20100731:
IT'S SO FLUFFY! - Agnes
Haha, that little girl has the funniest lines in the movie.
For me, the plot of the movie was good minus a small detail at the end. It's funny how certain unrealistic ideas are acceptable, while others are not. Again, it's a children's movie so I'm not gonna fault the movie for this small detail.
I find an interesting point is the number of stars cast, but its difficult if not impossible, to recognize them. For example, with Gru, he will occasionally say something that sounds like Steve Carell, but it's ambiguous. Well what about personality? To be honest, while Carell certainly didn't hinder the character, I'm not sure how much he added to it. Perhaps the writers didn't give Gru enough funny lines. Perhaps it's something I have to think about when the movie comes out on DVD. But that's just my initial impression.
I don't know how much 3D would have added to the experience, because I nearly forgot the movie was available in 3D until the end where the minions are competing to see who can reach the furthest out of the screen. I guess all the rockets firing off in the movie would have looked good in 3D.
The original music, written by Pharrell Williams, was great. Upbeat, modern, and different from most children movie soundtracks.
Apparently Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira also worked on the score. Somehow I managed to miss that. Perhaps it appeared in between the minions competing during the end credits.
Overall, the movie was funny and at the end of the day, I'd say it's as good as Dreamwork's Shrek.
[20100804]
Instant Comments:
2: ha! no raises
2: burn. "Nasa isn't sending the monkeys anymore"
2: hehe tiny ship
2: hehe "and there's probably something in your closet"
2: hehe a weird looking unicorn but Agnes likes it
2: "I accidentally closed my eyes"
2: "it's so fluffy!"
2: "he's nice" "but scary" "like Santa"
2: smile pink spacesuit
2: hehe we have to warn him and fast (slow moving)
2: him deciding to kiss them (which obviously he would) was still a tearjerker.
2: hehe "just like me"
2: does the ending imply a lower than normal moon
Credits:
2: lol throughout main credits the minions are doing some 3d related actions, catered to 3d viewings.
2: their goal is to reach as far as possible (extending a measurig tape, ladder, fishing pole, amd finally shot out a cannon)
2: Pharrell
2: silhouettes
2: regular credits roll
2=20230909
Watched 20100731 Theater. Landmark's Harbor East Cinema
Watched 20230909 (Netflix)
Despicable Me (2010) Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. 95 min.
Relevant Links:
Despicable Me (IMDb.com)
Despicable Me (RottenTomatoes.com)
Despicable Me (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
East of Eden (1955)
20100727, 20100728:
The first quarter was slow and didn't grasp my attention.
After the end of the second quarter, the movie picked up for me.
At about 1:47, the title reference is made.
At first I didn't see why the movie was a classic. But eventually it came through.
The score got cut off at the end. 1:57:34.
[20100728]
20110105 Comment:
James Dean is cool. Though Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967) is cooler. Or perhaps James Dean is cooler in East of Eden than Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, but Cool Hand Luke is overall a better movie than East of Eden.
In less words, East of Eden is worth watching, but I like Cool Hand Luke more and would watch Cool Hand Luke again.
Watched 1st quarter 20100727, 2nd-4th quarter 20100728 (Netflix, Instant)
East of Eden (1955) Elia Kazan. 115 min [loosely bot second half otnotsn (1952) by John Steinbeck]
Relevant Links:
East of Eden (IMDb.com)
East of Eden (film) (Wikipedia.org)
East of Eden (novel) (Wikipedia.org)
The first quarter was slow and didn't grasp my attention.
After the end of the second quarter, the movie picked up for me.
At about 1:47, the title reference is made.
At first I didn't see why the movie was a classic. But eventually it came through.
The score got cut off at the end. 1:57:34.
[20100728]
20110105 Comment:
James Dean is cool. Though Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967) is cooler. Or perhaps James Dean is cooler in East of Eden than Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, but Cool Hand Luke is overall a better movie than East of Eden.
In less words, East of Eden is worth watching, but I like Cool Hand Luke more and would watch Cool Hand Luke again.
Watched 1st quarter 20100727, 2nd-4th quarter 20100728 (Netflix, Instant)
East of Eden (1955) Elia Kazan. 115 min [loosely bot second half otnotsn (1952) by John Steinbeck]
Relevant Links:
East of Eden (IMDb.com)
East of Eden (film) (Wikipedia.org)
East of Eden (novel) (Wikipedia.org)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
20100722:
In my last movie post for The Shawshank Redemption (1994), I mentioned a list of my favorite (male) actors. And here we have two of them: Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, starring as Gilbert Grape and Arnie Grape, respectively. Going into the movie, I knew it was well-known, but I didn't know what it was about. In fact, up until watching the movie, I didn't know Depp was in the movie, let alone being the lead role.
However, between the two, DiCaprio's role stood out, because of how he was able to portray a mentally disabled person. Of course, Depp's acting is his usual excellence. While not as dark as Edward Scissorhands (1990) and not as comical as Don Juan DeMarco (1994), What's Eating Gilbert Grape uses the typical Johnny Depp character. Note that Depp's career grew starting with his role in "21 Jump Street" (1987-1990). Getting back to DiCaprio, this film would be his film debut.
Excellent film. Should definitely be watched for DiCaprio's performance.
20130804, 20130805:
Watching this movie again was a real joy. Having forgotten the majority of the plot, I felt like I had a better understanding of the movie this time around. While rough around the edges, I find the movie does a great job of bringing about empathy for each of the Grape family members.
For example, while Gilbert (Depp) sometimes acts out, his actions show how much he cares for his family. Furthermore, there's a scene where Becky (Juliette Lewis) asks Gilbert to quickly name the things he'd want in his life and he selflessly names off benefits he'd like for his other family members.
People:
Apparently Juliette Lewis, the actress who played Gilbert's romantic interest, has been in several other films, two of which I've seen: Starsky and Hutch (2004) and Whip It (2009). I don't remember her role in the former, but in the latter she had a fairly big role as the Iron Maven, captain of a roller derby team rivaling the one Ellen Page joins. In any case, Lewis looks much different with her hair short.
Instant Comments:
2: Aww. "Goodbye." "No, it's not goodbye Arnie." "Goodnight. Goodnight to you but not to me."
2: There was a little bit of movement, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.
2=20130804, 20130805
Watched 20100722 (Netflix, Instant) 117 min
Watched 1st half 20130804 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 2nd half 20130805 (Netflix, Instant)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) Lasse Hallström. 118 min [botnotsn (1991) by Peter Hedges]
Relevant Links:
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Wikipedia.org)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (IMDb.com)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (RottenTomatoes.com)
Trailer:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
20100722
I had no idea what I was in for when starting this movie. That is to say, I only knew from the cover that it had Morgan Freeman in it. Well, I had heard of the film title before, knew it was a good movie, and just figured I'd enjoy watching it.
Good thing I did, because it was a great movie. In particular, I also enjoyed the narration (by Morgan Freeman).
The movie is based on Stephen King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Comparing the book's plot summary with the movie's plot, I found the movie had changed some details from the book while retaining the essentials.
The ending would have been better if it were left just a bit more open ended.
In any case, Freeman's role in this movie was much larger than his role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). As such, this movie benefited much more from his excellent acting. Part of it might just be the way he carries himself and part of it might just be his voice.
I don't know, there isn't anything in particular I can say about this movie except that, overall, I liked it; it was a well balanced movie.
Remark: This movie adds to the list of Morgan Freeman movies I've seen.
It places Morgan Freeman up there with my list of favorite actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, and Jack Nicholson. I haven't seen a Tom Hanks movie in a while, but if I did, I'm guessing he'd be on the list. I'd put comedy actors in a separate category and I'd include Will Ferrell and Steve Carell.
*I didn't see any Rita Hayworth movies prior to watching this movie, but since then I've seen Only Angels Have Wings (1939) where she is the supporting actress.
[20100722][20160419 Edit]
20101206 Comment:
About a week or two ago my friend and I were talking about movies that are mostly one-shot movies. Because once you know the ending, it's not quite the same.
I didn't remember that this was the case with this movie until my friend pointed it out.
20160420:
Although my intention was to snap a couple of screenshots for this old blog post, I ended up watching the entire movie. To start, the plot is amazing.
But a story also needs to be told in the right way and the movie delivers on that front, because I absolutely enjoyed the flow of the movie.
Whether due to a subtle change in character, a random change in mood, or a random decision made at the time of writing, today I welcomed the more concrete ending. While the plot would have been interesting had it stopped at various points throughout the ending, the way it ended was excellent.
Instant Comments:
2: "Brooks was here."
2: What a bold move to play that over the PA. That smile on his face though.
2: I wanted to stop watching, but the story was so griping.
2: Two months in solitary!
Credits:
1: The score was composed by Thomas Newman.
1: "Gilda" Clip*
1: For the three posters, the movie lists the poster, who it was photographed by, and then who it was licensed by:
Rita Hayworth* Poster, Marilyn Monroe Poster, Raquel Welch Poster
1: Archie Comic Book
1: Filmed on Location in Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
1=20100722, 2=20160420
Watched 20100722 (Netflix, Instant) 142 min.
Watched 20160420 (Netflix, Instant)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Frank Darabont. 142 min. [aft novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (1982) by Stephen King]
Relevant Links:
The Shawshank Redemption (IMDb.com)
The Shawshank Redemption (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Shawshank Redemption (Wikipedia.org)
I had no idea what I was in for when starting this movie. That is to say, I only knew from the cover that it had Morgan Freeman in it. Well, I had heard of the film title before, knew it was a good movie, and just figured I'd enjoy watching it.
 |
| Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) |
Good thing I did, because it was a great movie. In particular, I also enjoyed the narration (by Morgan Freeman).
The movie is based on Stephen King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Comparing the book's plot summary with the movie's plot, I found the movie had changed some details from the book while retaining the essentials.
The ending would have been better if it were left just a bit more open ended.
 |
| 'Red' (Morgan Freeman) |
In any case, Freeman's role in this movie was much larger than his role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). As such, this movie benefited much more from his excellent acting. Part of it might just be the way he carries himself and part of it might just be his voice.
I don't know, there isn't anything in particular I can say about this movie except that, overall, I liked it; it was a well balanced movie.
Remark: This movie adds to the list of Morgan Freeman movies I've seen.
It places Morgan Freeman up there with my list of favorite actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, and Jack Nicholson. I haven't seen a Tom Hanks movie in a while, but if I did, I'm guessing he'd be on the list. I'd put comedy actors in a separate category and I'd include Will Ferrell and Steve Carell.
*I didn't see any Rita Hayworth movies prior to watching this movie, but since then I've seen Only Angels Have Wings (1939) where she is the supporting actress.
[20100722][20160419 Edit]
 |
| Poster of Rita Hayworth |
20101206 Comment:
About a week or two ago my friend and I were talking about movies that are mostly one-shot movies. Because once you know the ending, it's not quite the same.
I didn't remember that this was the case with this movie until my friend pointed it out.
20160420:
Although my intention was to snap a couple of screenshots for this old blog post, I ended up watching the entire movie. To start, the plot is amazing.
 |
| Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore) |
But a story also needs to be told in the right way and the movie delivers on that front, because I absolutely enjoyed the flow of the movie.
