Movie Night Reviews

Reviews: Up in the Air (2009), In the Loop (2009), and Adventureland (2009)

2010-01-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

Title: Up in the Air
Year: 2009
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Genres: Drama, Comedy, Romance
MPAA: R for language and some sexual content
Kids-In-Mind.com: 6.2.7
My Rating: 9.3
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 8.3

Synopsis: Ryan Bingham (Clooney) travels around the country to fire people from their jobs as a living. He spends over two-thirds of each year away from home. He loathes the idea that one would put their life into emotional relationships and has, as such, distanced himself from his family and has no girlfriend or wife. When he meets Alex (Farmiga), who, like he, travels around the country often, he's presented with an internal conflict as to whether he wants to keep this relationship as permanent or keep their relationship casual and friendly. With the help of young co-worker Natalie Keener (Kendrick), whom he's been assigned to help learn the business, he struggles as the philosophy that has guided his life to this point begins to abandon him.

My Take: This film should win Best Picture in March. Clooney's acting is outstanding and likewise deserves Best Actor as he so well displays the emotional conflicts that have stricken Ryan Bingham. Farmiga and Kendrick are equally outstanding in their respective roles. Many film critics associations nationwide, including Utah's, have named this the best film of the year. They are absolutely correct. Up in the Air is an exceptional study of the way many have slowly distanced themselves from personal relationships. I can't adequately communicate how superb this film is. Just go see it.

Title: In the Loop
Year: 2009
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Chris Addison
Genres: Comedy, Political
MPAA: Not Rated (Likely R for language and sexuality)
Kids-In-Mind.com: N/A (Approx. 6.2.10)
My Rating: 9.2
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 7.7

Synopsis: UK Minister for International Affairs Simon Foster (Hollander) makes two media gaffs within a day of one another, advocating for two opposite policies toward a potential war in the Middle East. The UK Prime Minister and the President of the United States both advocate for a war, while Simon's true feelings are against the war. Nevertheless, he and his statements are used in a political game involving two US Assistant Secretaries of State and a US General. All this time, he's being persuaded by the PM's media relations guy, the profane Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi) and being assisted by his young new assistant Toby (Addison). Lols ensue.

My Take: My synopsis makes this movie sound like a political bore. However, it's absolutely hysterical. As each side of the issue attempts to use Foster for their own side, and the lengths to which each side goes to get their position passed as UN policy makes for incredible laughs. This was a Sundance '09 film and never got a wide theatrical release in the US; they therefore didn't need an MPAA rating. Up in the Air is my favorite film of the year; this is a close second.

Title: Adventureland
Year: 2009
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart
Genres: Drama, Comedy, Romance
MPAA: R for language, drug use and sexual references.
Kids-In-Mind.com: 7.4.10
My Rating: 9.1
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 7.2

Synopsis: College senior James Brennan (Eisenberg) is looking forward to a graduation trip to Europe, but doesn't have the money. His parents can't help out with the funding as his dad recently got a new, lower-paying job. He's forced to take a job a the amusement park Adventureland, in Pittsburgh, PA. There he meets a number of friends, including Em Lewin (Stewart), with whom he forms a relationship. She, meanwhile, is in a secret relationship with the park mechanic, a married man and is hesitant to turn her relationship with James sexual. When James finds that she's unwilling to turn their relationship sexual, he goes on a date with the park slut, making out with her toward the end. When Em finds out, she determines to end her relationship with the park mechanic. James learns of their affair at this time and ambushes her when she's coming out of breaking up, thinking she's coming out of another session. James calls her an idiot, prompting her to quit her job. He drinks too much that night and wrecks his parents' car. He has to use his Europe money to fix the car. He heads to grad school in New York City, where he meets Em again. The movie ends with a reconciliation.

My Take: This film has nothing going for it on the surface. It was marketed as another Superbad, with slapstick humor and superficial guys looking for sex. This is as inaccurate as it gets. This is a romantic drama with a few comedic moments, plain and simple. The thing about it, though, that really got me, was the uncanniness in the way they were able to project the feelings and sexuality of being a teenager. Stewart in particular was outstanding in the film. Her performance played a large part in turning this would-be just-another-stupid-teen-comedy into a superb teen dramedy. I'm not afraid to say that this is my favorite teen film of all time, even beating out such films as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Zombieland", both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Comment below or e-mail me at richard@movienightreviews.net.

