Week 11: March 12, 2010 to March 18, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 9
I'm catching up...really, I am. I'm also trying to get some writing done in between all the movies. I managed to write and polish one script, polish a second short script I wrote years ago, and I'm editing a novel while starting a new one. Perhaps I'm working on too many projects all at once!?
Oh...and I'm still trying to do that thing you're supposed to do every night....what's it called....oh yeah, sleep. I'm managing to find a few hours of sleep every night. I probably should try to find a few more hours here and there...but they hide from me so very well! Perhaps this weekend I'll have a chance to catch up on some missing zzzzzs.
Okay -- enough chit-chat (at least for now). Let's get to the movies.
116. Three to Tango -- A cute, funny rom-com with some really funny actors--Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Oliver Platt. It has perhaps one of the better lines about a woman's posterior in it too. Perry's character is talking about Campbell's character and he says: "And she has an ass that is so sexy that I struggle to even understand it." What a line!
117. The Exorcist -- I don't know how I managed to live this long without seeing this movie before, but I finally saw the original (with added scenes not originally in the theatrical version). A disturbing movie at times, often dark and scary, and though so many other horrors have borrowed from it, or parodied it, I felt the movie held up fairly well. I'd put it up there with the original Omen movie as far as being a disturbingly creepy movie.
118. Payback -- This is the Mel Gibson theatrical version. I have the Director's Cut version on my pile of 'to be watched' (again) for this year. Gibson was great as the tough and mean Porter. Smart plot, sharp dialogue, and I think this was Lucy Lu's first big Hollywood movie too (she plays a sadistic hooker named Pearl in this). Based on the book, The Hunter by Richard Stark -- his main character, called Parker, is an excellent dark, tough, won't take shit from anyone type of anti-hero, and I'd love to see more of Richard Stark's "Parker" books made into movies. If I recall, the Director's Cut is actually darker and more in tone with the book series. I really enjoyed this movie.
119. Blood Work -- Another great Clint Eastwood movie. He plays a former FBI agent who has a heart attack in the middle of a foot chase and two years later, he's retired and recovering from a heart transplant. The source of his heart was a murder victim, and the victim's sister convinces him to come out of retirement to find her sister's killer. The tension builds every time he does something physical and he reaches for his heart. Good thriller.
120. The Time Machine -- An enjoyable sci-fi adventure with some incredible graphics and an interesting story. I read the book by H.G. Wells last year--and while they differ on many things, the basics of both were entertaining.
121. Speed -- Just a crazy ride. Sandra Bullock really shines in this movie. Even though the Mythbusters busted the bus-jumping stunt on their show (not a big shocker!), I still love this movie. Maybe someday I'll watch the sequel (though I've heard it wasn't really all that good).
122. Virtuosity -- Another sci-fi adventure--this time with a sadistic, dangerous, and very young looking Russell Crowe battling an equally young looking Denzel Washington in both cyberspace and in real life.
123. Snatch -- I guess I was just on a roll with the high-energy movies this week. Great caper movie. Funny characters. Funny plot. Lots of actors looking like they were having too much fun making this movie. And Brad Pitt--what the hell was he saying most of the time?! Actually, since I've seen this movie quite a few times, I've figured most of it out now--what a unique character. One of the few movies with Jason Statham in it where he actually doesn't fight--or take off his shirt (and it's still a good movie! LOL)
124. Pushing Tin -- A quirky comedy about two rival air traffic controllers (John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton) bent on one-upping each other. Also had Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie in it. Good movie overall.
Favorites this week include Payback, Blood Work and Snatch.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 10: March 5, 2010 to March 11, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 10
Darn spring break. I was hoping to get current with my weeks before the end of March but spring break happened and the kids have been keeping me busy. The little guy recently got PS2 Lego Indiana Jones so at least he wanted to watch the early Indy trilogy and that helped with my Year of Movies quest.
Also--a belated Happy Birthday to Quentin Tarantino. I'm a fan (as you'll note from this weeks movies) of his movies and his storytelling style. I'll be adding even more of his films to this years quest since I'm eager to watch Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bills (among others) again soon.
Let's get to the list.
106. Inglourious Basterds -- Revisionist history made fun. I really enjoyed this wild ride of a movie. Great performances by Brad Pitt and especially by Christoph Waltz. No wonder he won so many awards for this role. He played that part to perfection. And when he orders milk for Shoshana....(I know, if you haven't seen the movie you'll probably think, what? What's so scary about ordering milk?). This is one of those movies where I'll have to try and find the time to watch it again this year. A great movie--and one of my new all-time favorites.
