Week 16: April 16, 2010 to April 22, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 9
165. The Firm -- I read the book years ago and enjoyed the story, and I like this film version too. Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn all did great jobs, but Holly Hunter really stole the scenes she was in. And who can forget the short fight scene at the end of the movie when Tom Cruise beats the hell out of Wilford Brimley? It just wasn't fair!
166. Solaris -- This is a challenging movie--akin to The Fountain--in that I don't think I quite understood ALL of the movie with just one viewing, and perhaps like aspects of the movie, it just can't be 'understood' fully, period. There are just some things that can't be explained and/or understood. There seemed to be multiple levels of storytelling going on throughout the film and I'm looking forward to watching it again (and perhaps understanding at least a bit more of this thought-provoking movie). I liked the chemistry between George Clooney and Natascha McElhone. Jeremy Davies performance was incredibly creepy. Good, but creepy.
167. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial -- After what, 28 years or so, I still love this very sweet and very moving and very loving story about the bonds of friendship. I watched this with my little guy and he enjoyed the movie quite a bit too. I noticed that the DVD I watched had the updated version--the gun-less version. I'm not sure I understand (hmmm...is this a trend?) the reason for editing out the guns--I felt like the point of the story was, in part, that as long as only the kids were involved with the alien, all was fine--it wasn't until the adults showed up that problems surfaced--but, then, the change wasn't all that dramatic, I suppose. The magic of the movie remained even after all these years.
168. How To Train Your Dragon -- I FINALLY see a movie at the theater this year! Yea! I watched this with my little guy too. He loved this movie. I thought it was rather good too. We decided after the movie was over that we'd probably have to get the DVD when it comes out. He wants the DVD for his birthday or Christmas. Is it too early to get him hooked on movies? Actually, I think he's already hooked. He's such a fan of so many of the super-hero and action movies that have come out over the past year or so--and I've started showing him some of my favorite movies. (I was hesitant to show him the Lord of the Ring trilogy last year, but he really wanted to watch it--and when I warned him about the 'scary' parts he gave me a look and said, "Dad...it's not real. It's JUST a movie.") As for this movie, I was impressed with the animation and the story--both were quite good.
169. Trapped -- A thriller starring Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon. I liked certain aspects of this movie--primarily, the mother played by Charlize refusing to become the 'victim' that Kevin's character was hoping she'd become, and overall I was generally entertained, but the entertainment was solely on the surface. Dig below the surface of this movie, and parts of it just didn't add up. The young doctor (husband/father character) was obviously successful, had a seemingly happy marriage, was apparently active in helping to raise their little girl, did extensive lab work in developing a new drug AND was also an accomplished pilot. It just seemed a bit much for one person to achieve. Perhaps I'm being overly picky--I'd be interested in reading the book the movie was based on though -- 24 Hours.
170. Silverado -- Somehow over the past 25 years, I entirely missed watching this tremendously entertaining western. A great ensemble cast--Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and an incredibly funny Kevin Costner make up the four 'heroes' of this film, but there's also Jeff Goldblum, Jeff Fahey, Linda Hunt, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy...just to name a few more in the cast. They are all so watchable and entertaining that by the end, I was hoping for more. Clever writing and a beautiful movie filmed primarily (if I recall correctly) in New Mexico.
171. American Beauty -- The first time I watched this movie was about ten years ago when it came out, and I don't remember appreciating it very much--now, however, I think it is a beautiful and stunningly honest movie about life and families and growing older and a peek into the dark side of some suburban life and marriage. Excellent performances by all of the actors--and though we're told at the beginning how the movie ends, when it does end, it's still a shock. Also--who knew a plastic bag floating in the wind could be beautiful?
172. True Lies -- Wild action mashed up with romantic comedy and both are done well. The two Arnolds in this really looked like they were having fun with the action and the one-liners. And after watching Jamie Lee Curtis 'dance' in the hotel room, I'm thinking....why hasn't she been on Dancing With the Stars yet....? Also, I thought the 'Simon' character played by Bill Paxton was utterly hilarious. For a movie that runs over two hours, it sure didn't seem that long. I wish James Cameron had done a sequel on this one.
173. The Ninth Gate -- A friend recommended this dark thriller to me--and no surprise, I liked it. Johnny Depp manages to play a guy we're not supposed to like in a way we end up liking anyway. While I did enjoy this movie, there were a couple of sticking points--would people who deal in rare books handle their rare and expensive books so carelessly (without gloves, while smoking/drinking) and for a movie involving the devil, I thought the end was a bit on the tame side. Or perhaps, to keep with the 'lack of understanding on my part' theme going in this blog post--I just didn't 'get' the entire ending and it actually was darker and more sinister than it seems on the surface. Hmmm....possible.
A favorite this week? I suppose the sentimental favorite would go to E.T. BUT, I was really impressed by How To Train Your Dragon too. Also, for laughs, there's True Lies...for epic western, Silverado, and for an amazing overall movie, American Beauty. Geee...can I work in the others somehow too?
