Week 7: Feb 12, 2010 to Feb 18, 2010
Total Number of Movies Watched: 17
Yes, a crazy amount this week. I wasn't feeling well, so I spent a chunk of time vegging in front of the TV watching a lot of really great movies. I'll tell you right now, I don't have a single favorite this week either--though there are a few of my all-time favorites in this week's addition. Let's get to it.
69. Inside Man -- Great heist movie. Great story. Intricately plotted. Clive Owen and Denzel Washington give some great performances in this one. Can I say 'great' one more time? Okay, great music in this one too. Yeah, I know, I made a comment about music in another movie, but I loved the background music during the opening sequence. This is one of my all-time favorite movies.
70. Night of the Living Dead (the original) -- While I wasn't impressed with the beginning of the movie, by the end, I overall liked this movie. I found a couple of the main characters annoying--the main female character and the husband who comes up from the basement (their names escape me at the moment). I've never seen this movie before, and I don't believe I've seen any of the remakes (well, I've seen Shaun of the Dead and a couple of other zombie movies, including Zombieland, but I don't think I've seen and of the 'Night of the Living Dead' remakes. Are they worth watching?)
71. Hollywoodland -- Ben Affleck was impressive in this one. I know he gets criticized for his leading man roles a bit, but I really liked him in this one. He really seemed to grasp the character's desperation well. Because of this film, I went out and watched the film that will be #83 on this weeks list. I'll talk about that later.
72. Maverick -- Mel Gibson really does comedic, action roles well. He does dark, scary action roles well too but he was quite the charmer in this one. I liked James Garner in this too. Funny movie.
73. Iron Man -- Another of my all-time favorite movies. Now, admittedly, before this movie came out, I really didn't know much about Iron Man, so I didn't know what to expect but I was blown away by how good this movie was when I first saw it in the theaters (and I can't wait to see Iron Man 2 in May). The CGI didn't overwhelm the story--it enhanced the story (and I'm hoping that element remains with the sequel). I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Tony Stark better than Robert Downey Jr. It's good to see him get his act together--I've always been impressed by his skill. I anxiously await the other Marvel Superhero movies and look forward to hopefully seeing a movie someday which combines a number of the superheroes into one.
74. Monty Python and the Holy Grail -- Years ago, I watched this movie so many times I think I had most of the lines memorized. Still, after all these years, a very funny movie.
75. Gone in 60 Seconds (The Original) -- A much better car chase scene than the one in 'The Chase'....or even in the remake with Nicholas Cage. I mean, the last 40 minutes or so of this movie is primarily one long chase scene, with no CGI cars, no special effects, just pure driving fast and crashing hard fun. Once you get past the weak beginning of this movie, the rest is really good.
76. No Country For Old Men -- The very first time I watched this movie, I didn't like it. Then, I read the book by Cormac McCarthy, and I didn't like it. Then, I thought about the movie and the book and decided to try them both again. The second time through, I liked the movie, and the book. Now that I've seen the movie a few more times, it has become one of my favorites. It's not your traditional Hollywood movie with a tidy ending, but then, this is a Cohen Brothers movie. Excellent, dark movie.
77. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books and in general I like the Harry Potter movies, but I've found you can't really compare the two. Too much has been cut out of the books in order to make the movies and while this was another good installment in the movie series, admittedly, I'm anxious for the last book to be filmed (into two movies), so I can just watch the movies in order one after the other because too much of gap exists between my viewing of each movie, and there's just too much info and too many little details that exist in the books that don't exist in the movies, but it helps if you've read the books to fill in those missing details in the movie....does that make sense? Aside from money, is there a good reason to make the last book into two movies? If I recall, the last book had roughly 300 pages or so of Harry and friends camping out and basically doing very little right smack in the middle of the book. I can't imagine the filmmakers having to make a big deal about that part of the book. Or course, perhaps a good chunk of the last film will be 'the ending' a la the last thirty minutes of so of the LOTR trilogy where each character basically had their 'good bye' scene(s).
78. Mutant Chronicles -- Very dark, very bloody movie starring Ron Perlman and Thomas Jane. While not a great movie, I think it worked for what it meant to be--a dark and bloody action movie.
79. Runaway Jury -- This is one where I liked both the book and the movie even though the movie doesn't really follow the book all that closely. Lots of good actors in this--Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusack, Rachel Weisz...all doing a really great job. I loved the Hoffman-Hackman scene where they confront each other in the bathroom. Reminded me a bit of the De Niro-Pacino scene in Heat.
80. Defiance -- An incredibly moving movie based on the real story of Jewish brothers who fought back against the Nazis in WWII and survived in the eastern European woods for a couple of years with hundreds of other Jewish families whom they rescued. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber were both great in this.