107. Death Proof -- I watched Quentin Taratino's extended and unrated half of the Grindhouse movie. I've seen both it and Planet Terror before (separately, I didn't get a chance to see them while they were in the theater) and each time I've seen this one, I'm still stunned by the car stunts. Some of the dialogue scenes with the girls just sitting around chatting seems as if QT is just showing off his ability to write snappy dialogue, but since he's so capable of it, I don't find anything wrong with it. For what the movie was supposed to be--it works for me.
108. The Shadow -- A good, early super-hero movie. I wish they would make a sequel to this. I've heard rumors and read old stories online claiming a sequel is in the works, but I haven't seen or heard anything serious as of yet. While I really liked this movie, I think it came out just a few years too early. If it came out now, with all the other superhero movies doing well, I think more people would have noticed it. Bad timing.
109. Wall-E -- The kids wanted to see this so the whole family sat down and watched it. I'd tried to watch it last year one day when I was really tired and fell asleep. I chalked it up as just being tired and came to this viewing less tired, and hopeful that the movie was good and not the reason I fell asleep before. The movie was good. I'm still amazed that a movie with so little dialogue from its main character could still make you care so much for him. The kids loved the movie too.
110. Flawless -- This was the Demi Moore and Michael Caine British heist movie that came out a couple of years ago. I'd never heard of it before, knew nothing about it prior to watching it, but was impressed with the story and the acting. I'm a fan of heist movies and this was an enjoyable one to watch.
111. Unforgiven -- Superb movie. One of my favorites of all time. Clint Eastwood's character's turn near the end of the movie was quite the payoff. But prior to that, just great, great performances by him, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman--but then, that's not surprising either. I remember the first time I watched this movie, shortly after it came out, and I was just stunned by what Eastwood had done with this movie. One of only a few westerns I've watched over and over through the years.
112. Big Trouble -- A goofy, humorous movie with oddball characters and a silly story set in Miami. Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Jason Lee....only a few of the actors in this comedy. A fun movie.
113. Fanboys -- A friend recommended this movie to me. Good recommendation. If you love Star Wars, you'll probably love this movie too. And if you love Star Trek....well....if you have a sense of humor, you'll probably still love this movie. It was just a funny movie with a lot of good cameos.
114. Enemy of the State -- I'll have to add this one to my list of non-traditional Christmas movies since it's set during the Christmas season. I've always liked this movie--I thought Will Smith and Gene Hackman both do a great job in it. And hey, as long as you don't think too hard on the actual story--at least the part about how the govt can follow you etc....but then, as long as you're good, and don't do anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about, right? Right. Good action movie.
115. Cape Fear -- A taut Scorsese suspense thriller. De Niro was flat out scary (and scary good) in this movie. I remember vaguely watching this years ago and if I recall, I didn't like it very much. I'm trying to remember why. I thought it was a good movie now. Perhaps I didn't like the scene with De Niro at the school--if I recall, I think he won over the girl rather easily and I felt it wasn't very realistic. Sadly, I understand now from reading various reports in the newspaper, online or watching stories on the news that this kind of behavior does happen all the time, so perhaps my previous naivety has given way to a darker cynicism and understanding of this movie.
A single favorite--c'mon! I've got Unforgiven AND Inglourious Basterds in the same week. How could I pick a single favorite?
Have a great week, all, and keep watching movies!
Total number of movies watched: 10
Darn spring break. I was hoping to get current with my weeks before the end of March but spring break happened and the kids have been keeping me busy. The little guy recently got PS2 Lego Indiana Jones so at least he wanted to watch the early Indy trilogy and that helped with my Year of Movies quest.
Also--a belated Happy Birthday to Quentin Tarantino. I'm a fan (as you'll note from this weeks movies) of his movies and his storytelling style. I'll be adding even more of his films to this years quest since I'm eager to watch Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bills (among others) again soon.
Let's get to the list.
106. Inglourious Basterds -- Revisionist history made fun. I really enjoyed this wild ride of a movie. Great performances by Brad Pitt and especially by Christoph Waltz. No wonder he won so many awards for this role. He played that part to perfection. And when he orders milk for Shoshana....(I know, if you haven't seen the movie you'll probably think, what? What's so scary about ordering milk?). This is one of those movies where I'll have to try and find the time to watch it again this year. A great movie--and one of my new all-time favorites.
