Bad news first ~ my last day at Movie Gallery was this past Sunday. My day job has finally paid off and I don't need both jobs anymore. Since I can't say no to my MG boss, I will fill in once or twice or month. I'm going to miss all of my customers there.
Anyway, I was able to preview the new Sandra Bullock movie 'Crash'. Not something I would buy or rent again.
The first three quarters of it are extremely racially motivated with the last quarter dedicated to folks trying to make ammends for the things they've done.
Definetely not a happy-go-lucky movie ~ it held my attention, but not in a good way.
See ya'll!
Just one job now, Rae! (I didn't know this was #2) Now THAT is good news!
Interesting little film I watched tonight:
Hysterical Blindness Well cast: Juliette Lewis & Uma Thurman with big hair & 1980s outfits, plus Ben Gazzara & Gena Rowlands (always good!). About living life minus love & needing it, I guess ... And New Jersey photographed beautifully! I was surprised to discover that the director was Mira Nair, who also directed Monsoon Wedding. Not bad, not bad at all ... especially since I discovered it while shopping at the supermarket. $6:90 it cost!
Dolores Claiborne
Normally, I don't care much for Stephen King. I have walked out of his movies, and have started a number of his books, and never finished them.
A couple of weeks ago, my I came home to find my husband watching Dolores Claiborne on TV. He said that he thought that I would really like this film, and suggested that I order it on Blockbuster Online.
Well...............this was one helluva movie. Not the usual King fare. Kathy Bates is superb as a battered wife who was once accused of killing her husband, but never indicted, because of lack of evidence. She is now accused of killing her employer. Christopher Plummer plays the police detective who had a perfect prosecutorial record, except for Bates, and wants to make sure that this time she is tried and convicted.
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the estranged daughter of Bates, whose father's death has left her haunted by her past, and estranged from her mother.
If you like films that show the range of raw emotions, and are psychologically oriented, you will love Dolores Claiborne.
Dolores Claiborne is a movie I think about often, which is my mark of a really outstanding movie. Kathy Bates is amazing. Some of those lines are unforgettable-- "Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto" --
You might like the book too, phoenix; I don't like very much of King's work, but that's a very good one.
"Rio Bravo" (western)
"Blink" (mystery)
"Dragon" (biography)
"Body Heat" (mystery)
One "Stephen King" movie that isn't like the usual "Stephen King" horror fare is "The Shawshank Redemption."
"The Green Mile" is also not standard "Stephen King" fare.
They are both excellent films.
Tonight I watched an el cheapo video (bought from the bargain bin) from 1988:
Running On Empty. I hadn't heard anything about it before & was pleasantly surprised to become so engrossed in the story. It's about a couple of 60's radicals, fugitives from the law for years, & their two children. Crunch time for the family comes when the oldest son, (River Phoenix, who is excellent in this role) has to deal with serious conflicts in his life as a result of his parents' fugitive status.
Running on Empty 1988
Director: Sidney Lumet
Christine Lahti, Annie Pope/Cynthia Manfield
River Phoenix, Danny Pope/Michael Manfield
Judd Hirsch, Arthur Pope, Paul Manfield
Martha Plimpton, Lorna Phillips
In 1971, Christine Lahti (Annie Pope) and Judd Hirsch (Arthur Pope) set off an explosion in a napalm producing facility and blinded a janitor whom they did not expect to be on the premises. They have been on the run from the FBI ever since, taking work where they can find it, using different names as they move from town to town and leaving no paper trail.
The film takes place in 1988. They now have two sons; River Phoenix (Danny Pope), who is close to finishing high school, and Jonas Abry (Harry Pope), about ten years old. It is Danny Pope's need for a complete high school transcript if he is to leave the family and go on to college that creates the film's major crisis.
Of course, the really big crisis is the never ending one of avoiding prison.
At its core this film is a tear-jerker, but the acting is good, especially that of Christine Lahti and River Phoenix, and if you're old enough to remember the national agony of the Vietnam War, it will trigger memories.
http://www.geocities.com/d18w/reviews/runningempty
I tend to pick up DVDs here & there, often some I know nothing about (but look interesting) prior to purchasing. Some times Iamb pleasantly surprised & at other times I give up after about 3 minutes. Anyway, here's one that I really enjoyed: The Daytrippers. Hardly a blockbuster, but an interesting film about family, love & commitment.
When a suburban housewife, Eliza (Hope Davis), discovers a love letter in her husband's pocket, it starts a wild, quirky, and ultimately poignant journey through the strained relationships of her entire dysfunctional family. Thinking it must be some misunderstanding, she brings the letter to her unbearably dominating mother (Anne Meara), who freaks and piles her passive husband (Pat McNamara), Eliza's promiscuous sister (Parker Posey), and her philosophical fiancé (Lev Schreiber) into a station wagon and heads off to New York City for an explanation. First-time writer/director Gregg Mottle changes the road movie's typically vast and open landscape to a claustrophobic, bustling urban setting but still uses it as a way to force out unspoken emotional turmoil between all three of the couples. His dialogue is often sharp and perceptive, and while the situations often contain huge laughs, an undercurrent of pain lurks just beneath the humor. The indie film uses conversations instead of plot to drive its action, and therefore needs engaging performances to succeed. With the exception of the one-note Posey, it gets them: Davis and Schreiber both play pathos and humor beautifully, and Stanley Tucci's cameo as the suspect husband--and the heartbreaking rooftop dance he performs--provides a surprising and ambiguous conclusion. --Dave McCoy
... Oh & any good, possibly obscure (& possibly independent) DVD recommendations would be much appreciated!
Did anybody watched DVD: Aliens (All 3 Parts) Gold Copy? It was nice. I think Part 1 was specially improved for DVD with its quality to match with the other 2.
Another best buy was "Finding Nemo" .... excellent on Home Theatre systems esp. LCD televisions.
LOTR DVD triplet rocks too. BLADE is also a good Buy.
What Say?
Birth - is the 10 year old boy the reincarnation of Nicole (Kidman's) dead husband or not?
I had no idea of what this film was about - just chose it as part of one of those el cheapo package hires at my local DVD shop. Anyway, iI thought it was strangely interesting! Beautifully made, too. Then checked out the reviews online - the critics appeared to be evenly divided about whether it was a complete farce or a really impressive film!
Has anyone here seen it? I'd be interested to hear what you thought of it.
.... Oh & about a week ago I saw
Goodbye Lenin! Loved it!
BBC review:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/07/16/good_bye_lenin_2003_review.shtml
If you love action movies, try Banlieue 13 (13th District) a French (Luc Besson) vehicle making full use of the athleticism of the parkour artist (David Belle) and the martial arts star (Cyril Raffaelli) in the two leading roles. I myself am not an action addict but the chase and fight scenes in this film were quite enthralling. The story line and character development are not impressive, nor important.
The Aviator, good Special Features
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Double Disc - Awesome
Watched The Barbarian Invasions yesterday. Loved it & of course, got quite weepy at the end. Thoroughly engrossing!
The Fifth Element: Ultimate Edition. It's got Super Bit audio
I have "House of Flying Daggers" -- it's a film one can watch as a paintng in motion. There are breathtakingly beautiful scenes in the film that defy description. It's not style over substance, either, as the storytelling is very good.
Yesterday, on a whim (it was on special), I bought a copy of
Amores Perros (Love's A Bitch). Dunno how come I missed it at the cinema ages ago, but I'm looking forward to finally seeing it. Just waiting for the right moment!
