20111130:
So I've really been in a mood for westerns lately. When browsing through movies to watch, I just end up choosing a western. In any case, Winchester '73 was pretty good. It has more action and feels more real to me than some of the other westerns I've seen lately. Of course, appearing realistic is different from being realistic. But when it comes to liking a non-fiction movie, I'd rather have it appear and feel realistic rather than be realistic. Achieving something real without needing to be real. For example, you can create antique furniture (from new furniture) that appears worn and old instead of buying real antique furniture that looks new.
Moving on, I really like the final duel.
I read part of the overview on Netflix prior to watching the movie and I feel it was incorrect. After watching the film I read the entire overview and not only is part of it incorrect, but another part contains a minor spoiler. I offer the following overview: Lin McAdam (James Stewart) has some beef with a man who goes by the name of Dutch Henry Adams. The two compete in a shooting contest in Dodge City, Kansas for a special Winchester rifle. Lin wins, but the rifle is take from him. The remainder of the movie follows Lin on his quest for Dutch and the rifle as it journeys through different hands.
This might be the first western I've seen with Indians attacking. It certainly wouldn't be the first movie I've seen with Indians. The Last of the Mohicans (1920), Dances with Wolves (1990), Pocahontas (1995), and Avatar (2009) (I felt like I had to poke a little fun at Avatar).
Overall, great film. I liked it better than The Left Handed Gun (1958) and High Noon (1952).
Note: Harvey (1950), another movie starring James Stewart, was also released in 1950.
Watched 20111130 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Winchester '73 (1950) Anthony Mann. 92 min
Relevant Links:
Winchester '73 (IMDb.com)
Winchester '73 (Wikipedia.org)
Winchester rifle (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
20111129:
This movie is about Billy the Kid. According to the Wikipedia article, Billy the Kid is actually right handed. Anyways, I didn't like the movie. I think it displays too many angles of Billy the Kid. He's kind of a good guy, and yet he's kind of a bad guy. A couple switches spread throughout the movie would be alright, but several switches and sometimes in short periods of movie time made it hard for me to keep up with the character. I was hoping the movie would be more like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), but the two movies are more different than alike.
I don't know what else to mention. I guess the ambiguity of the movie has clouded my opinion of the movie itself. Overall, you might decide to check this out if you like Paul Newman's acting. That's why I decided to watch this movie in the first place. I'd say the majority of his performance is solid.
Actually, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the movie up until and including the scene where Billy shots the two men on horseback. I only enjoyed parts of the movie after that scene. I like the last western I watched, High Noon (1952) better, because the protagonist had a clear goal and purpose.
Watched 20111129 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
The Left Handed Gun (1958) Arthur Penn. 102 min.
Relevant Links:
The Left Handed Gun (IMDb.com)
The Left Handed Gun (Wikipedia.org)
Billy the Kid (Wikipedia.org)
This movie is about Billy the Kid. According to the Wikipedia article, Billy the Kid is actually right handed. Anyways, I didn't like the movie. I think it displays too many angles of Billy the Kid. He's kind of a good guy, and yet he's kind of a bad guy. A couple switches spread throughout the movie would be alright, but several switches and sometimes in short periods of movie time made it hard for me to keep up with the character. I was hoping the movie would be more like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), but the two movies are more different than alike.
I don't know what else to mention. I guess the ambiguity of the movie has clouded my opinion of the movie itself. Overall, you might decide to check this out if you like Paul Newman's acting. That's why I decided to watch this movie in the first place. I'd say the majority of his performance is solid.
Actually, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the movie up until and including the scene where Billy shots the two men on horseback. I only enjoyed parts of the movie after that scene. I like the last western I watched, High Noon (1952) better, because the protagonist had a clear goal and purpose.
Watched 20111129 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
The Left Handed Gun (1958) Arthur Penn. 102 min.
Relevant Links:
The Left Handed Gun (IMDb.com)
The Left Handed Gun (Wikipedia.org)
Billy the Kid (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
High Noon (1952)
20111126:
I think this movie has a lot of fluff in it and I don't think it does a good job of showing me why I should care for the protagonist.
