December Summary & Voting Update

October Summary
November Summary
December Summary

09/10 - Stalag 17
07/10 - La grande illusion (The Grand Illusion)
05/10 - The Bridge on the River Kwai

09/10 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
02/10 - Gang Wars
10/10 - Apocalypse Now

06/10 - (500) Days of Summer
07/10 - The Bourne Identity
04/10 - The Bourne Supremacy
06/10 - The Bourne Ultimatum
07/10 - Elf
07/10 - Full Metal Jacket
05/10 - Au revoir les enfants (Kinder)
08/10 - The Longest Day
05/10 - Enemy at the Gates
05/10 - The U
08/10 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
06/10 - Sherlock Holmes
08/10 - Avatar

The rating links to my review and the title itself links to the IMDb page for the movie.

Quick Facts:
Movies seen in October, November, and December: 19
Time spent watching movies in October, November, and December: 2323 minutes (38 hours, 43 minutes)

Best Movie Seen (Overall):
Apocalypse Now
It's amazing and perfect in so many ways. Was there any doubt I would pick one of my all time favorite films for this slot? Not really.
Runner-up: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
[Apocalypse Now was a first time viewing of the theatrical version; Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb was a repeated viewing.]
[Note: These two films will not be included in the next two rankings.]

Best Movie Seen (First Viewing):
Stalag 17
I was completely taken aback at how great this film was. An older movie, everything was timeless especially the characters and quick, witty banter. I loved this film more than I expected.
Runner-up: Avatar

Best Movie Seen (Repeated Viewing):
2001: A Space Odyssey
Not much here really so this film gets this by default almost. 2001 isn't one of my favorite films but the experience of seeing it is so amazing that that's more than made up for.
Runner-up: Full Metal Jacket

Worst Film Seen:
Gang Wars
Not much competition here. It was the only bad film I saw so it gets its honor by default. Not much to say really that I didn't write up already.
Runner-up: The Bourne Supremacy

Most Surprising Film Seen:
Stalag 17
As I mentioned above, I was amazed at how timeless everything was about this Wilder film. I expected something more dated and bland but I was treated to the exact opposite.
Runner-up: The Longest Day

Most Disappointing Film Seen:
The Bridge on the River Kwai
This is supposed to be a great film of cinema and I thought it was pretty bland. I wasn't really a fan of the characters in the film or the way in which everything was presented.
Runner-up: (500) Days of Summer

Most Enjoyable Film Seen:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
This film is really hit or miss but for me it's almost nonstop laughs. No matter how many times I watch this they'll always be some line that makes me laugh out loud. And the great thing is that it's almost always a different line on each viewing. It's that good.
Runner-up: Elf

The Film More People Need to See:
Apocalypse Now
I think this film falls into an odd category and that results in it not being seen much by people my age. It's not the film that glorifies war and it's not over-the-top action so it's pretty unique in this portrayal. It's also dark and very psychological. Regardless, it's a film everyone should see.
Runner-up: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Best Scene Seen:
Apocalypse Now - the opening montage
Apocalypse Now employs the perfect opening tune with "The End" by The Doors and we get an amazing overview of Captain Willard even though he doesn't say anything. Coppola is a master director and he captures so much in all the shots shown during the montage.
Runner-up: (500) Days of Summer - the dance scene

That was it for the year. I slowed down in October and November with hardly anything but then I tried to put some more in there in December even with finals. Sure, the film class provided me with much of my viewing this semester, but I got some new (and old) gems in there, too, I believe. A good year, overall, with a ton of films watched. I'll include a total end of year summary soon.

~~~

Voting Update:

Looking back on everything seen in the past six months I feel it's time to go back and rethink some ratings. Really, the tricky votes I feel are the 4s, 5s, and 6s and really telling the difference here, but sometimes I feel the need to boost something up a notch after looking back on it for a while. So here are some new ratings:

07/10 --> 06/10 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
05/10 --> 04/10 - Back to the Future Part II
06/10 --> 05/10 - Back to the Future Part III
08/10 --> 09/10 - Big Fish
05/10 --> 04/10 - Brüno
06/10 --> 05/10 - Public Enemies
08/10 --> 09/10 - Roman Holiday

There were a few changes on movies before I started taking notes but these were the ones with entries which were changed. The appropriate blog posts were changed to indicate the new rating. The critique of the film stands as is.