I’ve hit 100 new movies for the year! Which means there have been 100 days already this year, which in and of itself is kind of a terrifying thought, but there you go. I’m thoroughly enjoying this challenge of a movie a day (which sometimes, due to scheduling and such I don’t quite hit, but I do faithfully make up those days with a couple two- to three-movie days, so I’m still 100 percent on track for my goal right now!), so let’s get down to films 75 through 100.

In this twenty-five, half my time was spent in my hometown of Eugene visiting my family, so the movies I watched there largely came out of their collection. Now, these movies weren’t all necessarily high on my to-watch list, but to be fair, they were enjoyable. (Some in very odd ways, like ‘Crocodile Dundee’, but I was at the very least amused.) Sprinkle in a newfound taste for documentaries, an exploration of HBO Now’s movie offerings, and a couple films in theaters that I was looking forward to (‘Beauty and the Beast’ lived up to my expectations, ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ fell a bit short), and all in all it was a wide-ranging, fun group of films.

Remember, you can check out my up-to-the-day list of films I’m watching here on IMDb. (Plus if you want to recommend any films to me, you can comment on that list too!) Now, here are some of the film highlights from this round of twenty-five, and the full list of what I’ve been watching.

80s movies (for adults): In this chunk of movie watching, I ended up seeing several films from the 80’s, because that was the bulk of my parents’ film collection that I hadn’t seen. (Which makes sense, considering I was born after most of the 80’s…) They ranged from sports films (‘Hoosiers’ (1986)) to sci-fi (‘Cocoon’ (1985) - dude, watch this movie if you haven’t) to comedy (‘Crocodile Dundee’ (1986)… what was this film) to action so ridiculous that it could also be comedy (‘Lethal Weapon’ (1987)… it’s like ‘Die Hard’ on speed). A few things - the electronic scores of the 80’s both immediately dates a movie now while in retrospect setting the scene quite nicely. Plus, the filming style of the 80’s seems largely softer than the decade that preceded it, which jumped out at me as well. Also, besides ‘Cocoon’, the stand-out film for me was ‘Steel Magnolias’ (1989) - Sally Field is AMAZING in it.

Documentaries on Netflix: Another group of films I started watching in this last twenty-five were documentaries; specifically those available on Netflix, because they have a fantastic collection of documentaries available. (Plus when all you have is your computer, Netflix seems like a good call.) I’ll continue watching more, since there are so many, but I highly recommend ‘Iris’ (2014) - she’s fabulous, stylish, and adorable.

‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017): Look, I’m a big Disney fan. The original animated version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was pretty much my childhood, and I fell in love with Belle because of her books, her brain, and her heart. When I saw that they were doing a live-action remake of the Disney film, I was excited, but also worried that they would ruin it somehow. Luckily, the film was just as enjoyable and magical as I needed it to be, and I really loved watching it. They took care to flesh out some of the characters and back stories, which only added to the tapestry of the fairy tale.

The classic songs went down well – particularly the ‘Gaston’ number in the pub with great choreography, and an amazingly delightful rendition of ‘Be Our Guest’ which captured the spectacle of the animated version while adding an almost psychedelic pizazz in ‘live-action’ form. (It of course was CGI, as most of the Disney remakes must be, to accommodate dancing plates, talking animals, and fairy tale magic.) To add to the film (and fill in the longer run time, I’m assuming), they brought Alan Menken back in to write new songs, which all fit into the story well. I was a little surprised by the choice to write entirely new songs, considering the success of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, which itself has plenty of fantastic additional songs that could have been used instead. (I particularly missed ‘Human Again’ which not only is in the stage show, but was left on the cutting room floor for the original film, only to be incorporated in animated form on a later DVD release. It’s a fun number, but was replaced by a new song for this film.)

Emma Watson was charming, spunky, and a lovely fit as Belle, Luke Evans and Josh Gad played off each other hilariously as Gaston and Le Fou, and Kevin Kline was a fantastic addition as Belle’s father. Dan Stevens is the spitting image of the animated Prince once he’s transformed in the original film, so I was really thrilled with that casting choice, and enjoyed the expansion of the Beast’s character throughout the film. All in all, it’s the Beauty and the Beast story I know and love. (Side note: I would not recommend seeing it in 3D – I think it took away from the visual spectacle with the forced focus of 3D technology, instead of allowing my eyes to feast on the whole screen when they showed the grand vistas of the castle, etc.)

