Here we go with the second-to-last entry in my 2009 movie odyssey. My top and bottom 10 of the year should be following shortly thereafter.
Dark Victory (1939)
This is a compelling story of a woman who learns she has a terminal brain tumor and how she decides to live out the rest of her life.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Robert Donat is captivating in the role of a British school teacher who teaches Latin to generation after generation of Britain’s finest, ready with words of wisdom for his students, never shy from administering discipline when it is called for, and always willing to build a relationship with his students outside of the classroom.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
I give the writers credit for trying to elevate the film above its B-movie counterparts, but really the only reason to watch this film is the excellent stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen that, while not always realistic in its movements, has a tactile realism to it that CG is still unable to duplicate.
Night of the Creeps (1986)
This is just dumb, forgettable schlock that isn’t even bad enough to get worked up over.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
This is the second-best of the Harry Potter adaptations, streamlining the story from the novel (like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone failed to do) without it feeling rushed and incomplete (like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire failed to do).
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
The only interesting character is Ray Harryhausen’s monster in this B-movie.
The Parent Trap (1961)
Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills are engaging in this cute story with an overly simple ending.
The Elephant Man (1980)
The black and white photography is appropriately stark as Anthony Hopkins tries to find the man inside the monster.
Gotcha! (1985)
A childhood friend liked this movie, and maybe I would have liked it more at 10, but as it is, this is just a dumb, highly implausible, 80s comedy which is only actually interesting during the first five minutes.
The Strongest Man in the World (1975)
The third entry in the Dexter Riley trilogy, most of the jokes fall pretty flat and the plot is too predictable, which is very disappointing considering how entertaining Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972) is.
Coming up next: a couple monster movies and a couple 9s.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
My 2009 Movie Odyssey - Part XIX
Benny & Joon (1993)
Johnny Depp channels Buster Keaton in this funny film with many memorable characters.
Slap Shot (1977)
While the three Hanson Brothers are loads of fun to watch, the rest of the movie is pretty flat and it would have been nice to see a little more actual hockey being played on the ice instead of all the constant brawling.
My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
While a mostly compelling story that asks some interesting questions, the constant narrator shifts were silly and the big revelation at the end was unnecessary, felt contrived, and undercut much of the emotional impact of the first hour and a half.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
This is the tragic tale of a movie producer who attracts people through the force of his winning personality and then betrays them.
The Front Page (1931)
There are a few laughs and the director tries valiantly to do interesting things with the camera in this early talkie, but the film is uneven with many dull moments to accompany the fun ones.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
This fun, thrilling swashbuckler features several characters that are so noble and upright that there is no way this movie would be made today given Hollywood’s obsession with flawed heroes.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
The feisty widow, Mrs. Muir, moves into a haunted house and strikes up a relationship with the cantankerous ghost who haunts it, providing a myriad of entertaining scenes as they work out how to coexist.
Brigadoon (1954)
This colorful musical features a couple amusing musical numbers but is a little thin in the area of plot.
The Majestic (2001)
Jim Carrey goes serious as a blacklisted screenwriter with amnesia, but everyone seems to be trying so hard to make a movie with Significance, it falls short of the Preston Sturges-esque comedy it could have been.
Walk the Line (2005)
Reese Witherspoon is so engaging as June Carter Cash that she steals every scene she is in and the rest of the film is cold and empty when she is off-screen.
Coming up next: a couple films from 1939 and a couple more from Ray Harryhausen.
Johnny Depp channels Buster Keaton in this funny film with many memorable characters.
Slap Shot (1977)
While the three Hanson Brothers are loads of fun to watch, the rest of the movie is pretty flat and it would have been nice to see a little more actual hockey being played on the ice instead of all the constant brawling.
My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
While a mostly compelling story that asks some interesting questions, the constant narrator shifts were silly and the big revelation at the end was unnecessary, felt contrived, and undercut much of the emotional impact of the first hour and a half.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
This is the tragic tale of a movie producer who attracts people through the force of his winning personality and then betrays them.
