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Ran 1985
I mean, come on. One of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. The colours are so vibrant and rich and enticing, and the compositions are so precise and perfect that so many scenes play out in wide, unbroken masters, but I was increasingly drawn in as they went on. From 'War and Peace' to 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Spartacus' and beyond, so many filmmakers have tackled huge, sweeping combat set pieces, but even the best of them can't hold a candle to Kurosawa. Have to watch this one again because I don't know if I breathed for the entire runtime.
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True Stories 1986
Pretty sure the first time I saw this I didn't know who David Byrne was. Now it's so obvious that nobody else could have made 'True Stories'. Its kidding, satirical tone never ever feels mean-spirited, more like fascinated. It's odd in interesting ways and earnest in important ways. Characters and scenarios are larger than life but also feel very closely observed. This movie is a miniature miracle of some sort. I can't wait to watch it again - it's so supremely on my wavelength.
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The Body Snatcher 1945
It must have been so fun for audiences to see Karloff back killing it in this thing. It's a shame Lugosi's character is kinda an afterthought, comparatively. I love this spooky, creepy, macabre movie. Robert Wise shows so much promise of what would be an incredible career.
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Star Wars 1977
It's amazing how different the original is from current-day Star Wars. This isn't a 'muh true SW' weirdo-rant, but this movie's DNA is much, much closer to something along the lines of the Errol Flynn Robin Hood than anything the series has put out in 25 years. It's classical, innocent, bashful, swashbuckling, and earnest as all get-out. There's a lot I like about some recent Star Wars productions, both in film and television, but the same intangible spark from the original movie isn't always there. This is elemental, eternal stuff.
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