81. Lakeview Terrace -- Samuel L. Jackson is so good in this. He plays a conflicted father and cop suffering the loss of his wife, trying to raise his kids on his own, while dealing with his own prejudices (which were tied into the loss of his wife). While he was the 'bad' guy in this movie, he wasn't just your typical bad guy. At times, he really came off as being a sympathetic man--at other times....not so much.
82. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective -- Vintage Jim Carrey. Goofy. Silly. Crazy. Wacky. As I've said before, sometimes you just need to watch these mindless, entertaining movies.
83. Gone With The Wind -- As I mentioned earlier, when I watched Hollywoodland, Ben Affleck's character George Reeves makes a big deal about the fact that he was in Gone With The Wind. I've never seen GWTW so I thought, now is the time to finally break down and watch this movie. Reeves character was only in the first few minutes of the movie (which only added another level of enjoyment to the previous viewing of Hollywoodland). Anyway. Nearly 4 hours later, I was finally done with GWTW. I know this is supposed to be one of the most beloved movies of all times. I know Scarlett O'Hara is supposed to be one of the most beloved characters in movies of all times, but to quote Rhett Butler: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. I did not like this movie and I did not like Scarlett O'Hara. I've enjoyed other 'classic' movies. I've liked other 'epic' movies. This is not one of them. I could not stand Scarlett's constant selfishness and the way she used people all the time. Some say midway through she changes with the line about how she will never starve again. I don't see the change. She didn't say 'we will never starve again (including her family) just 'I will never starve again'. And then, what did she do to make sure she never starves again? She goes out and marries a rich guy whom she doesn't love. The only 'change' this time is the last time she got married, she married a guy she didn't love to make her 'love' jealous. (And the only reason she loved the man she 'loved' was because he was in love with someone else and wasn't going to marry her.) I know, it would be easier to understand this if I included all the character's names, but I dislike the movie so much I really don't care to spend more time than I already have talking about it. And the ending--with Scarlett in tears saying 'tomorrow is another day'..... Okay. Enough. I really didn't want to be a film 'critic' here so I'll just stop.
Moving on....
84. Smokin' Aces -- Well, I had to purge myself of the previous movie, and what better way to do that then to watch something with lots of guns and lots of action. Now, I don't 'need' lots of guns and action to enjoy a movie--that's NOT why I dislike GWTW so much, but anyway, as for Smokin' Aces, it is just a wild, crazy action movie with a good twist at the end.
85. Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball -- Well, since I had this one too and I still felt the need to purge....(LOL). Not quite as good as the first movie but still a lot of action and a lot of guns and...well...some very politically incorrect action too. Considering what some of the characters do with a canon they acquire from a circus, I'm surprised some members of society didn't object to this movie....(Or did they and I didn't hear about it? Or, has this movie escaped the attention of many?)
Well, that's finally it. As I said earlier, lots of favorites this week- Inside Man, Iron Man, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, No Country For Old Men, Defiance...and of course, I don't think I need to mention the movie I liked the least this week, do I?
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not looking to become a film critic here--I generally love movies too much to really criticize them (well, usually!) -- so I'm only giving a quick overview of my thoughts here about each of these movies. I have a few friends who are equally into movies where I can talk to them for hours about characters, plots, directors, camera angles, actors etc. but those types of conversations are difficult to reproduce in this type of setting.
However, if you'd like to share your own thoughts about these movies, or want to suggest some additional movies for me to watch, I'll likely add them to my 'to-be-watched' list.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your own pile of 'to-be-watched' movies.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 6: Feb 5, 2010 to Feb 11, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 10
59. Rope -- Another Hitchcock movie. A friend suggested this one to me. Hitchcock filmed this one to look as if the movie was done in one continuous shot. If you watch closely, you do see the 'cuts', however, it still is impressive what he (and the actors) did here. The story was an interesting one too--a couple of men kill a third man, stuff his body in a chest out in the open, and invite his family and friends over for a dinner party--with the food served off the chest.
60. Notorious -- Can you tell I enjoy Hitchcock? What is this, my sixth this year? I think so. A suspenseful movie starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Snappy dialogue between those two. You just don't get a lot of that in movies nowadays. I'd seen the ending of this movie a number of times on TV, but this was a first seeing the entire movie from start-to-finish. Great movie.
61. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou -- A friend suggested this movie to me. I didn't know what to expect--I didn't know what the movie was about. What a truly bizarre and funny movie. I told my friend after watching it that I thought I got all the humor--maybe--but that it was just an odd, funny movie. Bill Murray does those roles so well. (Actually, I like his more serious roles too--so maybe he's just a good actor. Hmmm.....)
62. L.A. Confidential -- What a great, great movie. Excellent cast. Entertaining story line. Just a great viewing pleasure. I'll have to check out the book sometime.
