Ed Wood

A movie by Tim Burton about the man who was voted the "Worst Director in Film History"? Sounds good! Starring Johnny Depp as the infamous Edward D. Wood, Jr., Ed Wood is really a fun movie to watch. Wood's unstoppable optimism and clear and complete lack of talent and ability make for an extremely enjoyable watch.

7/10

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Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

Although it is obviously an extremely romanticized account of the killers and robbers, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, this movie was an extremely enjoyable watch. All the acting, from the likes of Dunaway, Beatty, Hackman, and Pollard, was absolutely top-notch. The directing was excellent as well, and brought about a clear picture of Depression-era times. The ending was perhaps one of the most violent and, somehow, cathartic of any movie I've seen.

Finally, Gene Wilder's short part as the memorable undertaker Eugene Grizzard makes for the absolute best and most hilarious part of movie. Even if you don't have the time/interest to see this movie, watching Wilder's ~7 minutes on the screen is highly recommended.

8/10

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Vicky Christina Barcelona

After seeing that Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for "Best Supporting Actress" for her work in this film, and that it was directed and written by Woody Allen, I decided to give it a shot. Definitely not the type of film I typically enjoy (or even watch), but this movie really wasn't bad at all. The Wes Anderson-esque narration of the film was a nice touch.

In many ways this felt like a fairly "flat" film. In some ways it seemed to be Woody Allen merely fantasizing a world where sexual promiscuity and wanton morality make a person "deep" or somehow more "insightful" than those who follow those old-fashioned ideas monogamy and faithfulness to one's partner.

5/10

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Dune (1984)

I've wanted to read the novels and see this film as well as the SciFi Channel's late 1990s Dune miniseries for a long time.

So, having no time to read for pleasure, I rented the extended cut of this film from Netflix. The opening sequence had obviously been tacked on as extra prologue/exposition, because it was a series of paintings with a voice over that sought to explain EVERYTHING at the very beginning. It would have been forgivable if not for its rushed nature and the incomprehensible names, planets, and terms tossed around with no frame of reference. At least "Mordor" and "Gollum" are names I could spell out phonetically...

Needless to say I was asleep before the prologue was finished.

Upon its release, critic Roger Ebert gave Dune one star out of four and wrote "This movie is a real mess, an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time."

Needless to say, despite my initial encounter with the film and Mr. Ebert's blurb, I am always intrigued when a director tries to tackle an epic from literature, and while they tend to fail miserably, perhaps with Dune having no love or familiarity with the source, I'll find something redeeming ina film with a troubled production history and generally negative reviews.

Doubt

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie. The film has earned praise and award nominations galore, and at the same time, the subject matter of the film did not appeal to me. However, the presence of Philip Seymour Hoffman in this film made me finally decide to see it. And I'm so glad that I did.

Truly, this is one of the best films I have seen this year. Streep, Adams, and Hoffman were all absolutely PERFECT in their respective roles, and the story allows for much viewer mental participation. Never before have I seen a movie with so many long dialogue scenes, but where at no point do these scenes seem tedious or tiresome. Even a few days after watching this movie, I am still thinking about it. 

10/10

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Small Time Crooks

Written by and starring Woody Allen, this movie is, quite simply, hilarious. Allen's deadpan, self-deprecating humor is right on. His supporting cast is pretty funny as well. If you're someone who enjoys Allen's brand of humor and can watch and enjoy a Woody Allen movie without thinking about Woody-Allen-the-person-in-real-life, then this movie is highly recommended.

7/10

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28 Weeks Later

Following on the heels of the excellent 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later picks up 28 weeks after the initial outbreak of the rage virus on the British mainland. The infected have all died of starvation, and, with the help of the U.S. military, the island is being re-populated.

Although lacking in much of the Danny Boyle-driven subtlety and artistic direction that made the original movie so great, 28 Weeks Later manages to be a very good movie in its own right, albeit in more of a "standard horror film" sort of way. One thing particularly notable about this movie is the extreme tension the viewer feels throughout, well, pretty much the entire thing. This can make for quite the intense movie-watching experience.

7/10

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Glengarry Glen Ross

I don't even remember how I first heard of this movie, but once I looked it up and saw that it starred Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey, I knew I had to see it.

