Movie Monday

Here's a recap of this week's screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.



Casa de mi Padre (2012)- Will Ferrell stars as a Mexican cattle rancher.  He speaks Spanish throughout the entire film.  The cinematography is beautiful done; I love the look and atmosphere of the film.  Of course Will Ferrell is silly throughout.  I found the whole thing entertaining.

Casa de mi Padre

Pink Ribbons Inc. (2011)- Documentary exposing some of the truths behind all those pink ribbon campaigns you see when you walk in a store or turn on the TV.  I found a lot of this documentary disturbing and sad.  Watch this one for its information, but expect to probably be pissed and depressed.
 
I'd like to share a small bit of personal advice.  About a year ago, I took stock of all the personal beauty products I used on myself daily, and it varied from 12-15 a day.  Then I flipped the bottles around and started to read and research the ingredient lists.  What I found was scary!  Our skin is full of holes you know, and the chemicals commonly found in beauty products (many known carcinogens) seep right in.
You have to make the choice of what you buy and use on your person, as the manufacturers and FDA are not taking the responsibility.  I have now reduced my personal beauty product list down to 6 daily, almost all of which are all natural.
Warning!  I learned the hard way that natural ingredients are not necessarily more gentle, in fact it can be the opposite.  The chemicals made in a lab are created to be hypoallergenic while plant based ingredients can cause allergic reactions.  I recommend spot testing any new product before using.  Who would have thought I was allergic to calendula?


Office Space (1999)- A dissatisfied computer tech worker finds his life turned around after an encounter with a hypnotherapist.  This comedy by Mike Judge is a cult classic and I must have watched it a dozen times.  It doesn't really get old.

Office Space
His extreme flexibility cracks me up every time

Bel Ami (2012)- This costume drama based on the novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant.  It is about a poor but ambitious ex-soldier who seduces woman to gain money and power.  It stars Robert Pattinson in the lead and Uma Thurman in support.  This was watchable I guess (I love costume dramas), but Pattinson was sort of sickly looking throughout.  I do get why the woman took him as a lover and it wasn't really about his looks... maybe I'll read the book someday.

Bel Ami
You're gonna see this expression a lot

Life in a Day (2011)- Documentary collage of people all filmed on one particular day all over the world.  This is one that you know you have to be in the mood for to turn on.  I was relaxing the day before Thanksgiving after a night marathon of prep work in the kitchen, my husband had just woken up and had no plans.  So we happened to be in the very mood!  There is a clip to evoke every emotion, but of course that is the point right?

Enter the Dragon (1973)- Bruce Lee stars in this classic kung fu movie.  Lee's character is asked to infiltrate a shady character's private island and find out what he's up to.  If you like kung fu, of course you've seen this; if you've never seen any of the genre, this is a pretty good one to start with.

Enter the Dragon
This is what zero percent body fat looks like

Thor (2011)- Action comic book based movie about the hero (god?) Thor.  It is sort of a coming of age story because even though Thor is super buff and... grown up looking, he's also immature.  I'd seen this before, but watched it again with my husband, as he'd never seen it.

Treasure Island (2012)- Made for TV mini series (based on the book by the same name) starring Eddie Izzard as Long John Silver.  This was very watchable.  The UK always does the made for TV genre well, and this is no exception.  Eddie Izzard does a great job as the iconic Capt.

Treasure Island

The Pyramid Code (2009)- This 4 part series poses many questions about the true role of the great pyramid.  There were many interesting ideas and theories.  I am skeptical that the great pyramid was a tomb- there are no interior indications that it was a place of burial.  Do we just accept this theory because it is easiest?  This show is a little silly, but not as silly as some of the Ancient Alien shows.  Believe the theories proposed or not, it is still entertaining.

Patriocracy (2011)- Documentary examining why the US seems so polarized politically.  As someone who watches very little news I am always grossly ill informed about politics, so for me a lot of the stories of the past decade or so were new to me.  I thought it was interesting that these news commentary shows that are so popular on every network are in fact not news at all.  They are heavily biased entertainment shows that masquerade and give the appearance as news casts.

