October Movies

1st Time Watches

Brothers Of The Head

Year: 2005

Rating: R

Genre: Drama/Music

Directors: Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe

Actors: Harry Treadaway, Luke Treadaway, Jane Horrocks, Howard Attfield, Tania Emery

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Quiz Show

Year: 1994

Rating: PG-13

Genre-Biography/Drama

Director: Robert Redford

Actors: John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Rob Morrow

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Take This Waltz

Year: 2012

Rating: R

Genre: Drama

Director: Sarah Polley

Actors: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Luke Kirby

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Sunset Boulevard

Year: 1950

Rating: PG

Genre: Drama

Director: Billy Wilder

Actors: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

Year: 2011

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action/Adventure

Director: Guy Ritchie

Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris

My Rating: 3/5



Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Year: 1964
Rating: PG
Genre: Dark Comedy
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Actors: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
My Rating: 3.5/5



The Avengers
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Joss Whedon
Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
My Rating: 3.5/5



Ghosts Of Mississippi
Year: 1996
Rating: R
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Rob Reiner
Actors: Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, James Woods
My Rating: 4/5



Hilary And Jackie
Year: 1998
Rating: R
Genre: Biography/Drama/Music
Director: Anand Tucker
Actors: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, Celia Imrie, David Morrisey, James Frain
My Rating: 4/5



Moonrise Kingdom
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Director: Wes Anderson
Actors: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis
My Rating: 3.5/5



Notting Hill
Year: 1999
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Director: Roger Mitchell
Actors: Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Rhys Ifans
My Rating: 3.5/5



Duck Soup
Year: 1933
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy
Director: Leo McCarey
Actors: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern
My Rating: 3.5/5



Magic Mike
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Steven Soderberg
Actors: Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn
My Rating: 3.5/5



The Pirates! Band Of Misfits
Year: 2012
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy/Adventure
Directors: Peter Lord and Chris Newitt
Voice Actors: Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton
My Rating: 3.5/5



Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans
Year: 1927
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: F.W. Murnau
Actors: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston
My Rating: 4/5

Rewatches

 

Parenthood





Year: 1989
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Ron Howard
Actors: Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce
My Rating: 4.5/5



Monty Python And The Holy Grail
Year: 1975
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Director: Terry Gilliam
Actors: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam
My Rating: 4/5



Some Like It Hot
Year: 1959
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Director: Billy Wilder
Actors: Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe
My Rating: 3.5/5



The Ghost Writer
Year: 2010
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Director: Roman Polanski
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattral, Tom Wilkinson
My Rating: 3.5/5



Disco Pigs
Year: 2001
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Director: Kristen Sheridan
Actors: Elaine Cassidy, Cillian Murphy
My Rating: 4/5



Across The Universe
Year: 2007
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Julie Taymor
Actors: Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Evan Rachel Wood, TV Caprio, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy
My Rating: 4/5



Saving Grace
Year: 2000
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Director: Nigel Cole
Actors: Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson
My Rating: 3/5



The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Director: John Madden
Actors: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel
My Rating: 4/5



Father Of The Bride
Year: 1950
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy
Director: Vincente Minelli
Actors: Spencer Tracey, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett
My Rating: 3/5



Something's Gotta Give
Year: 2003
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Director: Nancy Meyers
Actors: Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves
My Rating: 4/5



Weekend
Year: 2011
Rating: R
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Andrew Haigh
Actors: Tom Cullen, Chris New
My Rating: 4.5/5



Mean Girls
Year: 2004
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Director: Mark Waters
Actors: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese
My Rating: 3.5/5



Boogie Nights
Year: 1997
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham
My Rating: 4/5



Waking Ned Devine
Year: 1998
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kirk Jones
Actors: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionulla Flanagan, James Nesbitt, Susan Lynch
My Rating: 3.5/5



Hot Fuzz
Year: 2007
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy/Action
Director: Edgar Wright
Actors: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
My Rating: 4/5



The Conspirator
Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Robert Redford
Actors: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline
My Rating: 3.5/5





























 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Movie Review-Heathers

 

 