63. Valkyrie -- I know the critics didn't particularly like this movie, but I really didn't have that much of a problem with it. I think the biggest complaint was Cruise (an American) was playing the main German character and a whole slew of great British actors played the secondary German characters and they weren't trying to do a German accent (at least, I don't really remember accents being used or not). Perhaps some people are picky when it comes to actors and accents. I appreciate an actor trying, and succeeding when he/she does an accent, but I'm not (generally) put off too much if an actor doesn't use an accent or if the accent isn't 'perfect'. I'd rather focus my attention on the story and primarily if I'm being entertained (or not). For this movie, I was entertained.
64. The Musketeer -- I'm kinda split on this movie. The action junkie in me enjoyed the swordplay (even though it seemed misplaced in this kind of 'time-period' movie) and the action sequences--but the rest of the movie seemed only so-so. I'm a big fan of Tim Roth--he plays bad guys so well, but it almost seemed like he was TOO good at being bad in this movie while the rest of the characters seemed rather bland in comparison.
65. Zombieland -- Was it a horror movie looking for laughs? Was it a comedy looking for frights? Who cares? It was just a fun, fun movie with some funny lines-- 'It's time to nut up, or shut up.' As I've said before, (I think even on this blog somewhere...right?) sometimes you just need a good, silly movie--pure entertainment. I'd love to see a sequel to this.
66. Training Day -- A dark, action-packed, intense movie with Denzel Washington as the bad guy. Prior to this movie, I don't think he played the villain before...at least, I don't remember him in such a role. (I know he's played the villain in at least one other movie since...). Anyway, I liked this movie a lot.
67. Entrapment -- Sean Connery is just so smooth in this movie. And Catherine Zeta-Jones looked so good while she was trying so hard to be 'bad'. A good heist movie overall.
68. The Chase -- Who knew a car chase could make for an entire movie? There's a song that plays near the end of the movie that I want to track down--it plays at the point when he's deciding whether to get out of the car or not. Hmmm...I don't know what that says about a movie when I'm more interested in the music....Hey, the movie was okay.
A short list this week. Don't worry, I make up for it next week! A single favorite? Well...I'd say it's a toss-up between Zombieland and L.A. Confidential. Two very different movies, liked for two very different reasons. L.A. Confidential is the better movie overall but Zombieland was just loads of fun to watch. Training Day is up near the top too.
Total number of movies watched: 10
59. Rope -- Another Hitchcock movie. A friend suggested this one to me. Hitchcock filmed this one to look as if the movie was done in one continuous shot. If you watch closely, you do see the 'cuts', however, it still is impressive what he (and the actors) did here. The story was an interesting one too--a couple of men kill a third man, stuff his body in a chest out in the open, and invite his family and friends over for a dinner party--with the food served off the chest.
60. Notorious -- Can you tell I enjoy Hitchcock? What is this, my sixth this year? I think so. A suspenseful movie starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Snappy dialogue between those two. You just don't get a lot of that in movies nowadays. I'd seen the ending of this movie a number of times on TV, but this was a first seeing the entire movie from start-to-finish. Great movie.
61. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou -- A friend suggested this movie to me. I didn't know what to expect--I didn't know what the movie was about. What a truly bizarre and funny movie. I told my friend after watching it that I thought I got all the humor--maybe--but that it was just an odd, funny movie. Bill Murray does those roles so well. (Actually, I like his more serious roles too--so maybe he's just a good actor. Hmmm.....)
62. L.A. Confidential -- What a great, great movie. Excellent cast. Entertaining story line. Just a great viewing pleasure. I'll have to check out the book sometime.
63. Valkyrie -- I know the critics didn't particularly like this movie, but I really didn't have that much of a problem with it. I think the biggest complaint was Cruise (an American) was playing the main German character and a whole slew of great British actors played the secondary German characters and they weren't trying to do a German accent (at least, I don't really remember accents being used or not). Perhaps some people are picky when it comes to actors and accents. I appreciate an actor trying, and succeeding when he/she does an accent, but I'm not (generally) put off too much if an actor doesn't use an accent or if the accent isn't 'perfect'. I'd rather focus my attention on the story and primarily if I'm being entertained (or not). For this movie, I was entertained.
64. The Musketeer -- I'm kinda split on this movie. The action junkie in me enjoyed the swordplay (even though it seemed misplaced in this kind of 'time-period' movie) and the action sequences--but the rest of the movie seemed only so-so. I'm a big fan of Tim Roth--he plays bad guys so well, but it almost seemed like he was TOO good at being bad in this movie while the rest of the characters seemed rather bland in comparison.
