Every 3 years, I re-evaluate my top 30 films list, where basically some old favorites fall out for new ones. So Shii, you may have a few new movies to watch! Hahaha.
So, in comparison to my old list, here are some comments on what has changed.
Films that got added:
His Girl Friday I only watched it once, on Netflix before they had subtitles for everything. I didn’t even get all the jokes, but oh boy I am such a fan. For me, Rosalind Russell is the best actress of her time, Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all times and “His Girl Friday” is the best screwball comedy ever made. (Yes, it’s better than anything Lubitsch has one.)
The Last Days of Disco Pip preferred “Damsels in Distress” over “The Last Days of Disco”, but somehow I think the latter just resonated with me more than Stillman’s somewhat silly Ivy League sorority girls dance tale. “Disco” has less lovable characters but the amazingly hot Kate Beckinsale and the amazingly capable Chloe Sevigny. I loved the interaction between the characters and I could relate to this feeling of belonging to some culture that has become less popular nowadays (oh I am so old), even if I dislike the disco culture itself.
The Darjeeling Limited I feel like it’s easy to pick my Top 30 by the Criterion films I recently purchased. If I was willing to spend 15-20 USD on a film, then it’s because I liked it so much that I want to own its Criterion release. I re-watched “The Darjeeling Limited” and it was so worth its money.
Scenes from a Marriage I have seen the short and the long version and I have the Criterion DVDs. This movie may be in my Top 30 list until I die – most likely I will also be married till I die. It’s my life.
Pitfall Pip and I are Teshigahara fans nowadays and sadly we have already seen almost everything he’s made. (Couldn’t he have ditched the flower business? Tsk.) Amongst his films, I actually liked his underrated humorous “Pitfall” the best – I was really into the subtle black humor and I thought the film’s cinematography is just as great as the sand in “Woman in the Dunes”.
The Guard A lot of films I love are comedies, and this one is the best McDonagh comedy in my book. Therefore I stammered like a stupid fangirl when I asked Brendan Gleeson for an autograph.
The Crowd Amongst all the films we saw at the Stummfilmfestival of the Babylon a few years ago, “The Crowd” stood out as a film I totally didn’t know about but then surprised me with its humor and its wisdom. When I made my top 30 list awhile ago, I was looking for films that said something about humanity. To me, “The Crowd” is humanity in a nutshell. (Hey, even Godard liked it!)
Branded to Kill This film is the exact opposite of “The Crowd”. There is almost nothing human in this film, it’s just plain craziness, the film looks super cheap and B-movie like, and the story is just a parody of everything. I bought the Criterion Blu-ray on a whim and loved it just as much the second time around. Perhaps this is the only crazy movie I have ever loved.
Ma nuit chez Maud When “Jules et Jim” fell out, not a single “Nouvelle Vague” film was left in my list, which is a little shocking. It’s been awhile since I have seen one (though “Ma nuit chez Maud” was somewhat recent), but I still feel confident that “La Haine” is better than all that “Nouvelle Vague” stuff, even though personally I am more a (poor culturally privileged student in) Paris rather than (poor non-French kid in the) banlieu kind of person. Nevertheless, “Ma nuit chez Maud” just blew my mind and I fell in love with its talky dialogue.
Boyhood Ever since I started watching films more seriously (around 2006 maybe), it rarely happens that a film makes it into this list because the decades of filmmaking before are challenging them. But “Boyhood” is special, and it’s even less boring than “Ai no Mukidashi”.
Tsuruhachi Tsurujiro Ah this is a random one and I know that. I think this is the most beautiful underrated film of all times, and it’s great in its simplicity. Sometimes the best stories are just that simple.
Films that fell out of the list
Donnie Darko Well, the movie kept its spot for a long time considering that I have only seen it twice or so, and then never re-evaluated this favorite of my youth. I remember how I was glued to the screen when I saw it, but I doubt it has much impact on me today.
No Man’s Land Another film I actually only saw once. Unlike “Donnie Darko”, I think I would still love “Do you speak French?” just as much as on the first day, it’s just that this love is not actually that grand.
Jules et Jim Oh this is a tough one. I thought “Jules et Jim” was my life, and for the longest time I was a little disappointed in Truffaut because all the other films failed to match the greatness of “Jules et Jim”. I’ve only seen the film once with 308 and 314 and was emotionally devastated for weeks after that, but how would I feel today? I have no idea.
Welcome to Dongmakgol The movie made me laugh and cry, and so much of it is absolutely wonderful. A tale of love and friendship just after my liking. But it’s also a silly film and the American clichés really hurt.
The Dreamers This film was even more difficult to kick out than “Jules et Jim”. I mean, I promised myself to watch “The Dreamers” once per year to reflect on myself and on film… only to discover that I have changed, and now am not changing much anymore. I don’t dream anymore.
Dr. Strangelove I saw it a second time and found myself not laughing at all. I mean, the movie is still just as great and I understand why it is (or was?) 6451’s favorite film of all times, but it isn’t for me anymore.
Die Ehe der Maria Braun The dude I watched the movie with thought it was really wacky, but actually he was just a boring person. I still like Fassbinder (despite what Loris says about him) and I really want to see more of his stuff, but ultimately the film did not have too much of a lasting effect.
Rudo y Cursi Haha I sure loved the film when I just saw it, but it’s actually not that great of a movie no matter how much I enjoyed it.
Seven Samurai I saw the film once, I loved it and I think I never want to see it again. It’s so long and ultimately so sad that I don’t think I can stand it again a second time. Kurosawa is still a master and this is his masterpiece, but his films are often a hard pill to swallow. (Oh God just thinking of “Dodes’kaden” makes me want to cry.)
Rear Window Oh that is also a tough one. I am not actually a huge Hitchcock fan (sorry, Gorp, but I don’t get “Vertigo”) but there are some gems like “Rear Window” and “The Trouble with Harry” that I just absolutely love, and the fact that Hitchcock is an amazing filmmaker makes me want to see more and more of his movies. They are just not “top 30” material for me anymore.
Before Sunrise Ah the movie that represents my youth even more than “Donnie Darko”, “Fight Club” or “The Dreamers”. I have kicked it out of my favorites list and added it again and now it’s simply kicked out because of “Boyhood”, which is ultimately vastly superior despite its crappy ending.