A Year of Movies

Week 4: Jan 22, 2010 to Jan 28, 2010
Number of movies watched: 12

36. Shakespeare in Love -- Every time I watch this movie, I feel the need to write better. A pity it doesn't happen. Ha ha. Ah, that's just me being hard on myself. Seriously, I've always liked this movie a lot. There's quite a few named actors in this, and I think this was the first movie I saw with Ben Affleck playing a secondary character--and I think I like him just a bit more as a secondary character rather than as the lead. He plays quirky oddballs better, I think. As for the movie on a whole, it's a great rom-com.

37. Vertigo -- I'd never seen this Hitchcock movie before, and now that I've seen it, I really like it a lot. I like the twist midway through and like other good movies with good twists, I want to watch it again. It was interesting to watch the female character go through the changes she had to go through for Stewart's character. I liked the original ending (on the DVD bonus section they had an alternate ending required for overseas viewers--it was not as good as the original ending).

38. Desperado -- Excellent action movie. Salma Hayek looks amazing in this. Lots of poetic gun play. Just a fun flick to watch.

39. He's Just Not That Into You -- Cute movie. The wife liked it. Decent enough rom-com.

40. Marley & Me -- Another Jennifer Aniston movie that my wife wanted to see. I did too. We both love dogs and as the movie neared the end, we both knew what to expect, but it still was hard to watch. We have an aging dog (she's 11 1/2), and young children, and it will be difficult on all of us when she goes. For so many years, she acted like puppy--always so full of energy, but the last couple of years she's started to slow down and just this past winter she's really started to show her age. Selfishly, I hope she holds out for a few more years. She's been a great dog for all of us (not the terror that Marley was in this movie!)

41. Miss Congeniality -- Some weekends just end up being rom-com weekends--and if they must be rom-com weekends, one should at least try to find good rom-coms. I've been a fan of Sandra Bullocks since Speed so I enjoyed this movie. So did my wife.

42. Ghost Rider -- I know this movie didn't do so well with the critics, but I liked it. I like most super-hero movies though, so perhaps I'm a bit biased when it comes to these. Sure, some superhero movies are better than others, but after a weekend of rom-coms I was ready for something with a little more action. And of course, Eva Mendes is in this...

43. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- Michael Caine. Steve Martin. Being scoundrels. What's not to like? I love this movie and can watch it over and over.

44. The Stranger -- A dark Orson Welles movie. Welles plays a cold, calculating Nazi trying to escape notice in a small New England town. I didn't know what to expect with this movie--in general I liked the sinister mood and feel of it.

45. Kingpin -- Woody is so funny in this movie. Bill Murray. Randy Quaid. Both equally funny. After a dark movie, it was nice to follow it up with something light and humorous.

46. The Maltese Falcon -- Bogart was Sam Spade. Another classic. Excellent movie. What more can I say. It's one of those movies you just have to watch.

47. Slumdog Millionaire -- I'd never seen this movie before. I really didn't know much about it either. I didn't even read the outside cover when I got it from the library. I came to this movie without knowing what to expect. Visually shocking. Great story. Interesting love story. At times, a very dark movie--at other times, very uplifting.

Overall, some very extremely different movies this week, and because of these wild differences, I can't pick one winner overall. I really enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire, but I also enjoyed Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for completely different reasons. However, of all the rom-coms, while the weekend rom-com fest was fun and I enjoy watching movies with my wife, I still liked Shakespeare in Love just a bit more.

I'm slowly catching up with myself here. By the end of March, I'm hoping I'll have all the weeks entered. January and February were some busy months. I've slowed down the pace just a bit this month. I've stubbornly finished at least one movie every day so far, despite some days thinking -- why the hell am I doing this? Am I learning anything at all? Is that the goal? I don't know. Maybe. I'd like to think there is something more to all this movie-watching than simply escapism. Isn't that why so many people watch movies though? To escape real life? For two hours, give or take, the viewer can slip the bonds of the real world and enter a new world with different troubles and different outcomes and take a break from life knowing that in two hours, give or take, at least some answers will be found. Some resolutions will be discovered. Some new knowledge will be revealed. Maybe that's what I'm looking for...some answers. Some resolutions. Some knowledge...

Or, maybe it's just that I love movies.

Something to consider...