Review: Inside Man (2006)

2009-10-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Title: Inside Man
Year: 2006
Starring: Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer
Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller
MPAA: R for language and some violent images
Kids-In-Mind.com: 4.6.10
My Rating: 6.4
Up or Down: Thumb Down
IMDb Rating: 7.7

Synopsis: Four conspirators, led by Dalton Russell (Owen) rob a large bank. They use clever tactics to keep the police away. The lead negotiator is Keith Frazier (Washington). The owner of the bank, Arthur Case (Plummer), who has some secret, unnamed item kept in this branch, hires Madeleine White (Foster), who for a living keeps the wealthy's interests, to retrieve the item. She fails after discovering that taking this item was Russell's main objective the robbery.

My Take: I can't figure out why this film was so well-received. The premise was really cool; the bank robbery was a lot of fun to watch. But probably 20% of this movie B.S. dialogue between cops or redundant interviews with hostages. They took a good forty-five seconds to show an exchange between the cops and an interviewee, the whole content of which was the cops' comment on her large breast size and her cracking a lame joke "Oh, so I violated section 34DD?" Gimme a break... Focus on the movie; you have a cool story and you're making jokes like that? Despite its 86% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, one negative review listed for this film from Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian newspaper in the UK sums my thoughts up exactly. "Supremely annoying and nonsensical."

Concerning the rating: This film's 6.4 puts it in a tie for 146th of 162 films rated. It is tied with the 2004 family comedy "Shrek 2".

Have a film you'd like me to see and review? E-mail me at richard@movienightreviews.net.

Review: The Crucible (1996)

2009-10-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Title: The Crucible
Year: 1996
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul Scofield, Joan Allen
Genres: Drama, Historical
MPAA: PG-13 for intense depiction of the Salem witch trials
Kids-In-Mind.com: 4.3.2
My Rating: 6.0
Up or Down: Thumb Down
IMDb Rating: 6.9

Synopsis: In 1692, after being dismissed from the service of John (Day-Lewis) and Elizabeth (Allen) Proctor for having an affair with the former, Abigail Williams (Ryder) begins accusing women in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts of witchcraft. Eventually accusing Elizabeth so John could be hers, a witchcraft frenzy spreads through the town, leading to the execution of dozens, as ordered by the Royal Governor, Thomas Danforth (Scofield).

My Take: Daniel Day-Lewis is a superb actor. Winona Ryder's performance was, too, very good. However, this film's downfall is its awful screenplay. The play is a good read; Arthur Miller's allegory of the McCarthy hearings is a good read. However, the poor screenplay makes for some really odd filming and weird dialogue. The acting, once again, is certainly above average, but I have to give this a negative rating due to the absolute atrocity that is the screenplay.

Concerning the rating: The 6.0 puts "The Crucible" in a tie for 150th of 162 films rated. It is tied with the 1987 comedy "Spaceballs" as well as the 2008 teen comedy "Drillbit Taylor".

Have a film you'd like me to see and review? E-mail me at richard@movienightreviews.net.

Review: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

2009-10-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Title: The Blair Witch Project
Year: 1999
Starring: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael Williams
Genres: Suspense, Horror, Mystery, Mockumentary
MPAA: R for language
Kids-In-Mind.com: 1.3.10
My Rating: 8.3
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 6.2

Synopsis: Three aspiring young adults, Heather (Donahue), Josh (Leonard), and Mike (Williams) go into the woods in Maryland to create a documentary about the legendary Blair Witch. Originally planning to stay for just two days, they get lost and are forced to stay in the woods longer. Strange things happen around their tent and Josh eventually goes missing. Heather and Mike look for him; the movie ends with an ending I'm not going to spoil.

My Take: I was moved to watch this film by the popularity of the new show "Paranormal Activity", the making of which was very similar to "Blair Witch". The way this film was made was awesome. It was marketed as if these three had disappeared in the woods and this was the film they'd taken during their stay in the woods and that the film had been found a year later. The movie was shot by the actors themselves. The thing that made this movie a little bit lower in my book was something that was actually completely necessary for its genre: fluff. They had to sell the reality of this footage by putting in shots that weren't remotely related to anything, including Heather and Mike picking up Josh before leaving for the woods. It made the movie better but simultaneously detracted from it. Still a great show worth watching. I have no idea how it got to be a 6.2 on IMDb; this was a great watch.

Concerning the rating: The 8.3 puts "The Blair Witch Project" in a tie for 33rd with thirteen other movies of 160 watched.

