A Year of Movies

Week 16: April 16, 2010 to April 22, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 9

165. The Firm -- I read the book years ago and enjoyed the story, and I like this film version too. Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn all did great jobs, but Holly Hunter really stole the scenes she was in. And who can forget the short fight scene at the end of the movie when Tom Cruise beats the hell out of Wilford Brimley? It just wasn't fair!

166. Solaris -- This is a challenging movie--akin to The Fountain--in that I don't think I quite understood ALL of the movie with just one viewing, and perhaps like aspects of the movie, it just can't be 'understood' fully, period. There are just some things that can't be explained and/or understood. There seemed to be multiple levels of storytelling going on throughout the film and I'm looking forward to watching it again (and perhaps understanding at least a bit more of this thought-provoking movie). I liked the chemistry between George Clooney and Natascha McElhone. Jeremy Davies performance was incredibly creepy. Good, but creepy.

167. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial -- After what, 28 years or so, I still love this very sweet and very moving and very loving story about the bonds of friendship. I watched this with my little guy and he enjoyed the movie quite a bit too. I noticed that the DVD I watched had the updated version--the gun-less version. I'm not sure I understand (hmmm...is this a trend?) the reason for editing out the guns--I felt like the point of the story was, in part, that as long as only the kids were involved with the alien, all was fine--it wasn't until the adults showed up that problems surfaced--but, then, the change wasn't all that dramatic, I suppose. The magic of the movie remained even after all these years.

168. How To Train Your Dragon -- I FINALLY see a movie at the theater this year! Yea! I watched this with my little guy too. He loved this movie. I thought it was rather good too. We decided after the movie was over that we'd probably have to get the DVD when it comes out. He wants the DVD for his birthday or Christmas. Is it too early to get him hooked on movies? Actually, I think he's already hooked. He's such a fan of so many of the super-hero and action movies that have come out over the past year or so--and I've started showing him some of my favorite movies. (I was hesitant to show him the Lord of the Ring trilogy last year, but he really wanted to watch it--and when I warned him about the 'scary' parts he gave me a look and said, "Dad...it's not real. It's JUST a movie.") As for this movie, I was impressed with the animation and the story--both were quite good.

169. Trapped -- A thriller starring Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon. I liked certain aspects of this movie--primarily, the mother played by Charlize refusing to become the 'victim' that Kevin's character was hoping she'd become, and overall I was generally entertained, but the entertainment was solely on the surface. Dig below the surface of this movie, and parts of it just didn't add up. The young doctor (husband/father character) was obviously successful, had a seemingly happy marriage, was apparently active in helping to raise their little girl, did extensive lab work in developing a new drug AND was also an accomplished pilot. It just seemed a bit much for one person to achieve. Perhaps I'm being overly picky--I'd be interested in reading the book the movie was based on though -- 24 Hours.

170. Silverado -- Somehow over the past 25 years, I entirely missed watching this tremendously entertaining western. A great ensemble cast--Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and an incredibly funny Kevin Costner make up the four 'heroes' of this film, but there's also Jeff Goldblum, Jeff Fahey, Linda Hunt, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy...just to name a few more in the cast. They are all so watchable and entertaining that by the end, I was hoping for more. Clever writing and a beautiful movie filmed primarily (if I recall correctly) in New Mexico.

171. American Beauty -- The first time I watched this movie was about ten years ago when it came out, and I don't remember appreciating it very much--now, however, I think it is a beautiful and stunningly honest movie about life and families and growing older and a peek into the dark side of some suburban life and marriage. Excellent performances by all of the actors--and though we're told at the beginning how the movie ends, when it does end, it's still a shock. Also--who knew a plastic bag floating in the wind could be beautiful?

172. True Lies -- Wild action mashed up with romantic comedy and both are done well. The two Arnolds in this really looked like they were having fun with the action and the one-liners. And after watching Jamie Lee Curtis 'dance' in the hotel room, I'm thinking....why hasn't she been on Dancing With the Stars yet....? Also, I thought the 'Simon' character played by Bill Paxton was utterly hilarious. For a movie that runs over two hours, it sure didn't seem that long. I wish James Cameron had done a sequel on this one.

173. The Ninth Gate -- A friend recommended this dark thriller to me--and no surprise, I liked it. Johnny Depp manages to play a guy we're not supposed to like in a way we end up liking anyway. While I did enjoy this movie, there were a couple of sticking points--would people who deal in rare books handle their rare and expensive books so carelessly (without gloves, while smoking/drinking) and for a movie involving the devil, I thought the end was a bit on the tame side. Or perhaps, to keep with the 'lack of understanding on my part' theme going in this blog post--I just didn't 'get' the entire ending and it actually was darker and more sinister than it seems on the surface. Hmmm....possible.

A favorite this week? I suppose the sentimental favorite would go to E.T. BUT, I was really impressed by How To Train Your Dragon too. Also, for laughs, there's True Lies...for epic western, Silverado, and for an amazing overall movie, American Beauty. Geee...can I work in the others somehow too?

Have a great day, all.