349 - Arthur - 1 star
A comedy that isn't funny = fail. Within five minutes I was fed up of Dudley Moore's drunk schtick, and therefore couldn't care about his worries over marrying someone he didn't love in order to secure his fortune. For a much funnier (at least I remember it being funnier) take on a similar idea, then watch Brewster's Millions instead.
The look of disdain on John Gielgud's face works for his role in the film but I expect it was also at the material, with the only comfort for him being the paycheck, and the Oscar he somehow won for this terrible film.
79 - The Thin Red Line - 4 stars
One of the most beautiful and haunting war films I've ever seen.
Malick returned to the silver screen after an absence of 20 years but showed he had not lost his touch when it comes to capturing stunning visuals.
The film unfolds like a visual poem soundtracked to one of Hans Zimmer's finest scores. The piece of music playing when the troops attack the Japanese camp is one of the finest I've heard.
I really wanted to give this film five stars but I couldn't justify it in the end because I did have a problem with it. For it seems that Malick also brought back his problem with editing.
With several different characters providing voiceovers and other characters appearing and disappearing at random intervals it seems to lack a sense of cohesiveness and completion that otherwise would have earned it full marks.
Days remaining - 83 Films remaining - 82
So, finally the number of days left exceeds the number of films still to watch! Congratulations. I don't suppose you've ever tried to work out how many hours of film you've watched over the course of this challange?
ReplyDeleteI think The Thin Red Line should go on to my LoveFilm list as I've never seen it, and perhaps also LA Confidential, as I haven't seen it in ages (I don't think the video survived the cull of outdated technology a couple of years ago!)
However, I'm still waiting to hear why you only gave Zulu 2 stars!!
I thought about that the other day. Will take me a while to work it out. I figure it will be a lot!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely recommend putting Thin Red Line on your list, well worth a watch.
Thanks for pointing that out, will type up my review asap.