Abel Raises Cain (2005)- Documentary by Jenny Abel about the life of her father, professional prankster Alan Abel.  I enjoyed this one so hard- it was hilarious!  Why don't we know more about this guy?  He has been making new reporters and others in the entertainment industry look like jackasses for 50 years! 

America the Beautiful (2007)- Documentary that examines America's obsession with youth and beauty.  This was pretty good if a little long winded and slightly amateurish.  It asked lots of questions, but they have all been asked before.  I think young girls might benefit from seeing this, because that is such a hard time (self esteem wise) and this documentary might help expose some of the lies about the images of the perfect woman we are constantly inundated with.


Pick of the Week:

Walking Dead (2010)- Season 2 of Walking Dead is finally on Netflix.  This series, based on the popular comic books series, follows a man trying to survive after the world is overrun with zombies.  I've been a fan of zombie movies for ten years- ever since my husband made me watch Night of the Living Dead.  I hated horror films up until then, but that all changed after seeing Romero's genius!  Why is this the pick of the week?  Because even though I've screened some great films this week, none had me with biting nails, pounding heart, uncontrollably squealing, wondering why I kept pressing the next episode besides a desire for torturing myself like this one did!

Walking Dead
F*#!

That's all of this week's screenings. I hope some of these films seemed interesting enough for you to check out. I usually watch movies on Netflix instant streaming, and you can find most of the films there.

Thank you for reading!

Movie Monday

Where to start?!  The charm (for me) of movie Mondays is to document both the good and the bad films that I subject myself to on a weekly basis.  Otherwise I wouldn’t know why I wake up with eyeball pain.

But I haven’t written a movie Monday in a month… and I’ve probably watched 100 movies and the temperature drops below 70 at night and my wrists are cold and won’t let my fingers move right and I don’t want to subject you to 100 movie reviews in one post because you’d get angry.

So here’s what I’ll do… I’ve seen some amazing movies this month and I’ve seen some real turkeys too- so let’s look at the best of both then start next week on a clean slate?

 

So with that out of the way-

Here’s a recap of this month’s screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.

 

The Warrior’s Way (2010) - A ninja assassin moves to a broken American western town.  I enjoyed the hell out of this movie that I had never heard of.  Of course, I don’t watch TV so I never see trailers so I hardly hear of any movies.  The lead is a sexy assassin; there are lots of interesting characters and exciting action scenes.  My only complaint—a little too much obvious green screen.

 

The Warrior's Way

 

The Musketeer (2001) - You know this story right?  D’Artagnan wants to be a musketeer.  Lots of sword fighting and king protecting ensues.  But, I deserve your pity.  Why?  Because I have in my life accidently watched The Musketeer twice.  Yes, this movie is so bad (in every way) yet so forgettable that I accidently watched it again tonight and didn’t realize it until an hour in.  If you have seen this turkey, you would understand my pain.

Vernon, Florida (1981) - Documentary about the little town of- yes you guessed right!  Vernon, Florida!  I liked this film from the first shot.  It reminded me instantly of the little town in Alabama where most of my relatives live and where I spent my summers as a girl.  And when the people started speaking I felt a little homesick.  Vernon is in the panhandle of Florida and very close to the border of Alabama, and the accents and cadences are very similar.  The turkey hunter in particular sounds like my uncle. 

I will say that people may feel the film maker is making fun of the residents of this town, but I couldn't disagree more.  Any feeling of ridicule is in the viewer's preconception that the residents are, by being simply themselves, ridiculous.

 I don’t even think the residents are very ‘eccentric’as the description boasts.  What I see are people that are at once familiar to me.  I think there is a dignity and a reserve to the people of the south, and keep in mind the film maker lived in Vernon for a year and befriended the residents before he got these relaxed interviews.

 

Vernon, Florida

 

 

How about some cult classics that I had never gotten around to seeing?

Footloose (1984)- Young city boy loves to dance.  He’s also the new guy in a small, conservative (Texas?) town.  This is a classic teen flick.  I’ve seen several spoofs of Footloose (Brett’s dance in the Flight of the Conchords comes to mind) so it was extra entertaining to see what people had been spoofing.  Of course this one is silly, but I like the genre so I enjoyed it in general.

