[Numes]

Attention: There may be minor spoilers in my comments.

September 2nd:
● This is Spinal Tap cast commentary [1984] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Well, this piece is called 'Lick My Love Pump'."
- What a great commentary. The "in-character" commentary on the non-Criterion release is funny, but more of a novelty. Listening to Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest talk about the movie as themselves was truly a treat. They did a wonderful job talking about the history of Spinal Tap, how the movie was made, and their experience since the movie was out.

● Spartacus [1960] new! imdb HDNet Movies
"I am not an animal!"
- The first thing that struck me was the amazing opening credits. Surprise surprise, Saul Bass did them. I think I could watch a DVD of all of his opening credits. This is the first movie (I think) that I have seen with Laurence Olivier. He had an incredible aura around him, just fantastic. The music really stood out and enhanced the emotional subtext of the movie. One moment that was quite poignant for for me was when the couple was burying their child when the slave army was on it's initial march. I also have to talk about Peter Ustinov a bit. This is a bit embarrassing, but the only thing I have seen him in before was Logan's Run, and his character in that movie is...umm...interesting and at first it was a bit hard to get over that, but I got over it quick. A wonderful performance by Mr. Ustinov.

September 3rd:
● This is Spinal Tap crew commentary [1984] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"These go to eleven."
- Another great commentary. This time we have director Rob Reiner, producer Karen Murphy, and Editors Robert Leighton and Kent Beyda. They talked a lot about the 4.5 - 5.5 hour cuts that existed when they first tried to edit the film. I know a lot of those scenes are in the deleted scenes section on the DVD, but I would like to try and find that sometime.

● The Third Man [1949] new! imdb Criterion Blu-Ray
"There isn't enough for two laughs."
- I don't really want to give too much of the story away in this post, but I must say that this was an excellent movie. I first saw Joseph Cotten only a year ago in Shadow of a Doubt and he was great. Another great performance here. In fact, the whole cast was top notch, I can't think of one person in the whole movie who wasn't perfect in their role. I'm still trying to figure out if the "askew" angles in some of the scenes in the movie had significance or not. Nonetheless, the cinematography was outstanding. I'm not sure when dolly work became the norm, but there wasn't a whole lot of dolly work, but you can really sense the attention to the composition of every scene. The music has to be one of the most unique "scores" I've ever experienced in a movie. I think the whole score was done with a zither and was truly a unique experience. Final thought, the ending was perfect and I can't imagine it being any other way... check out the trivia on the IMDB page for a suggested alternate ending(!)

September 4th:
● Naked Lunch [1991] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Exterminate all rational thought"
- ??? I think that pretty much sums up my experience watching this movie. I love Cronenberg, and the acting was fantastic, but I still have absolutely no clue what the heck I watched. Hopefully the commentary gives me a little more insight into this frustrating movie viewing experience.

● Spartacus commentary [1960] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"I am Spartacus!"
- This commentary features Kirk Douglas, Peter Ustinov, novelist Howard Fast, producer Edward Lewis, restoration Expert Robert A. Harris, and designer Saul Bass. The thing that really struck me is how honest and open Howard Fast is. He was basically fired from writing the screenplay because it wasn't going to be done in time. He points out a lot of the differences between his book and the screenplay and is quick to both praise and criticize those scenes. The most interesting thing he said so far is he didn't think how Kirk Douglas played Spartacus was anything like what the character should have been! Peter Ustinov's comments were wonderful and went deeper than I would have expected. In fact, everyone on this track was truly top-notch. One of the best commentaries I've ever heard.

September 5th:
● The 39 Steps [1935] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Am I right sir?!?"
- I wish I would watch more Hitchcock on my own than having to find an excuse like this challenge to watch more. This is an excellent movie. I really enjoyed Robert Donat as Hannay. He was very believable in his character and you really rooted for him the whole time. The only thing that was kind of frustrating was that there was a lot of noise on the soundtrack and that, combined with the British accents, forced me to turn on captions for about half of the movie.

● Beastie Boys Video Anthology [2000] new! Criterion DVD
# Hey Ladies - "Get, get funky"
# Shake Your Rump - "Like Sam the butcher bringing Alice the meat"
# Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun - "I'm gonna die harder like my kid Bruce Willis"

September 6th:
● Beastie Boys Video Anthology [2000] new! Criterion DVD
# Shadrach - "I'm madder than Mad's Alfred E. Newman"
# So What'cha Want - "I get so funny with the money that you flaunt"
# Gratitude - "What's gone wrong in your system?"
# Something's got to give
# Pass the Mic - "Oh, let's rock this joint in the old school way"
# Sabotage - "Because I feel disgrace because you're all in my face"
# Root down - "A flow master of disaster with a sound that's gone"
# Sure Shot - "Like Ma Bell, I've got the ill communications"
# Holy Snappers
# Intergalactic - "Like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock"
# Body Movin' - "Let me get some action from the back section"

