Tis the season to be jolly.
The Outsiders
1983 3/5 - good
C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe
The movie details a town split between the wealthy South Zone gang called 'The Socials' and the poor North Zone gang called 'The Greasers'. Dallas Winston, Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade from 'The Greasers' befriend the rich Cherry Valance and Marcia at a drive-in. Later that night, a group of 'The Socs' chase and beat up Johnny and attempt to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. However, Johnny stabs one Soc and kills him, saving Ponyboy. The desperate boys seek Dallas who finds a hideout for them in a nearby town. One week later, Johnny and Ponyboy decide to return to their hometown, with Dallas, to claim the murder as self-defense. But on their way back, they see the church on fire and Ponyboy and Johnny help the children trapped in the church and become heroes. However Johnny is badly wounded and confined to the hospital. Meanwhile The Socs and The Greasers prepare to fight.
--------
This was shown at school so much so it isn't the first time I've seen it, but it is the first time I really remember it or cared. It was good, of course the book was better. I really liked the cast, obviously, and Matt Dillon was really good in that role.
Up
2009 2/5 - nothing special
A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure-spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a lost land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However, he has a stowaway aboard: an 8-year-old boy named Russell, who's trying to get an Assisting the Elderly badge. Together, they embark on an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin.
--------
I didn't think that much of it.
Away We Go
2009 3/5 - good
John Kasinksi, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O'Hara, Allison Janney
Burt Farlander and Verona De Tessant are a couple steeped in eccentricity and irregularity but are very much in love. So when they find out that Verona is pregnant they seem to be taking it in their stride. Verona is enjoying pregnancy, Burt is already practicing skill that he believes a good father should have, and they living in the same state as Burt's parents, Jerry and Gloria, so that their prospective daughter can have grandparents. However, things are shaken up when Burt and Verona go to dinner at Jerry and Gloria's house, as Burt's parents reveal a surprising piece of news. They have decided to move to Antwerp in Belguim a month before the baby is due, scuppering Burt and Verona's plans of having their children's grandparents around. Because Verona lost her parents when she was relatively young, she finds this news very hard to take, but the resilient couple quickly find a way to turn it into a positive...
--------
There was a part where kids were watching (and singing along to) The Sound of Music, Verona asked if it was okay to let kids watch it...I don't know if I want to live in a world where you can't show your kids The Sound of Music.
Apollo 13
1995 2/5 - nothing special
Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxon
Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It's 1970, and America have already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there's little interest in this "routine" flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.
--------
I suppose this is one of those great classics that everyone should see. I didn't exactly care for it, but that's not saying it was bad. It was just a content watch I guess.
The Very Thought of You
1998 1/5 - pretty bad
Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell, Tom Hollander, Joseph Fiennes
Laurence recounts to his neighbour how his life long friendship with Frank and Daniel has been overturned in just three days by their each independently meeting, and falling for, Martha, who has no idea of their connection. Slowly the tale unfolds, the narrative moving backwards and forwards gradually filling in the gaps until we see the whole picture.
--------
Not a great rom-com, but that didn't stop the stupid grin on my face at the happy ending.
The Island
2005 3/5 - good
Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Bushemi
Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly Utopian but contained facility in the year 2019. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island" - reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones. Lincoln makes a daring escape with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta. Relentlessly pursued by the forces of the sinister institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.
------------
I never heard of this movie, just came across it on tv. It was on at one in the morning and it kept me interested enough to stay up for the end. There was a strong pro life message and I didn't like that aspect much, but it wasn't being shoved down my throught or anything.
Where the Heart Is
2000 3/5 - good
Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, James Frain
Novalee Nation is a pregnant 17-year-old from Tennessee heading to California with her boyfriend Willie Jack, but is abandoned by him at a Wal-Mart store in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. Novalee has no job, no skills and only $5.55 in her pocket, so she secretly lives in the Wal-Mart until her daughter Americus is born six weeks later. Novalee decides to raise her daughter and rebuild her life in Sequoyah, with the help of eccentric but kind strangers. Based on the best-selling novel by Billie Letts.
--------
It wasn't greatm but it was a cute movie. Maybe a little too long. My viewing experience wasn't great either though. The dvd kept skipping all through the end.
Analyze This
1999 1/5 - didn't like
Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow
Ben Sobol, Psychiatrist, has a few problems: His son spies on his patients when they open up their heart, his parents don't want to attend his upcoming wedding and his patients' problems don't challenge him at all. Paul Vitti, Godfather, has a few problems as well: Sudden anxiety attacks in public, a certain disability to kill people and his best part ceasing service when needed. One day, Ben unfortunately crashes into one of Vitti's cars. The exchange of Ben's business card is followed by a business visit of Don Paul Vitti himself, who wants to be free of inner conflict within two weeks, before all the Mafia Dons meet. Now, Ben Sobol feels somewhat challenged, as his wedding is soon, his only patient keeps him busy by regarding Ben's duty as a 24 hour standby and the feds keep forcing him to spy on Paul Vitti. And how do you treat a patient who usually solves problems with a gun?
--------
I thought I might laugh, I didn't.
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012 1/5 - didn't like it
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Sally Field, Rhys Ifans
Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
--------
I did not care for it, and failed to see what everyone was talking about. I really did not like Andrew Garfield, I don't find anything about him appealing. I didn't even like Emma Stone in this movie. Also I would just like to say that it's hard to invest in the Peter/Stacy relationship when you know he's going to end up with Mary Jane.