Whether due to a subtle change in character, a random change in mood, or a random decision made at the time of writing, today I welcomed the more concrete ending. While the plot would have been interesting had it stopped at various points throughout the ending, the way it ended was excellent.
Instant Comments:
2: "Brooks was here."
2: What a bold move to play that over the PA. That smile on his face though.
2: I wanted to stop watching, but the story was so griping.
 |
| Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) |
2: Two months in solitary!
Credits:
1: The score was composed by Thomas Newman.
1: "Gilda" Clip*
1: For the three posters, the movie lists the poster, who it was photographed by, and then who it was licensed by:
Rita Hayworth* Poster, Marilyn Monroe Poster, Raquel Welch Poster
1: Archie Comic Book
 |
| Heywood (foreground, William Sadler) |
1: Filmed on Location in Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
1=20100722, 2=20160420
Watched 20100722 (Netflix, Instant) 142 min.
Watched 20160420 (Netflix, Instant)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Frank Darabont. 142 min. [aft novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (1982) by Stephen King]
Relevant Links:
The Shawshank Redemption (IMDb.com)
The Shawshank Redemption (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Shawshank Redemption (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Superman Doomsday (2007)
20100720:
I think this would be the second Superman movie that I've seen, at least as far as remembering movies go. This means that I might have seen bits and parts of older Superman movies, but I was probably too young to remember them. The first Superman movie being Superman Returns. In any case, this one is animation and I like the final battle. The long hair is especially cool. Although I was a little surprised with the plot regarding Doomsday. The plot suggests that no one could kill it and so instead locked it up. And then as far as the movie lets on, he was successfully defeated. Also, it would suggest Doomsday could survive being thrown into the sun, which would seem to me like something one would try to kill something, and yet it died in battle against Superman. ::shrug:: I don't think the aliens that locked Doomsday up tried their best.
I always wonder about the buildings that break in battles that destroy a lot of buildings in the comic world. It must be rough on the cities. Is it covered under insurance? Lol. And why is it that civilians are always in the middle of the street? Do they have a death wish? Is it their version of running with the bulls? Maybe I'm missing something.
Getting back to the movie, I haven't dealt with too much animation watching, and I can't say much. The story was decent.
[20100720]
Watched 20100720 (Netflix, Instant) 74 minutes. Note: I believe the movie time given by Netflix is without the credits.
Superman Doomsday (2007) Lauren Montgomery, Bruce W. Timm, Brandon Vietti. 75 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Superman Doomsday page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Superman Doomsday page at RottenTomatoes.com.
I think this would be the second Superman movie that I've seen, at least as far as remembering movies go. This means that I might have seen bits and parts of older Superman movies, but I was probably too young to remember them. The first Superman movie being Superman Returns. In any case, this one is animation and I like the final battle. The long hair is especially cool. Although I was a little surprised with the plot regarding Doomsday. The plot suggests that no one could kill it and so instead locked it up. And then as far as the movie lets on, he was successfully defeated. Also, it would suggest Doomsday could survive being thrown into the sun, which would seem to me like something one would try to kill something, and yet it died in battle against Superman. ::shrug:: I don't think the aliens that locked Doomsday up tried their best.
I always wonder about the buildings that break in battles that destroy a lot of buildings in the comic world. It must be rough on the cities. Is it covered under insurance? Lol. And why is it that civilians are always in the middle of the street? Do they have a death wish? Is it their version of running with the bulls? Maybe I'm missing something.
Getting back to the movie, I haven't dealt with too much animation watching, and I can't say much. The story was decent.
[20100720]
Watched 20100720 (Netflix, Instant) 74 minutes. Note: I believe the movie time given by Netflix is without the credits.
Superman Doomsday (2007) Lauren Montgomery, Bruce W. Timm, Brandon Vietti. 75 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Superman Doomsday page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Superman Doomsday page at RottenTomatoes.com.
His Girl Friday (1940)
20100720: [20160116 Edit]
Today I watched first 20 minutes before falling asleep, because I was tired. The movie, however, was really interesting. I also enjoyed the fabulous acting. In any case, I watched the rest of the movie after going to Capoeira practice.
Pros:
+ The pacing was fabulous.
+ The movie was charming.
+ Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell were excellent together.
Recommendation:
The charm and beauty of this movie is undoubtedly what makes it a classic.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a romance.
20160116:
Initially intending to just snap a couple of screenshots, the charm of this movie slowly convinced me to change my mind.
Instant Comments:
2: I recently saw Gene Lockhart, Sheriff Peter B. Hartwell, in A Christmas Carol (1938).
Credits:
1: Follows typical credits for older movies. Most of the credits came in the opening title. The end credits simply list the "players." There is one half and then it slowly scrolls down and pauses for the second half. And that takes about a minute, and done.
1=20100720, 2=20160116
Watched 20100720 (Netflix, Instant) 91 minutes.
Watched 20160116 (Netflix, Instant)
His Girl Friday (1940) Howard Hawks. 92 min [adaptation ot play The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur]
Relevant Links:
His Girl Friday (IMDb.com)
His Girl Friday (RottenTomatoes.com)
His Girl Friday (Wikipedia.org)
The Front Page (Wikipedia.org)
Today I watched first 20 minutes before falling asleep, because I was tired. The movie, however, was really interesting. I also enjoyed the fabulous acting. In any case, I watched the rest of the movie after going to Capoeira practice.
 |
| Walter Burns (Cary Grant) and Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) |
Pros:
+ The pacing was fabulous.
+ The movie was charming.
+ Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell were excellent together.
Recommendation:
The charm and beauty of this movie is undoubtedly what makes it a classic.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a romance.
20160116:
Initially intending to just snap a couple of screenshots, the charm of this movie slowly convinced me to change my mind.
Instant Comments:
2: I recently saw Gene Lockhart, Sheriff Peter B. Hartwell, in A Christmas Carol (1938).
Credits:
1: Follows typical credits for older movies. Most of the credits came in the opening title. The end credits simply list the "players." There is one half and then it slowly scrolls down and pauses for the second half. And that takes about a minute, and done.
1=20100720, 2=20160116
 |
| Sheriff Peter B. Hartwell (Gene Lockhart, top right) and several reporters. |
Watched 20100720 (Netflix, Instant) 91 minutes.
Watched 20160116 (Netflix, Instant)
His Girl Friday (1940) Howard Hawks. 92 min [adaptation ot play The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur]
 |
| Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) |
Relevant Links:
His Girl Friday (IMDb.com)
His Girl Friday (RottenTomatoes.com)
His Girl Friday (Wikipedia.org)
The Front Page (Wikipedia.org)
Julie & Julia (2009)
20100719:
So I feel like I can relate to this movie in multiple ways. First, yesterday (20100719), before watching the movie, I was out browsing for things I might need to buy and I made a decision that everyday I would cook a new recipe and would have to get the pots, pans, and other cooking utensils I would need as necessary. I found that undertaking the task would be difficult. The cost I was willing to endure. Of course today I failed, but I had to cook some chicken that I had left in the freezer, so hopefully I can do this plan tomorrow. In my mind I needed a shelf to put the utensils, and well... at some point the excuses have to end... Well, my goal is different from Julie's goal. I want to learn to cook well enough for someone important in my life to enjoy. And I have time at the moment to learn, so I should make use of it.
Continuing on... watching the relationship between Julie and her husband, and then Julia and her husband, is bittersweet. It reminds me of spending time with my girlfriend, but on the other end, she's not around at the moment to enjoy spending time with her and that made me a little sad. Especially at the part where Julie and her husband get in a little fight.
Then there's the blog factor of the movie. Like Julie, I remember when I first blogged wondering if anybody even read what I posted. Then there was the first comment. And then at some point, I supposed that there were people out there who read what I have to say. In some part, I write for myself, but its neat to share my experiences.
I fell asleep at some point and haven't had the chance to complete the movie yet.
Amy Adams is great! Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep are also great. Mary Lynn Rajskub! Chris Messina is okay.
[20100720]
20100721:
I was initially surprised to learn I had watched so much of the movie before falling asleep. But if I think about it, the reason I stayed up was because I thought I could finish the movie. Apparently I decided to sleep close to the end. In any case, the ending was okay. The bulk of the movie makes up for the ending.
Good movie. Excellent if you have an interest in cooking.
[20100721][20100723][20190923 Edit]
Instant Comments:
Credits:
Culinary Consultant
Executive Chef
Dialect Coach
New York
Paris
Watched First 1 hour 53 minutes 20100719, Last 10 minutes 20100721 (Netflix, Instant) 123 minutes.
Julie & Julia (2009) Nora Ephron. 123 min.
Relevant Links:
Julie & Julia (IMDb.com)
Julie & Julia (RottenTomatoes.com)
Julie & Julia (Wikipedi.org)
Trailer:
So I feel like I can relate to this movie in multiple ways. First, yesterday (20100719), before watching the movie, I was out browsing for things I might need to buy and I made a decision that everyday I would cook a new recipe and would have to get the pots, pans, and other cooking utensils I would need as necessary. I found that undertaking the task would be difficult. The cost I was willing to endure. Of course today I failed, but I had to cook some chicken that I had left in the freezer, so hopefully I can do this plan tomorrow. In my mind I needed a shelf to put the utensils, and well... at some point the excuses have to end... Well, my goal is different from Julie's goal. I want to learn to cook well enough for someone important in my life to enjoy. And I have time at the moment to learn, so I should make use of it.
Continuing on... watching the relationship between Julie and her husband, and then Julia and her husband, is bittersweet. It reminds me of spending time with my girlfriend, but on the other end, she's not around at the moment to enjoy spending time with her and that made me a little sad. Especially at the part where Julie and her husband get in a little fight.
Then there's the blog factor of the movie. Like Julie, I remember when I first blogged wondering if anybody even read what I posted. Then there was the first comment. And then at some point, I supposed that there were people out there who read what I have to say. In some part, I write for myself, but its neat to share my experiences.
I fell asleep at some point and haven't had the chance to complete the movie yet.
Amy Adams is great! Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep are also great. Mary Lynn Rajskub! Chris Messina is okay.
[20100720]
20100721:
I was initially surprised to learn I had watched so much of the movie before falling asleep. But if I think about it, the reason I stayed up was because I thought I could finish the movie. Apparently I decided to sleep close to the end. In any case, the ending was okay. The bulk of the movie makes up for the ending.
Good movie. Excellent if you have an interest in cooking.
[20100721][20100723][20190923 Edit]
Instant Comments:
Credits:
Culinary Consultant
Executive Chef
Dialect Coach
New York
Paris
Watched First 1 hour 53 minutes 20100719, Last 10 minutes 20100721 (Netflix, Instant) 123 minutes.
Julie & Julia (2009) Nora Ephron. 123 min.
Relevant Links:
Julie & Julia (IMDb.com)
Julie & Julia (RottenTomatoes.com)
Julie & Julia (Wikipedi.org)
Trailer:
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saint Ralph (2004)
20100719:
What a movie. As I mentioned below the race was emotionally intense. After the race, what makes up the ending, I also enjoyed. The story was well written and the actors were great. The part that I didn't completely understand was why Father Fitzpatrick was the way he was. They have the one scene to show that he's been that way for a while, but its not clear that its just a personality trait. This is minor and the movie was great. Plus, I made mention of types of antagonists in my Matilda (1996) movie post and he's the kind that comes around, so its easier to overlook him being a bully.