 

Footloose
The 80s: Bowling shoes and sweats. 
Is it any wonder I grew up thinking mix-matched socks were cool?

 

Teenwolf (1985)- Boy doesn’t realize he’s turning in to a werewolf- isn’t high school hard enough already?  This one had a few good parts, but it fell a little flat I think!  Something about it never took off and the pace was all over the place.

 Harold and Maude (1971)- An odd couple movie; young unsure teenage boy obsessed with his own death and a cooky 70 something lady who’s eating life!  Oh how I enjoyed this!  Lots of things rolled in one; comedy, romance, drama, satire.  I loved the backgrounds and soundtrack too.

 

Harold and Maude
Harold with his therapist.  They are dressed the same...
which is hilarious

 

 Rain man (1988) – A slick 80s man meets his autistic brother for the first time.  Eh- I could take this or leave it really.  It was ok I guess… sort of predictable, shallow, sad.  I’m really not sure why this one was so popular.  Love Dustin Hoffman in general though.

 

 

--------------

Blank City (2010) – This is a documentary about the late 70s/ early 80s in New York City.  There was a new form of music (punk rock) and a new art form (graffiti art) and, as this documentary focuses on, a new style of movie making.  You could almost think of this as a companion piece to Kill Your Idols.  It features lots of interviews with people who are a little on the pretentious and narcissistic side… I am aware of the hypocrisy of a statement like that coming from a lady who has a personal blog.  Unrelated question: why is it impossible for someone from New York City to tell a story without first naming the street they were on?

Amadeus (1984) - Story about Mozart, some real elements and real life people woven in to a fictional story.  What can I say about this masterpiece?  It is… so good.  I can’t think of a flaw in this movie.  There is such an attention to every detail.  It’s three hours long, but doesn’t feel it.  If you’ve never seen this one, I can’t recommend it enough!

 

Amadeus

 

The Van (1977)- Teen flick from the late 70s about a boy and his van.  This one is silly and a lot of the gags miss the mark, but I’m such a sucker for films from this era that I excused it a lot.  I had to verify with my mom that shitty Dodge vans with carpet in the back were really the height of cool… because I really don’t get it!  (She confirmed and told me her cousin had one with custom paint and shag carpet).

 

The Van

 

Dragon Tattoo Trilogy (2009) – These movies are based on a book series by Swedish author, Stieg Larsson.  The main character is a girl named Lisbeth; she’s a little troubled and she’s a hacker and she has bum luck a lot of the time.  I watched the Swedish language films (later found out there was a Hollywood version of the first movie as well).  I don’t normally enjoy modern day intrigue/thriller type movies, but I enjoyed these, especially the first one.

All’s Faire in Love (2009) –Rom-com that takes place at a renaissance fair.  A jock is forced by his professor to spend three weeks at a ren-fair and he meets a whole group of new friends.  The other night I had watched several heavy things (H.H. Holmes documentary, etc) and I was really in the mood for something light!  This hit the spot.  It was dumb in a few spots, but I thought the romance was well represented.  In general a solid average flick and great for its intended purpose.

 

All's Faire in Love

 

Pick of the Month:

I couldn't decide, so there are two!

The Artist (2011) – This is a modern silent film. It had a huge buzz when it was released and it won a lot of awards. It is about the rise of one Hollywood star and the fall of another. If you’ve read my movie Monday’s in the past, you know I love silent films, so I was so excited when this one showed up in the new releases section of Netflix. I enjoyed this one so hard. If you read some reviews, you’ll find that haters are gonna hate, but don’t believe it! This movie is a great revival/homage to a style of filmmaking that has sadly fallen out of use.

Super 8 (2011) – Some kid friends are making a zombie movie on their super 8 camera. But something unexpected happens… I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. I put it on as background while I worked on other things, but ended up only watching the movie! It’s very goonies but with crazy good special effects. I’m going to make my husband watch it with me.