‘All About Eve’ (1950): God, this film is good. The script is just phenomenal - some of the best one-liners (which of course are largely spoken by Bette Davis). She is fantastic in this; Anne Baxter is as well, serving at times as a frankly ominous figure as she moves to step into the spotlight and eclipse her benefactor. Without going into more of the plot (which just works… this whole film just works so well) I’ll leave you with one of Margo Channing’s glorious lines: “Bill’s thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago, he’ll look it twenty years from now. I hate men.“

‘Love Affair’ (1939): This is the precursor to ‘An Affair to Remember’; same story, same director, just twenty years earlier. It’s smaltzy and lovely and well-written (then again so is the remake, because it’s almost entirely the same script, word for word), but the stand-out here is Irene Dunne. Terry McKay fits her like a glove, and she does something with the character that is just a little out of reach from what Deborah Kerr does in the remake. (Also, Dunne has an impressive voice - apparently she once considered being an opera singer.) Charles Boyer is just fine as the male lead, but he’s no Cary Grant, and you miss a bit of that easy charm and banter from his character. So really, what I’m saying is that I want this story with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant as the two leads. Can we make that happen somehow? (They actually did star opposite each other in several films, and their chemistry worked quite well.)

‘1984’ (1984): I’m a big lover of sci-fi, especially dystopian stories, so I’ve read (and greatly enjoyed) 1984 several times in the past. However, despite hearing mostly good things, and of course admiring John Hurt, I had never gotten around to watching the movie adaptation that came out in the titular year. So when I found out that SIFF Uptown was screening a special showing (and partnering with ACLU, donating some of the proceeds to them, so even better) to mark the day that Winston starts his diary, I made sure to grab tickets. It’s a pretty faithful adaptation of Orwell’s story, and the grit and reality of the filming locations captures the vision and drudgery of the book’s setting. What sticks out when viewed in today’s climate is how relevant that warning of a fearful, monitored, and regimented society seems right now. Surveillance is just one of the issues that’s cropped up in the news lately, and ‘1984’ doesn’t pull any punches in illustrating the bleak future when crucial individual freedoms are lost. Additionally, the government’s alteration of past and present ‘facts’ to fit their current agendas comes across as the dark pit at the bottom of a slippery slope of ‘alternative facts’. John Hurt is splendid in this, but it’s at times brutal to watch. As it should be, considering the terrifying future for which it serves as a warning.

‘Paper Moon’ (1973): This movie was a delight, and I feel like I hadn’t heard of it until just recently, so I’m glad I stumbled upon the name in one of my film readings! The film teams up Ryan O’Neal with his daughter Tatum O’Neal in her film debut – she ended up winning an Oscar for her performance, making her the youngest recipient of an Academy Award. Essentially it’s a film about a small-time con man who gets saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and they end up making quite a good team. Set in the 1930s Great Depression and Prohibition era, in the flat farm country of Kansas and Missouri, it’s beautifully shot in black and white, enhancing the atmosphere of the period setting. Tatum O’Neal character is the perfect foil for Ryan O’Neal’s smooth-yet-bashful con man, continually showing spunk and sass as they travel together, running short cons and picking up an exotic dancer, played by the delightful Madeline Khan. Peter Bogdanovich directed this film, and considering he also directed ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ which also has Ryan O’Neal and I just adore, I’m surprised ‘Paper Moon’ has just now crossed my path. Watch it!

Special mention: ‘The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer’ features Shirley Temple “all grown up” as it were, which I found engaging and fun. I mean, Myrna Loy is of course the most excellent human being in this film (and that’s saying something, considering Temple and Cary Grant), but it was all-around fun, and I’d not seen Shirley Temple in anything beside ringlet curls.

All Films: 76 through 100

76. Cocoon (1985)
77. Steel Magnolias (1989)
78. Cafe Society (2016)
79. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
80. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
81. The Best of Times (1986)
82. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
83. All About Eve (1950)
84. The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
85. The Big Chill (1983)
86. Hoosiers (1986)
87. Crocodile Dundee (1986)
88. Lethal Weapon (1987)
89. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
90. Love Affair (1939)
91. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
92. The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)
93. 1984 (1984)
94. Man on Wire (2008)
95. The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
96. Paper Moon (1973)
97. Singles (1992)
98. T2 Trainspotting (2017)
99. The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
100. Iris (2014)

The next hundred may come fast and furious, as in mid-May the Seattle International Film Festival begins. I’m actually working as a photographer at the festival this year (so excited!), so I’ll be doing my darndest to see as many films as I can while it’s running while still getting images in on deadline. Last year I saw over 30 films, so we’ll see!

If you missed any of my previous MovieADay posts, catch them all here.