107. Death Proof -- I watched Quentin Taratino's extended and unrated half of the Grindhouse movie. I've seen both it and Planet Terror before (separately, I didn't get a chance to see them while they were in the theater) and each time I've seen this one, I'm still stunned by the car stunts. Some of the dialogue scenes with the girls just sitting around chatting seems as if QT is just showing off his ability to write snappy dialogue, but since he's so capable of it, I don't find anything wrong with it. For what the movie was supposed to be--it works for me.
108. The Shadow -- A good, early super-hero movie. I wish they would make a sequel to this. I've heard rumors and read old stories online claiming a sequel is in the works, but I haven't seen or heard anything serious as of yet. While I really liked this movie, I think it came out just a few years too early. If it came out now, with all the other superhero movies doing well, I think more people would have noticed it. Bad timing.
109. Wall-E -- The kids wanted to see this so the whole family sat down and watched it. I'd tried to watch it last year one day when I was really tired and fell asleep. I chalked it up as just being tired and came to this viewing less tired, and hopeful that the movie was good and not the reason I fell asleep before. The movie was good. I'm still amazed that a movie with so little dialogue from its main character could still make you care so much for him. The kids loved the movie too.
110. Flawless -- This was the Demi Moore and Michael Caine British heist movie that came out a couple of years ago. I'd never heard of it before, knew nothing about it prior to watching it, but was impressed with the story and the acting. I'm a fan of heist movies and this was an enjoyable one to watch.
111. Unforgiven -- Superb movie. One of my favorites of all time. Clint Eastwood's character's turn near the end of the movie was quite the payoff. But prior to that, just great, great performances by him, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman--but then, that's not surprising either. I remember the first time I watched this movie, shortly after it came out, and I was just stunned by what Eastwood had done with this movie. One of only a few westerns I've watched over and over through the years.
112. Big Trouble -- A goofy, humorous movie with oddball characters and a silly story set in Miami. Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Jason Lee....only a few of the actors in this comedy. A fun movie.
113. Fanboys -- A friend recommended this movie to me. Good recommendation. If you love Star Wars, you'll probably love this movie too. And if you love Star Trek....well....if you have a sense of humor, you'll probably still love this movie. It was just a funny movie with a lot of good cameos.
114. Enemy of the State -- I'll have to add this one to my list of non-traditional Christmas movies since it's set during the Christmas season. I've always liked this movie--I thought Will Smith and Gene Hackman both do a great job in it. And hey, as long as you don't think too hard on the actual story--at least the part about how the govt can follow you etc....but then, as long as you're good, and don't do anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about, right? Right. Good action movie.
115. Cape Fear -- A taut Scorsese suspense thriller. De Niro was flat out scary (and scary good) in this movie. I remember vaguely watching this years ago and if I recall, I didn't like it very much. I'm trying to remember why. I thought it was a good movie now. Perhaps I didn't like the scene with De Niro at the school--if I recall, I think he won over the girl rather easily and I felt it wasn't very realistic. Sadly, I understand now from reading various reports in the newspaper, online or watching stories on the news that this kind of behavior does happen all the time, so perhaps my previous naivety has given way to a darker cynicism and understanding of this movie.
A single favorite--c'mon! I've got Unforgiven AND Inglourious Basterds in the same week. How could I pick a single favorite?
Have a great week, all, and keep watching movies!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 9: Feb 26, 2010 to March 4, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 9
97. The Fountain -- When I watched this movie for the first time last year, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It is an incredibly beautiful and moving movie and Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are both excellent in it. I watched it again and I think I understood more of the movie--and my appreciation of it grew. At times sad, joyful, stunning, tender, loving and at all times quite emotional. This is a haunting and yet very touching love story.
98. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves -- Costner's accent was hit and miss, but I guess that didn't bother me as much as it did the real 'critics'. I loved Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham ("I'll cut your heart out with a spoon!") and most of the rest of the cast as well. It was a decent action movie but I am looking forward to seeing Russell Crowe's Robin Hood coming out....(Hmmm...let me check...)....May 14th. I just watched a TV teaser for the movie -- looks like one I'll want to watch.
