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Burnt (2015)
Initially reluctant viewer but morphed into an entertained and delighted viewer
I watched this film for two reasons; The first was simply Bradley Cooper, who knocked me out in American Hustle and entertained in the Hangover movies, in particular the first installment, the second reason was wife pressure! I reluctantly started watching but was quickly intrigued with Bradley's performance and was curious regarding the alluded to history at the start of the film. History that had brought Bradley's character (Adam) to where he found himself at that moment in the film, and I wanted to know that history! What an entertaining vehicle, it never disappointed and once engaged there was no way I was not going to see it to the end! Bradley you've become a fine actor and I look forward to more of your performances! By the way the supporting cast was superb!
Pineapple Express (2008)
An absurdist movie that is absurdly funny!
You can't view this movie from a critical perspective, dissecting it for realism and walking away disappointed because it fell short in some way, it's nothing more than a adult cartoon. This movie is just pure unadulterated entertainment where characters are injured in ways that would have terminated their existence yet somehow, like Wile E Coyote, they survive (Danny McBride's character sustains multiple potentially fatal injuries)! A movie made to entertain and that is just good clean fun and which happily (from my perspective) showcases Amber Heard. Seth Rogan involves himself in movies that I want to watch simply because of his involvement and if James Franco, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride are in it then all the
better. You need or want some light hearted fun sprinkled with barrel laughs then this is your vehicle!
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
I've traveled by train in India but it was nothing like the Limited!
Too old now but if I had to do it all over again I'd take a long train ride on a luxury train in India. A train that stopped at interesting places and gave it's passengers time to explore. This movie was damn interesting and it
romanticized India! I was entertained throughout and eventually bought the movie on DVD for a few more viewings, I'm done with it now as I've virtually memorized it at this point. There were scenes that I found myself literally howling with laughter, for the first few viewings, and now I no longer laugh so I'm clearly done with the movie. However I now seek out Wes Anderson films as they are so different from the usual fare, campy films with legs! I recommend this film to anyone with a heart and a brain! If you lack either give it a skip, you won't get it nor will you enjoy it! By the way Bill Murray has a great cameo! Oh I almost forgot I met Jai Prakash Sharma, the chief priest of the Jain Temple at Ranakpur (Ranakpur is one among the most famous Jain Temples to visit. Ranakpur is easily accessed by road from either Jodhpur or Udaipur), Jai also had a cameo in the movie. Jai was the passenger on the bus after the village funeral who asked Owen Wilson's character the question; "What brings you to this place?"!
Up in the Air (2009)
Strong performances by George, Vera, & Justin, Anna's a little weak!
Multinational companies have no loyalties, not to nations, not to people, just to the bottom line! Those who "manage" these multinational sociopathic organizations pillage what they can so they never have to "work" again (e.g. Jack Welch)! This movie aptly demonstrates that the business model of the day (the neo-feudal model) cares not where they get their workers nor do they care where they get their customers, they just want to keep the elite happy while the managing sub-elite take what they can (e.g. stock options they can exercise for zero dollars) doing what they must to remain in power so they can plunder what they can for as long as they can! It's a race to the bottom for the 98% and an orgy of gluttony for the top 2%! The rest of us are or have become serfs or worse slaves and we bend over take our severance packages (if any at all) and roll over like the good dogs we are! Great movie for exposing this reality! Anna learn how to cry convincingly, that attempt was pathetic! There is a scene with Vera and George that grabs one's attention and George had little to do with it!
Blade Runner (1982)
The most incredible movie to come out in the early 1980's!
A film classic that I simply can't rank as the best science fiction movie of all time, as some have (after all '2001: A Space Odyssey' preceded it by over a decade), but it sure as hell ranks as one of the best! I was mesmerized throughout. I saw the version where Harrison Ford added narration and perspective, his perspective, as events unfolded. Rutger Hauer's performance was incredibly powerful in particular his final words as his life came to it's engineered end: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." If you haven't seen Rutger in this scene look it up on the internet, better yet see the film! There are several versions of 'Blade Runner' at this point (e.g. the Director's Cut) but I still prefer the original, but see them all as they are all available in a box set. Positively an all time classic with an incredible dystopian vision of the future.
Alien (1979)
This movie was so intense it gave me a headache!