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Review: The Invention of Lying (2009)

2009-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Apologies... School has prevented me from doing nearly anything these past two months. I hope to be more active in my rating in the near future.

Title: The Invention of Lying
Year: 2009
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe
Genres: Comedy
MPAA: PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference
Kids-In-Mind.com: 5.3.5
My Rating: 7.4
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 6.9

Synopsis: In a world where people cannot lie and have no concept of lying, Mark Bellison (Gervais) gains the ability to lie. He uses this to his advantage until after he lies to his dying mother of the existence of an afterlife, when the whole world flocks to him to hear what happens after death. Through all this, he tries to gain the affection of Anna McDoogles (Garner), who likes Bellison but dislikes his looks, opting for Bellison's arch nemesis, Brad Kessler (Lowe).

My Take: Honestly, the plot of this movie was absolutely stupid. They could've done so much better with such a cool premise. But, I have to say I enjoyed it just because of the cleverness of the jokes. I laughed heartily, but more because of the premise and the subtle references they inserted than the actual plot. With a better plot, this could be one of my favorite comedies ever.

Concerning the rating: The 7.4 places "The Invention of Lying" in a tie for 99th with "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle" and "Happy Gilmore" of 160 films rated.

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Rating Adjustment: Fight Club (1999)

2009-08-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Previous Rating: 7.3
New Rating: 8.0

Reason: It's been a week or so since I saw "Fight Club". You can find the review here. After contemplating the plot and seeing "Pulp Fiction" (1994), which is in a similar genre, I think this film was better than I previously felt. I was a bit harsh based on the fact that I have many friends who've raved to me about how wonderful this show was. I didn't find it to be quite to my taste, but there's no doubt in my mind now that this was a top-notch film.

Concerning the new rating: The 8.0 puts "Fight Club" in a tie for 68th with eight other films out of 158 rated.

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Review: Pulp Fiction (1994)

2009-08-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Title: Pulp Fiction
Year: 1994
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman
Genres: Drama, Action, Thriller
MPAA: R for strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality
Kids-In-Mind.com: 9.10.10
My Rating: 8.4
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 8.9 (Top 250: #5)

Synopsis: Too lengthy to state here. See the Wikipedia entry on this film for the synopsis.

My Take: I came away from this film thinking, "That was weird." I wasn't sure if I liked it. It's been 16 hours now, and I determined while the plot wasn't what I wanted it to be, it was still a captivating show. Entertaining, maybe. Captivating, absolutely. This is not your average film. As you can see above, the plot is too lengthy and involved to state here. I can see how others would like this more than me; this genre doesn't play to my tastes terribly well. But yeah, I liked this show. As for the Kids-In-Mind.com rating, I would say a 9.10.10 is over the top. This is more like a 7.9.10. Granted, this was rated by them while the site was in its infancy, but I think their estimate is a tad high. However, the drug usage in this movie, something not rated by KIM, is extensive, especially within the first forty minutes or so. Anyway, see this film. I'd say this is more like "Fight Club" than anything else.

Concerning the rating: The 8.4 puts it in a tie for 25th with eight other films out of 158 rated.

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Review: Gran Torino (2008)

2009-08-19T16:39:00.001-07:00

Title: Gran Torino
Year: 2008
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley
Genres: Drama, Crime
MPAA: R for language throughout, and some violence
Kids-In-Mind.com: 4.7.10
My Rating: 8.6
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 8.4 (Top 250: #80)

Synopsis: Newly widowed Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is a grumpy, racist, Korean War veteran who has no friends; his two sons, as well as their wives and children, hate him. His local Catholic priest, Father Janovich (Carley), promised Walt's wife he'd look over him. When Walt catches his next-door neighbor, Thao Vang Lor (Vang), a teenager of Hmong descent, attempting to steal his 1972 Gran Torino, Thao's family asks him to repay Walt by working for him. Walt befriends Thao and his family, including his sister Sue (Her), and when the family, especially Thao, are continually harassed by Thao's gang banging cousins, Walt finds the cousins and threatens to kill them. They retaliate by firing bullets into the family's house and kidnapping and raping Sue. Thao wants to go with Walt to get violent revenge, but Walt locks him in the basement when he leaves. Walt confronts the gang bangers, causing a scene at their apartment; many tenants around look out the balcony. Walt motions as if he were getting a gun and they immediately fire and kill him. The cops come and arrest the gang members; Walt allowed himself to be killed so the family would be left alone. In his will, he leaves the Gran Torino to Thao.

