Terminator
Rating: C/2 – “In the few hours we had together we loved a lifetime’s worth.” What kind of a line is that? Not that it’s dumb (it was meant to encapsulate the strong bond between the lovers), just that it is ridiculous in that the type of love that lasts a few hours is not love at all. He was protecting her and she felt sorry for him for never having “loved” anyone, so she basically just opened herself up to him and it was “true love”. Boloney. (Read rest of review on movies.losanderson.com)
Erin Brockovich
Rating: B/2 – Is it ever appropriate to sacrifice your family (not just a day here or there, but large chunks of the day, months at a time, perhaps years) in order to achieve a sense of self accomplishment that they feel they need in the work force?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rating: B/2 – The one good thing that came out of McMurphy ending up in the asylum was his attempt to get all the patients in the place to pretend like they weren’t there. Anytime the nurses reminded them of their condition/location, McMurphy would rebel and end up lifting the spirits of those around him (a classic scene is the baseball game). McMurphy eventually ended up getting carried away and realized too late that he had gone too far. **Visit the site to read the rest of the review and vote on the poll!**
The Informant!
Rating: B/3 – The Informant! did a good job of showing the consequences of lying and trying to cover up the lies as they become discovered. If you try to cover things up, things don’t get better or disappear. A right action doesn’t always make-up for a wrong action, especially if that right action is by no means a restitution of the wrong doing.
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The Lost Boys
I saw this movie a while back, but thought it would be appropriate to post a review after hearing the news of Corey Haim’s unfortunate death yesterday. I don’t know why, but I’ve come across this film (never seen it) quite a few times in my life and for some reason thought it was more highly acclaimed than it actually was. It was a special on whatever channel does “Movies for Guys who like Movies,” so they obviously thought it was good. Even edited for TV the film was rather violent. I’m perplexed at whatever the rationale is of creating an R-rated film targeted to young teenagers, when they normally can’t watch the film without an adult. Granted I’m an adult and I saw it of my own accord, but I didn’t really enjoy it. At first I thought it was rather a waste of my time having sat and watched it, but reflecting on it more I came to some pretty neat realizations. [Visit movies.losanderson.com to read the rest of the review.]
The Departed
Synopsis Two men who share similar backgrounds pursue very different courses in their lives. One (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover and joins the Irish Mafia, unbeknownst to the rest of the police force. The other (Matt Damon), a member of the mafia, joins the police force and plays the good cop while helping the Mafia [...]
Gladiator
Synopsis Maximus, general of the Roman army, declines to serve the new Emperor and ends up a slave/gladiator fighting for his life and for the entertainment of others. When he is brought to Rome and fights before the new Caesar he eventually realizes his power, even as a slave, to turn the people against the [...]
Kung Fu Hustle
Synopsis A young man, Sing (played by director Stephen Chow), aspires to join a 1940′s Chinese axe-mafia group. The mafia runs into some resistance in an apartment complex that still fosters the spirit of Kung fu. Desperate to punish them, the mafia releases The Beast, who also is a master of Kung fu. At the [...]
Frost/Nixon
Synopsis This film covered the preparation and the airing of the historical 4-day interview David Frost conducted with former president Richard Nixon. Some wanted the interview to be the trial Nixon never received (due to Ford’s pardon); others simply wanted the experience of interviewing one of the most controversial men in history. Entertainment Value I’m [...]
Fight Club
The fight-club aspect of the movie is what made me interested in seeing it. I have some fond memories of the bare-knuckle fist-fights that happened at boys camps to resolve any angst or bad feelings between other kids (though never involved in any directly). But this movie was much more than just a couple of [...]