I guess the audience is suppose to pity the fact that the protagonist is alone, but the movie itself presents the question of why he just doesn't leave for the sake of the town. Some people in the town welcome the gang and some don't. As a viewer, why then should I maintain pity for the protagonist?
After the antagonist Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) arrives in town, the resolution is quick, simple, and uninteresting.
On a different note, Grace Kelly is gorgeous.
I'd also like to add I like the main theme song.
In any case, you might find something worth watching in this classic western, but aside from Grace Kelly, the best thing I can say at the moment is it's one less western I haven't seen.
20140125:
Watching this movie again, I don't think I understood it anymore than I did the last time I saw it.
As I mentioned in my previous entry, the movie has all these little scenes that take place and I found they didn't add anything to the story.
Unless I'm missing something truly deep and profound, I think this movie does more wrong than right. In particular, even the ending is a bit unsatisfying.
It should be noted, however, that this movie won four Oscars ("best actor in a leading role," "best film editing," "best music, original song," and "best music, scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture") and well-liked.
Instant Comments:
So initially I wondered, like in my previous entry, why Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) comes back.
He does, however, explain his own reasons for coming back.
In the next scene, we get the judge's take on things. He himself is packing up to leave and, in his opinion, thought Kane shouldn't have come back.
Burn. She tells Harvey that the difference between Kane and Harvey is that Kane is a man.
In the big meeting that interrupts the church service (about the 46 minute mark), a lot of discussion goes on. One of the bigger solutions is that Kane should leave and that would avoid the entire situation between him and Miller altogether.
Watched 20111126 (Netflix, Instant) 84 min
Watched 20140125 (Netflix, Instant) 84 min (Streaming until 20140201)
High Noon (1952) Fred Zinnemann. 85 min
Relevant Links:
High Noon (IMDb.com)
High Noon (Wikipedia.org)
I think this movie has a lot of fluff in it and I don't think it does a good job of showing me why I should care for the protagonist.
 |
| Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) and Amy Fowler Kane (Grace Kelly) |
I guess the audience is suppose to pity the fact that the protagonist is alone, but the movie itself presents the question of why he just doesn't leave for the sake of the town. Some people in the town welcome the gang and some don't. As a viewer, why then should I maintain pity for the protagonist?
After the antagonist Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) arrives in town, the resolution is quick, simple, and uninteresting.
 |
| From left to right: Jim Pierce (Robert J. Wilke), Jack Colby (Lee Van Cleef), and Ben Miller (Sheb Wooley), |
On a different note, Grace Kelly is gorgeous.
I'd also like to add I like the main theme song.
In any case, you might find something worth watching in this classic western, but aside from Grace Kelly, the best thing I can say at the moment is it's one less western I haven't seen.
 |
| Helen RamÃrez (Katy Jurado) and Deputy Marshal Harvel Pell (Lloyd Bridges) |
20140125:
Watching this movie again, I don't think I understood it anymore than I did the last time I saw it.
As I mentioned in my previous entry, the movie has all these little scenes that take place and I found they didn't add anything to the story.
 |
| Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) |
Unless I'm missing something truly deep and profound, I think this movie does more wrong than right. In particular, even the ending is a bit unsatisfying.
It should be noted, however, that this movie won four Oscars ("best actor in a leading role," "best film editing," "best music, original song," and "best music, scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture") and well-liked.
 |
| Helen boards the noon train. |
Instant Comments:
So initially I wondered, like in my previous entry, why Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) comes back.
He does, however, explain his own reasons for coming back.
In the next scene, we get the judge's take on things. He himself is packing up to leave and, in his opinion, thought Kane shouldn't have come back.
 |
| Frank finds Amy. |
Burn. She tells Harvey that the difference between Kane and Harvey is that Kane is a man.
In the big meeting that interrupts the church service (about the 46 minute mark), a lot of discussion goes on. One of the bigger solutions is that Kane should leave and that would avoid the entire situation between him and Miller altogether.