65. Zombieland -- Was it a horror movie looking for laughs? Was it a comedy looking for frights? Who cares? It was just a fun, fun movie with some funny lines-- 'It's time to nut up, or shut up.' As I've said before, (I think even on this blog somewhere...right?) sometimes you just need a good, silly movie--pure entertainment. I'd love to see a sequel to this.
66. Training Day -- A dark, action-packed, intense movie with Denzel Washington as the bad guy. Prior to this movie, I don't think he played the villain before...at least, I don't remember him in such a role. (I know he's played the villain in at least one other movie since...). Anyway, I liked this movie a lot.
67. Entrapment -- Sean Connery is just so smooth in this movie. And Catherine Zeta-Jones looked so good while she was trying so hard to be 'bad'. A good heist movie overall.
68. The Chase -- Who knew a car chase could make for an entire movie? There's a song that plays near the end of the movie that I want to track down--it plays at the point when he's deciding whether to get out of the car or not. Hmmm...I don't know what that says about a movie when I'm more interested in the music....Hey, the movie was okay.
A short list this week. Don't worry, I make up for it next week! A single favorite? Well...I'd say it's a toss-up between Zombieland and L.A. Confidential. Two very different movies, liked for two very different reasons. L.A. Confidential is the better movie overall but Zombieland was just loads of fun to watch. Training Day is up near the top too.
Friday, March 12, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 5: Jan 29, 2010 to Feb 4, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 11
48. A Scanner Darkly -- A friend recommended this to me. I didn't know what to expect with this movie-though since it was based on a Philip K. Dick story, I assumed it was going to be strange. I was not disappointed. What a bizarre, bizarre movie--dark, twisted (I tend to like these kinds of movies!). An interesting story with some nice twists.
49. Strangers on a Train -- After hearing about this movie for years, I finally watched it. This was my fourth Hitchcock movie in the past week and a half. I like his style quite a bit (shocking, huh?). A good story, quirky characters, and honestly, I wasn't sure how it was going to end.
50. The American President -- An idealistic portrayal of a noble president. Does such a politician exist? Did such a politician ever exist? I don't want to get into politics here--too much discussion about politics exist elsewhere. In general, I like this movie.
51. Father of the Bride -- Funny movie with heart. I really like Steve Martin in this movie and I can't imagine anyone else playing this part. He makes making movies look so easy.
So ended the month of January. 51 movies in one month. At this rate, I'll end up watching 600 movies in 2010. Crazy! I don't think I can keep this pace up all year...
52. On the Waterfront -- Brilliant movie. I watched this for the first time about twenty years ago, but I didn't really appreciate how good it was back then. The scene with Brando in the back of the cab with his brother -- the 'I could've been a contender' scene was spectacular. What an incredible scene--what an incredible actor. This movie also introduced us to Eva Marie Saint--I'd forgotten about that. I love her in North by Northwest (another movie I'll have to watch again this year).
53. 30 Days of Night -- I really enjoyed this movie. Vampires in Alaska. What a cool idea. Or would that be 'cold'? I haven't read the graphic novel that this movie was based on, but a friend suggested this movie to me a while back. Watched it last year, had to watch it again. A good scary movie.
54. Groundhog Day -- I had to watch this movie on Groundhog Day. I love this movie. I've watched this movie dozens of times. I love the city where this movie was filmed. Woodstock, IL is a beautiful city with a beautiful Town Square. I'll stop myself now before I start to gush.
55. Twister -- This is the last movie I saw at a Drive-In and if memory serves, the weather wasn't all that great that night which made the whole drive-in getting destroyed by the tornado scene within the movie just a tiny bit scarier. I've always liked this movie--nothing like having a mile-wide tornado as your villain...
56. Hancock -- When I first saw this movie I thought it was two halves of two different movies mashed together somewhere in the middle, but now that I've seen if a few times, I think it works. I like the attempt the filmmakers made to make up their own superhero mythology. Will Smith looked like he was having a lot of fun making this movie.
57. The Omen (the original) -- This movie scared the hell out of me when I was young and it still creeps me out now. A great, scary movie.
58. The Omen (the remake) -- I hadn't seen the remake before, but since I was able to get both DVD copies from the local library at the same time I thought I'd watch the two movies back-to-back. The remake had a few changes in it--but what I liked is that the filmmakers didn't add a lot of CGI work to the remake--they just relied on the creepy story and for me at least, it worked.
Another week down. Only 47 more weeks to go!
I can't decide on a single favorite film this week either (I should really try to watch some bad movies with just one good movie some week--though, on second thought, that doesn't sound like a fun week of movie watching to me....!) There's just too much variety--some really good horror movies in there, a couple of excellent classics, and of course my sentimental favorite, Groundhog Day.
