Friday, May 24, 2013
Movie #223: Training Day
Movie #: 223
Movie Title: Training Day
Year Released: 2001
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Notable Cast: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Eva Mendes
Short Description: On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rouge detective who isn’t what he appears. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #87
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/11/2013
What I Liked: Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke gave strong performances in their respective roles and the action during the gun fight scenes was superb. Denzel’s character using a chain of smaller events that he setup to blackmail Ethan’s character was smart and well written.
What I Disliked: Maybe I missed it but I was left wanting more information about the deal that went south for Denzel’s character that got him in trouble with the Russian mafia. I know he met with two men at a diner and briefly discussed events, but I didn’t quite follow all of it.
Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: All aspects of the story, action, and acting were carried out well and Denzel was definitely deserving of his Best Actor Oscar win.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Movie #224: Bringing Up Baby
Movie #: 224
Movie Title: Bringing Up Baby
Year Released: 1938
Director: Howard Hawks
Notable Cast: Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, May Robson
Short Description: While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard “Baby.” (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #88
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/8/2013
What I Liked: The movie had a slapstick feel to it without being in your face about it. I thought Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant were great and had superb chemistry.
What I Disliked: The entire movie Cary Grant’s character can’t stand being around Katherine Hepburn’s character and he wants nothing to do with her. Then, out of nowhere right at the end he’s suddenly in love with her. What the hell? The sudden change in feelings felt like a poorly forced happy ending.
Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: The light comedic aspect of the film withstands the test of time and makes it an amusing watch.
Recap Of Movies #226-251
Adjustments
Movie #: 228
Movie Title: The Conversation
Original Grade: 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
Adjusted Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)
Movie #: 249
Movie Title: Star Trek
Original Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
Adjusted Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
My Best to Worst of #226-251
| Movie # | Movie Title | My Grade |
| 233 | Sophie's Choice | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 249 | Star Trek | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 235 | Persona | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 248 | Cinderella Man | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 238 | Ocean's Eleven | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 250 | The Sting | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 226 | Rain Man | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 240 | A Fistful of Dollars | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 232 | When Harry Met Sally | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 244 | The Untouchables | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 229 | Catch Me If You Can | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 227 | Magnolia | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 246 | Shaun of the Dead | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 251 | Ben-Hur | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 242 | The Last Picture Show | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 231 | Swing Time | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 237 | The French Connection | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 234 | The Big Sleep | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 228 | The Conversation | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 241 | Grease | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 247 | Yankee Doodle Dandy | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 236 | Spirit of the Beehive | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 243 | Do the Right Thing | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 239 | Princess Mononoke | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 245 | Shadow of a Doubt | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 230 | Metropolis | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
Friday, May 17, 2013
Movie #226: Rain Man
Movie #: 226
Movie Title: Rain Man
Year Released: 1988
Director: Barry Levinson
Notable Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Short Description: Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt’s father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #88
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/3/2013
What I Liked: Dustin Hoffman was unbelievably good. I don’t know who else was nominated for Best Actor that year but it would have been a crime had he not won. Maybe it’s because he’s a nut in real life, but I always seem to underestimate Tom and I’m constantly proven wrong. Probably should have been at least nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Though slow, the story was very moving.
What I Disliked: While Hans Zimmer is my favorite composer, having done music for movies like The Last Samurai, The Dark Knight, and Gladiator, the music in Rain Man is the worst I’ve heard from him. The tone of the music doesn’t fit the movie and I found it to be distracting at points during scene transitions.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: Outstanding Oscar winning performance by Dustin Hoffman gives this movie a ton of soul
Movie Title: Rain Man
Year Released: 1988
Director: Barry Levinson
Notable Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Short Description: Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt’s father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #88
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/3/2013
What I Liked: Dustin Hoffman was unbelievably good. I don’t know who else was nominated for Best Actor that year but it would have been a crime had he not won. Maybe it’s because he’s a nut in real life, but I always seem to underestimate Tom and I’m constantly proven wrong. Probably should have been at least nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Though slow, the story was very moving.
What I Disliked: While Hans Zimmer is my favorite composer, having done music for movies like The Last Samurai, The Dark Knight, and Gladiator, the music in Rain Man is the worst I’ve heard from him. The tone of the music doesn’t fit the movie and I found it to be distracting at points during scene transitions.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: Outstanding Oscar winning performance by Dustin Hoffman gives this movie a ton of soul
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Movie #227: Magnolia
Movie #: 227
Movie Title: Magnolia
Year Released: 1999
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Notable Cast: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Alfred Molina
Short Description: An epic mosaic of several interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #89
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/2/2013
What I Liked: It took a while to get there, but by the end of the movie I was totally engrossed in all of the characters. Each one was flawed in a different way and their struggles to fix themselves emotionally were moving. I can’t think of one actor that didn’t give a strong performance.
