two strains of lists

Before xmas, dual things happened: fell in love w. fassbinder, and also found Ebert and roepers 2008 year end list of vave films of the year. movies I feel inadaquate w. -nevr know what to watch and am turned to many great shows by frenz - examples would be Gallo and 'Hunger', Vito and "La Femme Nikita", Jackson w. "Sexy beast", Joker w. "Adaptations", Jacob w. "Deja Vu". All excellent, and all I prob would never would have watched (prob.) The list is way longer - many films turnd onto by many people - but, again: new happenings.

Fassbinder
Fassbinder is easy. The DVD of "Ali: Fear eats the Soul" was finally watched in what - November? It was not just brilliant - it was beyond. A Stunner. So, after efferesent hears of the name fassbinder and ali and all of that, I finally came into the Glory of being a Fassbinderer, as I am now. So, bit by bit, I'm trying to watch evrything he has by and by. As I am supercheap, everything has come to me through the Chicago Public Libraries - they have heavy amounts of many films, and free. I'd go on their website, see what I havebt watched yet, and order it. trouble is that you vcan nly have 6 DVDs and 6 VCR tapes checked out @ a time - plus, one can only order so many movies @ once. So, I have 6 DVDs and 4 VCR tapes right now - a mix of 4 Fassbiners and the 'other lists' Ill write about below.

Determined myself to watch it all. The next film I watched was his first - "Love is colder than death" As great as Ali was, this film almost equaled it. Shit, the influence he has on me now. "Love/death" was a beautifel black and white, not too much speaking, and centerd around smalltime gansters in Munich. Brilliat.

Eventually I went to Wiki and printed the list of movies he made. So blueprinted, I've started to check off all. "Gods of the Plague", early film similar to "Love/ Death", is loved by me.Hey, even if you hate them, @ leats watch these films for the naked women. And, if you dont like naked women, hey: check out Fassbinder himself. He stars or appears in many of his films, and loves being naked. A film I watched @ Gallos, "Fox and his Freinds", was a film from the middle period of Fassbnder's work. It was around the "ali" period, and even "Ali" appeared in it (Both Gallo and i were cheered by his appearance). "Fox" was great - but absurd in many ways. "Absurd"? Now, another film from this period - "A year w. 13 Moons" was watched yesterday. Started a few weeks after the sucicide of his then lover, this film is definately strange and uncomfortable. Not biographical about his lover, but I believe it was based in part on him- it's theme is the looking for love by the main character, who is a guy who became a girl (after The Cut) to win over a guy he worked with (so, again, fassbinder lover did not have "the Cut" done to him. Emminantly watchable - except for the slaughtrhouse scence. horrid.

And then there is the "Hollywood" pat of fassbinder career. Big budget stuff. I've watched "The Marraige ofMAria Braun", "Veronike Voss", and "Querelle". These films noted above, plus a film partly directed by him ("Germany in Autumn"), have been crossed off the liist. Som stuff id still not available, and I have a ways to go, but i do like being systamatic about it. I have several more that I have right now in my possesion - I'm on one of his TV films rite now, "I only want you to love me", and have another one he wrote and acted in but did not direct ("Shadow of Angels"). Although he didnt direct it and so is not the list of films Im working off of, i share a deep love of Fassbinders acting w. Gallo. In the past few months he has joined my list of favourite actors (McQueen, Martin Donovan, Toshiro Mifune, Hilts, Michel Blanc, Fassbinder, and so on...). finally, I have "Why does Her R. run Amok?". Fassbinder wrote and acted in it and is credited w. "codirection" althouh it's been said that he really did have any directing to do. This is a 1970 film and when i started it I shut it off after the first minute - the inluse was inescapable: "Gotta watch this w. Gallo". So, i'm saving that film for now.

I want to do Kurasowa the same wy = when i was in Cali, Munson and i stopped by to get rent some movies in Oakland and there was a box set of 40 of Kurasowa films. As i started to count the movies I'd seen, I realised that I'd seen about half of them on the box. So, I'll start on him when i get the list printed.

Ebert and Roeper
Yeah, Yeah, i know it's lame, but the other main font in the cienema deal is the season ending "best of lists" that i found amongst my junk in November. I started to watch films off of these two lists, and i am nearly done w. their domestic lists from 2008 - ive seen 19 of Eberts 21 and 19 of Roepers 25. Im back a bit on eberts foreign list from 2008 - only four of 11. And in December four lists came out - both writers best of 2009 and best of 2000-2009.

I fully understand that most pople will say - dude, how bourgois can you be to follow these apoligists for the ruling class? here is auch better reviewer whose advice you should take" - I uderstand that. "Hunger" was on no list, for example. But, I actually love Roeper's writing (more than his film reviews - hw's one of my favourite columnist of all time - and have always loved Ebert (used to walk home from 5pm St. Rita Saturday Mass in HS and got in just in time to watch the "Siskel and Ebert" show). So, although i knw that there are many many films way under the radar that i will be missing, i'll follw these lists. I have a ways to go on the 2009 list - some films are still @ the show, So i want to make a point and actually see them in the theatre. Eberts list is only 10 strong for the decade - but roeper has a 100 on it (seen about 55 of them, so im alrady on my way).

Anyway, I'm just trying to be friendly, and we've got something to say.......

Ebert
2008 American
2008 foreign
2009
2000-2009

Roeper:
2008
2009
2000-2009