Is it just me or does Tamara Hope look a little like Anna Paquin?
Great music.
[20100719]
Instant Comments:
lol 12 pool
lol 25 rope
LOL 38 sandpaper. I was surprised when I heard it. Laughing when it started.
Hmm... it wasn't clear before what the head father had a problem, but at 0:59, it seems he had some injustice done to him.
Hehe, 1:04...
From a little before the start of the race to the end of the race, I was full of emotion. It could have been the music. I'm not sure.
Watched 20100719 (Netflix, Instant)
Saint Ralph (2004) Michael McGowan. 98 min
Relevant Links:
Saint Ralph (IMDb.com)
Saint Ralph (RottenTomatoes.com)
What a movie. As I mentioned below the race was emotionally intense. After the race, what makes up the ending, I also enjoyed. The story was well written and the actors were great. The part that I didn't completely understand was why Father Fitzpatrick was the way he was. They have the one scene to show that he's been that way for a while, but its not clear that its just a personality trait. This is minor and the movie was great. Plus, I made mention of types of antagonists in my Matilda (1996) movie post and he's the kind that comes around, so its easier to overlook him being a bully.
Is it just me or does Tamara Hope look a little like Anna Paquin?
Great music.
[20100719]
Instant Comments:
lol 12 pool
lol 25 rope
LOL 38 sandpaper. I was surprised when I heard it. Laughing when it started.
Hmm... it wasn't clear before what the head father had a problem, but at 0:59, it seems he had some injustice done to him.
Hehe, 1:04...
From a little before the start of the race to the end of the race, I was full of emotion. It could have been the music. I'm not sure.
Watched 20100719 (Netflix, Instant)
Saint Ralph (2004) Michael McGowan. 98 min
Relevant Links:
Saint Ralph (IMDb.com)
Saint Ralph (RottenTomatoes.com)
WarGames (1983)
20100719:
I didn't predict the ending working out the way it did, and I loved it. The beginning of the movie started off a little silly for me. But I loved seeing the old technology. I remember the old Epson printer we had at the old apartment, where the paper was pulled through by the gears on the two side. In any case, why is it that some movies in this era seem to have forced dialogue? Is it the way the audio was recorded? Or is it the actors? Why can't the audio sound more natural like in this movie? Maybe its just my imagination.
Busy with school, I will leave the post unfinished and simply recommend you watch the movie.
Note: Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released in 1986.
[20100719]
Watched 20100719 (Netflix, Instant) (Streaming until 20100724)
WarGames (1983) John Badham. 114 min
Relevant Links:
WarGames (IMDb.com)
WarGames (RottenTomatoes.com
I didn't predict the ending working out the way it did, and I loved it. The beginning of the movie started off a little silly for me. But I loved seeing the old technology. I remember the old Epson printer we had at the old apartment, where the paper was pulled through by the gears on the two side. In any case, why is it that some movies in this era seem to have forced dialogue? Is it the way the audio was recorded? Or is it the actors? Why can't the audio sound more natural like in this movie? Maybe its just my imagination.
Busy with school, I will leave the post unfinished and simply recommend you watch the movie.
Note: Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released in 1986.
[20100719]
Watched 20100719 (Netflix, Instant) (Streaming until 20100724)
WarGames (1983) John Badham. 114 min
Relevant Links:
WarGames (IMDb.com)
WarGames (RottenTomatoes.com
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
20100716:
I found myself having trouble hearing the sound - even with my volume at its max - and consequently I wasn't entirely engaged with the movie.
While there was a lot of action and stunts, I found the dialogue was lacking. Having watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights, which is largely a spoof of this movie, I enjoyed Men in Tights better. In particular, there seemed to be more motivation behind Robin Hood's actions in Men in Tights compared to that in Prince of Thieves.
With a 144 minute runtime, Men in Tights was too long relative to its pace. In contrast, Inception was 148 minutes long, but it went by much quicker. Gone with the Wind, The King and I, and West Side Story weren't face-paced movies, but they had a lot of substance.
It was fun watching Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman perform. Sean Connery's appearance at the end was also a delight. As for Kevin Costner, I'm unfamiliar with most of his works - I've only seen bits and parts of Waterworld - but it seemed like he played the light-hearted aspect of Robin Hood well.
[20151007 Edit]
20151007:
This time, I had no problem with hearing the sound, but the movie was still sluggish every now and then, especially towards the beginning.
Overall, the dialogue diminished what this movie could have been. With that being said, Freeman and Rickman held my interest throughout the movie.
The inconsistent or lack of accents were also a flaw of the movie. So much so that in Men in Tights, Robin Hood (Cary Elwes) says, "Because, unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent."
While I probably wouldn't watch this movie again on its own, I think one day I'd be willing to watch it alongside Robin Hood: Men in Tights!
Instant Comments:
2: I had forgotten that Robin Hood: Men in Tights spoofed this movie.
2: "Join us, or die."
2: You can hear Morgan Freeman's regular voice when he says "She was worth dying for."
2: I realize fifteen minutes into the movie that the spoof is practically scene for scene.
2: Dungeon > Kissing Sand > Saving a Boy > Returning to His Home (and finding Duncan, whose been blinded) > [later in the movie:] Nottingham & Mortianna > Duel with Little John > Training of Merry Men > Catapult > Forced Marriage > King Richard
2: [still groaning from his genitals being kicked] "Hello, Marian."
2: "...burn my hair as a child."
2: Lol. The telescope.
2: "How did your uneducated kind ever take Jeruselum?"
2: Interesting. So I wondered how the horse which carried Azeem and Duncan was going nearly as fast as the horse carrying Robin. Azeem reveals that they were unable to lose their pursuers because his carried two and Robin's horse is lame.
: Lameness - abnormal gait or stance of an animal that is a result of dysfunction of the locomotor system (Wikipedia.org)
2: "...John Little, or should I call you Little John."
2: "Robin do something for me..." [...] "Take a bath."
2: "No, to lead you."
2: "Why a spoon, cousin. Why not an axe, or..."
2: Ha. "And call off Christmas."
2: The branch barely hits him, but the sound effect was loud.
2: "Do you yield?" [pretends to whimper] "I'd rather roast in hell."
2: Haha. "Well at least I didn't use a spoon."
2: How convenient, she gets positioned where the blade is best placed in the frame. :p
2: Did he lick the feather to give the arrow a spin?
2: "Shut up, you twit!"
2: "Fuck me, he cleared it."
2: The irony. Technically she killed herself.
2: That leg split was hilarious.
2: "Here's 30 pieces of silver... to pay the devil... on your way to hell!"
2: Hehe. Sean Connery's cameo is good, but the Prince of Thieves spoof is more memorable.
Watched 1st fifth 20100716, 2nd-5th fifth 20100718 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20151007 (Netflix, Instant)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) Kevin Reynolds. 143 min
Relevant Links:
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (IMDb.com)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (RottenTomatoes.com)
I found myself having trouble hearing the sound - even with my volume at its max - and consequently I wasn't entirely engaged with the movie.
 |
| Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) |
While there was a lot of action and stunts, I found the dialogue was lacking. Having watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights, which is largely a spoof of this movie, I enjoyed Men in Tights better. In particular, there seemed to be more motivation behind Robin Hood's actions in Men in Tights compared to that in Prince of Thieves.
With a 144 minute runtime, Men in Tights was too long relative to its pace. In contrast, Inception was 148 minutes long, but it went by much quicker. Gone with the Wind, The King and I, and West Side Story weren't face-paced movies, but they had a lot of substance.
 |
| Azeem (Morgan Freeman) |
It was fun watching Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman perform. Sean Connery's appearance at the end was also a delight. As for Kevin Costner, I'm unfamiliar with most of his works - I've only seen bits and parts of Waterworld - but it seemed like he played the light-hearted aspect of Robin Hood well.
[20151007 Edit]
20151007:
This time, I had no problem with hearing the sound, but the movie was still sluggish every now and then, especially towards the beginning.
 |
| Marian Dubois (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) |
Overall, the dialogue diminished what this movie could have been. With that being said, Freeman and Rickman held my interest throughout the movie.
The inconsistent or lack of accents were also a flaw of the movie. So much so that in Men in Tights, Robin Hood (Cary Elwes) says, "Because, unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent."
While I probably wouldn't watch this movie again on its own, I think one day I'd be willing to watch it alongside Robin Hood: Men in Tights!
 |
| Sheriff George of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) |
Instant Comments:
2: I had forgotten that Robin Hood: Men in Tights spoofed this movie.
2: "Join us, or die."
2: You can hear Morgan Freeman's regular voice when he says "She was worth dying for."
2: I realize fifteen minutes into the movie that the spoof is practically scene for scene.
2: Dungeon > Kissing Sand > Saving a Boy > Returning to His Home (and finding Duncan, whose been blinded) > [later in the movie:] Nottingham & Mortianna > Duel with Little John > Training of Merry Men > Catapult > Forced Marriage > King Richard
2: [still groaning from his genitals being kicked] "Hello, Marian."
2: "...burn my hair as a child."
2: Lol. The telescope.
2: "How did your uneducated kind ever take Jeruselum?"
2: Interesting. So I wondered how the horse which carried Azeem and Duncan was going nearly as fast as the horse carrying Robin. Azeem reveals that they were unable to lose their pursuers because his carried two and Robin's horse is lame.
: Lameness - abnormal gait or stance of an animal that is a result of dysfunction of the locomotor system (Wikipedia.org)
2: "...John Little, or should I call you Little John."
2: "Robin do something for me..." [...] "Take a bath."
2: "No, to lead you."
2: "Why a spoon, cousin. Why not an axe, or..."
2: Ha. "And call off Christmas."
 |
| Duncan (Walter Sparrow) |
2: The branch barely hits him, but the sound effect was loud.
2: "Do you yield?" [pretends to whimper] "I'd rather roast in hell."
2: Haha. "Well at least I didn't use a spoon."
2: How convenient, she gets positioned where the blade is best placed in the frame. :p
2: Did he lick the feather to give the arrow a spin?
2: "Shut up, you twit!"
2: "Fuck me, he cleared it."
2: The irony. Technically she killed herself.
2: That leg split was hilarious.
2: "Here's 30 pieces of silver... to pay the devil... on your way to hell!"
2: Hehe. Sean Connery's cameo is good, but the Prince of Thieves spoof is more memorable.
 |
| Little John (Nick Brimble) |
Watched 1st fifth 20100716, 2nd-5th fifth 20100718 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20151007 (Netflix, Instant)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) Kevin Reynolds. 143 min
Relevant Links:
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (IMDb.com)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (RottenTomatoes.com)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Inception (2010)
20100716:
On the downside, I didn't get to watch Despicable Me (2010). On the upside, I got to watch Inception. Overall great movie. Some parts I didn't understand, because they explain it so quickly, I don't have time to process the logic. But I just go with it and enjoy the action. So overall the movie is a fast-paced movie and many parts are kept mysterious, being unlocked as the movie progresses. Because of this, I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the movie.