Watched 20111126 (Netflix, Instant) 84 min
Watched 20140125 (Netflix, Instant) 84 min (Streaming until 20140201)
High Noon (1952) Fred Zinnemann. 85 min
 |
| Marshal Will Kane runs into Ben Miller. |
Relevant Links:
High Noon (IMDb.com)
High Noon (Wikipedia.org)
Dirty Harry (1971)
20111126:
Great movie. I love the line at the end of the bank scene and the scene where he's standing on the bridge and jumps on the bus. Great ending also. Clint Eastwood rocks. I though of Gran Torino (2008) when I saw the end of this movie.
The antagonist is so evil, and that definitely helps drive the story. I just couldn't wait to see Harry catch him once and for all.
Watched 20111126 (Netflix, Instant)
Dirty Harry (1971) Don Siegel. 102 min
Relevant Links:
Dirty Harry (IMDb.com)
Great movie. I love the line at the end of the bank scene and the scene where he's standing on the bridge and jumps on the bus. Great ending also. Clint Eastwood rocks. I though of Gran Torino (2008) when I saw the end of this movie.
The antagonist is so evil, and that definitely helps drive the story. I just couldn't wait to see Harry catch him once and for all.
Watched 20111126 (Netflix, Instant)
Dirty Harry (1971) Don Siegel. 102 min
Relevant Links:
Dirty Harry (IMDb.com)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Yojimbo (1961)
20111117:
I've been meaning to watch this movie for quite some time now, but never got around to it. Luckily, today's modern dance class was simplified and that gave me an opportunity to go to watch Yojimbo on 35mm! Class would have been an hour long starting at 7 and the movie's planned start time was at 7:30. Of course it started ten minutes late, but that's fine.
Verdict? What a great movie! I love the music and the story is great. The protagonist is such an interesting character. The movie did a great job of developing a strong emotional bond with him.
While I like Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) better, this film is still awesome and I would recommend it to most people.
Remark: Not all the opening credits subtitled in the version we saw. I got the following from the U.S. Theatrical Version Title Sequence: "The time is 1860... the emergence of a middle class has brought about the end to power of the Tokugawa Dynasty...//A samurai, once a dedicated warrior in the emply of Royalty, now finds himself with no master to serve other than his own will to survive...//...and no devices other than his wit and sword."
Watched 20111117 35mm Shriver Hall. Japanese audio with English subtitles.
Yojimbo (1961) Akira Kurosawa. 110 min
Relevant Links:
Yojimbo (IMDb.com)
Yojimbo (film) (Wikipedia.org)
I've been meaning to watch this movie for quite some time now, but never got around to it. Luckily, today's modern dance class was simplified and that gave me an opportunity to go to watch Yojimbo on 35mm! Class would have been an hour long starting at 7 and the movie's planned start time was at 7:30. Of course it started ten minutes late, but that's fine.
Verdict? What a great movie! I love the music and the story is great. The protagonist is such an interesting character. The movie did a great job of developing a strong emotional bond with him.
While I like Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) better, this film is still awesome and I would recommend it to most people.
Remark: Not all the opening credits subtitled in the version we saw. I got the following from the U.S. Theatrical Version Title Sequence: "The time is 1860... the emergence of a middle class has brought about the end to power of the Tokugawa Dynasty...//A samurai, once a dedicated warrior in the emply of Royalty, now finds himself with no master to serve other than his own will to survive...//...and no devices other than his wit and sword."
Watched 20111117 35mm Shriver Hall. Japanese audio with English subtitles.
Yojimbo (1961) Akira Kurosawa. 110 min
Relevant Links:
Yojimbo (IMDb.com)
Yojimbo (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Commando (1985)
Partial Plot Summary:
John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a former soldier of some sort, lives alone in the mountains with his daughter Jenny. Then one day Major General Franklin Kirby, a former superior of Matrix, comes to inform him that some of Matrix's men have been killed and Matrix might be next. Kirby leaves two men with Matrix and leaves. Soon after leaving, a group of men ambush the house.