Total number of movies watched: 11
48. A Scanner Darkly -- A friend recommended this to me. I didn't know what to expect with this movie-though since it was based on a Philip K. Dick story, I assumed it was going to be strange. I was not disappointed. What a bizarre, bizarre movie--dark, twisted (I tend to like these kinds of movies!). An interesting story with some nice twists.
49. Strangers on a Train -- After hearing about this movie for years, I finally watched it. This was my fourth Hitchcock movie in the past week and a half. I like his style quite a bit (shocking, huh?). A good story, quirky characters, and honestly, I wasn't sure how it was going to end.
50. The American President -- An idealistic portrayal of a noble president. Does such a politician exist? Did such a politician ever exist? I don't want to get into politics here--too much discussion about politics exist elsewhere. In general, I like this movie.
51. Father of the Bride -- Funny movie with heart. I really like Steve Martin in this movie and I can't imagine anyone else playing this part. He makes making movies look so easy.
So ended the month of January. 51 movies in one month. At this rate, I'll end up watching 600 movies in 2010. Crazy! I don't think I can keep this pace up all year...
52. On the Waterfront -- Brilliant movie. I watched this for the first time about twenty years ago, but I didn't really appreciate how good it was back then. The scene with Brando in the back of the cab with his brother -- the 'I could've been a contender' scene was spectacular. What an incredible scene--what an incredible actor. This movie also introduced us to Eva Marie Saint--I'd forgotten about that. I love her in North by Northwest (another movie I'll have to watch again this year).
53. 30 Days of Night -- I really enjoyed this movie. Vampires in Alaska. What a cool idea. Or would that be 'cold'? I haven't read the graphic novel that this movie was based on, but a friend suggested this movie to me a while back. Watched it last year, had to watch it again. A good scary movie.
54. Groundhog Day -- I had to watch this movie on Groundhog Day. I love this movie. I've watched this movie dozens of times. I love the city where this movie was filmed. Woodstock, IL is a beautiful city with a beautiful Town Square. I'll stop myself now before I start to gush.
55. Twister -- This is the last movie I saw at a Drive-In and if memory serves, the weather wasn't all that great that night which made the whole drive-in getting destroyed by the tornado scene within the movie just a tiny bit scarier. I've always liked this movie--nothing like having a mile-wide tornado as your villain...
56. Hancock -- When I first saw this movie I thought it was two halves of two different movies mashed together somewhere in the middle, but now that I've seen if a few times, I think it works. I like the attempt the filmmakers made to make up their own superhero mythology. Will Smith looked like he was having a lot of fun making this movie.
57. The Omen (the original) -- This movie scared the hell out of me when I was young and it still creeps me out now. A great, scary movie.
58. The Omen (the remake) -- I hadn't seen the remake before, but since I was able to get both DVD copies from the local library at the same time I thought I'd watch the two movies back-to-back. The remake had a few changes in it--but what I liked is that the filmmakers didn't add a lot of CGI work to the remake--they just relied on the creepy story and for me at least, it worked.
Another week down. Only 47 more weeks to go!
I can't decide on a single favorite film this week either (I should really try to watch some bad movies with just one good movie some week--though, on second thought, that doesn't sound like a fun week of movie watching to me....!) There's just too much variety--some really good horror movies in there, a couple of excellent classics, and of course my sentimental favorite, Groundhog Day.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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...
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...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 3: Jan 15, 2010 to Jan 21, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 10
26. 3:10 to Yuma -- An excellent western starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Probably one of the top western movies--I'd rank it up there with Unforgiven as one of my favorites in that genre. I'll have to read the Elmore Leonard short story someday. Wonderfully rich, three-dimensional, not all good-not all bad characters in this movie. Intense action and ending.
27. Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion -- Hey, sometimes you just have to watch a light, funny movie from time to time, and you might as well watch one with some eye candy. Like, you know?
28. Blue Velvet -- And then you follow that up with a dark, twisted, odd, odd movie with a scary Dennis Hopper and some scenes that frankly were rather disturbing. I had never seen this before, a friend recommended it, and while I did like it overall, parts were just....as I said, disturbing.
29. My Best Friend's Wedding -- Hey, sometimes you got to watch movies the wife likes. I like this rom-com too. Julia Roberts as the 'bad' guy in this. And what a 'villain' she turned out to be. Cameron Diaz looked SO young in this movie.
30. Runaway Bride -- Another Julia Roberts movie. Another wedding....or rather multiple weddings. Another pairing of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. While I don't think this one tops Pretty Woman, it still is an enjoyable rom-com (and Julia does this thing with her mouth--makes it look like she's a duck).
31. HeartBreakers -- It was a weekend of rom-coms. Funny movie. More eye-candy.
32. Mulholland Dr. -- Another truly bizarre and twisted David Lynch movie. I liked this one slightly better than Blue Velvet, but that might be because I've seen this one a few times before and I wasn't as shocked by it this time around.
