The Great Society of Movie Watchers

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

2011-05-01T15:49:00.003-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 2
Val: 3
Kyle: 3
Micah: 2
Jenny: 4

Averages to 2.8 Queen's of Diamonds out of 5.

Shares this rating with it's by itself.

Dave (1993)

2011-04-17T16:39:00.003-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Kyle: 3
Micah: 4

Averages to 3.33 body doubles out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Birds and Hello, Dolly!

This is movie starts our new theme: Politics.

Murder By Death (1976)

2011-04-10T18:01:00.003-05:00

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Val: 4
Kyle: 4
Micah: 3

Averages to 3.5 plot twists out of 5.

Shares this rating with Treasure Planet, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Juno.

And Then There Were None (1945)

2011-04-03T16:45:00.002-05:00

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Kyle: 3
Micah: 2

Averages to 3.66 unseen murders out of 5.

Shares this rating with Rushmore, As Good As It Gets, and Rain Man.

The Thin Man (1934)

2011-03-27T15:08:00.003-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Val: 5
Kyle: 4
Micah: 3

Averages to 3.75 drinks out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Princess Bride, Minority Report, and The Godfather.

The Great Movie Review: Buried

2011-03-26T22:06:00.007-05:00

Buried is about a man who is, literally, buried in a coffin somewhere in Afghanistan.
He's just a truck driver who contracted to drive a just truck. He has a cell phone to contact the outside world, and the entire movie is set inside the coffin!

So I was interested in this movie after seeing the teaser trailer. I mean, the whole film is set in a coffin. How do you make a movie that's set only in a box. The movie uses several unique angles and unusual light sources to accomplish this. It also helps to keep you from losing interest. The movie is very fast past and emotion runs high with each piece of new information given. So this falls in line with The Lady Vanishes for unity of place. A movie set in a single location.

The opening credits are also pretty great. They rise from bottom to top to give the illusion of sinking into the ground. In the special features on the disc they make the comment that if Alfred Hitchcock had been given this script he would made it. And I'm inclined to agree. I think he would have definitely jumped at the chance to make this movie.

If you are claustrophobic or have a fear of being buried alive, this may not be the film for you to see.

Buried (2010)

2011-03-21T09:11:00.004-05:00

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Val: 3
Kyle: 3
Micah: 3

Which averages to 3 used up light sources out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Breakfast Club, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The Great Movie Review: The Lady Vanishes

2011-03-20T14:05:00.007-05:00

For this category, mystery thrillers, I went to the Netflix recommendations within the mystery/thriller genre and selected two of the movies Netflix rated highest for me: "Shutter Island" and "The Lady Vanishes." Both were presented as options, but seeing as how both Kyle and Micah had already seen "Shutter Island," "The Lady Vanishes" it was!

It was nice to return to Hitchcock, the director whose movies were our first foray into this film journey. I love mysteries and I love movies that keep you guessing along the way, so this was a good pick for that.

Filmed in 1938, "The Lady Vanishes" was one of the last movies Hitchcock directed in the UK before taking his film work to America. The set up of the movie is simple: a young lady named Iris (Margaret Lockwood) strikes up a friendship with an older woman named Miss Froy (May Whitty) aboard a train. Iris takes a nap and when she wakes up, her friend is gone. Not only that, but everyone else on the train insists that there never was such a woman.

The first portion of the film keeps you guessing, wondering if Iris is crazy or if the older woman really did exist. Mysteries set in an enclosed place, like a train, are already more interesting because you know there are a limited number of suspects and a limited number of places for a missing person to be held.

I won't ruin the film by going into too much detail, but I will say that things get a little sillier after the initial shock of the disappearance of Miss Froy. The story begins to take a few wild turns, and some of the characters behave quite peculiarly (even those who are never suspects). The climax of the film includes a long, drawn-out gun battle that never makes you feel that the main characters are really in jeopardy. In addition, there are several guns that are fired for an incredible number of rounds- and remember, this is 1938.

I will say that the conclusion, despite having a twist I didn't see coming, didn't fully satisfy me, as I thought Hitchcock would have had something a little more spectacular up his sleeve. As it is, though, "The Lady Vanishes" is a fairly entertaining little film that any Hitchcock buff should be sure to see. It's not at the caliber of a "Rear Window" or even "Strangers on a Train," but it beats the likes of "The Man Who Know Too Much" and "To Catch a Thief" easily.

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

2011-03-13T17:32:00.004-05:00

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Val: 3
Kyle: 3
Micah: 2

Averages to 2.66 infinite ammo guns out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Producers (1968) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

The Great Movie Review: Exam

2011-03-11T20:06:00.004-06:00

So this is one of those rare movies that Netflix rated really high for me, and so I thought, "Ok, I'll check it out." About a week and a half later Val mentions in the car that she got in her new Netflix movie, Exam, and that it was really great. So I was really excited to see this movie, because, in general, Val has good taste, and Netflix rarely rates anything over a 3.5 for me.

So I rated this movie a 5. It's only 90 minutes long, and it is set in the same room for the entirety of the film. The idea is that there are 8 applicants for 1 job, and it's the job of a lifetime, with benefits that you don't fully understand until near the end of the movie. In this room there are only three rules: 1) If you spoil your paper you are disqualified, 2) If you leave the room for any reason you are disqualified and 3) If you try to communicate with the exam leader or the Guard you are disqualified. Did I mention they only have 80 minutes to answer one question, and they can't figure out what it is.

The opening sequences is full of great depth of field, cinematography and sound design. Even though the movie is set in the same room the whole time, it never feels like the shots stagnate. They probably must have shot that room from every angle possible. This little British Indy film may not have gotten wide release, but I bet it gains a much larger following over the next couple years. A 4.25 out of 5.

This is the first movie in our new theme: Thillers/Mysteries.

Exam (2008)

2011-03-06T17:15:00.003-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 4
Val: 4
Kyle: 5
Micah: 4

That averages to 4.25 questions out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Sting.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

2011-02-27T16:56:00.005-06:00

The Breakfast Club (Theatrical Trailer)
Uploaded by NakedBrotha2007. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Stevox: 4
Val: 3
Kyle: 2
Micah: 3
Jenny: 3

Which averages to 3 angst ridden teens out of 5.

Shares this rating with 2001: A Space Odyssey, Thief of Baghdad, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Clueless (1995)

2011-02-20T16:48:00.004-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Valerie: 5

Averages to 4 outifts out of 5.

Shares this rating with Rope, Seven Samurai, Casablanca, Children of Men, Tootsie, Network, Contact and Love Actally.

The Great Movie Review: Rushmore

2011-02-13T17:21:00.011-06:00

In college I saw this movie, and for some reason it has stuck with me as one of my favorites. I was really excited to watch it again to see just how keen my taste was back in those days.

Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a sophomore at upscale Rushmore Academy and the president and founder of a plethora school clubs, sees his world turn upside-down when he's smitten with widowed first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams).

This is a quirky film. If you have seen a Wes Anderson movie before, you know what I am talking about. Dry wit, slow and wide angle visuals, musical plot devices, it's all here. And I love it.

Anderson truly knows how to tell a story by showing. There are lots of hints to personality, easter eggs hidden in the set, props and costumes that make you feel in on the joke. And of course, there are a couple slow-mo musical montages. What's not to love?

Characters seem to face each other head-on saying exactly what they think and feel. Who does that? Can you imagine if this is how everyone lived their lives? Actually talking about things directly? Heaven.

I can not finish talking about this movie without talking about theatre. One of Max's incredible talents is that of a playwright. He puts on the elaborate plays with surprising large audiences that, for me, turn into the highlight of the film. The sets are intricate and ridiculous, the last one containing a helicopter and tons of pyrotechnics. Check out the intro to one of his shows, "Heaven and Hell":

"Also, You'll find a pair of safety glasses and some ear plugs underneath your seats. Please feel free to use them." Yes.

