I have never seen this movie before nor heard of it. When we go to Wal-mart we often go by the box of $5.00 and I think this was one of those. We stuck it in the DVD. At least at the opening, the movie left me flat, if fact when Ally Darling, (Anna Feia), was embarrassing herself with the toast at the party leading up to her sister's wedding, I ended up fast forwarding the movie.
The plot is actually clever. When she meets Colin Shea, (Chris Evans), across the hall in her apartment building who is even more promiscuous than she is, a strange twist in the plot is based on two people that do not seem to be able sustain a relationship.
There are a couple fun lines, "Dad didn't take me to many ball games, but we went on a lot of stake outs." "I wouldn't have know I was gay if I hadn't dated you," one of her ex-boyfriends, (who is talking about running for president of the USA says to her. He wanted her for cover, "America is ready for a black president, but they aren't ready for a black gay president".
The movie does get a bit more interesting, the Horse basketball scene in Madison Square Garden was fairly interesting. I also enjoyed the Twitter scene with her father.
Parents, you probably should not let your kids watch this movie. When I was in the Navy on the Kennedy, we had a movie every Friday night, the old style where the movies were on a reel. They tended to be a lot like this, they called them T&A, (don't ask). I even ran the projector when I was not flying. After the aircraft carrier crew watches the movie, we fly it to the destroyers in the carrier battle group with any postal mail for that ship. They would say thanks by sending awesome food back up with the cable hoist. Once, we had been at sea for five months with almost continuous flight ops. Somehow they had come up with fresh peaches, it was so tasty, though when I looked down at the peach and saw half a worm, my joy was a bit diminished. The second half of the movie is well done and touching and not so full of T&A, but the first half is a bit like half a worm in a fresh peach.
Let's cut to the chase. My partner, when I was an executive at SANS, Mason Brown, taught me that you could not have an infinite sized "book shelf". The team met several times a year to determine what could stay on the roster or if a promising course should be added. That was a virtual shelf, so in point of fact we could have kept them all. However, that would cause us to lose focus. Now at our house we have a physical book shelf. Kathy and I have agreed that we only want movies we intend to watch multiple times. We keep a cardboard box and the movies that are not keepers end up in the box. I understand there are services that let you trade your duplicates and movies you don't want to keep. When the box gets full, I will sort out what to do. This may be a candidate for the box.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Accidental Spy - 2001
I love Jackie Chan movies and what a plus; this one is largely filmed in Hong Kong and also Turkey.
Parents, I would be hesitant to allow young kids to watch this, there is some significant violence. Mostly it is the standard Jackie Chan type of violence where no one gets particularly hurt. This is the only movie I can remember where there was nudity and it is no less than Jackie himself. He is chased from a Turkish spa and ends up in a Turkish bazaar sans towel. I am not a particular fan of a naked male, but they are creative about how he tries to cover himself.
There is also the magic of Jackie Chan using everything imaginable as a weapon. The defibrillator scene was brilliant. One of the amazing skills Chan has is amazing facial impressions. And I love the way he was doing BASE jumping when BASE jumping wasn't cool.
Usually with a Jackie Chan movie, you have the plot figured out. This movie is coming in with layers like an onion. I like that.
I was trying to multitask, but when he went to spread the ashes on his mother's? grave, I got sucked in. The action was fast, the stunts were incredible, the improvised boat incredible.
I am glad this movie is in my library, I do expect to watch it again.
Parents, I would be hesitant to allow young kids to watch this, there is some significant violence. Mostly it is the standard Jackie Chan type of violence where no one gets particularly hurt. This is the only movie I can remember where there was nudity and it is no less than Jackie himself. He is chased from a Turkish spa and ends up in a Turkish bazaar sans towel. I am not a particular fan of a naked male, but they are creative about how he tries to cover himself.
There is also the magic of Jackie Chan using everything imaginable as a weapon. The defibrillator scene was brilliant. One of the amazing skills Chan has is amazing facial impressions. And I love the way he was doing BASE jumping when BASE jumping wasn't cool.
Usually with a Jackie Chan movie, you have the plot figured out. This movie is coming in with layers like an onion. I like that.