My Take: This was great. Not a "fun" movie per se, but an enjoyable one. Eastwood's acting is top-notch, and while this is Vang's first film and his lack of seasoning brings the film down a bit, this was a great movie to watch. The plot was compelling and captivating; I recommend this movie for everyone.

Concerning the rating: The 8.6 puts "Gran Torino" in a tie for 21st with "WALL-E" (2008) and "Hotel Rwanda" (2004).

Have a film you'd like me to see and review? E-mail me at movienightreviews@gmail.com.

Review: Airplane! (1980)

2009-08-18T14:37:00.001-07:00

Title: Airplane!
Year: 1980
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves
Genres: Comedy, Romance
MPAA: PG (would definitely be PG-13 and possibly even R if re-rated today)
Kids-In-Mind.com: N/A (approx. 7.3.3)
My Rating: 8.1
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 7.8

Synopsis: Ted Striker (Hays), a former Air Force pilot in Vietnam who has a fear of flying, chases after his girlfriend, Elaine (Hagerty), who's a flight attendent, who's leaving him due to her lack of respect for him. As he sits on the plane, he tells the story of how they met in the war to his seat companions, who one by one commit suicide as the story bores them. Bad fish cause many passengers to become violently ill, causing the only doctor aboard, Dr. Rumack (Nielsen), to ask the pilot, Cpt. Oveur (Graves), to land the plane as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the three pilots all had fish for dinner and soon become ill, causing Rumack to ask Striker, the only remotely qualified pilot on board, to land the plane. He does so successfully, winning the love of Elaine.

My Take: Most of the comedy in this film just screamed at me, "You shouldn't like this! It's so stupid!" And stupid it was. But it was probably the funniest stupid I've ever seen. At least half of the jokes in this film are puns, and it makes for quite a good time. The sexual content of the film is quite high for a PG; it would, without a doubt, garner a PG-13 rating if rated after 1984. While it may not be appropriate for children younger than 12 or 13, this is a great film that everyone should watch.

Concerning the rating: The 8.1 puts "Airplane!" in a tie for 57th with nine other films out of 156 rated.

In queue: Pulp Fiction (1994), One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Singin' In The Rain (1952), Across The Universe (2007)

Have a film you'd like me to see and review? E-mail me at movienightreviews@gmail.com.

Review: The Wrestler (2008)

2009-08-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Title: The Wrestler
Year: 2008
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Genres: Drama, Sports
MPAA: R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language, and some drug use
Kids-In-Mind.com: 8.7.8
My Rating: 8.2
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 8.3 (Top 250: #116)

Synopsis: Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Rourke) was the biggest professional wrestler from the 1980s. In 1989 he lost a sold-out match to his biggest rival, a Persian wrestler named The Ayatollah. Twenty years later, he's working in a grocery store and wrestling on weekends at small events. He meets and befriends a stripper, Cassidy (Tomei), who encourages him to get his life back together by visiting and reacquainting himself with his daughter, Stephanie (Wood). Randy has a heart attack one night after a match due to the drugs he was using to build his body. The doctor tells him to cease wrestling. Randy seeks out and finds his daughter, who'd hated him, and after an emotional evening, convinces her that he cares. After setting a dinner date with her and breaking it after getting drunk and having sex at a bar, she decides to disown him once again. All the stress in his life causes him to blow up and spontaneously quit his grocery store job and rejoin the wrestling community despite the doctor's warnings. He wrestles in a rematch with The Ayatollah and as he's about to body slam his opponent, the film ends.

My Take: This was a fine film. Rourke's performance was Oscar-worthy, and sure enough, it was nominated for Best Actor. The film was also nominated for Best Picture. The way the movie highlights the pitiful life Randy's living after such fame and glory is moving and compelling. I enjoyed this picture.

Concerning the rating: The 8.2 puts this film in a tie for 43rd with fourteen other films.

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Review: Mamma Mia! (2008)

2009-08-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Title: Mamma Mia!
Year: 2008
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård
Genres: Comedy, Musical, Romance
MPAA: PG-13 for some sex-related comments
Kids-In-Mind.com: 4.1.3
My Rating: 5.3
Up or Down: Thumb Down
IMDb Rating: 6.6

Synopsis: Twenty-year-old Sophie (Seyfried) is living on a Greek island with her mother, Donna (Streep), and is engaged to be married. She'd never known who her father was until she stole her mother's from twenty years prior and finds that there are three possible men that could be her father. She invites these men, Sam (Brosnan), Harry (Firth), and Bill (Skarsgård) to her island to her wedding by letter, pretending to be her mother. The men come and when her mother finds out, she is not happy. She asks the men to leave, but Sophie begs them to stay and they do. Each independently thinks that they're Sophie's father until her wedding, when Sophie and her fiance spontaneously decide not to get married after all, Sophie decides that she doesn't want to know which one's her father, Sam falls for Donna, and everyone's happy.