 

Super 8

 

Movie Mondays

A recap of this week's screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.


Wuthering Heights (2009): My favorite book gets the Masterpiece treatment.  It's also been sexed up... I think it's well cast, but if you are familiar with the book you will notice many changes.

Wuthering Heights
Cathy and Heathcliff!

The Graduate (1967): A coming of age drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.  This is a cult classic.  It's a time capsule, it's thoughtfully filmed, the plot is engaging, the soundtrack amazing.  Give it a watch!

The Graduate
One word: Plastics

Star Trek TOS (1966).... lots of Star Trek TOS... hours of Star Trek TOS

John Oliver NY Stand Up (2010): Stand up specials hosted by John Oliver.  A lot of these multiple comedian stand up specials are just awful, but give this a watch- it's got some good acts!  And John Oliver is hilarious and endearing.

Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story (2000):  I went in to this thinking it was a documentary about the Monkees... but it's a dramatic retelling.  A genre I normally don't enjoy... but this was pretty watchable (though I don't know how accurate).  It also starred a cast that each looked so like their respective Monkee, they could have been paid impersonators.

Daydream Believers
Those silly Monkees!

Amazing Stories (1985): This old TV show hatched by Steven Spielburg is sort of a kid's Twilight Zone.  It featured every actor and actress from the 1980s.  Most of the episodes I watched were very corny and tiresome.  If I had watched this as a child, it would have blown. my. mind. 

Microplanet (2012):  Nature documentary about... not really small creatures so much as small ecosystems.  I think Netflix recommended it to me because of last week's Fireants.  I thought I was going to enjoy it (I am a huge sucker for nature docs) until this high pitched child's voice comes on as narration.  Either I wasn't the target audience for this thing, or the director is unable to say 'no' to his child.

Pick of the Week:
Puppet (2010):  Documentary that is a little bit about the history puppetry, but more about one man's creative journey from conception to stage of an original puppet show.  I was so pleasantly surprised at this one.  Here are some thoughts that played out in my head as I put this movie on: "I am a grown woman, it's the middle of the day, and I'm about to watch a documentary on puppets...."
But this was very artsy and interesting and poignant at times.  Huge bonus: I discovered Disfarmer, who is right up my alley.

Puppet
 

That's all of this week's screenings. I hope some of these films seemed interesting enough for you to check out. I usually watch movies on Netflix instant streaming, and you can find most of the films there.

Thank you for reading!

Movie Mondays

A recap of this weeks screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.

Fire Ants (2011): A lower budget but well done documentary on the invasive species of fire ants.  They are a remarkable insect.  As a girl I spent my summers in Alabama... so I've had plenty of encounters with fire ants- and they suck!  Man and beast learn that the hard way.  Bonus childhood memory: a young calf licking a fire ant mound and bucking around the pasture in pain.



Fire Ants
Yup.. he's throwing a ball of fireants

Monarchy (2006): British series about the monarchs of England.  Of course, by telling the story of the monarchs, you also tell the story of England, so it is more of a 'life and times' thing.  I love this documentary!  I've seen it at least two times through.  I like that the episodes are divided more by eras than by bloodline or centuries.  There are very little re-enactments, but instead lots of well written commentary and shots of art, manuscripts, and locations where key events played out.  Well done!

W.E. (2011): Drama that overlays the story of an unhappy wife in the late 1990s and Wallis Simpson (later Duchess of Windsor).  This was another movie that pleasantly surprised me.  I thought I wouldn't like it very much, but it had me hooked from the first shot.  Things I loved: the mood and sets and costumes, all worked well (though I don't remember the 90s looking so classy).  I also loved the great sense of a woman's touch on this film (it was co-written and directed by Madonna).  I can always tell when a woman directs a film.  With an overwhelming majority of films being directed by men, it's pretty easy to tell when scenes aren't driven by a male's fantasy or ego!