All in all, one should at least be familiar with Wes Anderson. With good story telling, intelligent visuals and interesting characters, Anderson is one of my absolute favorites.

Another one to check out would be The Royal Tenenbaums. Classic.

Rushmore (1998)

2011-02-13T14:28:00.003-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Kyle: 3
Micah: 3

Averages to 3.66 extracurricular activities out of 5.

Shares this rating with Rain Man, Usual Suspects and Dial M for Murder.

The Great Movie Review: Twilight Samurai

2011-02-13T14:17:00.004-06:00

Originally I was going to bring Infernal Affairs, the movie the Departed was based off, but it didn't come int he mail on time due to the icy weather. So I borrowed this from former GSMWer Jesse and we watched it instead.

This movie was great. I can absolutely understand why it won so many awards in Japan. It's very classy. I really liked the lighting. There was an incredible use of natural lighting throughout the film. Specifically towards the end of the film when he is looking in on his daughters and the only light is coming from his lantern, and the climax at the end of the film that takes place in the darkened house. Both of these are wonderful examples of the natural lighting that occurs throughout the film.

We can also divine from the title that the main character is a swordsman, and we progress through the movie, we find out just what kind of fighter he is. And mostly, it's the kind you don't want to mess with. I would probably rate this movie higher upon a second watch through. There isn't really a noticeable weak link in it. Even the acting by the two little girls was pretty good. This is a must watch.

Twilight Samurai (2002)

2011-02-13T14:02:00.002-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 4
Val: 4
Kyle: 4
Micah: 5
Jenny:4

Averages to 4.2 name calling co-workers out of 5.

Shares this rating with two weeks prior Run Lola Run and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Run Lola Run (1998)

2011-02-12T16:47:00.004-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Valerie: 3
Kyle: 4
Jenny: 4
Micah: 5

Averages to 4.2 laps out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Apartment, Almost Famous and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The Great Movie Review: The Chorus

2011-01-23T19:59:00.004-06:00

Wow, what a film. This is a truely inspirational story about a teacher and his students. And dudes, who are turned off by the word inspiration, I don't mean sappy and emotional; I do mean spurring and motivating.

Monsieur Mathieu arrives as a new prefect at a boarding school for troubled boys located in the French countryside. Although he does find the boys an unruly lot, Mathieu does not believe in the tactics of the strict headmaster. Mathieu tries to reach his boys and build trust and true order through music.

This film is excellent. With great storytelling and interesting characters, this film really captures its viewer into wanting to fight for these kids. Most of them are punks struggling to conceal their true reasons for being punks. And the rest just have no hope. Each one has their own issues, and the main character comes alongside each one and confronts them in love. What a perfect picture of a mentor!

And its pretty too! It feels like the film literally gets more colorful as time progresses. And come on; It's France. Who doesn't love the French countryside?

For me personally, this movie sticks out. I really identify with the character Mathieu. His desire to be excellent and to upset the status quo when necessary match my own. He looks at each of his students with love and individuality and desires the best out of them. Yes!

While this film did not win an Oscar, It was nominated for a couple. So do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Thank you to Jenny for picking this one! I feel that I am better for having seen it!

This will begin our theme of Foreign Language Films.

The Chorus (2004)

2011-01-23T19:43:00.003-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Kyle: 4
Jenny: 5

Averages to 4.66 making this the third highest ranked movie to date below Rear Window and Harvey.

This trailer makes it look really sappy. But I assure you it's awesomeness demolishes any sappiness.

The Great Movie Review: The Neverending Story

2011-01-16T13:16:00.010-06:00

So in case you forgot in our Holiday Hiatus, the current theme is Movies Based on Books. Val brought Treasure Planet (Treasure Island) and I brought the Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte). It's based on a German fantasy novel published in 1979. Which put the movie being made in a five year turn around.

This movie is ridiculous. We start with this kid named Bastion. Which is a terrible name for a child. It's no wonder that he's getting picked on and thrown into dumpsters. Secondly, he's a thief. Sure he leaves a note, but he clearly steals the book containing the Neverending Story. He then skips school to read this book even though he knows for a fact that he has a math test. He then decides to STAY AT SCHOOL to continue reading this book he stole, while his Dad goes insane and calls the police and such. All of these qualities make him a hero. Because nothing says Valor like theft, playing hooky and worrying your parents (parent, his Mom is dead. Had she been alive she might have died from embarrassment.)

Now lets get to what i actually want to talk about, and that is the pedophile flying dog they are trying to pass off as a Dragon.

Seriously? This is what you came up with! Instead of this:

This:

or This:
At least Mushu can breathe fire! This is the type of dragon who would get his underwear run up the flagpole in high school and then in college, and then probably at work after he graduated.

Valerie said she kept thinking of this the whole movie:

And in a bit of acting that rivals sad Keanu, "It's so far away." (Start at 3:30)

So in short ... we don't recommend this movie. Unless you just really want to.

The Neverending Story (1984)

2011-01-16T12:52:00.003-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 2
Valerie: 2
Kyle: 2
Jenny: 2
Micah: 2

Averages to 2 creepy dog dragons out of 5.

Shares this rating with Arsenic and Old Lace and The French Connection.

In a fight Arsenic and Old Lace: Atreyu would sick his Luck Dragon on the Police, and then sit down for tea, and be dead before dessert.

The Great Movie Review: Treasure Planet

2010-12-08T21:45:00.003-06:00

"Treasure Planet" is one of those movies that tends to not get a fair shake, but I've always thought it was an extremely well-made Disney film that deserves a little bit more credit.

"Treasure Planet" lifts the traditional plot and characters from the book "Treasure Island" and inserts them into a futuristic world, where ships are traversing the universe, not the ocean. But the creators didn't want it to turn into just another metal/steam/computers/dark spaceships type of a sci-fi movie (thankfully!), so they really went a long way to create a different kind of space movie than audiences are used to seeing. For example, "Sound designer Dane Davis mentioned that he and his team "scoured hobby shops and junk stores for antique windup toys and old spinning mechanisms" in order to create the sound effects for John Silver to "avoid sounding slick or sci-fi"."

The voice cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson (two weeks of Emma in a row! Score!), Martin Short, and David Hyde Pierce, all giving fun and inspiring performances. It helps that they are working from an incredibly witty, clever, and moving script.

Another brilliant aspect of the film is the gorgeous animation, particularly the starry backgrounds and other-worldly visuals. I think Disney really did some fantastic work on the artwork of this film, as only they can do. There's a scene in Wall-E where the title character runs his "hand" through some... stardust, I don't know- that always reminded me of Jim Hawkins flying through similar space... sparkles. Both iterations of the astrological glitter are beautiful.

Speaking of Jim, I just love his character, and all I want to do is give that kid a hug. I think there is something so Ryan Atwood about him, the way he is so lonely and brooding but also compassionate and good-natured. I want to take them both home with me and take care of them.

Now I'm not the biggest fan of written-especially-for-the-movie songs, and heaven knows I'm no GooGoo Dolls fan, but I've never been able to resist the song they wrote that appears in the film. Here's the song as it was included in the movie, because the music video for it is absolutely awful. Just trust me.

I think everyone really enjoyed it, once they gave it a chance. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the more intense films and mix it up with a little Disney! So if you enjoy good story-telling, lush visuals, and movies based (loosely) on books, which incidentally is our next theme, I'd recommend you check this one out!

Treasure Planet (2002)

2010-12-08T21:32:00.002-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Valerie: 4
Kyle: 4
Micah: 3

Averages 3.5 pink amorphous blobs out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Maltese Falcon, Lawrence of Arabia, Juno, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Makes us want to see a cyborg/magical eye-off between Long John Silver, Mad Eye Moody, and the Terminator.

