---Oh my! This week I watched:
Body Heat (1981) Kathleen Turner, William Hurt, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson. Great atmoshere, score, cast. Almost perfect noirish drama. Rewatch often. 9/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/
Ash Wednesday (2002) Ed Burns, Elijah Wood. Irish mob hit man and his brother, who is supposed to be dead, try to get out of danger. Very unlikeable characters and awful location scenes. Depressing. Burns wrote, directed and starred. He needs to pick one and concentrate his energy. Elijah is way too young and short to be his brother. Bad casting. If you like seeing the dregs, this should suffice. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280438/
Find Me Guilty (2006) Vin Diesel as Jackie DiNorscio in trial of mobsters. Vin is funny and touching as one of the defendents in a trial under the RICO Act, the longest Mafia trial in history. Keeps your interest throughout. Uses actual trial transcripts for parts of the dialog, which is even more interesting. Great stage character actors in secondary roles. 7.5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419749/#comment
Enchanted (2007) Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden. Retelling of the Cinderella story, going from cartoon to real people in NYC. Music numbers here and there. I'm unenchanted with Dempsey and his sqeakey voice. I don't get the attraction. Marsden is a cutey. For kids it's a winner. Everyone else - see it on TV if you must. For costumes, locations and cinematography - 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461770/
No Country For Old Men (2007) Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Texas dust. Rewatched. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/
March 22, 2009
March 16, 2009
All the pretty ladies----
----in so-so films. Finally got back to do comments:
Hope Floats (1998) Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr. Returning to hometown after breakup of marriage, woman and her little girl try to fit in to small town life. Best segment; Sandra and Harry's boot-scooting dance at the saloon. Mildly entertaining. 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119313/
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd. Older woman (beautiful Michelle) falls for younger man (Rudd). Well, I didn't believe it, so.... 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466839/
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem. Another Woody Allen fantasy of a European man just going up to American women and asking them to go away for a weekend of sex -and they do! After all they're in Barcelona! And Europeans are so open. So they go off to some retreat. So he has the two American babes to bang - but this guy also has his ex-wife show up to get in on the action. See, he's a real macho man - a dude! Leaves 'um all panting formore. And then? One American gal goes back to her fiancée and gets married; one decides to go home - but become a free spirit; the wife calms down after having screaming fits every five minutes. And this devastating dude is free to start all over again. In Woodies dreams! And all his fans who love his fantasy world perversions. 7/10 for the scenery and cinematography and pretty people. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/
Hope Floats (1998) Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr. Returning to hometown after breakup of marriage, woman and her little girl try to fit in to small town life. Best segment; Sandra and Harry's boot-scooting dance at the saloon. Mildly entertaining. 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119313/
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd. Older woman (beautiful Michelle) falls for younger man (Rudd). Well, I didn't believe it, so.... 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466839/
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem. Another Woody Allen fantasy of a European man just going up to American women and asking them to go away for a weekend of sex -and they do! After all they're in Barcelona! And Europeans are so open. So they go off to some retreat. So he has the two American babes to bang - but this guy also has his ex-wife show up to get in on the action. See, he's a real macho man - a dude! Leaves 'um all panting formore. And then? One American gal goes back to her fiancée and gets married; one decides to go home - but become a free spirit; the wife calms down after having screaming fits every five minutes. And this devastating dude is free to start all over again. In Woodies dreams! And all his fans who love his fantasy world perversions. 7/10 for the scenery and cinematography and pretty people. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/
March 09, 2009
Women & Cops----
Another week when I watched very few films, but what I did were 'cherce':
Thelma & Louise (1991) Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis. Been a few years since I watched this one, but it holds up well. Girls just want to have fun - and not be beaten up and raped because of the way they act and/or dress. Both actresses do justice the the underclass they represent. Best role Harvey Keitel ever had to make himself seem a sympathetic character. And he looks good too. And of course, Brad Pitts' first big role as a ne'r-do-well was star making. He is all you look at when his scenes are on screen. So glad for the way it ended - no phony weeping and wailing and redemption. Just soaring into the blue in their convertible. Hallelujah!! 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/
The Women (2008) Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Welllll ! I finally rented "The Women" and watched it this week. My reaction was positive, which surprised me. All the bad reviews, and the disappointment in comments about this version made me skip it in the theater, which I now regret. Always try to support the ladies films.
