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....
Friday, April 16, 2010
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