The Great Movie Review: Love Actually

2010-11-28T22:33:00.006-06:00

I had planned for two choices for this evening. But after buying a Christmas tree, brewing a pot of wassail, and listening to Christmas music, I just couldn't get around not picking something Chrismasy. "But it's still November," blurts Kyle. Indeed, but Thanksgiving is over, and that means fair game.

I've always wanted to see this movie (mostly to get Netflix off my back, after recommending it to me over and over.)

EVERYONE, is in the movie. We literally spent the first five minutes going, "That's the guy from ______. Oh and she's from ______."

The movie opens and ends with shots of real people greeting each other at the airport as if they had not seen their loved one in a long time. I'll admit, I had trouble keeping the tears in my eyes for that bit.

What did I learn? Don't buy gifts for women that are not your wife. Don't ever start making out center stage behind a closed curtain. And NEVER be left alone in a room with the president of the United States. (especially if his name is Billy Bob.)

All in all, we enjoyed it! It's charming; it's funny. And, everybody has an English accent. What's not to like. Any good sensible guy should and would enjoy this movie.

If I may quote myself a second time, "What is this, Crash?"

Love Actually

2010-11-28T22:09:00.003-06:00

Stevox: 4
Val: 5
Kyle: 3
Micah: 4

Averages to 4 whiny but cute English children out of 5.

It shares this rating with Rope, Seven Samurai, Casablanca, Children of Men, Tootsie, Network and Contact.

The Great Movie Review: V for Vendetta

2010-11-27T15:40:00.004-06:00

This past week we watched “V for Vendetta” directed by James McTeigue. Set in near-future London, “V for Vendetta” depicts a power hungry British government utilizing the weapon of fear in order to control and dominate its people. Emerging from out of this oppressive environment is our protagonist named “V.”

V is determined to bring clarity and liberation to the British people while simultaneously seeking vengeance for cruel things done to him in the past. In the midst of his journey, circumstances bring Evey (a girl working at the nationalized TV station) into V’s path, and he decides to make her his ‘project.’ As life experiences have allowed him to be free of fear, he desires to do the same for Evey by putting her through physical and psychological challenges she never thought she could face.

At the same time, an inspector is attempting to identify and capture V before he can continue to carry out his acts of rebellion and revenge. Throughout the inspector’s investigation, hidden truths about the government begin to surface shedding light upon the deep-rooted corruption of the government. In the end, V succeeds in uniting the British people while also sparking a revolution that will inevitably change the face of Britain.

Though a few of us had seen the movie before, it was enjoyable to watch it again. Often when people speak of this movie, they tend to either love it or hate it. We came to the conclusion that if you came into the movie with the expectation of suspense, fast action, and intense fighting scenes – you’d be sorely disappointed since the movie takes more of a philosophical approach in somewhat of a “Shakespearen” style. However, if you came into the movie with no expectations, you tend to enjoy the movie more. Your opinion of this movie will likely be influenced by your views of government and politics as well.

Bottom line: It’s a thought-provoking movie with some unexpected twists making it a very intriguing and entertaining film. We gave it 3.2 Guy Fawkes masks out of 5.

Waking Ned Devine

2010-11-15T21:46:00.005-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Val: 3
Kyle: 2
Micah: 2
Jenny: 3

Averages to 2.6 breezy motorcycle rides back to the house out of 5.

Shares this rating with All The Presidents Men.

So if you haven't heard I have a habit of bringing movies that bomb...Or they just make you wish someone would drop a bomb on the house to stop the depressing film from continuing. In light of this information the film I brought this week was Waking Ned Devine.

As the movie goes on you can't help but ask yourself "where the Hell are the kids?" this film has one child the whole movie and he is giving advice to the interim priest. Something is wrong with this picture. The last film I saw with a cast like this was Cocoon or Grumpy Old Men. You would think its pretty risky to cast your in tire crew with people who could have a heart attack at any moment. But any way enough with the old people.

The film has to do with Money, Death, Money, Love (in a way), Friendship, loyalty and naked motor cycle driving!

Notes on a Theme: Indiana Jones

2010-11-12T20:39:00.006-06:00

So we've been talking about Indiana Jones a lot here at The Great Society of Movie Watchers. Micah's been walking around our house (Micah and I are roommate's) waiting for me to pick up things so he can belt them out of my hand. It's starting to get annoying.

References to these movies are everywhere. Here are two examples:

Scrubs (Awesome Show BTW)

Family Guy

There are tons more examples but I'm feeling lazy and don't want to look for more.

So yeah, Raiders is pretty good. It's probably the most well known of the three in the trilogy. This movie lays the base work for the other two. It sets up his character, the style of the films, and the tendency for poor female leads. Poor as in bad characters, not poor as in financially lacking.

So i know that Raiders sets up every thing for the movies, but Tod still takes a wide divergence from the first film. It's incredibly dark. Short Round is annoying. The female lead is even more terrible than the first, and it just sucks by comparison.

I love Last Crusade! They took all the good stuff from Raiders and added more greatness to it. Sean Connery for one. A good female lead for two. And character development for Indy. For the first two films he doesn't grow as a character. They tried to in Tod by trying to make you care about Short Round, but it just doesn't work. The relationship that they create between Indy and his Father is wonderful. It is an incredibly satisfying way to end the trilogy.

If you want to see more Indiana Jones movies the pickings are slim.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

They tried really hard with this movie. They stayed true to the style and tone of the old film, but ultimately they failed. I have to recommend against seeing it. You're not missing much.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1992)

Now I haven't seen all of these. But I remember one where he was trying to find out something about a cult that was mummifying people alive. There were dudes in black hoods shooting people with psychotropic poison darts and they would hallucinate themselves to death. For example this old guy sees this small stone dragon statue comes to live and crawl into into his coat sleeve. So he freaks out and starts stabbing himself to death. I was around twelve at the time and it was intense.

Thus ends our adventure with the man with the hat. Tune in next week when Micah* kicks off our new theme. Which should be an adventure in and of itself.

* I have to tell this story. Micah doesn't have a strong track record for bringing stuff. When we were still doing Oscar winners he brought The Conversation one week. Which was a great movie, but was only nominated for an Oscar, it didn't actually win. That same semester he also brought us the choice between Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. Which are both shoot me in the face type movies. So that was strike two. We're not mad at him, it's just really funny to us.

The Great Movie Review: The Last Crusade

2010-11-08T23:07:00.009-06:00

Nazis. I hate these guys. I've been waiting like a month and a half to show this movie. This movie is one of my favorites. It's currently number 4 on my top 10 list of my all time favorite movies. Right behind The Village, Harvey and The Incredibles. Aren't you glad you pushed through Tod?

So this movie takes it back to the tone and styling of Raiders. It's pretty much a self contained movie. Really all three of the movies are self contained, but this one contains the best exposition. There's no need to see Raiders or Tod if you see The Last Crusade. I say that, you really should watch all three, but if you were going to pick just one, let it be Last Crusade. Also, it has Sean Connery in it. Interesting fact from the special features, Sean is only about 16 years older that Harrison. How weird is that?

And while we're talking about girls ... we finally get a lead female character with more than one dimension. I don't know what Val's opinion was this time. She wouldn't say. Which I assume means she now has a new role model, or something really close to that.

Honestly, I don't know what to say. It's the best of the three. There is good character development, humor, solid acting and all of the gunslinging, whiplashing and Indiana Jonesing that we've come to know and love. If you watch any of the Indy movies, WATCH THIS ONE!

PS - He takes out this tank!

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

2010-11-07T23:20:00.005-06:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Valerie: 3
Kyle: 5
Micah: 4
Jenny: 4

Averages to 4.2 flaming mechanical rats out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Apartment and Almost Famous.

In a zombie outbreak; The Apartment. Because they can hole up until the National Guard shows up. Almost Famous wouldn't make it through the initial outbreak due to intoxication, and Indy can't stay out trouble for more than five minutes.

