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.

Carrie (1976)

The film is so perfectly done and causes you to empathise so deeply with the main character, that you put it aside and you hope - beyond reason - that things will turn out OK for her. During the entire first-date sequence and first half of the prom, I cannot recall being so happy for a character as she exudes, one can feel, her first extremely infectious brightening beams of happiness.

It should also be noted that although she has supernatural powers and is teased mercilessly, she was actually a lot less crazy than some of the other students in the film.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

One of the few films that I've seen which attempts to ape a particular style and manages to do so, in terms of its writing and direction, so well that it could be one of the genre's masterpieces.

As every aspect of the story unfolds, its multi-layered intrigue deepens, peeling back layer after layer of sordid intrigue without at any point becoming muddled or confused. It's focus remains solely on untangling the web that is thrown up around the characters and its that driving force that propels the film forward.

Compelling from the get-go and a masterful film noir.

The General (1926)

Hands down, one of the best films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. From start to finish, the acrobatics and ingenuity displayed in setting up, developing and pulling off grand events for a single laugh is mind-boggling. Streets ahead of any physical comedy of today, the film's strongest suit isn't actually its comedy or its stunts - as good as they are. The storyline here is not as razor thin as it may seem; it really comes alive when you see how earnestly everybody is invested in their roles. Again, much more so than the actors in today's "comedies."

The Usual Suspects (1995)

A complex web of intrigue and allegiances is weaved through basically a two-hour long monologue and shown in flashbacks, the ultimate outcome of which is the largest deceit of all. What really works here is how the concurrent story-lines are played - first the actual drug bust, then the interplay between the characters, then the looming question of an unseen character's identity. Each is played out and each carries as much weight as eachother, allowing the film to not only suck you in, but keep you there and on edge for the duration, when everything is wrapped up so neatly.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

With all the trappings of a typical Western, this film manages to avoid most of what makes Westerns repetitive by focusing solely on the characters. Characters, true which are fairly flat, except for the main character, whose arc even a blind man could see coming and whose obsession with gold comes on so fast and sudden, it may give some viewers whiplash.

However, the lust for gold is secondary to the interactions between the characters which come about during and especially after the search for gold becomes fruitful, and its those interactions which keep the film gripping throughout its second half.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Sometimes I feel that a movie is included here just because of who is in it or who created it and given the overly large emphasis this film's promotion gives to the author of the play its based on, I have no doubt that is the case here.

It's shot beautifully, like a film noir epic, but it has no story and nothing happens. The conflict that it has, does little more than make the unlikable and unrelatable characters simply bubble around until the conclusion, called only that because that's when the credits roll, not because anything particularly noteworthy happens there.

A Christmas Story (1983)

Maybe its because I didn't grow up with it and do not have nostalgia goggles through which to watch this, but... The plot was razor thin and not a lot happened. Except for the vague promise that Christmas was coming, no through-thread propelled the story along.

A lot of moments were included (the decoder ring and the various Wizard of Oz references, for example) that seemed to come from nowhere and have no real conclusion or connection to anything else. Nobody seemed to learn anything and not a lot was achieved. Though it did show adults apathy toward Christmas well.

The Stranger (1946)

After a rocky first fifteen minutes or so (for example, what was the significance of the broken smoking pipes?), this movie ramps up the tension and keeps it at a steady level throughout the duration of the film. Not a moment goes by without some additional intrigue or development happening in the story.

The limited characters and locations automatically give the film an extremely claustrophobic feel while the tension of the main plot is drawn out, piece by piece, drawing the film to its inevitable - though we constantly feel - possibly unattainable conclusion.

In short, there is nothing not to like here.

Gangs of New York (2002)

When a dramatic period piece opens with a massive battle sequence that is so poorly choreographed that the viewer wonders if the film is going to be a farce or comedy, you're in for a bad time. Though the rest of the film had its moments, it was self-indulgent and wallowed in points that were (I assume) historically accurate, but not interesting in terms of the story. The main villain also suffered from a terminal case of 'kill everybody mercilessly, except for the main character (for no conceivable reason)' syndrome, which reduced his character from awesome badass to... some threatening dude.

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Thoroughly compelling from the outset, this film tells the tale of a rather important murder in a small town. However, matters are complicated by the introduction of a highly intelligent and competent black man in the highly racist little town. Exceptionally good at his job, every attempt to, you know, solve the crime is pushed back and railed against by the people who don't appreciate the evidence because of who it is that uncovered it.

The only down side to the film is the horribly dated score, however its overlookable as the films acting, story and direction are so amazingly good.