So I realized a little while ago that I'd seen many, but not all, of the American films to win the Palme D'Or: the prestigious, international award for Best Film.
As such, I went ahead and watched the ones I'd not seen, and have now ranked them, for your convenience.
American Winners
A/A+ The top caliber of film - should be viewed by most people on the planet:
Taxi Driver (1976). Dir. Martin Scorsese. A shocking tale of New York, from the perspective of a sociopath Robert De Niro.
Apocalypse Now (1979). Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. One of the great war films, a tour de force of cinematography, and outstanding acting by Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.
Pulp Fiction (1994). Dir. Quentin Tarantino. The atypical narrative structure, the all-star cast giving their best work, the remarkable dialogue and visuals all coalesce into a great vision of 70s gangsters.
A- An otherwise excellent, but slightly flawed, film:
All That Jazz (1980). Dir. Bob Fosse. Visually mesmerizing, autobiographical, account of Bob Fosse's career, starring Roy Scheider.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). Dir. Michel Moore. A documentary (?) about the Iraq War and the Bush years, which has held up pretty well, and is still important viewing, if not Moore's strongest.
B+ A film that you should definitely see, regardless of small flaws:
The Lost Weekend (1946). Dir. Billy Wilder. A sobering, ruthless portrait of an alcoholic's fight with addiction.
B A memorable film probably worth your time:
Barton Fink (1991). Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. John Turturro and John Goodman give nice performances in a Kafkaesque vision of early Hollywood.
B- An otherwise good film, with some notable flaws:
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). Dir. Steven Soderbergh. An interesting indie classic about the intersection of sex and video, but the lead actor doesn't quite pull off his performance.
C+ A bit better than the average film, not a bad use of viewing time:
Friendly Persuasion (1957). Dir. William Wyler. A truly odd concept: A telling of the Civil War from the perspective of Quakers, starring Gary Cooper.
C An average film with nothing particular to recommend it:
Marty (1955). Dir. Delbert Mann. The story is that Ernest Borgnine wants love, but is homely.
Elephant (2003). Dir. Gus Van Sant. A long, meditative, slow-paced reflection on Columbine.
C- Not quite as good as an average film, potentially worth a watch, with conditions:
MASH (1970). Dir. Robert Altman. A comedy about theVietnam Korean War from the perspective of some goofy, rule-breaking, scamps.
The Conversation (1974). Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. A whodunit focused on bugging and recording, which, despite the San Francisco locale, is not particularly entertaining.
D+ Not a good film, but may have one or two slight redeeming aspects:
Scarecrow (1973). Dir. Jerry Schatzberg. Take 'Midnight Cowboy' and put it on the road with Al Pacino for Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman as himself.
Wild at Heart (1990). Dir. David Lynch. A vaguely compelling train-wreck of a film, starring a Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern as young lovers trying to escape Dern's violent mother.
D An entirely forgettable, unpleasant to watch film:
Union Pacific (1939). Dir. Cecil B. DeMille. A boring film about the 1876 railroad.
D- A very unpleasant film:
The Tree of Life (2011). Dir. Terrence Malick. I hate most all of Malick's work. Pointless, cinematographic wanking-off, with a dumb plot, and bad acting.
F Unwatchable:
The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952). Dir. Orson Welles. Despite the attempts at camera work, the flatness is truly unwatchable - not to mention Welles' blackface as the moor.
As such, I went ahead and watched the ones I'd not seen, and have now ranked them, for your convenience.
American Winners
A/A+ The top caliber of film - should be viewed by most people on the planet:
Taxi Driver (1976). Dir. Martin Scorsese. A shocking tale of New York, from the perspective of a sociopath Robert De Niro.
Apocalypse Now (1979). Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. One of the great war films, a tour de force of cinematography, and outstanding acting by Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.
Pulp Fiction (1994). Dir. Quentin Tarantino. The atypical narrative structure, the all-star cast giving their best work, the remarkable dialogue and visuals all coalesce into a great vision of 70s gangsters.
A- An otherwise excellent, but slightly flawed, film:
All That Jazz (1980). Dir. Bob Fosse. Visually mesmerizing, autobiographical, account of Bob Fosse's career, starring Roy Scheider.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). Dir. Michel Moore. A documentary (?) about the Iraq War and the Bush years, which has held up pretty well, and is still important viewing, if not Moore's strongest.
B+ A film that you should definitely see, regardless of small flaws:
The Lost Weekend (1946). Dir. Billy Wilder. A sobering, ruthless portrait of an alcoholic's fight with addiction.
B A memorable film probably worth your time:
Barton Fink (1991). Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. John Turturro and John Goodman give nice performances in a Kafkaesque vision of early Hollywood.
B- An otherwise good film, with some notable flaws:
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). Dir. Steven Soderbergh. An interesting indie classic about the intersection of sex and video, but the lead actor doesn't quite pull off his performance.
C+ A bit better than the average film, not a bad use of viewing time:
Friendly Persuasion (1957). Dir. William Wyler. A truly odd concept: A telling of the Civil War from the perspective of Quakers, starring Gary Cooper.
C An average film with nothing particular to recommend it:
Marty (1955). Dir. Delbert Mann. The story is that Ernest Borgnine wants love, but is homely.
Elephant (2003). Dir. Gus Van Sant. A long, meditative, slow-paced reflection on Columbine.
C- Not quite as good as an average film, potentially worth a watch, with conditions:
MASH (1970). Dir. Robert Altman. A comedy about the
The Conversation (1974). Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. A whodunit focused on bugging and recording, which, despite the San Francisco locale, is not particularly entertaining.
D+ Not a good film, but may have one or two slight redeeming aspects:
Scarecrow (1973). Dir. Jerry Schatzberg. Take 'Midnight Cowboy' and put it on the road with Al Pacino for Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman as himself.
Wild at Heart (1990). Dir. David Lynch. A vaguely compelling train-wreck of a film, starring a Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern as young lovers trying to escape Dern's violent mother.
D An entirely forgettable, unpleasant to watch film:
Union Pacific (1939). Dir. Cecil B. DeMille. A boring film about the 1876 railroad.
D- A very unpleasant film:
The Tree of Life (2011). Dir. Terrence Malick. I hate most all of Malick's work. Pointless, cinematographic wanking-off, with a dumb plot, and bad acting.
F Unwatchable:
The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952). Dir. Orson Welles. Despite the attempts at camera work, the flatness is truly unwatchable - not to mention Welles' blackface as the moor.
