|
DATE |
MOVIE |
COMMENTS |
| 12/21 |
Ocean's 11 |
I love a good caper movie, which Ocean's 11 definitely is. Since I'd seen it before, I already knew the scam, which made it less compelling than it was the first time I'd seen it. But even so, I still enjoyed watching things unfold. |
| 12/2 |
Pumpkin |
I think you either really like the sort of offbeat black comedies Christina Ricci seems to always pop up in, or you consider them a complete waste of celluloid. I'm in the former camp, and suspect that if you are as well that you'll find Pumpkin worth watching. |
| 11/20 |
Man on Fire |
A very ordinary Denzel Washington thriller. It's nothing I'd go out of my way to recommend, and at 146 minutes, it's more of a time investment than I'd want to make for something so unexceptional. |
| 11/20 |
Pirates of the Caribbean |
I'm not much for pirate movies, and it took some prodding for me to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm glad I did, because Johnny Depp was great as Captain Jack Sparrow. The rest is pretty ho-hum, but it's worth seeing just for Depp's performance (which in some ways reminded me of his Hunter S. Thompson role in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - an unquestionably bad movie, but one made just barely watchable thanks to Depp.)
|
| 11/12 |
Very Bad Things |
Without a doubt the blackest black comedy I've ever seen. Christian Slater is perfectly cast as a high-energy, self-help platitude spouting sociopath. |
| 10/31 |
Dawn of the Dead (1978) |
The 2004 remake is my favorite zombie movie ever, and I had heard that the original, while not nearly as action-packed, was pretty good in its own right. I can see how the critics of the time appreciated the anti-consumerist "zombies in the mall" message running through the original, but the acting is pretty bad and the action sequences are downright awful by modern standards. This movie feels very dated and was far surpassed by the remake. |
| 10/31 |
The Rocky Horror Picture Show |
It's one of Kimberly's favorites, and the deal was that if I wanted to watch the original version of Dawn of the Dead on Halloween, we'd first have to watch RHPS. I love her, so I agreed, and tried to keep an open mind. I can't say that I found it to be completely without merit, but I think that absent the whole dress-up theater experience, the movie loses an awful lot. |
| 10/30 |
Bad Santa |
I haven't seen much that Billy Bob Thornton has been in that I haven't liked, and Bad Santa is no exception. Plus, it has Bernie Mac, who is great in comic supporting roles and Lauren Graham, who is a joy to behold. It's nowhere near heartwarming, and at times can be downright nasty; qualities I'd like to see more of in Christmas movies (not that this is really a Christmas movie). |
| 9/23 |
Some Like it Hot |
Kimberly had never seen it, and as Some Like it Hot is one of my favorite movies, I was more than happy to introduce her to her very first Marilyn Monroe movie (though I really consider it more of a Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon movie). |
| 9/18 |
Swimming With Sharks |
Kevin Spacey plays a great egomaniacal bastard. I might just have to get Swimming WIth Sharks on DVD. |
| 9/10 |
The Salton Sea |
A weird movie that I liked for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. It might have been Vincent D'Onofrio - one of my favorite actors - who has a great supporting role. Another one of my favorite actors - Luis Guzman - was also in the movie, though he didn't really have much to do. All I know is that I don't much care for Val Kilmer, but despite the fact that he's the star of this movie, I still really enjoyed it. |
| 9/6 |
Aladdin |
Maybe it would help if I were 6 years old. Maybe my inner-child has been bludgeoned to death. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had it been on DVD (the VHS version we watched didn't look at all good). I don't have anything against this movie (and I felt Robin WIlliams was a great choice), but I couldn't recommend it either. |
| 8/16 |
Apocalypse Now |
