This one is obviously one of my picks, made on the basis of it being an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novel, though it’s not one I’ve read. It also helps that this is one of the rare fantasy film that Broken Forum users seem to like. My expectations were low however as its Rotten Tomatoes rating is only mediocre and it seems to be largely forgotten now, with not even a cult following to its name.
This is the first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that I’d seriously considered not watching in the cinema. Ever since Edgar Wright left the director’s seat, it had been plagued by rumors of production problems. When it was first released, its critic ratings were awful and people were eager to call it Marvel’s first real stumble, though ratings have slowly climbed up since then. Plus, let’s face it, Ant-Man isn’t exactly the most inspiring of superheroes as even the actor who plays him, Paul Rudd, admitted.
The last time we watched a Marx Brothers movie was for the film class and neither of us really liked it. Still, Monkey Business isn’t generally considered the best film by the Marxes. This one is, plus the brothers are such a big deal in the history of comedy in cinema that I thought this should be obligatory viewing. Interestingly, while it is thought of as a masterpiece today and it was one of the least successful of the brothers’ movies when it was released and had a lukewarm welcome even from critics.
Seven Beauties is one of two films that my wife asked to add to our list by Italian director Lina Wertmüller. It is apparently quite a prominent film and represented the first time that a female director was nominated for the Best Director Award at the Oscars even though it didn’t go on to win. Unfortunately both my wife and myself had so much trouble relating to it that it’s hard to say we like it, though we do acknowledge that it’s a unique and highly distinctive film.
Whiplash is a film about music and as I have neither knowledge of nor much interest in music, it’s no surprise that this one is one of my wife’s picks. Still, it was one of the big winners for last year’s Academy Awards so it’s not like it’s a low-profile film. It’s also a film with a clear auteur, as Damien Chazelle both wrote and directed it based on his own experiences in a studio band.
It’s a Wonderful Life is apparently one of America’s favorite films to watch during the Christmas season. That should give you a fairly good idea of what kind of movie this is. It also stars James Stewart, who together with Jack Lemmon, is becoming one of my favorite actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Out of his nearly a hundred or so roles, Steward seems to consider this one his favorite. At slightly over two hours long, it’s a fairly hefty film but at least one can be certain that it’s easy to watch.
I admit that when I first heard of this movie, my first thought was of the boardgame. Of course, this has nothing to do with that though both refer to the French port city bearing the name. It’s worth noting that while this is a French language film, it was directed by Finnish Aki Kaurismäki, which I think accounts for some of its strangeness.