1984. dir. James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton.
Seen it before? kind of...
So I finally understand what Sam means when he says this is one of the best movies ever. I had seen only parts of this movie before May 16th which is when we actually viewed it...yes, I realize it's already August 9th but we'be been super busy and that's all I'm going to say about it so leave it alone!
In a phrase, this movie is SCREWED UP! From seeing the second one you know that Sara Connor is John Connor's mother. I get that. You meet her here. She's kind of weird. She's a server at a restaurant. And Arnold is BAD in this movie (as in the bad guy not horrible)! You do see his butt though...take that America you now have a governor (of over 7 years) who has shown his ass on film in front of millions and you still voted for him? Anyhow, I think I know why Maria Shriver married him...ANYWAY...so this guy from the future comes back (just like Arnold) to save Sara Connor...only the guy falls in love with her and gets her pregnant...My head hurts.
Seriously you need to see this movie. It was really great (it must have been since I stayed awake for the entire thing!).
See it again? Sure
Own it? Already do
Regarding Sam's comment - Hey, it's that guy! Bill Paxton is one of the punks at the beginning. I always get Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman confused. REALLY?!?!? You're CONFUSED!?!??! Bill Paxton has a gap between his teeth and is awful...Bill Pullman is the adorable guy next door...it's not like Jeff Daniels and Jeff Bridges who actually DO kind of look alike!!! Get with the program Bell!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
#130 No Country for Old Men: Aw, hell's bells, they even shot the dog...
2007. dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Kelly Macdonald.
Seen it before? Yes.
Seen it before? Yes.
Monday, July 26, 2010
#114 Gran Torino - the tale of a cranky man who befriends Asians and begins to feel needed again
2008. dir. Clint Eastwood, starring Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley.
Seen it before? yes.
Before we started this cockamamie project Sam wanted to watch all the movies that were up for Academy Awards in previous years. This was one of them. And I'm pretty sure we saw it in December or November of last year...meaning it was watched exceptionally recently!
The first time I watched this movie I saw a cranky man with Hmong neighbors who reached out to him because he did them a favor. There were Hmong gang members trying to recruit one of their cousins. There was a brassy (untypical Asian female) character and it was refreshing to see she wasn't your run of the mill stereo-type. His family pissed me off. They got what was coming to them.
But the second time I watched the film I saw the movie for what it really is, a tale of an old, widowed man whose family didn't need him anymore claiming they didn't understand him when all they needed to do was take their heads out of their asses and interact with their dad/grandfather more...need him more. The kids knew nothing about their grandfather. Where I come from elders are to be treated with respect. Is that really a true depiction of how American kids act toward their elders? If so, YIKES! If Daniel ever acts like that I'll smack him!!! I digress. The relationship with the Hmong family was great because there was a reciprocity, a genuine feeling of caring. Clintwood's Kowalski visually changed in the movie from a gruff sounding old man to a gruff sounding NICE old man.
There were some parts of this movie that made me uneasy. You'll see what I mean when you watch it...and you definitely should.
See it again? In a while maybe
Own it? No need...I'm sure it will be in cable soon.
Seen it before? yes.
Before we started this cockamamie project Sam wanted to watch all the movies that were up for Academy Awards in previous years. This was one of them. And I'm pretty sure we saw it in December or November of last year...meaning it was watched exceptionally recently!
The first time I watched this movie I saw a cranky man with Hmong neighbors who reached out to him because he did them a favor. There were Hmong gang members trying to recruit one of their cousins. There was a brassy (untypical Asian female) character and it was refreshing to see she wasn't your run of the mill stereo-type. His family pissed me off. They got what was coming to them.
But the second time I watched the film I saw the movie for what it really is, a tale of an old, widowed man whose family didn't need him anymore claiming they didn't understand him when all they needed to do was take their heads out of their asses and interact with their dad/grandfather more...need him more. The kids knew nothing about their grandfather. Where I come from elders are to be treated with respect. Is that really a true depiction of how American kids act toward their elders? If so, YIKES! If Daniel ever acts like that I'll smack him!!! I digress. The relationship with the Hmong family was great because there was a reciprocity, a genuine feeling of caring. Clintwood's Kowalski visually changed in the movie from a gruff sounding old man to a gruff sounding NICE old man.