One of my favorite movies. When I found out that Kimberly hadn't seen it before, I seized the opportunity to watch it once again (for at least the dozenth time). |
| 8/7 |
Dawn of the Dead |
When I first reviewed it, I called Dawn of the Dead "the best zombie movie I've ever seen". My second viewing did nothing to change that view, though seeing it on a 27 inch TV screen wasn't nearly as good as watching it at the movies. |
| 8/6 |
The Bourne Supremacy |
A lot like the original - short on coherence, long on action - but slightly better in both regards (though this may be because I saw this one at the movies and watched The Bourne Identity at home - action movies are almost always a lot better in a theater). |
| 8/2 |
The Stepford WIves |
I can appreciate a certain amount of campiness, but this was just too much for me. |
| 7/28 |
The Bourne Identity |
Both Kimberly and I wanted to see The Bourne Supremacy (which had only recently come out in theatres) but Kimberly hadn't seen The Bourne Identity yet, so we put it at the top of our Netflix queue. I enjoyed it more than I did the first time I watched it, possibly because I was better able to ignore the many holes in the plot, and just enjoy the action. |
| 7/27 |
Inherit The Wind |
Kimberly had never seen Inherit The Wind, and since it's one of my favorite movies, I jumped at the chance to show it to her. (Her verdict: not bad, but nothing particularly special.) |
| 7/23 |
The Cooler |
William H. Macy is one of my favorite actors and Maria Bello, in addition to being a fine actor herself, is very easy on the eyes. Add in Alec Baldwin, who is every bit as underrated now as he was overrated in the early 1990s, and you've got a fine movie. |
| 7/14 |
Waking Ned Devine |
A nice little movie that I never would have seen had Kimberly not practically shoved it in my face. I generally don't like movies that could be called sweet, but on several occasions, Waking Ned Devine zigged when I thought it would zag. That's something I don't experience nearly often enough. |
| 7/10 |
S.W.A.T |
I've learned to set the bar very low for action flicks, and by that sad standard, S.W.A.T. is a pretty good movie. It's nothing I'd make a particular effort to see (I decided to get it when I was looking through the DVDs at the library) but it wasn't a bad way to pass the time. |
| 7/9 |
Bubba Ho-Tep |
Elvis (who isn't dead, it turns out) and J.F.K. (who also isn't dead, and somehow was turned into a black man) meet up in a Texas nursing home and end up battling an ancient evil. This is the sort of movie that's almost certain to be either really great or absolutely horrible. To my surprise, it was neither. It was fun to watch, but there was something missing. |
| 7/5 |
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 |
I enjoyed Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (scroll down a bit for my comments) and I was expecting even better things of Vol. 2. But I came away from it a little let down. I really wanted to like this movie, and at many points I surely did; but in the end, I felt it was just a little too much. |
| 7/1 |
Ladykillers |
I've seen and enjoyed nearly every Coen brothers movie. Ladykillers, although not bad, is the worst of the lot. Perhaps it's because it was a remake (of what I've been told was a very good 1955 film with Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers), but whatever the reason, it seemed strangely incomplete to me; almost as if it were a really good rough draft of a movie. |
| 6/26 |
Salem's Lot (2004) |
The made-for-TV remake of the made-for-TV original. I watched the 1979 version a few weeks before (see review below) to better allow me to compare the two, and while the acting, special effects, and overall production values of this version far outstrip those of the original, it's largely missing whatever it was that made the 1979 version one of my all-time favorite horror movies. |
| 6/26 |
Thirteen |
A very good movie that I can't say I enjoyed. I sat through it mostly riveted by some fine performances and a very disturbing story.