This is a movie that has a lot of things working against it: the title is perhaps once of the most unappealing ever (who wants to see a movie called "Glengarry Glen Ross"?), the opening credits roll by in a somewhat irritating style (you'd have to see it to understand), and the music to the opening credits is saxophone-based 80's-sounding smooth jazz. Extremely annoying. Also, although I don't usually mind swearing in movies too much, this one really overdoes it.

Although the plot to this movie is somewhat dull (salesmen trying to make sales), the stellar performances of Pacino, Lemmon, Baldwin, and Spacey make for some memorable lines delivered with spectacular flair. Overall this is a "take it or leave it" movie.

6/10

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S1m0ne

I'm really not sure how I sat through this entire movie. Talk about a movie that drags its feet. I had assumed that a cast that included Al Pacino, Winona Ryder, Evan Rachel Wood, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Jason Schwartzman would make for a good film. I was wrong. The idea was good, and at the end of the movie it picked up a bit, but a good one hour chunk in the center of this flick could have been eliminated completely.

4/10

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Straightheads

This bizarre Gillian Anderson terror/suspense/revenge flick just kinda didn't work for me. It felt like it was thrown together rather haphazardly and the director said, "OK I need a beginning and a middle and an end." And was it just me, or was the male protagonist just as unlikable as the antagonists? Don't waste your time.

4/10

IMDB Link

28 Days Later

I finally gave this movie a chance. And you know what? I was impressed. It's generally filed under "horror", but don't be fooled: this is a quality movie. Danny Boyle gives us his best version of a doomsday virus scenario for jolly old England. Seriously, this movie is very good. Camera work and effects are top notch. Fast-moving-zombies? No. A virus. "Rage" virus. Spectacular flick.  

9/10

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Highlander

There is nary a movie so epic, so cheesy, so decidedly-80's, as the classic bit of leg-warmer inspired Scottish charm, Highlander. HOW did this movie, which came out the same year I was born (1986) escape my viewing for so long?

This movie left me wanting to sing along with the inspired Queen-performed soundtrack, raising my fist to air and delcaring "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!"

8/10

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Valkyrie

In the end it's a great flick about a failed assassination of Hitler.

The Tom Cruise led cast blends perfectly into their roles. Definitely a worthwhile WWII movie.

8/10

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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

This movie ranks on quite a few lists of "Top 20" or "Top 10" horror movies of all time. Now I see why. Part Psycho, part Friday the 13th, Henry gives the viewer a look into the mind and actions of a serial killer. Loosely (very loosely) based on the real American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, this film makes for quite a chilling watch. A rather low budget film from 1986, the movie's grainy look gives it an almost documentary-like quality, making it even more chilling. Although many of the scenes are rather violent and bloody, the film never feels like it's "trying" to be a "horror" movie, nor does the violence feel "gratuitous."

Because it is violent, I cannot honestly "recommend" this film, but it was very well-made, and Michael Rooker's depiction of Henry makes one wonder why he is typically a "B-movie/TV" actor.

7/10

IMDB Link

Punishment Park

I had heard a bit about "Punishment Park" as a sort of "cult classic," so I decided to give it a whirl.  This movie is made in the style of a "pseudo-documentary" and is supposed to be about the U.S. Government's latest rehabilitation for political protesters, draft dodgers, and other seedy-liberal-ne'er-do-wells: Punishment Park. A long trek across a desert (with police and soldiers in pursuit) allows these prisoners to do their "time" in Punishment Park rather than a state penitentiary.  Although there are some things that don't really make sense in the movie (Do they or do they NOT shoot at prisoners for no reason?) the acting is really quite good and this could actually almost convince you that it IS a documentary. Obviously, the movie was trying to make a social point, and a point it made!

6/10

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Welcome to Movies Only!

While I greatly enjoy talking endlessly about movies, I can appreciate the fact that many people do not want to see endless movie posts on The Boring Things. With that in mind, I will be using this blog for posting my many comments, feelings, thoughts, etc, about movies.

I will still post about movies on The Boring Things, but only really good posts. All other movie discussion will fall into this blog. And, as to make this blog better and more interesting, I have also invited my friend and cohort Ben into it as an author. So let's get talking! Movies only!