| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Getting Married - R |
After watching Rachel Getting Married, I was left with two very strong impressions. Jenny Lumet is an outstanding writer, and Anne Hathaway has more acting ability than I ever would have expected. The writing really is artful. Lumet clearly has a clear understanding of family relationships and and dynamics, and that's a big part of what makes this movie so good. None of the characters seem inauthentic, and none of the dialogue feels contrived. Everything an everyone makes sense within the story, and it lends the movie a level of realism that could almost be from a documentary. I loved it. As for the actors, as I said before, every role is wonderful. Each actor turns their character into a real, breathing person, and you feel lie you're peering into the lives of some actual people in Stamford, CT. Anne and Rosemarie DeWitt are charged with most of the heavy acting, and they hit it out of the park. Outstanding, all around. The story is sad, uncomfortable, funny, and joyous. I like movies that can invoke a variety of different emotions from the audience, and Rachel Getting Married is a prime example of that. If you like complex characters and compelling family dramas, then this is the movie for you. |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder - Unrated |
None of the Futurama movies are equal to the outstanding quality of the best episodes of the original four seasons, but the last two (Bender's Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder) are a lot better than the first two movies. It's like the writers have gotten back into the Futurama groove, and it pays off. Into the Wild Green Yonder is quite funny at times, and the story is just zany enough to have that Futurama flavor. A few moments of random humor felt a little too close to what Family Guy usually does, but overall I felt satisfied as a Futurama fan. |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Dog Day Afternoon - R |
I wasn't ready for Dog Day Afternoon. I was expecting a simple heist thriller, albeit one with some very fine acting. Dog Day Afternoon destroyed those expectations, and kept going further and further beyond them. I can't imagine a movie like this, a movie of such scope, being made today. If Al Pacino has done any finer, more varied acting in a movie, then I haven't seen it. In movies like The Godfather or Heat, his performances are generally kept in a pretty specific range of emotions. Here, he's all over the place, and it impressed the hell out of me. And John Cazale is just as impressive, he's the somber, quiet face that constantly reminds us that this story can't end well, no matter how smoothly things may be going from moment to moment. He already knows, like we secretly do, that tragedy and violence hang over the bank like a spectre. You've never seen a bank robbery like this. The robbers themselves are genial and accomodating, and quickly you come to the conclusion that these are not evil men. The hostages come to that realization along with the audience, and soon they seem to be running the show as much as their captors. There's a real camaraderie that forms between all those involved, including the police officer who is initially in charge outside. That peaceful resolution seems so near, that we want to believe that it's actually coming. That only makes the inevitable conclusion more stark, when it arrives. Dog Day Afternoon tackles some big, unexpected issues. The only Sidney Lumet movie that I had seen prior to this was Before the Devil Knows You're dead, so I had no idea that he was capable of this kind of a film. Needless to say, I'm now looking forward to seeing a lot more of his work. I was completely unprepared for some of the social themes that are a major part of the story, because they come completely out of the blue, and they're the lynchpin of the entire plot. And the movie is all the bette,r and makes a bigger impact, because of that. Your personal politics or opinons don't really matter, because by that point you'll be so involved with the characters that it all just seems like more pieces that go into the puzzles of who they are. It's sheer genius, in my opinion. On a day when I've seen Psycho for the first time, it's hard to imagine that there could be another movie that I could have watched that would make an impact, as well. But together with Blood Simple, I've seen two movies that are almost good enough to come out from under Psycho's shadow. Dog Day Afternoon is one of those movies that makes you really appreciate all that film can be, and it's even more remarkable when you remember the disclaimer that said that these events really happened. I cannot wait to watch it again. |
December 9, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Notes on a Scandal - R |
Wow, Notes on a Scandal is a supremely uncomfortable movie to watch. It's expertly crafted and the acting is flawless, but its subject matter is such that I didn't enjoy it enough to give it a higher rating. On another note, I'm becoming more aware of the huge differences in acting ability between some of my favorite actresses and true talents like Cate Blanchett. She is living proof that stunning beauty and acting ability are not mutually exclusive. She was beyond impressive in Notes on a Scandal. |
December 9, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Cemetery Junction - Unrated | December 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| After.Life - Unrated | December 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Gamer - R | December 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| How to Train Your Dragon - Unrated | December 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Blood Simple - R |
