The Classics Series

Its been a very long time since I've written anything, either for this blog or my other one, and late tonight I'm just struck with the bug to get back to it. I'm sure tomorrow morning when I'm tired and grumpy I will regret this choice, but to hell with that for now.

Every few months, Cinemark puts on a series of movies which they call the "Classics Series" and it features 6 films, for 6 weeks in a row. Sometimes they have a theme, and sometimes they are just thrown together. About this time last year my mom and I decided to attend the series, and I've fallen in love with them. We get so excited each time a new one is announced, and it becomes a weekly ritual for us to drive the 40 minutes to League City to see and old movie. Sometimes I've seen the film before, and sometimes they are things I would have never made it through on my own - that's when I'm especially glad we went.

Tonight marked the end of another series, so I'd like to take a brief moment and recap what we saw and what I thought.
First up:

1) On the Waterfront - I would have never watched this film if it wasn't for the series. Black and white, old school Marlon Brando but it really was a good film! I now understand the "I coulda been a contenda, I coulda been somebody" line, and never would have guessed that's the movie it was from.

2) Rear Window - Luckily my mom briefed me on this storyline, otherwise I would have been thoroughly confused in the beginning. I really enjoyed this one; partly probably because I have voyeuristic tendencies and it was a fantastic mystery. That, and Grace Kelly's wardrobe was to die for. It was fantastic to actually sit and watch her on the big screen.

3) Chicago - We skipped this one...we were running late, have seen it before, and didn't really care. So, there's that.

4) Grapes of Wrath - Alright, Steinbeck, we get it. Shit was tough back in the day. Man, talk about a depressing movie! This is another one that I probably wouldn't have ever watched in my own free time, and it was great to see it on the big screen due to the black and white and everyone talking like a hillbilly. The sound being way up and digital really helped. I don't really know if I got the huge literary and symbolic messages I know I was supposed to...but I know that it was really sad and depressing, so I got that much out of it.

5) Shawshank Redemption - I'd seen this before, but this was a great refresher. Again, seeing it on a big screen was fantastic, and really made the story come alive. Sometimes you forget how good Morgan Freeman has been and for how long, and that movie really reminded me.

6) The Silence of the Lambs - I have to be honest, I'd never seen this film. I knew all the quotes, and I can make the Hannibal noise like nobody's business, but I'd never seen the movie. I was thoroughly creeped out, and it made me love Anthony Hopkins even more than I already did. The two characters who stole the show however were Precious, the psychopath's dog, and the cross-eyed PhD Jodie Foster consults with about bugs. The big take away I got from the movie was, despite what you may think, even if you are cross-eyed, you can still earn a PhD.

I highly recommend going to part, or all, of a Cinemark Classic Series if you can. The next one starts April 13th with an awesome TMC Documentary about the Oscars, then the other movies are Ben Hur, the 10 Commandments, Titanic, Gladiator, and Spartacus. Also, if you are a popcorn eater, get the souvenir bucket with $3 refills. Its a helluva deal if you go every week.

See you in the theatre.
A

The Avengers, (and a whole mess of other Marvel movies) The Hobbit, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I get stressed out about blogging, considering how behind on my movie list I am. Then, I remember that I'm the only one that reads this and its just for me, and I should probably just chill. I saw all these movies like a million years ago, but whatever. If you somehow live under a rock and somehow stumble upon this review, maybe I can persuade you to stop watching 'Family Ties' and actually watch a good movie.