The men take Jenny hostage and Matrix follows in pursuit. However, he's outnumbered and tranquilized. Before being knocked out by the tranquilizer, he sees that Bennett, one of the former soldiers supposedly killed, is alive and allied with the enemy. When Matrix wakes, he's told he has to kill a man or else his daughter will die. Desperate to help his daughter, Matrix gives in to their demand.
The job requires taking a plane trip 11 hours away and Matrix is escorted by two men to the airport, one who gets onto the plane with Matrix and another that stays around to make sure Matrix got onto the plane. Matrix, however, doesn't leave on the plane and manages to escape. He follows the guy who stayed behind, forcing a girl named Cindy to help. Following a trail of evidence, the two make their way to the island where Matrix's daughter is being held.
You'll have to watch the movie to really feel the action though. No words can describe the great brawling and action.
20111115:
Great action movie. It doesn't compare to Die Hard (1988), which is my current favorite action movie. I think one reason I don't like this movie as much is because it can be unreasonably over the top. A particular example is the scene where Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, runs a bulldozer into a closed army surplus shop.
The constant music definitely helps the mood of film. I'd say it's around the quality of Conan the Barbarian (1982). Conan had scenes I didn't like, but also had great scenes. This movie in contrast was consistently good, but didn't have epic moments the way Conan did. My favorite scene was when the girl, Cindy, fires the rocket launcher.
I like it.
Instant Comments:
1: Whoa, this action movie has a great pace. The music is particularly exciting. The horns.
1: Lol. The lady sort of skews the story a bit. She was partially the cause of all the ruckus. Though I suppose I would have initially been worried and told the cops too.
1: Great one liners.
1: When he (John Matrix) goes into the warehouse and sneaks around, I suddenly wanted to play Splinter Cell. That was a great game. Lol, I made that comment before he knocked the guy out and carried him into the closet. But he did it with much greater ease than Sam Fisher (the game character).
1: Well, actually some bad one liners too.
1: The silliest part of the movie was why his daughter would reveal herself before she saw him. Stupid. And then she watches the whole fight and hardly reacting.
1=20111115
20130717:
This movie is pure action. Arnold just runs around using his muscles to do all sorts of crazy feats of strength. Some of these include pulling a car seat out of a car, lifting a telephone booth up and over his head, and pushing a car on its side back onto its wheels. Then at the end of the movie, there's a scene where he just shoots every person in sight, stabs a soldier with a pitchfork, throws some saw blades like ninja stars, throws some hatchets, and resumes shooting every person in sight.
Reading my previous entry, I feel like I enjoyed the movie more this time than last time.
Instant Comments:
2: "Right?" "Wrong."
2: "I'll be back, Bennett."
2: "That's why I'm gonna kill you last."
2: "Do me a favor and don't disturb my friend. He's *dead* tired."
2: Part of the music, I believe, is steel drums. Or maybe it's a xylophone.
2: "What important is gravity."
2: "I lied."
2: "What'd you do with Sully?" "I let him go."
2: "Fuck YOU asshole."
2: "These guys eat too much red meat."
2: Where did he get the keys to the bulldozer? Did he hot wire it? Actually, with his skills, I'm surprised he didn't know how to pick a lock.
2: Ha, when Matrix blows up the barracks, you can clearly see that the men being blown up right next to the buildings are mannequins.
2=20130717
Watched 20111115 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20130717 (Netflix, Instant)
Commando (1985) Mark L. Lester. 90 min.
Relevant Links:
Commando (IMDb.com)
Commando (RottenTomatoes.com)
Commando (film) (Wikipedia.org)
John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a former soldier of some sort, lives alone in the mountains with his daughter Jenny. Then one day Major General Franklin Kirby, a former superior of Matrix, comes to inform him that some of Matrix's men have been killed and Matrix might be next. Kirby leaves two men with Matrix and leaves. Soon after leaving, a group of men ambush the house.