Blood Simple has many of the ingredients of the Coens later films, and they come together to make a movie that's both simple and satisfying. There are the memorable and thoroughly original characters, and the non-descript, but unmistakably American locales. There's the sudden violence, the complete mastery of tension and suspense, and the dark humor that comes completely out of the blue. There's the constant theme of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, coincidence and characters being caught up in events that they don't understand. If these are some of the things that attracteded you to No Country for Old Men or Fargo, then Blood Simple is basically a special present, just for you. I was a bit underwhelmed until the middle of the story, but it eventually caught me as tightly as anything else the Coens have done. I have to highlight the suspense and tension once again, it really is remarkable how I was basically holding my breath several times during the movie. We're talking Hitchcockian levels of anxiety for the characters. Any fan of Joel and Ethan is in for a real treat, that I can promise. |
December 9, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Big - PG | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Jonah Hex - Unrated | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| In the Valley of Elah - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| A Fistful of Dollars (Per un Pugno di Dollari) - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Unforgiven - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Punch-Drunk Love - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Barton Fink - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Miller's Crossing - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Man Who Wasn't There - R | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Crazies - Unrated | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Psycho - R |
It's hard to imagine a black and white movie from 1960 with no cursing, no blatant violence, and very little action, being badass, but Psycho definitely deserves that description. Even with a basic prior knowledge of what was going to happen, I was still completely enthralled by the whole thing. It takes several different turns in tone and content throughout, but it's all consistently well done. There are very few better examples of the words thriller and mystery than this one. I used to absolutely hate older movies, but Psycho is proof that all the things that I love about movies now, were alive and well many years ago. I was absolutely startled and freaked put a few times during the film, and that's one of the finest compliments that I can give. |
December 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Fifth Element - PG-13 |
The Fifth Element isn't Star Wars, but it is a cut above a SyFy Original Movie. The special effects and alien costumes are terrible by today's standards, but the cheesieness of the characters and the environments doesn't ruin the movie. Gary Oldman and Millia Jovocich were great, but the character that Bruce Willis played could have been done as well by nearly any other Hollywood actor that was popular at the time. The guy playing the president was just awful, though. That had to be the least believable movie president, ever. I would have liked the story to go a bit more in-depth about the aliens and whatever the big bad threat was supposed to be, the movie was a little too brief on the overall story. If you're looking for a less serious science fiction movie, and you can stand a little cheesiness, then you'll probably enjoy The Fifth Element. |
December 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Talented Mr. Ripley - R |
When a movie makes you root for a person as thoroughly evil and disturbed as Tom Ripley, then it must be doing some things right. No matter how terrible Tom's actions or how much he deserves to have his deceptions uncovered, he remains the protagonist of the movie. I rooted for him every step of the way, against my own better judgement. The acting talent here is impressive. Jude Law gave a performance that made me really respect him as an actor, he was just fantastic. Matt Damon was even better than his usual solid work. He perfectly gave off the not-quite-right vibe of Tom Ripley. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett were also very good. There were literally no weak links in this cast. The Talented Mr. Ripley was a unique film, and one that I enjoyed even as it made me uncomfortable. Tom Ripley has to be one of the most memorable characters in modern movies, and his story is one that combines excitement, violence, and suspense. It's well worth watching. |
December 5, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Top Gun - PG | Top Gun is 50% awesome and 50% pure cheese. This movie takes a horribly cliche story and covers it with all the things that make little boys want to be jet pilots when they grow up. Cool names like Maverick and Iceman, awesome aviator glasses, sweeping shots of jets screaming through clear blue skies, and Danger Zone playing every five minutes....what's not to love? Well, like I said earlier, the story that goes along with all the cool stuff can't quite keep up to speed. There's something about a girl and a dad and a tragedy, blah blah blah. It's all just filler to get from one scene with jets to the next. | December 5, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Tron Legacy - Unrated | December 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Wild Target - Unrated | December 4, 2009 | N/A |
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