Watched two of my very favorites today with some friends:

Help! (1965)

The Old Dark House (1932)

I used to love Steven Seagal movies (I had a "thing" for him ::ahem:: ), but this was my least favorite. I personally think William Forsythe is one gigantic douchebag. His hammy overacting ruined The Devil's Rejects. He single-handedly sent that flick straight down the toilet.

Best Seagal movie, IMO, is his first, Above The Law.

Satan's Little Helper. If you can get over the unrealistic behavior of the characters in this low budget comedy thriller, then you should find that it is truly a killer little gem. This movie was a total crack-up. The costume selections were perfect. The shopping cart scene is classic, and it was shot in only 45 minutes. Bonus points!!! Ashe.
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A Face in the Crowd

If all you've ever seen of Andy Griffith is his TV work, you'd be incredibly surprized by this savage 1957 film in which he plays a down and out bum suddenly thrust into the role of a media star. His nasty portrayal is light years beyond anything else he did. With a stellar supporting cast that includes Patricia Neal, Walter Mathau, Lee Remick and Anthony Franciosa this is a highlight of Elia Kazan's career.

Alky & Fortunato, if you've never seen it- hunt it down.


East of Eden
The movie that made James Dean a star. He almost seems too modern in this WW1 setting, but this story of intollerance is perfectly realized.


Boomerang
True story of a crusading DA who manages to save an innocent man being scapegoated by a police department desperate to solve a high profile murder case. With Dana Andrews, Lee J Cobb, Jane Wyatt, Ed Begley and Arthur Kennedy.

Three great films from director Elia Kazan, who gave us many of the greatest films of the 1950s. Startling to realize that right in the middle of McCarthyism, a high profile Hollywood director was making films about political treachery and intollerance.

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Watched the really wonderful Up yesterday, and it made me want to revisit this brilliant film. Together with Wall-E, these are three modern-day animes which I absolutely adore. Unquestionably, 3 of my all-time favorite animated films.

I am sure Zwoti would chime in with his list of recs, but check out Street Fighter 2 too. Very entertaining almost like the original.

I love this one, brilliant from start to finish, I really need to buy a copy of it. This one needs a Criterion Edition IMO.

Will do- in fact, I've been meaning to for awhile. I missed Kazan night on TCM didn't I...?

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I Know Where I'm Going! (1947)

A film with confident direction but which, to me, felt a little bit stale and didn't create much emotional resonance. The first fifteen minutes are my favorite; they are stylistic and snappy and say a lot about central character Joan in only a few brief scenes. From there, P&P employ an intentional change in pace and tone which in its first few scenes is very interesting; but after awhile I grew weary of Joan's selfish persona, and I didn't think much of her male counter-part, either. What kept me interested was the expert control of the picture visually, and the inventive audio mix which conveyed concentration, memory, and even unseen ghosts.

A Matter of Life and Death (AKA Stairway to Heaven) (1946)

A poignant disintegration of man-made divisions presented in both vivid technicolor and lavish black and white. What is so beautiful about the film is the way it avoids making heaven a place and instead uses it as a state of mind, something that defies time and space. While this most obviously enhances the set-pieces of the "otherworld", it also makes the scenes on Earth far more mezmerising; one can't quite place the locations in the film, and everything happens within dream-like cozy crevices- the floral beachside, the colorful library, even the warmly-lit operating room. This simplicity carries over to the people of the "otherworld" as well; P&P generate dozens of national representatives (based initially, maybe, on stereotypes) but challenge their fronts and expose them as nothing more than costumed human beings. Tremendous performances all round out an incredibly entertaining story full of rich visuals and grand ideas.

You did indeed.

I've been meaning to see this one for quite some time now, as well.

Queued!