The Third Man- A pulp writer goes to bombed-out post-war Vienna in search of a friend and finds a dark glimpse of evil. Extraordinary film noir about the darkness of humanity, set against a hellish real backdrop that no production designer could ever conceive. If you've seen this in 35mm, I envy you. You've truly gotten to see magic. A brilliant masterpiece that represents the best that filmmaking has to offer. Brilliant performances, rich atmosphere, a compelling story, noir fatalism which hasn't been darkened by our age of nihilism, a smart script, and some of the most amazing cinematography you'll ever see, bleak beauty tinged with dark and fatalistic Romanticism. Truly one of the greats.
I Know What You Did Last Summer- A post-modern slasher flick from screenwriter Kevin Williamson hot on the heels of his success with Scream. Unfortunately, director Jim Gillespie doesn't have the wit that Craven had, and characters talking about how you shouldn't do something doesn't excuse their stupidity when they do it. A cast of once hot stars who're now largely faded, it has a few pleasures, but not enough to differentiate from the endless slasher films which it attempts to imitate. Followed by a sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and a direct-to-video followup called I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Another installment is evidently in the works, evidently simply titled I Know. I was holding out for The Knowledge of What You Did Last Summer Remains With Me Still.
Identity- Fun and twisty thriller from director James Magnold, the ever-watchable John Cusack head up a good cast who have fun in a post-modern riff on Agatha Christie. Doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense when you stop and think about it, but rattles along a great pace while it does with some nice atmosphere. Enjoyable enough, certainly a better variation on a theme than the above.
Sherlock Jr.- Fun two-reeler from Buster Keaton. Tons of funny gags and great stunts, it holds ups surprisingly well, though of course its brief length means that it won't be that substantial, Keaton knows it and takes the chance to make something lean and mean that you don't see much of in today's age of excess.
Sholay- My first Bollywood flick, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Western with musical numbers, martial arts, and all kinds of things. Actually pretty fun in strange way.
Lagaan- Once Upon A Time India- Another Bollywood flick. I don't know anything about Cricket, and wow is it long, but it's the kind of thing Arthur Freed would've loved-lavishly colorful with fun musical numbers and old Hollywood glamor.
Django- Spaghetti Western Yojimbo knockoff with a nice muddy setting and some brutal exploitation violence. Slight, but lean, mean, and effective at what it does.
A Fistful of Dollars- Micro-budgeted Spaghetti Western that launched the careers of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. A hugely iconic cultural touchstone, a post-modern comic book of a movie which was pretty innovative once upon a time. Though its often been imitated and has dated and lost some of its bite, Leone's grandly operatic style makes it good fun and a precursor to the more ambitious films to come later in his career.