|
| 6/12 & 6/14 |
Salem's Lot (1979) |
One of the few made-for-TV movies I'll admit to having watched. Despite the bad special effects and late 1970s cheeziness, there are moments that creep me out like nothing else ever has. |
| 5/22 |
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 |
I remember reading all about the ultra-violent nature of this movie, and because of that, we held off watching it for nearly a month after Netflix sent it (not because of any objection to violence in the movies, though: we usually start watching movies with dinner, and Kimberly wasn't all that keen on a gore-fest with her meal). Having watched it, I don't really understand all the fuss. The violence was the sort of over-the-top cartoonish violence that can't be taken seriously. How any reasonable person could watch this movie without sensing Tarantino winking at the audience the whole way through is beyond me. Oh yeah - I enjoyed it, but it didn't exactly knock my socks off. |
| 5/15 |
28 Days Later |
The third movie in our post-NKU Commencement horror movie marathon. I'd seen it before, but Kimberly hadn't, and since we started off the day with a zombie movie, I felt it would be fitting to finish on a zombie note. I really enjoyed 28 Days Later when I saw it at the movies, but it didn't seem nearly as good this time around. It probably has something to do with the smaller screen (a 55 inch TV with surround sound is no match for even the cruddiest theater) and the comparison to the day's first zombie movie ( Dawn of the Dead), which we saw at the movies only hours before. |
| 5/15 |
Cabin Fever |
After watching Dawn of the Dead, Kimberly and I decided to put together a horror movie marathon. The selection at our local video store (a sorry little place) was disappointing, but Cabin Fever looked like it might be halfway interesting. It really wasn't. |
| 5/15 |
Dawn of the Dead |
This remake isn't as clever as the original, but even so it's the best zombie movie I've ever seen. When it comes out on DVD I'm pretty sure I'll buy it. |
| 5/11 |
Intolerable Cruelty |
For a while, I was determined to dislike George Clooney. After Oceans 11, I found that I couldn't do that anymore, because I realized that he had more on-screen presence than anyone alive. When I saw him in O Brother, Where Art Thou? I discovered that he had a gift for comedy. After seeing Intolerable Cruelty, I'm fairly convinced that George Clooney doesn't just have a gift for comedy - he's one of the best comedic actors around. I find myself looking forward to his next collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen in much the same way I used to anticipate Woody Allen's next movie (though that was a long time ago).
|
| 4/29 |
Stranger Than Paradise |
I feel like I should really like Jim Jarmusch movies in the same way I feel I should like modern literature. But mostly I don't. After watching Strange Than Paradise, I couldn't really figure out why the movie was made. It seemed more like a really good film school project than something that someone would show in theaters. |
| 4/16 |
Confidence |
Dustin Hoffman has a character role in Confidence, and for some reason I really like him in character roles. I also like "big-con" movies, of which this is one. Finally, the delectable Rachel Weisz is in it. That's more than enough for me. |
| 4/9 |
But I'm A Cheerleader |
Having watched one lesbian-themed movie only days before (see below) I decided to stick with it and take in another, once again after hearing my fiancee sing it's praises for the past few weeks. I suspect that But I'm A Cheerleader would resonate more for those with a first-hand understanding of homosexuality, but as with Kissing Jessica Stein, this didn't prevent me from appreciating the comedy and generally enjoying the movie. |
| 4/7 |
Kissing Jessica Stein |
A same-sex romantic comedy that I would have never seen had my fiancee not repeatedly told me how much she liked it. Not being a lesbian, I couldn't entirely identify with the what the characters were feeling, but just the same it was more than worth 90-some minutes of my evening. |
| 4/2 |
Matchstick Men |
As something of an obsessive-compulsive myself, I was drawn to this movie about a con artist with OCD. Also, I like caper / "big con" movies, so Matchstick Men was really a must-see for me. It didn't disappoint. |
| 3/27 |
Out of Time |
I thought I had heard that this Denzel Washington movie was really horrible, and when my fiancee put it on our Netflix list, I kept on surreptitiously moving it down. After she commented on how her movie choices never seemed to get to the top of the list, I decided to bite the bullet and move Out of Time to the top. I was surprised when I really enjoyed the movie; later, I checked the reviews and found that they were actually fairly positive. |
