276 of 1001 Movies: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

With someone who has such a terrible attention span, sometimes tackling a movie that is an epic romance and drama is not something I should choose to do. This movie though for the romantic at heart knows how to pull at you, and even in a recent Entertainment Weekly was listed as the romance of it's era in the 60's, falling into the same list with Titanic that made the romance of it's era in the 90's. For me though there was something very intense and over dramatic that kept me from really getting into the characters though.

Summary: Yuri is a poet, but while he struggles with his writings he finds himself being a doctor. In this three hour epic though his life changes drastically for a man who married a woman, and started a family, and expected to hope to settle down normally, after he meets the wife of a political activist that he falls for. He now is tempted to pursue her especially as the revolution draws them closer together. For Yuri though a lot is at risk as he gets closer to Lara.

273 of 1001 Movies: La Dolce Vita (1960)

I would compare La Dolce Vita to how I feel when I watch Mad Men. Sometimes entertained by the acts of a philanderer. Federico Fellini though isn't one of my favorite Italian directors, and he has brought to the screen some of my least favorite Italian movies I've seen, which is odd considering I've loved most everything I've seen that is Italian made. La Dolce Vita adheres to no plot, which is fine, but with a string of painful characters it makes the movie sometimes unlikable, unless you just want to see Nico make a pop up appearance.

Summary: Marcello has many women in his life, and all these women add a bit of drama he wouldn't otherwise have. Marcello seems to like drama though as he also seeks it out as a journalist, mostly of entertainers. His fiance is suicidal, and he seems like he could care less, and he has another lover, Maddalena, who has a nature who allows him to come and go. He even crosses paths with famed actress, Sylvia, who he eyes, but doesn't take seriously with her very overbearing boyfriend always near her.

257 of 1001 Movies: David Holzman's Diary (1967)

There are some brilliant things about the docufiction. If it wasn't so boring I could appreciate it more. Many thought didn't know that Jim McBride was making a fake film though, and L.M Kit Carson seems believable enough as David that you think he's just a really weird and creepy guy who has just filmed his girlfriend naked and asleep. Thankfully for the sake of the viewer not feeling creepy this movie is only fake. It does give you a culturally cool look into the 60's though, but Holzman's life is boring, and I don't blame the guy for being disappointed in how his film turned out.

Summary: David Holzman decides to do a diary of his life with his camera. He has all the equipment to make it work, and sets it up in his apartment and allows it to travel with him while he is out and about. Not all that are in his life though will appreciate the intrusion into their lives including his girlfriend, Penny. She definitely doesn't like the new wheel in their relationship. David though will find that his experiment of filming his own life leaves him with more frustration than answers though.

229 of 1001 Movies: The Cow (1969)

Perhaps the strangest movie I've seen this year, but thank goodness it was because that kept me entertained! This movie really did have a true importance in Iranian cinema. without it Iranian movies might have been banned. It was such a charmer though it kept movies there alive. I was searching for some  surreal meaning behind all that was happening, but no, I found none. Don't get me wrong there very well could be, but no one involved with the film never discuss if there is. This movie is just straight up bonkers, and I like that about it. It even has a simple title, The Cow.

Summary: Hassan is the only person in his small in Iran who has a cow. It's important to the community, and he treats the animal as if it is a child. He even spends a night with it to protect it just in case some thieves try to kill or steal the animal. His wife and the rest of the villagers know the importance of this animal in his life. When he leaves for a day he puts his wife in charge of looking after the beloved animal. The animal strangely dies though, and this leaves the villagers searching for a way to bring the news to Hassan who is going to take it a lot harder than they can expect.

227 of 1001 Movies: Contempt (1963)

I have to say I was puzzling over how to feel with this movie after it went off. There were moments I thought I didn't like it, and then others where I could see how brilliant it was. For me the biggest setback is the slowness. I just can't help it, movies that border on plot-less leave me a little lackluster. Jean Luc-Godard was one of the most innovative and creative directors of the 60's though. The fact that this is a movie that is a movie within a movie is quite interesting. We're watching a movie about a guy who is writing a movie, whose life plays out as a movie.

Summary: Paul is hired to make a movie that is about Ulysses, but the director, Jeremy wants him to make it more commercial. Jeremy seems to have a thing for Paul's wife, and he invites her to ride with him to his house that he has invited them both to. She insist on riding with Paul, but he wants her to ride with Jeremy. She takes this as an indication she is being used to get a better payment when it comes time to pay Paul, and this puts a huge riff in their relationship.