In my first impressions of the movie, I compared Inception to The Matrix (1999). I feel that Inception has the reality bending aspects of The Matrix, where you leave the theatre thinking a bit, but really did everything better than The Matrix. What The Matrix did well was introduce bullet time. Inception didn't use any bullet time, nor, to my knowledge, introduce any novel technique. However, dialogue is either kept brief, or usually happens in between sections of intense action. This keeps the "cool" and the "awe" of the movie alive, whereas I feel The Matrix gives you "cool" and "whoa" in spikes. Inception also has fight scenes for Joseph Gordon-Levitt that are visually pleasing, but different from The Matrix's bullet time fight scenes. Granted, I haven't seen as many movies as other people out there, and there may have been similar fight scenes, before, but as far as I know, Gordon-Levitt's fight scenes were awesome and new. Then there's the ending of the film... Yes! Much better than the ending to The Matrix.
I continue comparing Inception to The Matrix, because it's convenient. Both challenge our idea of reality. One suggests our mind might be seeing a computer program. The other suggests we might be in a dream. What is reality... sometimes you can't tell. However, because The Matrix introduces the idea that the machines are getting energy from people through their thoughts, The Matrix falls short of believable more easily than Inception. We don't know exactly how our minds work, and as such, whether or not dream sharing would be possible. However, we do know it takes energy to make energy, and its ridiculous for the machines to be harvesting more energy from the humans than being put into the humans. Unless someone can explain to me why dream sharing wouldn't be possible, then as a science-fiction movie, Inception is more believable.
I've recently been loving any movie that has a strong mystery aspect to it and this movie certainly has that. But I guess I haven't been focusing too much on how that mystery is delivered. With this movie, the main technique was in being shown scenes without context. It's like opening a puzzle box and looking at all the different pieces. one by one. Then certain things piece together. It's much different than a Sherlock Holmes mystery, where you get clues that you know will solve the mystery, but you don't know how. So your sense of mystery is different. With Momento (2000), after about four or five scenes, you develop the pattern and you are just waiting for the whole picture to come together. With Inception, most of the movie is running linearly, with snippets of the past and future, but its not so clear. Note: I'm using the word mystery, not to describe a genre, but to refer to when the movie gives you a scene, but waits to explain it. Thus, usually a romance movie wouldn't have mystery, because everything is linear. But all of a sudden, if you showed two couples getting married, and then the next scene is of the partners switched, then you get shocked and wonder about what you just saw. Unfortunately, it'd be hard to have a trailer without revealing this part of the plot. See, with Inception, the mystery, created by the opening scene, doesn't need to be revealed in the trailer. But the trailer has special effects and builds enough interest, that you want to see the movie.
In any case, I thought Inception was a great movie. Leonardo DiCaprio keeps up his great acting. You have Ellen Page in the movie, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I mentioned above, and Marion Cotillard, who I've only seen in A Very Long Engagement (2004), but she's in a lot of movies I want to see. Michael Caine is also in it. Great cast!
I started reading snippets of the Wikipedia article and I came across the following, which made me happy for making the above connections between Inception and the movies The Matrix and Memento:
Dark City was a good movie, that I have long forgotten about. I haven't seen The Thirteenth Floor. On a different note, in that same paragraph of the Wikipedia article (Screenplay), I learned that the film can be categorized as a heist film (Wikipedia.org).
Credits:
: Typical credits. The credit music is instrumental, slow, and low key. Basically whatever is appropriate as cool down for an ending to such an exciting and fast-paced movie.
: There were various on location filming including Canada and Paris.
20130116:
Having seen the movie once before I was able to pick up on more details. It was my dad's first time watching and he said it was a confusing movie. Actually I was slightly confused as to why the one guy was so old. Otherwise, I was able to understand why the movie is called Inception and various other plot details that I didn't realize I didn't know. Actually, before watching the movie for a second time, all I remembered is questioning if real life is actually a dream, the spinning top is Leonardo's totem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has an awesome combat scene, Ken Watanabe and Ellen Page are also in the movie, and, of course, the train.
As Ellen Page is the one to go deepest and come out of sleep. The camera follows her through the kicks. Though why the kicks have to be synchronized I still don't know.
The movie didn't impact me as much the second time around compared to the first time around, but I like how I know more about the plot itself.
I tried to listen to the sound of the top fall at the end, but I didn't hear it. But perhaps I didn't hear it, because I didn't want to hear it. I prefer having the ambiguity. Note however that the top falling doesn't imply the world he is in is real. But that is much more abstract and, in my opinion, would be poor story telling.
20130128 Comment:
As a random fact, I first watched this movie in theaters (on 20100716) with my friend Nico and his significant other. We were later surprised when we learned that the movie had just been released. With that being said, if I remember correctly, we had to sit in the very front row.
[20191005 Edit]
Released 20100716.
Watched 20100716 Theater. Landmark's Harbor East [INCEPTION-B] 9:30 PM $11.00
Watched 20130116 (Blu-ray)
Inception (2010) Christopher Nolan. 148 min.
Relevant Links:
Inception (IMDb.com)
Inception (RottenTomatoes.com)
Inception (Wikipedia.org)
HISHEdotcom:
The bulk of this HISHE video is funny, but for once I'd have to say I definitely like the real ending better than the HISHE ending.
[20111021]
On the downside, I didn't get to watch Despicable Me (2010). On the upside, I got to watch Inception. Overall great movie. Some parts I didn't understand, because they explain it so quickly, I don't have time to process the logic. But I just go with it and enjoy the action. So overall the movie is a fast-paced movie and many parts are kept mysterious, being unlocked as the movie progresses. Because of this, I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the movie.
In my first impressions of the movie, I compared Inception to The Matrix (1999). I feel that Inception has the reality bending aspects of The Matrix, where you leave the theatre thinking a bit, but really did everything better than The Matrix. What The Matrix did well was introduce bullet time. Inception didn't use any bullet time, nor, to my knowledge, introduce any novel technique. However, dialogue is either kept brief, or usually happens in between sections of intense action. This keeps the "cool" and the "awe" of the movie alive, whereas I feel The Matrix gives you "cool" and "whoa" in spikes. Inception also has fight scenes for Joseph Gordon-Levitt that are visually pleasing, but different from The Matrix's bullet time fight scenes. Granted, I haven't seen as many movies as other people out there, and there may have been similar fight scenes, before, but as far as I know, Gordon-Levitt's fight scenes were awesome and new. Then there's the ending of the film... Yes! Much better than the ending to The Matrix.
I continue comparing Inception to The Matrix, because it's convenient. Both challenge our idea of reality. One suggests our mind might be seeing a computer program. The other suggests we might be in a dream. What is reality... sometimes you can't tell. However, because The Matrix introduces the idea that the machines are getting energy from people through their thoughts, The Matrix falls short of believable more easily than Inception. We don't know exactly how our minds work, and as such, whether or not dream sharing would be possible. However, we do know it takes energy to make energy, and its ridiculous for the machines to be harvesting more energy from the humans than being put into the humans. Unless someone can explain to me why dream sharing wouldn't be possible, then as a science-fiction movie, Inception is more believable.
I've recently been loving any movie that has a strong mystery aspect to it and this movie certainly has that. But I guess I haven't been focusing too much on how that mystery is delivered. With this movie, the main technique was in being shown scenes without context. It's like opening a puzzle box and looking at all the different pieces. one by one. Then certain things piece together. It's much different than a Sherlock Holmes mystery, where you get clues that you know will solve the mystery, but you don't know how. So your sense of mystery is different. With Momento (2000), after about four or five scenes, you develop the pattern and you are just waiting for the whole picture to come together. With Inception, most of the movie is running linearly, with snippets of the past and future, but its not so clear. Note: I'm using the word mystery, not to describe a genre, but to refer to when the movie gives you a scene, but waits to explain it. Thus, usually a romance movie wouldn't have mystery, because everything is linear. But all of a sudden, if you showed two couples getting married, and then the next scene is of the partners switched, then you get shocked and wonder about what you just saw. Unfortunately, it'd be hard to have a trailer without revealing this part of the plot. See, with Inception, the mystery, created by the opening scene, doesn't need to be revealed in the trailer. But the trailer has special effects and builds enough interest, that you want to see the movie.
In any case, I thought Inception was a great movie. Leonardo DiCaprio keeps up his great acting. You have Ellen Page in the movie, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I mentioned above, and Marion Cotillard, who I've only seen in A Very Long Engagement (2004), but she's in a lot of movies I want to see. Michael Caine is also in it. Great cast!
I started reading snippets of the Wikipedia article and I came across the following, which made me happy for making the above connections between Inception and the movies The Matrix and Memento:
When he first started thinking about making the film, the director was influenced by "that era of movies where you had The Matrix, you had Dark City, you had The Thirteenth Floor and, to a certain extent, you had Memento, too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real".
Dark City was a good movie, that I have long forgotten about. I haven't seen The Thirteenth Floor. On a different note, in that same paragraph of the Wikipedia article (Screenplay), I learned that the film can be categorized as a heist film (Wikipedia.org).
Credits:
: Typical credits. The credit music is instrumental, slow, and low key. Basically whatever is appropriate as cool down for an ending to such an exciting and fast-paced movie.
: There were various on location filming including Canada and Paris.
20130116:
Having seen the movie once before I was able to pick up on more details. It was my dad's first time watching and he said it was a confusing movie. Actually I was slightly confused as to why the one guy was so old. Otherwise, I was able to understand why the movie is called Inception and various other plot details that I didn't realize I didn't know. Actually, before watching the movie for a second time, all I remembered is questioning if real life is actually a dream, the spinning top is Leonardo's totem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has an awesome combat scene, Ken Watanabe and Ellen Page are also in the movie, and, of course, the train.
As Ellen Page is the one to go deepest and come out of sleep. The camera follows her through the kicks. Though why the kicks have to be synchronized I still don't know.
The movie didn't impact me as much the second time around compared to the first time around, but I like how I know more about the plot itself.
I tried to listen to the sound of the top fall at the end, but I didn't hear it. But perhaps I didn't hear it, because I didn't want to hear it. I prefer having the ambiguity. Note however that the top falling doesn't imply the world he is in is real. But that is much more abstract and, in my opinion, would be poor story telling.
20130128 Comment:
As a random fact, I first watched this movie in theaters (on 20100716) with my friend Nico and his significant other. We were later surprised when we learned that the movie had just been released. With that being said, if I remember correctly, we had to sit in the very front row.
[20191005 Edit]
Released 20100716.
Watched 20100716 Theater. Landmark's Harbor East [INCEPTION-B] 9:30 PM $11.00
Watched 20130116 (Blu-ray)
Inception (2010) Christopher Nolan. 148 min.
Relevant Links:
Inception (IMDb.com)
Inception (RottenTomatoes.com)
Inception (Wikipedia.org)
HISHEdotcom:
The bulk of this HISHE video is funny, but for once I'd have to say I definitely like the real ending better than the HISHE ending.
[20111021]
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Scent of a Woman (1992)
20100713:
This is the second Al Pacino (IMDb.com) movie I can remember watching (I'll have to double-check on this fact). The first being Donnie Brasco (1997).
In any case, this movie focuses on two main characters whose relationship we get to watch form; similar to how Woody and Buzz Lightyear form a relationship in Toy Story.