'The Avengers' was absolutely incredible. It was by far my favorite movie to date done by Marvel, and I loved the way they worked all of the characters in together. I was totally skeptical going into it, but they had me sold immediately and I loved it. It had the perfect blend of action, romance, comedy and vengeance. There were some incredible one liners in there, that had me absolutely howling, and then they had me on the edge of my seat as well. I can't wait for more stuff from Marvel (IRON MAN 3 COMES OUT TOMORROW Y'ALL) because they consistently put out incredible stuff. (Looks like I started writing, and then what a surprise, put it off some more....considering Iron Man 3 has already gone to DVD I believe, so let me add that)


'Iron Man 3' I thought this was going to be a tired plot, because I wasn't really a fan of the second one, but taking time off seemed to really help their story line. Allowing Stark to develop his character a bit more within the Avengers series paid off, and the Iron Man 3 incarnation was a fun story to watch. The plot line was a little bit predictable and ridiculous, but the action and effects were incredible and it was just a good old fashion fun action movie. It had me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I would say, don't give up on this franchise just yet if you weren't blown away by the second installment. Also, let's be real, Pepper Potts steals the show in this one, so good for her.


'The Wolverine' was also the third installment (I believe) of Hugh Jackman's character Wolverine in the Marvel franchise, and it was not nearly as satisfying. I guess, if we are being technical, this is only the second exclusively Wolverine movie (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and now this) and he also had a huge part in the original X-Men series, although not in 'X-Men: First Class' (he did have a killer cameo though). This plot line revolves around Jackman being summoned to Japan by a man he once saved, and very soon really weird shit ensues. There is always a tinge of crazy in the X-Men movies, but this was just too much. I was too busy wondering what was wrong with the people to focus on the action. Jackman was a badass in the action scenes, but it really didn't leave me wanting more like the X-Men movies normally do; and Wolverine is one of my favorite characters. Let's be real here, I loved the Origins movie, so this one had big shoes to fill...and it didn't.

'The Hobbit' - okay, now, I know people are really mixed on this one. As someone who was incredibly mixed on the whole LOTR experience I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this, but I really do think Peter Jackson did a good job. He took the creative liberties needed to make it more relevant for the screen, but stayed true to the story for the die hard enthusiasts (me). I think people who've never read the book will be able to follow the story and enjoy it, which wasn't the case for the LOTR trilogy. I'm unsure, however, that we actually need a Hobbit trilogy. I think two probably would have done it, but no one is paying me to make these decisions. Regardless, I'm super excited to see the next installment, and I think they've lived up to the hype thus far. The first movie covers from the beginning of the tale (duh) to the group being rescued by the giant eagles, and that's all I will say as to not give anything away if you haven't seen it! But, definitely invest in this trilogy because I think it is going to be much better and a better use of your time than the LOTR saga.

'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' - Yeah, I'm aware this doesn't go with any of these other movies, but it was on the list. I didn't really have a lot of hope for this movie, but it was a cute premise and at the cheap theatre, so I thought what the hell. AND they SO proved me wrong - it was a star studded cast and they delivered an excellent film! It was a great lovable tale about people getting a second wind in life, taking chances, love and travel...what's not to love! The cinematography/visual representations are incredible as the whole thing takes place in India; it definitely made me want to pack up and visit. Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) plays the idealistic and hopeful hotel host, and he definitely makes the film for me.

Additionally, after 'Slumdog Millionaire' I worried that Dev Patel would be pigeonholed and type casted in ethnic specific roles, and this movie definitely didn't help his case. However, he's done an incredible job on the HBO show 'The Newsroom', which if you aren't watching, you are missing out. It just finished its second season, and dear Lord is it a fantastic show! It is definitely worth spending some time on. Do it.

Movies by Mackenzie: History Boys, Philadephia, Witness

I haven't blogged a ton since being in London, which means I'm a wee bit backlogged on movie titles. Good news is, I still remember the movies I watched, and keep good notes. So, I can share them here now! Mackenzie and I had some different tastes in movies at times, so here are some that she either chose or that came from her personal collection:

1) HISTORY BOYS

This movie may have been chosen by both of us actually, who knows. Regardless, it was sort of strange, but became historically and geographically relevant because we watched it right before a trip to Cambridge and some of the scenes were actually shot there. This film was a very realistic portrayal of the British schooling system, and some of the stranger things that happen within it. It wasn't one of my favorites; it moved slowly and was hard to follow at some points. It is rife with Brit culture, slang and references, so if you are into that it is totally for you.