There were some parts of this movie that made me uneasy. You'll see what I mean when you watch it...and you definitely should.
See it again? In a while maybe
Own it? No need...I'm sure it will be in cable soon.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
#129 Trainspotting: Never Say Never Again
1996. dir. Danny Boyle, starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald.
yeah... Scotland's worst toilet.
yeah... Scotland's worst toilet.
#128 Platoon: No right or wrong in them
1986. dir. Oliver Stone, starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe.
fortunately they were able to patch up their differences and play on the Indians.
fortunately they were able to patch up their differences and play on the Indians.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
#127 Nights of Cabiria: She's a countess
1957. dir. Frederico Fellini, starring Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi. Italian with subtitles.
Seen it before? No.
Sometimes I think this whole project is ill-advised. Some of these movies are clearly meant to be enjoyed and savored like fine wine, and here we are gulping them down like a freshman playing Century Club.
Oh well, too late to stop now... on to Nights of Cabiria, starring Giulietta Masina as the titular Cabiria. She's a hooker, living in Rome with all of her hatchet-faced hooker friends, and she has various misadventures. In the first scene in the movie, her boyfriend shoves her into a river to steal her money. This pretty much sets the tone.
It's got kind of a Random Events Plot, but it's worth seeing for Masina's performance. She reminds me of Lucille Ball, or Charlie Chaplin.
Position on the list: 194
For those of you who did not attend college in the Midwest: It's a drinking game in which you attempt to drink 100 shots of beer (or cider) in 100 minutes. Not recommended.
Seen it before? No.
Sometimes I think this whole project is ill-advised. Some of these movies are clearly meant to be enjoyed and savored like fine wine, and here we are gulping them down like a freshman playing Century Club.
Oh well, too late to stop now... on to Nights of Cabiria, starring Giulietta Masina as the titular Cabiria. She's a hooker, living in Rome with all of her hatchet-faced hooker friends, and she has various misadventures. In the first scene in the movie, her boyfriend shoves her into a river to steal her money. This pretty much sets the tone.
It's got kind of a Random Events Plot, but it's worth seeing for Masina's performance. She reminds me of Lucille Ball, or Charlie Chaplin.
Position on the list: 194
For those of you who did not attend college in the Midwest: It's a drinking game in which you attempt to drink 100 shots of beer (or cider) in 100 minutes. Not recommended.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
#126 High Noon: Do not forsake me O my darling
1952. dir. Fred Zinnemann, starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges.
Seen it before? No.
Gary Cooper plays Marshal Will Kane, who retires to marry nagging wet blanket Grace Kelly, who is like 30 years younger than him, but whatever. But on the day of his retirement/marriage, this criminal that he helped convict has gotten out of prison on a technicality, and is headed back to town on the noon train to get revenge on Kane. Kane tries to put together a posse to defend himself, but nobody is willing to help because they all suck.
The movie is shot in real time, sort of; you can watch the clocks in the background tick closer to 12 noon. (I think they stole that idea for a Johnny Depp movie a few years ago.) (EDIT: Yep. They did.) John Wayne hated it, because he thought it was un-American, somehow? He thought it was a metaphor for the HUAC and the blacklist, which, yeah, maybe, but you really have to strain to see it that way.
Position on the list: 127
Number of times Bill Clinton watched this movie while he was president: 17
Seen it before? No.
Gary Cooper plays Marshal Will Kane, who retires to marry nagging wet blanket Grace Kelly, who is like 30 years younger than him, but whatever. But on the day of his retirement/marriage, this criminal that he helped convict has gotten out of prison on a technicality, and is headed back to town on the noon train to get revenge on Kane. Kane tries to put together a posse to defend himself, but nobody is willing to help because they all suck.
The movie is shot in real time, sort of; you can watch the clocks in the background tick closer to 12 noon. (I think they stole that idea for a Johnny Depp movie a few years ago.) (EDIT: Yep. They did.) John Wayne hated it, because he thought it was un-American, somehow? He thought it was a metaphor for the HUAC and the blacklist, which, yeah, maybe, but you really have to strain to see it that way.
Position on the list: 127
Number of times Bill Clinton watched this movie while he was president: 17
#125 Spartacus: I fought fire with oil
1960. dir. Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov.