The Great Movie Review: The Temple of Doom

2010-11-02T11:24:00.010-05:00

Talk about your let downs right? I know I made it out be all kinds of mind blowingly coolness through all the movies, but I had to get you to push through. You just gotta push through the Temple of Doom. Not only is it the most ridiculous, it's also the darkest and least humorous. It's just not very fun to watch. They also made the classic kid side kick mistake. I can't decide which is more annoying Short Round or Willie (the female lead). Now, I realize that these movies are made to be an homage to the serials of the 30's, but holy cow (get it, because it was set in India) this was too much.

So let's compare Temple of Doom, henceforth referred to as Tod, with Raiders. * Spoiler Alert! In Raiders we open with a great transition from the Paramount logo to an actual mountain. We then have the exchanging/taking of an artifact. Dr. Jones is then gets into trouble and a chase scene ensues whereby he escapes by boat plane. Tod pretty copies the opening event sequence: Mountain transition, check; Priceless Artifact, check; Dr. Jones getting into trouble, double check; Chase scene that ends with Indy getting on plane; check and ... check. I don't know if it was intentional, but it happened. And if it was intentional, it probably just follows the 30's serial format even more.

So we watched Tod on Halloween. Which was my plan all along. It is so creepy. There has got to be at least one thing in this movie that makes your skin crawl, or at least throw up in your mouth a little. For me it's when they cut open the snake surprise. SURPRISE! It's live eel. Blech. And they pull out a dude's still beating heart! Think about that for a couple minutes. Or don't because it's just weird.

Valerie being our only girl this week pointed out what a terrible representation of a woman Willie, the female lead, was. She was incredibly girly, and couldn't do a thing for herself. The only helpful thing she did in the whole movie was to release the trap in the room of spikes. Which she promptly set off again. I say that, there were a couple things she did really well. You could count on her to hate everything, to whine and complain at all times, scream at everything and be a general waste of space.

I'm not going to talk about Short Round because he shouldn't have even been in the movie.

Micah grew up on these movies. Apparently he would watch them over and over, back to back as a kid. Which, to me, explains why his belt makes him feel secure and ready for anything. Need to lash yourself to something, belt. Need to beat up a bad guy, belt. Need to restrain someone, belt. Now take belt and replace it with whip. That's right, Micah is Indiana Jones.

So the next time you are looking for a movie that combines all of your favorite elements: musical numbers, gross out scenes, unnecessary heart surgery and wacky mine cart rides just remember Tod.

Also, Dan Aykroyd (yes it is really spelled that way) is in it briefly.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

2010-10-29T22:13:00.006-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Valerie: 2
Kyle: 3
Micah: 4

Averages to 3 still beating hearts out of 5.

Shares this rating with several movies, including Vertigo, The Conversation and Bonnie and Clyde.

Best use of unnecessary heart surgery.

The Great Movie Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark

2010-10-29T21:04:00.006-05:00

I love Indiana Jones. Nowhere else do you find a more intelligent, suave, manly and awesome specimen of what every guy wants to be: A gun slinging, whip cracking, bar brawling, adventure dominating, woman wooing machine. In the word of David Schmitke: "He's legit." The only other person who might come close is the Man from Snowy River. Even still he is to Indian Jones, what Josh Porter is to Michael Scott.

This movie contains a great many familiar scenes to movie and tv-dom. For example: Taking the Idol, The Rolling Boulder, Shooting the Swordsman in the Market and Melting Faces. There is so much here, that as you watch the movie you realize just how much there is that you've already "seen."

Valerie made an excellent point that there isn't much to the plot. Get the ark before the Nazi's. And like Stevox always says, "Who doesn't like to hate a good Nazi." Well my friends you are in luck. Because there's a great Nazi to hate in this film as well as a Frenchman.

But what it lacks in plot it makes up for in non-stop manliness. This movie is the gateway to awesomeness. This movie begins our next theme: Indian Jones. So get ready for more posts about a great series.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

2010-10-25T09:20:00.003-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 4
Valerie: 3
Kyle: 4
Jenny: 3

Averages to 3.5 whip cracks out of 5.

Shares this rating with The Maltese Falcon, Lawrence of Arabia and Juno.

In a fight Juno. Indian Jones would whip Sam Spades (Maltese Falcon) gun right out of his hand while Lawrence of Arabia would lead a cavalry charge. Juno (prego-version) would then mock and belittle them until they all went home.

Notes on a Theme: Movies About Making Movies

2010-10-23T16:51:00.009-05:00

Sullivan's Travels, King Kong and Singin' in the Rain are all example of Movies About Making Movies. This was an interesting theme to explore, because it's in a lot of movies once you sit down and think about it.

Sullivan's Travels focuses on the Director/Writers journey as they try to discover their next big hit. In King Kong, adventure finds the adventurous nature director who is out to appease his fans. And in Singin' in the Rain, we see the drama behind the camera as the actors "disagree."

If you're interested in watching more movies about movies check out these:

Tropic Thunder (2008)

This movie is comedy about actors getting dropped into actual combat during their attempts to film a war movie. However, it is in no way safe for the kids. Screen that junk!

Holiday Inn (1942)

This features a couple scenes involving one of the main girls getting "stolen" in a non-shady way off a movie set. This happens late in the movie, but the whole plot builds to it.

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

When a video store finds out that all the video tapes in his store have accidentally been erased, he and a friend take a home video camera and re-film the movies themselves. This movie is rated PG-13. I don't remember what for, but take their advice.

Next Sunday(tomorrow) marks the beginning of a new theme, and it's my pick. Which I am super excited about. I know what i'm bringing and I know which movie I want the group to pick. It would be perfect!

The Great Movie Review: Singin' in the Rain

2010-10-22T17:59:00.006-05:00

In general, I don't care for musicals. But I like this one. There is the right combination of humor, talent, and plot driving that keeps me interested, more or less, the whole time. There's a dream sequence I won't bother to go into because the whole scene should have just been left out.

Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen play the super stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, mega stars of the silent film scene. She is John Stockton to his Karl Malone. Donald O'Connor plays Cosmo Brown, best friend to Don and comic relief to us all. And then there is Debbie Reynolds ... she's OK i guess. The story focuses on the sudden appearance of the talking picture. When sound was first introduced into the cinema.

Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor are both triple threat actors. Which means they are proficient in pistols, rifles and hand-to-hand combat. None of which are seen in this film. However, they both sing and dance, to great effect, multiple times throughout the film.

This movie is a watch. There is entertaining dancing, non-annoying singing and you're guaranteed to have a positive experience. YES, YES, YES!

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

2010-10-18T22:30:00.003-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Valerie: 5
Kyle: 4
Micah: 4
Jenny: 4

Averages to 4.4 cake's to the face out of 5.

It shares this rating with nobody. But it does claim the number 3 spot in our top ten list, ousting long time position holder Psycho.

The Great Movie Review: King Kong (1933)

2010-10-14T22:22:00.007-05:00

In the words of my mother, "You're going to listen to an hour and a half of that woman screaming?" Yes mother, and we're going to like it too.

We all know the story of King Kong. Director meets woman. Woman meets giant gorilla. Giant gorilla meets 7 well armed WWI fighter pilots with scarves and dies.

Given the fact that this movie is 77 ears old, it can't help but feel old. That's not to say that it is not well done; it actually looks pretty good. The live action stuff flows together pretty well with the animation displayed on a screen behind them in the studio. Movie magic!

My favorite was when Kong would throw something into the foreground. The object would fly off screen. Then an object of about the same size and shape would reappear at about the same arching angle and take out a villager. That's entertainment.

The whole time, I couldn't help but think of Robot Chicken. The animation style looks exactly the same. I kept expecting the gorilla to turn to the camera with a moving putty-made mouth and try to sell me some Admiral Ackbar Cereal.

Regardless, I didn't look at the clock nearly as much as I did in Peter Jackson's "version." I guess that's a good sign. When it was all said and done, we were all glad it was over.