I love the 1939 version and watch it often. Any remake would suffer in comparison. After all, it was written by one of the most brilliant women of the century - Claire Boothe Luce. It had the top women's director of the Golden Era of old Hollywood - George Cukor. The Queen Bee of MGM - Norma Shearer - was the star. Her studio rival - Joan Crawford - played her rival in the film. All the speaking parts were by top actresses or starlets the studio was pushing toward stardom.In the greatest year for classic films, it was one of the best.
Now, we have Meg Ryan as Mary, who is not bad, just not served well by the script. Annette Benning's character has been completely rewritten and while she does okay with it, I thought she was a bit strident at times. Debra Messing was the surprise - she was very funny as the always pregnant friend, and the final scenes were very funny to me.I also want to dish on the few trailers I saw for this film. They were horrible. They had nothing of the best of the film. The scene of Mary and her mother was not the best choice to bring women to the theater. A shot or 2 of the fashion show (I loved it); the lunch on the rooftop; or them all talking at once, would have been more true to the film.
And! Why change the age of Mary's daughter from child, to teen? Do all films have to have a bored, dreary teen?All in all, better than expected. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430770/
We Own The Night (2007) Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall. Phoenix and Wahlberg - co-producers? Of this? Makes you wonder what in the script caught their fancy? Whatever. The story defeats them. Wahlberg seems almost catatonic in his line reading. And Joaquin? I can see why he has gone middle-age crazy and taken up hip-hop. His judgement was seriously flawed in signing on and doing such a bad job.
The story is about a family in dysfunction, with the righteous brother a solid cop like his father, and the other - a drug taking, nightclub managing, name changing, messed up guy who works for a Russian mafia don. He loves his Latin lady (Mendes) and tries to get them out from under the mob, after his brother is almost killed and his father is also shot and dies. The story sounds better than the execution. I blame the script and the director. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498399/
My Sis and I having a lot of fun with our search for our roots. And going through old boxes of papers and finding treasures of children's notes and pictures. Which I am scanning into my Family Tree Maker. Makes for a lot of days when I just don't have time for a whole movie. Never thought I would say that! Hahaha.
Thelma & Louise (1991) Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis. Been a few years since I watched this one, but it holds up well. Girls just want to have fun - and not be beaten up and raped because of the way they act and/or dress. Both actresses do justice the the underclass they represent. Best role Harvey Keitel ever had to make himself seem a sympathetic character. And he looks good too. And of course, Brad Pitts' first big role as a ne'r-do-well was star making. He is all you look at when his scenes are on screen. So glad for the way it ended - no phony weeping and wailing and redemption. Just soaring into the blue in their convertible. Hallelujah!! 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/
The Women (2008) Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Welllll ! I finally rented "The Women" and watched it this week. My reaction was positive, which surprised me. All the bad reviews, and the disappointment in comments about this version made me skip it in the theater, which I now regret. Always try to support the ladies films.
I love the 1939 version and watch it often. Any remake would suffer in comparison. After all, it was written by one of the most brilliant women of the century - Claire Boothe Luce. It had the top women's director of the Golden Era of old Hollywood - George Cukor. The Queen Bee of MGM - Norma Shearer - was the star. Her studio rival - Joan Crawford - played her rival in the film. All the speaking parts were by top actresses or starlets the studio was pushing toward stardom.In the greatest year for classic films, it was one of the best.
Now, we have Meg Ryan as Mary, who is not bad, just not served well by the script. Annette Benning's character has been completely rewritten and while she does okay with it, I thought she was a bit strident at times. Debra Messing was the surprise - she was very funny as the always pregnant friend, and the final scenes were very funny to me.I also want to dish on the few trailers I saw for this film. They were horrible. They had nothing of the best of the film. The scene of Mary and her mother was not the best choice to bring women to the theater. A shot or 2 of the fashion show (I loved it); the lunch on the rooftop; or them all talking at once, would have been more true to the film.