225 of 1001 Movies: Come Drink With Me (1966)

This 1966 Hong Kong movie features so much gore and action. Almost as much as any modern movie I've seen. Supposedly, Quentin Tarantino himself is doing a remake of the movie. It makes sense considering this seems to be some of his interest, but honestly this movie doesn't need a remake, and it is like a slap in the face to the original director, King Hu. This movie does have it's not so great moments, but overall it's a nicely done film that feels edgy for 1966.

Summary: After a general's son is kidnapped he ask that Golden Swallow (yes that is her name), help to rescue him. Golden Swallow seems to be doing her martial arts disguised as a man though, unless my subtitles were just badly dubbed. Anyways, she is sent to rescue the son from the bandits that have kidnapped him. Her first encounter leads her to a bar, and then to a monastery where she finds she might need some back up from a local drunk, Fan Da-Pei. He has his own secrets though that gain them both insight and access to the world the bandits live in.

224 of 1001 Movies: The Color of Pomegranates (1968)

It's one of the shortest movies that seemed it would never end. If you like very artsy and surreal movies then you'll enjoy Sergei Parajanov's movie. Most of the movie avoids dialogue and instead lives out the story through images and silent scenes. Unless you go and read a rough layout of the movie beforehand you may have no idea what the movie is trying to even do. Regardless, this movie is meant for a certain type of viewer, and if you think it's bad then whatever, I'm not that type of viewer for this.

Summary: The Color of Pomegranates is the biography of an Armenian troubadour, King of Song. Instead of conveying his life through narration that is more usual, we see his life as the poet would most likely conduct his story in a poetic way. The poet grow's up, discovers feelings toward women, falls for a woman, explores his own faith by joining a monastery, and then his death. While using the same actor for many roles the poet's life is depicted with the artistic imagination of the director, and passages from the poet's writing.

223 of 1001 Movies: Closely Watched Trains (1966)

It's 1966 and director, Jiri Menzel seems to have found a controversial but honest subject to cover in a movie all with the backdrop of World War II. The movie feels like many foreign movies I've watched. It's got this silent awkwardness about it, a taboo subject, and very blank looking actors. The lead actor does become more endearing as you watch the movie though, and you can't help but hope he finds what he is looking for. A perfect ejaculation.

Summary: Milos believes that he is destined for a job that provides a pretty easy life just like the men in his family before him did. There are other problems or well positives of being a man that he hasn't explored beyond work. After becoming a train watcher apprentice Milos begins seeking his first sexual encounter. After Milo finds someone he is interested in being with though he finds that he is unable to perform, and it ruins his first time.

210 of 1001 Movies: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero is like the ruler of zombie movies. He paved the way in popularizing the monsters in movies, and was an inspiration for many horror movies to follow. At the time audiences were terrified by the gory scenes. While it seems Romero was still establishing what a zombie was, even to himself, the creatures are still terrifying. Also, if you're someone who watches The Walking Dead and thinks they were one of the first to explore that during a zombie apocalypse your worst fear just might be other living people, then you're wrong. Romero tackles the attachment to the dead loved ones by the living and explores the dangers of paranoia that other humans have began to live in.

Summary: Barbara and her brother, Johnny, are out in the countryside to visit their father's grave. After a strange man attacks them it leaves  Johnny dead, and Barbara on the run. Barbara finds a farmhouse where she hides, and also meets Ben. He has been forced to park there after his car has run out of gas. These two and the people they meet will not only have to survive the living dead that is stalking them, but also the people they meet and each other.

207 of 1001 Movies: Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962)

Agnes Varda carries on the French trend in the 60's with an obscure movie that looks at life in an almost existential way from the perspective of Cleo. While intriguing in some parts, and just slow in others plays out it reminds me too much of some other French movies from that decade to be really one I would choose as a go to again to watch. It definitely was reminiscent of Breathless, and even Belle De Jour makes me reflect a bit in comparison to this. Unlike Breathless though, it's a little easier to make a connection to Cleo as we get more inside her head and worries at what she believes is her impending doom.

Summary: We meet Cleo at 5 in the afternoon as she awaits test results from her doctor that she believes will be cancer, mostly from the reading of tarot cards that begin the movie. After leaving there we see her wondering the streets in France, chatting with a woman who is her caretaker, and meeting a man that she seems to be falling for even though he is soon to be deployed to Algeria. In those 2 hours we will find out where Cleo's life might be heading and if she her results will really lead to a result of cancer.

