A Year of Movies

Week 19: May 7, 2010 to May 13, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 8

195. Navy Seals -- I hadn't watched this movie in years. A good action movie with Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn in it. If you primarily are looking for a movie with action and little character development, this one is for you. Nothing wrong with the occasional fun purely action driven movie but I wouldn't have minded a little more of the personal sides of some of the characters.

196. Iron Man 2 -- I watched this in the theater with my boys and my dad opening weekend. I'd gone over to my dad's house earlier in the week with the first Iron Man on DVD so he'd have a chance to see it. He really liked the first movie--he tends to like action movies. Shocking, I know. Anyway, the four of us got to the theater early so we could get some good seats. We did despite the theater being sold out (I'd bought our tickets early and online--that was cool). I hadn't been to a movie theater with my dad in over twenty years (My parents would rather watch movies at home on DVD). Honestly, the movie could have sucked and I would have enjoyed the experience of just being at the movies with my dad and my boys. Fortunately though, the movie didn't suck--we all liked it very much. I liked it almost as much as the first Iron Man. Overall, it was a great action movie--nice mixture of action and character development--but by the end, I found myself wanting just a bit more Iron Man action. I felt the end battle between Iron Man and Whiplash was just WAY too short. Considering all the fighting that had occurred prior to their encounter, their very short battle seemed anti-climactic. And if you don't know this already--stay for the short scene after the end credits finish rolling. Hopefully, my boys, my dad and I will be able to see more movies at the theater over the summer.

197. Tombstone -- An excellent western. Kurt Russell did a fine job as Wyatt Earp--"You gonna do something? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?" -- as did Sam Elliot as his brother, Virgil, but Val Kilmer stole the show as Doc. Holliday -- "I'm your Huckleberry". "Maybe poker's just not your game, Ike. I know; let's have a spelling contest." "You're no daisy. You're no daisy at all. Poor soul, you were just too high strung." Oh, there are just too many good lines in this movie...even Michael Biehn had some good ones too as Johnny Ringo. "Smell that, Bill? Smells like someone died." Every time I watch this movie, I find something else in it that I like.

198. The 13th Warrior -- A friend recommended this movie to me. I'd heard it was a box office flop--but aside from that knew very little about the movie. In general, I liked the story--a loose retelling of the Beowulf epic poem. I also liked the interactions between the Scandinavian characters and the Arab ambassador (played by Antonio Banderas).

199. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- I think I'll have to watch this movie again to understand it more fully, but what I did understand, I enjoyed. What an oddly imaginative movie--and a bittersweet experience watching Heath Ledger in his last role. I couldn't help but wonder what the movie would have been like had he not died--I mean, parts were obviously rewritten to accommodate the other three actors in the role. His passing was such a shame--I'd always thought he was an incredibly talented actor.

200. The Invention of Lying -- I'm undecided about this movie. While not overly religious, I was mildly disturbed by the direction this movie took about 45-50 minutes into the movie when the humorous set-up about no one in the world being able to lie revealed itself as a means to make a mockery of organized religions. No where on the DVD cover is the 'real' story discussed, nor in any of the previews is the real nature of the movie revealed--and perhaps that is what disturbed me the most. If the intent was to poke fun at organized religion and by extension of that 'faith' -- fine -- but at least have the guts to state that up front in your advertisement. Instead, it seemed as if the movie was sold as something it wasn't. In addition to this, I felt like the excursion into the mockery of religion really didn't have anything much to do with the romantic-comedy side of the story--except that it worked as filler for the middle half of the rather thin romantic story line. Parts of this movie were brilliant and I would have liked it more had it developed the romantic comedy angle better.

201. The Jackal -- This is the first of many Bruce Willis movies I'll watch over the next week or so. While some might gripe about Richard Gere's accent, I wasn't distracted by it at all. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the way Willis created his cool and methodical assassin. And while Bruce Willis seems to gravitate toward (but not always) the three "C"s of character types -- Cops, Criminals and Crazies -- he always seems to find a way to make each just a little bit different while always keeping his 'cool'. A great suspenseful thriller (with a nice cameo of Jack Black too).

202. Mercury Rising -- This one has Willis as a former undercover FBI agent trying to protect an autistic boy from the government men who are trying to kill him. Even while playing tough guys, Willis is able to reveal just enough heart to make him a sympathetic hero. Miko Hughes played the young autistic boy, Simon, and he did an impressive job.

Tombstone as long been one of my favorite movies and so it is high on my list of movies to watch from this week. To that list, I'll add Iron Man 2. I'll also add The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus--a sentimental choice. I've also long liked the cat-and-mouse thriller The Jackal--all very good and very different movies.