The men take Jenny hostage and Matrix follows in pursuit. However, he's outnumbered and tranquilized. Before being knocked out by the tranquilizer, he sees that Bennett, one of the former soldiers supposedly killed, is alive and allied with the enemy. When Matrix wakes, he's told he has to kill a man or else his daughter will die. Desperate to help his daughter, Matrix gives in to their demand.
The job requires taking a plane trip 11 hours away and Matrix is escorted by two men to the airport, one who gets onto the plane with Matrix and another that stays around to make sure Matrix got onto the plane. Matrix, however, doesn't leave on the plane and manages to escape. He follows the guy who stayed behind, forcing a girl named Cindy to help. Following a trail of evidence, the two make their way to the island where Matrix's daughter is being held.
You'll have to watch the movie to really feel the action though. No words can describe the great brawling and action.
20111115:
Great action movie. It doesn't compare to Die Hard (1988), which is my current favorite action movie. I think one reason I don't like this movie as much is because it can be unreasonably over the top. A particular example is the scene where Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, runs a bulldozer into a closed army surplus shop.
The constant music definitely helps the mood of film. I'd say it's around the quality of Conan the Barbarian (1982). Conan had scenes I didn't like, but also had great scenes. This movie in contrast was consistently good, but didn't have epic moments the way Conan did. My favorite scene was when the girl, Cindy, fires the rocket launcher.
I like it.
Instant Comments:
1: Whoa, this action movie has a great pace. The music is particularly exciting. The horns.
1: Lol. The lady sort of skews the story a bit. She was partially the cause of all the ruckus. Though I suppose I would have initially been worried and told the cops too.
1: Great one liners.
1: When he (John Matrix) goes into the warehouse and sneaks around, I suddenly wanted to play Splinter Cell. That was a great game. Lol, I made that comment before he knocked the guy out and carried him into the closet. But he did it with much greater ease than Sam Fisher (the game character).
1: Well, actually some bad one liners too.
1: The silliest part of the movie was why his daughter would reveal herself before she saw him. Stupid. And then she watches the whole fight and hardly reacting.
1=20111115
20130717:
This movie is pure action. Arnold just runs around using his muscles to do all sorts of crazy feats of strength. Some of these include pulling a car seat out of a car, lifting a telephone booth up and over his head, and pushing a car on its side back onto its wheels. Then at the end of the movie, there's a scene where he just shoots every person in sight, stabs a soldier with a pitchfork, throws some saw blades like ninja stars, throws some hatchets, and resumes shooting every person in sight.
Reading my previous entry, I feel like I enjoyed the movie more this time than last time.
Instant Comments:
2: "Right?" "Wrong."
2: "I'll be back, Bennett."
2: "That's why I'm gonna kill you last."
2: "Do me a favor and don't disturb my friend. He's *dead* tired."
2: Part of the music, I believe, is steel drums. Or maybe it's a xylophone.
2: "What important is gravity."
2: "I lied."
2: "What'd you do with Sully?" "I let him go."
2: "Fuck YOU asshole."
2: "These guys eat too much red meat."
2: Where did he get the keys to the bulldozer? Did he hot wire it? Actually, with his skills, I'm surprised he didn't know how to pick a lock.
2: Ha, when Matrix blows up the barracks, you can clearly see that the men being blown up right next to the buildings are mannequins.
2=20130717
Watched 20111115 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20130717 (Netflix, Instant)
Commando (1985) Mark L. Lester. 90 min.
Relevant Links:
Commando (IMDb.com)
Commando (RottenTomatoes.com)
Commando (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Monday, November 14, 2011
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
20111113,4:
The songs aren't as great or catchy as most Disney movies, but they're decent. The overall movie is good, but I liked both The Land Before Time (1988) and Anastasia (1997) much better.