33. Rear Window -- As you'll see in future posts, I'm working my way through Alfred Hitchcock's movies. A little dated perhaps (primarily with the ending effects), but still a very, very good movie. Impressive use of one set. I liked the chemistry between James Stewart and Grace Kelly. She just glows on the screen and you can't take your eyes off her.
34. Dave -- This 'political' movie makes one wish it were possible for something good to truly come out of Washington. Sweet movie.
35. Psycho -- What more can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said so many times before. A classic noir film.
I guess this was the week of primarily twisted movies and eye candy. Hmmm...perhaps I should try to find some movies that combines both those qualities. Probably something by Quentin Tarantino. I'm working toward getting to some of his films in the very near future. And while I am a fan of Alfred Hitchcock's works and I enjoy Lynch's twisted movies and all the various eye-candy films, I think my favorite for this past week was 3:10 to Yuma.
Total number of movies watched: 10
26. 3:10 to Yuma -- An excellent western starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Probably one of the top western movies--I'd rank it up there with Unforgiven as one of my favorites in that genre. I'll have to read the Elmore Leonard short story someday. Wonderfully rich, three-dimensional, not all good-not all bad characters in this movie. Intense action and ending.
27. Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion -- Hey, sometimes you just have to watch a light, funny movie from time to time, and you might as well watch one with some eye candy. Like, you know?
28. Blue Velvet -- And then you follow that up with a dark, twisted, odd, odd movie with a scary Dennis Hopper and some scenes that frankly were rather disturbing. I had never seen this before, a friend recommended it, and while I did like it overall, parts were just....as I said, disturbing.
29. My Best Friend's Wedding -- Hey, sometimes you got to watch movies the wife likes. I like this rom-com too. Julia Roberts as the 'bad' guy in this. And what a 'villain' she turned out to be. Cameron Diaz looked SO young in this movie.
30. Runaway Bride -- Another Julia Roberts movie. Another wedding....or rather multiple weddings. Another pairing of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. While I don't think this one tops Pretty Woman, it still is an enjoyable rom-com (and Julia does this thing with her mouth--makes it look like she's a duck).
31. HeartBreakers -- It was a weekend of rom-coms. Funny movie. More eye-candy.
32. Mulholland Dr. -- Another truly bizarre and twisted David Lynch movie. I liked this one slightly better than Blue Velvet, but that might be because I've seen this one a few times before and I wasn't as shocked by it this time around.
33. Rear Window -- As you'll see in future posts, I'm working my way through Alfred Hitchcock's movies. A little dated perhaps (primarily with the ending effects), but still a very, very good movie. Impressive use of one set. I liked the chemistry between James Stewart and Grace Kelly. She just glows on the screen and you can't take your eyes off her.
34. Dave -- This 'political' movie makes one wish it were possible for something good to truly come out of Washington. Sweet movie.
35. Psycho -- What more can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said so many times before. A classic noir film.
I guess this was the week of primarily twisted movies and eye candy. Hmmm...perhaps I should try to find some movies that combines both those qualities. Probably something by Quentin Tarantino. I'm working toward getting to some of his films in the very near future. And while I am a fan of Alfred Hitchcock's works and I enjoy Lynch's twisted movies and all the various eye-candy films, I think my favorite for this past week was 3:10 to Yuma.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 2: Jan. 8, 2010 to Jan. 14, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 13
13. District 9 -- I absolutely LOVED this movie! I'll have to find a time this year to watch it again, and soon. I loved the characters, the story, the setting -- I loved how the special effects didn't take over the movie. They were only a part of the movie. Too many movies nowadays rely too heavily on effects and don't worry as much about story, or character. This one was a perfect mix. If you haven't seen this movie, watch it.
14. Cashback -- I really enjoyed this small budget indie film. It was charming and funny and I had no idea what to expect when I started watching it and when it was done, I was truly impressed. A really good movie.
15. Edward Scissorhands -- An old favorite. After what, 20 years, this movie still gets to me. And the music...
16. The Fog -- This remake was 'okay'. The idea of the movie was kinda cool, but I'm not sure if the ending worked for me. I haven't seen the original so I don't know if that was the original ending or not. For a horror movie, I wasn't really 'scared'...
17. Sleepless in Seattle -- A great romantic comedy. What more is there to say? Though, I have to add, there is quite a difference watching this when you have no kids vs having kids. Now that I have kids, the scene where Tom Hanks' son flies off to NY on his own (at age 8) now really bothers me. I can only imagine (and hopefully that's all it will ever be) the horror of a parent in losing a child like that, even if only for a few hours. In real life, that flight from Seattle to NY in hopes of finding your missing son would have seemed like an eternity. A horrible eternity... That aside though, I love this rom-com. Great movie.
