It looked like movies were taking over my blog so I stopped posting about each one. Here are the movies I’ve watched since the last time I posted about a film.
Hotel Rwanda – A serious movie.
Let the Right One In – This is a vampire movie from Norway. It’s slow and atmospheric. I didn’t really like it while watching but it’s grown on me. The feeling I get when think of the movie is, ‘hey that was pretty good,’ but I wouldn’t want to watch it again.
Star Trek: Generations – Picard and Kirk team up. Data gets emotions. Solid TNG film.
King of Kong – Unbelievably fascinating and engrossing documentary about the quest to get the best Donkey Kong score ever.
Capturing the Friedmans – Pretty interesting documentary about a family and accusations of pederasty. Still, you can find just as interesting documentaries on cable television.
Monty Python: Meaning of Life – Uneven. Hilarious in some parts, outdated in others.
The One – This movie sucked. It looked like they had a 1000 dollar budget and spent 900 on Jet Li.
Man on Wire – Really interesting documentary about the guy who tightroped the World Trade Center towers. The guy is magnetic and tells his story very well.
The Quantum Solace – I really liked this movie. I’ve read some criticism about how this isn’t really a typical Bond film and how Casino Royale was better. Maybe… but that shouldn’t take away from how entertaining the film was.
Curse of the Golden Flower – Expensive but pretty dull.
Star Trek: Nemesis – Pretty cool uniforms for the crew. I liked this better than Generations. It’s like a slick episode of TNG.
Slumdog Millionaire – Entertaining movie but I’m confused as to how it won Best Film. It’s basically a white person’s idea of India, which, of course, is wildly inaccurate but it’s not like anyone watches movies like this for history or sociology or anything like that.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona – Basically an edgy chick flick but has some good dialogue parts.
Body of Lies – Pretty standard spy thriller. It may be old hat but it’s still good if you like spy movies.
Layer Cake – Daniel Craig’s in the drug business. I feel like all British crime movies are the same but it’s not a bad way to waste some time.
The Spirit – Pretty forgettable except for the amazing body of Eva Mendes.
The Day the Earth Stood Still – Keanu Reeves was made for roles like this. Look, critics probably panned this movie and the premise is pretty ridiculous but it’s entertaining and, hell, that’s all that matters.
Kramer vs. Kramer -Swept the Oscars in 1979. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep go head to head for the custody of a child. Pretty basic premise but it’s executed really well. Dustin Hoffman, by the way, wears a 37-short. That’s a weird size.
The Bourne Ultimatum – Saw this again the other day for the I dunno how manyth time. Such an entertaining movie. I think it’s revolutionary as an action film. I actually think the first Bourne movie was pretty revolutionary too but this one really pushes the envelope. I love the camera work and how it helps build the atmosphere. The pacing is terrific – even the plot scenes feel frenetic and full of suspense. It’s exactly what an action movie should be… except for the last ten minutes where they throw in some back story. That part is kind of stupid but it’s easy enough to skip cause nothing happens afterwards.
Karate Kid – While I was watching this I realized I’d never actually seen this movie. Pretty good for a mid-80s teen drama.
Karate Kid II – I guess I liked the first one enough that I watched the second one soon after. You gotta wonder how much better 80s movies would have been without the goofy clothing and crappy music.
The Wrestler – Engaging and entertaining. I thought the main guy – Mickey Rourke – was great. Definitely a movie I would watch every once in a while if it came on tv.
Frost/Nixon – I think this film has an advantage in that no one knows who the main actors are. It’s like this. You really think the guy is Frost if you don’t know his real name. With big names, it’s just not the same even with transformative performances. For example, Denzel Washington is great as Malcolm X but in the back of your mind you’re thinking: yeah, that’s Denzel, he was in He Got Game. The movie does a good job of making a relatively unimportant event seem like one of the major events of the 20th century.
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