Skip to content
evilmonkeytoes
@evilmonkeytoes
I am hoping to build a movie watcher community. I want to read your reviews and get your interpretations of film. I will try to always Like back (if you like my review, I'll read yours and Like it--even if I do not agree, I respect your opinion). Thinking of doing the Letterboxd Green Map (a movie from every country) Challenge. Check out my list for some tips. [Green Map Challenge](https://boxd.it/GlDQc) I am a list monster. Completed Lists: IMDB Top 250, AFI Top 100, All Oscar Best Picture Winners, Rotten Tomato Top 100, IMDB Worst 25, Mojo Top 100 Box Office, Letterboxd World Map Here is my Scale for Movies: (it is converted for a 1-10 scale) 1/2 star: This movie was so bad it actually made the world a worse place or damaged society in some way 1 star: This movie was a waste of my time and all of the resources that it took to make the movie. 1 1/2 stars: This is a bad movie. Not worth watching. 2 stars: This movie was not good, but not a total waste of time. Parts of it were entertaining. 2 1/2: This is an average movie. It was not a waste of time, but I would have been fine if I had never watched it. A true neutral. 3 stars: It was worth my time watching this movie. I would tell others to watch up, but there are many other, better movies out there. 3 1/2 stars: This is a GOOD movie. I would recommend it to anyone. Something in this movie (at least one thing) stood out to make it GOOD. It could have been the acting, the writing, the cinematography, or directing--or a combination of these. 4 stars: The is an EXCELLENT movie. It is likely one of the best of the year and should be watched by everyone. It made an impression on me or made me see things in a different way. 4 1/2 stars: This is one of the GREATEST movies that I have seen. It is OUTSTANDING. All aspects of this movie were far above standard, and this movie made a true impression on me. This is the highest score that I will give a movie until it gets a second viewing or still is impacting my life or view of the world after an extended period of time. 5 stars: This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE movies. It spoke to me and helped shape me as a person. Movies can only earn a 5 star rating after spending some time with a 4 1/2 and then being reassessed after a second viewing and/or after the passage of at least 6 months of time. These, in my opinion are the BEST of the BEST. Less than 1% of the movies that I rate earn a 5 stars.
Recent activity
Gervaise8.0July 29
From the very early, scene in the public washhouse where Gervaise and Virginie get in the water-splashing, paddle wielding, butt spanking, hair pulling fight I was reminded of Les Misérables. "What is this fighting all about? Will someone tear these two apart. This is a factory, not a circus. Now, come on ladies, settle down". The story is set near the same time--1820 and 1860--in the same area, Paris. And the story of Gervaise is much like that of Fontane --a tragic downfall due to societal conditions of the French working class of the 1800s, bad luck, bad choices, the general level of respect and poor treatment of women, and a nemesis in sheep's clothing playing the long game for revenge. Based on the book L'Assommoir, by Émile Zola, this film is excellent story telling, finely crafted by French director, René Clément. The shots and sets in the film are all very good, but the story relies on great acting. Maria Schell, as the title character, give a stoic but nuanced performance (from which she won a as a woman whose life is a roller coaster, with mostly downs, but is fighting to keep her life together. The rest of the cast was also marvelous.
Jordan Jensen: Take Me with You6.0July 29
As I watch more standup and has discussions with friends about comics, I have come to realize that standup--much more than films--are subjective. What is funny to one person might be cringe to another. I am sure it all has to do with our ability to relate due to our personal experience filters. Jordan Jensen has some good material, but not all of it is relatable to my life. Lot's of raunch (which does not offend me...but honestly, my wife, who has a more limited threshold, would leave the room). At least most of her jokes, why raunchy, were not offensive to any particular group--which is where I draw the line.
Alice in Wonderland6.0July 28
Day for Night8.0July 28
There is nothing that the movie community loves more than a movie about making movies and François Truffaut's Day for Night is one of the best. All of the drama, all of the frantic problems and solutions, all of the behind the scenes histrionics are on display as the players work together, as a impermanent family to create cinema. And while we, the viewers, are watching what seems to be a behind the scenes film about making a movie, the actual movie is happening. Characters are falling in love, cheating, having breakdown and tantrums, romance, trysts. There are deaths and real life problems, friendship, and self discovery--not happening in the film, but happening while making the film. It all just works so well the way we are brought into the film making world only to have the story be about those making the film. It is fantastic writing and direction. François Truffaut deserves his due. A few extra thoughts: As good as this film was, my favorite film about making a film remains Singin' in the Rain (1952) which holds a perminent place in my Letterboxd Top 4. I wonder if Truffant was inspired by this film which came out more than 20 years before Day for Night. This film won a BAFTA for Best Picture in 1973 and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture in 1974.