On a different note, Chris O'Donnell (IMDb.com) gives a good performance, but Pacino is the one to watch this movie for. The movie has great lines. I suppose the plot is a little predictable, but the performance is what I recommend watching the movie for.
[20100713]
Instant Comments:
Monologue @36. Lol, it starts out so innocently...
@57. Haha. Al Pacino is great.
@1:03 LOL. Great. "Taste of real honey!"
@1:24 thereabouts... charming...
Lol 1:42. Colonel you're gonna get us killed! Don't blame me Charlie I can't see.
2:00: Great setup to this scene.
Al Pacino's speech at the end is great.
Great ending to the movie.
Credits:
"Suggested by a character from 'Profumo di donna' by Ruggero Maccari and Dino Risi. Based on the novel 'Il buio e il miele' by Giovanni Arpino."
Roughly, this means the movie is a remake of "Profumo di donna," and "Profumo di donna" was based on the novel "Il buio e il miele."
Filmed entirely in New York on location and at Kaufman Astoria Studios.
Watched 20100713 (Netflix, Instant) (Streaming until 20100716)
Scent of a Woman (1992) Martin Brest. 157 min. [remake ot film Profumo di donna (1974) by Dino Risi which was botn Il buio e il miele (1969) by Giovanni Arpino]
Relevant Links:
Scent of a Woman (IMDb.com)
Scent of a Woman (RottenTomatoes.com)
Scent of a Woman (Wikipedia.org)
This is the second Al Pacino (IMDb.com) movie I can remember watching (I'll have to double-check on this fact). The first being Donnie Brasco (1997).
In any case, this movie focuses on two main characters whose relationship we get to watch form; similar to how Woody and Buzz Lightyear form a relationship in Toy Story.
On a different note, Chris O'Donnell (IMDb.com) gives a good performance, but Pacino is the one to watch this movie for. The movie has great lines. I suppose the plot is a little predictable, but the performance is what I recommend watching the movie for.
[20100713]
Instant Comments:
Monologue @36. Lol, it starts out so innocently...
@57. Haha. Al Pacino is great.
@1:03 LOL. Great. "Taste of real honey!"
@1:24 thereabouts... charming...
Lol 1:42. Colonel you're gonna get us killed! Don't blame me Charlie I can't see.
2:00: Great setup to this scene.
Al Pacino's speech at the end is great.
Great ending to the movie.
Credits:
"Suggested by a character from 'Profumo di donna' by Ruggero Maccari and Dino Risi. Based on the novel 'Il buio e il miele' by Giovanni Arpino."
Roughly, this means the movie is a remake of "Profumo di donna," and "Profumo di donna" was based on the novel "Il buio e il miele."
Filmed entirely in New York on location and at Kaufman Astoria Studios.
Watched 20100713 (Netflix, Instant) (Streaming until 20100716)
Scent of a Woman (1992) Martin Brest. 157 min. [remake ot film Profumo di donna (1974) by Dino Risi which was botn Il buio e il miele (1969) by Giovanni Arpino]
Relevant Links:
Scent of a Woman (IMDb.com)
Scent of a Woman (RottenTomatoes.com)
Scent of a Woman (Wikipedia.org)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Black Hawk Down (2001)
 |
| Eversmann (Josh Hartnett) |
20100712:
There was one scene where I noticed the music, but the guns were shooting over it, and I only heard the music in between. Actually I might have remembered the music in another scene as well, but the score wasn't powerful enough to be memorable. The sound might have been, but not the score.
This movie didn't have too much to offer. While based on real life events, I would have expected some embellishment.
One thing I couldn't understand was why it was necessary to secure the crash sites.** As such, the situation just seemed like a series of mistakes and suicide rescues.
 |
| Hoot (Eric Bana) |
In the end, I gathered that "no man is left behind" is the underlying principal and that the soldiers fight because "it's about the men next to you." Unfortunately, there was little character development and each death did not garner as much emotion as it should have.
Watching the helicopters was the best part of the film. I also enjoyed watching them take off from the base. The scenes where they crash were also highlights.*
The movie didn't have as much action and suspense as I was hoping.
I don't remember too many war movies, but from what I can remember, I probably like We Were Soldiers (2001), The Patriot, and Saving Private Ryan (1998) better than Black Hawk Down.
 |
| Grimes (Ewan McGregor) |
*I didn't think the crashes were that interesting during my second viewing.
**During the second viewing, I gathered it was partially necessary to destroy the birds.
[20161020 Edit]
20161020:
Originally planning to just do a screenshot viewing, the movie caught my interested and I decided to watch it the whole way through.
 |
| Garrison (Sam Shepard) |
I previously rated the movie 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix. But after watching it today, I downgraded the movie to 3 out of 5 stars. While there were some interesting themes, the lack of character development was disappointing and the presentation of the themes was mediocre.
But, as a side note, I read my previous entry and would believe, based on it, that I should have only given the movie 3 out of 5 stars in the first place. Oh well.
Instant Comments:
1: 600,000 soldiers died in the American Civil War (Wikipedia.org)
 |
| Twombly, Yurek (Thomas Guiry), and Nelson (Ewen Bremner) |
Atto: You shouldn't have come here. This is a civil war. This is our war, not yours.1: It took a while for me to recognize Orlando Bloom.
General Garrison: 300,000 dead and counting. That's not a war Mr. Atto. That's genocide
2: I immediately recognized Orlando Bloom (when he first appears on the copter)
2: Note: putting something in the mouth of a person having a seizure is no longer deemed appropriate.
2: Ewan McGregor looks so young.
2: Why would the civilians stand in the street?
1: Title mentioned. 2: "We got a Black Hawk down, we got a Black Hawk down."
 |
| McKnight (Tom Sizemore) |
1: "I hate being dependable man."
1: The irony at about 1:00:00. 2: I must be referring to 1:02:03 when the kid ends up shooting someone he cares about
1: At 1:18:00 and mentioned earlier in the movie. The motto "no man gets left behind" is a tricky one. In a fictional movie, where everybody sacrifices themselves for the sake of only the protagonist and possibly some family members or love interest, that's all well and good. But realistically, no motto should be taken to the extreme.
1: "Where's the rescue squad?" "We're it."
1: At 2:04:11 Again with the "no man gets left behind." It'd say its a difficult motto to live by. It's one that is often seen as a mark of character. But I think its only reasonable in appropriate circumstances.
 |
| Sanderson (William Fichtner) |
1: At 2:12:50:
"Hoot": When I go home and people ask me, "Hey, Hoot, why do you do it, man? Why? You some kind of war junkie?" I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand it's about the men next to you. And that's it. That's all it is.
Credits:
Begins with some information regarding the real-life events.
Ridley Scott
Based on...
Hans Zimmer
Josh Hartnett
Black Hawk Down
Ewan McGregor
Filmed on location in Sale and Rabat, Morocco.
Based on the series of articles originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Watched 20100712 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20161020 (Netflix, Instant)
Black Hawk Down (2001) Ridley Scott. 144 min. [botnotsn (1999) by Mark Bowden]
Relevant Links:
Black Hawk Down (RottenTomatoes.com)
Black Hawk Down (IMDb.com)
Black Hawk Down (Wikipedia.org)
Black Hawk Down (book) (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Speed (1994)
20100710:
First off, because I've seen the movie before, I chose to watch this movie so that I can multi-task. Another reason I chose to watch this movie was because I didn't remember what happened in the movie. In fact, I thought the movie opened by a failure and that the movie would progress by overcoming that failure.
There were two or three moments in this movie that just felt repetitive. To make reference to an earlier part of the film is allowed and in fact expected, but to essentially repeat a scene makes a movie boring.
But its Keanu Reeves's bad dialogue delivery that ruins the movie for me. Sandra Bullock is there to recover some of the damage.
In any case, its worth watching. Perhaps you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Sandra Bullock's role in this movie was bigger and better than her role in Crash, which I watched several hours before watching this movie.
[20100711]
Watched once before.
Watched 20100710 (Netflix, Instant)
Speed (1994) Jan de Bont. 116 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Speed page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Speed page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Speed page at Wikipedia.com.
First off, because I've seen the movie before, I chose to watch this movie so that I can multi-task. Another reason I chose to watch this movie was because I didn't remember what happened in the movie. In fact, I thought the movie opened by a failure and that the movie would progress by overcoming that failure.
There were two or three moments in this movie that just felt repetitive. To make reference to an earlier part of the film is allowed and in fact expected, but to essentially repeat a scene makes a movie boring.
But its Keanu Reeves's bad dialogue delivery that ruins the movie for me. Sandra Bullock is there to recover some of the damage.
In any case, its worth watching. Perhaps you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Sandra Bullock's role in this movie was bigger and better than her role in Crash, which I watched several hours before watching this movie.
[20100711]
Watched once before.
Watched 20100710 (Netflix, Instant)
Speed (1994) Jan de Bont. 116 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Speed page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Speed page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Speed page at Wikipedia.com.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Crash (2004)
20100710:
This movie is exciting. And it has something in common with another great movie, Inception. Of course, I watched this movie before Inception, but I haven't gotten around to the review until after watching Inception. Fried Green Tomatoes kind of does the same, but its not as profound when you find out what the first scene is about, and the revelation happens some time in the middle of the movie as opposed to near the end.
I'm a little uncertain about how I feel towards the scenes with just music playing and the camera focuses on different characters. Sometimes parts of the scenes have the right feel, and sometimes it didn't. But that is a minor issue and overall I liked the movie.
Suddenly, I realized that I liked the ending of Crash nearly as much as the ending of Inception. Something about these two movies captures what makes a great movie.
This movie might not be for everyone, but everyone should give this movie a try. Hope you enjoy or have enjoyed it.
[20100718]
Instant Comments:
the story at 28 is so sweet; of course i remember what happens later and so it means more.
i don't know what to make of the situation prior to 36. i guess stereotypically, the shop owner thinks everybody who is not of his race whats to cheat him... i think that happens of immigrants a lot. a lack of trust. and to some extent... its intuitive and confusing, that's why the sandra bullock incident came up earlier in the movie... she was afraid but didn't say anything, it's a double-edged sword. and ironically the one dude was talking about stereotypes and yet follows them rather than breaking them.
trying to do what's right, led in confusion. it must be frustrating to try and do the right thing
@37 he did the smoke thing
@40 This is where a bad guy has something to pity. it's like the kid with the messy writing that you rag on and it turns out its for some legitimate reason
What is a district attorney?
@48 the pity grows. at the same time this guy grows as an ass, and shaniqua johnson sticks it to him
Communication creates obstacles. Something simple as "he told you you should have fixed the door" didn't register
@56 Negligence... But for not speaking farsi, we don't know how the translation goes
@1hr Redeeming event... pass or fail? watch the movie!
@1:18 damn, that was intense for Ryan Phillipe's character
"Look at me. You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself."
1:20... omg here's the scene. TEAR JERKING.
[LAST TIME I WATCHED LONG TIME AGO, I WATCHED TO ABOUT HERE]
What's the relevance of 1:25? (slipping)
1:30 irony... (he could have just listened and not put his hand in his pocket...)
beginning scene begins, and from what we've learned... things will begin to close up
Ah the wife "blake" crashed on her way to the hospital...
