The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

How rare it is for a movie to acknowledge large age differences between actors cast as love interests. That's where The World of Suzie Wong stands out; when William Holden tries to detour Nancy Kwan from pursuing a relationship with him, he tells her "You're not even 20, I'm pushing 40." Now, Holden was 42 when the film was released, and Kwan 21, and while this is the only acknowledgment of their 2 decade age gap, it still counts for something. 

It's one of the reasons, including the charming performances and nice chemistry between the leads, why I kinda liked this movie, in spite of my better judgement, since it does contains the exoticization so common in white guy/asian girl pairings, the slut-shaming found in tart-with-heart romances, and death accompanying an interracial romance.

Black God, White Devil (1964)

I learned so much from this movie, a Buñuel-like concoction curtesy of director Glauber Rocha and Cinema Novo, the Brazilian New Wave. Not from actually watching it, but because its references to historical Brazilian figures forced me to pause and make a bee-line to Wikipedia in order to figure out just who Antônio Conselheiro and Lampião were. Turns out they were a wandering mystic and an outlaw, which helps to clarify the movie's bizarre yet energetic turns as it followed a poor farmer (Geraldo Del Rey) attempting to find meaning in his life; first becoming the devout member of violent catholic cult, then later joining a small roving band of bandits.

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)

I have a sneaking suspicion that Blue is the Warmest Colour wouldn't have gotten so much attention and adoration from the American press if it wasn't French. Because as a 3 hour saga of two girls meeting, falling in love, and breaking up, it's a total bore.

I admit, when it comes to serious love stories, I prefer the melodramatic shirt-tearing kind, where emotions range from simmering, suppressed passion to explosive declarations of adoration to (if it's foreign) an inevitable, yet tragic end.

And Blue is not that kind of movie. It wants to be a naturalistic and contemporary commentary of the irreconcilability of the working and intellectual classes. Though it's hard to take it's message seriously when it consistently films its heroines (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux), dressed and undressed, in such an openly licentious and male-gazey way.

Ultimately, I didn't find either woman, together or apart, compelling enough to hold my interest for 2 hours, let alone 3. The movie only really came alive near the end, when the two, long since broken up, have an awkward meet-up dinner. There's clutching, kissing, and tears, and it reaches this sublime emotional apex that's both quite silly and a little moving. But it's a lot more investing than anything that came before.

Brooklyn (2015) / Quest for Fire (1981)

I love Brooklyn's costumes. Absolutely adore them. Everything Saoirse Ronan wears, I want in my closet. Which makes me wonder: am I focusing too much on the superficial aspects of the film? I know, I know, movies are a visual medium, blah blah blah, but my weakness for early 50s women's fashions completely overshadow any other points I could make about Brooklyn, such as its wonderful script, or its charming cast. Better critics than I have already covered that ground, so instead I'm going to be clicking through the Modcloth catalogue.

Imdb reveals that Quest for Fire was at one time DVD packaged with Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (2001). Who came up with this idea? Admittedly, apemen are briefly seen in the earlier movie, though these are more similar to the bone throwing ones in 2001: A Space Odyssey. And both movies have leads who fall into uncomfortable romances: Ika (Rae Dawn Chong) becomes enamored of her rapist Naoh (Everett McGill), and Mark Wahlberg's Captain Davidson plants a far more amorous smacker than Charlton Heston ever attempted on the chimp lips of Ari (Helena Bonham Carter).

Big Fish (2003) / The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

Big Fish

I didn't get what point the movie was trying to make about the town of Spectre. When Ewan McGregor stubbles upon it as a young man, it gave off creepy, Stepford vibes: everything was neat, the grass was impossibly green, and everyone was so gosh-darn nice and didn't want anyone to leave EVER. In short, it's Tim Burton's vision of 50s small town Americana, creepified. But when McGregor returns many years later, and the town has become this rubble of a place, our hero makes it his mission to restore it to its former glory. So wait, was this Twilight Zoney patch of continual smiles and perpetual bare feet supposed to a sort of paradise? Is the movie not critiquing, but actually basking in whitewashed nostalgic small town values that never were?

The Reluctant Dragon

And speaking of smiling faces, this piece of Disney propaganda is full of 'em. So many grinning workers in the Disney studios, from drawing classes to model making to animation. The gosh-darn chipperness is helped by having most of the speaking "employees" be played by actors (including a technicolor Alan Ladd!!). Have to wonder how Francis Gilford felt, as she guided Robert Benchley through the woman populated color labs,  when the comedian continually found ways of commenting on her attractiveness.

Terms of Endearment (1983) / The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Terms of Endearment

I hate Michael Gore's score. It sounds like what you imagine a "soapy comedy-drama" to. Which is a pity, because while the movie is a comedy drama, it certainly isn't soapy; there's far too much penache, great performances, and a top notch script for that. But whenever that dreaded flute/piano combo comes in,  it feels like muck seeping through the woodwork.

The Day After Tomorrow

I forgot how enjoyable this movie is. My God, the science is goofy as hell, but who goes to a Roland Emmerich movie expecting realism? After 11 years, it still holds up as a super duper fun disaster movie. The effects are top notch, the action scenes are suspenseful and well-put together, and it has Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal as father and son. And the American flag freezing in mid-flight.

The Danish Girl (2015) / Man on Wire (2008)

The Danish Girl

There was a lot of crying in this movie. I've never seen so many wet eyes, courtesy of leads Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. Both give very impressive teary performances, with Vikander being a particular stand out; that might be due to the stunning mascara trails she's able leave during one very moist confrontation with Redmayne.

Man on Wire

I wonder if anyone attempted a double feature of this and The Walk (2015).  Both contain reenactments of the same event, and cover roughly the same time span. But The Walk made sure that Joseph Gordon-Levitt got some humbling, and Man on Wire is satisfied enough to document an extraordinary event, no lesson needed.