● The Lady Vanishes [1938] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Look, someone upstairs is playing musical chairs with an elephant."
- Another great early Hitchcock. My experience with movies from this era is quite limited, so I was really on the edge of my seat for most of this movie trying to figure out what was going on with Miss Froy. It all really came together at the end. One thing I've noticed with this movie and some other from this time period is that the denouement of the story is always quite short, sometimes just a couple minutes right at the end of the movie. I think it is somewhat refreshing from the movies now. Not to say that one is better than the other, but it's always a bit surprising when Bam! it's the end of the movie.

● Rebecca [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Oh, you've moved her brush, haven't you?"
- Fantastic film. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine are simply perfect in their roles. Judith Anderson turns in a superb creepy performance as Mrs. Danvers (Mrs? I find that hard to believe...) The quote I posted gave me the creeps and reminded me of Misery. Of course it should have been the other way around, but we won't go there. As I watch the movies from this era in the "mystery" genre, I consistently find myself enthralled in the story. I know there is going to be a twist or something unexpected. It is quite nice that I am not figuring out the twist in these movies. I try not to think about that too much as I love a surprise and it's nice that my tendency to over-analyze has not impeded my revelation and enjoyment of these films.

September 7th:
● Spartacus supplements [1960] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Workprint comments by screenwriter Dalton Trumbo - Probably one of the best "commentaries" I have ever heard. I put "commentaries" in quotations because it was an actor who was reading Trumbo's comments to the workprint version of the movie. If anyone wants to get a real view into the mind and thoughts of a screenwriter, this is what you must listen to. He holds absolutely nothing back in his comments, and I mean nothing. He does praise certain parts of the movie that he thought was done well, but typically focuses on the things that he feels do not work or things that were changed from his script that were detrimental to the movie. One thing that truly stood out at me was a very very harsh criticism of Tony Curtis. He basically stated that he was a terrible terrible actor, he is a terrible actor, and will always be a terrible actor. Other than that one personal attack, I can't say that I necessarily disagree with anything else that he stated. A lot of it was little nits, but there were some major items that are worth further study/thought. Highly recommend.

● Beastie Boys Video Anthology [2000] new! Criterion DVD
# Three MCs and One DJ - "My beats is sick like malaria"

September 8th:
● Beastie Boys Video Anthology [2000] new! Criterion DVD
# Alive - "My beats is sick like malaria"
# Netty's Girl - "Boomin' system up top in the back"
# Band Commentary (disc 1) - They have everyone here, Mike D, Ad Rock, and MCA and they just kind of talk about what is happening in the video. Very little information on the song, how they came up with the idea for the video, etc...
# Directors' Commentary (disc 1) - Significantly better here. I think Spike Jonze is sitting in in most of the commentaries, even though he only worked on a few of them. There is someone in the commentary who keeps asking questions that I would be asking. Not great, but good and a lot more insight into the videos than the band commentary.

● The Lady Vanishes supplements [1938] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Restoration Example - The only special feature, besides the commentary, is a short 3 minute clip showing some of the restoration examples.

● Spartacus supplements [1960] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Restoration Example - Another short, 3 minute clip showing some examples from the restoration. There is a lot of verbal detail in the commentary track, but I would have liked to have seen a 15-20 minute showcase of the restoration techniques to help me understand some of the terminology a little better. Maybe that's on disc 2...

September 9th:
● Beastie Boys Video Anthology [2000] new!
# Band Commentary (disc 2) - Once again, very little insight into the videos, just the Boys saying what the see on the screen.
# Directors' Commentary (disc 2) - Much better, as with the first disc. They have some people in the room who are asking good questions. I think Adam Yauch is in the room with them and when he is asked the right questions, he provides some interesting comments.

● Solaris [1972] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"By limiting our movement forward, we facilitate moving backwards."
- I had only seen the remake of this movie when it came out in the theaters and I really remembered nothing about the remake, so watching the original "fresh" so to speak was good. I enjoyed this movie, but didn't love it. I found myself confused during some of the movie, especially the 5 minute long scene driving on the freeways. I was thinking to myself "why the hell is he in Japan and what is going to happen?" I thought this was going to build to some key point in the movie, but it was literally just driving. I found out later that it was the director's way of showing a futuristic city, but that was not obvious at all. Another visual mechanism that confused me was the use of black and white. It didn't seem to be associated with any theme in the movie. I found out later that it was used both to denote nighttime (sometimes, not always) as well as one dream sequence. Overall, all the scenes on the space station kept my interest and it was very thought provoking. The ending also confused me quite a bit, but I realize now that it was open to interpretation what it meant/was.