What I Disliked: I understand characters and stories have to be setup, but at the time I saw it the first half of the movie felt pointless and tough to watch because none of the characters or stories were connected yet and the movie relies on those connection. In a movie that I could see as being totally realistic, the raining of frogs at the very end seemed out of place and unnecessary, regardless of if there was a deeper meaning behind it.
Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: The second half of the movie was outstanding and redeemed, what I thought, was a subpar first half
Movie Title: Magnolia
Year Released: 1999
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Notable Cast: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Alfred Molina
Short Description: An epic mosaic of several interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #89
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 4/2/2013
What I Liked: It took a while to get there, but by the end of the movie I was totally engrossed in all of the characters. Each one was flawed in a different way and their struggles to fix themselves emotionally were moving. I can’t think of one actor that didn’t give a strong performance.
What I Disliked: I understand characters and stories have to be setup, but at the time I saw it the first half of the movie felt pointless and tough to watch because none of the characters or stories were connected yet and the movie relies on those connection. In a movie that I could see as being totally realistic, the raining of frogs at the very end seemed out of place and unnecessary, regardless of if there was a deeper meaning behind it.
Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: The second half of the movie was outstanding and redeemed, what I thought, was a subpar first half
Movie #229: Catch Me If You Can
Movie #: 229
Movie Title: Catch Me If You Can
Year Released: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Notable Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Nathalie Baye
Short Description: A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars’ worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #90
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/18/2013
What I Liked: As they are in most movies, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks were fantastic. I know nothing about the true story that this movie is based on besides what I’ve now seen, but I think that those two were perfect for their respective parts.
What I Disliked: Because the movie seems slow at times, if you lose concentration on what’s happening a little bit of adjusting is needed when the movie jumps between the present and flashbacks.
Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: A fascinating true story that is well acted and keeps you wondering what Abagnale will get away with next
Movie Title: Catch Me If You Can
Year Released: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Notable Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Nathalie Baye
Short Description: A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars’ worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #90
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/18/2013
What I Liked: As they are in most movies, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks were fantastic. I know nothing about the true story that this movie is based on besides what I’ve now seen, but I think that those two were perfect for their respective parts.
What I Disliked: Because the movie seems slow at times, if you lose concentration on what’s happening a little bit of adjusting is needed when the movie jumps between the present and flashbacks.
Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: A fascinating true story that is well acted and keeps you wondering what Abagnale will get away with next
Movie #230: Metropolis
Movie #: 230
Movie Title: Metropolis
Year Released: 1927
Director: Fritz Lang
Notable Cast: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Short Description: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #90
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
What I Liked: At times the music was enjoyable.
What I Disliked: Everything else. At many points I wanted to cheat on this project by stopping the movie and not finishing it but I endured just to say I’ve seen arguably my least favorite movie ever. It’s a shame too because the only information I had about this movie going in was the short description on the Netflix DVD sleeve it was sent to me in and that made the premise sound fascinating compared to IMDB’s description. I actually had to watch most of the movie a second night because I fell asleep less than half way through. I’ve enjoyed plenty of movies that are old or foreign or black and white so maybe it was the silent part mixed with terrible acting and a different expectation of the premise that did me in.
Grade: 1 out of 5 (Poor)
Rationale: 86 year old black and white silent foreign film with bad acting and mislead expectations sums it up.
Movie Title: Metropolis
Year Released: 1927
Director: Fritz Lang
Notable Cast: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Short Description: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #90
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
What I Liked: At times the music was enjoyable.
What I Disliked: Everything else. At many points I wanted to cheat on this project by stopping the movie and not finishing it but I endured just to say I’ve seen arguably my least favorite movie ever. It’s a shame too because the only information I had about this movie going in was the short description on the Netflix DVD sleeve it was sent to me in and that made the premise sound fascinating compared to IMDB’s description. I actually had to watch most of the movie a second night because I fell asleep less than half way through. I’ve enjoyed plenty of movies that are old or foreign or black and white so maybe it was the silent part mixed with terrible acting and a different expectation of the premise that did me in.
Grade: 1 out of 5 (Poor)
Rationale: 86 year old black and white silent foreign film with bad acting and mislead expectations sums it up.
Movie #231: Swing Time
Movie #: 231
Movie Title: Swing Time
Year Released: 1936
Director: George Stevens
Notable Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick
Short Description: A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful inspiring dancer. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #90
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
What I Liked: Nothing really stood out as a like for me other than the attempt at humor and plot in general made it more entertaining than the comparable Yankee Doodle Dandy.