Thinking about what to say, I just remembered a similar movie to All Dogs Go to Heaven that was done by Disney: Oliver & Company (1988). See Oliver & Company (Wikipedia.org). I remember liking that movie. It might be one of the less successful Disney movies, but I would probably prefer Oliver & Company over All Dogs Go to Heaven. To see where my opinion stands, I headed on over to IMDb.com. All Dogs Go to Heaven had 9,848 user ratings for an average of 6.2 and Oliver & Company had 9,198 user ratings for an average of 6.4.
Anastasia had 24,652 user ratings for an average of 6.7 and The Land Before Time had 20,697 user ratings for an average of 7.1. Thumbelina had 3,331 user ratings for an average of 5.9.
In any case, having never seen this movie before, I definitely needed to see it at least once. If you've never seen it before and like the old 2D animation, you should also see it at least once.
Watched 1st,2nd third 20111113, 3rd third 20111114 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles) 84 min
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) Don Bluth. 89 min.
Relevant Links:
All Dogs Go to Heaven (Wikipedia.org)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (IMDb.com)
The songs aren't as great or catchy as most Disney movies, but they're decent. The overall movie is good, but I liked both The Land Before Time (1988) and Anastasia (1997) much better.
Thinking about what to say, I just remembered a similar movie to All Dogs Go to Heaven that was done by Disney: Oliver & Company (1988). See Oliver & Company (Wikipedia.org). I remember liking that movie. It might be one of the less successful Disney movies, but I would probably prefer Oliver & Company over All Dogs Go to Heaven. To see where my opinion stands, I headed on over to IMDb.com. All Dogs Go to Heaven had 9,848 user ratings for an average of 6.2 and Oliver & Company had 9,198 user ratings for an average of 6.4.
Anastasia had 24,652 user ratings for an average of 6.7 and The Land Before Time had 20,697 user ratings for an average of 7.1. Thumbelina had 3,331 user ratings for an average of 5.9.
In any case, having never seen this movie before, I definitely needed to see it at least once. If you've never seen it before and like the old 2D animation, you should also see it at least once.
Watched 1st,2nd third 20111113, 3rd third 20111114 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles) 84 min
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) Don Bluth. 89 min.
Relevant Links:
All Dogs Go to Heaven (Wikipedia.org)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (IMDb.com)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Season of the Witch (2011)
20111113:
I don't know why, but of all the movies I could have watched, I decided to watch this movie. Even without reading reviews, I should have realized it wasn't that great a movie from the fact that it was a movie starring Nicolas Cage released sometime this year, and yet I hadn't heard about it. Season of the Witch was worse than The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). At least The Sorcerer's Apprentice had a decent story, exciting action, and some humor in it.
The opening scene to this movie was interesting, but the movie thereafter is inconsistently thrilling.
I had a question about the ending, but after some thought, I figured it out. The answer has to do with a small twist.
I wouldn't recommend this movie. Unless perhaps you really like Nicholas Cage.
Instant Comments:
Credits:
Sword Master
Dialogue Coach
Costume Ager
Latin Coach
Watched 20111113 (Netflix, Instant, HD) (English subtitles)
Season of the Witch (2011) Dominic Sena. 95 min.
Relevant Links:
Season of the Witch (2011 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Season of the Witch (IMDb.com)
I don't know why, but of all the movies I could have watched, I decided to watch this movie. Even without reading reviews, I should have realized it wasn't that great a movie from the fact that it was a movie starring Nicolas Cage released sometime this year, and yet I hadn't heard about it. Season of the Witch was worse than The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). At least The Sorcerer's Apprentice had a decent story, exciting action, and some humor in it.
The opening scene to this movie was interesting, but the movie thereafter is inconsistently thrilling.
I had a question about the ending, but after some thought, I figured it out. The answer has to do with a small twist.
I wouldn't recommend this movie. Unless perhaps you really like Nicholas Cage.
Instant Comments:
Credits:
Sword Master
Dialogue Coach
Costume Ager
Latin Coach
Watched 20111113 (Netflix, Instant, HD) (English subtitles)
Season of the Witch (2011) Dominic Sena. 95 min.
