Movie #205: Cinema Paradiso

Movie #: 205
Movie Title: Cinema Paradiso
Year Released: 1988

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Notable Cast: Philippe Noiret, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin

Short Description: A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #77
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/10/2013

What I Liked: The acting and writing were so well done that I could almost feel the love Salvatore had for movies, his childhood sweetheart Elena, and his father-like friend Alfredo. Everything in the movie was very relatable to me, from the young Salvatore's passion for watching movies and wanting to learn how to run the theater, to the teenage Salvatore's desire to make movies and court Elena, and finally to the adult Salvatore's reflection on his life and what may have been. I was especially fond of the last few minutes when everything was brought around full circle in a touching gift from Alfredo to Salvatore.

What I Disliked: The movie took a little bit to get rolling. By the end I was craving more, but during the first scenes with the young Salvatore, specifically when he was spying on the priest reviewing movies so the inappropriate parts could be edited out, I was disinterested because of his childlike behavior.

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: A great reflection on one's life, loves, and friendships, all while centered around one of my favorite subjects: movies.

Movie #206: Rosemary's Baby

Movie #: 206
Movie Title: Rosemary's Baby
Year Released: 1968

Director: Roman Polanski
Notable Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavestes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy

Short Description: A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life. (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: #78
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/9/2013

What I Liked: I enjoyed watching Rosemary's attempt to figure out the strange events happening with her neighbors, doctor, and husband and the ensuing cover up after the birth of her baby.

What I Disliked: Typically billed as a horror movie, there was nothing scary about it. At least Carrie had a moment at the end that made me jump. The last minute of the movie was baffling. Rosemary spent nearly half the movie worried about witchcraft and how it may affect her baby and her life. Then, after discovering her baby was the spawn of Satan, rather than trying to kill it or herself, she accepts this fact and tries to comfort the crying demon child.

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: Since labeling it a horror movie doesn't work, the last minute ruined what would have been a better than average mystery movie.

Movie #207: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Movie #: 207
Movie Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Year Released: 2011

Director: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter
Notable Cast: David Yates

Short Description: Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #79
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/30/2013

What I Liked: The CG and action in the movie were visually stunning, specifically during the battle to defend Hogwarts. Snape's death and what Harry viewed in Snape's memories gave great context to the relationship between those two and answered questions dating all the way back to the first movie.

What I Disliked: The movie felt very hurried to me, which makes no sense if the point of splitting one book into two movies is to make sure you get all of the content in. If that was still a problem, this movie could have easily been longer than the 2 hours 10 minutes it clocked in at. After seeing these kids as kids for eight movies, it was awkward watching the last few minutes as those same actors tried to portray adults sending their children off to Hogwarts.

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: I don't want to give anything away regarding my list, but I'm sad that this is the only Harry Potter movie on it, especially since I thought the first part of the Deathly Hallows was better.

Movie #208: The Thin Red Line

Movie #: 208
Movie Title: The Thin Red Line
Year Released: 1998

Director: Terrence Malick
Notable Cast: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas, Miranda Otto, John Travolta, John C. Reilly, Adrian Brody, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson

Short Description: Director Terrance Malick's adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War. (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: #79
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/29/2013

What I Liked: I've only seen a couple of movies with Nick Nolte in it, and like the others I thought he was fantastic. His portrayal of a rough and gruff old military officer past his prime was spot on. I thought the action scenes, particularly when the Americans charged the Japanese camp, were well done. I'm a huge fan of composer Hans Zimmer so getting to hear another beautiful score of his was a plus.

What I Disliked: I'd never heard of Guadalcanal before watching this movie so right off the bat I was less interested than, say, a movie involving the landing at Normandy (i.e. Saving Private Ryan) or the bombing of Pearl Harbor (i.e. Pearl Harbor).

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: Specifics of the movie weren't very memorable, but in general after watching I thought it was that it was pretty good.

Movie #209: Iron Man

Movie #: 209
Movie Title: Iron Man
Year Released: 2008

Director: Jon Favreau
Notable Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, Jeff Bridges

Short Description: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil. (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: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #80
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/27/2013

What I Liked: I firmly believe that Robert Downey Jr. was the quintessential choice to play Tony Stark and without him Iron Man would not have the same impact. The tone of the movie is serious but not so much that small, sporadic interjections of comedy are unwelcome. It's gotten to the point in the movie industry that complimenting great CGI doesn't mean much because with today's technology it should be expected, but the Iron Man suit is a thing of beauty. I love that four years before The Avengers, Marvel was already setting up the future by introducing us to S.H.I.E.L.D. and mentioning The Avengers Initiative in the post-credits scene.

What I Disliked: I don't know why but whenever I watch this movie I don't get the feeling that Obadiah Stane is a strong villain. Jeff Bridges plays the character well and the rational for him being a villain is sound, but it just seems like something is lacking and I can't put my finger on it.

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: Marvel hit a home run by casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and by betting on the future with references to S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers.

Movie #210: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Movie #: 210
Movie Title: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Year Released: 1943

Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Notable Cast: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook

Short Description: Portrays in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. We meet the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynee-Candy, a blustering old duffer who seems the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. Traveling backwards 40 years we see a different man altogether: the young and dashing officer "Sugar" Candy. Through a series of relationships with three women and his lifelong friendship with a German officer, we see Candy's life unfold and come to understand how difficult it is for him to adapt his sense of military honor to modern notions of "total war." (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: #80
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/25/2013

What I Liked: I personally haven't seen a ton of movies that use this style of storytelling, but I love it when movies start out in the present, then flashback to the past and work back up to present time. I feel more engaged with the movie because I'm sitting there wondering what events have to unfold for us to get back to the present situation. I like that even though this movie is about the life of a military man, they were able to tell the story without actual battle scenes. Not to say war was not shown, but you never see Clive Candy partaking in a skirmish. I thought the monologue Candy's friend Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff gave at the immigration office was well written.

What I Disliked: At the same time, while I liked that the movie was told without Clive Candy actively participating in a battle, to not show his prowess in battle, which is what he was known for, sort of makes it hard to understand why everyone recognizes him as so great. If the main character's name is Clive Candy and the movie focuses on his life, I don't get the "Colonel Blimp" in the title. Wikipedia says that the title is based off a comic strip but the story of the movie itself is original. Why use that name then?

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)
Rationale: While a bit slow at times and quite lengthy at almost three hours, it's easy to become invested in the story of Clive Candy and the people around him.

Movie #211: Wild Strawberries

Movie #: 211
Movie Title: Wild Strawberries
Year Released: 1957

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Notable Cast: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Anderson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunner Björnstrand

Short Description: After living a life marked by coldness, an aging professor is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #81
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/22/2013

What I Liked: The acting in general was well done, especially by Victor Sjöström and Ingrid Thulin. The inclusion of the fighting married couple was a great metaphor for what life would be like for Ingrid Thulin and Gunner Björnstrand’s characters if they didn’t work out their differences and learn to love each other again.

What I Disliked: The events of Wild Strawberries are portrayed to take course over a day, which makes it seem unrealistic that someone could atone for all of life’s faults that quickly. The biggest problem I had was not with the movie but with the disk itself; namely, someone’s commentary talked over the entire movie, forcing me to watch it on mute at times because I wasn’t interested in random commentary.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
Rationale: Present day scenes were fine, but the flashbacks were hard to follow because characters in them were not well defined.