Seen it before? Some of it. We watched it in World History class and Mr. Paris kept fast-forwarding the non-educational parts, i.e. most of it. So I probably saw 1/3 of this before.
Another big, 3-hour Roman epic. This came out a year after Ben-Hur and is comparable in scope and subject matter, so I guess comparisons are inevitable...
Protagonist: Kirk Douglas vs. Charlton Heston. These guys basically delivered the same performance, so it's a tie
Villain: Laurence Olivier vs. Stephen Boyd. Oh, this one is easy. Olivier by a mile.
Tacked-on love interest: Jean Simmons vs. Haya Harareet. I honestly don't remember anything about Harareet's performance. In six weeks, I don't think I'll remember Simmons either. Tie!
Score: Alex North vs. Miklos Rosza. North's work was okay, but Rosza is the clear winner here.
Gay subtext: The "snails and oysters" scene in Spartacus is gayer than anything in Ben-Hur, but not by much.
Big cool action scenes: Ben-Hur had the naval battle and the chariot race, both of which top anything here.
Oscars: Ben-Hur wins 11-4 in that department.
Position on the list: 241
Ben-Hur's position on the list: 142
Seen it before? Some of it. We watched it in World History class and Mr. Paris kept fast-forwarding the non-educational parts, i.e. most of it. So I probably saw 1/3 of this before.
Another big, 3-hour Roman epic. This came out a year after Ben-Hur and is comparable in scope and subject matter, so I guess comparisons are inevitable...
Protagonist: Kirk Douglas vs. Charlton Heston. These guys basically delivered the same performance, so it's a tie
Villain: Laurence Olivier vs. Stephen Boyd. Oh, this one is easy. Olivier by a mile.
Tacked-on love interest: Jean Simmons vs. Haya Harareet. I honestly don't remember anything about Harareet's performance. In six weeks, I don't think I'll remember Simmons either. Tie!
Score: Alex North vs. Miklos Rosza. North's work was okay, but Rosza is the clear winner here.
Gay subtext: The "snails and oysters" scene in Spartacus is gayer than anything in Ben-Hur, but not by much.
Big cool action scenes: Ben-Hur had the naval battle and the chariot race, both of which top anything here.
Oscars: Ben-Hur wins 11-4 in that department.
Position on the list: 241
Ben-Hur's position on the list: 142
Monday, July 5, 2010
#124 Million Dollar Baby: I think I did alright.
2004. dir. Clint Eastwood, starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman.
I just want what's best for you and Manushka...
I just want what's best for you and Manushka...
Monday, June 28, 2010
#123 Dog Day Afternoon: Wyoming's not a country
1975. dir, Sidney Lumet, starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, Charles Durning.
Seen it before? No.
Hola, amigos. How's it hangin'? I know it's been a long time since I last rapped at ya but we're moving, and there was a flood, and we've been too freakin busy to watch any movies lately. In fact i can see by the scoreboard that our projected finish date has slipped into 2011 - Oh shit! - so here's this.
Based on a true story. Sonny (Michael) and Sal (Fredo) decide to rob a bank. (oh, and a third guy, but he chickens out at the beginning, and we never see him again.) Since they are amateurs and don't really know what they're doing, what should have been a quick in-and-out turns into a multi-hour hostage situation. Oh yeah and the reason they are robbing the bank is to pay for Sonny's wife's sex change operation.
Good movie. Now I somehow have to find time to watch Spartacus so it might be awhile.
Position on the list: 166
The real guy: Died in 2006.
Seen it before? No.
Hola, amigos. How's it hangin'? I know it's been a long time since I last rapped at ya but we're moving, and there was a flood, and we've been too freakin busy to watch any movies lately. In fact i can see by the scoreboard that our projected finish date has slipped into 2011 - Oh shit! - so here's this.
Based on a true story. Sonny (Michael) and Sal (Fredo) decide to rob a bank. (oh, and a third guy, but he chickens out at the beginning, and we never see him again.) Since they are amateurs and don't really know what they're doing, what should have been a quick in-and-out turns into a multi-hour hostage situation. Oh yeah and the reason they are robbing the bank is to pay for Sonny's wife's sex change operation.
Good movie. Now I somehow have to find time to watch Spartacus so it might be awhile.
Position on the list: 166
The real guy: Died in 2006.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