Have a great day, all.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 15: April 9, 2010 to April 15, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 10
155. Mission: Impossible 2 -- I'm perhaps one of the few people who liked the sequel better than the original. I thought the story was an interesting one--I liked the action sequences (of course, with John Woo as the director, the action sequences all seemed liked well-choreographed dances with guns or knives). I also liked how the villain in this one used some of the same technology as Ethan Hunt (primarily the fake faces).
156. Mission: Impossible 3 -- And of the three movies in the series so far, this one is probably my favorite. We got a glimpse into Ethan Hunt's personal life and into the 'offices' of IMF and being a fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman, I thought he did a great job as the villain in this one. I liked how J. J. Abrams started the story with a scene which occurs near the middle/end of the movie (he did this with his Alias TV show at times too), and then went back to the beginning leaving us all hanging...and wondering what the hell was happening...good movie.
157. Signs -- Yet another movie the critics didn't really like, but I did. War of the Worlds--but told only through the eyes of a single family in a single location. I liked the story idea. I liked the thought-provoking aspect of the 'faith' question raised in this--and I liked the line 'tell Merril to swing away'... It was as if all their lives were separate pieces of a puzzle that all came together to reveal the full picture when they were all each needed the most: the little girl's practice of leaving water glasses half-full all over the house, the boy's asthma, Merril's ability to swing hard over and over again--Yes, I too wondered why aliens who were able to travel across the galaxy were unable to open a doorknob but....maybe they had really greasy palms or really bad carpal tunnel....or something....
158. Moon -- Thanks to Twitter, I found out about this movie. I follow Kevin Spacey on Twitter and when this movie came out he posted about it--and I was intrigued, so when I was able to get it from my local library, I did. A really great indie film starring Sam Rockwell (and Kevin Spacey as the voice of the computer). Rockwell did an amazing job carrying this film (since he's primarily the only person you see on the screen for the bulk of the movie). I don't want to give away any spoilers because I came to this movie without any knowledge about it and I think that's actually the best way to watch this movie. See it if you get the chance.
159. The Breakfast Club -- A classic 80s movie. Do they make movies like this anymore? I think some of the reality shows 'try' to capture the feeling of this show, but they fail miserably. A great movie.
160. The Contender -- A political thriller starring Joan Allen as a senator chosen to become VP(with 'the Dude', Jeff Bridges, playing a very un-Dude like President of the US). Gary Oldman was impressive as the congressman who opposes Joan Allen's appointment. Interesting story about political power plays. Good movie.
161. The Corruptor -- A dark and deceptive police-action thriller set in Chinatown NY starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg. The movie was filled with twists and turns, violence, betrayal and overall, was a fairly entertaining movie. Has a good car chase in it too.
162. The Boondock Saints -- Somehow, I missed this movie when it first came out, but I'm glad I found it now. This was an edgy vigilante movie with some very odd, twisted and interesting characters and I'm looking forward to watching it again (especially now that I've picked up the sequel).
163. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -- Not exactly a 'full-length' movie, (about 43 minutes long) but I watched it on DVD the same day I watched 'The Boondock Saints' so it didn't exactly count as my 'finished' movie for that day, but since I watched it, and it was a movie (of sorts), I included it here. I also included it because it was incredibly funny, incredibly well written (no surprise since Joss Whedon was involved) and thoroughly enjoyable. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. If you haven't seen this, you must find a way to watch it. It's hilarious.
164. Titanic -- On the 98th Anniversary of Titanic actually sinking, I watched 'Titanic'. It seemed only fitting. I know some people claim they don't like the 'love story' and were shocked that some people were so upset by the ending; uhhhh, the ship is going to sink, but, I'll admit, I like this movie. I don't mind the love story--it served (in my opinion) it's purposes of 1) having someone to follow around while showing off the ship and 2) filling in the time between the historically 'accurate' events which occurred on the ship before, during and after its sinking. I saw this movie four times when it first came out and the last time was at one of those older theaters with an enormous screen and a theater big enough to seat hundreds. Unfortunately, like most theaters that size, it was torn down and replaced with a multiplex of smaller theaters with screens barely larger than the big-screens in some houses. I miss those old fashioned monster-sized theaters with their massive screens....
That's it for this week, folks. A single winner--not hardly. How could I pick just one? I've got a huge-budget epic disaster film and a tiny indie film in this list. I have a classic 80s hit....and a new favorite (The Boondock Saints) in this week. I even have Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.....so, I guess I'll just say, this was a pretty good week for me. Hopefully, you're having some fun watching the movies you love too. Tell me what you've seen and loved lately.
Have a great day, all.
Total number of movies watched: 10
155. Mission: Impossible 2 -- I'm perhaps one of the few people who liked the sequel better than the original. I thought the story was an interesting one--I liked the action sequences (of course, with John Woo as the director, the action sequences all seemed liked well-choreographed dances with guns or knives). I also liked how the villain in this one used some of the same technology as Ethan Hunt (primarily the fake faces).
156. Mission: Impossible 3 -- And of the three movies in the series so far, this one is probably my favorite. We got a glimpse into Ethan Hunt's personal life and into the 'offices' of IMF and being a fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman, I thought he did a great job as the villain in this one. I liked how J. J. Abrams started the story with a scene which occurs near the middle/end of the movie (he did this with his Alias TV show at times too), and then went back to the beginning leaving us all hanging...and wondering what the hell was happening...good movie.