In a fight of King Kong vs. King Kong, Peter Jackson loses.

King Kong (1933)

2010-10-14T22:09:00.007-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 2
Val: 3
Kyle: 2
Micah: 2

Averaging to 2.25 screams out of 5.

Shares this rating with: Trainspotting, Blade Runner and A Man For All Seasons

The Great Movie Review: Sullivan's Travels

2010-10-08T23:27:00.010-05:00

A lot of people love this movie: Producers, Directors, Movie Buffs. With news of influences into "Rodger Rabbit" and "O Brother Where Art Thou?," we quickly picked up this AFI loved classic.

Sullivan's Travels is a movie about a comedic movie maker, Sullivan, and his quest to make his first drama. He deems that he has not "suffered enough" to make his deeply tragic film about poverty, "O Brother Where Art Thou," and sets out to live the life of a tramp, hopping on trains and depending on the kindness of strangers. How "method" of him.

Sullivan searches for hardship and seemingly fails until his failure ultimately leads him into actual hardship. In the end, he discovers the benefit of his whimsical comedies all along by watching a Disney movie in a small town church with the less than fortunate.

There are some good thoughts about escapism and the value of laughter here, but my real question: Did people really laugh that hard at slapstick Disney movies? I mean these people are gasping for air and falling on each other like they are in a Mathew McConaughey movie poster.

Overall, my main thoughts and the thoughts of the group were, "meh." I'd much rather watch a whimsical comedy. Though, in light of the message of this movie, I'm not sure what that says about my economic situation.

Thus opens our new theme, Movies about Making Movies.

Cheers.

Sullivan's Travels

2010-10-05T19:15:00.008-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 2
Val: 3
Kyle: 3
Jenny: 2

Averages to 2.5 Hobos out of 5.

Shares this rating with: Mystic River.

Thankfully the only child in this movie is 13 and drives a tank.

Side Quest Review: The Emperor's New Groove

2010-09-29T17:06:00.010-05:00

GSMW watched The Emerors New Groove this past weekend and it was a good laugh. The animation was traditional for an animated film and plenty of slapstick humor for kids.

You are never too old for cartoons and this very one I just saw for the first time. I recommend this for families, children, or adults at the Beach winding down for the night. Its witty and light humor are a plus that compliment your typical snowballing cartoon catastrophes. It reminds me of Shrek both in the humor and the people turning into animals/ogres and everything. Even though Shrek came in 2001 and this came out in '99. Talk about prophetic.

Like all good cartoons you can't get away without a message for us all to learn from ... unless your Madagascar!!! In these modern times many people think the world is about them, myself included at times. This has a great depiction of a young man rife with selfishness. And it is through the oddest of trials that he is brought to the light of a life lived with the consideration of others. This movie is a watch.

The Emperor's New Groove

2010-09-27T17:58:00.006-05:00

Group Rating (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Val: 4
Kyle: 4
Micah: 4
Jenny: 4
Jesse: 4

Averages to 3.83 Spinach Puffs out of 5.

Shares this rating with: On the Waterfront.

Props to: David Spade, for finally being funny. He's a contender.

Notes on a Theme: SciFi

2010-09-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we brought the theme of Science Fiction to a close. Minority Report, Contact and Terminator 2 were out choices. Within these three movies, there are multiple common sub-genres and themes of scifi that were covered. This included but was not limited to:

Futuristic Technology
Aliens
Future Dystopia
Time Travel
Robots
Complex Moral/Ethical/Social Issues

In Minority Report we saw a great deal of futuristic technology. Eye scanners, self driving cars, and that cool interactive hologram screen. Which is real by the way.

g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.

More important to the plot we took a close look at the Ethical implications of arresting and judging people for crimes that they are supposed to commit in the future.

Contact was our alien movie. The bigger theme of the film is the exploration of the social issues that would arise from actual contact with extraterrestrials. *Spoiler Alert. On a side note, the first machine deserved to get blown up. NASA must have the crappiest security if bleach blond preacher guy can get onto the base, into a suit, out on the launchpad, up the structure, wander about for a couple minutes, get coffee, talk about the weather, go the bathroom, pretend to work to avoid getting actual work, smile like a creeper, and then stand around looking evil for five minutes before someone notices he's not supposed to be there.

Moving on, Terminator 2 had a our biggest collection of sub-themes. Time Travel, Dystopian Future, Robots and as a bonus, the very same ethical dilemma of judging someone for "crimes" they haven't yet committed. That particular theme is an undertone of the turning point in the story. Where they go from defense to offense.

I feel pretty good about the movies choices for this theme. The movies were old enough that they weren't fresh in our minds. Except Val with Contact, apparently she watches it all the time. If you are looking for other good Science Fiction movies here are a couple recommendations:

Primer (2004)

A great indie film about time travel. The story telling is wonderful and the tech isn't over top, it's actually pretty 'realistic.' For as realistic as time travel can be.

Alien (1979)

A dark, gritty space movie about average people, but they live in space. I think space was the biggest, most common scifi theme we didn't cover. In Canada the scifi channel is named Space. Space is the final frontier. It's also big, i mean really big. I mean massively, mind-bogglingly big. And so on, you get the idea. Anyways, the suspense is fantastic, and if you like scifi you need to see this movie. It's relatively violent though, so screen it for the kiddies.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

If you are looking for something a little lighter then you should consult the Guide. Based on a series novels, the first of which starts with the same name, this movie provides a light-hearted romp through the galaxy in a search for the ultimate question to life, universe, and everything. It is important to note that the Guide series is British. Which will explain a lot. Also, it's awesome.

I'm a big fan of Science Fiction, and I know Stevox enjoys it as well. So if you have any suggestions for scifi movies we should watch, not necessarily at movie club, that aren't your normal 2001 a Space Odyssey or Blade Runner, let us know.

Next Sunday we actually won't be having movie club. And I know, I'm disappointed too. But get over it, because you don't own us. Also, we are going to the beach. So there's that.

The Great Movie Review: T2: Judgment Day

2010-09-20T00:17:00.001-05:00

Wait! What about Terminator, the first one? This one has better ratings according to other people. IMDB, AFI, and so on. And the first one terrified me as kid so you can forget about it. I Was 9ish and over a neighbor-kids' house and they had HBO. I didn't sleep well for about a week. Also, I was banned from going over there again. However, this movie has a completely different tone to it and I'm no longer 9. By the way this is easily the most violent movie we've watched at movie to date. That includes The Godfather.

Assuming you watched the trailer, if not SPOILER ALERT, there are two Terminators in this movie; one good, one bad. There is this wonderful element of suspense featured through out the first twenty minutes of the film where you are unsure which is good and which is bad. Both are looking for John Connor, son of Sarah Connor who is the protagonist from the first Terminator. Tension mounts and you don't find out who is what until it all goes down a hallway, replete with shotgun blasts.

Ah-nolds' wooden acting lends itself very well to playing a machine with a penchant for popping a cap in people's knees. A stiff, expressionless muscle head is just what the doctor ordered. *Insert joke about Jingle All The Way. **It should also be noted I have seen Jingle All The Way ... more than once. ***Hangs head in shame. ****Googles correct grammatical usage of the * symbol.

The visual effects, for which it won an Oscar, have sadly not held up over the last 19 years. It's hard to CG reflective surfaces to start with, but try doing it two decades ago. Rest assured that those effects were ground breaking back in the day. Of course now they look like something that came out of Dave's School of Computer Animation.

I didn't realize I'd picked up an extended edition until I made it home from the store. This particular version, dubbed the Extreme DVD edition, had an extra 16 minutes of film not seen in the theatrical release. Which makes it a very long, literally, two and half hours!

