Library of Congress: National Film Registry (2)

Part Two of a collection of sort films that I watched over the last week. Here are 20 more films from the registry, this time I sorted them by "Worth Watching", "Just Average", and "Avoid Watching" just like the feature length review throughout this site.

Worth Watching:
Precious Images (1986) [10/10]
This is a fantastic short film that actually won an Oscar as well. It is a compilation of 100's of clips from the last 100 years of American Cinema. It has a wonderful soundtrack and is an amazingly well put together film.

Gerald McBoing-Boing (1951) [9/10] [Right]
This is an Oscar winning animated short taken from the Dr. Seuss story of a little boy who can only talk through sound effects. A cute animation good for all ages.

Powers of Ten (1977) [9/10]
You probably saw this in science class when you were growing up. It is a science video that starts on a couple in the park and zooms out a power of ten every 10 seconds going all the way out to the Milky Way and then goes in reverse all the way to a man's molecules. Very neat.

Tell-Tale Heart, The (1953) [8/10]
I'll have to watch this again around Halloween on a bigger screen. This 8 minute short is a great animated rendition of the Edgar Allan Poe story.

Tulips Shall Grow (1942) [8/10] [Right]
This is an anti-Nazi propaganda film from Denmark that was made during World War II. The first 1-2 minutes threw me off, I thought it was going to be crap, but wow it took a dark turn fast and has a great little plot. Check it out if you can find it.

Just Average:
Lambchops (1929) [7/10]
This is basically a stand-up comic routine featuring George Burns and Gracie Allen. It was pretty funny but nothing special. Just watch a Marx Brother movie instead...

Porky in Wackyland (1938) [7/10] [Right]
If you watched Looney Tunes growing up you will be surprised to find you have already seen this. You have to have some Looney Tunes in the Film Archive, just not sure you need to go watch this right now.

Magical Maestro (1952) [7/10]
This is another cartoon from Looney Tunes that was added to the archive. I vaguely remembered it from my childhood. Not sure you need to run out and see it.

Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) [7/10]
So at least one Popeye cartoon needed to be in the archive, so I get it, just not something you need to go watch.

Duck and Cover (1952) [7/10] [Right]
This is almost something I would say you should see. It is the video shown in classrooms across the country telling kids to "Duck and Cover" if the A-Bomb is dropped. Not sure it needed to be 8 minutes, but funny nonetheless. If you have never seen a clip of this, scan it in youtube.

Little Nemo (1911) [6/10]
Another very very old animation. would have been better if the version I found didn't have some much filler. Skip the "silent movie" leading up to the animation and this is very very short.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940) [6/10] [Right]
Who knew that wind could cause harmonic motions in bridges that would cause them to collapse? Some amazing footage. Just a little dull really.

Free Radicals (1958) [6/10]
This black-and-white experimental film is just lines bouncing around on the screen. Now that I think about it again maybe 6 was too high... oh well.

Avoid Watching:
Let's All Go to the Lobby (1957) [5/10] [Right]
This was just the commercial the movie theater ran before features telling you to go to the lobby to buy some snacks.

Gus Visser and His Singing Duck (1925) [5/10]
A minute and a half clip of some guy getting his duck to sing along with him. Not even worth looking up.

Jam Session (1942) [5/10]
I'm not sure why some jam session of guys playing the Blues needs to be in the archive. Or why I would want to watch this...

Frank Film (1973) [5/10] [Right]
This really wasn't that bad, I almost bumped it back up to 6 but then I remembered how it just about gave me a headache. There are two running soundtracks at the same time as Frank tells his autobiography while using what looks like newspaper and magazine clippings to make the video. Interesting but kinda painful to watch.

OffOn (1972) [5/10]
This is a strange little avant-garde film with a big blinking eye on a blue screen. I fast forwarded a little because it was really boring.

Sex Life of a Polyp (1928) [2/10] [Right]
A stupid discussion on what appears to be a joke of content. I didn't get the joke and was really really bored. Why is this in the archive?

Glimpse of the Garden (1957) [2/10]
It is exactly what the title says. The camera flying around a garden to music. You can get more from a home and garden magazine...

Seriously though, check out the top film on this post on youtube, liking 25% of what I watched here is actually pretty good compared to the general population of film I watch right now. Another round of 20 will be out next week.

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