157. Signs -- Yet another movie the critics didn't really like, but I did. War of the Worlds--but told only through the eyes of a single family in a single location. I liked the story idea. I liked the thought-provoking aspect of the 'faith' question raised in this--and I liked the line 'tell Merril to swing away'... It was as if all their lives were separate pieces of a puzzle that all came together to reveal the full picture when they were all each needed the most: the little girl's practice of leaving water glasses half-full all over the house, the boy's asthma, Merril's ability to swing hard over and over again--Yes, I too wondered why aliens who were able to travel across the galaxy were unable to open a doorknob but....maybe they had really greasy palms or really bad carpal tunnel....or something....
158. Moon -- Thanks to Twitter, I found out about this movie. I follow Kevin Spacey on Twitter and when this movie came out he posted about it--and I was intrigued, so when I was able to get it from my local library, I did. A really great indie film starring Sam Rockwell (and Kevin Spacey as the voice of the computer). Rockwell did an amazing job carrying this film (since he's primarily the only person you see on the screen for the bulk of the movie). I don't want to give away any spoilers because I came to this movie without any knowledge about it and I think that's actually the best way to watch this movie. See it if you get the chance.
159. The Breakfast Club -- A classic 80s movie. Do they make movies like this anymore? I think some of the reality shows 'try' to capture the feeling of this show, but they fail miserably. A great movie.
160. The Contender -- A political thriller starring Joan Allen as a senator chosen to become VP(with 'the Dude', Jeff Bridges, playing a very un-Dude like President of the US). Gary Oldman was impressive as the congressman who opposes Joan Allen's appointment. Interesting story about political power plays. Good movie.
161. The Corruptor -- A dark and deceptive police-action thriller set in Chinatown NY starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg. The movie was filled with twists and turns, violence, betrayal and overall, was a fairly entertaining movie. Has a good car chase in it too.
162. The Boondock Saints -- Somehow, I missed this movie when it first came out, but I'm glad I found it now. This was an edgy vigilante movie with some very odd, twisted and interesting characters and I'm looking forward to watching it again (especially now that I've picked up the sequel).
163. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -- Not exactly a 'full-length' movie, (about 43 minutes long) but I watched it on DVD the same day I watched 'The Boondock Saints' so it didn't exactly count as my 'finished' movie for that day, but since I watched it, and it was a movie (of sorts), I included it here. I also included it because it was incredibly funny, incredibly well written (no surprise since Joss Whedon was involved) and thoroughly enjoyable. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. If you haven't seen this, you must find a way to watch it. It's hilarious.
164. Titanic -- On the 98th Anniversary of Titanic actually sinking, I watched 'Titanic'. It seemed only fitting. I know some people claim they don't like the 'love story' and were shocked that some people were so upset by the ending; uhhhh, the ship is going to sink, but, I'll admit, I like this movie. I don't mind the love story--it served (in my opinion) it's purposes of 1) having someone to follow around while showing off the ship and 2) filling in the time between the historically 'accurate' events which occurred on the ship before, during and after its sinking. I saw this movie four times when it first came out and the last time was at one of those older theaters with an enormous screen and a theater big enough to seat hundreds. Unfortunately, like most theaters that size, it was torn down and replaced with a multiplex of smaller theaters with screens barely larger than the big-screens in some houses. I miss those old fashioned monster-sized theaters with their massive screens....
That's it for this week, folks. A single winner--not hardly. How could I pick just one? I've got a huge-budget epic disaster film and a tiny indie film in this list. I have a classic 80s hit....and a new favorite (The Boondock Saints) in this week. I even have Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.....so, I guess I'll just say, this was a pretty good week for me. Hopefully, you're having some fun watching the movies you love too. Tell me what you've seen and loved lately.
Have a great day, all.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 14: April 2, 2010 to April 8, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 11
144. The Passion of the Christ -- It's Easter weekend, so I thought it was fitting to watch this incredibly moving film again. I thought it was visually stunning with an impressive performance by Jim Caviezel.
145. U. S. Marshals -- A great sequel to The Fugitive--and a good movie on its own merits. I wish they'd made another sequel of this movie--I wonder why they didn't. Every year I watch this movie on the anniversary of my friend's death. He was murdered seven years ago--I can hardly believe its been seven years--and its the last movie we watched together. He liked the movie, so in honor of him, I watch it again every year. RIP Joe. We all miss you.
146. Law Abiding Citizen -- It seems like most critics hated this movie--I guess it's a good thing I'm not a 'critic'. I didn't 'love' this movie, but I found it to be darkly entertaining. They say revenge is a dish best served cold--I'd say this movie served it up cold and nasty.
147. Surrogates -- An intriguing story idea with an always (well, almost always) fun to watch Bruce Willis as the cop/surrogate cop investigating a series of homicides. With modern technology advancing so quickly, how long before we all plug in and start living our lives through surrogates? In a way, aren't we already doing something akin to this when we go online? A though-provoking idea....I liked this movie.
