Monday 23 April 2012

67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

What it's about
Two very bitter people try to make two other people bitter too.

What I thought
Not a lot for me here. I liked the music, but the rest was a bit boring for me.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "Wow, just wow! I've been a little disappointed with most of the ones I hadn't seen before, this one was just brilliant, an absolute masterpiece! As close to perfect as you can get, wonderful performances, beautifully dark and complex characters, a great storyline and plot twist, even if the twist and ending were inevitable. Cinematography was great, the dialogue superbly written, a subtle, yet beautiful score... Need I go on? If you haven't seen this one before, go and treat yourself."
 
What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "Another film to come out of nowhere and blow me away. The film was a play before being translated to film and this really comes across in the clever dialogue and writing. The performances were first rate, Taylor had me choking back tears. During this blog I've given my opinion on films but I've not said whether you should take the trouble to see a film...
You should see this film!"


Sunday 22 April 2012

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark


What it's about
A very cool man with a whip goes looking for treasure some baddies want too. Nazis again!

What I thought
I loved it. Lots of action and funny melty faces. 

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this before. A few times. "These film scared me so much as a kid. Not only the tense moments where you worry for Indy's life (I mean as a kid here) but the horrific image of the faces melting haunted me for weeks after seeing it for the first time. Now my kids just sit there unaffected by the whole thing, okay it's dated and plasticine effects hold no fear, but I was close to disowning them for being so indifferent over this."
 
What Dad thought
Dad's seen this many, many times before. "This film sets the bar for the action-adventure and I've loved it since I was a child. The soundtrack is awesome, the bolder scene immense and it introduce a line over a map representing travel. I love everything about this film because it is awesome. 
The direction, the performance, the dialogue, all combine to make it one of my favourite films of all time."

Friday 20 April 2012

65. The African Queen

It's not a box, it's a boat.

What it's about
A woman talks a guy with a boat to attack another big boat.

What I thought
I really liked the choo-choo boat! It was like a train and a boat.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Love this film! Despite not exactly being a Bogart fan, his on-screen relationship with Hepburn is amazing, despite the lack of chemistry there. A touching love story without being at all sentimental. Brilliant cinematography and direction too."
 
What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "Loved this movie. This was the first time I'd seen it and I really enjoyed it. The relationship between Charlie and Rose is brilliantly portrayed."

Thursday 19 April 2012

64. Network

"I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

What it's about
... A TV Network?

What I thought
I thought it was funny when the man started ranting and shouting.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "It's a satire and one that hasn't dated, it's still relevant. I must admit I'm struggling a little to review it. It should be brilliant. It just didn't hold my attention too well. The production seems somewhat disorganised, the pacing too slow and, although the acting is just fine, the characters themselves seem wooden."
 
What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "So disappointed. Thought it was going to be cool. Some of these movies don't belong on the list."



63. Cabaret

Yes, Dexter has lost about a year in this pic.
What it's about
A signer/dancer goes out with two men while some bad guys (Mum says they're called Natsis) rise to power.

What I thought
I really liked this one, there were lots of songs to bob along to.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Loved this one. It's not a cheesy, I feel a song coming on, kind of musical. The songs are constricted to the stage of the Kit Kat club for most of it, adding the the seedy atmosphere of the club. It's quite a harsh story which has me shedding a tear each time I watch it."
 
What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "There were lots of Nazis, but it was no Sound of Music."

Tuesday 17 April 2012

62. American Graffiti


What it's about
They spent a night driving around before they went off to college

What I thought
I liked the yellow car but I got bored.

What Mum thought
Mum thinks she's seen this one before. "Pretty forgettable coming-of-age drama (allegedly some comedy in there too) thing. I can't think of anything positive to say about it, just seemed pointless to me." 

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "It sucked."

61. Sullivan's Travels


What it's about
This rich film director decides to go off and live as a hobo for a bit.

What I thought
I thought the nice man was funny, but I was sad when bad stuff happened to him.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "Perfect. Preston Sturges not only manages to make a socially significant statement, but keeps you fully entertained with lots of laughs and tears along the way." 
What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "I really enjoyed this film.I love the idea of being able to leave everything behind to go off in search of something greater."

60. Nashville


This post has been a long time in creating. Mainly because the DVD in the picture is region 1 and we can't get it to play. We can't find a region 2 version anywhere, we can't find it online to stream, nor is it on Netflix.

So we have no opinion either way on this film.

We will update this entry once we find it, until then our AFI challenge seems an impossible one.