167 of 1001 Movies: Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Cool Hand Luke is a movie to watch if you want to feel cool. There is just something it embodies that speaks to those who resist to conform. I wouldn't recommend going the path of Luke though, especially since prison has changed a bit. Steven Rosenberg though shows that you don't need equipment from 2013 to create a visually stunning and compelling movie, and that with the loss of film there is a certain quality lost as well. You also have Paul Newman leading and just showing he is one of the best actors there has ever been.

Summary: Luke gets caught removing the heads off parking meters while under the influence, and he is arrested. He ends up with pretty harden criminals though in a prison camp where he will work on the roads all day, and then sleep and eat at night. The life isn't easy, and you can be put in "the box" for basically anytime the wardens feel threatened you'll act up. Luke though doesn't conform very well, so he begins planning his escape, and he will continue to revolt until they will let him go.

153 of 1001 Movies: Breathless (1960)

French New Wave! Breathless was Jean Luc-Godard first full length film, and one of the first to embark in the new wave genre in France. There are some good bits, and some boring bits though, and for those who have never heard of jump cuts, particularly in a day where we mostly use digital, the jilted frames will confuse you. What is likable though is all the fashion and some of the eye catching scenes. The characters are very so-so though.

Summary: Michel is a small time criminal who tries to live his life according to the persona of Humphrey Bogart. After getting into a police chase, he ends up shooting a policemen and becoming the subject of a man hunt. He returns to Paris to hide with his American girlfriend, Patricia, who sales the New York Herald Tribune on the streets. He tries to seduce her, and even convince her to runaway to Paris with him, but Patricia's aloof nature resists, and also keeps him in Paris under the weight of his want for her.

130 of 1001 Movies: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

I would have never guessed this classic was about two high end prostitutes falling in love. Breakfast at Tiffany's is a movie I've always heard talked about, or referred to, especially since Audrey Hepburn became a trend just as something people wanted to act like they knew something about. There is a lot about the movie that is just terribly dated, and other things that will make it one of the most charming movies you will watch. I stand by my belief that Mickey Rooney can ruin a movie with his name automatically being attached to it. Blake Edwards directs this romantic movie that brings the 1960s scene in New York to life around the wealthy and those who want into it.

Holly is a New York socialite, who essentially is hired as an escort by man. Holly seems ready for something deeper despite the fact she enjoys what her wealthy dates bring her. When a man, Paul, moves into her apartment she instantly finds him catching her eye. Paul also can't help but notice her too, but he has his own companion to consider as well that helps take of him. Even though he is still a struggling writer though he wants to win the heart of the woman who lives in the same apartment building as him.

126 of 1001 Movies: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Instantly the movie throws you into the two getting into the crime scene without much back story, or development. After reading a little about the history of Bonnie and Clyde though I believe that Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway do a good job at bringing to life how these characters might have been though. Arthur Penn brings to life an American crime story that had yet to really be explored in movies and took a lot of attention to detail to capture the detail and setting for the twos crimes.

Clyde has just gotten out of prison, and Bonnie is working as a waitress at a job that is leaving her at a blockade. When she meets Clyde though she is instantly in love, and wants to be apart of the crime world. She is fascinated from the first moment he pulls out a gun. The two begin travelling and robbing banks. Along the way their gang begins to grow into the Barrow Gang, which includes a young man they picked who they up at a mechanic shop, and Clyde's brother and his wife. With the more banks they rob though the bigger the chase becomes for the crew though.

120 of 1001 Movies: Blow Up (1966)

Michelangelo Antonioni has created one of the hippest movies I've seen. It's set in the mod scene of 1960s London, and follows the life of a photographer. Instead of trying to tell a story though this one seems more about statements, and while that is admirable you also want to feel a story is developing. Blow Up though is a really visually appeasing movie and while the plot may not go where one would hope it did still keep me interested.

Thomas is a photographer in London who is apart of the mod scene, but he also takes photos around the city when he is out. When visiting the park one day he finds a couple there who appear to be having a nice time, but when he gets home he finds himself stalked by the woman in the pictures who is desperately wanting them back. Thomas doesn't take his findings in the photos too seriously of what appears to be a murder attempt while he continues his casual sexual encounters and fun until one photo reveals that the murder may have actually taken place.

112 of 1001 Movies: Black Sunday (1960)

If the thought of holes being punctured into your face is terrifying then the movie succeeds in the first few scenes. There is something a lot more fun about classic horror though up until about the 90s. It seems it didn't take itself as seriously, and somehow this does make things oddly more eerie, which is how Black Sunday works. Mario Bavo himself is a classic director even credited with inspiring Tim Burton's work, and getting mention from Martin Scorsese. With Black Sunday it is easy to see why he has become such a legendary director.