And! Why change the age of Mary's daughter from child, to teen? Do all films have to have a bored, dreary teen?All in all, better than expected. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430770/
We Own The Night (2007) Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall. Phoenix and Wahlberg - co-producers? Of this? Makes you wonder what in the script caught their fancy? Whatever. The story defeats them. Wahlberg seems almost catatonic in his line reading. And Joaquin? I can see why he has gone middle-age crazy and taken up hip-hop. His judgement was seriously flawed in signing on and doing such a bad job.
The story is about a family in dysfunction, with the righteous brother a solid cop like his father, and the other - a drug taking, nightclub managing, name changing, messed up guy who works for a Russian mafia don. He loves his Latin lady (Mendes) and tries to get them out from under the mob, after his brother is almost killed and his father is also shot and dies. The story sounds better than the execution. I blame the script and the director. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498399/
My Sis and I having a lot of fun with our search for our roots. And going through old boxes of papers and finding treasures of children's notes and pictures. Which I am scanning into my Family Tree Maker. Makes for a lot of days when I just don't have time for a whole movie. Never thought I would say that! Hahaha.
March 02, 2009
Oscars; 3 films........
-----Feb 22, 2009 Academy Awards: The Oscar goes to - The show itself was good. I have not seen any of the nominees for best pic, so no comment.
I have not watched many films - doing other things. 2 weeks viewing:
First Daughter (2004) Katie Holmes, Michael Keaton. Just the ticket for doing other things as you watch. For me, doing notes, looking through pictures, etc. Holmes is not awful, but I'm glad she has steady work as a Mom. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361620/
Man Of The House (2005) Tommy Lee Jones. Oh Tommy! Really lame. Except the girls are cute, and Tommy is Tommy. Can't fault that. Another to disengage mind and relax. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331933/
Transiberian (2008) Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley. Train trip from China across Russia for couple. He luvs trains. She luvs taking pics. They have adventures that become dangerous. Gorgeous cinematography of snowy Russia. They become separated and the very different way of travel in Russia is a character in the film. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800241/
My sister and I are getting our ducks in a row to do family history. Went to an orientation program at the new genealogy library last Friday, and saw how the records on microfilm and fiche can be accessed. Great facility.
I have not watched many films - doing other things. 2 weeks viewing:
First Daughter (2004) Katie Holmes, Michael Keaton. Just the ticket for doing other things as you watch. For me, doing notes, looking through pictures, etc. Holmes is not awful, but I'm glad she has steady work as a Mom. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361620/
Man Of The House (2005) Tommy Lee Jones. Oh Tommy! Really lame. Except the girls are cute, and Tommy is Tommy. Can't fault that. Another to disengage mind and relax. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331933/
Transiberian (2008) Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley. Train trip from China across Russia for couple. He luvs trains. She luvs taking pics. They have adventures that become dangerous. Gorgeous cinematography of snowy Russia. They become separated and the very different way of travel in Russia is a character in the film. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800241/
My sister and I are getting our ducks in a row to do family history. Went to an orientation program at the new genealogy library last Friday, and saw how the records on microfilm and fiche can be accessed. Great facility.
February 16, 2009
Wolves & Romance - hmmm
This week I really got into Genealogy. My sister and I went to the new Genealogy library and got checked out on the layout and how to use the online sites with our library cards. WE are going to spend quite a bit of time getting our family on our mothers side done. They migrated and moved around quite a lot.
So, only 3 films that I sat and watched all the way through, without falling asleep. Haha.
Somewhere In Time (1980) Jane Seymore, Christopher Reeve. Two lovely people in a Valentine to us romantics. A young playwright falls for the picture of a beautiful woman on the wall at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island. He researches her history, and all he can find out about time travel. He ends up in a outdated suit, in her world and they fall in love. By chance, after they have decided to leave together, he finds a penny in a future date and that returns him to the present and he wastes away trying to return to her. The end shot is of the two in a white on white world 'somewhere in time', together. Improbable and fantastic, but the two stars are so gorgeous, the score is soooo beautiful, we are just carried along.
