesca Bertini / Italy / 1914)

[A]

So I have already posted two months?

Nevertheless, I'll finish this embarrassing display of laziness by adding the month of december to my 2007 thread. May the next year be more successful.

I had some weird (rating) moments in December, but don't be distracted by this.

short legend:
seen in a filmtheater
/repeated viewing/
outstanding film

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dec 01
[--] Carlito's Way (Brian De Palma / USA / 1993) [Favorite] 9/10

Dec 02
[--] Martha (Rainer Werner Fassbinder / West Germany / 1974) [Decent] 6/10
[--] Tarzan Finds a Son! [wrong aspect ratio / very bad sound / German dubbed version] (Richard Thorpe / USA / 1939) [Good] 7/10
[--] Tarzan, the Ape Man [wrong aspect ratio / German dubbed version] (John Derek / USA / 1981) [Favorite] 9/10

Dec 03
[--] /Nachmittag/ "Afternoon" [wrong aspect ratio / bad image / bad sound] (Angela Schanelec / Germany / 2006) [Favorite] 7/10

Dec 04
[--] Quelli della calibro 38 "Colt 38 Special Squad" (Massimo Dallamano / Italy / 1976) [Good] 7/10

Dec 05
[--] Jimmy Tornado (Gerry Schuster / Germany / 2004) [Decent] 5/10
[--] El reino de los Mochicas [without subtitles] (Luis Figueroa / Peru / 1974) [Good] 7/10
[--] Los perros hambrientos [wrong aspect ratio / very bad image] (Luis Figueroa / Peru / 1976) [Good] 8/10

Dec 06
[--] Peeping Tom (Michael Powell / UK / 1960) [Favorite] 8/10

Dec 09
[--] Die Ehe der Maria Braun "The Marriage of Maria Braun" (Rainer Werner Fassbinder / West Germany / 1979) 7/10

Dec 10
[--] Ex Drummer [wrong aspect ratio / German dubbed version] (Koen Mortier / Belgium / 2007) 6/10

Dec 12
[64] Buongiorno, notte "Good Morning, Night" [wrong aspect ratio] (Marco Bellocchio / Italy / 2003) 7/10
[65] /The Image/ (Radley Metzger / USA / 1975) 8/10

Dec 13
[75] /Shi mian mai fu/ "House of Flying Daggers" (Zhang Yimou / China, Hong Kong / 2004) 8/10
[66] /The Nightmare Before Christmas/ [German dubbed version] (Henry Selick / USA / 1993) 7/10

Dec 14
[62] The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones / USA, France / 2005) 7/10

Dec 16
[104] /Heat/ [German dubbed version] (Michael Mann / USA / 1995) 11/10

Dec 17
[62] Long xing dao shou jin zhong jun "The Magnificent" [German dubbed version] (Shao-Peng Chen / Hong Kong / 1978 ) 7/10

Dec 18
[64] Bao biao "Have Sword, Will Travel" (Chang Cheh / Hong Kong / 1969) 7/10

Dec 19
[50 ] Frischfleisch (Gerhard Faul / Germany / 2006) 6/10
[--] Die Feuerzangenbowle (Helmut Weiss / Germany / 1944)

Dec 20
[59] /Lady Chatterley/ [wrong aspect ratio / bad image] 7/10

Dec 26
[58] Revenge of the Ninja (Sam Firstenberg / USA / 1983) 7/10

Dec 27
[--] /Superman/ [wrong aspect ratio] (Richard Donner / USA, UK / 1978 )
[--] American Gangster (Ridley Scott / USA / 2007)

Dec 28
[--] Home Alone 3 [wrong aspect ratio] (Raja Gosnell / USA / 1997)
[--] /Bound/ [wrong aspect ratio] (Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski / USA / 1996)

Dec 29
[53] Instalacija Ljubezni "Installation of Love" (Maja Weiss / Slovenia, Germany / 2007) 6/10

Dec 31
[67] Blood: The Last Vampire (Hiroyuki Kitakubo / Japan / 2000) 8/10

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best film of the Month: Heat (Michael Mann / USA / 1995) 11/10
Discovery of the Month: Tarzan, the Ape Man (John Derek / USA / 1981) 9/10
Worst film of the Month: Didn't see anything bad.

[wpqx]

No rating for Home Alone 3? I don't even know anyone else who saw the film.

[R6dw6C]

Well, probably A wasn't able to rate it as it was too bad. I was amused that he also saw a Raja Gosnell Film in December - "Scooby Doo" definitely was one of the worst films I watched in 2007.

[A]

I didn't rate the 4 films I watched on December 27th, 28th, because I didn't really concentrate on them. Usually when I watch a film, I try to devote all my senses and thinking, all my intensity to it. But sometimes (although it happens very rarely), I just enjoy the show.

I never ever thought I would watch Home Alone 3, because I'm a fan of the first two films, and couldn't picture a Home Alone film without Macaulay Culkin (and the formula had run out of steam, anyway). But my father was watching this on TV, and out of laziness I joined him. To my surprise, the film was very good, and very enjoyable. Maybe not quite up to the first two films, but very close.

I told you, that I didn't see anything bad the whole month!

What really surprised me, was how exceptionally great the first third of Donner's Superman is. The part that tells about Superman's childhood and adolescence is in my opinion one of the most interesting segments in American movie history (and a great translation of Comics to Film). The rest is entertaining fun.

And I had almost forgotten that the Wachowski Brothers could actually make intense and interesting films, without being pretentious jackasses.

[R6dw6C]

Usually when I watch a film, I try to devote all my senses and thinking, all my intensity to it. But sometimes (although it happens very rarely), I just enjoy the show.