99. The Reader -- A quiet and amazing movie. Kate Winslett just disappears into her roles. I came to this movie not knowing much about it so I was just riveted by the story and her ability.
100. Revolutionary Road -- Another amazing performance by Kate Winslett. Back-to-back movies starring her--and in both, she just disappears into the role. For some reason I thought this movie was supposed to be a romance -- perhaps because people were excited by the Kate and Leo reunion and I mistook their excitement to mean it was another romantic type movie. Regardless, I was still impressed by this movie about quiet desperation.
Note: I finished up movie #100 on Feb 28. Two months. 100 movies. A heavy load--and not a pace I really wanted to try to maintain for another ten months. March, as you will see, has a slower pace.
101. My Cousin Vinny -- After two rather heavy and deep movies, I had to lighten things up. I'd seen bits and pieces of this movie off and on over the years on TV, but obviously the TV version is just not the same as the DVD version! Finally, I got a chance to watch it from beginning to end. Joe Pesci was good. Marisa Tomei was awesome. I know she won the award for her role--I won't debate whether she deserved it or not--but I thought she did an incredible job on a role that could have frankly been forgettable in the wrong hands.
102. The Saint -- Though it has a meandering plot, I still like this movie and I wish there had been more movies made with this character. Will there be? (I'll have to check on that). I've found some articles online talking about a possible movie and/or new TV show, but nothing very recent (though I really didn't dig very deep).
103. Bangkok Dangerous -- I like quite a few of Nicolas Cage's movies but I had mixed feelings about this one. There were some good action scenes in it and I liked the scenery behind the story--but the movie just seemed so dark (and usually I like those kinds of movie).
104. The Princess Bride -- One of my all-time favorite movies. I absolutely love this movie. I've watched it dozens and dozens of times. I missed seeing it in the theater when it first came out, but years ago I did get a chance to see it at a special midnight showing. Just a wonderful experience. Great, great movie.
105. The Man Who Knew Too Much -- Alfred Hitchcock. Black and white. A little slow to start, but it picked up as it went along and by the end, there was quite a shoot-out. A decent Hitchcock movie, but not my favorite of his.
A single favorite? Well, how can I not say, The Princess Bride? It has been one of my favorites for....over twenty years? Has it been out that long! Wow.
Okay, aside from The Princess Bride, I really can't pick a single movie again. I loved The Fountain, but was impressed by both The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Obviously for laughs this week, My Cousin Vinny (if you don't count The Princess Bride) ranks up there...
Have a great week, all.
Total number of movies watched: 9
97. The Fountain -- When I watched this movie for the first time last year, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It is an incredibly beautiful and moving movie and Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are both excellent in it. I watched it again and I think I understood more of the movie--and my appreciation of it grew. At times sad, joyful, stunning, tender, loving and at all times quite emotional. This is a haunting and yet very touching love story.
98. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves -- Costner's accent was hit and miss, but I guess that didn't bother me as much as it did the real 'critics'. I loved Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham ("I'll cut your heart out with a spoon!") and most of the rest of the cast as well. It was a decent action movie but I am looking forward to seeing Russell Crowe's Robin Hood coming out....(Hmmm...let me check...)....May 14th. I just watched a TV teaser for the movie -- looks like one I'll want to watch.
99. The Reader -- A quiet and amazing movie. Kate Winslett just disappears into her roles. I came to this movie not knowing much about it so I was just riveted by the story and her ability.
100. Revolutionary Road -- Another amazing performance by Kate Winslett. Back-to-back movies starring her--and in both, she just disappears into the role. For some reason I thought this movie was supposed to be a romance -- perhaps because people were excited by the Kate and Leo reunion and I mistook their excitement to mean it was another romantic type movie. Regardless, I was still impressed by this movie about quiet desperation.
Note: I finished up movie #100 on Feb 28. Two months. 100 movies. A heavy load--and not a pace I really wanted to try to maintain for another ten months. March, as you will see, has a slower pace.
101. My Cousin Vinny -- After two rather heavy and deep movies, I had to lighten things up. I'd seen bits and pieces of this movie off and on over the years on TV, but obviously the TV version is just not the same as the DVD version! Finally, I got a chance to watch it from beginning to end. Joe Pesci was good. Marisa Tomei was awesome. I know she won the award for her role--I won't debate whether she deserved it or not--but I thought she did an incredible job on a role that could have frankly been forgettable in the wrong hands.