I was a graduate student when I went and saw this film. I was working on a Masters in Computer Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and I went with a friend, a doctoral candidate (I was his grader). I had no idea upon walking into that theater I was going to be pinned to my seat so overwrought that I was going to get a splitting headache (only one other movie has caused me a headache and that was 'The Passion of the Christ'). I know the movie seems tame now but at the time for a student who rarely got a decent nights sleep and who was emotionally drained from the constant stress the Masters program put me through (sure I can write a compiler in a week, no problem!) it was just too much for the senses and nerves. This science fiction masterpiece was also the ultimate horror picture. The kids of today probably would think nothing of it but it blew me away! Where's the ibuprofen as I'm getting a headache just reliving the experience!
Open Range (2003)
Great Western except gut shot victims don't ride away the next day, they die!
If only Robert Duvall's character had died from his gut shot wound then I would have been inclined to give this movie a 10. Big fan of Duvall and a huge fan of Kevin Costner, particularly when Kevin is in this kind of role in which he plays a deadly workmanlike gunman as well as a very convincing cowboy, at least as convincing as I can imagine. The chemistry between the trail boss (Duvall), his segundo (foreman or second, Costner) and the drovers (Benrubi who doubled as cook and Luna) was perfect and the interplay was spot on! Kevin you did a great job as director but how could a gut shot man
ride away shortly after the shoot out with no apparent disability? This unreality almost ruined the film for me and I'm glad it was at the end cause had it been in the beginning I probably wouldn't have watched any further. By the way I was pleased your character didn't settle down as it would have been completely out of character for the character! All in all a very good film and well worth 140 minutes of my life!
Tombstone (1993)
One of best historical/fictional Westerns I've ever seen and the cast was spot on!
Hell Kurt Russell even looks like Wyatt Earp and from what I've learned about Wyatt Earp, Kurt portrayed the man, the legend, pretty damn well! Val Kilmer was perfect as Doc Holiday (maybe the best performance?), Powers Boothe was an appealing bad guy, Michael Biehn was badass! Sam Elliot played a subdued badass! It was a marvelous cast and a brilliant movie and wonderfully acted and full of testosterone! I've a pantheon of Westerns (e.g. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Will Penny, Open Range, Quigley Down Under etc.) but this is the only Western I've felt compelled to write about. I guess in the hope of encouraging others to watch and enjoy! It's a guy film for sure but I think anyone should appreciate it but I know guys will! Check it out, it's well done! Oh by the way "I'm your huckleberry" (spoken by Doc
Holiday just before he kills Ringo in a gunfight) apparently means "I'm your man"!
Broken Flowers (2005)
Intriguing film with unexpected and gratuitous nudity!
Bill Murray's character gets a letter in the mail informing him he has a 19 year old son. His next door bohemian neighbor encourages Bill to go on an ultimately fruitless quest to see if any of his former lovers from 19 years earlier (there were 5 and one had since passed away) were the genesis of the anonymous letter! The visit with Sharon Stones character went well but she clearly wasn't the sender, two visits were uncomfortable and neither of them were candidates either and the final visit went very, very badly (Tilda Swinton's character, who looks remarkably different in every movie I
see her in) and she clearly wasn't the genesis of the letter either and in the process of that final visit Bill gets beat up! Actually the final visit was to the grave site of the former lover who had passed away. So we never find out
who sent the letter but I guess that was the annoying point! At any rate it's a good watch and I thoroughly recommend the film!
21 Grams (2003)
Spellbinding film filled with hubris, guilt, angst, sorrow, despair and desired redemption
Sean, Benicio, and Naomi turn in Oscar deserving performances in a screenplay that reveals itself little by little in a scrambled fashion. This film's disdain for chronological storytelling makes it all the more compelling and in fact brilliant! I know of people that saw the film who had no clue what happened but I was moved by the unorthodox screenplay and entranced throughout. Do we lose 21 grams of mass at the moment of death and is that 21 grams our soul? Does our soul continue on? I can't know, who can know, but it's intriguing to theorize and discuss. I rather like the idea that our souls do survive then inhabit some other life form (reincarnate souls is a comforting thought), but I've been knocked cold for a prolonged period of time and I can tell you from that experience the only thing I experienced was no experience at all! However I've had other experiences that convince me malevolent other world forces are at work which suggests there is other worldly good forces as well. God and Satan as an antagonist duality or one in the same? Don't the Freemasons believe God and Satan are one? By the way this is an amazing film!
