Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Movie #200: The Bourne Identity
Movie #: 200
Movie Title: The Bourne Identity
Year Released: 2002
Director: Doug Liman
Notable Cast: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Julia Styles
Short Description: A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #98
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #78
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 7/20/2013
What I Liked: Matt Damon was perfect for the role of Jason Bourne and the supporting cast, specifically Franka Potente, did an excellent job. There was plenty of action to keep one entertained and a well thought out story to fill in the holes and help us understand Bourne's past at the same time he's trying to figure himself out and regain his memory.
What I Disliked: Other than the bullet wounds he received before he'd fished out of the water, considering all of fights Bourne partakes in after that, you never see him get hurt. I get that Jason Bourne is a badass killing machine and is capable of shutting out pain, but come on, the dude jumps down six floors near the end of the movie and gets up without even having the wind knocked out of him. And the fight where his advisory is wielding a knife? Bourne doesn't even get scratched. While he may be super human, that's too inhuman.
Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: The Bourne Identity would have been a terrific standalone movie, but instead is a fun start to a trilogy centered on Jason Bourne.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Overall Best to Worst: #201-251
Overall Best to Worst of #201-251
This list is my overall best to worst of every movie I’ve seen so far on my list of 251. I fully expect this list to get harder to compile every time I finish a set of 25 movies and need to incorporate those, but it’ll be fun to see how I rank all 251 movies when I’m done. Without further ado, here it goes.
This list is my overall best to worst of every movie I’ve seen so far on my list of 251. I fully expect this list to get harder to compile every time I finish a set of 25 movies and need to incorporate those, but it’ll be fun to see how I rank all 251 movies when I’m done. Without further ado, here it goes.
| Movie # | Movie Title | My Grade |
| 218 | Gran Torino | 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding) |
| 212 | Argo | 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding) |
| 249 | Star Trek | 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding) |
| 233 | Sophie's Choice | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 205 | Cinema Paradiso | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 215 | Groundhog Day | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 235 | Persona | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 248 | Cinderella Man | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 207 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 223 | Training Day | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 238 | Ocean's Eleven | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 209 | Iron Man | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 250 | The Sting | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 202 | In the Heat of the Night | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 226 | Rain Man | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 213 | The Great Escape | 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) |
| 208 | The Thin Red Line | 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) |
| 206 | Rosemary's Baby | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 227 | Magnolia | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 246 | Shaun of the Dead | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 210 | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 251 | Ben-Hur | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 216 | Airplane! | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 224 | Bringing Up Baby | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 225 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 201 | A Matter of Life and Death | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 211 | Wild Strawberries | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 242 | The Last Picture Show | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 231 | Swing Time | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 214 | Brazil | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 222 | The King of Comedy | 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) |
| 204 | All the President's Men | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 221 | Carrie | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 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) |
| 217 | Easy Rider | 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) |
| 203 | Manhattan | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 239 | Princess Mononoke | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 245 | Shadow of a Doubt | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 220 | Blue Velvet | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 230 | Metropolis | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 219 | A Night at the Opera | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Recap Of Movies #201-225
Adjustments
Movie #: 217
Movie Title: Easy Rider (1969)
Original Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)
Adjusted Grade: 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
My Best to Worst of #201-225
| Movie # | Movie Title | My Grade |
| 218 | Gran Torino | 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding) |
| 212 | Argo | 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding) |
| 205 | Cinema Paradiso | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 215 | Groundhog Day | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 207 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 223 | Training Day | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 209 | Iron Man | 4 out of 5 (Excellent) |
| 202 | In the Heat of the Night | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 213 | The Great Escape | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 208 | The Thin Red Line | 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good) |
| 206 | Rosemary's Baby | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 210 | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 216 | Airplane! | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 224 | Bringing Up Baby | 3 out of 5 (Good) |
| 225 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 201 | A Matter of Life and Death | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 211 | Wild Strawberries | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 214 | Brazil | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 222 | The King of Comedy | 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory) |
| 204 | All the President's Men | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 221 | Carrie | 2 out of 5 (Fair) |
| 217 | Easy Rider | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 203 | Manhattan | 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal) |
| 220 | Blue Velvet | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
| 219 | A Night at the Opera | 1 out of 5 (Poor) |
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Movie #201: A Matter of Life and Death
Movie #: 201
Movie Title: A Matter of Life and Death
Year Released: 1946
Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Notable Cast: David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Marius Goring, Raymond Massey
Short Description: A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court. (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: #75
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 7/19/2013
What I Liked: I thought the premise of a man who avoids death and then has to argue for continued life when death catches up to him was different and entertaining. The actual courtroom scene where Peter Carter's British lawyer and friend Doctor Reeves had to present Peter's case against a Revolution-era American prosecutor was the most entertaining part of the movie and it's when Roger Livesey really shined as an actor.