September 10th:
● The Lady Vanishes commentary [1938] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- This commentary features film historian Bruce Eder. I'm writing this a week after I listened to this and all I really remember is him calling out Hitchcock movie after Hitchcock movie and comparing it to this movie and scenes from other Hitchcock movies. This bothered me a bit because I haven't seen some of the movies he was mentioning and giving major plot points away. Nonetheless, if anything it was a good historical account of the making and precursor films of Hitchcock.

● Naked Lunch commentary [1991] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- Good ole Cronenberg and Peter Weller chime in on this commentary. They are separate commentaries mixed together. As usual, Cronenberg's commentaries are very interesting and revealing. I can't say that this commentary really helped me understand the movie any more than my initial viewing except to note that William H. Burroughs writings for which this movie was based off of (not just "Naked Lunch") is a lot of incoherent ramblings and the movie is somewhat a biographical account of Burroughs life in a very abstract sort of way. Peter Weller is quite knowledgeable and comes off as very in tune with everything about the movie. I will have to see if he has done any other commentaries.

September 11th - 13th:
No movies. Vegas time. Maybe I can have a real life Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas experience. On second thought, that would be very very bad.

September 18th:
● Solaris commentary [1972] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"Whenever we show pity, we empty our souls."
- This commentary features Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie. Although this commentary is fairly dry (i.e. they were obviously reading what they were saying) it was very informative and really helped me understand the movie a lot more. They don't always offer answers, but help the viewer perhaps what Tarkovsky was trying to do to let the viewer decide the meaning for themselves. The most important thing, for me, was they pointed out many of the narrative inconsistencies that confused me during my initial viewing of the movie, which made me feel like I wasn't inept during my viewing. I will definitely watch this movie again in a couple years with a better appreciation.

● The Third Man supplements [1949] new! imdb Criterion Blu-Ray
# Documentary - I like Malcolm McDowell as the narrator, but it seems that about half of the documentary is clips from the movie. I would have liked to see more of the two people from the movie that they were following. The projecting of the movie onto the background of the various in Vienna were interesting, but got a little old.

● Notorious [1946] new! imdb Criterion DVD
"I want to make it 80 and wipe that grin off your face."
- An absolute masterpiece. I have NEVER seen a movie with more suspense. I was literally on the edge of my seat for nearly the entire movie. The ending was absolutely perfect. Cary Grant was good, not great, but Ingrid Berman was perfect.

● Videodrome supplements [1983] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# "Camera" short

September 19th:
● The 39 Steps commentary [1935] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- At first I was put off by this woman, but she definitely knows her stuff. There is an egotistic tone to her, but she provides some detailed analysis of the movie. Most of it is technical, which can be ok, but it did get a little repetitive after a bit. Was the cut from the candle in the bedroom really a phallic symbol? Maybe, but why can't a candle just be a candle?

● The Killer [1989] imdb DVD
"I always leave one bullet, either for myself or for my enemy."
- This is my first repeat viewing of a title during the challenge. I watched this maybe 4 years ago, and didn't remember it too well. It's really an amazing movie. There are definitely some stylized sequences in the movie, but I'm always a fan of them. I know it's cheesy, but I love the freeze frame and, in my opinion, it was utilized superbly in this movie. The only thing that was a detraction was Danny Lee's ridiculous suits.

September 20th:
● Time Bandits [1981] new! imdb DVD
"Oh, Benson... Dear Benson, you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence."
- Interesting movie. In general, I am a fan of Terry Gilliam movies, so I was really looking forward to this one since I had not seen it before. I can't say I was blown away, but I was entertained. I have always liked David Warner and he was good as Evil. I think the funniest moments in the movie were the Shelley Duvall / Michael Palin scenes. Hilarious.

● Rebecca commentary [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- Excellent commentary. I really like the guy who did this commentary. I think he wrote a book about Hitchcock and David O Selznek and provides a lot of behind-the-scenes comments about the making of the movie rather than a strictly technical commentary.

● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Joan Fontaine 1986 telephone interview
# Judith Anderson 1986 telephone interview

September 21st:
● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
#Dreaming of Mandeley
# Picturization of a celebrated novel
# The search for "I"
# "We intended to make Rebecca"
# Locations research
# Screen tests for "I"
# Lighting, makeup, and costume tests

September 22nd:
● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Memos from David O. Selznick
# "A Curious Slanting Hand"
# Wardrobe Stills
# Set Stills
# Deleted Luncheon Scene
# "How did you like the picture?"
# Posters, Ads, etc...
# Re-issue Trailer
# Scenes from the 13th annual Academy Awards
# Hitchcock on Rebecca

● Notorious Marian Keane commentary [1946] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- This one by Marian Keane is *ok*. She is way too technical for me. It may be a good commentary for film majors or people who make films, it isn't really that interesting to me. She also did the commentary for The 39 Steps. Once again, very technical and not much behind the scenes stuff, so just alright for me.