I was trying to multitask, but when he went to spread the ashes on his mother's? grave, I got sucked in. The action was fast, the stunts were incredible, the improvised boat incredible.
I am glad this movie is in my library, I do expect to watch it again.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Where the wild things are - 2009
I used to enjoy reading the book to age appropriate kids. I was not prepared for how sad the beginning of the movie made me feel. The sister telling Max to go play with his friends, the snowball fight ending in the destruction of his igloo, the fit of rage in her bedroom that was almost Asperger-like and him mom being too busy to see what he did in his room. And that school teacher talking about the end of our solar system, that was a harsh little speech. Something needs to change in his life. And so it shall.
The storm at sea in the little boat was quite compelling. Even though I had read the book it was hard not to be impacted.
The meeting of the wild things was fun. It is amazing how calm their voices are even in the wild rumpus. I love the everything you see is yours, except, it is a great monologue.
The rock collection to build the castle which is part mountain with a laboratory to build robots was fun to watch, but I doubt OSHA would approve.
I am glad we have it in the collection, we have guests a lot and while I would be very careful of showing the movie to really young kids, somebody about the size/age of Max would probably enjoy the movie.
The storm at sea in the little boat was quite compelling. Even though I had read the book it was hard not to be impacted.
The meeting of the wild things was fun. It is amazing how calm their voices are even in the wild rumpus. I love the everything you see is yours, except, it is a great monologue.
The rock collection to build the castle which is part mountain with a laboratory to build robots was fun to watch, but I doubt OSHA would approve.
I am glad we have it in the collection, we have guests a lot and while I would be very careful of showing the movie to really young kids, somebody about the size/age of Max would probably enjoy the movie.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Alien - Director's Cut -2003
I have always been fan of Ridley Scott as a director and usually favor Sigourney Weaver. I have seen Alien several times though that was a long time ago., but this is my first time with the director's cut. I am not going to do the which is better, this version or the 1997 theatrical release, just share some impressions.
In the early part of the movie a few things really stood out. One was the effort at computer and control systems. They did a pretty good job seeing this was filmed in 1996, though the green screen terminal really made me smile. The cigarettes on a space ship was a moment of cognitive dissonance, how could you possibly filter the air? And a cat on a space ship? I had forgotten the total mercenary attitude of the crew, you want me to do something you need to pay me. The special effects with the space ship were fun and if real that thing would be huge, you can really understand why they want to mine asteroids.
The landing snafu did not make any sense to me, but for the movie, I am guessing they needed it for the storyline, now that our technology is degraded, we are much more vulnerable. The space suits for the walk to the facility were pretty cool! The breathing sound when they enter the alien space ship is interesting, but there are three astronauts and one breathing sound. The, (I presume dead) alien pilot was a pretty cool. When the one astronaut goes down the hole, I feel the terror you are supposed to feel with a sci-fi horror movie. When he doesn't run when the egg opens, I am thinking idiot. When they let the guy in with the alien stuck to his face, I am thinking, hey, I just watched Jurassic Park 2, Lost World.
In the early part of the movie a few things really stood out. One was the effort at computer and control systems. They did a pretty good job seeing this was filmed in 1996, though the green screen terminal really made me smile. The cigarettes on a space ship was a moment of cognitive dissonance, how could you possibly filter the air? And a cat on a space ship? I had forgotten the total mercenary attitude of the crew, you want me to do something you need to pay me. The special effects with the space ship were fun and if real that thing would be huge, you can really understand why they want to mine asteroids.
The landing snafu did not make any sense to me, but for the movie, I am guessing they needed it for the storyline, now that our technology is degraded, we are much more vulnerable. The space suits for the walk to the facility were pretty cool! The breathing sound when they enter the alien space ship is interesting, but there are three astronauts and one breathing sound. The, (I presume dead) alien pilot was a pretty cool. When the one astronaut goes down the hole, I feel the terror you are supposed to feel with a sci-fi horror movie. When he doesn't run when the egg opens, I am thinking idiot. When they let the guy in with the alien stuck to his face, I am thinking, hey, I just watched Jurassic Park 2, Lost World.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Rumor has it... - 2005
Have seen this movie once before, and really loved it.
It is an improbable plot and don't want to say too much about the plot, if you haven't seen the movie, it is a blast discovering the plot.
