03-01-2005

163) The Stranger. Oh man. I've always thought of Welles's work as the seemy flipside of Hitchcock's. They both tend to deal with a lot of the same subject matter but, whereas Hitch usually uses wealthy, charming, and sophisticated characters/actors, Welles's movies always seem to be...dirtier? Like his characters are always so gritty and desperate that even the mundane seems more dramatic and suspenseful than it really is. I love Citizen Kane and I'm not just saying that because it's "the greatest movie ever" or anything, but I always enjoy the Touch of Evils and Lady From Shanghais from Welles more. Kane is the "better" movie as far as vision and sheer artistry goes, but his noirs are all so gripping because of the scripting and acting. But even then the visual aspects are still so impressive! This one completely lives up to those expectations, too. Just brilliant. I will own this.

164) The Night of the Iguana. Oh Tennessee Williams. You and your sexual frustration have provided hours of entertainment to the world and for that, we salute you. Excellent performances and exactly what you'd expect from a John Huston directed adaptation of Williams.

164 down, 836 to go.

Yay for Luke!