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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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  Stanley Kubrick's "A Space Odyssey" Writing about a work as full of depth as Stanley Kubrick's " 2001: A Space Odyssey " is just as daunting as watching the film itself. Not only is it one of the most iconic films ever made, its vastness of ideas has made it one of the most analyzes and discussed films ever. Its images and concepts opened the doors to filmmakers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and spring boarded the new era of Hollywood to create massive, technologically advanced filmmaking. It is hands-down one of the most influential and sought after works in film history. Despite its depth, the plot is somewhat simple. The opening acts finds early man as apes. With the arrival of a strange, black monolith, the apes reach a new level of consciousness and begin using tools. Specifically, the apes use the bones of dead animals as weapons to attack neighboring apes to gain access to their water supply. The second act finds humanity in a fictionalized...
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Woman in the Dunes (1964)

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  Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Woman in the Dunes" Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1965 film " Woman in the Dunes " is perhaps one of the strangest and enigmatic films I've ever seen. The film's eccentricity stems primarily from its plot. From there, Teshigahara's direction takes Nouvelle Vague-esque turns and really creates a haunting atmosphere. The film is often called one of the greatest Japanese films ever made, as its ambiguity creates a singularly unique experience. The film's plot centers on a schoolteacher and amateur entomologist named Junpei who leaves Tokyo for a rural coastal village to collect insects. There, he misses the last bus and is forced to find accommodation in the village. The villagers take him to a house located at the bottom of a sand dune, where he is lowered down by ladder.  The dune house is occupied by an unnamed woman, who shovels sand into buckets for the villagers to pull up and sell. Junpei quickly discovers that he has bee...
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Story of a Prostitute (1965)

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  Seijun Suzuki's "Story of a Prostitute" I think the thematic point of Seijun Suzuki's " Story of a Prostitute " serves more than the actual film does. While it's not at all a bad movie or a poor watch, it feels like treaded ground from a lot of previous Japanese filmmakers, like Kenji Mizoguchi and Masaki Kobayashi. Stories involving woman and prostitutes, as well as stories about soldiers, are all films I have seen time and time again. This isn't typically a bad thing, but I feel as though " Story of a Prostitute " does nothing unique to separate itself from the pack. The one thing that really had me interested was linking the prostitution of the women to the servitude of the soldiers. However, I don't feel as though the film really takes this premise and exercises it to its fullest extent.
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Sword of the Beast (1965)

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  Hideo Gosha's "Sword of the Beast" Despite its underrated status, Hideo Gosha's " Sword of the Beast " deserves a bit of merit for its entertaining story. It follows a fugitive samurai in 1857 getting involved in a scheme to poach gold after just having killed his counselor. Each character the samurai interacts with displays the same animalistic and savage impulses, thus creating a brazen world of everyone being out for themselves. However, as he begins to interact with a select few, he slowly realizes the error of this savagery, which transforms both his relationships and himself. All in all, " Sword of the Beast " was a great, fun ride. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the film is the kineticism of all its actions. Particularly, all the sword fighting is exhilarating. On top of the visual stimulus, our characters are each worthy of engaged viewing. The film really brings together the best aspects of Japanese filmmaking and touts it splendidl...
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I Knew Her Well (1965)

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  Antonio Pietrangeli's "I Knew Her Well" Going in to Antonio Pietrangeli's 1965 film " I Knew Her Well ," I was under the false assumption that it would be a Commedia d'Italia. I believed this based on the lead actress, Stefania Sandrelli, who had appeared in two hit Commedia d'Italias (both by Pietro Germi): 1961's " Divorce Italian Style " and 1964's " Seduced and Abandoned ." However, " I Knew Her Well " fell less into the Commedia d'Italian category (although it has its moments) and more into the atmosphere of the Nouvelle Vague that was sweeping Europe at the time. The film centers on Adriana, a provincial young woman who moves to Rome to become famous. Along the way, her loose acquaintances simply use her for their own gain or amusement. Through this process, she uncovers the dark underbelly of the film and media industry and ultimately feels like a loose rag that gets tossed around. The film is an epi...
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Loves of a Blonde (1965)

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  Milos Forman's "Loves of a Blonde" One of the prime examples of Czech New Wave is Milos Forman's 1965 film " Loves of a Blonde ." Although its examination of social and political conditions of a totalitarian state are subdued, it comes through in the behavior of its characters. Upon its release, it was one of the most popular films in Czechoslovak.  The film centers on a young working class woman named Andula, who lives in a fading Czech factory town where the women outnumber the men 16-1. Realizing that the gender disparity is impairing morale and productivity, the factory supervisor arranges for an army officer to organize military maneuvers near the town. After being flirted with by a few military men, Andula sneaks away to sleep with a piano player, falling in love with him. She breaks off with her current boyfriend and has to heard a speech about fidelity from her dormitory housemother. She leaves and arrives unannounced to the piano player's pare...
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Mary Poppins (1964)

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  Robert Stevenson's "Mary Poppins" Disney's 1964 cultural phenomenon " Mary Poppins " was Walt Disney's crowning achievement. At least, according to the man himself. Rightfully so, it's an adept thematic culmination of his entire life's work. Adapting the film from P.L. Travers' 1934 novel, Walt Disney and his creative team  modified the original into an extravaganza of live-action musical, mixed with animation and magic. The resulting film is perhaps one of the most memorable films of the 20th century. The film centers on a pair of children in 1910s London who spend their time alone while their father works his banker job and their suffragette mother ensure women's voting rights. In comes their new nanny, Mary Poppins, who turns their boring (albeit upper-class) lifestyle into a colorful explosion of excitement. Along the way, they learn about the necessity to understand their parents' lifestyles and have empathy, not only for them,...
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