Rating-R

Director-Michael Lehmann

Actors-Winona Ryder, Kim Walker, Christian Slater

Genre-Dark Comedy

Year-1989

 

 

 

“Heathers” is one of my favorite dark comedies. It is about a teenage girl named Veronica (Winona Ryder) who has recently become friends with “The Heathers”, a popular group of girls who are all named Heather. However, Veronica is not happy with the way the group, especially the leader, Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), treats other people at school. One day, Veronica meets a new student at the school named J.D. (Christian Slater), who encourages her to stand up to Heather Chandler, which results in Heather’s “accidental” death. “Heathers” is a great movie with many memorable lines. It also has fantastic performances by Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. I think it would be a good movie to watch on Halloween. I really recommend watching “Heathers”.

 



Movie Review-Sweeney Todd

 

Rating-R

Director-Tim Burton

Actors-Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham-Carter

Genre-Musical/Thriller/Drama

Year-2007

 

 

 

“Sweeney Todd” is an awesome movie with great acting and musical performances. It is about a London barber named Benjamin (Johnny Depp) who has a happy life with his wife and daughter, until the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) sends Benjamin to prison for he a crime he didn’t commit. Fifteen years later, Benjamin has renamed himself Sweeney Todd and is determined to get revenge on the judge. He meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham-Carter), a woman who runs a bakery under his old barbershop. Sweeney Todd spends all his time planning to kill the judge, but when the judge finally visits the barbershop, he is interrupted and misses his chance. This causes Sweeney Todd to take revenge on humanity, killing unsuspecting people who come to his barbershop. He is helped by Mrs. Lovett, who has an inventive way of getting rid of the evidence. This movie is very dark, but it has memorable songs and some moments of comic relief. It also has wonderful performances by Helena Bonham Carter and by Johnny Depp who, I think, should have won the Best Actor Oscar that year. I really recommend watching “Sweeney Todd”.



Movie Review-Arsenic And Old Lace

 

Rating-PG

Director-Frank Capra

Actors-Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Raymond Massey

Genre-Dark Comedy

Year-1944

 

“Arsenic And Old Lace” is a very entertaining dark comedy. Based on the play by Joseph Kesselring, it is about a man named Mortimer (Cary Grant) who has just gotten married. When Mortimer visits his aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair) to tell them the news, he discovers a shocking secret about them. Abby and Martha have been poisoning lonely elderly men with wine laced with arsenic, which they view as a mercy killing. As Mortimer struggles with this information, he has to deal with his eccentric brother Teddy (John Alexander), who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt. Also complicating things is the arrival of Mortimer’s estranged criminal brother, Jonathan (Raymond Massey). This movie has many hilarious scenes and great performances by the cast. I recommend watching “Arsenic And Old Lace”.

 



Halloween-Themed Movie Reviews: Red State

Since Halloween is coming up soon, I thought I would post some reviews of Halloween-themed movies I really liked. I'll post a new review every day until Halloween.

Rating-R

Director-Kevin Smith

Actors-Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Nicholas Braun, Michael Parks, Melissa Leo

Genre-Horror/Thriller/Action

Year-2011

“Red State” might be Kevin Smith’s best film, and it is of the best films of the year, in my opinion. I’ve been a fan of Kevin Smith’s movies for years, especially “Chasing Amy”, “Jersey Girl”, and “Clerks”, but “Red State” is different than any movie he’s ever made. It is about three teenage friends named Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarrod (Kyle Gallner), and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun) who are lured to a remote trailer to meet an older woman, who offers them beer. After passing out, the boys find themselves trapped in a church run by an ultraconservative and homophobic pastor named Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), who has a frightening master plan. They also discover that the older woman is Abin’s daughter, Sarah (Melissa Leo). While the teenagers try to escape, the government is called in to raid the church, and the situation quickly becomes more dangerous and complicated for everyone involved. The writing in this movie is excellent, with an unpredictable story, and three-dimensional characters. The acting by the entire cast is wonderful, but especially by Michael Parks, whose performance as Abin is terrifying, fascinating, and Oscar-worthy. I really recommend watching “Red State”.