148. Raising Arizona -- Just a bizarre movie. The Coen Brothers sure do write their share of oddball characters, don't they? This is another of those movies I had seen over the years piecemeal so it was nice to finally watch this from start to finish. Holly Hunter is so much fun to watch in this. Nicolas Cage and John Goodman are good in this too.
149. Dead Poets Society -- Carpe Diem. Seize the day and make your life extraordinary. This is one of my favorite movies and it has one of the best messages contained within a movie. I don't know why this movie didn't end up bigger than it did--what a truly inspiring movie with truly inspiring performances by Robin Williams and Robert Sean Leonard. Looking it up on imdb.com it looks like it won an Oscar in 1990 for writing, but not for acting/director or picture. Now I'm curious--I'll have to see which picture(s) did win that year.
150. 3:10 to Yuma -- I watched the Christian Bale / Russell Crowe remake of this earlier this year--but a friend of mine suggested I watch the original with Glenn Ford as Ben Wade, so I did. This version was an even tighter plotted movie than the remake and the ending was different (for those who haven't watched both I won't ruin either ending), but overall, I liked both films quite a bit. Growing up, I really didn't watch a lot of westerns, but I'm really enjoying that genre lately and I'm looking to include even more westerns into my list of movies to-be-watched this year (and in the future).
151. The Sixth Sense -- M. Night Shyamalan's great thriller and one of my favorite movies of all time (with a great performance by Bruce Willis -- again). A couple of weeks back I watched a bunch of Baz Luhrmann's films back-to-back and I enjoyed the experience, so I thought I'd do it again with another director (and I'll probably do it again throughout the rest of this year--probably with Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron...just to name a few). Just an impressive movie from start to finish.
152. Unbreakable -- I know some people didn't like this movie as much as The Sixth Sense, but I've always been fascinated by the idea of....the spectrum of people. What I mean is, at one end of the spectrum, like in the movie, there probably is someone who is 'unbreakable' in the sense that they are incredibly strong, or healthy, or good, or some other quality of the human condition--while at the same time, there is an opposite person at the other end of the spectrum. I know a lot of these qualities are subjective--and yet, there are world record holders who are the world's fastest runner, highest jumper, quickest reader etc. Anyway, since I'm also a super-hero fan--I just thought this was an interesting, thought-provoking story, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
153. The Village -- I was impressed with the story of this movie, and like a lot of Night's movies, it makes me think 'what if'. What if a group of people decided to go off into a nature preserve and start a new society without any outside influence....could they make it work/seem real to the next generation and beyond? How would the next generation know about the real world without experiencing it for themselves? I know this movie wasn't as well liked by the critics either--but I really enjoyed this movie and Bryce Dallas Howard's performance.
154. Mission: Impossible -- I wasn't able to get the last Night movie I wanted (Signs) until a few days later, so I decided to watch the Mission Impossible trilogy back-to-back-to-back for the first time ever. I'll talk about the other two movies in the next blog post since they ended up being seen by me in Week 15 -- but of the three movies, I think I liked this one the least. It had some really good action in it, an intricate plot, but I suppose what I disliked about it was (and since this movie has been out for many years now, I don't think I'll spoil this ending) the film-makers took the original TV 'hero' (as far as I can tell--I didn't watch many of the original TV episodes) of Mission Impossible, and turned him into the villain and tried to explain it as Jim Phelps woke up one day and realized he wasn't appreciated for his work, he wasn't compensated well enough, and he disliked his boss. If another villain had been used, I think I would have liked the movie better.
Favorites for the week? Dead Poets Society, The Sixth Sense, U.S. Marshals and The Passion of the Christ are up near the top this week, but overall, another good week of movies. Next weeks movies have some favorites too. Yeah, I know, I really should try to watch some movies I hate from time to time!
Total number of movies watched: 11
144. The Passion of the Christ -- It's Easter weekend, so I thought it was fitting to watch this incredibly moving film again. I thought it was visually stunning with an impressive performance by Jim Caviezel.
145. U. S. Marshals -- A great sequel to The Fugitive--and a good movie on its own merits. I wish they'd made another sequel of this movie--I wonder why they didn't. Every year I watch this movie on the anniversary of my friend's death. He was murdered seven years ago--I can hardly believe its been seven years--and its the last movie we watched together. He liked the movie, so in honor of him, I watch it again every year. RIP Joe. We all miss you.
146. Law Abiding Citizen -- It seems like most critics hated this movie--I guess it's a good thing I'm not a 'critic'. I didn't 'love' this movie, but I found it to be darkly entertaining. They say revenge is a dish best served cold--I'd say this movie served it up cold and nasty.
147. Surrogates -- An intriguing story idea with an always (well, almost always) fun to watch Bruce Willis as the cop/surrogate cop investigating a series of homicides. With modern technology advancing so quickly, how long before we all plug in and start living our lives through surrogates? In a way, aren't we already doing something akin to this when we go online? A though-provoking idea....I liked this movie.
148. Raising Arizona -- Just a bizarre movie. The Coen Brothers sure do write their share of oddball characters, don't they? This is another of those movies I had seen over the years piecemeal so it was nice to finally watch this from start to finish. Holly Hunter is so much fun to watch in this. Nicolas Cage and John Goodman are good in this too.