My Take: This movie was, quite simply, not good. No one could sing terribly well, no one could dance, and the comedy was immature and stupid. With its all-star cast, the acting was fine, but that was about it. The plot was boring and lame and I quite literally felt tortured sitting through this. I have no idea how anyone could possibly like this show. It was absolutely awful.

Concerning the rating: The 5.3 puts this movie ranked 151st out of 156 films rated.

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Review: Star Trek (2009)

2009-08-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Title: Star Trek
Year: 2009
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Karl Urban, John Cho
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA: PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content
Kids-In-Mind.com: 5.6.4
My Rating: 8.4
Up or Down: Thumb Up
IMDb Rating: 8.4 (Top 250: #103)

Synopsis: George Kirk, acting captain of the starship USS Kelvin, is attacked by Emperor Nero of Romulus while trying to save a planet supposedly being hit by a lightning storm as his wife gives birth to their child. He evacuates the ship and pilots it on a collision course to save the evacuated. He dies seconds after his son, James Kirk, is born. 25 years later, the younger Kirk (Pine) is recruited by Christopher Pike, captain of the new ship the USS Enterprise. He then meets Dr. Leonard McCoy (Urban) and befriends him. While training for duty, he cheats on an exam and is suspended from active duty. At that time, word is received that the planet Vulcan is being hit by a lightning storm and the fleet moves in. McCoy sneaks the ambitious Kirk on board, where Pike is the captain and Spock (Quinto), a half-Vulcan, half-human comrade is first assistant. Spock is highly intelligent and relies solely on logic rather than feeling to make his decisions. Kirk notices the similarity between this situation and the one that killed his father and moves in to help. Despite his being illegally on the ship, his advice is heralded and it is found that the same Emperor Nero trying to destroy Vulcan. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu (Cho) try to save Vulcan while Spock rushes to evacuate the planet and Pike boards Nero's ship for peace talks. They fail to save Vulcan, but Spock rescues all his family except his mother. Pike is taken prisoner aboard Nero's ship and Spock becomes captain. Nero then heads to destroy Earth. Kirk wants to pursue, but Spock feels it'd be too dangerous and kicks Kirk off the ship. He is marooned on Delta Vega and meets Spock from the future (Nimoy), who conveys to Kirk that he'd been on a mission, 154 years in the future, to destroy Romulus. After doing so, Nero pursued him, but their ships both fell into the black hole created by the destruction of Romulus. This brought them into the past, where Nero was now trying to destroy the United Federation of Planets, which had ordered Spock to destroy Romulus. He asks Kirk to board the Enterprise once again and force the original Spock from duty by emotionally compromising him by highlighting the destruction of Vulcan. He does this and takes command of the Enterprise as captain, directing the ship toward Earth. They are able to kill Nero and destroy his ship using the red matter used to destroy Romulus and Vulcan, which creates a black hole. They are narrowly able to escape from the black hole. Kirk is promoted and made permanent captain of the Enterprise, with Spock as first assistant.

My Take: This was a cool show. The screenwriting was subpar, but the plot and the action were really neat. It's not a top ten by any means, but I really liked it. There's not much to say other than that it was a cool show with a decent plot. Pine and Quinto did well as the film's leads and the action was great. The screenwriting, once again, could've been better, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film. A side note: I rarely see films in theaters, but I watched this at my local dollar theater.

Concerning the rating: The 8.4 puts it in a tie for 24th with seven other films out of 152 rated.

In queue: The Wrestler (2008), Pulp Fiction (1994), Airplane! (1980)

This film was suggested by EVERYONE!

