This was an excellent week for movies. I again pulled a couple movies from our IMC First Directorial Films display (District 9 [IMC DVD 001.942 D614 2009] and 12 Angry Men [IMC DVD 345.794 T971 2001]) and also ended up watching Saving Private Ryan [IMC DVD 940.54 S267 2004].
District 9 was the first film done by director Neill BlomkampI, who more recently has directed Elysium and Chappie. I had heard about this movie from a fellow co-worker, and I wasn’t disappointed. It takes place in a world where aliens have come to our planet and we placed them in contained housing called District 9. While it has obvious sci-fi characteristics, I would definitely classify this movie as more of an action film than sci-fi. It is a very compelling and interesting take on the alien premise, and I would highly recommend it.
12 Angry Men was Sidney Lumet’s directorial debut film. A classic black-and-white film, it tells the story of a jury debating on the verdict of a court case. At first, all the men but one are convinced that the defendant is guilty, but as they review the case, they find themselves rethinking their assumptions. This movie was extremely well shot, and the range of characters that make up the jury are relatable even now.
Finally, this past week I watched Saving Private Ryan. It is very easy to lose yourself in this movie—Steven Spielberg did an excellent job with directing it. However, there was a lot of violence, in part because of the director’s commitment to the authenticity of the period. Hands down, this is now one of my new favorite war movies.
As always, feel free to follow along your own movie progress here: https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/ . And don’t forget to come check out the IMC’s DVD display featuring directorial premiers.
Now that it is October, I wanted to start watching horror/thriller movies that were on my list that I hadn’t seen yet! With that in mind, I checked out The Evil Dead (original) [IMC DVD 791.4361 E93 2009] and The Night of the Hunter [IMC DVD 364.15 N687 2000]. I also decided to check out Being John Malkovich [IMC DVD 791.43 B422 2003] to mix things up.
First off, I should that I love horror movies—good ones and bad ones. Thus, my reviews might be slightly biased because of this. The Evil Dead and The Night of the Hunter were no exception. I thought both movies were very good, although very different from each other. The Evil Dead is a supernatural/zombie-type slasher horror flick, while The Night of the Hunter is more of a thriller drama. If you’re not familiar with The Evil Dead, it follows a group of college students who go to a cabin in the woods for a weekend. While there, they discover an artifact which ends up reanimating a local horror in the woods. It leaves you on a cliffhanger as well, prompting the creation of The Evil Dead franchise. I was very impressed with the special effects, especially given the low budget and time period when the movie was made. The acting was mediocre, but it was a fun movie (although very gory, so be aware of that).
The Night of the Hunter tells a story about a serial killer who roamed the countryside looking for victims. While in jail, he learns of a potential treasure hidden with a mother and her two children. He singles out the mother and marries her, in an attempt to find the money. When he discovers that the children know where it is, he begins to hunt the children to learn their secret. This movie was sinister and eerie in a subtle way that was very engrossing.
My last movie this week was Being John Malkovich. The plot for this movie is a bit weird: a puppeteer takes a job as a file clerk and discovers a portal to John Malkovich’s head. Even though it is bizarre and strange, I absolutely loved it. The characters are so odd that you can’t help but love them. I would definitely recommend it.
The IMC has just put up a new Halloween themed movie display featuring your favorite horror films, so come check it out! And as always, feel free to follow along your own movie progress here: https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/ .
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