| 3/27 |
The Verdict |
After I finished watching The Good GIrl (see review below), The Verdict came on. It's one of those movies I've seen parts of on TV many times over the years, but I'd never sat through the entire thing. I really wasn't in any sort of shape to do much else (again, see my review of The Good Girl for the reason) so I decided to finally sit (or rather lay) through it. Aside from a completely over the top performance by whomever it was who played the judge (my internet connection is down right now, or else I'd include his name) and a somewhat contrived ending, it was a pretty good movie. |
| 3/27 |
The Good Girl |
I've never thought much of Jennifer Aniston, but I was feeling under the weather (recovering from a few too many the night before) and I didn't have the energy to do much more than lay on the couch and watch whatever happened to be on HBO (actually, HBO Signature, I believe). As luck would have it, I got to see one of the three Jennifer Aniston movies worth watching (the others being Rock Star and Office Space). |
| 3/20 |
Life |
Life is proof that I didn't imagine it - Eddie Murphy used to be funny, and as recently as 1999. (Though if you want more conclusive evidence than Life can provide, I'd suggest watching Bowfinger.) |
| 3/18 |
Broadcast News |
A workplace romantic triangle set in the Washington bureau of a major television network. Two of my favorite actors - Holly Hunter & Albert Brooks - give good performances (I especially enjoy Albert Brooks) and William Hurt isn't bad either as a pretty-boy newscaster who may not be the brightest light in the sky, but who has a good sense of his limitations and just the right sort of instincts to go to the top in his field (which drives Albert Brooks' character nearly to distraction). |
| 3/18 |
Traffic |
When I saw it at the movies in 2001, I wrote "In a just world, there's no way Gladiator would have beaten out Traffic for Best Picture. No way at all." I still feel that way, though my second viewing of Traffic left me somewhat less impressed than I was initially. |
| 3/16 |
Spartan |
I've seen 13 previous movies written and/or directed by David Mamet, and I can recommend all of them. He has a writing style that is unique and I'm pretty sure that it's something one either really likes, or doesn't much care for (most likely on the grounds that it doesn't sound entirely natural, which it doesn't). Action movies aren't really his thing - his style isn't really suited to them, I think - but even so, Spartan is a better than average action movie. |
| 3/12 |
Miller's Crossing |
This 1990 Joel and Ethan Coen film is my third favorite gangster movie ever (#1 and #2 are obvious, though even I'm not entirely sure about the ordering) and one of my favorite movies. This is a movie you should see. If you don't like it, you should assume that the problem lies not with the movie, but with you. I'm fairly certain about this. |
| 3/11 |
Clue |
How good can a movie based on a board game be? Not half bad, it turns out. If you're a fan of traditional whodunits and you're okay with goofy, you might even like it a lot. |
| 3/10 |
Insomnia |
I like Al Pacino. I like him enough that I've watched Scent of A Woman more than once. I also think Robin Williams brings a certain creepy something to bad-guy roles. But even so, I wasn't all that wild about Insomnia - a movie that for me was reasonably enjoyable, but something less than the sum of its parts. |
| 3/9 |
Days of WIne and Roses |
You probably won't find this 1962 Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick movie at your local Blockbuster, but if you frequent a video store with a wider selection (or you subscribe to Netflix) it's something you should check out. Not an easy movie to watch if you've lived with alcoholism. |
3/6 |
The Godfather |
The best gangster movie ever made (or maybe that was The Godfather, Part II - I'm not really sure) and one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing something important. |
| 3/2 |
Goodfellas |
Even though it's nearly two and a half hours, Goodfellas gets high marks from me for rewatchability - I've probably seen it two dozen times. Definitely one of my favorite movies. |
| 2/27 |
The Italian Job |
The Italian Job is nothing special. What it is is a competent caper movie, which makes it well worth watching (I'm a big fan of caper movies.) |
| 2/22 |
Blade II |
It's been pretty nuts around the house lately, and so I've been looking for the movie equivalent of comfort food. I was in the mood for something very cool, with blood and gore and well choreographed mayhem and Blade II (which I saw when it came out and several times since on DVD) fit the bill perfectly. |
