From the odd double bills catagory:
On The Waterfront
For me this one doesn't hold up as much as I thought it would. The acting is still top notch and there are some very good moments, but much of the writing seems poorly contrived. How the hell does Eva Marie Saint end up in the hold of that ship after the "accident"? What makes Johnny Friendly think Brando will be able to infiltrate the church meeting? And why when he does, do they then go and beat everyone up anyhow?
Whatever. Still worth the rewatch just to see Brando at the top of his game.
Repulsion
If you've seen this you know how unforgettable it is. Imagine then my surprise when thinking I was watching it for the first time, pieces started to come back to me. My only explanation is that I must have seen a fragment of it on tv at one point without realizing what I was watching.
In any event it is just plain brilliant. Polanski and Deneuve achieve so much with so little. It's amazing how little audio there is for so much of this film. Huge chunks are just the sound of a ticking clock or a dog barking in the distance or muted street noises. Meanwhile the video is very dark black and white.
Having also just watched Straw Dogs for the DVD club it was an interesting contrast of rape scenes. But we'll save that for next Friday.