A death made explicit
The Iranian is a doctor.
That's cold... the relationship between the mom and son... The cop could have said, "I brought home the groceries," but he didn't.
Haha, that's why...
@1:39 This is the relevance of 1:25? I don't follow... I guess it leads to what comes at 1:40.
Very ending, appropriate. But overall, you have only a sense of closure overall with all the stories. And it fits the overall theme of the story.
Watched 1st-3rd quarter
Watched 20100710 (DVD)
Crash (2004) Paul Haggis. 112 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Crash page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Crash page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Crash (2004 film) page at Wikipedia.org.
This movie is exciting. And it has something in common with another great movie, Inception. Of course, I watched this movie before Inception, but I haven't gotten around to the review until after watching Inception. Fried Green Tomatoes kind of does the same, but its not as profound when you find out what the first scene is about, and the revelation happens some time in the middle of the movie as opposed to near the end.
I'm a little uncertain about how I feel towards the scenes with just music playing and the camera focuses on different characters. Sometimes parts of the scenes have the right feel, and sometimes it didn't. But that is a minor issue and overall I liked the movie.
Suddenly, I realized that I liked the ending of Crash nearly as much as the ending of Inception. Something about these two movies captures what makes a great movie.
This movie might not be for everyone, but everyone should give this movie a try. Hope you enjoy or have enjoyed it.
[20100718]
Instant Comments:
the story at 28 is so sweet; of course i remember what happens later and so it means more.
i don't know what to make of the situation prior to 36. i guess stereotypically, the shop owner thinks everybody who is not of his race whats to cheat him... i think that happens of immigrants a lot. a lack of trust. and to some extent... its intuitive and confusing, that's why the sandra bullock incident came up earlier in the movie... she was afraid but didn't say anything, it's a double-edged sword. and ironically the one dude was talking about stereotypes and yet follows them rather than breaking them.
trying to do what's right, led in confusion. it must be frustrating to try and do the right thing
@37 he did the smoke thing
@40 This is where a bad guy has something to pity. it's like the kid with the messy writing that you rag on and it turns out its for some legitimate reason
What is a district attorney?
@48 the pity grows. at the same time this guy grows as an ass, and shaniqua johnson sticks it to him
Communication creates obstacles. Something simple as "he told you you should have fixed the door" didn't register
@56 Negligence... But for not speaking farsi, we don't know how the translation goes
@1hr Redeeming event... pass or fail? watch the movie!
@1:18 damn, that was intense for Ryan Phillipe's character
"Look at me. You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself."
1:20... omg here's the scene. TEAR JERKING.
[LAST TIME I WATCHED LONG TIME AGO, I WATCHED TO ABOUT HERE]
What's the relevance of 1:25? (slipping)
1:30 irony... (he could have just listened and not put his hand in his pocket...)
beginning scene begins, and from what we've learned... things will begin to close up
Ah the wife "blake" crashed on her way to the hospital...
A death made explicit
The Iranian is a doctor.
That's cold... the relationship between the mom and son... The cop could have said, "I brought home the groceries," but he didn't.
Haha, that's why...
@1:39 This is the relevance of 1:25? I don't follow... I guess it leads to what comes at 1:40.
Very ending, appropriate. But overall, you have only a sense of closure overall with all the stories. And it fits the overall theme of the story.
Watched 1st-3rd quarter
Watched 20100710 (DVD)
Crash (2004) Paul Haggis. 112 min.
Relevant Links:
Check out the Crash page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Crash page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Crash (2004 film) page at Wikipedia.org.
Matilda (1996)
20100709:
See, the bad guys in this movie are likable, both Trunchbull and the Wormwoods. Whereas the bad guys in James and the Giant Peach, James's aunts, weren't likeable. I suppose it helped that Danny DeVito was also the narrator. The way I see it, a bad guy can be good in two ways. One is the bad guy can have a likable quality, such as a redeeming character (ends up saving the protagonist), being so idiotic that he/she is funny, and harmless. The other way is the bad guy fully encapsulates evil. For example, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations is crazy and evil, Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix like Trunchbull is just evil, and Harry and Marv from Home Alone are just dumb. The Dursleys to Harry are like the Wormwoods to Matilda.
It's interesting that I draw a comparison between Matilda and James and the Giant Peach, as they are both based on books by Roald Dahl (Wikipedia.org). Both movies came out in 1996. Of the two movies, I like Matilda better.
Excellent children's movie. Because the work it is based on is a work of fiction, I let the over-the-top unrealistic scenes in the movie slide. For example, one scene in the movie has a boy flying, but it looks fake. Oh well. Do watch this movie and enjoy!
Credits:
The credits start with the main cast over solid-colored backgrounds, like orange and green. Other important people such as director and music composer are mentioned. Then the credits roll.
Tear-jerking:
@30 The way she said she loved to read books... that was special.
[20100709]
Watched 20100709 (Netflix, Instant)
Matilda (1996) Danny DeVito. 98 min [botnotsn (1988) by Roald Dahl]
Relevant Links:
Check out the Matilda page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Matilda page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Matilda page at Wikipedia.com.
See, the bad guys in this movie are likable, both Trunchbull and the Wormwoods. Whereas the bad guys in James and the Giant Peach, James's aunts, weren't likeable. I suppose it helped that Danny DeVito was also the narrator. The way I see it, a bad guy can be good in two ways. One is the bad guy can have a likable quality, such as a redeeming character (ends up saving the protagonist), being so idiotic that he/she is funny, and harmless. The other way is the bad guy fully encapsulates evil. For example, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations is crazy and evil, Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix like Trunchbull is just evil, and Harry and Marv from Home Alone are just dumb. The Dursleys to Harry are like the Wormwoods to Matilda.
It's interesting that I draw a comparison between Matilda and James and the Giant Peach, as they are both based on books by Roald Dahl (Wikipedia.org). Both movies came out in 1996. Of the two movies, I like Matilda better.
Excellent children's movie. Because the work it is based on is a work of fiction, I let the over-the-top unrealistic scenes in the movie slide. For example, one scene in the movie has a boy flying, but it looks fake. Oh well. Do watch this movie and enjoy!
Credits:
The credits start with the main cast over solid-colored backgrounds, like orange and green. Other important people such as director and music composer are mentioned. Then the credits roll.
Tear-jerking:
@30 The way she said she loved to read books... that was special.
[20100709]
Watched 20100709 (Netflix, Instant)
Matilda (1996) Danny DeVito. 98 min [botnotsn (1988) by Roald Dahl]
Relevant Links:
Check out the Matilda page at IMDb.com.
Check out the Matilda page at RottenTomatoes.com.
Check out the Matilda page at Wikipedia.com.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)
20100708:
This movie was great! It was original and funny. And to top it off, it does it all in just 43 minutes.
Neil Patrick Harris did a fantastic job.
The songs were hilarious.
The ending was a little unexpected, but appropriate.
This movie was so good that I just let it play again while finishing this post.
Remark: After the second viewing, I understood the ending more. The ignorance in the situation is what allows the movie to conclude the way it did.
Fact: "The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and actress Maurissa Tancharoen." (Wikipedia.org)
[20100708][20170308 Edit]
20101218:
This movie was still great!
I did, however, find the beginning (Act 1) less interesting.
On the other hand, more of the story made sense, such as Bad Horse being the Thoroughbred of Sin.
[20101218][20170308 Edit]
[20110607]
I don't know why I didn't say before, but I love Felicia Day! She plays the main character in The Guild.
20110607:
Why is this movie so great!?! I didn't actually watch all of the movie, though I definitely listened to all of it.
20110710:
During the laundromat scene which contains the "pie" line, my sister asked her friend, "Guess who [Felicia Day] reminds me of?" Her friend replied, "She reminds me of one of my friends." But I knew what my sister was looking for and I said, "Snow White," which of course was the right answer.
Many parts in this movie don't make sense the first time around. For example, all the references about "Bad Horse" just went over my head the first time. But after watching it for the second time, and definitely even more after that, it all makes sense.
In particular, I didn't enjoy the ending the first time I saw the movie. Following up on 20100708, Penny only had a slight change of heart about Captain Hammer during his speech, but otherwise she remained blinded throughout the movie. If I didn't like the movie's ending the first time, I've certainly grown to accept it.
[20110710]
20111223:
I just LOVE this movie. I really need to buy the book and memorize the lyrics. In any case, I absolutely love the dialogue and lyrics in this movie. My favorite line has got to be: "By the way, the hammer is..." The runner up is "pie."
One new thing I noticed on this watching was that Captain Hammer finishes his song (singing "way...") after becoming unfrozen. Another is that the Evil League of Evil members are named in the credits: Professor Normal, Fake Thomas Jefferson, Tie-Die, Dead Bowie, Fury Leika, Snake Bite, and Bad Horse.
Yeah, like I mentioned once before, the fact that Penny says "Captain Hammer will save us..." makes the ending acceptable.
20130127:
Apparently I last watched this movie just a little over a year ago. How my favorite line still makes me laugh despite knowing the punchline is beyond my comprehension.
One thing I thought about on this viewing is how the beginning of the movie had originally confused me, because Dr. Horrible drops various names. I recall wondering if I had missed some dialogue or failed to understand some sort of pop culture reference. In any case, the movie makes a lot more sense after seeing it once.
If I were to choose something other than the two lines I mentioned in 20111223, then I would say I absolutely love the counterpart trio at the end of "A Man's Gotta Do" with Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer, and Penny. Though I especially love Dr. Horrible's lines for their comedic value. "What heist were you watching?" "Did you notice that he threw you in the garbage?" "I had the remote in my hand." "Balls."
Oh wait, there's also "So They Say." The Captain Hammer groupies are funny. I also like Captain Hammer's lines. "I just might sleep with the same girl twice. They say its better the second time. They say you get to do the weird stuff." "We do the weird stuff."
In this viewing, in addition to him singing "way...", I also noticed that Captain Hammer flicks Dr. Horrible off.
20130817:
Only instant comments. See below.
20140319:
Short and funny, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was a great movie to kick off movie night. Of course, I love this movie and I could easily watch it over and over if I had to.
While I'm pretty sure all the scenes in this Blu-ray version were the same, some scenes strangely looked new.
In any case, there were two viewers who hadn't seen the movie before and they thought the ending seemed sudden. You can see above that I also thought the ending was unexpected, yet appropriate.
After Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, we watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010).
20170307:
I watched this again today with Ada.
As I watch, I noticed all the intricate details which would be impossible to grasp on the first viewing (e.g., Bad Horse).
On a different note, that joke ("hammer") is still funny; Ada laughed too.
Oh, and as a final note, I recall not getting the ending on the first few viewings, but now I totally get it.
Instant Comments:
2: Cumin is a seed with a distinctive smell.
1: LOL @ 03:27 (park)
1: actress from The Guild (Felicia Day)
4: LOL "Love your hair." "What?" ...
5: "Oh nothing, I love the... air."
2: The laundry song is creative and cute.
2: I wondered who Johnny Snow (4:48) was and a google search said that he was only mentioned in the song and prior to the song. I didn't quite catch that, but great.
