This past week I finally finished the series on Paul WS Anderson and Modern Auteurism I started back in April, Army of Milla (Part One: On Vulgar Auteurism, Part Two: On the Resident Evil Movies, Part Three: Resident Evil and Classical Auteurism). The controversy around Vulgar Auteurism gained in volume as the week wore on as other essays on the subject popped up across the internet. I particularly recommend this piece by Peter Labuza and this post by Girish Shambu. Late yesterday, John Lehtonen and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky posted this revision of the original Vulgar Auteurism post at Mubi, in the hopes of deflating some of the criticisms the movement has received by clarifying its intent and canon. I remain unconvinced that Paul WS Anderson is significantly more than the George Sidney of our time, but I also really like George Sidney.
My Summer of Sammo continued this week with reviews of Encounters of the Spooky Kind, Winners & Sinners and Pedicab Driver (and more to come). Someone at letterboxd is trying to create a site-wide survey to compete with the imdb Top 250, this list was my submission. It's the Top Ten I made last year, due to be revised late this summer, around Labor Day weekend.
This weekend I hope to accomplish two things I've been talking about for a long time: finally record the Akira Kurosawa episode of They Shot Pictures (talking about No Regrets for Our Youth, The Idiot and Red Beard) and make it out to a theatre to see Frances Ha. We're leaving for the movie in a matter of hours, my fingers remain crossed for the podcast.
These are the movies I've watched and rewatched over the past week, and where they place on my year-by-year rankings. Links are to my letterboxd comments, where applicable.
The Iron-Fisted Monk (Sammo Hung) - 11, 1977
Knockabout (Sammo Hung) - 15, 1979
Encounters of the Spooky Kind (Sammo Hung) - 8, 1980
Winners & Sinners (Sammo Hung) - 8, 1983
Yes, Madam (Corey Yuen) - 9, 1985
Pedicab Driver (Sammo Hung) - 5, 1989
The Chinese Feast (Tsui Hark) - 22, 1995
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella) - 40, 1999
Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton) - 52, 1999
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