The Front Page (1931)
There are a few laughs and the director tries valiantly to do interesting things with the camera in this early talkie, but the film is uneven with many dull moments to accompany the fun ones.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
This fun, thrilling swashbuckler features several characters that are so noble and upright that there is no way this movie would be made today given Hollywood’s obsession with flawed heroes.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
The feisty widow, Mrs. Muir, moves into a haunted house and strikes up a relationship with the cantankerous ghost who haunts it, providing a myriad of entertaining scenes as they work out how to coexist.
Brigadoon (1954)
This colorful musical features a couple amusing musical numbers but is a little thin in the area of plot.
The Majestic (2001)
Jim Carrey goes serious as a blacklisted screenwriter with amnesia, but everyone seems to be trying so hard to make a movie with Significance, it falls short of the Preston Sturges-esque comedy it could have been.
Walk the Line (2005)
Reese Witherspoon is so engaging as June Carter Cash that she steals every scene she is in and the rest of the film is cold and empty when she is off-screen.
Coming up next: a couple films from 1939 and a couple more from Ray Harryhausen.
Monday, December 28, 2009
My 2009 Movie Odysey - Part XVIII
Ponyo (2008)
The latest offering from Hayao Miyazaki is very cute and charming with plenty of memorable characters, and while the visuals are not as opulent as Spirited Away (2001) or Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), they are still quite lovely.
Public Enemies (2009)
Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are both quite good as they face off against each other, but I had a hard time keeping track of all the supporting characters and the best parts of the movie were the closeups of Myrna Loy from Manhattan Melodrama (1934).
Star Trek (2009)
This was a whole lot of fun with a great cast, especially Simon Pegg as a very funny Scotty, with the only real complaint I can come up with is that they sacrificed a bit too much of the philosophical musings that are is signature of Star Trek in favor of more action (and a few too many lens flares).
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
This is a pleasant little movie featuring Cary Grant, who is endearing as always, and David Niven as a frustrated bishop who gets an unexpected answer to his prayers.
Alien Trespass (2009)
While I applaud their efforts to recreate a B-movie from the 1950s, the sexuality, the obvious use of CG, and the fact that it was in color instead of black and white kept taking me out of the moment and kept it from being an effective homage, but never funny enough to work as a parody.
The Paradine Case (1947)
This courtroom drama never really gets going in the courtroom scenes; what makes the film interesting is how it focuses on how the trial affects all the people involved.
All That Jazz (1979)
This unorthodox musical (it is almost half an hour into the film before someone on screen sings something and is firmly rated R) tells the story of a celebrated Broadway director and choreographer who is working himself to death, and becomes more and more abstract as the film progresses, taking the movie musical into some interesting new places.
Mystery, Alaska (1999)
While the idea of a small-town hockey team taking on an NHL team is a fun idea, what elevates this film over most of the rest of the sports movies out there is the attention it gives to the characters and how the big game affects the whole town.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
The action is mindless, the characters are shallow, the dialog is flat, the villain is too comical to be taken seriously, the robot assistant is annoying as all get out, the big effects set-pieces are unconvincing, and its single redeeming attribute, a song on the soundtrack from They Might Be Giants, lasts only a few seconds, making this movie every bit as dumb as I though it would be.
Nothing Sacred (1937)
Carole Lombard is very funny in her only Technicolor appearance as a woman who is incorrectly diagnosed with terminal radium poisoning, and only learns this fact after a reporter for a major New York newspaper decides to write a series of public interest articles on her tragic story.
Coming up next: more hockey and an unconventional ghost story.
The latest offering from Hayao Miyazaki is very cute and charming with plenty of memorable characters, and while the visuals are not as opulent as Spirited Away (2001) or Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), they are still quite lovely.
Public Enemies (2009)
Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are both quite good as they face off against each other, but I had a hard time keeping track of all the supporting characters and the best parts of the movie were the closeups of Myrna Loy from Manhattan Melodrama (1934).
Star Trek (2009)
This was a whole lot of fun with a great cast, especially Simon Pegg as a very funny Scotty, with the only real complaint I can come up with is that they sacrificed a bit too much of the philosophical musings that are is signature of Star Trek in favor of more action (and a few too many lens flares).
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
This is a pleasant little movie featuring Cary Grant, who is endearing as always, and David Niven as a frustrated bishop who gets an unexpected answer to his prayers.