The Interview (2014)
A ridiculously funny propaganda movie!
Is this movie a propaganda piece, an NWO comedy special? YES! Is this movie a ridiculously funny propaganda piece? A resounding YES! Can James
Franco be any more absurdly funny then he was in 'The Interview', probably but it's hard to imagine. The guy playing Kim Jong-il was cast perfectly and his interactions with Franco were impossibly funny, simply irrepressibly funny material and performances. Rogan played a rather straight role he was more or less Dean Martin to Franco's Jerry Lewis and it was pitch perfect! I loved the movie and to think I almost didn't watch it because of all the bad press, well had I not watched it it would have been my loss! If you don't watch it, unless you're a tight ass, it will be your loss!
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Well I paid to see this film and got way more than I bargained for!
Just plot alone and the cinematography (the wide screen shots are amazing and brain seared) were well worth the price then throw in the acting and you've one hell of a film. There were indeed sequences (one in particular) that were really sadistic and unnecessary, from my perspective, but all in all this just may be Tarantino's best. A Tarantino film is an unforgettable experience despite, perhaps, wanting to put particular scenes out of one's mind. Think how many Tarantino written and directed scenes that easily float to the top of your consciousness (I've dozens) and you realize this guy knows his craft and is a master of his craft! I wouldn't want a child to see this as it's far too graphic for an impressionable mind but I'm glad I saw it (I think)!
What About Bob? (1991)
What a fun movie!
I saw this film when it came out in 1991 and just rewatched it (a quarter century later) and my enjoyment index hasn't diminished a bit. Dreyfuss and Murray are superb, in fact the whole cast was excellent but I particularly enjoyed the performances by Dreyfuss and Murray. Murray is a terrific comedic talent but Dreyfuss proved to be his equal. I recommend this film for all ages so that they may enjoy some relaxed down time and frequent laugh spasms. This was the first film I saw Murray in where he showed promise as an actor and he has had great success since. For all that Bob put Leo through I hope Dr. Marvin wins the lawsuit!
Falling Down (1993)
The protagonist was a victim right up to being shot in the chest!
Brilliantly played by Michael Douglas (in fact I think this is Michael's tour de force performance). D-Fens was a victim throughout, a man programmed to do the right thing but due to his victim-hood became disassociated from what was acceptable, so much so that a facsimile of right became right in any particular moment! D-Fens, like a rabid dog, and no more guilty of his illness than a dog with rabies, however despite this his illness, at least from the perspective of others, required he be put down (at least that is the pedestrian view) like a rabid animal. I on the other hand understand how D-Fens arrived at where he arrived and I view him as heroic, tragic figure!
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
Tommy Lee Jones led a stellar cast in an intriguing movie!
I enjoyed this film so much I purchased it and have lent my copy to others so they could enjoy it as well (but it doesn't appear they have). I think this is the best thing I've seen Tommy Lee in but the intense Pepper (perfect for a Border Patrol Agent), the smoldering Leo (spot on for her rather small town street wise role), the folksy Yoakam (couldn't have found anyone better to play Sheriff), and the hapless Cedillo (sweet man just trying to get by, irrespective of borders), and finally the lovely January Jones (what an incredible beauty) they all held up their end as well. A terrific story of
friendship and loyalty, loyalty that could have ended very badly and from which there was no turning back! Tommy Lee plays a no nonsense very decent man capable of doing violence for the sake of friendship and to honor an offhand promise but just as important ensuring some degree of justice is served. Great film that I will always think of fondly and that I revisit from time to time and each and every time it has the same emotional impact! By the way Tommy your directorial debut was as good as it can get, I detected nothing I could complain about! Damn film brought tears to my eyes!
Which Way Is Up? (1977)
This movie had me laughing so hard I couldn't breath!
Richard had that effect on me! When he was on there has never been anyone who could cause me laugh harder or gasping for breath longer. Dave Chappelle came close, George Carlin was in the neighborhood (he was a bit more cerebral later in his career), Eddie Murphy could from time to time, but for pure standup perfection and improvisation Richard Pryor ruled and
for me he always will. He played three roles in 'Which Way is Up', one as funny as the other. However perhaps the Preacher role (Reverend Lennox Thomas) especially for the roles pure unadulterated hypocrisy due to the "Reverends" unchecked ardor and avarice (remind you of any of the Evangelists of today?) made me laugh the most but this whole movie
was funny from beginning to end. Richard you left us too early, miss you man!