Relevant Links:
Season of the Witch (2011 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Season of the Witch (IMDb.com)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
50/50 (2011)
20111112:
I wrote: "Earlier today I watched 50/50. I loved it. I particularly liked the scene where he finds a particular book in his friend's bathroom and also the scene where he tells his mom to make sure he wakes up." 9:23 PM
This was a great movie. It's heart-felt and funny. It's emotional. The movie as a whole is solid. I normally don't rate movies, and I won't get into a habit doing so, but I give this movie five out of five stars. To give some further perspective, the first movie I thought of while writing this post is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Both movies are well-executed and have some emotional depth in their stories. Of course romance plays a bigger role in Eternal Sunshine than it does in 50/50, while 50/50 has more comedy. In any case, I would place 50/50 just a little under Eternal Sunshine in rank.
Great cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen make for an interesting duo. If you're up for a movie with depth and balanced with humor, then 50/50 will do it for you.
I couldn't figure out where else I had seen Anna Kendrick while watching the film. Her face was made familiar to me by Up in the Air (2009) which I watched on 20110210. In fact, I watched another film starring Kendrick, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), less than a week later. However, Kendrick's role in Scott Pilgrim was minor relative to her role in Up in the Air.
[20111127]
Released 20110930.
Watched 20111112 Theatre. The Charles Theatre [50/50] $7.50 1:40P
50/50 (2011) Jonathan Levine. 100 min
Relevant Links:
50/50 (IMDb.com)
50/50 (2011 film) (Wikipedia.org)
50/50 (RottenTomatoes.com)
I wrote: "Earlier today I watched 50/50. I loved it. I particularly liked the scene where he finds a particular book in his friend's bathroom and also the scene where he tells his mom to make sure he wakes up." 9:23 PM
This was a great movie. It's heart-felt and funny. It's emotional. The movie as a whole is solid. I normally don't rate movies, and I won't get into a habit doing so, but I give this movie five out of five stars. To give some further perspective, the first movie I thought of while writing this post is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Both movies are well-executed and have some emotional depth in their stories. Of course romance plays a bigger role in Eternal Sunshine than it does in 50/50, while 50/50 has more comedy. In any case, I would place 50/50 just a little under Eternal Sunshine in rank.
Great cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen make for an interesting duo. If you're up for a movie with depth and balanced with humor, then 50/50 will do it for you.
I couldn't figure out where else I had seen Anna Kendrick while watching the film. Her face was made familiar to me by Up in the Air (2009) which I watched on 20110210. In fact, I watched another film starring Kendrick, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), less than a week later. However, Kendrick's role in Scott Pilgrim was minor relative to her role in Up in the Air.
[20111127]
Released 20110930.
Watched 20111112 Theatre. The Charles Theatre [50/50] $7.50 1:40P
50/50 (2011) Jonathan Levine. 100 min
Relevant Links:
50/50 (IMDb.com)
50/50 (2011 film) (Wikipedia.org)
50/50 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Barton Fink (1991)
 |
| Barton Fink (John Turturro) |
20111111:
Barton Fink was a bizarre and intriguing movie and left me with several questions. Though - and in a good way - one of the questions I have is "What was the movie even about?"
I loved all the sounds and visuals of the film. I also took pleasure in it's use of repetition.
 |
| Charlie Meadows (John Goodman) |
Barton Fink was a film that would definitely benefit from multiple viewings.
Focus points: the fans, the sounds, the writer Mayhew, the bible, Charlie, the fire, the box, the picture on the wall, the heat, the wallpaper.
 |
| Audrey Taylor (Judy Davis) |
As an observation, it was hard to tell what parts of the film were only taking place in Fink's mind. However, I'm almost certain not knowing becomes part of the movie's meaning and to a large extent it isn't important which parts are in his mind and which aren't.
The blend between fact and fiction makes the movie interesting.
The movie's bizarreness and mind trip scene reminded me of Black Swan (2010).
Overall, Barton Fink was a great movie.
 |
| Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner) |
[20161013 Edit]
Quotes:
Charlie: Look upon me! I'll show you the life of the mind!