The showing on WGN had Jane Seymore doing commentary on the breaks; the manager of the hotel giving its' history; and a bit about the fans who have continued to meet at the hotel every year, dress in period clothes, and celebrate the film. Especially moving was the dedication of the plaque on the large stone, placed under the tree at lakeside, where the two film characters meet. She says "is it you" and he says "yes."
I'm so glad Chris got to be there for the dedication with his wife; and they were so surprised and happy that the film means so much to so many. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081534/
Never Cry Wolf (1983) Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy. About wolves. And one man, a researcher who is sent to live for 6 months in the wilderness of Alaska to document the activity of wolves and kill one so its' stomach can be analysed to see if they feed on caribou/bison. What he discovered is that they have no need to follow the herds for food; they live mostly by eating small animals - rodents and rabbits - which are abundant where they live. Scenery beautiful; his behavior irritated me at times; but the wolves were awesome. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086005/
Rendition (2007 Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin. Torture makes us safe?? An explosion in a marketplace in the middle east set off a series of captures of Middle eastern men, some taken off planes in route to the USA, and made to disappear. For interrogation. With torture. They get the prisoners to agree to anything after so long. A very brutal story and if even 25 % true, makes me disgusted with the brains that thought up the brilliant policy. Gyllenhaal is good. Sarsgaard is even better. The story is back and forth with the present and going back to the explosion, bringing different characters forward. Confusing. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/
On to solving family mysteries. And watching a few films if I can stay awake.
So, only 3 films that I sat and watched all the way through, without falling asleep. Haha.
Somewhere In Time (1980) Jane Seymore, Christopher Reeve. Two lovely people in a Valentine to us romantics. A young playwright falls for the picture of a beautiful woman on the wall at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island. He researches her history, and all he can find out about time travel. He ends up in a outdated suit, in her world and they fall in love. By chance, after they have decided to leave together, he finds a penny in a future date and that returns him to the present and he wastes away trying to return to her. The end shot is of the two in a white on white world 'somewhere in time', together. Improbable and fantastic, but the two stars are so gorgeous, the score is soooo beautiful, we are just carried along.
The showing on WGN had Jane Seymore doing commentary on the breaks; the manager of the hotel giving its' history; and a bit about the fans who have continued to meet at the hotel every year, dress in period clothes, and celebrate the film. Especially moving was the dedication of the plaque on the large stone, placed under the tree at lakeside, where the two film characters meet. She says "is it you" and he says "yes."
I'm so glad Chris got to be there for the dedication with his wife; and they were so surprised and happy that the film means so much to so many. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081534/
Never Cry Wolf (1983) Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy. About wolves. And one man, a researcher who is sent to live for 6 months in the wilderness of Alaska to document the activity of wolves and kill one so its' stomach can be analysed to see if they feed on caribou/bison. What he discovered is that they have no need to follow the herds for food; they live mostly by eating small animals - rodents and rabbits - which are abundant where they live. Scenery beautiful; his behavior irritated me at times; but the wolves were awesome. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086005/
Rendition (2007 Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin. Torture makes us safe?? An explosion in a marketplace in the middle east set off a series of captures of Middle eastern men, some taken off planes in route to the USA, and made to disappear. For interrogation. With torture. They get the prisoners to agree to anything after so long. A very brutal story and if even 25 % true, makes me disgusted with the brains that thought up the brilliant policy. Gyllenhaal is good. Sarsgaard is even better. The story is back and forth with the present and going back to the explosion, bringing different characters forward. Confusing. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/
On to solving family mysteries. And watching a few films if I can stay awake.