1: actor from The Big Bang Theory (Simon Helberg), 4:* Simon Helberg from The Big Bang Theory
1: LOL @ 09:02 (creeper)
1: LOL Captain Hammer. He looks familiar... I'll have to see what's he's from... (Nathan Fillion) (Oh, of course, from Joss Whedon's Firefly)
4: LOL "Why not cut off the head." "Of the human race?"
6: the suitcase says "do not bounce"
4: LOL @ 12:29 when Captain Hammer pushes her away.
6: the bang on the hood of the van goes with the song
1: LOL (remote control), 4: HAHA I love all of Neil Patrick Harris's comments during the final reprise of "A man's got to do what a man's got to do...", 9: "I had the remote in my hand."
6: the pour of the soup into the water, 11:* Ada noticed this!
1: LOLOLOLOLOLOL @ 18:00 (third level), 1: LOL (pie), 4: Haha "And sometimes there's a third even deeper level, which is the same as the top layer." "What?" "Like a pie.", 6: lol "pie", 9: "Like a pie." I love that line.
2: Bad Horse. The Thoroughbred of Sin?
9: "Oh goodness. Look at my wrist."
2, 12: LOL @ 23 (gym)
1: LOLOL @ 25 (the hammer), 2: LOLOL, "the hammer" was just as funny the second time around, 3:* The part where Nathan Fillion comes back to clarify his hammer is still super hilarious., 4: LOLOLOLOLOL So I knew "the hammer" joke was coming up. And I thought I wouldn't laugh. So he said "And these aren't the hammer." I didn't laugh, and thought, ah nuts, knowing the line coming up ruined it. But then I realized, wait... and I started chuckling more and more... as I realized. Hahaha. That makes it the fourth time the joke was still great. That's just how great the film is., 5: Haha, I don't know how this joke holds up so well., 9: Hahahahaha. I start a slow laugh as soon as Captain Hammer says, "And these... are not the hammer."
12: This might have been the first time I realized that "how can it be that *you*..." and "I owe it all to you" refers to Captain Hammer.
2: I love the optical illusion with the chair, 5: I like how the camera turns and reveals how big the chair is.
12: "It's a great day to be homeless."
1: Song that begins @ 27 is absolutely great! (So they say...)
6: Caption on news: "I hope to set an example, you know, for children and stuff.", 11, 12:* Silly caption.
9: "We have a problem with her!"
9: "This is nice. I just might sleep with the same girl twice. They say its better the second time. They say you get to do the weird stuff." "We do the weird stuff!" Funny song.
4: I didn't notice she was sitting and waiting in the laundromat with two frozen yogurts., 6: I'm pretty sure I noticed before that she has two frozen yogurts during the song "So They Say" [Yes, on 20110607]
4: I love "So they say." It has a happy rhythm and hilarious jokes.
2: Stun Ray
2: LOL @ 29 (I hate the homeless...ness)
2: Oh I get it... Lassie begs for a treat and its not shameful.
9: Ha. "You know what, I don't need tiny cue cards."
12: "Everyone's a hero in their own way, in their own not-that-heroic way."
2: LOL @ 34 (two R's), this was also funny the first time.
On various occasions I realized [20190520: ???]
1=20100708 (first pass), 2=20100708 (second pass), 3=20101218, 4=20110607 (first pass), 5=20110607 (second pass), 6=20110710, 7=20111223, 9=20130817, 11=20170307, 12=20170908
Note: Originally, the instant comments were done independent of each other with respect to date. In other words, "1" and "2" were listed together under the "Instant Comments" for 20100708, "4" and "5" were listed together under the "Instant Comments" for 20110607, and so on. I combined them all on 20170308.
*Some comments were originally written within the post entry, but on 20170308, I reclassified them as an instant comment.
Watched 20100708 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20100708 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20101218 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110607 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110607 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110710 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20111223 (Netflix, Instant) (English Subtitles)
Watched 20130127
Watched 20130817 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20140319 (Blu-ray)
Watched 20170307 (YouTube)
Watched 20170908 (YouTube)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) Joss Whedon. 42 min.
Relevant Links:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (IMDb.com)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (RottenTomatoes.com)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Wikipedia.org)
This movie was great! It was original and funny. And to top it off, it does it all in just 43 minutes.
Neil Patrick Harris did a fantastic job.
The songs were hilarious.
The ending was a little unexpected, but appropriate.
This movie was so good that I just let it play again while finishing this post.
Remark: After the second viewing, I understood the ending more. The ignorance in the situation is what allows the movie to conclude the way it did.
Fact: "The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and actress Maurissa Tancharoen." (Wikipedia.org)
[20100708][20170308 Edit]
20101218:
This movie was still great!
I did, however, find the beginning (Act 1) less interesting.
On the other hand, more of the story made sense, such as Bad Horse being the Thoroughbred of Sin.
[20101218][20170308 Edit]
[20110607]
I don't know why I didn't say before, but I love Felicia Day! She plays the main character in The Guild.
20110607:
Why is this movie so great!?! I didn't actually watch all of the movie, though I definitely listened to all of it.
20110710:
During the laundromat scene which contains the "pie" line, my sister asked her friend, "Guess who [Felicia Day] reminds me of?" Her friend replied, "She reminds me of one of my friends." But I knew what my sister was looking for and I said, "Snow White," which of course was the right answer.
Many parts in this movie don't make sense the first time around. For example, all the references about "Bad Horse" just went over my head the first time. But after watching it for the second time, and definitely even more after that, it all makes sense.
In particular, I didn't enjoy the ending the first time I saw the movie. Following up on 20100708, Penny only had a slight change of heart about Captain Hammer during his speech, but otherwise she remained blinded throughout the movie. If I didn't like the movie's ending the first time, I've certainly grown to accept it.
[20110710]
20111223:
I just LOVE this movie. I really need to buy the book and memorize the lyrics. In any case, I absolutely love the dialogue and lyrics in this movie. My favorite line has got to be: "By the way, the hammer is..." The runner up is "pie."
One new thing I noticed on this watching was that Captain Hammer finishes his song (singing "way...") after becoming unfrozen. Another is that the Evil League of Evil members are named in the credits: Professor Normal, Fake Thomas Jefferson, Tie-Die, Dead Bowie, Fury Leika, Snake Bite, and Bad Horse.
Yeah, like I mentioned once before, the fact that Penny says "Captain Hammer will save us..." makes the ending acceptable.
20130127:
Apparently I last watched this movie just a little over a year ago. How my favorite line still makes me laugh despite knowing the punchline is beyond my comprehension.
One thing I thought about on this viewing is how the beginning of the movie had originally confused me, because Dr. Horrible drops various names. I recall wondering if I had missed some dialogue or failed to understand some sort of pop culture reference. In any case, the movie makes a lot more sense after seeing it once.
If I were to choose something other than the two lines I mentioned in 20111223, then I would say I absolutely love the counterpart trio at the end of "A Man's Gotta Do" with Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer, and Penny. Though I especially love Dr. Horrible's lines for their comedic value. "What heist were you watching?" "Did you notice that he threw you in the garbage?" "I had the remote in my hand." "Balls."
Oh wait, there's also "So They Say." The Captain Hammer groupies are funny. I also like Captain Hammer's lines. "I just might sleep with the same girl twice. They say its better the second time. They say you get to do the weird stuff." "We do the weird stuff."
In this viewing, in addition to him singing "way...", I also noticed that Captain Hammer flicks Dr. Horrible off.
20130817:
Only instant comments. See below.
20140319:
Short and funny, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was a great movie to kick off movie night. Of course, I love this movie and I could easily watch it over and over if I had to.
While I'm pretty sure all the scenes in this Blu-ray version were the same, some scenes strangely looked new.
In any case, there were two viewers who hadn't seen the movie before and they thought the ending seemed sudden. You can see above that I also thought the ending was unexpected, yet appropriate.
After Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, we watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010).
20170307:
I watched this again today with Ada.
As I watch, I noticed all the intricate details which would be impossible to grasp on the first viewing (e.g., Bad Horse).
On a different note, that joke ("hammer") is still funny; Ada laughed too.
Oh, and as a final note, I recall not getting the ending on the first few viewings, but now I totally get it.
Instant Comments:
2: Cumin is a seed with a distinctive smell.
1: LOL @ 03:27 (park)
1: actress from The Guild (Felicia Day)
4: LOL "Love your hair." "What?" ...
5: "Oh nothing, I love the... air."
2: The laundry song is creative and cute.
2: I wondered who Johnny Snow (4:48) was and a google search said that he was only mentioned in the song and prior to the song. I didn't quite catch that, but great.
1: actor from The Big Bang Theory (Simon Helberg), 4:* Simon Helberg from The Big Bang Theory
1: LOL @ 09:02 (creeper)
1: LOL Captain Hammer. He looks familiar... I'll have to see what's he's from... (Nathan Fillion) (Oh, of course, from Joss Whedon's Firefly)
4: LOL "Why not cut off the head." "Of the human race?"
6: the suitcase says "do not bounce"
4: LOL @ 12:29 when Captain Hammer pushes her away.
6: the bang on the hood of the van goes with the song
1: LOL (remote control), 4: HAHA I love all of Neil Patrick Harris's comments during the final reprise of "A man's got to do what a man's got to do...", 9: "I had the remote in my hand."
6: the pour of the soup into the water, 11:* Ada noticed this!
1: LOLOLOLOLOLOL @ 18:00 (third level), 1: LOL (pie), 4: Haha "And sometimes there's a third even deeper level, which is the same as the top layer." "What?" "Like a pie.", 6: lol "pie", 9: "Like a pie." I love that line.
2: Bad Horse. The Thoroughbred of Sin?
9: "Oh goodness. Look at my wrist."
2, 12: LOL @ 23 (gym)
1: LOLOL @ 25 (the hammer), 2: LOLOL, "the hammer" was just as funny the second time around, 3:* The part where Nathan Fillion comes back to clarify his hammer is still super hilarious., 4: LOLOLOLOLOL So I knew "the hammer" joke was coming up. And I thought I wouldn't laugh. So he said "And these aren't the hammer." I didn't laugh, and thought, ah nuts, knowing the line coming up ruined it. But then I realized, wait... and I started chuckling more and more... as I realized. Hahaha. That makes it the fourth time the joke was still great. That's just how great the film is., 5: Haha, I don't know how this joke holds up so well., 9: Hahahahaha. I start a slow laugh as soon as Captain Hammer says, "And these... are not the hammer."
12: This might have been the first time I realized that "how can it be that *you*..." and "I owe it all to you" refers to Captain Hammer.
2: I love the optical illusion with the chair, 5: I like how the camera turns and reveals how big the chair is.
12: "It's a great day to be homeless."
1: Song that begins @ 27 is absolutely great! (So they say...)
6: Caption on news: "I hope to set an example, you know, for children and stuff.", 11, 12:* Silly caption.
9: "We have a problem with her!"
9: "This is nice. I just might sleep with the same girl twice. They say its better the second time. They say you get to do the weird stuff." "We do the weird stuff!" Funny song.
4: I didn't notice she was sitting and waiting in the laundromat with two frozen yogurts., 6: I'm pretty sure I noticed before that she has two frozen yogurts during the song "So They Say" [Yes, on 20110607]
4: I love "So they say." It has a happy rhythm and hilarious jokes.
