My Alphabet Meme

I hope nobody takes this personally or anything, but I've got to admit it: I'm not crazy about memes, or being tagged for them, or whatnot. Now I certainly do enjoy the virtual-social aspect of blogging, on some levels. But maybe it's that old print mentality of mine at work—it tends to rebel against accepting what amounts to an assignment for no money. On the other end of it—and I know you might not expect such a brash individual as myself to say this—I feel kinda sheepish about "tagging" my fellow bloggers. Indeed, as I type this, I've only got two in mind to tag for this it-would-seem-self-explanatory-meme (it calls for the blogger to create an A-to-Z list of films, no thematic guidelines or limitations, just, whatever), and the rules of said meme require that I tag five. F**k me. (Normally I'd say "fuck me," but I understand this meme is intended for mass consumption.)

You think I sound pissy now? Keep reading. Initially my level of irritation upon being tagged was such that I contemplated limiting myself to a particular genre. Here's A to I, my friends: Amanda By Night, Behind the Green Door, Candy Stripers, The Devil In Miss Jones, Ecstasy Girls, Firestorm, A Girl's Best Friend (from the end credits: "Production Assistant: Glen [sic] Kenny"), Honey Pie, Insatiable.

 

Decisions, decisions: Behind The Green Door, or Belle de Jour? 

But, finally, having resolved to just suck it up and get on with it, I adopted the old psych test word association game rule of only putting down the first film that came to mind. I diverged from this rule only once, and if you'd like to guess where, go ahead—I think it should be obvious to the logically inclined. Here goes.

Incidentally, have I mentioned that I really hate looking up dates for this kind of (I will say again: non-paying) enterprise?

Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky, some year in the 20th century)

Belle de Jour (Bunuel, ditto)

Citizen Kane (Welles, ")

demonlover (Assayas, 2002)

Exodus (Preminger, 1960)

Four Nights of a Dreamer (Bresson, some time in the '70s around when Jonathan Rosenbaum was living in Paris)

The Golden Age (Bunuel, 1930)

A Hard Day's Night (Lester, back when the Beatles were big)

Ikiru (Kurosawa, between The Idiot and The Seven Samurai, well that's interesting)

The Jazz SInger (some dude, at the end or so of the silent era)

Kes (Ken Loach, a period of grey, dank weather in Great Britain)

The Leopard (Visconti, at Claudia Cardinale's peak of beauty)

Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay, before she dropped off the face of the earth)

Nosferatu (Murnau, before he moved to the U.S.)

Out One: Noli me Tangere (Rivette, most of the '70s, you'd think)

The Passenger (Antonioni, between "Seven Deadly Finns" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight")

Quiet City (Katz, couple of weeks ago, I think)

Raging Bull (Scorsese, around when DeNiro gained all that weight)

The Searchers (Ford, when VistaVision was the next big thing)

T-Men (Mann, when it was dark)

Unforgiven (Eastwood, after Don SIegel and Sergio Leone had died)

Videodrome (Cronenberg, before VHS became obsolete)

Weekend (Godard, at the end of cinema)

X: The Man WIth X-Ray Eyes (Corman, before Ray Milland lost his hair back when Ray Milland still rocked the toupee—thanks, Griff!)

You Only Live Twice (Gilbert, when Connery had just about had it)

Zardoz (Boorman, when such a thing could actually be backed by a major studio)

Having typed more, I hereby tag:

Filmbrain

Dirty Harry's Place

cinetrix

Vinyl Is Heavy

Welcome to L.A. 

And here's the goddamn link back to where the meme originated: Blog Cabins.

Everybody happy?

UPDATE: I would be thoroughly remiss in not directing you to excellent lists from the likes of our friend Bill, who actually tagged me before I knew I'd been tagged, and our friend the Siren, who's a far better and more cheerful sport than I am. Their cinematic acuity aside, they make me feel like a churl. Because I am a churl. But go to them, read their lists, follow their links. 

Comments

[bill]

Well, then. Remind me never to tag you again. As for this:

"Decisions, decisions: Behind The Green Door, or Belle de Jour?"

Having not seen "Behind the Green Door", and just going by the stills you chose, "Belle de Jour".

[Glenn Kenny]

@bill: You know me well enough by now not to take me entirely seriously in these matters. But to get to the real issue—you've never seen "Behind the Green Door"? Dude... It's not a matter of that being the best still I could find from it, more it's the only one I could actually put up...

[bill]

No, and fact, I've never seen any of the classic porn films. I'm not entirely uninterested, but I'm not aware of any video stores in my area where I might rent one, so I'd have to buy them, and I'm not sure my interest is strong enough. Then again, Christmas IS coming up...

And anyway, I mean, Catherine Deneuve! Look at that picture!

[Glenn Kenny]

I saw the pic very far back in the day—in a theater! As part of one of those late-adolescent rites of passage, you know. From what I'm told, every video version of it looks like crap, so I might hold out for a restored version. (Part of me is saying "Yeah, right," while another part notes "Weirder things have happened.")