W.E.
Wallis Simpson cutting a rug

...And God Spoke (1993): Mockumentary about the making of a biblical epic movie.  This movie worked sometimes and didn't other times.  If you want to, give it a watch I guess.  (That was my generation x attitude)

Arabian Nights (2000): TV miniseries about.. yup- the Arabian Nights!  It's a solid job all around.  Nicely filmed and a pretty good pace throughout, though it loses steam a few times.

Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (1982) --and--
Start Trek III Search for Spock (1984):
The second and third of the Star Trek movies. I guess I'm a purist, but there's nothing like tight young 1960s Spock. These movies were good, but don't expect the fun and sometimes silly sci-fi goodness of TOS.

Our Hospitality (1923): An early Buster Keaton movie.  He finds himself (unwillingly) in the middle of an old southern feud.  Gags ensue.  It's not my favorite Buster Keaton film, but I love everything he does.  There are some great great scenes in this one, but if you're new to Keaton, I would recommend The General or Steamboat Bill Jr.

Our Hospitality
Buster Keaton!!

Chaplin, The Movie (1992):  Biopic about the great Charlie Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr.  I'd seen this years ago, but it had been a while.  Entertaining movie... but even at 2 1/2 hours it seems rushed to cover Chaplin's long and eventful life.  Plus Chaplin was never my favorite (I'm a Buster Keaton girl; see above).

Mill and the Cross (2011):  A painting comes to life.  This imaginary period piece puts the viewer in the world of Breugel's painting, The Procession to Calvary.  I love being surprised by a movie- I put this one on thinking I probably wouldn't like it, or that it would be slow, but I couldn't take my eyes off it from the first shot.  With some very well done digital effects, it looks unreal! 

Mill and the Cross
The whole movie is gorgeous

Raw (1987):  Eddie Murphy's stand up special.  This was funny stuff; a lot of good parts.  Apparently, it set some record for the number of times the word f*** is used.  What does it say about me that I barely noticed?  What have I learned?  Eddie Murphy's looked real good in leather pants.

Movie Mondays

A recap of this week's screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.



Casanova (miniseries 2005)- TV miniseries based on Casanova's life (with some liberties taken).  Stars David Tennant and Peter O'Toole.  I really enjoyed this one-- it was fun and colorful.  It was silly and serious.  It was well filmed and acted.  I had seen David Tennant in He knew he was right, but he didn't make much of an impression on me, but as a young Casanova.. sensitive, intelligent, good listener, funny- in other words, the perfect man.  On a side note, Laura Fraser as Casanova's love interest also starred in He knew he was right.  If you watch much British TV, you will recognize many faces.

Casanova (TV 2005)
Colorful balls in half a dozen countries

Emma (1996)- Based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name and starring Gwenyth Paltrow.  I don't want to say how many times I've seen this, because I'll sound weird.  The movie isn't perfect, but it has a great pace and atmosphere.  Beautiful costumes and in general well cast.  My only complaint is the actress who plays Harriet Smith.. I just don't think she fit the role well.  I love Jane Austen's novels, and I love this period in British history.  What a great time for fashion and literature!  And I love a man in Napoleonic dress...

Emma (1996)
Emma and Mr. Knightley!

I will preface these Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies with this: I love MST3K so hard!  There is a certain nostalgia, as these were always on TV in my teen years.  I also have a love of bad movies.  I watch these and just laugh and laugh.. my husband's favorite parts are the invention exchanges and live action parts, while my favorite parts are the theater scenes.  What are your favorites?

MST3K The Magic Sword- Now we're getting into a 60s genre of movies that I don't like: see the mom witch.  This movie was bad, but I guess that's the point!

MST3K The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent- Oh boy... lots of walking in this one (as Joel and the bots will point out), with a boring  and silly plot. 

MST3K Rocketship X-M- This might be the worst movie I've ever seen.  I could barely stay awake... so boring, so very boring.  Joel and the bots did all they could, but it was really bad.

MST3K Daddy-O- I giggled throughout this one.  There were some good cut sequences with Joel.  I was cackling when he breaks into 'Hike your pants up'

MST3K Untamed Youth- A solid MST3K.  And I actually halfway enjoyed the movie!



This is a sad week for movies!  I spent most of the week cleaning or watching King of the Hill and Dirty Jobs.  I've got to get screening- this queue won't watch itself!