Alien Trespass (2009)
While I applaud their efforts to recreate a B-movie from the 1950s, the sexuality, the obvious use of CG, and the fact that it was in color instead of black and white kept taking me out of the moment and kept it from being an effective homage, but never funny enough to work as a parody.
The Paradine Case (1947)
This courtroom drama never really gets going in the courtroom scenes; what makes the film interesting is how it focuses on how the trial affects all the people involved.
All That Jazz (1979)
This unorthodox musical (it is almost half an hour into the film before someone on screen sings something and is firmly rated R) tells the story of a celebrated Broadway director and choreographer who is working himself to death, and becomes more and more abstract as the film progresses, taking the movie musical into some interesting new places.
Mystery, Alaska (1999)
While the idea of a small-town hockey team taking on an NHL team is a fun idea, what elevates this film over most of the rest of the sports movies out there is the attention it gives to the characters and how the big game affects the whole town.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
The action is mindless, the characters are shallow, the dialog is flat, the villain is too comical to be taken seriously, the robot assistant is annoying as all get out, the big effects set-pieces are unconvincing, and its single redeeming attribute, a song on the soundtrack from They Might Be Giants, lasts only a few seconds, making this movie every bit as dumb as I though it would be.
Nothing Sacred (1937)
Carole Lombard is very funny in her only Technicolor appearance as a woman who is incorrectly diagnosed with terminal radium poisoning, and only learns this fact after a reporter for a major New York newspaper decides to write a series of public interest articles on her tragic story.
Coming up next: more hockey and an unconventional ghost story.
Monday, December 21, 2009
My 2009 Movie Odyssey - Part XVII
Following (1998)
The directorial debut from Christopher Nolan tells an interesting story that keeps its audience guessing until the very end with his signature nonlinear storytelling out in full force.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
The beginning is loud, confusing, and overblown, and the ending drags on too long with far too many explosions, but the second act works for the most part with the Transformers actually getting more developed characters this time around.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
It was pleasant enough, but a bit of a disappointment since I rather enjoyed Pride and Prejudice (2005).
At the Circus (1939)
This time around the Marx Brothers play detective in this fun romp that has several wonderfully comic scenes.
Murder at the Vanities (1934)
The film cuts between a murder investigation backstage at a theatre which is rather entertaining and the on stage musical numbers that are obviously inspired by the Ziegfeld follies and surprisingly racy.
San Diego I Love You (1944)
This funny movie about an amateur inventor and his slightly overzealous daughter and their move to San Diego to get funding for one of his inventions is highlighted by a wonderful cameo by Buster Keaton (in which he actually smiles!).
Cavalcade (1933)
Much like Cimarron (1931) and Giant (1956), Cavalcade tries to tell the story of a geographical region through the lens of one family, and just like the former two films, ends up being tedious and far too long (though there were two very memorable moments).
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
James Cagney defines charismatic evil as a gangster just released from prison who becomes an idol for a group of neighborhood kids, much to the chagrin of his childhood friend and local priest.
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
This is a little less dumb than How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) and Buster Keaton’s supporting role is actually funny this time around, taking advantage of his talent for physical comedy instead of ignoring them.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
The scenes with Percy as the Pimpernel and as the upper class twit are both loads of fun, but the rest of the movie drags and could have benefitted from losing half an hour or more of run time.
Coming up next: television translated to the big screen and an unorthodox musical.
The directorial debut from Christopher Nolan tells an interesting story that keeps its audience guessing until the very end with his signature nonlinear storytelling out in full force.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
The beginning is loud, confusing, and overblown, and the ending drags on too long with far too many explosions, but the second act works for the most part with the Transformers actually getting more developed characters this time around.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
It was pleasant enough, but a bit of a disappointment since I rather enjoyed Pride and Prejudice (2005).
At the Circus (1939)
This time around the Marx Brothers play detective in this fun romp that has several wonderfully comic scenes.
Murder at the Vanities (1934)
The film cuts between a murder investigation backstage at a theatre which is rather entertaining and the on stage musical numbers that are obviously inspired by the Ziegfeld follies and surprisingly racy.