Barton: Sex? He's a man! We wrestled!
 |
| W. P. Mayhew (John Mahoney) |
[last lines]
Beauty: It's a beautiful day.
Barton: Huh?
Beauty: I said it's a beautiful day.
Barton: Yes. It is.
Beauty: What's in the box?
Barton: I don't know.
Beauty: Isn't it yours?
Barton: I don't know. You're very beautiful. Are you in pictures?
Beauty: Don't be silly.
 |
| Ben Geisler (Tony Shalhoub) |
Chet: My name is Chet. [...] My name is Chet.
Watched 20111111 (DVD)
Barton Fink (1991) Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. 116 min.
Relevant Links:
Barton Fink (IMDb.com)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
20111106:
The first time Hugh Grant's character Charlie cursed and the audio went silent I was confused. Eventually I realized the foul language was being censored.
Andie MacDowell's character Carrie was interesting. I love the scene where she starts recalling all the people she's been with. In general, I like how the movie addresses different aspects of love and romance, but the movie itself is just okay. With romances, and in particular romantic comedies, you might know that character A has to end up with character B, but I think a good movie is one that presents that outcome in an interesting manner. This movie didn't do that for me.
[20111124]
Watched 20111106 (TV) (Censored)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Mike Newell. 117 min.
Relevant Links:
Four Weddings and a Funeral (IMDb.com)
The first time Hugh Grant's character Charlie cursed and the audio went silent I was confused. Eventually I realized the foul language was being censored.
Andie MacDowell's character Carrie was interesting. I love the scene where she starts recalling all the people she's been with. In general, I like how the movie addresses different aspects of love and romance, but the movie itself is just okay. With romances, and in particular romantic comedies, you might know that character A has to end up with character B, but I think a good movie is one that presents that outcome in an interesting manner. This movie didn't do that for me.
[20111124]
Watched 20111106 (TV) (Censored)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Mike Newell. 117 min.
Relevant Links:
Four Weddings and a Funeral (IMDb.com)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
20111105:
The animation was good.
There were many great scenes, but the movie doesn't do as great a job of having inanimate objects being animated as Toy Story. With Toy Story, there was the realistic sense of going undetected by the humans.
The resolution of the story is uninteresting.
The various jokes and pop-culture references were pretty good.
Overall, if you're looking for a computer animated film and you're running out of options, this would be a good filler.
Watched 20111105 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) Kelly Asbury. 84 min. [loosely bot play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare]
Relevant Links:
Gnomeo & Juliet (IMDb.com)
The animation was good.
There were many great scenes, but the movie doesn't do as great a job of having inanimate objects being animated as Toy Story. With Toy Story, there was the realistic sense of going undetected by the humans.
The resolution of the story is uninteresting.
The various jokes and pop-culture references were pretty good.
Overall, if you're looking for a computer animated film and you're running out of options, this would be a good filler.
Watched 20111105 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) Kelly Asbury. 84 min. [loosely bot play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare]
Relevant Links:
Gnomeo & Juliet (IMDb.com)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Peter & the Wolf (2006)
 |
| Peter |
20111104:
After watching the movie the first time, I read the Wikipedia article and learned that each character is portrayed by a different instrument. I was able to focus on this when I watched it the second time around.
 |
| Wolf and Bird. |
I like it. The stop-motion can be jerky every once in a while, or perhaps unnatural, but the stop-motion genre is such an art that I'm happy the short exists at all.
Instant Comments:
I didn't notice the first time how Peter's orange jacket helps him stand out from the background.
 |
| Peter and one of the hunters. |
Watched 20111019 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20111104 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20131026 (Netflix, Instant)
Peter & the Wolf (2006) Suzie Templeton. 32 min.
 |
| Peter, Bird, and Duck. |
Relevant Links:
Peter & the Wolf (IMDb.com)
Peter and the Wolf (Wikipedia.org)
Peter & the Wolf (2006 film) (Wikipedia.org)