Why not devote all your senses and thinking to a film AND enjoy the show at the same time?
OK, we already got over this...

I can totally understand your current desires which made you decide for Lubitsch and against Antonioni, somehow, I feel the same these days though I could probably never refuse to watch an Antonioni in the Cinema if possible.

To my surprise, the film was very good, and very enjoyable. Maybe not quite up to the first two films, but very close.

I told you, that I didn't see anything bad the whole month!

Have you also seen "Scooby Doo"? After your appreciation for "Daniel, der Zauberer", I'm not so sure If you'd hate it - scary. Gosnell's direction was shockingly amateurish - considering the fact that the film's budget was something around 90 000 000 $...

Anyway, your selections were quite interesting in December, somehow like a cinematic holiday from the local "forces".

And I had almost forgotten that the Wachowski Brothers could actually make intense and interesting films, without being pretentious jackasses.

Right, right. "Bound" is their only bearable film, imo. Jennifer Tilly's performance is delicious, isn't it?

[A]

I decided to change the title of this thread, and make it an ongoing viewing log.
January was a again a good month. Hopefully this trend will continue.

short legend:
seen in a filmtheater
/repeated viewing/
outstanding film
personal favorites are marked with a *

Jan 02
[64] The Company (Robert Altman / USA, Germany / 2003) 7/10 *
[66] We Own the Night [wrong aspect ratio / bad projection] (James Gray / USA / 2007) 8/10 *

Jan 06
[69] /Taxi Driver/ [wrong aspect ratio / German dubbed version] (Martin Scorsese / USA / 1976) 8/10

Jan 10
[64] /Tmavomodrý svet/ "Dark Blue World" (Jan Sverák / Czech Republic, UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy / 2001) 8/10
[52] /Staplerfahrer Klaus - Der erste Arbeitstag/ "Forklift Driver Klaus: The First Day on the Job" (Stefan Prehn, Jörg Wagner / Germany / 2000) 6/10
[55] /Ringu/ "Ring" (Hideo Nakata / Japan / 1998) 6/10

Jan 13
[69] /Blowup/ (Michelangelo Antonioni / UK, Italy, USA / 1966) 8/10

Jan 14
[73] /Now, Voyager/ (Irving Rapper / USA / 1942) 8/10 *
[80] /Punch-Drunk Love/ (Paul Thomas Anderson / USA / 2002) 8/10 *

Jan 18
[68] /Duo luo tian shi "Fallen Angels" [German dubbed version] (Wong Kar Wai / Hong Kong / 1995) 8/10

Jan 19
[71] Der Fan "Trance" (Eckhart Schmidt / West Germany / 1982) 8/10
[105] /Zabriskie Point/ [German dubbed version] (Michelangelo Antonioni / USA / 1970) 11/10 *

Jan 21
[58] Repo Man (Alex Cox / USA / 1984) 6/10
[70] Donzoko "The Lower Depths" (Akira Kurosawa / Japan / 1957) 8/10

Jan 22
[50] Rubljovka (Irene Langemann / Germany / 2007) 6/10

Jan 24
[69] /Saboteur/ (Alfred Hitchcock / USA / 1942) 7/10
[45] Ah Pook Is Here (Philip Hunt / Germany / 1994) 5/10
[66] Inferno [German dubbed version] (Dario Argento / Italy / 1980) 8/10 *

Jan 25
[69] /Rope/ (Alfred Hitchcock / USA / 1948) 7/10
[65] Potomok Chingis-Khana "Storm over Asia" [live music composed by Bernd Schultheis, performed by Ensemble Kontraste / wrong aspect ratio] (Vsevolod Pudovkin / Soviet Union / 1928) 8/10

Jan 26
[55] /Tabu: A Story of the South Seas/ [live music composed by Violeta Dinescu, performed by Ensemble Kontraste / wrong aspect ratio] (Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau / USA / 1931) 7/10
[59] /Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness/ [live music by Hildegard Pohl and Yogo Pausch / wrong aspect ratio] (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack / USA / 1927) 6/10

Jan 27
[61] The Wolf Man (George Waggner / USA / 1941) 7/10
[74] Le million "The Million" (René Clair / France / 1931) 8/10

Jan 29
[66] /Seven Years in Tibet/ (Jean-Jacques Annaud / USA / 1997) 7/10

Jan 30
[54] Nomads of the North (David M. Hartford / USA / 1920) 6/10
[64] /The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford/ [without subtitles] (Andrew Dominik / USA / 2007) 7/10

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best film of the Month: Zabriskie Point (Michelangelo Antonioni / USA / 1970) 11/10
Discovery of the Month: Inferno (Dario Argento / Italy / 1980) 8/10
Worst film of the Month: not exactly bad, but I didn't like it very much: Ah Pook Is Here (Philip Hunt / Germany / 1994) 5/10

[arsaib4]

Those dubbing and AR notices make my stomach churn.

[A]

Yes, it's not a nice thing, especially the dubbing issue (I'll try to see less of those in 2008). But one has to get used to wrong aspect ratios in German cinemas. Especially silent films are almost never shown in 1.19: 1, but in the standard Academy ratio of 1.37: 1 - the way most of them are also released on DVD. Fortunately our own cinema can show an aspect ratio of 1.19: 1 (If I think of our screening of Dreyer's Vampyr (1930) - what a revelation!!). Some sort of cropping is usually also applied for 2.35: 1 or wider aspect ratios. And sometimes the projectionist is either lazy or ignorant, and crops the image on one, two or all sides, sometimes 1.66 becomes 1.85, etc.

I didn't use to notice this before, but since I got introduced to projecting techniques myself last year, I tend to see all of this immediately.