67. Radiant City (2006)
Off DVR, Shown on Sundance Channel (widescreen, uncut)
This is exactly the documentary portrait of suburban life that I've been wanting to see for a while. Having spent a good number of years of my formative years in a suburban like area I could immediately relate to all of the criticisms of suburban living compared to city living. The characters in this are great, Highly Recommended if you lived in the suburbs at one time. Highlight text below for a spoiler review.
*SPOILERS* So at the end of the film you find out that these aren't real people but actors who also live out in the suburbs, but it doesn't entirely ruin the points being made in the movie because a lot of the points made are still valid, I just wish the documentarians had gotten real people. My fake radar went off a few times during the film but I didn't ultimately realize it tell the end.
02/23/2008
65. The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
This movie covers the scope of an investigation of track down an unknown assassin, and it's all in the details and the details take forever. You definitely notice the running time of the movie but that doesn't detract from it too much because it's based on a book that is quite sizable also. But this is kind of dated but still a good watch. Average Watch
66. Lust, Caution (2007) Unrated Cut
Other Means
I really like this movie and I highly recommened it. I have more to say buy you'll have to highlight text below for a spoiler review.
*SPOILERS* So Mr. Yee treats our main characters like a piece of meat the whole time and is extremely rough with her, and then when he buys her a diamond then she had feelings for him and spares his life? Why? She gets killed because of it, I didn't really believe that she could fall in love with him considering how brutal a lover he was. That is my only problem with this movie.
02/22/2008
64. My Blueberry Nights (2007)
Other Means
Having been a fan of Wong Kar-Wai's for awhile now I couldn't wait to dig in and watch this movie, and I have to say, Wong's trademarks are all over this movie and it feels like it belongs with the rest of his films in terms of subject matter and the story themes. It basically has several vignettes as our main characters goes across the country and while many people are saying Noah Jones shouldn't have been cast as the lead, my problems aren't with her, it's with the miscasting of Natalie Portman in her role, the movie really suffers for it and she just doesn't work in this role, it's not really her fault. If you've never seen any of Wong Kar-Wai's other films than this really isn't the one to start with. Average Watch for Wong Kar-Wai fans.
02/21/2008
62. Absence of Malice (1981)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
This movie ultimately shows the responsibility the media has to the people, and if it had just been about that I would have liked it more but they had to throw in the romance angle into the movie and it kind of goes pear shaped from there. This movie appears a little dated, and has pacing problems, I felt like I was watching this all day but it's only a two hour movie. Sally Fields is actually attractive in this movie which is weird because in the movies that came out while I was growing up she was the grandma. Above average journalistic viewpoint, Below average romance.
63. King Rat (1965)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
I'm a big George Siegal fan, and I think my generation really missed out on his talent because he was known to me as that old guy on that bad show (Just Shoot Me). He shines here as the title character and in the genre of World War II prison camp movies (that's right, there are so many of them they have there own genre) this one might night be as snappy as Stalag 17, but it stands on it's own and was really the own one to show a homoerotic streak running through the camp, right under the surface. This one is a long one though and you feel it's run time, but it's still worth a watch. Great black and white photography.
02/20/2008
59. The Star Chamber (1983)
Off DVR, Shown on Fox Movie Channel (widescreen, uncut)
Michael Douglas plays... surprise a judge. This movie has a good set-up and development but it kind of loses sight of the main goals towards the end and becomes just another 80's movie. Slightly Below Average Watch
60. Goya's Ghosts (2006)
Other Means
This movie like We Own the Night has a great cast, but kind of ruins things in the execution of things. The movie is about three characters, and it should have stayed on that course but about half way through the film revolution breaks out and we get a little too much perspective and stray away from the main characters and the film flounders. There are serious pacing problems here also, after sitting though this I was convinced the running time was a shade over 2 and a half hours but it's actually only a little over 100 minutes. Below Average (although I've been a Javier Bardem fan for years this was still painful to sit though, but it wasn't his fault)
61. Cassandra's Dream (2007)
Other Means
I've been one of the people that has enjoyed all of Woody's recent output since Match Point and this film continues in the same vein. Outstanding cast and performances, there's only a few Woody touches here and there. Slightly Above Average Watch.
02/19/2008
58. U2 3D (2007)
In Theaters
I went to see this on a whim because I had been wanting to check out this new Digital Projection 3D technology that James Cameron was going to be using for his next couple films. Wow, I wish that all films where using this 3D technology, I can't truly describe it, but after ten minutes or so you get more used to the 3D and you start to accept the depth of the picture and stuff just seems more real. I know the tickets are a little extra but it's worth because this does not translate at all for the moment to the home movie theaters, and in the future when it does, the screen is still alot bigger in the theater and more overwhelming. Above Average Watch.
02/18/2008
55. Save the Tiger (1973)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
I've always been a big Jack Lemmon fan. Jack plays a garment company president that is putting on a very important runway show that will effect whether the company goes under or not, except there is no fashion industry glamour here, only business. Highly Recommended Viewing if you get the chance
56. Commando (1985)
Off DVR, Shown on Fox Movie Channel (widescreen, uncut)
Boom, Boom, Blam, Bang. There is the screenplay for this movie, but it works because it's a classic Arnold vehicle and it's under ninety minutes. This movie is a barrel of laughs and tons of fun, the topper when one handedly invades Scarface's compound and kills two hundred people including Scarface and only get hit twice with return fire. CLASSIC!
57. We Own the Night (2007)
Other Means
The individual pieces are better than the sum of the parts. Great cast, good direction, average script=average movie. There isn't anything in this that hasn't been done before. Average Watch
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