2) PHILADELPHIA

This movie was so freaking good. It came from Mack's personal collection, and I believe is one of Tom Hank's lesser know films. Hanks plays a gay lawyer who is wrongfully terminated from his law firm, and he hires Denzel Washington to represent him in a lawsuit against the firm. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, but especially to anyone dealing with AIDS or an anti-gay community or fight. It was eye-opening and gut-wrenching and just an excellent film. Two lonely thumbs way up for that one, for sure.

3) WITNESS

Okay, I have to be honest. This one didn't really do it for me. It feature Harrison Ford, who is basically Mackenzie's Jesus, so obviously it is one of her faves. That being said, it is Harrison Ford protecting an Amish kid because he accidentally witnessed a murder, then Ford gets wrapped up in the Amish community. There is a little bit of awkward forbidden loving in there, and Ford gets set on the outs by the city folk and then they come after him and totally upset the nice Amish people's way of life and.....I just didn't get it. It wasn't for me.

If you need a Harrison Ford fix, just watch some Star Wars and call it a day, okay?

5 Broken Cameras

I will never be a successful writer, due to my inability to write consistently.

"5 Broken Cameras" was one of the documentary films nominated for an Oscar this year, and I must say, I think it was a slow year for documentaries. It wasn't that it was bad. it just wasn't insanely interesting. The film documented the peaceful movement of farmers in Palestine against the Israeli forces taking land belonging to them along the border in the last ten years. The film maker went through 5 cameras while telling the story, lost friends, suffered personal injury and endangered he and his family's way of life for a long time in order to try and gain back land that was rightfully theirs. It was an interesting way of learning about the conflict, but it was rather slow going, and just didn't do a ton for me.

Unless you are a documentary fanatic, I wouldn't take up vital queue space with this one.

Machine Gun Preacher

I have no idea who recommended this movie to me. Like in all honesty, I don't know any of my friends that would have liked it, and it isn't nominated for awards, so the joke is on me. This movie is a biopic featuring Gerard Butler (rawrrr) and a ton of Sudanese orphans. Butler plays a mess of a guy (drugs, drinks, motorcycles, etc) who finds Jesus and decides to visit Africa per the recommendation of a visiting Pastor. He has a vision from God and takes on two massive building projects, one of which is an orphanage for Sudanese children.
His humanitarian efforts put him in the middle of a war zone, and lots of other things go down. It was an incredibly moving story, because you don't exactly know how to feel all of the time. It tackles religion without really giving a stance on it, and is apparently a true story. It was very interesting, but also somewhat gruesome and heart wrenching due to the subject matter. It tells a current issue in a different light, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the conflicts in Africa.

Buried

I promise this will be short; much like this film.

Well, like this film should have been.

I get it; Ryan Reynolds is trapped underground and its terrifying. I was incredibly uncomfortable during the movie; it was that intense style of film making that really makes you feel like you are in the space with him. However, I felt as though the plot lacked a serious amount of action, and it didn't follow the rise and fall of action normally associated with a story. It was more a series of events strung together while hot-boy Reynolds is suffocating to death. Don't watch this, sorry Ryan.

The Beaver

Okay. I think Mel Gibson is a hot mess who would seriously benefit from some therapy and maybe a good shopping session. It would seem as though his crazy has infiltrated his acting, leading him to choose bananas roles.

Thus, "The Beaver" was born. Gibson is the main character, a once successful business man who's life spirals out of control leaving him empty. He finds a busted old beaver puppet in the garbage and decides to use it as an alternative form of therapy. Now, as strange as it sounds, for like the first 50 minutes I thought this was cute. The beaver allowed him to rejuvenate himself, approach people with a different attitude, and get his family back together.

But then, all hell breaks lose. The beaver quickly turns to a horror film style plot line, and by the end my only response was "uhhhh, what?". I would say rent this if you want to watch the weirdness that is Mel Gibson currently, but other than that it is just going to make you have weird thoughts and worry about the sanity of people.
Really a very strange story.