Eraserhead (1977)

Honestly, I am not sure if I like this or not. I felt that it was weird for the sake of it during most of the film's duration, but its bizarre ending and many, many, strikingly well composed shots keep bringing me back to it. Its imagery and sparse dialogue left impressions, I guess, in me that need to be filled with some explanation. It was the kind of film that left you wanting to be satisfied with it, however it needs active input from you to complete it. Not for everyone, sure, but worth it if you can stand it.

The 39 Steps (1935)

Sandwiched between the somewhat interesting moments of drama come the occasional moment of suspense. These are the moments that allow this film to breathe. These are what we live for in this flick. The moments between often drag, but they are worth it to set up the required drama which ultimately pushes this film into an upper echelon.

In the final thirty minutes, everything, every moment of the film folds over and wraps itself up so neatly and concisely that the final reveal in practically the last few minutes are the icing on the cake. Stick with it, it pays off.

Withnail & I (1987)

I've gone on record before saying how rampant alcoholism isn't that funny to me, and this is no exception. Ignoring that (quite oppressively large) portion of the film, however, there is (excluding the intensely fluctuating soundtrack in the broadcast I saw) enough interesting elements to make this worthwhile. The intercommunicated relationships are metered out slowly and effectively, for example. And, if you can get past the way things seem to take care of themselves, in a weird way, that is, while the characters drift through their lives in their endless pursuit of booze and boredom, then its enjoyable for that alone.

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

On the surface, this appears to be a run-of-the-mill musical, however its deeper than that. Each of the daughters have their own backstories (some more intriguing than others), which are all subtly explored, though only around the fringes of the main story. The halloween sequence was also a dark and highly appropriate moment in the saccharine world the girl's inhabit, paying off perfectly, settling back in with the sickly-sweet humour which permeates the town.

Another high point is that the songs often fit the mood and flow into and out of naturally, rarely feeling forced (for long).

Sherlock, Jr. (1924)

Although largely praised for its film-within-a-film sequence, I enjoyed the first half of the movie more. The jokes aren't as frequent compared to other Keaton films, but when they come, they deliver. The drama is compelling, its refreshing to see characters you can care for.

Which is why the 'film' sequence didn't work for me. Anybody can see what a marvel of invention and creation must've gone into working out the inner workings of the sequence, however it drags. The characters are so interesting, I wanted to spend more time with them. A hallmark of a great film.

Halloween (1978)

What begins with some terrifically amazing camera work - the shot just after the moment of schoolyard bullying is one of the nicest shots I've seen committed to film - devolves into the most brainless slasher movie that has ever insulted my eyes. In her first encounter with the villain, she hits him with a knitting needle, then assumes everything is now OK. So leaves him unsupervised with easy access to his own knife. Rinse, repeat frequently.

The casting is the worst, though - I spent most of the film wondering if these were highschoolers or a street full of 40-year-old babysitters.

Duck Soup (1933)

My introduction to the Marx Brothers was a learning experience. First, I learned that Alan Alda pawned his character Hawkeye from MASH completely from Groucho. Second, I learned how annoying Harpo is. Thirdly, I don't think I have ever seen a film before that packs as many jokes-per-minute as this does. They fly so thick and fast that its actually astounding that they managed to squeeze a story into the mix: bare bones, every second of it, and there just to drape jokes over. But you couldn't ask for anything more from a comedy than literally non-stop laughs.