Overall, it's a great "dog movie", where john finds his own Terminator, befriends it and then tragedy strikes as old age sets in and you have to put it down. It's pretty much just like Marley and Me. But with guns ... and stabbing people in the face. I've never seen Marley and Me, but i've been told that's what happens. There are several wonderful examples of cinematography to be found and enjoyed in this movie. Which gets nod to Cameron and his crew. As a side challenge, see if you can spot the scene where they used mercury instead of CG. It's a great action movie, with a good plot, decent acting and above all, killer robots from a dystopian future. This movie is a Watch. It is however also a screener, where you screen it before you let kids watch it. This movie earns 3.2 blow off knee caps, out of 5.

T2: Judgment Day

2010-09-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

Group Ratings (out of 5):

Stevox: 3
Val: 3
Kyle: 4
Micah: 3
Jenny: 3

Average of: 3.2

Shares this rating with: "With my by myself."*

High School Yearbook Award: Most Likely to Shoot Someone in the Leg.

*Rating is to be sung in a lilting, yet nasally manner.

The Great Movie Review: Contact

2010-09-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

I have always been fascinated by Contact. And I have no idea why.

By all accounts, I should not enjoy this movie as much as I do. Science Fiction? Satellites listening to outer space? Science fiction? Yet every time it's on television, I can't help but watch it. And I don't know why, but I sometimes stare at my DVD shelves looking for something to watch and decide, "I think I'd like to watch Contact!"

Contact is a 1997 science fiction film starring Jodi Foster as a scientist who has dedicated her career to the search for extra-terrestrial life. Her preferred method of search is listening to the sounds of distant galaxies on her headphones; this movie tells the story of what happens when she finally hears something.

Far more "science" than "fiction" (see how I slid that past the boys?), Contact is based on the only novel astronomer/astrophysicist/cosmologist Carl Sagan ever wrote. That book is his account of what it might actually look like if we ever did make contact with, as Jodi Foster's Ellie Arroway puts it, "little green men."

Influenced by Close Encounters of the Third Kind and, another GSMW classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact pushes the intellectual level a step further by showing us the details and equipment up close that making this kind of breakthrough would actually require. Things are never dumbed down for the audience, and the moment of discovery sees the scientists and astronomers speaking in terms that we couldn't hope to understand and utilizing programs and satellites that would intimidate even the most technical layman. Even further than that, the movie begins to slowly center itself in an intellectual debate on faith vs. science, pitting some of the main characters and allowing them to eloquently and logically converse on the topic without getting ugly.

Jodi Foster is predictably amazing in the lead role, bringing depth and passion to a character that never becomes tiresome, despite the fact that she is in nearly every scene of the film. Tom Skerritt is perfectly icky as the oily scientist rival, and James Woods (one of my favorite actors) steals every scene he's in as the skeptical bureaucrat who functions as the audience's mouth piece in early scenes of the movie, asking the "what does that mean?" questions that allow Dr. Arroway to explain to us what exactly is going on and why it's significant.

Even more than a decade later, the special effects still hold up wonderfully, and it's easy to forget that these graphics were created in an era before CG was a foregone conclusion of nearly every theatrically released movie. The musical score is also brilliant, and both highlights the action and underscores the emotional tones perfectly. The film received a nomination for an Academy Award for Sound, but lost out to Titanic.

My personal feeling is that a movie like Contact truly rises above many of the tired old tropes that most sci-fi films often suffer from, and I find it refreshing to see a movie in a genre typically filled with far-fletched plot lines and unbelievable heroes to be so well-anchored in reality. What would happen if we made contact? What would Congress do? What would the president say? How would the general public feel?

Indeed, in this vein of thought, Roger Ebert said in his 1997 review of the film, "It's surprising to find a science fiction film exploring issues like love, death and the existence of God; science fiction as a literary form has of course explored those subjects for years, but sci-fi movies generally tend toward titles such as ``Independence Day,'' and are about actors being attacked by gooey special effects."

Not everyone will like this movie- it's definitely not perfect. But it's worth a watch if you've never seen it, or if (like Micah) you haven't seen it in years and a second viewing might help your opinion of it!

Contact is a fascinating movie that will hold your interest, make you think, and maybe have you laughing over Matthew McConaughey's hair (did I not mention he was in this?). Do yourself a favor and go check this one out!

Contact

2010-09-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Group Ratings(out of 5):

Stevox: 4
Val: 5
Kyle: 3
Micah: 4

Average of: 4.0

Shares this Rating with: Many movies, including Rope, Children of Men, and Casablanca.

In a fight: You can't beat a classic like Casablanca.

The Great Movie Review: Minority Report

2010-09-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest, Tom Cruise is not one of my favorite actors. But as of late he's been gaining points, however slow. I enjoyed The Last Samurai, and Rain Man was excellent, but somewhere in between I forgot about Minority Report. It's helpful that Spielberg directed, but for the life of me I don't know how I could see this movie, think to myself, that was pretty good and then forget about it until about three days ago.

We start in a utopian future, localized around DC. We get introduced to the experimental Pre-Crime Unit, who arrest people for murders they commit in the future. Cruise plays the main character, John Anderton, who is "framed" for a murder he will commit in the future. Just watch it, it'll all make sense. Maybe. If your lucky and you pay attention.

I don't think i could handle living in DC with this going on. Sure murder is nonexistent, but in the back of my mind i would be paranoid the entire time that i will be arrested at any moment. It'd be terrible. Don't talk to anyone, don't interact, don't even look at people! Just yell you're sorry and that no one is going to get hurt! Or is that the opposite of what you should do?

Anyhow, the acting is solid. Cruise and Colin Farrell (hereafter referred to as Bullseye) both give very good performances. I also enjoyed the performance by Peter Stormare as the eye doctor. Your not sure if he's good or bad. And Lois Smith was great as the creepy plant lady.

The special effects haven't aged too badly. The jet packs needed work from the start though. They achieved flight through the magic of the camera. Which means it wobbled around they yanked people around on wires. Bleech.

Story telling. This was the best part of the film. The movie itself was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. From the intro of the pre-crime unit, the explanation of the tech, to the unveiling of the murder that Anderson is being framed for, the chase and through the solving of the mystery, it grips you and moves you forward.

In the movie they discuss the ethics of arresting people for future crimes they have yet to commit. Obviously there is a great big Jabba the Hut sized problem with that. They haven't actually killed anyone. The justification is that even though it happens in the future, and they haven't done it, it would happen anyways. But by them stopping that chain of events that time line no longer exists. Meaning that the future crime they are supposed to commit no longer even happens. It's like getting arrested for nothing. But on the other hand, were they allowed to continue they would in fact murder said person. But they didn't, soooooo ... yeah the movie didn't do a good job defending this point of view either.

There's not a ton of funny in this movie. It's definitely a mystery/thriller. Even if you aren't into Sci-Fi, you should see this movie.

This movie is a Watch. Watch is good.

Spoiler alert!

Bullseye dies! How did i forget that!

Minority Report

2010-09-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

Group Ratings(out of 5):

Stevox: 5
Val: 3
Kyle: 4
Micah: 3

Average of: 3.75

Shares this Rating with: North by Northwest.

In a fight: Minority Report all the way. Sure they have Hitchcock and he could pull out a plot twist/crop duster, but they'd just see it coming.

ReBoot

2010-09-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Great Society of Movie Watchers blog. It's been a while. We have no excuse. Anyways, this is a semester of rebooting, of changing it up, not taking no for an answer, eating all the custard i want, and studying the legendary Tricinemasaurus! Also, there may be chilling with Bob after fending off Megabyte and laying the smack down to Hack and Slash.

So what is this legendary Tricinemasaurus! you may ask. Well I'll tell you; it's means we make it up as we go. A group member will present a movie/movies for the group and we will then choose a theme based off of that movie. This past Sunday Stevox present us with three choices: Book of Eli, This is Spinal Tap and Minority Report. We chose Minority Report with a theme of Science Fiction. I was hoping for Chicks Who are Bald or Almost Bald as a theme. I have a film for that, and conveniently it's also Sci-Fi (go figure right.) But Sci-Fi is cool too. More on Mino Repo later.

