A Year of Movies

Week 24: June 11, 2010 to June 17, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 7

Yep, one movie for each day. Summer viewing has been a little slower compared to winter--more to do outside, kids keeping me busy, yard work etc. Last week I had a Kevin Costner baseball trilogy, this week I decided to have a classic Tom Cruise trilogy and later in the week I started a string of martial art movies that will extend into next week (and if I recall, the week after that t00). Let's begin...

237. Top Gun -- Just pure fun action in the sky! Great 80s music. I remember when this first came out all the guys my age wanted to learn how to fly jets! Hell, I still wouldn't mind learning how to fly--though perhaps not jets...I'd be fine with single engines to start. Hmmm....maybe someday... As for the movie, what more do I need to say? You've all seen this movie, haven't you? And if you haven't, rent it (or buy it--movies this old are usually in the cheap bin), pop it in the DVD or Blu-ray player, turn your TV up and enjoy!

238. Days of Thunder -- Just pure fun action on the ground! I remember when this first came out all the guys my age wanted to learn how to drive race cars....wait, this is sounding a bit like my last comments. Well, perhaps because this movie is a lot like the last movie, only set on the race track. Who cares? Nicole looked great in this. The banter between Robert Duvall and Tom Cruise was funny and this was another loud movie. Turn your TV up and enjoy!

239. Risky Business -- Just pure fun action in the suburbs! I remember when this first came out all the guys my age wanted to say 'WTF' and learn how to become pimps.....no wait, that's not right at all! We all wanted to drive around in Porsches...yeah, that's it. And maybe have someone who looked a lot like Rebecca show up at our door and....no wait....where am I going with this? Ha ha.... Am I a little slap happy from lack of sleep or what? C'mon, you've all seen this movie too - and if you haven't, you should. This is another movie you can find in the cheap bin.

240. Crazy Heart -- Just pure fun action with a guitar! Okay, okay....not exactly, though Jeff Bridges does an amazing job as the aging country singer/songwriter. While I truly enjoyed this movie, and was a little surprised by the ending, after the movie was done and I had a chance to reflect on it, I realized that the actual story (plot) was--relative to other movies about singers (Walk the Line, Ray)--a little on the thin side. Sure he's an alcoholic and his life is relatively shitty, but really, besides getting into an accident and temporarily losing his girlfriend's kid, what real trouble happened to him? Not much. Still, I enjoyed this movie a lot and loved the music and like I said, Jeff Bridges did an amazing job bringing this character to life.

241. Edge of Darkness -- Obviously, I watched this movie in June prior to all the latest about Mel Gibson. Setting aside his personal life (as best as one can), and trying to focus on just the movie, I thought the movie was intense. Gibson obviously has the anger side down cold in this and he's always seemed to be able to convey that simmering anger/sadness in his characters (when needed). I recently purchased the DVDs of the British TV series that this movie was based on--and whenever I get a chance (though it will probably be in 2011 when I think I'll turn from watching movies to catching up on TV series) I look forward to seeing the source material.

242. Curse of the Golden Flower -- This is the first of many martial art films I decided to watch all in a row. I'd never seen this one before and I was stunned by the film's beauty and cinematography. While the story is a family intrigue set in the Tang Dynasty, it's not all just political maneuverings--there's plenty of action too with the courtyard fight scene near the end of the movie as impressive as any I've seen before. A stunning movie starring Chow Yun Fat.

243. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- Chow Yun Fat did a wonderful job in this one too. What I find amazing about so many of these movies is the attention to detail--the costumes, the settings, the weapons, everything looks SOOOOO good and the action is SOOOOO impressive. It's like watching living, dancing, fighting artwork that is simply a feast for the eyes. And the music.....so haunting and beautiful. I loved these last two movies, and I think they were a good start for my string of martial arts viewing pleasure.

Well, that's it for this week. It was for me a great week of movies. My favorite(s).....probably the last two. While I really enjoyed the classic Tom Cruise movies, and was impressed by Crazy Heart and Edge of Darkness, the last two were simply gorgeous movies that were a delight to my eyes, ears and mind. Watch them, if you get a chance...