Movies I Should Have Seen

Remember the Titans

crazykell — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:56:03 +0000

I went into this thinking it would be a predictable movie about the coming together of blacks and whites over football….and it was. But along the way it turned into a good story. Somewhat naively, I’ve never completely understood racism. Don’t get me wrong, I understand stereotypes, but I’ve never fully understood the deep hatred of another race simply based on that alone. It’s not in my nature and who knows how I turned out this way but I thank the stars every day that I did. Unfortunately this isn’t the case for so many people it makes me sick,but I was pleased to see it wasn’t just a cheesy race movie and ended up being a story about a good team, and the fight they fought. Denzel Washington is simply a great actor, and I’m not sure anyone else could’ve done the role justice!

Bourne Identity

crazykell — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:50:01 +0000

Following my new love of Matt Damon I followed up Good Will Hunting with the first in the Bourne Trilogy. Not being an action fan I wasn’t looking forward to it (even with Matt Damon) but once again the power of Matty changed my view.
I can’t say I’m going to watch the other two movies in the trilogy, but this one was pretty darn good. It had some obscure stars in it and a story that never got old or boring. Plus, a large portion of it takes place in Paris, and who doesn’t love a movie that takes place in Paris.

Good Will Hunting

crazykell — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:45:00 +0000

I have never harboured an affinity for Matt Damon and have avoided him almost as much as I avoid Brad Pitt movies. I have now seen the err of my ways. Matt Damon is quite simply exquisite in oh so many ways.
Not only did this movie fuel my fire for seeing Boston (I’ve wanted to go there for years), but it also made me see the light with all the Matt Damon love. Casey and Ben Affleck are next on that list!
Even more shocking than my previous Matt Damon dislike, is just how young these guys were when they did the film. I’d seen the Oscar acceptance speech a thousand times, but I never fathomed what a big deal it was until I watched the film. Loved it!

Lethal Weapon

crazykell — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:39:09 +0000

Seeing Mel Gibson’s hiney definitely did not make this movie any better for me but I did get a giggle every time I heard Danny Glover say “I’m too old for this shit.”
In general this was just another one of those cheesy 80′s action flicks that I probably could’ve lived without seeing. It may not even be that old but when you look back on older films, it’s hard not to see the cheese.
Sorry this post isn’t better but I’ve been on my Olympic break for a little bit longer than expected and haven’t really caught up yet!

Get Shorty

crazykell — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:18:23 +0000

I didn’t realize how many quirky crime dramas I had on my list until I really started getting into it! My first instinct with these types of films is to just put up with it and make it through, but I genuinely started to like this one the more I got into it.

Since a lot of my movies are DVR’d it can break up the flow when I have to fast forward through commercials. That definitely took it’s toll on this film, but overall I loved it. I’ve never seen John Travolta act poorly and this instance was no exception. He just has such a way about him. I’m not usually at a loss for words but with him I am. I love him.

Lots of random actors in this film and I always find it interesting to see them again, perhaps before they were really famous, but sometimes in their heyday!

Olympic Break

crazykell — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:57:55 +0000

I’ve been really slacking on the movies lately. I am absolutely glued to the Olympics so I’ll have lots of catching up to do once they’re over. I’ll have to get back on that bandwagon. I did watch Lethal Weapon last week but I haven’t had a chance to blog about it yet. Will do soon.

Also, I’ve got a few articles on the go for a local motorcycle magazine so my time has been divided to say the least.

Happy Olympics and see ya in March!

Million Dollar Baby

crazykell — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:17:01 +0000

At first I thought this was going to be another typical (of late at least) Clint Eastwood movie. You see, the only other Eastwood film I’ve seen is Gran Torino, and there’s no denying that his character in that movie is very similar to this one. Heck, even the plot had some striking similarities. Very quickly though I was drawn into his world, through the likes of Hilary Swank (admittedly NOT my favourite actress), Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman.
This movie struck a chord with me right from the beginning. I’m one of those people that detests violence, hates boxing, and can’t even stand the sound of a punch being landed. But put me at a hockey game and I love to see a good fight, and if I’m being brutally honest, like most people, I look when I go by an accident scene. The story for me quickly became less about boxing, and more about a woman clinging to everything she had for one shot. It’d be easy to fall into the lull of this movie, a girl done good (against the odds) kind of story with a crotchety old man and his trusty sidekick thrown in for good measure, but it was more than that. It was a story of guilt, grief, rejection, and longing.
At the end of the day, don’t we all long for that thing that’s just beyond our reach. When it comes right down to it, we all want to say we tried; we had a goal; we gave it all we had. I’m less concerned about the details of my life than I am the sheer emotion of striving for something. I need that thing. Maybe others don’t, but a character that needed it so profoundly, almost desperately, spoke to me on a level I didn’t think I’d find in this film. I know I think differently, and I’m a tough critic, but if this movie didn’t move you in some way, my official diagnosis is that you’re dead inside!

A Fish Called Wanda

crazykell — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:40:05 +0000

Ahhhh I love all things English. What can I say? I’m a sucker for English accents and the streets of London. It can take a normal film and propel it to good for me. It can take a great film…..let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This is by no means a “great” film, but it was pretty good. I suspect my reasons for liking it though, are rather less to do with the film than the are to do with the quirks of watching an older movie. For instance, you get to see random actors circa 10 or more years ago, and the cheesy music and film techniques.
I’ll be honest though, I actually thought this movie was more about a fish and less about a hokey crime plot. Kevin Kline is comedy gold though and his lines are highly quotable.
Random things from this movie that surprised me:
- I think I’d like it if guys spoke random italian words to me (mmmm mozzarella)
- John Cleese has a surprisingly good body
- I miss London dearly
- Fish creep me out…whether they’re named Wanda or not.
- Jamie Lee Curtis could rock a short cut like nobody’s business

You can never go wrong with a random old movie to cheer you up!

Memento

crazykell — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:02:23 +0000

A movie that had the potential to be interesting, unique, and quirky, Instead, it was dull, boring, and dare I say it….repetitive. I’ve been interested in seeing this movie ever since I was shown a clip of it in a neuropsych class at UVic. I should’ve just stuck with the clip because I felt like I watched the same thing over and over again. Things never developed, it never got interesting, and for the first time in this project, I feel like I want those 2 hours of my life back.

Thank god I PVR’d it because people shouldn’t have to pay for that kind of torture.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

crazykell — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:08:31 +0000

If you know me you know I love almost all things English and this film doesn’t disappoint. Guy Ritchie’s films are clever, witty, and full of little nuances I’m convinced most people don’t get. Watching this film was a bit nostalgic for me since I’ve been to several of the pubs that it was shot in. And I’ll be the first to admit that I might not have the most objective viewpoint on an English film. I love the accents, I love the culture, and I love any movie where Sting has a random part.
For me, Guy Ritchie films (I had seen Snatch before this one), are everything that the Coen Brothers’ Films fail to be. A quirky, random crime story with seemingly bizarre vignettes. What Guy Ritchie manages to do though is pull them together in a coherent story. While everyone may not understand the accents or the cockney slang, it only added to the story for me. I loved it!