It’s not that I avoided watching Chinatown, as I have with other ‘Film Buff’ fodder like Lawrence of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago. I just never got around to it, but last week, I finally bit the bullet. I didn’t really know what to expect -- some people had told me it was awesome; others had said it was good, but disturbing. So, I pressed play apprehensively. As it turns out, that was the perfect attitude, as I remained impressed and nervous for the next 130 minutes.
All's fair when love is war.
I have always been a Wes Anderson fan. Ever since I was exposed to his stunning cinematography and beyond-quirky characters in The Royal Tennebaums, I have been on the Wes Anderson bandwagon. However, there have been and still are some notable gaps in my knowledge. Although I have seen and very much enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeerling Limited, and, my personal favorite, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, I have yet to see Bottle Rocket or Steve Zissou.
Watching Dr. Strangelove was a big step for me. Never having seen Lolita or 2001, I am way behind on my Kubrick. Not only that, but I must also confess that this was my very first Peter Sellers film! Never had I experienced his Inspector Clouseau, his 007, his slapstick-y outrageous character creations – until now.
Of course, I have heard nothing but great things about Peter Sellers. My film-buff friends recall The Pink Panther as among their favorite movies and Dr. Strangelove as pure genius.
Blue Valentine may not be a classic like Casablanca or Star Wars, but when it came out three years ago, it set the indie film world a flutter with news of a festival darling that pleased critics and audiences alike. I just wasn’t in any of those audiences, not even when it screened in the 19th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival. Consequently, I have had to hush up whenever people around me discussed the brilliance of the film. For the next three years, I kept meaning to watch it, but was never quite in the mood to be depressed.
[b]Introducing the return of And You Call Yourself a Film Buff…! This series was started a couple of years ago by a former PFS intern in response to repeatedly hearing “You’ve never seen this movie?! And you call yourself a film buff!” In an effort to rectify the situation, we are scouring ‘best movies’ lists everywhere and watching the essentials. If you have also recently seen some previously overlooked must-sees, let us know what you think!