February 09, 2009
Three jewels; 3 lumps of coal
Night & Day (1946) TCM. Cary Grant, Alexsis Smith, Monty Wooley. Awful flim "based on the life of Cole Porter." I watch it only for the music. The songs are wonderful. The actors are tedious. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038776/
Tales Of Hoffman (1951) TCM. Moira Shearer. Glorious. Watched it last month and now in the month of Academy Award winners on TCM. Complete title is "Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann". made in the UK by the great Powell & Pressburger. Lavish and ravishingly beautiful - but you have to like the music, which I do. The doll dance, and the Barcarole are some of the best filmed musical interludes ever. One point off for the last segment not being as great as the rest of the film. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044103/
Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert. The Princess excapes for a day of fun in Rome with a reporter and photographer, only she doesn't know who they are. Great William Wyler film, every shot nearly perfect. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046250/
Out Of Sight (1998) Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, and Viola Davis. Is that a great cast, or what? And they knock it out of the park. Jen is an FBI agent; Clooney a bank robber; Ving his partner who has to "call his sister" after every event; Brooks, the rich guy they are robbing; Cheadle a former convict who wants the loot and spends time upgrading his wardrobe during the robbery; Zahn, a spaced out minor theif 'helping' the boys, but Jen keeps ruining it for him; and this years Oscar nominee, Viola Davis in a small role as a source for Lopez's agent to find crooks. Director Soderbergh keeps all the parts perking along to make a wonderful brew. A great pleasure. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120780/
Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo. Awful continuation of a sappy story that was only mildly amusing in the first film. Only for the little tweens - everyone else forgedabotit. The costumes and scenery are pretty. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368933/
Thinks We Lost In The Fire (2007) Halle Barry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchony. Very mixed up story of a woman whose loving husband is killed in a head on car accident. His best friend is a drug addict, who the wife invites to move in to the garage to live. (?) Then after a while she makes him leave - she's jealous cause the kids are liking him too much. (?) Then she goes and gets him after he has gone back to drugs after being clean all the time he was living with her before. (?) We get to see his withdrawal suffering. Goody. (?) Then he moves out again, to try to make it on his own. The woman and her kids are happy about this. (?) I think! 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469623/
The weather has moderated to light jacket temps, so that is a blessing. Soon daffodils with be coming up. Until then, watching a few movies fills the bill.
Tales Of Hoffman (1951) TCM. Moira Shearer. Glorious. Watched it last month and now in the month of Academy Award winners on TCM. Complete title is "Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann". made in the UK by the great Powell & Pressburger. Lavish and ravishingly beautiful - but you have to like the music, which I do. The doll dance, and the Barcarole are some of the best filmed musical interludes ever. One point off for the last segment not being as great as the rest of the film. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044103/
Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert. The Princess excapes for a day of fun in Rome with a reporter and photographer, only she doesn't know who they are. Great William Wyler film, every shot nearly perfect. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046250/
Out Of Sight (1998) Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, and Viola Davis. Is that a great cast, or what? And they knock it out of the park. Jen is an FBI agent; Clooney a bank robber; Ving his partner who has to "call his sister" after every event; Brooks, the rich guy they are robbing; Cheadle a former convict who wants the loot and spends time upgrading his wardrobe during the robbery; Zahn, a spaced out minor theif 'helping' the boys, but Jen keeps ruining it for him; and this years Oscar nominee, Viola Davis in a small role as a source for Lopez's agent to find crooks. Director Soderbergh keeps all the parts perking along to make a wonderful brew. A great pleasure. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120780/
Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo. Awful continuation of a sappy story that was only mildly amusing in the first film. Only for the little tweens - everyone else forgedabotit. The costumes and scenery are pretty. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368933/
Thinks We Lost In The Fire (2007) Halle Barry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchony. Very mixed up story of a woman whose loving husband is killed in a head on car accident. His best friend is a drug addict, who the wife invites to move in to the garage to live. (?) Then after a while she makes him leave - she's jealous cause the kids are liking him too much. (?) Then she goes and gets him after he has gone back to drugs after being clean all the time he was living with her before. (?) We get to see his withdrawal suffering. Goody. (?) Then he moves out again, to try to make it on his own. The woman and her kids are happy about this. (?) I think! 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469623/
The weather has moderated to light jacket temps, so that is a blessing. Soon daffodils with be coming up. Until then, watching a few movies fills the bill.
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