[bill]

My equivalent rite of passage would have been timidly renting VHS tapes of the non-classic sort of this kind of movie. As rites of passage go, mine's not as cool as yours.

I assumed a restored version was already available. "Cannibal Holocaust" just got gussied up, after all.

[B.W.]

Did you really not know off the top of your head that Citizen Kane was released in 1941, or were you just planting the seed for the jokes later in the post?

[Dan]

"Firestorm?" That godawful movie starring Howie Long? Good God, man, what's wrong with you?!

(Yes, I am, in fact, ashamed that I know this.)

[Tony Dayoub]

Glenn, thanks for being such a good sport. I know damn well how much you hate these tags, but as I told the Self-Styled Siren, I really wanted to know what your list would be, and I knew you guys would elevate this list beyond what some of the "early adopters" had come up with.

No more tags from me in the future.

[Glenn Kenny]

@ Dan: That's not the "Firestorm" I'm talking about. I'm talking about the 1984 Cecil Howard film. Which I should be ashamed of knowing.

@ Tony: You don't have to stop tagging me. I was hyperbolizing my irritation for humorous effect. Now that I've guilted you out I feel ten times worse than I did six hours ago. This is exactly the sort of thing that landed me in therapy, and I can't believe it's following me into the blogosphere (sob)....

[bill]

Tony, you made Glenn cry.

[Campaspe]

I enjoy the memes that I actually participate in, because I learn things, like in this case -- Glenn, you like Exodus? Really, like enough to remember the release date and everything? Dayum.

Many thanks for the kind words and the link.

[MovieMan0283]

As a borderline autistic savant when it comes to linking up years with releases, actor/director's birth, Oscar winners, etc., even presidential administrations - Chester Alan Arthur, 1881-1885 (sorry) - and historical miscellany (this is one of my few undisputed skills, one that is -sadly - completely useless in the real world), I must say I was a bit shocked at first. However, your eventual descriptions were much funnier than a series of four numerals so I salute you.

My list can be found here:

http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2008/11/x-does-not-mark-spot.html

And kudos for Out 1. I'm sure James and Brandon are proud.

[bill]

Campaspe, I don't mean to speak for our host, but I've gathered that if Otto Preminger directed it, Glenn likes it. And as I move (slowly) through his filmography, I'm starting to see why.

Although, having recently finished Mark Harris's "Pictures at a Revolution", I have been wondering, Glenn, if you're a fan of "Hurry Sundown".

[Larry Aydlette]

Glenn: Thanks for the tag. I did the meme about a week ago and took the lazy man's way of tagging everybody, so technically I think I tagged you before you tagged me. (Wow, just writing that makes me start to hate memes, too.) Anyway, cat's in the blog. Blog's in the river. So to speak.

[Campaspe]

Thanks Bill! I know Glenn is big on Preminger, but Exodus--well, I will wait and hope that Glenn posts a comment about all (or at least some) of the stuff I evidently missed. I always love reading a talented critic's defense of a movie I disliked. Hell, I'd also to love to hear Glenn on two listed films I adore, The Leopard and Weekend. But I don't want to be greedy, this already being homework and all.

(I'm teasing, Tony. I am enjoying the hell out of this meme.)

[Glenn Kenny]

@bill: I think "Hurry Sundown" is a turning point for Preminger, alas. At some point I'd like to consider it as one of a few "major" films that considered our racial conundrums from the late '60s-early '70s and came up short. E.g., Wyler's "The Education of L.B. Jones" and Young's "The Klansman." But not yet.

@campaspe: Does "Exodus" really need special pleading? It's got its flaws—bloat, continuity gaffes, etc., and it certainly doesn't reach the highs of "Advise and Consent," but it's hardly a travesty. Paul Newman!!! As for "The Leopard" and "Weekend"...yeah, I'll get to them!

@B.W. and, to a lesser extent, Movieman: Yes. I was setting up the joke.

@Tony and bill: I'll have to work harder in the future to make the distinction between my dead serious self and my channelling-W.C. Fields-curmudgeon voice. As it happens, I found this meme rather fun. Tag away.

[bill]

Glenn, I think I need to work on that, too, as my comment about never tagging you again was meant as a delightful jape.

Oh, and thanks for that link, pal.

[Tony Dayoub]

Glenn,

What Bill just said.

[Griff]

Glenn, there are some reports that Ray Milland had already lost most of his hair by the time he made X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES. He is said to have worn a toupee while playing the role.

[Ryland Walker Knight]

I'm'a say ditto and say sumpin like L.A. done did: Dope list, dogg. Thanks. And for the curious, I did mine a minute ago, too:
http://vinylisheavy.blogspot.com/2008/11/alphabetical-favorites.html

[Stephen Bowie]

Back before the internets, "memes" were called chain letters, and being churlish about them was not bad form.

And it's "The Liberation of L.B. Jones," just to be pedantic, and I'd sure like a DVD release of it.

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