Movie Mondays

A recap of this weeks screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many films.  Let's get started!




Gas-s-s-s (1970): A Roger Corman black comedy set in a stark and beautiful post-apocalyptic desert.  Only those under 25 survived a plague of gas accidentally released by ‘the man’.  I loved this, though I’m partial to bad exploitation films.  There were more ponchos than you could shake a stick at and lots of silly dialog/characters.

Gas-s-s-s
spaghetti western car lot cowboys

 

The American Snitch (1983):  Ok… I’m at a loss to describe this film… maybe Smokey and the Bandit meets Designing Women?  Is it bad?  Yes.  Does it have redeeming parts that will make you giggle?  Yes!  This is truly a forgotten flick; take it on its own terms and give it a try.   Captain Crackers says: “Hold on!!....Whatever your name is!”

American Snitch
Jesus and Elvis singing a song and cooking breakfast together

Dead End Drive In (1986):  Ozploitation at its best!  Lots of counterculture shots, great stunts, interesting premise.  For me this was a pleasant surprise… the Netflix description made this sound like a horror flick- it’s not at all!  The world has taken a turn for the worst (not quit apocalyptic, but pretty crappy) and there is a surplus of unemployed hoods.  What is the government to do with them?  Also, check out Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!   It’s a documentary on the great genre of Ozploitation, or Australian exploitation films. 

Dead End Drive In
She met some girls in the bathroom who did her hair... to clarify, she was pleased

Hollywood Boulevard (1976): A satire on the then hugely popular B movie genre.  An ambitious actress wants to get her foot in the door of Hollywood, and is subjected to a bevy of awful job experiences.  Netflix also led me to believe this was a horror film… not even close, it’s pure satire.  Interesting fact: this was made by several Roger Corman film students who used shots from his movies for almost all the scenes that weren’t dialog.

Hollywood Boulevard

Once Upon a Time (2011): A network TV drama about fairytale characters.  They are all cursed and living in Maine.  This was surprisingly watchable.  I like the premise and it is filmed nicely.  I read a review somewhere that fans of Lost might like it, and that’s hitting it on the head.  It has the same structure as Lost, where each character’s story is revealed in flashbacks and all the stories are intertwined. 

William Shatner’s Gonzo Ballet (2009): Documentary on the project that turned William Shatner’s musical album into a ballet.  Shatner is charming and disarming as usual.  The music was not too bad and the ballet was... well, ballet!

The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981): Period drama about a woman sort of shunned for her association with a French Lieutenant and a respectable gentleman who has just become engaged.  This is a story within a story as well.  Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons star.  I thought this was pretty good, maybe a little draggy in parts.  I liked the supporting cast.

Big Doll House (1971): Exploitation film set in a Philippines woman’s prison.  This is a cult film and has some very memorable and famous lines, such as “Get it up or I’ll cut it off.”  Stars Sid Haig and Pam Greer.  It’s got an improbable plot and some silly dialog, but for its genre it’s top notch.

Full Tilt Boogie (1997): Documentary on the making of From Dusk Til Dawn.  This was more like behind the scenes outtakes than it was a look at the process of making the film.  Everyone on the set seemed to have a good time and it was interesting to watch.  There were some funny moments and characters.

Popatopolis (2009): Documentary about Jim Wynorski, the prolific B movie director.  I enjoyed this movie a lot.  It had a good mix of the history of Wynorski’s film and of B movies in general, behind the scenes of him making a film, and interviews with people that know him (The best being his elderly and adorable mother and Roger Corman).  If you like B movies, give it a watch.

Mst3K The Movie (1996)

Mst3k Night of the Blood Beast (1996)

Mst3k warrior of the lost world (1993)

MST3K secret agent super dragon (1993)

I’m just going to review all the MST3K’s together.  They were all fantastic!  And in truth I’ve seen these all before. I love, love MST3K.  They make me happy.  If I had to be stuck in space indefinitely, I’d want to be on the satellite of love…with Joel (sorry Mike).