| 2/21 |
Annie Hall |
There was nothing worth watching on TV and I was largely uninterested in watching the Netflix selections I had. I felt like a smart comedy, and knew that I couldn't go wrong with Annie Hall, one of my favorite movies. |
| 2/16 |
Clerks |
I'd seen Clerks years before and really liked it. I liked this this time out as well, but I think that in my first viewing I didn't really noticed how mannered it was. It has a Mamet-esque quality in that the actors seem to be reciting lines - pretty good lines - as much as they're acting. |
| 2/14 |
It Happened One Night |
One of the many classics I somehow never got around to seeing and that now, thanks mainly to Netflix, I'm finally watching. The American Film Institute named it the eighth best comedy of the last 100 years, and while I might quibble a little with their ratings (for instance, in a clear lapse of judgment, they bury Caddyshack at #71) I'd agree that It Happened One Night has held up remarkably well after 70 years. |
| 2/13 |
Army of Darkness |
Army of Darkness is to guy's movies what Fried Green Tomatoes is to chick flicks. If you don't like this movie, get your testosterone level checked. |
| 2/12 |
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
How did these people get their jobs in the first place? None of them could act (though if you compare the rest of the Star Trek cast to DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy), they come off like the Royal Shakespeare Company). Why did I watch this movie? Why did I watch the five movies that came before it? How many more green women will Captain Kirk nail? Why doesn't anyone install seat belts on the Enterprise so that everyone doesn't go flailing around when they get into a fight? I want some answers. |
| 2/9 |
The Last Seduction |
With all the gender bias in the movies, it's refreshing to see the occasional film in which women are given traditionally male roles. In this case, the role is that of a sociopath but even so it's the thought that counts. One of my favorite movies. |
| 2/8 |
Alien |
It
had been a long time since I'd seen Alien, and so
I had forgotten how different it is from the other movies
in the series. I've seen Aliens at least a dozen
times, and there's no question that there's a lot more action
in the sequel. The original has an almost leisurely pace
and a much more oppressive feel - the result is a first-rate
psychological sci-fi thriller. |
| 2/8 |
Memento |
My
friend Scott kept on telling me to watch this movie. I knew
it was a little different, and so resisted, which is what
I almost always do when Scott suggests I consider stretching
my cinematic horizons. As usual, Scott was right - Memento
is the sort of movie that makes me realize that there
are some people out there that are a whole lot more creative
than I could ever even aspire to be. Amazingly enough, a
few of those people make movies. |
| 1/30 |
Chasing
Amy |
After
watching Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (see below), I decided
to indulge in a little more Kevin Smith. I rented both Clerks
and Chasing Amy, intending to start with the
latter, which was Smith's directorial debut (if you don't
count a nearly unknown documentary he did two years before
Clerks, which I don't). I ended up watching Chasing
Amy before Clerks because I wasn't in the mood
for black and white (which Clerks is shot in) and
also because I've always had sort of a thing for Joey
Lauren Adams (for reasons that almost entirely escape
me) |
| 1/17 |
Jay
and Silent Bob Strike Back |
I've
seen Clerks,
Mallrats,
Chasing Amy,
and Dogma
and liked them all (especially Dogma). Had I not
watched, and liked, these movies (and were I not just a
little bit of a movie geek) I wouldn't have enjoyed JASBSB
nearly as much as I did. It's unquestionably dumb, but if
you're a Kevin Smith fan (Smith is the director of all these
movies) you'll almost certainly like it. In fact, if you're
a Kevin Smith fan, you've almost certainly seen JASBSB
by now. If you don't much care for Smith, don't bother with
this movie; if you are unfamaliar with Smith's work, rent
all of his other movies first - if you can't get through
them all, you won't want to bother with this one. |
| 1/2 |
Leaving
Las Vegas |
I
didn't want to risk following up Reservoir Dogs with
a lesser movie, so I went with Leaving Las Vegas,
which is one of my favorite favorite
movies. |
| 1/2 |
Reservoir
Dogs |
I've
watched Reservoir Dogs three or four times before,
and I don't know why I hadn't added it to the list of my
favorite movies (maybe it's because I don't have it
on DVD - though my VHS version is at least letterboxed).
After this latest viewing, I corrected that error. |