*Side note: Science Fiction is defined as; Fiction based on imagined, future, scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. So is it science? Is it fiction? I don't care, i just want my own Delorean Time Machine and Lightsaber! Preferably in green, but a darker green if that's possible. More Forest than Kelly, but nothing to do with DeForest Kelley who does not appear in this particular film.

After the movie is watched, and the theme is decided on; two "volunteers" pick a movie for the following two weeks based on that theme. Most likely this "volunteer" is someone who will be opinionated about said theme. Like me. Val is going next week and then I'm the week after. I'll most definitely use Val's movie to help me decide what to bring. Because lets be honest, this will most likely be the defining moment for Sci-Fi on this blog (I'd like to apologize in advance to all my fellow nerds.) So my picks gotta be good! Also, I really hope i can use my bald chick movie. And she's bald bald, not like Agatha in MinoRepo who's just kinda bald.

So buckle up the internet, we've only just begun. Alright, get this posted on the double Phong!

The Godfather

2009-05-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is the father of Mob and Gangster movies. The Godfather that is. Based on the book by the same title written by Mario Puzo just a couple years before the films release in 1972. It took Oscars home for Best Picture, Marlon Brando as Best Actor, and Best Screenplay based on another medium. It was nominated for 8 others including 3 iterations of best supporting actor for James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino.

This is an incredibly celebrated movie. It is ranked number 2 out of 250 on our IMDB list. However, I didn't think it was all it was cracked up to be. It was long. And the Director agrees with me. His original cut was 50 whole minutes shorter than the 3 hour theatrical version. Francis Ford Coppola was told to go back and add more violent scenes and more scenes with the family. The acting was good, though it took me about ten minutes to take Marlon Brando's character of Don Vito seriously because it is a heavily parodied character (Robin Hood Men in Tights, an episode of Freakazoid, and Seinfeld all have an example.)

Because of the prestige this movie carries I don't want to give away too much, other than to say that there are violent scenes and it's not for the faint of heart, or the short of attentioned span. I mean i thought three seperate times the movie was ending. But, to sum up, you should see it.

Me personnaly, I give it a 6 out of 10.

The Bicycle Thieves

2009-04-26T12:55:00.000-05:00

There are very few films that shape every film made after it. People always talk about Citizen Kane in this way; I would consider the Matrix to be one of these as well. Well, the Bicycle Thieves is one of these as well.

A poor man out of work struggles to support his family. He finally finds a job that requires a bicycle of which he has none and sells his belongings to purchase one. He heads to work only to have it stolen on his very first day. Scanning the streets of Rome, he and his son wander through an endless sea of bikes and bike parts. Feeling so desperate, the father decides to steal one himself only to be caught losing his credibility with his son and his honor as a man.

While studying in England, I had the pleasure of taking an Italian cinema class that previewed many Italian films made in the 40’s and 50’s. While Hollywood was putting out great and glamorous classics like the Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, Italy was putting out films of a dark and gritty nature. Torn by the war raging on within their own borders, filmmakers made cheap, raw, and real films with real people and real situations that lacked the pretty Rita Hayworth or glamorous plots of Hollywood.

This is a film that every film buff should watch. The camera work is thoughtful and the acting is very good given the actors are not professional. You identify with the main character in his continual unfortunate circumstances; it’s hard to watch such charming people suffer. All in all it is inspirational but depressing.

7 of 10

The Maltese Falcon

2009-04-09T23:41:00.000-05:00

1941's “The Maltese Falcon,” #69 on the IMDb Top 250 list, is an iconic piece of film that not only defined, but truly set the standard for all future film noir. In fact, many film historians credit “The Maltese Falcon” as being the first ever example of the genre.

The plot, according to IMDb, is such: “A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.”

To be honest, I thought there would be a lot more fuss over the actual falcon, especially after hearing that “It’s the stuff that dreams are made of” line roughly a bazillion times in various movie countdowns. But, to be fair, we did learn that the falcon is “considered a classic example of a MacGuffin, a plot device that motivates the characters of the story but otherwise has little relevance.”

I loved seeing such an affable, jokey Humphrey Bogart, especially coming after “Casablanca” where Bogart’s Rick is serious, angry, and cynical. Conversely, Bogart’s Sam Spade in “Falcon” is quite irreverant and good-humored.

I recognized Mary Astor from her role as Mrs. Smith in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and her turn as a femme fatale in “Maltese Falcon” was quite a change from the way I was used to seeing her! And of course our old friend Peter Lorre, who we’ve previously seen in “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Casablanca,” made his required appearance in the film as yet another snivveling double-crosser.

The movie was a bit confusing, with numerous twists, lies, and double-crosses—by the end I was still trying to piece together where the true alliances had lain, why certain characters had made the choices they had, and who had committed the murders after all.

The group’s reception of the film was mostly lukewarm, but generally favorable. Stephen and Kyle don’t particularly care for dramas, so I think the movie ended up being a bit of a chore for them. When Jesse saw the menu screen pop up revealing the title of the movie, he exclaimed, “I’m so glad we’re watching this!” In the end, my feeling is very much the same. I’m so glad I finally saw this movie, which is #31 AFI’s Top 100 list. It’s a film that I can recognize as being well-crafted and certainly worthy of laud, but one which I will probably not have a desire to see again anytime in the near future.

7 out of 10 stars.

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

2009-03-29T23:32:00.000-05:00

Vampires. That is what this movie is about. It is a direct copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula. However they never attained the rights to the film and was therefore Prana Films one and only film. Bram Stoker's wife sued the company causing them to go out of business. Albin Grau was one of the founders of this company and it was his idea to make a vampire film. During his time in the military, in 1916, a Serbian farmer told him that his father was a Vampire and an Undead.

This film was released in 1922, but has since been updated with names of people from Stoker's book. Being a silent film there is no original score. So to make this a movie they took classical music and put in enough to fill the entire movie. There was no scoring involved, AKA, it didn't fit. At times when it should have been scary, light hearted music was playing making it almost comical. In real life there would be a piano up front, or some guys playing strings. So the music would have fit. It was later remixed with a Gothic Industrial soundtrack by Aleister Einstein. This soundtrack gives the film a much creepier feel, with indistict human voices and mysterious far away melodious that you might recognize, Silver Bells being on example. This soundtrack fits the movie much better, but is still somewhat dissapointing.

In short, it is what it is. A silent film. Being the beginning of the entire history of film there is a lot they can get away with. But there were some cool parts. Like Count Orlok/Dracula (the vampire) rising from his casket, and the shot of the caskets, from people dying of the plague, coming down the street was very poignant. It is much less morbid than this paragraph would lead you to believe, and is hardly what I, or others, would consider a horror movie.

I give it a six out of ten.

Children of Men

2009-03-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

There are very few movies in this world that I will even consider watching more than once. There are even fewer movies in which I recommend, and even fewer that I, yes, cry in. Children of Men breaks all three of those barriers.

It is a movie of “what if?” Set in the year 2027, all women have ceased to give birth. The world is plunged into a state of chaos leaving all governments in ruin along with any glimmer of hope for the future. The British Isles stand alone as the only remaining intact government. With everyone in the world attempting to find a safe place, Britain is forced to forcibly remove any immigrants for fear of losing control to overpopulation.

In all of this, we see Clive Owen trying to live his life with machine gun police lining the streets and terrorist bombings an everyday occurrence. While attempting to live out his seemingly meaningless life, he gets caught up in the discovery of the first birth in 18 years and attempts to aid her in her journey to a boat safe haven in the Atlantic.