Princess Asa is discovered to be a witch, and along with her accomplice, Prince Vajda, they are both burned at the stake. Two centuries later though two travelers discover her grave, and decide to tamper with it by pulling off the mask of Satan that was drove into her face, and taking an inscription. Not long after Princess Asa begins raising herself from the dead, by taking blood from the descendants of those that killed her. Her ultimate goal is to take the body of her look-alike, Katia Vajda.

108 of 1001 Movies: The Graduate (1967)

Mike Nichols biggest movie hit has to be The Graduate. The plot will be on for some and off for others. Maybe the theme of the older generation taking advantage of the recent college graduates doesn't ring as relatable, but being out of college and sort of lost as to where to go still does as most are still grasping to try to find what makes them happy instead of others as it does sometimes feel we live our lives for a while in the hopes of impressing others until we find we need to find what makes us tick.

Ben is a recent college graduate who arrives home to find himself receiving the congratulations emptily. Mrs. Robinson, his dad's business partners' wife,has different plans to approach him when he gets home though, and sets out to seduce him. Ben looking for something deeper finally caves into having an affair with her. Without considering the implications down the road, Ben finds himself being set up with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, and while he tries to destroy their date he finds himself instead falling for her leading Mrs. Robinson to try to ruin him.

107 of 1001 Movies: The Birds (1963)

I'll admit that The 39 Steps didn't have me too sold on Alfred Hitchcock, but The Birds really showcases a more mature, and definitely terrifying Hitchcock. Who would have ever thought that birds could be so terrifying. The Birds weaves in suspense well by giving more time to the characters than the birds we just get sneaks of during The Birds until the last hour or so when things finally look like they are finally coming apart, and from there the suspense has been build so well it is terrifying.

Melanie sneaks over to Bodega Bay to leave a surprise for Mitch, or that is his daughter, after bumping into him at a bird shop and finding that he was on the hunt for a pair of Lovebirds for his daughter Melanie. After arriving in Bodega Bay though she begins noticing some odd happenings with the birds including how they gather, and the random dives they make toward her. The swarm of birds are growing though, and now a body count is piling, and Melanie finds herself preparing with Mitch for the greatest attack of all.

83 of 1001 Movies: Belle De Jour (1967)

The premise of Belle De Jour is too interesting to demise, and upon starting the movie it does not fail in getting your attention. This will be a difficult film to turn away from, and stop and start if you find you have to. Luis Bunel isn't a director I like, but I tried to not let my personal dislike of him and his work so far get in the way of my viewing. Like most of his others this one is erotic without being graphic, and has some sort of surreal layer to it. The guy had been doing films since the 30s so it seeems like Martin Scorsese wouldn't even need to be the main name you stick to it.

Severine has a lot of fantasies, but her actual life doesn't seem to be invigorating her in the sense they do. She is struggling to be intimate with her husband, Pierre, due to her lack of attractiveness to him, so when a friend mentions a brothel ran by Madame Anais she can't help, but be interested, and drops by for a visit. Once arriving she sort of finds herself allowing herself to be used as a prostitute, and goes by the name Belle De Jour. Her excursions get a little odd, and dangerous though putting herself and others at risk...much like her fantasies seem to have always envisioned.

75 of 1001 Movies: The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Gillo Pontecorvo brings together an epic stirring movie about a place fighting for it's independence from France. With two hours the director is able to grow us closer to some of the characters, and also put together battle scenes that look like something straight from real life. He's also one of the few directors able to show both sides in a way that causes you to see tactics that were sad on both sides, but also cause you to root for the country to still find their independence despite that.

We begin by seeing Ali La Pointe, who is soon to be one of the FLN leaders in Algiers to help fight for their cause of independence. At first the guys begin by shooting French policemen stationed in the area to make their point, but the other side decides to escalate it a little more by then bombing one of the FLB members houses where children also reside. After this loss they decide to retaliate even more by bombing three places in the European section, by sending out 3 bombers themselves. Again, the director puts an emphasis on the children, and adults just their to party to show the innocent loss of lives. The French begins cracking down further on Algiers, and discriminating against Arabs in the attempt to find the FLN members. Eventually, they decide to bring in Col. Matheiu and his team who were successful against the Nazis during World War II. Algiers is ready to have their independence though, and at this point nothing will discourage them from that hope.