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Review: Fight Club (1999)

2009-08-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Title: Fight Club
Year: 1999
Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
Genres: Crime, Drama, Action
MPAA: R for disturbing and graphic depiction of anti-social behavior, sexuality, and language
Kids-In-Mind.com: 7.10.10
My Rating: 7.3
My adjusted rating: 8.0
IMDb Rating: 8.8 (Top 250: #19)

Synopsis: The nameless narrator (Norton), a depressed office worker, meets Tyler Durden (Pitt). When the narrator's apartment burns down, he moves in with Durden. To deal with him depression, Durden introduces him to the concept of fighting to relieve male stress. They form a 'fight club' in which men come to fight for recreational purposes. Durden becomes sexually involved with Marla Singer (Carter), a character who bothers the narrator. Durden eventually develops fight clubs all over the country and turns them into a cult-like organization called 'Project Mayhem', the goal of which is to commit terrorist acts against massive corporations. The narrator is not made aware of this new organization. When Durden puts large nitroglycerin bombs beneath large office buildings, the narrator rushes to destroy the bombs before they destroy the buildings. Durden stops him and kidnaps him when the narrator realizes that Durden is a figment of his imagination and acts only when the narrator is asleep. He destroys Durden by shooting himself; he survives, and watches the building collapse.

My Take: I know this is one of the most popular cult classics of all time, but I really didn't like it all that much. The plot was not terribly exciting, and while the acting was top-notch, I just couldn't get into it. I can see how plenty of people would like it. A friend of mine has raved about this movie often. Based on what I know about him, I can see how he would really like this show. I just didn't. This is one, however, that I'd be willing to watch it again, and I wouldn't be surprised for the rating to go up as much as half a point on a second viewing. But I won't go out of my way to see it again.

Concerning the rating: The 7.3 ranks it tied for 95th with twelve other films out of 151 rated.

In queue: The Wrestler (2008), Pulp Fiction (1994), Airplane! (1980)

This film was suggested by Colin and Alison.

This film's rating was adjusted. See why here.

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Review: 12 Angry Men (1957)

2009-08-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

Title: 12 Angry Men
Year: 1957
Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Ed Begley, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskovec
Genre: Drama
MPAA: N/A (Probably G)
Kids-In-Mind.com: N/A (approx. 0.1.1)
My Rating: 9.6
IMDb Rating: 8.9 (Top 250: #7)

Synopsis: 12 jurors in a murder case deliberate over the course of 90 minutes. The vote must be unanimous either way, and if a verdict of guilty is reached, the death penalty is mandatory. In a preliminary vote, they vote 11-1 to convict with Juror #8 (Fonda) the lone dissenter. As he begins to explain the reasonable doubt he finds in the case, the jurors begin to change their votes one by one. He and his two main allies in convincing the rest to acquit, Juror #9 and Juror #11 (Sweeney and Voskovec) eventually find enough loopholes in the prosecution's case to convince the three most opposed, Juror #3, Juror #4, and Juror #10 (Cobb, Marshall, and Begley) to vote to acquit.

My Take: Wow. This film is brilliant. The plot itself is quite entertaining and self-sustaining, but the way it makes light of just how deep in argument these twelve men can get with one another without one knowing any other at all is amazing. Classics like this are often remade, but this one doesn't need to be. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Cobb, Marshall, and Voskovec. Cobb's performance as a narcissistic, arrogant jerk who refuses to change his mind for anything is well done, as the viewer can see the signs of his cracking at the end of the film. Marshall's performance as an intellectual, rigid man standing by his last story until it's found to have a loophole at the end is well-done. Voskovec does well as an immigrant proud of his citizenship and the American justice system, standing up to Juror #7's indifference to the case. This is a must-watch.

Concerning the rating: The 9.6 puts this film fourth out of 147 rated. Despite its having been made prior to the MPAA rating system, I have assigned it a G rating for the purposes of my statistics. This becomes the highest-rated G-rated film on my list, beating out the previous #1 G-rated, Monsters, Inc. (2001), which has a rating of 8.8.

In queue: The Wrestler (2008), Fight Club (1999), Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Review: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

2009-08-12T00:41:00.000-07:00

Title: The Silence of the Lambs
Year: 1991
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Crime
MPAA: R
Kids-In-Mind.com: N/A (Approx. 2.6.7)
My Rating: 8.3
IMDb Rating: 8.7 (Top 250: #24)

Synopsis: Young FBI Cadet Clarice Starling (Foster) is assigned to psychologically investigate convicted serial killer psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) and determine his connection, if any, to serial killer Buffalo Bill (Levine), who's still on the loose. Starling gets Lecter to admit that Bill used to be a patient of his. Lecter then witholds Bill's identity to get the FBI to transfer him to a more favorable place. Lecter then lies about Bill's identity to the FBI but gives revealing information to Starling before using cunning to escape police custody. Starling finds Bill and rescues the kidnapped.