San Diego I Love You (1944)
This funny movie about an amateur inventor and his slightly overzealous daughter and their move to San Diego to get funding for one of his inventions is highlighted by a wonderful cameo by Buster Keaton (in which he actually smiles!).
Cavalcade (1933)
Much like Cimarron (1931) and Giant (1956), Cavalcade tries to tell the story of a geographical region through the lens of one family, and just like the former two films, ends up being tedious and far too long (though there were two very memorable moments).
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
James Cagney defines charismatic evil as a gangster just released from prison who becomes an idol for a group of neighborhood kids, much to the chagrin of his childhood friend and local priest.
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
This is a little less dumb than How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) and Buster Keaton’s supporting role is actually funny this time around, taking advantage of his talent for physical comedy instead of ignoring them.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
The scenes with Percy as the Pimpernel and as the upper class twit are both loads of fun, but the rest of the movie drags and could have benefitted from losing half an hour or more of run time.
Coming up next: television translated to the big screen and an unorthodox musical.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
My 2009 Movie Odyssey - Part XVI
Okay, so I'm way behind on my movie odyssey posting. So in the interest of catching up so this doesn't drag too far into 2010, I'm switching to 10 per post instead of my normal 5. Enjoy.
Up (2009)
This is a wonderful tale about friendship and adventure found in unexpected places, full of emotional highs and lows, and even when something happened exactly as I predicted, it still provoked an emotional response.
Das Experiment (2001)
This is a grim tale about a psychology experiment in which volunteers play the roles of prison guards and inmates that gets out of hand and was inspired by an actual experiment.
Sleuth (2007)
This remake took almost everything that was visually interesting from the original and threw it out the window along with most of the compelling elements of the plot and replaced them with a visually boring set, copious amounts of profanity, and a homoerotic ending that came completely out of nowhere and made absolutely no sense.
The Brothers Bloom (2008)
This con man romp from the director of Brick (2005) is a lot of fun with several interesting characters including Bang Bang, a cute explosives expert who never bothers to talk.
Ace in the Hole (1951)
This heartbreaking indictment of sensationalist journalism features an excellent performance by Kirk Douglas who stars as newspaper reporter who manufactures a human interest story that captures the imagination of the nation, and then does whatever he can to make the publicity wave last as long as possible, no matter what happens to anyone else.
Wings (1927)
I really wanted to like this film that was the first winner of the Best Picture Oscar, but the aerial dogfights were not very thrilling and an overlong sequence where one hotshot pilot gets drunk for the first time grew tedious very quickly.
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
This charming, quiet comedy is almost a silent film and is full of memorable characters and amusing recurring jokes that force the audience to pay attention since so many of them are very subtle.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Stunning photography and a powerful performance by Maria Falconetti make this a must-see for cinephiles but should probably be avoided by people who haven’t seen many silent films.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
It is funny and feels like a long episode, but doesn’t break any new ground.
I.Q. (1994)
This is a cute movie about intelligent people being foolishly in love and a wonderful posse of elderly scientists led by Albert Einstein which reminded me (favorably) of Ball of Fire (1941).
Coming up next: my final best picture winner.
Up (2009)
This is a wonderful tale about friendship and adventure found in unexpected places, full of emotional highs and lows, and even when something happened exactly as I predicted, it still provoked an emotional response.
Das Experiment (2001)
This is a grim tale about a psychology experiment in which volunteers play the roles of prison guards and inmates that gets out of hand and was inspired by an actual experiment.
Sleuth (2007)
This remake took almost everything that was visually interesting from the original and threw it out the window along with most of the compelling elements of the plot and replaced them with a visually boring set, copious amounts of profanity, and a homoerotic ending that came completely out of nowhere and made absolutely no sense.
The Brothers Bloom (2008)
This con man romp from the director of Brick (2005) is a lot of fun with several interesting characters including Bang Bang, a cute explosives expert who never bothers to talk.
Ace in the Hole (1951)
This heartbreaking indictment of sensationalist journalism features an excellent performance by Kirk Douglas who stars as newspaper reporter who manufactures a human interest story that captures the imagination of the nation, and then does whatever he can to make the publicity wave last as long as possible, no matter what happens to anyone else.