What I Disliked: I wasn’t fond of the characters Pop and Mabel and thought they sort of detracted from the focus of the movie at times.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
Rationale: Nothing special but nothing terrible; just ok
Movie Title: Swing Time
Year Released: 1936
Director: George Stevens
Notable Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick
Short Description: A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful inspiring dancer. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #90
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
What I Liked: Nothing really stood out as a like for me other than the attempt at humor and plot in general made it more entertaining than the comparable Yankee Doodle Dandy.
What I Disliked: I wasn’t fond of the characters Pop and Mabel and thought they sort of detracted from the focus of the movie at times.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
Rationale: Nothing special but nothing terrible; just ok
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Movie #232: When Harry Met Sally
Movie #: 232
Movie Title: When Harry Met Sally
Year Released: 1989
Director: Rob Reiner
Notable Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
Short Description: Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin their friendship. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #90
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/3/2013
What I Liked: I enjoyed Harry’s take on life compared to Sally’s. His willingness and at time eagerness to question and go against the flow was a nice contrast to Sally’s position of simply living with what life threw at her. I liked that the movie showed the characters at different points in their life and relationship rather than focusing on a static point in time.
What I Disliked: Because I’m two months late doing the review I don’t recall anything I strongly disliked, which is a good thing for this movie.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: The dynamics in the relationship between Harry and Sally made this movie interesting to watch
Movie Title: When Harry Met Sally
Year Released: 1989
Director: Rob Reiner
Notable Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
Short Description: Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin their friendship. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #90
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/3/2013
What I Liked: I enjoyed Harry’s take on life compared to Sally’s. His willingness and at time eagerness to question and go against the flow was a nice contrast to Sally’s position of simply living with what life threw at her. I liked that the movie showed the characters at different points in their life and relationship rather than focusing on a static point in time.
What I Disliked: Because I’m two months late doing the review I don’t recall anything I strongly disliked, which is a good thing for this movie.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: The dynamics in the relationship between Harry and Sally made this movie interesting to watch
Movie #233: Sophie’s Choice
Movie #: 233
Movie Title: Sophie’s Choice
Year Released: 1982
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Notable Cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Klein, Peter MacNicol
Short Description: Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie’s narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #91
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/3/2013
What I Liked: I really never understood why critics love Meryl Streep until I saw this movie. To say she was captivating in an understatement as she gave quite the powerful performance in her flashback of the time she spent at the Nazi concentration camps. Kevin Klein was also very convincing as a borderline psychopath whose mood could change at any moment from living and loving life to anger fueled by the fires of hell.
What I Disliked: Stingo accepts a very rushed and overbearing offering at close friendship by Sophie and Nathan without really knowing them and I found that a tad ill advised. The relationship between the main characters seemed flighty early in the movie and had me close to losing interest.
Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: While I thought the movie started out a bit scattered, Meryl Streep’s performance had me clamoring for more and wishing I hadn’t judged it prematurely.
Movie Title: Sophie’s Choice
Year Released: 1982
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Notable Cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Klein, Peter MacNicol
Short Description: Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie’s narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #91
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 3/3/2013
What I Liked: I really never understood why critics love Meryl Streep until I saw this movie. To say she was captivating in an understatement as she gave quite the powerful performance in her flashback of the time she spent at the Nazi concentration camps. Kevin Klein was also very convincing as a borderline psychopath whose mood could change at any moment from living and loving life to anger fueled by the fires of hell.
What I Disliked: Stingo accepts a very rushed and overbearing offering at close friendship by Sophie and Nathan without really knowing them and I found that a tad ill advised. The relationship between the main characters seemed flighty early in the movie and had me close to losing interest.
Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: While I thought the movie started out a bit scattered, Meryl Streep’s performance had me clamoring for more and wishing I hadn’t judged it prematurely.
Grading Scale
For your viewing pleasure, this is the grading scale I will be using going forward in an attempt to be consistent with how I grade movies. Already have a few of my late reviews done so expect them in the next few days.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Catching Up
It's early May 2013 and I'm about 14 movies behind pace to finish watching all 251 by the end of 2014. I've also seen 14 movies that I haven't written reviews for yet. Needless to say, I'm a slacker.
To get caught up with my late reviews, please forgive me if I don't include a ton in my likes and dislikes sections. Honestly, at this point I don't recall some of the movies I've seen well enough to be very thorough and in general it takes a decent portion of time to write a review.
In other news, I found a chart I'll be using as a guide for the grades I give. Hopefully that chart will be posted soon. I'll also be writing a brief summary after each set of 25 movies I review and adjusting grades as I see fit.
More to come soon.
To get caught up with my late reviews, please forgive me if I don't include a ton in my likes and dislikes sections. Honestly, at this point I don't recall some of the movies I've seen well enough to be very thorough and in general it takes a decent portion of time to write a review.
In other news, I found a chart I'll be using as a guide for the grades I give. Hopefully that chart will be posted soon. I'll also be writing a brief summary after each set of 25 movies I review and adjusting grades as I see fit.
More to come soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)