Mobsters (1991)
There really is no reason for me to like this movie as much as I do. The production quality isn't that high and there's nothing really new or different about it as a mob film. But there's something about it (which could possibly be the presence of a very young Patrick Dempsey and fresh off of 21 Jump Street Richard Grieco) that I really enjoy. I have no idea how much of it is fictionalized, but it's a fun romp that goes through pre-organized crime New York into the formation of the five mafia families. The whole love story with Lara Flynn Boyle is wholly unnecessary, but oh well. Throughly enjoyable.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Showing posts with label Former Top 100. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Former Top 100. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Bonus Midnight Movie
New Moon (2009)
I'll admit it - I'm a closet Twilighter. I know that the books aren't great books and that the messages they send are a little iffy, but the books and movies are just so much fun! I think that the change in director was beneficial to the series, as Catherine Hardwicke was just a little too inexperienced to have taken on such a huge franchise. There were far fewer technical problems with this film. The wolves left a little to be desired, but after the tragedy that was the werewolf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm inclined to give anyone else the benefit of the doubt. The characters are much more developed in this movie - each vampire isn't only identifiable by one character trait (Emmett is strong! Jasper's in pain! Alice is weird!) like the first one. They have more rounded personalities. I think that all of the actors have improved a lot, especially Taylor Lautner, and the entire movie is worth it to watch Carlisle Cullen looking gorgeous as he stitches up Bella's arm after her ill-fated birthday party. Rawr!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
I'll admit it - I'm a closet Twilighter. I know that the books aren't great books and that the messages they send are a little iffy, but the books and movies are just so much fun! I think that the change in director was beneficial to the series, as Catherine Hardwicke was just a little too inexperienced to have taken on such a huge franchise. There were far fewer technical problems with this film. The wolves left a little to be desired, but after the tragedy that was the werewolf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm inclined to give anyone else the benefit of the doubt. The characters are much more developed in this movie - each vampire isn't only identifiable by one character trait (Emmett is strong! Jasper's in pain! Alice is weird!) like the first one. They have more rounded personalities. I think that all of the actors have improved a lot, especially Taylor Lautner, and the entire movie is worth it to watch Carlisle Cullen looking gorgeous as he stitches up Bella's arm after her ill-fated birthday party. Rawr!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Thursday, November 5, 2009
November 4, 2009
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Even though this is not one of his Westerns, this movie is very clearly John Ford. It features the sharply contrasting black and white, the long shots featuring endless land and sky, and even contains a shot of Monument Valley - the iconic landscape that he used so often in his other films. John Steinbeck's book is bleak, but the movie ends on a more hopeful note. Henry Fonda's famous "I'll be there" speech is moving, but the lack of a musical score makes the scene feel a little flat. The end is hope mixed with sorrow, since this is before the time of the Internet and cell phones, and anyone who happens to leave the family will most likely never see them again.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Even though this is not one of his Westerns, this movie is very clearly John Ford. It features the sharply contrasting black and white, the long shots featuring endless land and sky, and even contains a shot of Monument Valley - the iconic landscape that he used so often in his other films. John Steinbeck's book is bleak, but the movie ends on a more hopeful note. Henry Fonda's famous "I'll be there" speech is moving, but the lack of a musical score makes the scene feel a little flat. The end is hope mixed with sorrow, since this is before the time of the Internet and cell phones, and anyone who happens to leave the family will most likely never see them again.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Monday, October 19, 2009
October 18, 2009
Nosferatu (1922)
This has often been called one of the scariest adaptations of Dracula ever. I'm inclined to agree with that - even with a static soundtrack (instead of one that was improvised by the pianist and changed with each showing) and deteriorated quality of the print (though it's far better than some other films surviving of the time), it's very chilling. It's interesting, because according to Wikipedia, F.W. Murneau had to change several of the names and events that pointed to it being a version of Dracula, due to copyright laws, but the version I watched very clearly called them Dracula, Jonathan Harker, etc. The only difference is that Mina Harker became Nina Harker. I love German Expressionism, which this movie falls under, for its shadows and hard angles, and twisted views of society. I think that modern horror owes a lot to this movement. It is amusing to me, though, that Dracula (or Count Orlaf, depending I guess on what version you're watching) thinks that anyone wouldn't be able to tell he's a vampire - the makeup that they put him in leaves no question.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
This has often been called one of the scariest adaptations of Dracula ever. I'm inclined to agree with that - even with a static soundtrack (instead of one that was improvised by the pianist and changed with each showing) and deteriorated quality of the print (though it's far better than some other films surviving of the time), it's very chilling. It's interesting, because according to Wikipedia, F.W. Murneau had to change several of the names and events that pointed to it being a version of Dracula, due to copyright laws, but the version I watched very clearly called them Dracula, Jonathan Harker, etc. The only difference is that Mina Harker became Nina Harker. I love German Expressionism, which this movie falls under, for its shadows and hard angles, and twisted views of society. I think that modern horror owes a lot to this movement. It is amusing to me, though, that Dracula (or Count Orlaf, depending I guess on what version you're watching) thinks that anyone wouldn't be able to tell he's a vampire - the makeup that they put him in leaves no question.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Sunday, August 23, 2009
August 21, 2009
I know what you're probably saying - why in the world is this on my Top 100 list? You do have to admit that it's the best of the prequel trilogy. The actors certainly did the best they could with what they had to work with. It does have issues - besides the dialogue, there's the ridiculous character of General Greivous - maybe a droid, maybe not a droid, with asthma (huh?) - and the question of why did it take them 20 years to build the first Death Star? However, there are also some pretty good things. I think that the way they made up Ewan McGregor definitely makes it look like he could be a young Alec Guiness. Hayden Christiansen does a decent job making Anakin conflicted and sort of sympathic until he goes and starts slaughtering children (gutsy move on their part, by the way). The entire sequence of Order 66 is very sad and the final scene that echoes Luke's melancholy gaze into Tatooine's twin suns in Episode IV connects the two trilogies nicely. I do wonder, character-wise, why Obi-Wan doesn't just put Anakin out of his misery while they're on the lava planet. It would have been humane and also would have saved the galaxy a lot of trouble.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
March 11, 2009
Behind the Sun (2001)
A young Brazilian man is caught up in the blood feud between his family and his neighbors and is forced to forfeit his life for his family's honor. A traveling circus performer and his little brother's adoration complicate things. Starring Rodrigo Santoro (from Love Actually, who taught us all that when you have a gorgeous naked Brazilian man in your bedroom, you don't kick him out, Laura Linney!), the movie takes place in the harsh desert of northern Brazil and includes beautiful shots of the surrounding landscape. Begins with a murder, ends with a murder, but it's what happens in between that's important.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
A young Brazilian man is caught up in the blood feud between his family and his neighbors and is forced to forfeit his life for his family's honor. A traveling circus performer and his little brother's adoration complicate things. Starring Rodrigo Santoro (from Love Actually, who taught us all that when you have a gorgeous naked Brazilian man in your bedroom, you don't kick him out, Laura Linney!), the movie takes place in the harsh desert of northern Brazil and includes beautiful shots of the surrounding landscape. Begins with a murder, ends with a murder, but it's what happens in between that's important.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
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