Serenity
2005 1/5 - bad
Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher
In the future, a spaceship called Serenity is harboring a passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an awesome action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship.
--------
I've thought about getting the Firefly series from Netflxi, because it's so talked about, ya know? I like the premise with Malcolm's crew and River's powers. It's just a bit too action-y for me. Of course I don't really know if the movie is a good basis to judge to tv show.
The Fox and the Hound
1981 2/5 - nothing special
A young fox named Tod is taken in by an old woman after his mother is killed by a hunter. Full of mischief, Young Tod befriends Copper, a hound dog pup. As they grow up, however, their friendship becomes endangered by what they have become; Copper is a hunting dog, and Tod is his prey.
--------
I really thought one of them died and that's what made it so sad. I didn't really like it. Danni would kill me because it's her favorite Disney movie. It seemed to me like a whole bunch of nothing happened.
Anastasia
1997 3/5 - good
The daughter of last Russian Tsar, Anastasia, is found by two Russian men, Dimitri and Vladimir, who seek the reward that her grandmother, Marie, promised to the ones who'll find her. But the evil mystic of the Tsar family, Rasputin, who for some reason survived in this film, still wants the Romanov family to be destroyed forever.
---------
I really liked the romance. Surprise, surprise, right? I thought that on a whole the movie was a little boring, I found myself looking at the clock every now and then.
The Queen
2006 4/5 - wonderful
Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Alex Jennings, Michael Sheen
Diana the 'People's Princess' has died in a car accident in Paris. The Queen and her family decide that for the best, they should remain hidden behind the closed doors of Balmoral Castle. The heartbroken public do not understand and request that the Queen comforts her people. This also puts pressure on newly elected Tony Blair, who constantly tries to convince the monarchy to address the public.
--------
I think the different kinds of reactions to this tragedy was very interesting, and it renewed my interest in Princess Diana's life. I really liked how real media footage was mixed in throughout the movie.
Roman Holiday
1953 4/5 - just fabulous!
Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert
Princess Anne embarks on a highly publicized tour of European capitals. When she and her royal entourage arrive in Rome, she begins to rebel against her restricted, regimented schedule. One night Anne sneaks out of her room, hops into the back of a delivery truck and escapes her luxurious confinement. However, a sedative she was forced to take earlier starts to take effect, and the Princess is soon fast asleep on a public bench. She is found by Joe Bradley, an American newspaper reporter stationed in Rome. He takes her back to his apartment. The next morning Joe dashes off to cover the Princess Anne press conference, unaware that she is sleeping on his couch. Once he realizes his good fortune, Joe promises his editor an exclusive interview with the Princess.
---------
Oh, romance! I really liked it!
A Beautiful Mind
2001 3/5 - good
Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelley, Paul Bettany
Biopic of the famed mathematician John Nash and his lifelong struggles with his mental health. Nash enrolled as a graduate student at Princeton in 1948 and almost immediately stood out as an odd duck. He devoted himself to finding something unique, a mathematical theorem that would be completely original. He kept to himself for the most part and while he went out for drinks with other students, he spends a lot of time with his roommate, Charles, who eventually becomes his best friend. John is soon a professor at MIT where he meets and eventually married a graduate student, Alicia. Over time however John begins to lose his grip on reality, eventually being institutionalized diagnosed with schizophrenia. As the depths of his imaginary world are revealed, Nash withdraws from society and it's not until the 1970s that he makes his first foray back into the world of academics, gradually returning to research and teaching. In 1994, John Nash was awarded the Nobel prize in Economics.
---------
When this started I thought he was just some arrogant asshole, I couldn't understand how anyone could love him, let alone like him as a friend. I still don't really. Even though he was sick, does schizophrenia make him that highy and mighty, so blunt with his feeling, his actions, and his words?
A League of Their Own
1992 1/5 - didn't like it
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty
During World War II when all the men are fighting the war, most of the jobs that were left vacant because of their absence were filled in by women. The owners of the baseball teams, not wanting baseball to be dormant indefinitely, decide to form teams with women. So scouts are sent all over the country to find women players. One of the scouts, passes through Oregon and finds a woman named Dottie Hinson, who is incredible. He approaches her and asks her to try out but she's not interested. However, her sister, Kit who wants to get out of Oregon, offers to go. Bit he agrees only if she can get her sister to go. When they try out, they're chosen and are on the same team. Jimmy Dugan, a former player, who's now a drunk, is the team manager. But he doesn't feel as if it's a real job s he drinks and is not exactly doing his job. So Dottie steps up. After a few months when it appears the girls are not garnering any attention..
--------
I didn't like it very much.
Footloose
1984 3/5 - okay
Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker
Classic tale of teen rebellion and repression features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. When teenager Ren McCormack and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can't quite believe he's living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal. There is one small pleasure, however: Ariel Moore, a troubled but lovely blonde with a jealous boyfriend. And a Bible-thumping minister, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free. Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance, especially since the senior prom is around the corner, but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Fast-paced drama is filled with such now-famous hit songs as the title track and "Let's Hear It for the Boy."
--------
I didn't care for it. I didn't like the main girl's character, and don't care much for Kevin Bacon. What a crazy little town! Could you imagine?