2: Stun Ray
2: LOL @ 29 (I hate the homeless...ness)
2: Oh I get it... Lassie begs for a treat and its not shameful.
9: Ha. "You know what, I don't need tiny cue cards."
12: "Everyone's a hero in their own way, in their own not-that-heroic way."
2: LOL @ 34 (two R's), this was also funny the first time.
On various occasions I realized [20190520: ???]
1=20100708 (first pass), 2=20100708 (second pass), 3=20101218, 4=20110607 (first pass), 5=20110607 (second pass), 6=20110710, 7=20111223, 9=20130817, 11=20170307, 12=20170908
Note: Originally, the instant comments were done independent of each other with respect to date. In other words, "1" and "2" were listed together under the "Instant Comments" for 20100708, "4" and "5" were listed together under the "Instant Comments" for 20110607, and so on. I combined them all on 20170308.
*Some comments were originally written within the post entry, but on 20170308, I reclassified them as an instant comment.
Watched 20100708 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20100708 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20101218 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110607 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110607 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20110710 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20111223 (Netflix, Instant) (English Subtitles)
Watched 20130127
Watched 20130817 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20140319 (Blu-ray)
Watched 20170307 (YouTube)
Watched 20170908 (YouTube)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) Joss Whedon. 42 min.
Relevant Links:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (IMDb.com)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (RottenTomatoes.com)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
20100707:
This movie is long and great. The movie does a good job with pacing as far as pacing can get. The movie tells itself like a mystery. The one criticism I have is in the final note of the movie. If the movie was a musical piece, I felt as if the ending was like a deceptive cadence instead of an authentic cadence. The movie slowly builds up tension, very slowly at first, and then a lot at the end. Then there is a drop, and you expect the final tension to occur. But you are shown something that leaves you to fill in the blanks. Now, I'm not opposed to filling in the blanks of a movie, but there's something that should happen before I fill in the blanks. Some sort of lasting emotion that I should feel. Perhaps, if they ended the movie after the lines spoken at 2:05, the movie would have felt right to me. In any case, excellent film.
I forgot to mention the passion that's in the film was also well done.
The order in which the story is told is also done correctly. It doesn't take long to figure out where in a timeline each scene belongs.
Go watch this movie.
Tear-jerking moments:
?:?? If I get there before the car comes around the bend...
1:53 He spoke of a heart throbbing.
1:59 When she gets a letter
2:02 When her aunt is crying
2:05
[20100707][20191007 Edit]
20191007 Comment:*
In the movie, the protagonist's fiance departs and then she begins making her way through a pasture and superstitiously says to herself "If I reach the bend before the car, Manech will come back alive!" She arrives to the road and looks around. There's not a car in sight. She then hears a car coming and gets excited. Is it her fiance? You'll have to watch the movie and find out. But let's consider the possibilities as well as point out some flaws with the scene.
Case 1. Her fiance comes around the bend and so she would have reached the bend before the car. As such, Manech will come back alive!
Case 2. Her fiance doesn't come around the bend. Oh no! Does this mean Manech will die? Nope! Without going into a lesson about logic or truth tables, consider instead the following story:
Remark 1. As it stands, the statement is an optimistic one to make. She would feel much better in case 1 and logically shouldn't be any more worried than she already is in case 2. As an alternative, she could have made a much riskier statement: "Manech will come back alive if and only if I reach the bend before the car!" On that note, the reality is that it's just superstition. Otherwise, one should just make trivial remarks like "If I jump twice right now then Manech will come back alive" - though that would make for a boring scene.
Remark 2. In criticism for the scene, which is written to emotionally excite the viewer (see Remark 1), we should consider that she makes the statement because somewhere in her mind she has judged through experience that it may be possible for her to reach the bend before the car. As such, if she does not reach the bend before the car, it stands to reason that the car should not have left her field of view by the time she arrives. However, when she arrived, there's no car in sight and there's no dust in the air either.
*On 20100707, I made a remark about an if-statement. I have moved the commentary here and added some new material.
Watched 20100707 (Netflix Instant Self) (French audio, English subtitles)
A Very Long Engagement (2004) Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet. 133 min.
also known as Un long dimanche de fiançailles (France, original title)
Relevant Links:
A Very Long Engagement (IMDb.com)
A Very Long Engagement (RottenTomatoes.com)
A Very Long Engagement (Wikipedia.org)
previous movie(Robin Hood: Men in Tights):next movie(James and the Giant Peach)
This movie is long and great. The movie does a good job with pacing as far as pacing can get. The movie tells itself like a mystery. The one criticism I have is in the final note of the movie. If the movie was a musical piece, I felt as if the ending was like a deceptive cadence instead of an authentic cadence. The movie slowly builds up tension, very slowly at first, and then a lot at the end. Then there is a drop, and you expect the final tension to occur. But you are shown something that leaves you to fill in the blanks. Now, I'm not opposed to filling in the blanks of a movie, but there's something that should happen before I fill in the blanks. Some sort of lasting emotion that I should feel. Perhaps, if they ended the movie after the lines spoken at 2:05, the movie would have felt right to me. In any case, excellent film.
I forgot to mention the passion that's in the film was also well done.
The order in which the story is told is also done correctly. It doesn't take long to figure out where in a timeline each scene belongs.
Go watch this movie.
Tear-jerking moments:
?:?? If I get there before the car comes around the bend...
1:53 He spoke of a heart throbbing.
1:59 When she gets a letter
2:02 When her aunt is crying
2:05
[20100707][20191007 Edit]
20191007 Comment:*
In the movie, the protagonist's fiance departs and then she begins making her way through a pasture and superstitiously says to herself "If I reach the bend before the car, Manech will come back alive!" She arrives to the road and looks around. There's not a car in sight. She then hears a car coming and gets excited. Is it her fiance? You'll have to watch the movie and find out. But let's consider the possibilities as well as point out some flaws with the scene.
Case 1. Her fiance comes around the bend and so she would have reached the bend before the car. As such, Manech will come back alive!
Case 2. Her fiance doesn't come around the bend. Oh no! Does this mean Manech will die? Nope! Without going into a lesson about logic or truth tables, consider instead the following story:
A father and son are at the table and the kid won't eat his peas. The father tells the son, "If you don't eat your peas, I won't give you ice cream." Afraid of the consequence for not eating his peas, the kid quickly finishes his peas. After finishing his dinner, the son asks, "Can I please have my ice cream now?" The father replies, "Why? Did I say I would give you ice cream if you eat your peas?"
Remark 1. As it stands, the statement is an optimistic one to make. She would feel much better in case 1 and logically shouldn't be any more worried than she already is in case 2. As an alternative, she could have made a much riskier statement: "Manech will come back alive if and only if I reach the bend before the car!" On that note, the reality is that it's just superstition. Otherwise, one should just make trivial remarks like "If I jump twice right now then Manech will come back alive" - though that would make for a boring scene.
Remark 2. In criticism for the scene, which is written to emotionally excite the viewer (see Remark 1), we should consider that she makes the statement because somewhere in her mind she has judged through experience that it may be possible for her to reach the bend before the car. As such, if she does not reach the bend before the car, it stands to reason that the car should not have left her field of view by the time she arrives. However, when she arrived, there's no car in sight and there's no dust in the air either.
*On 20100707, I made a remark about an if-statement. I have moved the commentary here and added some new material.
Watched 20100707 (Netflix Instant Self) (French audio, English subtitles)
A Very Long Engagement (2004) Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet. 133 min.
also known as Un long dimanche de fiançailles (France, original title)
Relevant Links:
A Very Long Engagement (IMDb.com)
A Very Long Engagement (RottenTomatoes.com)
A Very Long Engagement (Wikipedia.org)
previous movie(Robin Hood: Men in Tights):next movie(James and the Giant Peach)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
 |
| Robin Hood (right) (Cary Elwes) and Ahchoo (left) (Dave Chappelle) |
20100707:
I love most of the movie's anachronisms. They fit particularly well in a movie that is over-the-top in all respects. I would note, however, that most of the humor is just inside-the-head funny as opposed to laughing-out-loud funny. In fact, there was only one scene for which I gave a chuckle and that happened during the wedding scene.
For some parts in this movie, namely the rapping sequences, I could have benefited from watching the movie with caption.
 |
| Prince John (Richard Lewis) and the Sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees) |
The Wikipedia article mentions how director Mel Brooks includes references to his older films and spoofs other Robin Hood movies.
Overall, while not a great film, I find Robin Hood: Men in Tights worth watching at least once.
[20140609 Edit]
20140609:
In contrast to my previous viewing, today I was chuckling for more than just one scene throughout the movie.
 |
| Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck) |
I would slightly improve on my earlier recommendation, saying that if you enjoy Mel Brooks's style of humor, then you will surely enjoy Robin Hood: Men in Tights. For those who have not yet seen a movie directed by Mel Brooks, then I would recommend Robin Hood: Men in Tights to those who enjoy watching comedies. Overall, Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a good film and worth watching at least once.
Instant Comments:
2: "There must be another way to do the credits."
2: References King Kong (1933) (1976) (2005).
 |
| Blinkin (Mark Blankfield) |
2: "Great strength of feet."
2: "Who possesses a key to my..." [looks down] "...heart."
2: Haha. "You want certain, hire yourself a witch! Me, I'm just your cook."
2: Changed it to Latrine. "Yeah, used to be 'Shithouse.'"
2: "Abe Lincoln."
2: "It's the principal of the thing."
2: Will Scarlet O'Hara. "We're from Georgia." References Gone With the Wind (1939).
 |
| Broomhilde (Megan Cavanagh) and Marian |
2: "Man, white men can't jump." References White Men Can't Jump (1992).
2: "What a smoothie, he's definitely a smoothie."
2: "Because, unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent." Reference to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).
2: Ha! Picks up the gauntlet.
2: I thought 'gross,' but Robin says "That's disgusting." (lend me your ears)
2: Hehe. Bubbles.
2: "I have a mole?"
 |
| Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) and Robin Hood |
2: Hehehe. "I touched it."
2: Mel Brooks! (Rabbi Tuckman)
2: "You Prince of Thieves, you."
2: References/Spoofs The Godfather (1972).
2: References On the Waterfront (1954). "I coulda been a contender..."
2: Hahahahaha. "Go like this." [click-cluck-click-cluck] "He can't do it! I love to tease him."
2: "We'll make him an offer he can't refuse."
2: "Let me see the script." A similar bit was done in The Muppet Movie (1979).
2: A lifesaver!
2: The toilets shall be known as Johns.
2: References Blazing Saddles (1974).
 |
| Asneeze (Isaac Hayes) and Robin Hood |
Credits:
1: Stunt Coordinator
1: Sword and Fight Coordinator
1: Archery Master
1: Wrangler Ramrod
1: Dialogue Coach
1: "Men in Tights" - lol
1: "Marian" - I liked the End Credit Duet version of this
1=20100707, 2=20140609
Watched 20100707 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20140609 (Netflix, Instant)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) Mel Brooks. 104 min.
 |
| "Let me see the script." |
Relevant Links:
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (IMDb.com)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (RottenTomatoes.com)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Wikipedia.org)