Solarbabies (1986) Post-apocalyptic 80s kids flick that involves a magic orb, an evil scientist, an owl, and lots of roller skates.  Sigh… this movie was bad… in every way that a movie can be bad.  But it has one flaw that I cannot forgive- it takes itself serious.  Poor thing.  As a kid I probably would have loved it though.

Solarbabies
Just a guy and his pet owl

Clueless (1995): Comedy about privileged Cher, the ‘clueless’ high schooler whose world begins to change when she elevates an unpopular girl’s social standing.  Am I the only who loved this movie when it came out?  I rushed out to get myself some thigh high socks and a skort.  This is adapted pretty heavily from one of my fav books Emma and directed by Amy Heckerling (who directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

She’s all That (1999): Romantic (not really) comedy (if you say so) about a popular guy who makes a bet to turn a social outcast into prom queen.  Why oh why did I press play?  I watched this in high school and thought it was pretty good and that Freddie Prinze Jr. was cute.. boy was I dumb.  If you like seeing a bunch of people in their mid to late 20s pretending to be 16 and to really care about who becomes prom queen…this is the movie for you.  Also, it reeked of corporate think tank.

Audie Murphy Great American Hero (1996): Documentary about Audie Murphy.  This was an interesting film about this forgotten hero of WWII.  He did some crazy heroic things on the battlefield and was at the time (and maybe still) the most decorated soldier.  He ended up starring in several Hollywood films.  His life was also tragic.

Lewis and Clark the Journey (1997):  Lewis and Clark get the Ken Burns treatment.  I want Ken Burns to make a film about me!  He’s got it down to a science.  This was an interesting film that explores the subtleties of the personalities at play in this expedition. 

Friday the 13^th (1980): Cult horror film about some camp counselors trying to get a ‘cursed’ summer camp up and running again.  If you haven’t seen Friday the 13^th… give it a watch.  It’s got a medium amount of gore and not too many jumpy moments. 

Friday the 13^th part 2 (1981): This sequel to Friday the 13^th has a little more gore and skin.  Another bad day for camp counselors!

Royal Deceit (1994): Remake of Hamlet.  I liked this film.  The pace is slow but I think a lot of the scenes have the feeling of a theater performance, which fit nicely.  Also beautifully filmed and acted.

Metropolis Restored (1927): Classic silent film about a dystopian future where society is divided between those who work below ground maintaining machines and those who live above ground and enjoy the results of that labor.  I enjoyed this beast of a 2 hour and 45 minute film!  After suffering through several turkeys this week, I needed the cleansing that only a masterpiece could give.  I love the Art Deco design elements and the story was very good.  This movie was way ahead of its time.

Metropolis
the machine-man

This concludes this week's screenings. I hope some of these films seemed interesting enough for you to check out. I usually watch movies on Netflix instant streaming, and you can find most of the films there.

Thank you for reading!  





 



 

Movie Mondays

A recap of this weeks screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many films.


Victory (1996): Slightly suspenseful love story in exotic local.  This had been moldering in my queue for months and I'm glad I finally watched it.  Love Sam Neill, but he played a bit of a creep!

My Life so Far (1999): Scottish family character study set in the turn of the century.  Beautifully filmed and acted well.  A quality production, even if it lagged and dragged in areas.  Colin Firth stood out, of course, but if you like this genre you will probably recognize several faces.

Lost in La Mancha (2002):  This is one of the most depressing films I've seen since Sophie's Choice.. well not that bad but a big bummer for sure.  I love Terry Gilliam and I hate to see him sad :(  This is a film about the making of a film (Don Quixote).

Night of the Comet (1984):  A comet hits earth and those left have a lot to deal with.  This 80s zombie (kind of?) flick was probably my favorite screening of the week.  Low budget, under the radar, not too gory, not many cheap scares, and several scenes that more than earn it the status as a cult film.

Night of the Comet

Captain America, The First Avenger (2011): Action and adventure comic book flick- with a good looking lead and a fun storyline.  My husband and I watched this movie the other night and had a good time.  The effects weren't awful either.