My Take: This film was the last to take Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay all in the same year. While it didn't live up to my expectations as one of the best movies ever, it was a great show and I really enjoyed it. Hopkins' performance, while not living up to the extremely expectations that had been set, was still top-caliber and amazing. I recommend this show, but it didn't come in as high as I expected.

Concerning the rating: This film ties for 28th with twelve other films out of 146 rated.

In queue: The Wrestler (2008), Fight Club (1999), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Angry Men (1957)

This film was suggested by Josh.

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Review: Capote (2005)

2009-08-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Title: Capote
Year: 2005
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Cooper
Genres: Drama, Historical
MPAA: R for some violent images and brief strong language
Kids-In-Mind.com: 2.6.5
My Rating: 8.3
IMDb Rating: 7.6

Synopsis: Truman Capote (Hoffman), while researching for an article about four murders in rural Kansas with his friend Nelle Harper Lee (Keener), forms a relationship with one of the convicted murderers, Perry Smith (Collins). Essentially "using" Smith for information, Capote decides to write a book about the murders rather than an article after gaining so much information. With the approval of the police chief Alvin Dewey (Cooper), Capote writes one of the most hailed pieces of non-fiction in writing, "In Cold Blood".

My Take: Hoffman's portrayal of Capote is nothing short of outstanding. Granted, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor that year. The R rating on this film puzzles me. With only one "f-word" the whole film and very limited violence, this film is probably appropriate for children as young as 14 or 15 and fits in the category of extremely light R-rated films with "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Frost/Nixon". I'm also puzzled by the 7.6 rating on IMDb. I feel it's a much better film than that. While a 7.6 is still quite decent, this film is quite top notch and merited a high eight from me.

Concerning the rating: The 8.3 earned by this film from me puts it in a tie for 26th with eleven other films out of 122 films rated.

In queue: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Wrestler (2008), Fight Club (1999), Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Review: Snatch. (2001)

2009-08-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Title: Snatch.
Year: 2001
Starring: Jason Statham, Dennis Farina, Brad Pitt
Genres: Comedy, Action, Crime
MPAA: R for strong violence, language, and some nudity
Kids-In-Mind.com: 6.10.10
My Rating: 7.5
IMDb Rating: 8.2 (Top 250: #155)

Synopsis: Some amateur robbers fight with Jewish diamond dealer cousins (Mike Reid and Farina) over a large diamond acquired in a heist. In the mean time, two boxing promoters, Turkish (Statham) and Tommy, have had their prize fighter knocked out while trying to purchase a caravan from gypsies. They take the gypsy who'd knocked him out, Mickey (Pitt), as their new fighter. Events progress and the two stories intermingle in the end when a stray dog from the gypsy camp eats the diamond and chaos ensues.

My Take: Maybe I'll like this more if I see it again, but this was just a complicated mess. It was pretty funny at times, and Pitt in his minor role stole the show, but the story was quite hard to follow. I'm relatively accustomed to understanding various accents; I listen to the BBC daily; but the British English in the film was difficult to understand and made the film itself a bit more complicated. Again, I can see myself upping this rating to as high as a 8.5 or so if I see it again, and I will if given the opportunity, but I won't go out of my way to re-watch this film.

Concerning the rating: This film falls into 73rd place out of 120 movies rated.

In queue: Capote (2005), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Wrestler (2008)

This film was suggested by Alison.

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Review: Frost/Nixon (2008)

2009-08-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Title: Frost/Nixon
Year: 2008
Starring: Michael Sheen, Frank Langella
Genre: Drama, Docudrama
MPAA: R for some language
Kids-In-Mind.com: 4.4.5
My Rating: 8.7
IMDb Rating: 8.0

Synopsis: Based on a true story, British TV Presenter David Frost (Sheen) purchases the rights to the first post-presidential interview of disgraced President Richard Nixon (Langella). No network would buy the rights to the interview, which was taken seriously by few given Frost's status as a sort of British Johnny Carson. Frost's entire career and reputation is on the line in the interview, as is Nixon's; a war of words is waged in the four-day interview, with Frost failing miserably to get Nixon to admit to wrongdoing during the first three days. The night before the final day, a drunken Nixon exchanges a heartfelt phone call with Frost in which he expresses his view that though both need to win the interview to stay relevant, only one can win. This prompts Frost to do more rigorous research concerning Nixon than he had in the past, finding new evidence to trap Nixon in a lie. Frost wins the interview and Nixon essentially recedes into exile.