I love the scene in the airport when Sarah, (Jennifer Aniston) is briefing her fiancee, Jeff, (Mark Ruffalo) on how to talk to her father, Earl, (Richard Jenkins), who has an amazing depth in acting. The dialog in the rehearsal dinner is fantastic, I particularly adore the conversation between Sarah and Katharine, (Shirley MacLaine). During the toast, Earl lists the date he got married and since Jeff know her birthday, he says, "Your parents didn't waste much time", he points out the dates and it was a possibility she might have been pregnant when she was married, if not it had to happen within a few days of the wedding. Sarah decides she wants to know and decides her Aunt Mitsy, (Kathy Bates), would know. It is a bit part, she is an incredibly talented actress, remember Miss Sue in the Blind Side?
Sarah learns enough from Aunt Mitsy to know who the only possible love interest her mother could have other than her dad, she tracks him down. Beau Burroughs, (Kevin Costner), is giving a speech to a bunch of people that sound like venture capitalist. Some of the lines are pretty funny to a fellow techie and venture capitalist, my favorite is the conclusion of Beau's speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Internet isn't coming, it has arrived."
I love Beau's two most words he ever heard, "be present". I think I need to work on that. Can't say anymore than that or I will risk spoiling a plot that is meant to be enjoyed as it unfolds.
Parents, this movie probably is not suitable for children, it is primarily the conversations, there is no nudity, but there is a short scene which some folks would consider risque.
I am really glad to own the movie, and plan to watch it several times. There are some lines in the movie I want to commit to memory such as, "Life should be a little messy, otherwise it is just a bunch of Thursdays strung together".
It is an improbable plot and don't want to say too much about the plot, if you haven't seen the movie, it is a blast discovering the plot.
I love the scene in the airport when Sarah, (Jennifer Aniston) is briefing her fiancee, Jeff, (Mark Ruffalo) on how to talk to her father, Earl, (Richard Jenkins), who has an amazing depth in acting. The dialog in the rehearsal dinner is fantastic, I particularly adore the conversation between Sarah and Katharine, (Shirley MacLaine). During the toast, Earl lists the date he got married and since Jeff know her birthday, he says, "Your parents didn't waste much time", he points out the dates and it was a possibility she might have been pregnant when she was married, if not it had to happen within a few days of the wedding. Sarah decides she wants to know and decides her Aunt Mitsy, (Kathy Bates), would know. It is a bit part, she is an incredibly talented actress, remember Miss Sue in the Blind Side?
Sarah learns enough from Aunt Mitsy to know who the only possible love interest her mother could have other than her dad, she tracks him down. Beau Burroughs, (Kevin Costner), is giving a speech to a bunch of people that sound like venture capitalist. Some of the lines are pretty funny to a fellow techie and venture capitalist, my favorite is the conclusion of Beau's speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Internet isn't coming, it has arrived."
I love Beau's two most words he ever heard, "be present". I think I need to work on that. Can't say anymore than that or I will risk spoiling a plot that is meant to be enjoyed as it unfolds.
Parents, this movie probably is not suitable for children, it is primarily the conversations, there is no nudity, but there is a short scene which some folks would consider risque.
I am really glad to own the movie, and plan to watch it several times. There are some lines in the movie I want to commit to memory such as, "Life should be a little messy, otherwise it is just a bunch of Thursdays strung together".
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Jurassic Park 2 Lost World- 1997
I saw JP 1 in a theater, Kathy ended up leaving during the spitting dinosaurs scene. I checked out JP 2 from Blockbuster a long time ago. Had to watch it while Kathy was at women's Bible study. All I can remember is that I thought this was one of Ian's, (Jeff Goldblum), better performances and one of his lines. But then, he does get tossed some great lines.
The opening scene when the cute little girl meets the cute little dinosaur was really scary. The next scene in the house of John Hammond, (Richard Attenborough) bored me.
The preparation for the safari was kind of cool. There is some angst between Ian and his daughter, Kelly. She did not make her school's gymnastics team. The fictional Lindstradt air gun is way cool and very humane. Then they get to the also fictional island. The team has their first dinosaur encounter and one guy exclaims, this is fantastic and my favorite Ian line, (and the only one I remembered), ensues, "Oh yeah, oooh ah, that's how it starts, then later the running and screaming."