149. Dead Poets Society -- Carpe Diem. Seize the day and make your life extraordinary. This is one of my favorite movies and it has one of the best messages contained within a movie. I don't know why this movie didn't end up bigger than it did--what a truly inspiring movie with truly inspiring performances by Robin Williams and Robert Sean Leonard. Looking it up on imdb.com it looks like it won an Oscar in 1990 for writing, but not for acting/director or picture. Now I'm curious--I'll have to see which picture(s) did win that year.
150. 3:10 to Yuma -- I watched the Christian Bale / Russell Crowe remake of this earlier this year--but a friend of mine suggested I watch the original with Glenn Ford as Ben Wade, so I did. This version was an even tighter plotted movie than the remake and the ending was different (for those who haven't watched both I won't ruin either ending), but overall, I liked both films quite a bit. Growing up, I really didn't watch a lot of westerns, but I'm really enjoying that genre lately and I'm looking to include even more westerns into my list of movies to-be-watched this year (and in the future).
151. The Sixth Sense -- M. Night Shyamalan's great thriller and one of my favorite movies of all time (with a great performance by Bruce Willis -- again). A couple of weeks back I watched a bunch of Baz Luhrmann's films back-to-back and I enjoyed the experience, so I thought I'd do it again with another director (and I'll probably do it again throughout the rest of this year--probably with Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron...just to name a few). Just an impressive movie from start to finish.
152. Unbreakable -- I know some people didn't like this movie as much as The Sixth Sense, but I've always been fascinated by the idea of....the spectrum of people. What I mean is, at one end of the spectrum, like in the movie, there probably is someone who is 'unbreakable' in the sense that they are incredibly strong, or healthy, or good, or some other quality of the human condition--while at the same time, there is an opposite person at the other end of the spectrum. I know a lot of these qualities are subjective--and yet, there are world record holders who are the world's fastest runner, highest jumper, quickest reader etc. Anyway, since I'm also a super-hero fan--I just thought this was an interesting, thought-provoking story, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
153. The Village -- I was impressed with the story of this movie, and like a lot of Night's movies, it makes me think 'what if'. What if a group of people decided to go off into a nature preserve and start a new society without any outside influence....could they make it work/seem real to the next generation and beyond? How would the next generation know about the real world without experiencing it for themselves? I know this movie wasn't as well liked by the critics either--but I really enjoyed this movie and Bryce Dallas Howard's performance.
154. Mission: Impossible -- I wasn't able to get the last Night movie I wanted (Signs) until a few days later, so I decided to watch the Mission Impossible trilogy back-to-back-to-back for the first time ever. I'll talk about the other two movies in the next blog post since they ended up being seen by me in Week 15 -- but of the three movies, I think I liked this one the least. It had some really good action in it, an intricate plot, but I suppose what I disliked about it was (and since this movie has been out for many years now, I don't think I'll spoil this ending) the film-makers took the original TV 'hero' (as far as I can tell--I didn't watch many of the original TV episodes) of Mission Impossible, and turned him into the villain and tried to explain it as Jim Phelps woke up one day and realized he wasn't appreciated for his work, he wasn't compensated well enough, and he disliked his boss. If another villain had been used, I think I would have liked the movie better.
Favorites for the week? Dead Poets Society, The Sixth Sense, U.S. Marshals and The Passion of the Christ are up near the top this week, but overall, another good week of movies. Next weeks movies have some favorites too. Yeah, I know, I really should try to watch some movies I hate from time to time!
Friday, April 16, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 13: March 26, 2010 to April 1, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 11
133. St Elmo's Fire -- This is one of those movies I've seen over the years on TV piecemeal. I've seen the middle and the end, but rarely (if ever?) the very beginning. So, finally, thanks to this years movie quest, I watched this movie, not on TV, from the very beginning to the very end. It makes a little more sense that way! Go figure. I liked the story even if some of the characters were a bit cliched. A decent coming-of-age movie.
134. The Game -- Michael Douglas and Sean Penn star in this mind-twisting thriller. The very first time I saw this movie I really enjoyed all the twists and turns and even now, after I know what to expect, I still enjoy watching this one. A great thriller all the way to the end.
135. Dangerous Liaisons -- Another of those movies I just love to watch from time to time. John Malkovich is incredibly good in this movie, as is Glenn Close. It is a fascinating story with a host of deeply intense and passionate characters and I am never bored watching this movie.
136. Synecdoche New York -- An ambitious movie unlike anything I've ever seen before. Memorable. Haunting. Moving. Darkly real. Philip Seymour Hoffman again proves what an amazing actor he is. I knew nothing about this movie going into watching it--and I was just blown away by the intricate plotting and attention to detail and the oddly bizarre cast of characters.
137. State and Main -- While I truly enjoyed watching Synecdoche New York, I had to follow it up with something a little lighter and funnier and this one is a witty movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman also in it. Boy can he act. Have I said that before? I'll say it again. He's just a very talented man. Alec Baldwin, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker...this movie is just filled with great actors and snappy dialogue.
138. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark -- My little guy recently got the Lego Indiana Jones game for Playstation, and he had only seen the most recent (4th) Indiana movie, so we decided that we should sit down and watch the first three together. I love this movie--and so did he. I was a little worried about a couple of the scenes--especially near the end--but as he has told me so many times in the past, it's okay dad, I know it's not 'real'--it's just a movie. This is a great action adventure movie, and one of my all-time favorites.
139. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- Of the four, this is the one I think is the weakest. So did my little guy. He thought they added a lot of 'gross stuff' just for the sake of having 'gross stuff' in the movie (such as the dinner scene and the insects). He liked the coal-car chase scene near the end of the movie though (as did I). For a 'prequel' (this movie is set in 1935 while Raiders is set in 1936), it's not bad.
140. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- A great movie and a great sequel. The addition of Sean Connery to this movie was genius. I loved the whole father-son relationship they developed in this movie. My little guy loved this movie too. Another of my all-time favorite movies.
141. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- After almost twenty years, Harrison Ford proves he still can wear the fedora and crack the whip. I know the critics didn't like this one as much, but I truly enjoyed this movie. It had most of the fun of the action adventure of the original trilogy that I liked, plus it had the father-son relationship banter I liked in the last movie (though it wasn't quite as good as the Ford-Connery banter). While not quite as good as Raiders or Crusade, I liked it better than Temple. The little guy liked it too.
NOTE: This was the last movie I watched in March 2010. 'Only' watched 41 movies this month. A little less than the previous months, but I also got more writing and reading done in March. Okay, back to the list...
142. 3 Days of the Condor -- This is one of those good spy thrillers I've heard about over the years, but I'd never seen it--until now. I thought it was pretty good. Robert Redford wasn't just the typical spy--he worked for the government by reading and analyzing books. And maybe it's just me, but Jessica Biel looks a lot like a young Fave Dunaway. Maybe it's the cheekbones....
143. The Fugitive -- Harrison Ford in another great movie. No big surprise there. Tommy Lee Jones is quite good in this too. Every year around this time, I watch U.S. Marshals (and I'll explain why in my next blog post), and this time since I'm on this crazy movie-watching quest, I figured I might as well watch the first movie of this 'series' too. Why weren't more movies made with the 'U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard' character?
Favorite movie? Ha. How can I pick just one from five Harrison Ford movies, two Philip Seymour Hoffman movies and a John Malkovich movie? Impossible. Now, if they were to make a fifth Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, Philip Seymour Hoffman AND John Malkovich in it.....well, that would probably be the one....
Total number of movies watched: 11
133. St Elmo's Fire -- This is one of those movies I've seen over the years on TV piecemeal. I've seen the middle and the end, but rarely (if ever?) the very beginning. So, finally, thanks to this years movie quest, I watched this movie, not on TV, from the very beginning to the very end. It makes a little more sense that way! Go figure. I liked the story even if some of the characters were a bit cliched. A decent coming-of-age movie.
134. The Game -- Michael Douglas and Sean Penn star in this mind-twisting thriller. The very first time I saw this movie I really enjoyed all the twists and turns and even now, after I know what to expect, I still enjoy watching this one. A great thriller all the way to the end.
135. Dangerous Liaisons -- Another of those movies I just love to watch from time to time. John Malkovich is incredibly good in this movie, as is Glenn Close. It is a fascinating story with a host of deeply intense and passionate characters and I am never bored watching this movie.
136. Synecdoche New York -- An ambitious movie unlike anything I've ever seen before. Memorable. Haunting. Moving. Darkly real. Philip Seymour Hoffman again proves what an amazing actor he is. I knew nothing about this movie going into watching it--and I was just blown away by the intricate plotting and attention to detail and the oddly bizarre cast of characters.
137. State and Main -- While I truly enjoyed watching Synecdoche New York, I had to follow it up with something a little lighter and funnier and this one is a witty movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman also in it. Boy can he act. Have I said that before? I'll say it again. He's just a very talented man. Alec Baldwin, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker...this movie is just filled with great actors and snappy dialogue.
138. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark -- My little guy recently got the Lego Indiana Jones game for Playstation, and he had only seen the most recent (4th) Indiana movie, so we decided that we should sit down and watch the first three together. I love this movie--and so did he. I was a little worried about a couple of the scenes--especially near the end--but as he has told me so many times in the past, it's okay dad, I know it's not 'real'--it's just a movie. This is a great action adventure movie, and one of my all-time favorites.
139. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- Of the four, this is the one I think is the weakest. So did my little guy. He thought they added a lot of 'gross stuff' just for the sake of having 'gross stuff' in the movie (such as the dinner scene and the insects). He liked the coal-car chase scene near the end of the movie though (as did I). For a 'prequel' (this movie is set in 1935 while Raiders is set in 1936), it's not bad.
140. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- A great movie and a great sequel. The addition of Sean Connery to this movie was genius. I loved the whole father-son relationship they developed in this movie. My little guy loved this movie too. Another of my all-time favorite movies.
141. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- After almost twenty years, Harrison Ford proves he still can wear the fedora and crack the whip. I know the critics didn't like this one as much, but I truly enjoyed this movie. It had most of the fun of the action adventure of the original trilogy that I liked, plus it had the father-son relationship banter I liked in the last movie (though it wasn't quite as good as the Ford-Connery banter). While not quite as good as Raiders or Crusade, I liked it better than Temple. The little guy liked it too.
NOTE: This was the last movie I watched in March 2010. 'Only' watched 41 movies this month. A little less than the previous months, but I also got more writing and reading done in March. Okay, back to the list...
142. 3 Days of the Condor -- This is one of those good spy thrillers I've heard about over the years, but I'd never seen it--until now. I thought it was pretty good. Robert Redford wasn't just the typical spy--he worked for the government by reading and analyzing books. And maybe it's just me, but Jessica Biel looks a lot like a young Fave Dunaway. Maybe it's the cheekbones....
143. The Fugitive -- Harrison Ford in another great movie. No big surprise there. Tommy Lee Jones is quite good in this too. Every year around this time, I watch U.S. Marshals (and I'll explain why in my next blog post), and this time since I'm on this crazy movie-watching quest, I figured I might as well watch the first movie of this 'series' too. Why weren't more movies made with the 'U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard' character?
Favorite movie? Ha. How can I pick just one from five Harrison Ford movies, two Philip Seymour Hoffman movies and a John Malkovich movie? Impossible. Now, if they were to make a fifth Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, Philip Seymour Hoffman AND John Malkovich in it.....well, that would probably be the one....
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Plans...
What's the saying, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray?
I was hoping to have the next couple of weeks of movies up by this past weekend--and then I woke up Saturday morning sick as a dog...
And then, I started thinking about that saying 'sick as a dog' and I thought, how sick is being sick as a dog? Honestly, my dog is rarely if ever sick. So, then I wondered, maybe I'm sicker than a dog...
And on top of me being sick, my little girl is sick which makes the whole being sick even worse because I can't just lie around and be sick--I have to make sure she's comfortable, and not throwing up on everything....while not throwing up myself. And since she basically eats off and on all day long, she's right now wanting to eat...again...and so, I must go and try to convince her--without upsetting her too much--that she needs to wait a bit before she eats anymore.
All while I have a splitting sinus headache and only a couple of hours of sleep.
So--I will post those lists someday soon.
Take care all -
I was hoping to have the next couple of weeks of movies up by this past weekend--and then I woke up Saturday morning sick as a dog...
And then, I started thinking about that saying 'sick as a dog' and I thought, how sick is being sick as a dog? Honestly, my dog is rarely if ever sick. So, then I wondered, maybe I'm sicker than a dog...
And on top of me being sick, my little girl is sick which makes the whole being sick even worse because I can't just lie around and be sick--I have to make sure she's comfortable, and not throwing up on everything....while not throwing up myself. And since she basically eats off and on all day long, she's right now wanting to eat...again...and so, I must go and try to convince her--without upsetting her too much--that she needs to wait a bit before she eats anymore.
All while I have a splitting sinus headache and only a couple of hours of sleep.
So--I will post those lists someday soon.
Take care all -
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A Year of Movies
Week 12: March 19, 2010 to March 25, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 8
Yes, that's right. Just eight movies this week. One more than the minimum required to fulfill my self-imposed goals--but some weeks are feasts, others are famines. And while the number is low, I actually enjoyed all eight movies this week quite a bit. I decided to try something a little different this week (and I've continued this on as you'll see in future weeks), and I watched a series of movies by one director all in a row. This week's director of choice was: Baz Luhrmann.
125. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (dir. Luhrmann) -- An interesting mix of Shakespeare's words with a 'fantasy-modern' gun-slinging gangster setting. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this version of Romeo and Juliet -- I suppose I was more accustomed to the typical traditional ways of telling this story -- but once I really got into the language again, I found myself enjoying this unique vision of the movie. Luhrmann's use of color in this (and as I found when watching all the rest of his movies) is impressive--and he creates lush, visual masterpieces for your eyes to feast upon. The set piece at the end (the death scene) was just beautiful.
126. Strictly Ballroom (dir. Luhrmann) -- I'd never seen this movie before, and I'm very glad that this 'movie-a-day' goal has broadened my viewing horizon and I took the time to watch this film. It was a sweet movie, touching, romantic, funny with a good message too -- a life lived in fear-is a life half-lived. That message resonated with me which is partially why I liked the movie so much.
127. Moulin Rouge! (dir. Luhrmann) -- I'll admit, this is one of my favorite movies. The very first time I watched it, the music hooked me--and then I started paying attention to more of the story, and then the little details, and then the silly tiny details -- "Frank is living in my foot" (if you've seen this movie often enough, you'll know what this means). I suppose another reason I love this movie is again, the message(s): This story is about Truth. This story is about Beauty. This story is about Freedom. Above all things, this story is about Love. How can you go wrong if you have all four of those in your life? "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return."--another great message for life.
128. Australia (dir. Luhrmann) -- I know the critics generally didn't like this movie, but I thought it was a beautiful epic movie with some touching characters and an intriguing story. The little boy who played Nullah, Brandon Walters, did an impressive job carrying is portion of the film along side Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
129. Napoleon Dynamite -- I'd never seen this before. I didn't really know what it was about--except for the fact that the main character looked really odd. It ended up being a really good, quirky romantic comedy about a truly unique and yet easily identifiable individual.