My take: My love for history and politics drew me to this film. I expected more in the way of history, but the film overall was quite good. Langella's performance was quite convincing.

Concerning the rating: This eked its way into earning a rounded 9 on IMDb and becomes the twentieth film to receive from me a 9 or higher rounded. It now is in a tie for seventeenth place on my list of top movies, tying with Mel Gibson's Braveheart (1995) with a rating of 8.7.

In my queue: Capote (2005), Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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Review: The International (2009)

2009-08-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Title: The International
Year: 2009
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
Genres: Thriller, Action, Drama
MPAA: R for some sequences of violence and language
Kids-In-Mind.com: 3.8.5
My Rating: 6.7
IMDb Rating: 6.6

Synopsis: Agent Lou Salinger (Owen) is an Interpol agent attempting to expose the criminal activities of the International Bank of Business and Credit with the help of New York City Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Watts). As they uncover the IBBC's plots to control multiple world governments, launder money, and broker large international arms deals, Salinger eventually hunts down the Bank's Chair Jonas Skarssen and kills him.

My Take: Yeah, this movie wasn't as good as it could've been. I don't know what urged them to make this as gory and violent as it was, but with a few less "f-words" and a bit less gore, this movie could've easily been a PG-13. Clive Owen did a fine job, but Naomi Watts, whose King Kong (2005) I quite enjoyed, was subpar and just not good. Overall, this movie should've been made a drama rather than an action/thriller; the story was pretty cool, but this film was just not very well done.

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Review: What About Bob? (1992)

2009-08-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

Title: What About Bob?
Year: 1992
Starring: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss
Genres: Family, Comedy
MPAA: PG
Kids-In-Mind.com: N/A (Approx. 2.2.3)
My Rating: 7.6
IMDb Rating: 6.7

Synopsis: Bob Wiley (Murray), an obsessive-compulsive psychiatric patient, is referred by his retiring psychiatrist to Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) just before Marvin is to leave on vacation with his family. Bob becomes attached to Dr. Marvin after just one session and begins to become helpless to his phobias. After a couple of plots to find out where Dr. Marvin is vacationing, he finally gets it out of Dr. Marvin's receptionist after faking suicide. He takes a bus to the New Hampshire lake at which Dr. Marvin is vacationing with his family; Dr. Marvin is not pleased. The family, however, warms up to Bob and their insisting on hospitality keeps driving Dr. Marvin up the wall. As the film progresses, Dr. Marvin becomes more and more insane, while Bob becomes more and more lucid. By the end of the movie, Dr. Marvin tries to kill Bob by tying him to explosives, with which Bob cooperates due to his admiration for Dr. Marvin and the guise of 'Death Therapy'. Bob escapes from it, declaring himself cured. It then skips to an undetermined time in the future, with Dr. Marvin completely psychotic and Bob a normal man.

My Take: This was a fun family film. I find it hard to believe that it only has a 6.7 on IMDb. While it doesn't hold a candle to Murray's classic film Groundhog Day (1993), this is a fun family film that all ages will enjoy. Murray's performance was great, as always, but I particularly enjoyed Dreyfuss's ability to be a complete jerk.

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Introductory Post

2009-08-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

I am not a professional film critic. I see few films in theaters. My best friends in movies are Redbox and Netflix. When I see movies, I usually want to rave about them, for good or for bad. So this blog will be a medium for expressing my views on movies. When I see a movie, I will post a review of it. There are numerous movies I have already seen and rated on IMDb; you can find a list here. You can also find a list of my top ten movies here and a list of movies previously in my top ten that have been kicked out here. My top ten movies as of today, 6 August 2009, are the following.

Rank	Title	Year	My Rating	Lead Role(s)
1	The Departed	2006	9.9	Matt Damon/Leonardo DiCaprio
2	Slumdog Millionaire	2008	9.8	Dev Patel
3	The Dark Knight	2008	9.7	Christian Bale/Heath Ledger
4	The Prestige	2006	9.5	Christian Bale/Hugh Jackman
5	No Country for Old Men	2007	9.4	Josh Brolin/Tommy Lee Jones/Javier Bardem
6	Watchmen	2009	9.3	Malin Akerman/Billy Crudup
7	Groundhog Day	1993	9.2	Bill Murray
8	Religulous	2008	9.2	Bill Maher
9	The Shawshank Redemption	1994	9.1	Tim Robbins/Morgan Freeman
10	Doubt	2008	9.1	Meryl Streep/Philip Seymour Hoffman

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