This Is the End (2013)
Pure unadulterated fun from beginning to end...
Comedies don't get any better than this. The main cast couldn't have been better suited for one another; McBride, Rogan, Franco, Hill, Robinson, Baruchel, you get these crazy bastards together and things are going to get ludicrous and hilariously funny! This movie did not disappoint, not for a single moment. I found myself laughing so hard that I felt compelled to experiment to see how many viewings would still elicit laughs and it was at least seven and if I were to leave it on the shelf for a few months then slip it into the ole Blu-ray player for another go it just might work it's magic one more time. Rogan and his writing partner are comedy geniuses! This farce is a must see!
Little Big Man (1970)
My favorite offering from Hoffman.
I've enjoyed Dustin Hoffman in many of his cinematic roles but none more than his multi-stage role in "Little Big Man". Hoffman morphed from one persona to another; Indian to gunfighter to Army scout to drunk, repeating some of those roles as the story progressed. One was given bit of a history lesson (genocide of the American Indians) in a vehicle that was both simultaneously comedic and horrific, absolutely one of the best Westerns I've ever seen (right up there with Jeremiah Johnson, Missouri Breaks, and Hombre). From time to time I revisit this film and I have the same reactions and same responses as I had the first time I saw it in the very early seventies. This movie has staying power and it will remain a cinematic classic for all time!
Defending Your Life (1991)
A thoroughly enjoyable and modern approach to reincarnation!
This movie should have been the denouement of Albert Brooks advancement as an actor. He was terrific, he was real, he was believable, he was entertaining, he had arrived and everything was just going to get better, yet it never happened. Sure he has been successful and he's experienced a degree of success that the majority of us (in particular me) could only dream about but his laid back witty, effortless acting style appears not to have caught fire, now the both of us are 69 and unless either of us can pull something out of a hat (never happen for me) our pinnacles are behind us and it's all down hill from here. Despite what has occurred to Albert's acting career this movie is a must see and it has the terrific Meryl Streep, as well as Rip Torn, Lee Grant, and Buck Henry (quite the cast). Watch this film and I promise you'll enjoy
it, it's time well spent and the ending sequence is a tear jerker! Oh and Albert is far and away the reason this film is so enjoyable! He's a hoot! I discovered this film bombed at the box office, I am quite pleased that, in my small way, I helped pad the numbers!
The Big Short (2015)
The best movie detailing the engineered financial collapse during Bush II
The movie wasn't entirely accurate some average people did know that subprime mortgages, balloon mortgages (5 year balloons which proves this happened entirely on Bush II's watch), etc. were a ticking time bomb. I was one of them, in 2005 when I invested in the mortgage business specifically in an outfit called American Home Mortgage, I only invested in them because they did not engage in subprimes or other risky loan practices, but guess what while on vacation in Orlando with my family, summer 2007, I saw my position and my kids positions in American Home Mortgage disappear via a Treo phone. American Home Mortgage was the 10th largest mortgage company in the country and it was the first to go! Anyone with half a brain saw the bubble but virtually everyone I knew, including my fat redneck boss,
hung on every word spoken by Alan Greenspan and Alan was telling everyone to stay the course and all was well. This movie shows the criminal dealings of Goldman Sachs but they got bailed out and no one went to jail. This will happen again! This country is nothing more than a criminal enterprise! Kudos to Iceland for jailing the banksters and helping out the homeowners! By the way words right out of the idiots mouth: "We can put light where there's darkness, and hope where there's despondency in this country. And part of it is working together as a nation to encourage folks to own their own home." - President George W. Bush, Oct. 15, 2002... Bush gave the green light, through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to risky lending practices, and that's a freaking fact!
The Trip to Italy (2014)
A movie to be enjoyed by those with intelligence and wit!
