True Grit
Coen Bros. improve a classic.
No Country For Old Men
Coen Bros. stong, gripping drama.
The Revenant
Recorded for us to watch.
**
Next:** Films of Reese Witherspoon.
Legally Blonde
Film she seemed born to
do until this came along:
Walk the Line
then this:
Devil’s Knot
she can act.
NextThree more films where an actor goes from “kinda shallow” to “Wow. Who knew?”
Well played, Rivkah.
Wet Hot American Summer
Bradley Cooper in camp spoof…
The Hangover
… does even better in Vegas…
Limitless
…stunning as junkie, tycoon, candidate!
Next: Movies set in whole or in part at the White House
Shucks.
Dick
White House tour finds Nixon.
Mars Attacks
Scenes of Oval Office mouth-frothing.
Murder at 1600
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.
Next: American movies about foreign heads-of-state.
The Phantom Menace
Queen Amidala notices annoying kid
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Aragorn becomes Elessar; gets hitched
The Young Victoria
Princess becomes Queen; gets hitched
Next: Movies about baseball
The Bad News Bears
Klutzy kids rely on ringers.
Eight Men Out
Fairly accurate Black Sox story.
Pride of the Yankees
The story of Lou Gehrig.
Next: movies with a slow clap scene.
Cool Runnings
Jamaicans at the Winter Olympics.
The Breakfast Club
Detention kids pass the time.
Scent of a Woman
Al Pacino sayeth “Hoo ha.”
Next: Films that should never be colorized.
Citizen Kane
Classic should stay black, white.
Casablanca
Colorize Bogie, Bergman? No way!
Schindler’s List
Better just as it was.
Next: Movies about resistance movements
To Be or Not to Be
Polish Repertory Theater resists Nazis.
Metropolis
Teenager preaches to oppressed workers.
Star Wars
Rebels resist the evil Empire.
Next: movies with a feminist bend.
The Help
Writer, servants confront Jim Crow
Personal Best
Olympic athletes strive, learn, love
Norma Rae
Spunky union organizer never quits
Next: Uber-macho movies
Uber-macho movies
Commando
Schwarzenegger is one man army
The Expendables
Action heroes get together again
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo wins Vietnam war alone
Next: Movies featuring a clown
Chocolat*
First black clown in France.
Gacy
Serial killer is also clown.
Poltergeist
Haunted doll spawned much coulrophobia.
Next: movie where clown, juggler, magician, or other circus/sideshow type performer turned out to be evil.
Hmm. Can’t think of three that fit.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Masterful presentation of Bradbury tale.
Magic
Magician-ventriloquist kills with dummy.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Pass this turkey right by.
Next: Non-Tolkein high fantasy films
The Wizard of Oz
Cf. LOTR, FX simplistic; masterpiece.
Harry Potter And the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Great, but still no WOO.
The Dark Crystal
Muppets meet Dungeons and Dragons.
Next: more non-Tolkein fantasy films.
The Princess Bride
Silly, funny and endlessly quotable
Excalibur
King Arthur rises to power
Ladyhawke
Cursed lovers helped by thief
Next: Movies about thieves
The Unholy Three
Silent and sound, same cast.
How to Steal a Million
Turns out thief [SPOILER ALERT].
The Bicycle Thief
Very, very, very, very depressing.
Next: movies with “loose” scripts, where the actors were encouraged to improvise.
This Is Spinal Tap
First of Chris Guest’s mockumentaries.
Aladdin
Robin Williams improvised Genie’s dialogue.
Tootsie
All of Bill Murray’s dialogue.
**Next: ** Movies adapted from stage shows that look like it.
Oleanna
Snoozefest (x5)
Children of a Lesser god
But it was good anyway.
Steel Magnolias
Not good. Neither was play.
Next: movies with little action that are still good.
Casablanca
One tussle, otherwise mostly talk
Pride & Prejudice
Classic romance - great cast, script
*
Gone Girl*
Psychological thriller’s true to novel
Next: Action flicks that transcend the genre