18. Breaking and Entering -- An interesting and thoughtful movie staring Jude Law. Each character in this small movie was flawed, and the 'victim' of the actual crime was perhaps the most flawed of all. Another movie I started with no idea what to expect. In general, I liked it.
19. The Blair Witch Project -- Oddly enough, I had never seen this movie before. I know, I couldn't believe it either. My friend suggested it to me so I gave it a try. Perhaps after all these years of hearing how scary this movie was, I went into it with high expectations, and they weren't entirely met. For a low budget film, it was good, but for much of the movie, I just wasn't that scared. And as the movie went on, I began to like the main characters less and less, until finally, I got to the point (and this has happened in many horror movies for me), where I couldn't wait for the characters to get bumped off. And the ending. I 'get' the ending. But...again, I guess I was expecting more. If, as this movie was trying to pretend, these tapes were 'real' the cameras would have continued filming even after they were dropped (at least until the batteries died, the cameras ran out of film, or they were switched off), and yet, as edited, the movie just stops. So...again, going on the premise that the footage was supposed to be real (I realize they were not), there should have been more footage of the carnage after what 'we' saw--and yet the people who edited the "real" film footage together didn't include it? Why not? It's supposed to be a 'horror'. If there was 'real' horror footage afterwards, it should have been included. Long story short, I felt the ending short-changed the viewers.
20. Leon, The Professional -- This was the director's cut of The Professional. I love this movie. Sharp action. Deeply emotional. Dark at times. Excellent performances by all the lead actors. Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman. Wow.
21. Splinter -- An intense 'monster' movie. Thrilling. Fun and at times, actually scary. I liked this 'monster' movie.
22. Hang 'Em High -- Clint Eastwood's first American western, according to the outside cover. Good movie. I like most of Clint's movies. Will have to watch 'Unforgiven' again soon.
23. Con Air -- An enjoyable movie with lots of great actors having fun. Cage, Cusack, Malkovich...the list goes on and on with this movie. Wild action. I really like this movie.
24. City of Ember -- A fun adventure story set in a unique world. The kids will probably like this movie in a few years (they're just a little too young to truly enjoy it now). I went out and found the book that this movie was based on and read it afterwards. A good read, too.
25. Fallen -- A great paranormal/cop film starring Denzel Washington. Excellent story. Nice twists. Dark, eerie movie. Watch this movie if you get the chance....'time is on your side, yes it is...' (the song sticks after watching this!)
A week of excellent movies! Again, too many to pick out one favorite, though District 9 would be near the top of my list for not only this week, but of all movies I've seen. And I'm glad I took a chance on a few of the smaller budget films--Cashback, Breaking and Entering and Splinter. Sometimes those little-known movies really do work out well.
Total number of movies watched: 13
13. District 9 -- I absolutely LOVED this movie! I'll have to find a time this year to watch it again, and soon. I loved the characters, the story, the setting -- I loved how the special effects didn't take over the movie. They were only a part of the movie. Too many movies nowadays rely too heavily on effects and don't worry as much about story, or character. This one was a perfect mix. If you haven't seen this movie, watch it.
14. Cashback -- I really enjoyed this small budget indie film. It was charming and funny and I had no idea what to expect when I started watching it and when it was done, I was truly impressed. A really good movie.
15. Edward Scissorhands -- An old favorite. After what, 20 years, this movie still gets to me. And the music...
16. The Fog -- This remake was 'okay'. The idea of the movie was kinda cool, but I'm not sure if the ending worked for me. I haven't seen the original so I don't know if that was the original ending or not. For a horror movie, I wasn't really 'scared'...
17. Sleepless in Seattle -- A great romantic comedy. What more is there to say? Though, I have to add, there is quite a difference watching this when you have no kids vs having kids. Now that I have kids, the scene where Tom Hanks' son flies off to NY on his own (at age 8) now really bothers me. I can only imagine (and hopefully that's all it will ever be) the horror of a parent in losing a child like that, even if only for a few hours. In real life, that flight from Seattle to NY in hopes of finding your missing son would have seemed like an eternity. A horrible eternity... That aside though, I love this rom-com. Great movie.
18. Breaking and Entering -- An interesting and thoughtful movie staring Jude Law. Each character in this small movie was flawed, and the 'victim' of the actual crime was perhaps the most flawed of all. Another movie I started with no idea what to expect. In general, I liked it.
