Films in 2017: May

May was another month filled with a good mix of movies from TCM and FilmStruck (which are of course my go-to sources for movie-watching). I also spent much of the month (as well as in April) re-watching Twin Peaks before the new season, so that’s one reason why the month fell a little short of reaching a number equal to seeing a movie a day. This wrap-up post will be brief today as I’m taking a mini-vacation this weekend and visiting family. So onto what I watched in May…

New-to-Me: 22

Re-Watched: 5

New-to-Me Films by Decade:

• 1920s – 0
• 1930s – 5
• 1940s – 1
• 1950s – 3
• 1960s – 1
• 1970s – 7
• 1980s – 1
• 1990s – 2
• 2000s – 0
• 2010s – 2

List of New-to-Me Films:

1. Bound for Glory (1976)
2. Wild Rovers (1971)
3. The Rage of Paris (1938)
4. Rich, Young and Pretty (1951)
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
6. Shield for Murder (1954)
7. No Man of Her Own (1932)
8. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
9. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
10. The Sugarland Express (1974)
11. Love on the Run (1936)
12. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
13. Hold Your Man (1933)
14. Camelot (1967)
15. Velvet Goldmine (1998)
16. An American Tragedy (1931)
17. Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
18. Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
19. Paris, Texas (1984)
20. The Beguiled (1971)
21. Corvette Summer (1978)
22. Roxie Hart (1942)

A Few Favorite Discoveries:

After watching Jackie a few months ago, my interest in Camelot grew as the title song from the musical played in one of the former film’s most memorable scenes. Despite being three hours long, it was very enjoyable throughout, and I loved it all from the catchy songs to the intricate costumes. I’ve always liked the King Arthur tale, and Richard Harris was wonderful as the famous medieval figure. Vanessa Redgrave was also radiant in her role as Guinevere, and she had great chemistry with both Harris and her real-life beau Franco Nero as Lancelot.

This was a movie I watched on FilmStruck under a theme showcasing Toni Collette’s films, and there’s no better way to display her talents than in her breakout role in Muriel’s Wedding. The film is a ton of fun, filled with lots of humorous scenes, along with some heartwarming moments between Collette and Rachel Griffiths. Also, any movie that features ABBA music automatically gets some love from me.

I saw Smokey and the Bandit as a part of TCM’s Big Screen Classics series with Fathom Events, and I’m sure had I not seen it for the first time in theaters, it’s possible I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did. First, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz introduced the movie with so much enthusiasm, it was hard not to be excited for what was to come following it. It’s a great ’70s action movie, and Burt Reynolds is perfectly cast in the title role. Sally Field is also wonderful here as she matches wits with him for one crazy ride across Southern state lines.

I posted another entry for the 2017 Blind Spots series a few days ago on Paris, Texas, which ended up being my favorite discovery of the month. My thoughts on the film can be found here.