130. The Astronaut Farmer -- A heart-warming movie with another great message about basically never giving up and to keep chasing after your dreams.
131. Red Eye -- I don't even remember this movie coming out -- but this thriller by Wes Craven ended up being pretty good. Starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, it's about a woman kidnapped on a plane and forced to assist in an assassination. Cillian plays charmingly evil so very well, but what I particularly liked was the strength exhibited by McAdams' character. She simply refused to quit or to play the role of a 'victim'--unlike so many other female leads in traditional thriller/horrors.
132. Rapid Fire -- Brandon Lee really showed off his fighting talents in this movie. It's a decent movie, lots of good action, excellent fighting (no surprise there) -- Brandon Lee was able to pretty much pull off being both bitter and charming at the same time. It's a shame he died so young. Love the movie, The Crow. I'll have to make sure to watch that movie again (perhaps closer to Halloween since it takes place on 'Devil's Night') this year.
Moulin Rouge! is one of my favorite movies so if I had to pick just one this week, I'd most likely choose it--however, there really were a lot of movies in this bunch I enjoyed. I've been fortunate lately in picking some really good 'new to me' movies (yes, I've seen some of these movies, but not ALL of them).
Well, I'm almost caught up. Only a couple of weeks behind now. If all goes well, perhaps I'll be caught up by the weekend.
Total number of movies watched: 8
Yes, that's right. Just eight movies this week. One more than the minimum required to fulfill my self-imposed goals--but some weeks are feasts, others are famines. And while the number is low, I actually enjoyed all eight movies this week quite a bit. I decided to try something a little different this week (and I've continued this on as you'll see in future weeks), and I watched a series of movies by one director all in a row. This week's director of choice was: Baz Luhrmann.
125. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (dir. Luhrmann) -- An interesting mix of Shakespeare's words with a 'fantasy-modern' gun-slinging gangster setting. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this version of Romeo and Juliet -- I suppose I was more accustomed to the typical traditional ways of telling this story -- but once I really got into the language again, I found myself enjoying this unique vision of the movie. Luhrmann's use of color in this (and as I found when watching all the rest of his movies) is impressive--and he creates lush, visual masterpieces for your eyes to feast upon. The set piece at the end (the death scene) was just beautiful.
126. Strictly Ballroom (dir. Luhrmann) -- I'd never seen this movie before, and I'm very glad that this 'movie-a-day' goal has broadened my viewing horizon and I took the time to watch this film. It was a sweet movie, touching, romantic, funny with a good message too -- a life lived in fear-is a life half-lived. That message resonated with me which is partially why I liked the movie so much.
127. Moulin Rouge! (dir. Luhrmann) -- I'll admit, this is one of my favorite movies. The very first time I watched it, the music hooked me--and then I started paying attention to more of the story, and then the little details, and then the silly tiny details -- "Frank is living in my foot" (if you've seen this movie often enough, you'll know what this means). I suppose another reason I love this movie is again, the message(s): This story is about Truth. This story is about Beauty. This story is about Freedom. Above all things, this story is about Love. How can you go wrong if you have all four of those in your life? "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return."--another great message for life.
128. Australia (dir. Luhrmann) -- I know the critics generally didn't like this movie, but I thought it was a beautiful epic movie with some touching characters and an intriguing story. The little boy who played Nullah, Brandon Walters, did an impressive job carrying is portion of the film along side Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
129. Napoleon Dynamite -- I'd never seen this before. I didn't really know what it was about--except for the fact that the main character looked really odd. It ended up being a really good, quirky romantic comedy about a truly unique and yet easily identifiable individual.
130. The Astronaut Farmer -- A heart-warming movie with another great message about basically never giving up and to keep chasing after your dreams.
131. Red Eye -- I don't even remember this movie coming out -- but this thriller by Wes Craven ended up being pretty good. Starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, it's about a woman kidnapped on a plane and forced to assist in an assassination. Cillian plays charmingly evil so very well, but what I particularly liked was the strength exhibited by McAdams' character. She simply refused to quit or to play the role of a 'victim'--unlike so many other female leads in traditional thriller/horrors.
132. Rapid Fire -- Brandon Lee really showed off his fighting talents in this movie. It's a decent movie, lots of good action, excellent fighting (no surprise there) -- Brandon Lee was able to pretty much pull off being both bitter and charming at the same time. It's a shame he died so young. Love the movie, The Crow. I'll have to make sure to watch that movie again (perhaps closer to Halloween since it takes place on 'Devil's Night') this year.
Moulin Rouge! is one of my favorite movies so if I had to pick just one this week, I'd most likely choose it--however, there really were a lot of movies in this bunch I enjoyed. I've been fortunate lately in picking some really good 'new to me' movies (yes, I've seen some of these movies, but not ALL of them).
Well, I'm almost caught up. Only a couple of weeks behind now. If all goes well, perhaps I'll be caught up by the weekend.
A Year of Movies
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.
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.
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