What I Disliked: I understand this is an old movie and special effects aren't going to be great, but it looks like a child came up with some of these. The Wizard of Oz is seven years older and it had effects that look light-years ahead of the ones in A Matter of Life and Death, specifically when you are supposed to be looking at outer space and when time freezes but if you look closely at the people, you can see they don't always stand perfectly still.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
Rationale: A nice try but ultimately the movie falls a bit short of living up to its nifty sounding premise.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Movie #202: In the Heat of the Night
Movie #: 202
Movie Title: In the Heat of the Night
Year Released: 1967
Director: Norman Jewison
Notable Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oats
Short Description: An African American police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #75
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: 7/17/2013
What I Liked: I had my suspicions (which proved incorrect), but up until the last few minutes when the killer was revealed I had no clue who did it. That sort of cover-up made this a superb murder-mystery. Though Sidney Poitier was good, I thought Rod Steiger was better as the racist police chief who begins to learn tolerance at the end. In general I thought the display of racism and Poitier's character's dealing with it in 1960's Mississippi was portrayed accurately and fairly.
What I Disliked: It's too convenient that a homicide detective happens to be passing through a town without a homicide detective the night a man is mysteriously murdered and he's the first person brought in for questioning. The last minute of the movie had a very cheesy smile between Poitier and Steiger's characters that felt forced and awkward given their disdain for each other throughout the majority of the movie.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: A great story of dealing with racial prejudice while trying to solve a murder-mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
Movie #203: Manhattan
Movie #: 203
Movie Title: Manhattan
Year Released: 1979
Director: Woody Allen
Notable Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep
Short Description: A divorced New Yorker currently dating a high-schooler brings himself to look for love in the mistress of his best friend instead. (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: #76
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A
Date Watched: 7/16/2013
What I Liked: I can finally say I've seen a Woody Allen movie.
What I Disliked: As a director I know Woody Allen is popular and I'm sure he does a great job, but I couldn't appreciate that portion of his role in this movie because he and his character annoyed me so much. From his nasally voice to his constant mentioning of his "supposed" sexual prowess to his questioning of why he's dating a high-schooler, even though he kept mentioning he knew it was wrong, I wanted to take the DVD and chuck in the garbage. The only thing stopping me from doing so is that it was a rented copy and not my own. Diane Keaton's character was no better with her constant struggle of knowing it was wrong to be dating a married man but doing nothing about it other than complaining.
Grade: 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
Rationale: After seeing Manhattan I pray I never have to watch another movie starring Woody Allen cause once was more than enough.
Movie #204: All the President's Men
Movie #: 204
Movie Title: All the President's Men
Year Released: 1976
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Notable Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jason Robards, Jack Warden, Hal Holbrook
Short Description: Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that lead to President Nixon's resignation. (IMDB.com)
Rank on the Top 100 Lists
AFI.com: #77
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: 7/13/2013
What I Liked: Details were one thing this movie did not skimp on. Before watching I knew very little about Watergate, and while I still don't feel I'm very knowledgeable, I definitely know more than I did. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford kept this movie interesting with excellent performances.
What I Disliked: The movie was unbelievably dry. I don't need action in a movie to be entertained, but I do need a story that won't put me to sleep either. The blessing of being informative by having tons of detail was also a curse because it was so much at points that I started to lose track of who was who in the scandal.
Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)
Rationale: Unless you just can't get enough of political dramas, have a thing for Watergate, or are a huge fan of Dustin Hoffman and/or Robert Redford, look elsewhere for entertainment.
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