Wings (1927)
I really wanted to like this film that was the first winner of the Best Picture Oscar, but the aerial dogfights were not very thrilling and an overlong sequence where one hotshot pilot gets drunk for the first time grew tedious very quickly.
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
This charming, quiet comedy is almost a silent film and is full of memorable characters and amusing recurring jokes that force the audience to pay attention since so many of them are very subtle.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Stunning photography and a powerful performance by Maria Falconetti make this a must-see for cinephiles but should probably be avoided by people who haven’t seen many silent films.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
It is funny and feels like a long episode, but doesn’t break any new ground.
I.Q. (1994)
This is a cute movie about intelligent people being foolishly in love and a wonderful posse of elderly scientists led by Albert Einstein which reminded me (favorably) of Ball of Fire (1941).
Coming up next: my final best picture winner.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
My 2009 Movie Odyssey - Part XV
For Me and My Gal (1942)
Judy Garland is pretty, Gene Kelley is charming, and there are some nice musical numbers, which adds up to a pleasantly entertaining piece of film (though I think Judy Garland’s character chose the wrong man in the end).
Taken (2008)
The title should be renamed: “Liam Neeson Kicks Butt.”
Knowing (2009)
There are a couple interesting set pieces (namely Nicholas Cage wandering through the wreckage of a plane that just crashed) but the payoff, filled with hijacked Christian symbolism, left me thinking that the whole thing would have been much better if done as a half hour Twilight Zone episode.
Caught (1949)
The movie asks some interesting relationship questions, but the ending feels overly contrived and too much like a copout.
Manhattan (1979)
Woody Allen has troubles with his love life; isn’t this the plot of every one of his films?
Coming up next: a couple more single word titles, one vastly superior to the other.
Judy Garland is pretty, Gene Kelley is charming, and there are some nice musical numbers, which adds up to a pleasantly entertaining piece of film (though I think Judy Garland’s character chose the wrong man in the end).
Taken (2008)
The title should be renamed: “Liam Neeson Kicks Butt.”
Knowing (2009)
There are a couple interesting set pieces (namely Nicholas Cage wandering through the wreckage of a plane that just crashed) but the payoff, filled with hijacked Christian symbolism, left me thinking that the whole thing would have been much better if done as a half hour Twilight Zone episode.
Caught (1949)
The movie asks some interesting relationship questions, but the ending feels overly contrived and too much like a copout.
Manhattan (1979)
Woody Allen has troubles with his love life; isn’t this the plot of every one of his films?
Coming up next: a couple more single word titles, one vastly superior to the other.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
My 2009 Movie Odyssey - Part XIV
The 400 Blows (1959)
This is an interesting character study of a young boy who constantly finds himself in trouble (played wonderfully by Jean-Pierre Leaund) but nothing really happens.
Southland Tales (2006)
This is the most bizarre, confusing, poorly written, poorly acted, inconsistent, unbelievable, and downright dirty beer commercial I have ever seen.
Ikiru (1952)
This is the compelling story of an old man with only a few months to live, who decides to make something of what little life he has left despite the ineffectual bureaucracy that surrounds him.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Oliver Stone makes a football movie that is entertaining while it lasts.
Catch-22 (1970)
This war time comedy is irreverent and sometimes surreal and is very reminiscent of MASH, which coincidentally came out the same year.
Coming up next: four one word titles.
This is an interesting character study of a young boy who constantly finds himself in trouble (played wonderfully by Jean-Pierre Leaund) but nothing really happens.
Southland Tales (2006)
This is the most bizarre, confusing, poorly written, poorly acted, inconsistent, unbelievable, and downright dirty beer commercial I have ever seen.
Ikiru (1952)
This is the compelling story of an old man with only a few months to live, who decides to make something of what little life he has left despite the ineffectual bureaucracy that surrounds him.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Oliver Stone makes a football movie that is entertaining while it lasts.
Catch-22 (1970)
This war time comedy is irreverent and sometimes surreal and is very reminiscent of MASH, which coincidentally came out the same year.
Coming up next: four one word titles.
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