The arrival of the Imgen hunter posse team brings the dark element to the movie. I don't like them. Not against hunters and hunting, there are so many parts of the country that I am afraid to drive at dusk or dawn because of deers. If you think I am a chicken, wait till you hit one! So I am all for safe and compassionate hunting practices especially if deer are the prey.
I had a bit of cognitive dissonance with the baby tyrannosaur, would you bring one in your living facility knowing the parents would be looking for it. And it is hard to explain that they were just trying to fix the baby's leg to the parents.
Another great line from the movie happens when they are in the control center under attack from Velociraptors. Ian's daughter jumps out grabs onto a water pipe and starts spinning around like they do in gymnastics and then slams both feet into the raptor. Ian replies, "They cut you from the team?"
Need to be careful not to be a spoiler, but the scene in San Diego, while replete with all kinds of mayhem is kind of funny. My favorite line in that section, Sarah says, "How will we find the adult?" Ian replies, "Follow the screams."
Is this a great movie? Probably not. But I am glad I have it in the collection and will probably watch it again, but not often.
The opening scene when the cute little girl meets the cute little dinosaur was really scary. The next scene in the house of John Hammond, (Richard Attenborough) bored me.
The preparation for the safari was kind of cool. There is some angst between Ian and his daughter, Kelly. She did not make her school's gymnastics team. The fictional Lindstradt air gun is way cool and very humane. Then they get to the also fictional island. The team has their first dinosaur encounter and one guy exclaims, this is fantastic and my favorite Ian line, (and the only one I remembered), ensues, "Oh yeah, oooh ah, that's how it starts, then later the running and screaming."
The arrival of the Imgen hunter posse team brings the dark element to the movie. I don't like them. Not against hunters and hunting, there are so many parts of the country that I am afraid to drive at dusk or dawn because of deers. If you think I am a chicken, wait till you hit one! So I am all for safe and compassionate hunting practices especially if deer are the prey.
I had a bit of cognitive dissonance with the baby tyrannosaur, would you bring one in your living facility knowing the parents would be looking for it. And it is hard to explain that they were just trying to fix the baby's leg to the parents.
Another great line from the movie happens when they are in the control center under attack from Velociraptors. Ian's daughter jumps out grabs onto a water pipe and starts spinning around like they do in gymnastics and then slams both feet into the raptor. Ian replies, "They cut you from the team?"
Need to be careful not to be a spoiler, but the scene in San Diego, while replete with all kinds of mayhem is kind of funny. My favorite line in that section, Sarah says, "How will we find the adult?" Ian replies, "Follow the screams."
Is this a great movie? Probably not. But I am glad I have it in the collection and will probably watch it again, but not often.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Chicago - 2002
This blog post is not a review or a plot description, this is a record of how the movie made me feel.
I have seen Chicago several times in the past and I love the movie. Love the way the movie opens with the jazz band. I have always enjoyed the jazz scene stretching from Chicago to New Orleans. The opening dance/music number All that jazz, with Velma Kelly, (Catherine Zeta-Jones) was fun to watch. The energy and complex dancing was awesome.
The second dance and singing number sets up a lot of the movie, and I enjoyed seeing the plot get established. Roxie Hart, (Renée Zellweger) who cheats on Amos had me strongly disliking her. I loved the scene right after they put her in the cell. The rhythm starts with a dripping water faucet and then moves into one of my favorite numbers in the movie, He had it coming. Very fun.
I loved the opening conversation between Roxie and Billy Flynn, (Richard Gere), which is quickly followed by the puppet scene which is full of little tidbits to look for if you have seen the movie a few times, (and yes, Richard Gere sings his own parts).
I know it is a musical and reality is suspended. But, Mr. Cellophane, always makes me a bit sad. I have even sung a few bars, for instance in restaurants when I can't get water or a check. I am guessing there is a bit of cellophane in all of us.
My favorite scene bar none is the razzle dazzle, (only slightly edging out He had it coming), especially the tap dance on the back end of it, that is also Richard Gere. Awesome.
Glad this movie is in the collection, have every intent of watching it again.
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