I love this movie. Indeed I love What If? films, and yes, I love Clive Owen, but what I love about this film is its willingness to not parade the future around you nor leave you asking questions about technology or history. It simply leaves you with humanity, people and their actions. We see people acting out of fear for their lives; we see people wallowing in the demise of their nationalities and even see a young spoiled generation who simply don’t care. The horror of all these people and their choices is what stuns viewers and makes them question themselves and their own priorities.

Not only were the performances of the film chilling, art direction and cinematography were worth study. Kyle noticed that there were cats in safe places while Jesse was annoyed at all the barking dogs. The most noticeable element of the film was the long takes, there were several. At one point there is a powerful war scene in which there was a six and a half minute take. You don’t even notice as you can’t take your eyes off Clive and the horror of his surroundings.

The club’s reception to this movie was warm, granted, as warm as a grotesque societal looking glass can be. Jesse was worried before watching the movie because he had read the book and found it even more horrifying and hopeless. Valerie spent the last five minutes of the movie and into the credits with her hand over her mouth.

All in all, this movie is fantastic, just one possible picture of a world without hope. Glad I don’t have to worry about that. Ten out of ten stars for me.

Casablanca

2009-03-05T22:01:00.000-06:00

Before I revealed to the group exactly what we were watching this week, I told them I didn't expect everyone to like my pick. I knew it probably wouldn't be terribly popular. But, I told them, you can't be a true movie fan without seeing... "Casablanca."

This cinematic legend from 1942 tells the story of Rick and Ilsa, a sort of star-crossed pair of former lovers, who find each other in Casablanca after several years apart. The whole movie has a very film noir-ish quality to it, with lots of shadows, fog, cigarette smoke, flashbacks, and mysterious characters. This is the film that gave us such classic movie lines as "Here's lookin' at you, kid," "We'll always have Paris," and many, many more.

I warned everyone before the movie started that this is definitely a melodrama; you've got a guy standing in the rain at a train station morosely reading a letter, a leading lady who dramatically cries and turns away from the camera, young girls who implore our hero Rick for help, and everything in between.

But don't get me wrong, "Casablanca" has some amazing comedic moments as well. Claude Rains as Captain Renault in particular is an excellent character who gets to deliver some very fun and clever lines ("How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce. ").

After the movie ended, Jesse remarked that he expected to be bored at some point during the film, but that he really never was. I agree, it's a movie that you absolutely fall into and don't notice that time has passed until it's all over. It's somewhat a mystery, somewhat a comedy, and definitely a romance of sorts. It really has everything you might want!

"Casablanca" is one of the most celebrated movies of all time, if not the most celebrated. In addition to the Academy Award for Best Picture, it has been named one of the best movies of all time by countless magazines, film institutes, film critics, etc. And with good reason- "Casablanca" has stood the test of time and still maintains its humor, its poignancy, and even its relevance.

I own the movie, so of course I love it. Jesse and Stephen spoke highly of the film after it ended, both saying it was very "solid." Kyle kept up his reputation has the hard-to-please member of the group by not caring for the movie all that much. I suppose you can't win them all!

We ended the afternoon by watching "Carrotblanca," a very clever Looney Toons spoof of "Casablanca" from 1995. It's a great little cartoon made all the more funny as a direct follow-up to "Casablanca" itself.

Overall I would call this edition of movie club a success. "Casablanca" is a timeless classic that just gets better and better with repeat viewings. I give it 9 stars out of 10.

Background

2009-02-28T21:50:00.000-06:00

The Great Society of Movie Watchers came into existance in September of this year. Stephen suggested that a few of us get together every week to watch a movie, and the original idea was to fit the movies into a theme. This past fall we did a run of Hitchcock movies, and managed to make our way through Vertigo, North By Northwest, The Birds, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Rope, and Dial M for Murder.

After Christmas, though, we moved away from the constraints of a theme and decided instead to make our selections from a list of movies with great variety: the IMDb Top 250. Each week one club member picks a movie from this list and is in charge of not only procuring a copy of the film, but also debriefing everyone on the background of the movie. We've seen several of the IMDb Top 250 now: Trainspotting, Seven Samurai, Harvey, Duck Soup, Bladerunner, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Grave of the Fireflies.

From now on after we see each movie, the one who picked it will write about the film experience and what everyone thought of the movie. Here is a bit about each club member and the type of movies we enjoy....

Jesse

I always put myself into the shoes of the characters in movies, so I enjoy watching movies to see how characters deal with life. Movie club is cool because it exposes me to movies that I wouldn't usually pick out, but have something to say about the world.

5 all-time favorite movies: The Lives of Others, The Twilight Samurai, Big Fish, Gosford Park, Zoolander
5 all-time least favorite movies: Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Dude, Where's My Car?, E.T., The Holiday, Seven
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Any Saw movie
Favorite Great Society of Movie Watchers (GSMW) film: Harvey
Least Favorite GSMW film: Arsenic & Old Lace

Kyle

I like to escape into the movies that I watch. So I don’t really like drama’s or war film’s. Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comedy is my preferred favorite.

5 all-time favorite movies: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Harvey, The Incredible’s, Pirate’s of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, and Elf.
5 all-time least favorite movies: King Kong (2005), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Batman (1989), Talladega Nights, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Titanic
Favorite GSMW film: Seven Samurai
Least Favorite GSMW film: Vertigo

Valerie

I love stories, especially when they are beautifully told. I love the immersion into a different world, whether it's realistic or not. I love the history of movies, movie stars, and everything in between.

5 all-time favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, That Thing You Do, Singin' in the Rain, Newsies, A League of Their Own
5 all-time least favorite movies: Something's Gotta Give, Robin Hood: Prince of Theives, Donnie Darko, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Fifth Element
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Requiem for a Dream
Favorite GSMW film: Psycho
Least Favorite GSMW film: Blade Runner

Stephen (aka Stevox)

Another time, another place, another universe: I love to escape.

5 all-time favorite movies: Hook, Jurasic Park, The Matrix, Singin' in the Rain, Zoolander
5 all-time least favorite movies: Jurassic Park III, King Kong, The Mask, The Matrix Revolutions, Todo Sobre Mi Madre
Movie I Refuse to Watch: The Shining. I don't think I could handle it.
Favorite GSMW film: Harvey
Least Favorite GSMW film: Arsenic and Old Lace

Grave of the Fireflies

2009-02-24T10:43:00.000-06:00

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese anime film set just at the end of WWII. It is based on the autobiography by the same name. It centers on a brother and sister, Seita (say-ta) and Setsuko (set-sue-ko) who become orphans as the film progresses. The only goal they have in life is to survive, although we know that the protagonist is fighting a losing battle because the movie opens with him announcing that date in which he dies. The entire movie then becomes a flashback as the ghost of the main character relives the events just before his sister's death with his sister's ghost.

Now the movie is not as weird as this sounds. It's actually very depressing. You watch these kids lose their mother and then move in with their jerk of an aunt, who is not sad to see them leave, even when she does not know where they are going. And then they live in an abandoned shelter and scavenge nature for food.

The movie compares human lives to that of the short lived firefly. We come into the world and are only given so long to burn brightly and then our fire is extinguished. This point is made by comparing the grave that their mother was placed in with the grave that the little sister makes for the fireflies they capture one evening.

On a more interesting note, the film came out as a double feature with Miyazaki's My Neighbor Tototoro. According to Snoop this movie is very whimsical and fun, the complete opposite of the Fireflies. Many people went for Tototoro and left before Fireflies started because they didn't want to be depressed. Interestingly enough, Miyazaki's pitch for Tototoro failed initially until it was backed by the author of the book which Fireflies is based on.

It won the Blue Ribbon Award in 1989 and the Animation Jury and Rights of the Child awards in 1994 at the Chicago International Children's Film festival.

Overall, it is a very poignant film about the horror of war. I cannot recommend this film for the casual movie goer, or even the hardcore viewer. This film is best left to those who desire the intellectual stimulation, and the English classes who have a paper to write.

I give it a 6 out of 10.