Time for a film

Now that the Melbourne Film Festival is over (you can read my wrap up here) I’ve had some time to catch up on my huge watchlist. I ticked off 4 classics in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rear Window, The Graduate and Vertigo. I loved 3 of them and enjoyed Vertigo but not as much as the others.

I also managed to see one new Australian release in Hope Springs with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep which exceeded my expectations. Read on for mini reviews!
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2001: A Space Odysessy (1968) – Visually stunning, it had me gripped almost the whole way. It’s definitely revolutionary with it’s ideas, such as AI having a mind of their own and I found myself really rooting for Dave. The final 10-15 minutes lost me a little, which was a shame. The soundtrack was also way ahead of it’s time – epic indeed! A- 

Hope Springs (2012) – A movie I did not find awkward at all, I quite enjoyed this story about an older couple trying to rekindle their love and their sex life. I thought Tommy Lee Jones was excellent and Streep was very good herself. Even Steve Carell puts in a likable performance as their counsellor. I think older audiences will really love this film, I found it a bit long in it’s final act but it’s still a film I would recommend. B

Rear Window (1954) – Embarassingly, this is the first Alfred Hitchcock film I have ever seen. I found it to be a great story which was well told and suspenseful. It was pretty believable and had some really great characters. I found the neighbourhood to be a great asset to the film, I’ve never really lived like that, in such close proximity to so many people, with little privacy. A great ending and some beautiful shots. A-

The Graduate (1967) – A movie about a graduate, I could relate to a lot of his feelings, such as the opening scene where Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is being congratulated and hounded by relatives and friends. I found the Braddock character to be really unlikable at the beginning, but I slowly came around and while I didn’t love him he was intriguing and a character. While I think it had some flaws, it definitely won me over with memorable scenes and most crucially the soundtrack. ‘Sound of Silence’ and ‘Scarborough Fair’ were two awesome songs that have stuck in my head and felt so moving in the movie. I also particuraly liked the scene where Ben is floating in the
pool and his father asks him what he’s doing:

Mr. Braddock: Ben, what are you doing?
Benjamin: Well, I would say that I’m just drifting. Here in the pool.
Mr. Braddock: Why?
Benjamin: Well, it’s very comfortable just to drift here.

Not sure why but I loved that scene! A- 

Vertigo (1958) – Recently voted #1 in the Sight and Sound poll, this was another Alfred Hitchcock film that I just had to see. I was actually quite bored throuhgout the first half, I just didn’t see anything interesting happening. However, the main twist was one I did not see coming at all and it really sparked me out of my zone. While I actually thought the whole premise was a bit farfetched, the final third was super and had a pretty exciting climax. I liked it and perhaps is worth a rewatch to get more out of it. B+

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I feel like I have a lot of films I need to see including new releases The Bourne Legacy, The Sapphires and even Total Recall. I will be attending the world premiere of Kath and Kimderella on Sunday which is rather cool as well as seeing The Expendables 2 on Monday night. I am wondering if it would be a good idea to see the first Expendables before that, thoughts?