Starcrossed (1985):  Made for TV movie about an alien lady and an earthling guy and their desperate flight from many baddies.  Lots of fades in and out where there used to be commercial breaks, WAY too many scenes that reference unnecessarily/ glorify automobiles (produced by Gulf Western- did that have something to do with it?).  This movie was painfully bad in several areas, but I do love a young James Spader!

Beverly Hills Cop (1984): Fun cop revenge action story.  Eddie Murphy is good and there are many funny characters that pop up throughout.  Plus the opening scene with the police chase is probably the most impressive and destructive I have seen--- this was 1984, and there are no fancy computer tricks, just demolition derby style mayhem!

Superstar (1999):  SNL film based on a popular skit.  Sigh... know when you watch a movie you liked as a kid and it is truly awful.  Welcome to my experience when watching Superstar.  If I'm being honest, I mopped my floors while most of this played.  Just really bad... not funny at all.

Tommy Boy (1995):  Chris Farley being Chris Farley in all his Farley goodness (at his peek in this one maybe?).  I hadn't seen this film in years, but of course when it came out it was hugely popular.  A solid 90s comedy with some lol parts.

Of Dolls and Murder (2012): Documentary on the Nutshell Studies, which are a series of doll house dioramas based on actual unsolved murder cases.  They were made by a millionaire lady who had an unfulfilled desire to be a detective and so constructed these doll houses to help police officers hone their skills.  These are beyond creepy.. I could have done with less modern day forensics and more about the doll houses.

Comedians of Comedy live at the Troubadour (2007):  This beast of a comedy show features 10 plus comedians assembled by Patton Oswald for a night of stand up.  It's over two hours long and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): Captain Picard heads up a Star Trek adventure.  I don't really know any of the characters in these Star Treks, as I'm a TOS girl, but this was watchable. I felt I missed a lot of the jokes because I haven't seen any of the Picard TV shows.

Merton: A film Biography (1984):  Documentary on the famous mystic monk Thomas Merton.  This struck a chord with me, and I think I'll get one of his books to read.  Interesting man.

Masquerade (1988): A suspense thriller starring Rob Lowe.  This was so-so, but to the film's credit, I thought I had the plot figured out but didn't!  Lots of glorification of consumerism, but hey- it was the 80s!

Neverland (2011):  British miniseries about Peter Pan.  OK, so it's made for a young audience but still- It was way too long and boring and and dragged on and was repetitive and painful.  And by the end I honestly did not care what happened to the characters, even though I had invested about three hours of my very divided attention into the thing.

Shooting Creek (1995):  A very low budget and sometimes awkwardly acted film set in the south right after the civil war.  There were parts of this movie I enjoyed; there were a lot of good horse chase scenes and I have been in a western mood.  But I didn't really relate to the main character and like I said, there was some pretty bad acting-- main union soldier guy, I'm talking to you!

Stiff Upper Lips (1998):  A cheeky, irreverent spoof of the period piece film genre and some novels.  Since I love British period pieces, I enjoyed this satire on them.  Some of the scenes are very naughty ;)

Stiff Upper Lips

Buskers (2000):  Documentary about street performers.  Pretty straight forward and not too in depth-- you don't get too personal with any of the performers, the very opposite of a film like Confessions of a Superhero.  This was a good background noise movie.

More Business of Being Born (2008):  This series of films will stick with me for a long time.  It's a follow up documentary about the trends of modern maternity care.  It blew my mind in a lot of ways.  My opinion (coming from complete inexperience) is that I think we are going down a weird and probably unsafe path in the ways woman give birth.

Marilyn in Manhattan (1998):  A documentary about a period in Marilyn Monroe's life.  Came out in the late 90s and is good but doesn't have many frills.  A few good interviews but in general pretty mediocre.

Jackass Number 2 (2006):  Honestly, what can I say about this movie?  If you've seen any Jackass, you know what you are getting in to.




This concludes this week's screenings.  I hope some of these films seemed interesting enough for you to check out.  I watch movies almost exclusively on Netflix instant streaming, and you can find most of the films there.

Thank you for reading!