102. The Saint -- Though it has a meandering plot, I still like this movie and I wish there had been more movies made with this character. Will there be? (I'll have to check on that). I've found some articles online talking about a possible movie and/or new TV show, but nothing very recent (though I really didn't dig very deep).
103. Bangkok Dangerous -- I like quite a few of Nicolas Cage's movies but I had mixed feelings about this one. There were some good action scenes in it and I liked the scenery behind the story--but the movie just seemed so dark (and usually I like those kinds of movie).
104. The Princess Bride -- One of my all-time favorite movies. I absolutely love this movie. I've watched it dozens and dozens of times. I missed seeing it in the theater when it first came out, but years ago I did get a chance to see it at a special midnight showing. Just a wonderful experience. Great, great movie.
105. The Man Who Knew Too Much -- Alfred Hitchcock. Black and white. A little slow to start, but it picked up as it went along and by the end, there was quite a shoot-out. A decent Hitchcock movie, but not my favorite of his.
A single favorite? Well, how can I not say, The Princess Bride? It has been one of my favorites for....over twenty years? Has it been out that long! Wow.
Okay, aside from The Princess Bride, I really can't pick a single movie again. I loved The Fountain, but was impressed by both The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Obviously for laughs this week, My Cousin Vinny (if you don't count The Princess Bride) ranks up there...
Have a great week, all.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 8: Feb 19, 2010 to Feb 25, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 11
86. All the Pretty Horses -- A beautiful movie at times. Reminded me quite a bit of No Country For Old Men (or rather, since NCFOM came out afterwards perhaps it's the other way around). Obviously, since both were based on novels written by Cormac McCarthy, I might have picked up on the similar language used in both.
87. Glengarry GlenRoss -- An excellent movie with some brilliant performances. I was completely sucked into this movie and now that I've seen it, I wonder why I hadn't seen it before.
88. Secret Window -- A Stephen King story turned into a good, eerie movie starring Johnny Depp (as a writer!). Gotta love movies with writers as main characters! I've seen this one before, and have always liked it. Did you notice the camera seemingly passing through the mirror on the wall at the beginning of the film? Are we watching him or his mirror image?
89. Casablanca -- A classic. I've only seen it once before, but I truly enjoyed all the performances. A good romance. What more is there to be said that hasn't already been said before?
90. The Birds -- Another Hitchcock, and one I hadn't seen before. In general, I liked it well enough, but it's not one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. I think I was expecting more--and the ending really didn't do much for me.
91. Possession -- A charming romantic movie starring Paltrow and Eckheart (I really should make sure I'm spelling their names right!) and based on the novel by A.S. Byatt. It was a quiet movie, very sweet and I particularly liked the ending. One of those movies I probably wouldn't have watched if not for my attempt to broaden my horizons during this "Year of Movies", but I'm glad I did.
92. Public Enemies -- While Johnny Depp and Christian Bale both did excellent jobs in their roles, I felt the movie was just a bit too long.
93. Mr. Brooks -- I was impressed by this enthralling, intense movie. Costner and Hurt did a wonderful job working together. I love the scene where they're both in Costner's car, it's raining, and they're waiting for Dane Cook's (who did a great job in this too) character to join them. He needs to cross the street and he almost gets hit by a passing car, (which is what they hoped would happen just seconds earlier) and the way they both laughed.....very funny. Demi Moore's detective had sooooo much going on in her part of the story, but it all tied in nicely with the rest of the movie by the end. I'd like to see a sequel to this--but since it didn't do very well at the box office.....it probably won't happen. That's too bad. I'd love to see more of these characters.
94. Blue Thunder -- Remember when there seemed to be a helicopter in every movie / TV series? Blue Thunder, Airwolf, Riptide, Magnum PI.... Now, I'm missing all of those and wondering when these all will be made into movies a la Charlie's Angels, The A Team etc.
95. From Dusk Till Dawn -- The first time I saw this movie, I didn't know what it was! Action? Vampire? It was like two halves of different movies mashed into each other with a beautiful Selma Hayak very nicely stitching the two parts together.... I like this funny, gory movie. It's just a good time movie. (And now that I've seen it again, I'm curious about the cop at the beginning of the movie--isn't he the same cop character who appears in Kill Bill 1/2, and Death Proof and Planet Terror..?)