● Solaris supplements [1972] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Deleted and alternate scenes
# Natalya Bondarchuk interview -

September 23rd:
● Notorious Rudy Behlmer commentary [1946] new! imdb Criterion DVD
- Amazing! Top notch stuff here. A lot of behind the scenes information on the actors, the production, and just the making of the movie in general. He also does do some screen-specific commentary at certain parts so it's not just one-dimensional.

● Notorious supplements [1946] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Lux Radio Theater broadcast - Obviously not nearly as entertaining as the movie, but it was cool that Bergman reprised her role and Joseph Cotton was Devlin. The breaks were hilarious with their "interviews" leading to ads for Lux flakes or other Lux brand items. I had A Christmas Story moment listening to those ads.

September 24th:
● Solaris supplements [1972] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Vadim Yusov interview
# Booklet

● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Mercury Theater Radio Broadcast (1938)

● The 39 Steps supplements [1935] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Booklet

September 25th:
● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Lux Theater Radio Broadcast (1941)
# Lux Theater Radio Broadcast (1950)

● Spartacus supplements [1960] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Booklet

● The Lady Vanishes supplements [1938] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Booklet

● Boogie Nights [1997] imdb DVD
Doesn't it scare you? Working with evil forces?
- The first time I have seen this since the theater! I really like this movie and I'm kind of glad I've waited to watch this again. I noticed some seriously long takes, but not in the sense where you notice the long takes. It's almost like Scorsese in Goodfellas type of thing. The casting was absolutely perfect. I can't think of anyone who wasn't perfect for their role. A *possibly* overlooked performance was Alfred Molina as Rahad Jackson towards the end of the movie. He was really only in the movie for 5 minutes, but WHAT a performance. Loved it. Burt Reynolds, what can you say? He was born for this role.

September 26th:
● Solaris supplements [1972] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Mikhail Romadin interview
# Eduard Artemyev interview
# Documentary excerpt

● The 39 Steps supplements [1935] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Lux Radio Theater radio broadcast (1937)

September 27th:
● Boogie Nights commentary [1997] imdb DVD
- I'm not sure if this was on the Criterion laserdisc, but this was an awesome commentary. Paul Thomas Anderson really delivers.

September 28th:
● The Third Man [1949] new! imdb Criterion Blu-Ray
# Booklet

September 29th:
● Notorious supplements [1946] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Booklet

September 30th:
● Rebecca supplements [1940] new! imdb Criterion DVD
# Booklet

Legend:
DVD - Viewed on a non-Criterion DVD
Criterion DVD - Viewed on a Criterion DVD
Criterion Blu-Ray - Viewed on a Criterion Blu-Ray
Television - Viewed on television
new! - First time viewing
supplements - Supplements on the Criterion title
commentary - Commentary on the Criterion title

Checklist:
Watch one film from every decade covered by Criterion:
--- 1920 -
-X- 1930 - The 39 Steps
-X- 1940 - The Third Man
--- 1950 -
-X- 1960 - Spartacus
-X- 1970 - Solaris
-X- 1980 - This is Spinal Tap
-X- 1990 - Naked Lunch
--- 2000 -

Watch films in at least five languages:
-X- First language - English Spartacus
-X- Second language - Russian Solaris
-X- Third language - Cantonese The Killer
--- Fourth language -
--- Fifth language -

Watch something from spine number range:
-X- 001-050 - This is Spinal Tap (12)
-X- 051-100 - The Third Man (64)
-X- 101-150 - Spartacus (105)
-X- 151-200 - Solaris (164)
-X- 201-250 - Naked Lunch (220)
--- 251-300 -
--- 301-350 -
--- 351-400 -
--- 401-450 -
--- 451-500 -

Watch a film from the following genres:
-X- Comedy - This is Spinal Tap
-X- Drama - Naked Lunch
--- Horror -
-X- Science Fiction - Solaris
-X- Action / Adventure - The Killer
--- Musical -
-X- Epic / Historical - Spartacus
-X- Mystery / Thriller - The Third Man
--- War / Western -
-X- Documentary - Shadowing The Third Man

-X- Watch a film which won an Academy Award - Spartacus
-X- Watch a film with commentary - This is Spinal Tap
-X- Watch a Criterion disc completely. Every part of it. - The Beastie Boys Video Anthology
--- Watch an Eclipse title -
-X- A used-to-be Criterion from the laserdisc list - Boogie Nights
-X- Watch a short - Camera

Special thanks to Beebs for some of the formatting ideas!