February’s Over, Bring On March

Another month down and I am still as keen as ever to keep this thing up. During February I saw some really great films. I think that the films that I watched during this month were generally of a higher quality than those I watched in January. Some of the movies that I watched during this month were all-time classics.

Alfred Hitchcock was my director of choice this month, as I watched six of his films. Of those North By Northwest was the most enjoyable but I also liked Rear Window, The 39 Steps, Foreign Correspondent and The Wrong Man a lot. Spellbound was a good movie as well even though Ingrid Bergman spouting off psychoanalytical jargon every time she opens her mouth is a bit distracting.If you have never watched a Hitchcock film then I dare say that it is time that you did as his work is just so enjoyable. The Third Man is another enjoyable British film that features a lot of Hitchcockian elements, as well as fine performances by Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.

The funniest film that I saw during February was probably The Court Jester, but I did like School Of Rock too. Other fine comedy films include Francis and Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein  whilst Chaplin’s The Kid is a bit more sentimental than funny, although there are a few humourous sequences. The General was another Buster Keaton film that I was disappointed with, just like I was with Steamboat Bill Jr. last month. The General worked more as a historical drama than as a comedy, in my opinion. I also found that while Sailor Beware was funny, it was just typical of most standard Martin & Lewis comedies.

1. Invictus – Recommended
2. The Simpsons Movie – Recommended
3. The Wrong Man – Recommended
4. Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein – Highly Recommended
5. The Third Man – Very Highly Recommended
6. Mystery Of The Wax Museum – Recommended
7. A Night In Casablanca – Recommended
8. The 39 Steps – Highly Recommended
9. Foreign Correspondent – Highly Recommended
10. Avatar – Very Highly Recommended
11. The Return Of Frank James – Recommended
12. Clash Of The Titans – Recommended
13. The Incredible Shrinking Man – Very Highly Recommended
14. Spartacus – Highly Recommended
15. Spellbound – Recommended
16. The Court Jester – Highly Recommended
17. Born Free – Highly Recommended
18. Francis – Recommended
19. Sailor Beware – Recommended for Martin & Lewis fans only
20. The Kid – Recommended
21. Grease – Recommended
22. The General – Recommended
23. Rear Window – Very Highly Recommended
24. School Of Rock – Highly Recommended
25. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo – Recommended
26. North By Northwest – Very Highly Recommended
27. Bad Day At Black Rock – Highly Recommended
28. Pulp Fiction – Very Highly recommended

The films that I enjoyed the most would be North By Northwest, Pulp Fiction, The Third Man and  The Incredible Shrinking Man, with Avatar rounding out the top 5.

I also must note that my review writing skills have actually gone backwards as time goes by. I often find that after watching a film I am lost with what I want to say and that thinking about what I want to write can affect my enjoyment of the chosen film. I still am going to stick with this thing and maybe if I get a chance I will rewrite what I have written in my reviews. I do acknowledge that most review writers make more than one draft of what they write while I mostly just write what is on the top of my head.