96. Shooter -- I really liked this action movie. If memory serves it's based on a novel by Stephen Hunter...(if this is wrong I'll have to come back and edit the name). In watching this with the director's commentary on, I was surprised by his attention to detail.
A single favorite? No, sorry, not this week. I'd put Glengarry GlenRoss, Secret Window and Mr. Brooks near the top of the list.
Whew. I'm almost caught up. Just a few more weeks and I'll be able to finish these posts shortly after I finish each week--and hopefully be able to include just a bit more on each entry. I've slowed down a bit too on my movie watching--I was at a 50/month pace in Jan/Feb, but I'm running closer to a low 40 total this month (March).
So, have I watched any of your favorites? Drop me a comment and let me know.
Total number of movies watched: 11
86. All the Pretty Horses -- A beautiful movie at times. Reminded me quite a bit of No Country For Old Men (or rather, since NCFOM came out afterwards perhaps it's the other way around). Obviously, since both were based on novels written by Cormac McCarthy, I might have picked up on the similar language used in both.
87. Glengarry GlenRoss -- An excellent movie with some brilliant performances. I was completely sucked into this movie and now that I've seen it, I wonder why I hadn't seen it before.
88. Secret Window -- A Stephen King story turned into a good, eerie movie starring Johnny Depp (as a writer!). Gotta love movies with writers as main characters! I've seen this one before, and have always liked it. Did you notice the camera seemingly passing through the mirror on the wall at the beginning of the film? Are we watching him or his mirror image?
89. Casablanca -- A classic. I've only seen it once before, but I truly enjoyed all the performances. A good romance. What more is there to be said that hasn't already been said before?
90. The Birds -- Another Hitchcock, and one I hadn't seen before. In general, I liked it well enough, but it's not one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. I think I was expecting more--and the ending really didn't do much for me.
91. Possession -- A charming romantic movie starring Paltrow and Eckheart (I really should make sure I'm spelling their names right!) and based on the novel by A.S. Byatt. It was a quiet movie, very sweet and I particularly liked the ending. One of those movies I probably wouldn't have watched if not for my attempt to broaden my horizons during this "Year of Movies", but I'm glad I did.
92. Public Enemies -- While Johnny Depp and Christian Bale both did excellent jobs in their roles, I felt the movie was just a bit too long.
93. Mr. Brooks -- I was impressed by this enthralling, intense movie. Costner and Hurt did a wonderful job working together. I love the scene where they're both in Costner's car, it's raining, and they're waiting for Dane Cook's (who did a great job in this too) character to join them. He needs to cross the street and he almost gets hit by a passing car, (which is what they hoped would happen just seconds earlier) and the way they both laughed.....very funny. Demi Moore's detective had sooooo much going on in her part of the story, but it all tied in nicely with the rest of the movie by the end. I'd like to see a sequel to this--but since it didn't do very well at the box office.....it probably won't happen. That's too bad. I'd love to see more of these characters.
94. Blue Thunder -- Remember when there seemed to be a helicopter in every movie / TV series? Blue Thunder, Airwolf, Riptide, Magnum PI.... Now, I'm missing all of those and wondering when these all will be made into movies a la Charlie's Angels, The A Team etc.
95. From Dusk Till Dawn -- The first time I saw this movie, I didn't know what it was! Action? Vampire? It was like two halves of different movies mashed into each other with a beautiful Selma Hayak very nicely stitching the two parts together.... I like this funny, gory movie. It's just a good time movie. (And now that I've seen it again, I'm curious about the cop at the beginning of the movie--isn't he the same cop character who appears in Kill Bill 1/2, and Death Proof and Planet Terror..?)
96. Shooter -- I really liked this action movie. If memory serves it's based on a novel by Stephen Hunter...(if this is wrong I'll have to come back and edit the name). In watching this with the director's commentary on, I was surprised by his attention to detail.
A single favorite? No, sorry, not this week. I'd put Glengarry GlenRoss, Secret Window and Mr. Brooks near the top of the list.
Whew. I'm almost caught up. Just a few more weeks and I'll be able to finish these posts shortly after I finish each week--and hopefully be able to include just a bit more on each entry. I've slowed down a bit too on my movie watching--I was at a 50/month pace in Jan/Feb, but I'm running closer to a low 40 total this month (March).
So, have I watched any of your favorites? Drop me a comment and let me know.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Year of Movies
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.
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.
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.
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