19. The Blair Witch Project -- Oddly enough, I had never seen this movie before. I know, I couldn't believe it either. My friend suggested it to me so I gave it a try. Perhaps after all these years of hearing how scary this movie was, I went into it with high expectations, and they weren't entirely met. For a low budget film, it was good, but for much of the movie, I just wasn't that scared. And as the movie went on, I began to like the main characters less and less, until finally, I got to the point (and this has happened in many horror movies for me), where I couldn't wait for the characters to get bumped off. And the ending. I 'get' the ending. But...again, I guess I was expecting more. If, as this movie was trying to pretend, these tapes were 'real' the cameras would have continued filming even after they were dropped (at least until the batteries died, the cameras ran out of film, or they were switched off), and yet, as edited, the movie just stops. So...again, going on the premise that the footage was supposed to be real (I realize they were not), there should have been more footage of the carnage after what 'we' saw--and yet the people who edited the "real" film footage together didn't include it? Why not? It's supposed to be a 'horror'. If there was 'real' horror footage afterwards, it should have been included. Long story short, I felt the ending short-changed the viewers.
20. Leon, The Professional -- This was the director's cut of The Professional. I love this movie. Sharp action. Deeply emotional. Dark at times. Excellent performances by all the lead actors. Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman. Wow.
21. Splinter -- An intense 'monster' movie. Thrilling. Fun and at times, actually scary. I liked this 'monster' movie.
22. Hang 'Em High -- Clint Eastwood's first American western, according to the outside cover. Good movie. I like most of Clint's movies. Will have to watch 'Unforgiven' again soon.
23. Con Air -- An enjoyable movie with lots of great actors having fun. Cage, Cusack, Malkovich...the list goes on and on with this movie. Wild action. I really like this movie.
24. City of Ember -- A fun adventure story set in a unique world. The kids will probably like this movie in a few years (they're just a little too young to truly enjoy it now). I went out and found the book that this movie was based on and read it afterwards. A good read, too.
25. Fallen -- A great paranormal/cop film starring Denzel Washington. Excellent story. Nice twists. Dark, eerie movie. Watch this movie if you get the chance....'time is on your side, yes it is...' (the song sticks after watching this!)
A week of excellent movies! Again, too many to pick out one favorite, though District 9 would be near the top of my list for not only this week, but of all movies I've seen. And I'm glad I took a chance on a few of the smaller budget films--Cashback, Breaking and Entering and Splinter. Sometimes those little-known movies really do work out well.
About Movies and Exercising and Cleaning...oh my.
In regards to watching a movie every day, some days are easier than others. I know, compared to many people, watching a movie a day is a luxury. I'm not complaining. I usually attempt to watch the day's movie while exercising, or cleaning the house. (My wife is a fan of either--though I think she prefers the house cleaning more--no big surprise!) In an effort to get into better shape before I get too much older, I have been trying nearly every day to exercise to some extent--riding the exercise bike, lifting free weights, or simply a doing a variety of stretching exercises. Writing can become such a sedentary job--and often while I'm writing or editing, I have to remind myself to get up and walk around. Something just to get out of the chair!
Cleaning can be quite a physical work out too. Sometimes I'm able to get quite a bit done while the movie is playing--and other days, I use the movie as my reward. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of house cleaning. I'm reminded of a scene in 'The Break-up' where Jennifer Aniston's character and Vince Vaughn's character are discussing cleaning and she basically says something along the lines of: I want you to want to clean...and he replies: why would I want to clean? I don't know about you, but I think that's true for many people. I clean...but it's not like it's something I 'want' to do. The movie treat after is my "spoonful of the sugar to help the medicine go down".
So, the moral of the story, if there needs to be one, is: don't complain about something you enjoy doing, even if you don't feel like doing it every so often, 'cause you could be doing something a whole lot less fun all the time instead.
Wait, is that kinda like 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence'?
Hmmmm...
Yeah, I suppose that's the 'deep thought' for the day. I know, it's not impressive. But on only a couple of hours of sleep and one can of Mt Dew, it's not bad.
Watch out if I ever sleep eight hours in a row!
Cleaning can be quite a physical work out too. Sometimes I'm able to get quite a bit done while the movie is playing--and other days, I use the movie as my reward. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of house cleaning. I'm reminded of a scene in 'The Break-up' where Jennifer Aniston's character and Vince Vaughn's character are discussing cleaning and she basically says something along the lines of: I want you to want to clean...and he replies: why would I want to clean? I don't know about you, but I think that's true for many people. I clean...but it's not like it's something I 'want' to do. The movie treat after is my "spoonful of the sugar to help the medicine go down".
So, the moral of the story, if there needs to be one, is: don't complain about something you enjoy doing, even if you don't feel like doing it every so often, 'cause you could be doing something a whole lot less fun all the time instead.
Wait, is that kinda like 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence'?
Hmmmm...
Yeah, I suppose that's the 'deep thought' for the day. I know, it's not impressive. But on only a couple of hours of sleep and one can of Mt Dew, it's not bad.
Watch out if I ever sleep eight hours in a row!
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