Bright, subtle humor that can only be appreciated by those with an IQ above a moronic level! I would love to see a third! The second was an excellent complement to 'The Trip' through the Lakes District. The Trip to Italy is stunningly filmed, wonderfully scored (in particular 'Im Abendrot' by Richard Strauss, absolutely heart rending as well as the only piece I could identify or remember for that matter apart from Alanis) and brilliantly directed. Those inclined to shoot-em ups and CGI will never be able to appreciate a movie this clever and intelligent! Mr. Brydon and Mr. Coogan please do this again. Steve and Rob's chemistry feels genuine and I wonder if they wouldn't mind spooning on the side of the Eiger? Just joking guys! Please choose another region of Europe where you can tie in some other famous English literary giants (Perhaps Kipling and Housman with their ties to France?) and in the process teach the untutored masses something. I say this despite not having much hope for the average viewing audience! So in closing I conclude by
thoroughly encouraging those with wit and intelligence to relish this gem! For those not fitting those parameters give it a skip so I don't have to read your inane comments! By the by Byron and Shelley socialized, Shelley wrote that his contact with Byron led to a drive in his own poetic output, and, following a boating tour with Byron, was inspired to write his 'Hymn to Intellectual Beauty'.
The Trip to Spain (2017)
Please keep these coming!
Absolutely brilliant! Coogan, Brydon, Keelan, & Barrio are so natural together it's like they aren't even acting, absolutely brilliant! It will never catch on in the United States as the average Joe likes stuff like Star Wars, Guardian of the Galaxy and that sort of fare. But I'm not an adolescent and I prefer headier fare, I simply can't stomach the action genre (except perhaps Daniel Craig playing Bond, now that's a bulldog). The cinematography in the trip movies is always first rate and this trip installment is no exception! Hats off to Michael Winterbottom, first rate job Michael, absolutely first rate! I must mention the piano accompaniment as it is always welcome, so wistful and, highlighting melancholia filled moments. This Trip movie ended with an interesting twist with Steve about to be taken captive by the mujahideen. My bet is Steve talks his way out of it perhaps by doing "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition" impression! In addition to the pure viewing pleasure one always learns a bit, these trip movies edify as well as entertain. I simply look forward to the next installment!
Collateral Beauty (2016)
A beautiful heartfelt tear producer
Wonderfully written, in fact the writer must have experienced a loss that affected him profoundly, beautifully directed, the direction elicited the emotions I imagine the writer hoped to elicit, and superbly acted by all involved. What a gem, my wife and I were moved to tears. This is what a movie should be, it elevates rather than diminishes humankind! Good job one and all and thank you for this heartfelt, enjoyable escape. I was entranced throughout, completely engaged in this lovely story of loss, coming to terms with the loss, and ultimately surviving and moving on. The pace of the movie is perfect, it's story is revealed virtually every screen second never leaving the viewer wanting.
The Steps (2015)
Terrific story to be enjoyed by all, except perhaps the youngsters.
What a lovely movie but we all know that a government soulless automaton social worker would never allow that couple to adopt, EVER! Only a PC couple (PC people hide all their sins, they are great actors) would be allowed to adopt, period! For that reason and that reason alone I rated the movie a 9 instead of a 10. I hate unreality, basically a fairy tale, even when the fairy tale is heartrending and wistfully enjoyed with the occasional tear. Every performance in this movie was spot on, every performance interesting and unique. James Brolin was excellent and it's good to see that Christine Lahti is still fetching, quite lovely actually, despite being in her mid-sixties, she is very appealing. Christine plays a woman who should be every man's desire, a team player who puts the ones she loves first despite the personal cost to herself plus there is the hot factor. This is a thoroughly enjoyable vehicle and all should give it a go despite the departure from today's reality, but isn't that what movies do?
The Muse (1999)
The film "The Muse" kept me well amused!
It would appear Albert and his writing partner (RIP) have a knack of producing original, freshly entertaining gems that are a joy to engage over and over again. Well done! The main protagonists were superb; Sharon Stone as the eccentric, lovely but spoiled Muse, Andie MacDowell as the temporarily frustrated but soon self-actualized spouse, Jeff Bridges as the successful screen writer who is challenged simply to get a tennis ball over a net but who hooks Albert's character up with the Muse, and of course angst filled Albert's character who teeters on the edge of disaster but somehow pulls it together with some help from the Muse cum studio executive. It's a lovely movie, good clean fun designed to provide escape from our own angst filled existences! Thank you Albert!