 

 

 

 



Movie Review-Life In A Day

 

Rating- PG-13

Director-Kevin McKidd

Genre-Documentary

Year-2011

 

“Life In A Day” is a great documentary and one of the best movies of 2011 I’ve seen in general. In 2010, the website YouTube started a project asking people to film themselves during the course of one day: July 24^th, 2010. About 4, 500 hours of footage was submitted to the website, from over 90 countries. The footage was edited and put in chronological order, showing the beginning of the day to midnight. There are scenes of people from all over the world doing ordinary things like waking up and eating breakfast, as well as more exciting scenes, like a person skydiving. There are also sections where the people taking part in the project are asked simple questions like “What do you love?”, “What is in your pocket right now?” and “What do you fear most?”. What I love most about this documentary is that even with cultural, religious, and political differences, it shows people as being essentially the same. It’s one of the most moving and unpredictable films I’ve ever seen. "Life In A Day" is available to watch on YouTube for free, and I really recommend it.



Movie Review-Of Gods And Men

 

Rating-R

Director-Xavier Beauvois

Actors-Lambert Wilson, Oliver Rabourdin

Genre-Biography/Drama/Foreign (French with English subtitles)

Year-2011

 

 

 

“Of Gods And Men” is a great movie that is based on a true story. It is about a group of French monks who are living in Algeria in the 1990’s. The monks live and work near a small village with a mostly Muslim population. The monks and the people in the village have known each other for years, and are friends. When the monks learn about a terrorist group that has been killing people in the village, and that they are also going to be targeted, the monks struggle to decide what to do next. The unofficial leader of the monks, Christian (Lambert Wilson), wants all of them to stay, even though it would mean certain death. The other monks have differing views, with some wanting to leave the country. This movie has wonderful acting, especially by Lambert Wilson as Christian, and by Oliver Rabourdan, as Christophe, one of the monks who is thinking about leaving. It also has a very affecting story that left me thinking about it for a while after seeing it. “Of Gods And Men” is one of the best movies of 2011 and I really recommend watching it on Netflix.



Movie Review-Weekend

Rating-R

Director-Andrew Haigh

Actors-Tom Cullen, Chris New

Genre-Drama/Romance

Year-2011



 

“Weekend” is a great movie with a fantastic screenplay and performances. It is about two gay British men, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New), who meet one night and have many conversations, getting to know each other over the course of the weekend. Russell is a lifeguard who is in the closet, and Glen is an artist who is out. Glen is working on an art project, interviewing various people about their thoughts on relationships, sex, and life. While Russell takes part in the project, he and Glen unexpectedly start to fall in love. This movie feels honest and realistic, with thought-provoking dialogue and wonderful acting by Tom Cullen and Chris New. “Weekend” is available to watch on Netflix, and I really recommend it.

 

 



Top Ten Favorite Performances Of 2011 (Updated)

My updated list of my top ten favorite male and female performances of 2011.

Top 10 Favorite Male Performances

10. Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway in "Midnight In Paris"

 

9. Clive Owen as Will in "Trust"

 

 

8. John Hawkes as Patrick in "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

 

 

7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam in "50/50"

 

 

6. Demian Bichir as Carlos Galindo in "A Better Life"

 

 

5. Jean Dujardin as George Valentin in "The Artist"

 

 

4. Evan Glodell as Woodrow in "Bellflower"

 

 

3. (Tie) Tom Cullen as Russell and Chris New as Glen in "Weekend"

 

 

2. Michael Parks as Abin Cooper in "Red State"

 

 

1. Michael Fassbender as Brandon in "Shame"

 

 

Top 10 Favorite Female Performances

 

10. Liana Liberato as Annie in "Trust"

 

 

9. Keira Knightly as Sabina Spielrein in "A Dangerous Method"

 

 

8. Kristen Wiig as Annie Walker in "Bridesmaids"

 

 

7. Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary in "Young Adult"

 

 

6. Anna Paquin as Lisa Cohen in "Margaret"

 

 

5. Carey Mulligan as Sissy in "Shame"

 

 

4. Elizabeth Olsen as Martha in "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

 

 

3. Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovic in "The Whistleblower"

 

 

2. Jeong-hie Yun as Mija in "Poetry"

 

 

1. Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark in "The Help"