IMDB #17-28 Mini Reviews

The last round of mini reviews to catch up on our reviews.  We watched these in February but I kept forgetting to do my mini reviews.  Better late than never...  These were all movies we had already seen (or even own), but rewatched for the project.

The Big Lebowski

J quotes this all the time.  It's a 90s classic and this quirky and full of great characters.  Definitely something that has rewatchability.

Jaws

Years and years later, this movie still scares the crap out of me.  Sure, the mechanical shark looks a bit fake.  But that doesn't take away the building of suspense and speculation until we see the shark appear by the boat.  Holy crap!  When it pops out of water, I always jump.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Still my favorite of the Indiana Jones movies.  Raiders is awesome, but the addition of Sean Connery really makes this movie.  "We named the dog Indy."  -- awesome line.  The scene with the rats makes my skin crawl.

Donnie Darko

Don't bother watching the sequel -- horrid.  But the original movie still takes me a on a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts.

Gladiator

A little too dramatic and melodramatic, but a few of the fight scenes are pretty bad ass.  The side characters are fairly interesting. And the cinematography is just gorgeous!

Toy Story 3

What a freaking tearjerker!  This is a great ending the trilogy, but I have to admit that I ugly cried during the trash scene.  I love that the movie brought everything full circle.

The Terminator

A classic action movie.  While I don't think it completely stands the test of time, I like this movie.  I did forget how slow it is, especially when you watch the sequel.

The Departed

I'm not a huge fan of Scorsese, but this is a decent movie.  I love the role reversals for Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.  They definitely make the movie much more interesting.

Terminator 2

A much better movie than the first one.  And thoroughly terrifying.  The unrelenting terminator is a sight to behold.

Good Will Hunting

A decent movie, but it's never been a favorite of mine.  The sentimentality of the characters and storyline get to me.  I'm not a huge fan.

Casablanca

I love this movie!  I love Bogart!  I love setting!  I love the storyline!  Everything about this movie makes it an instant classic.

Braveheart

Not my favorite movie.  Especially since they take such historical liberties.  Plus, Mel Gibson is not my favorite actor.

IMDB #10 - 16: Mini Reviews

I needed to catch up on my IMDB movies but decided that I didn't want to do full reviews...  So, here are my extremely short reviews.

District 9

A very interesting take on apartheid and science fiction all rolled into one.  I liked this one.  I've even heard that there is to be a sequel.

The Prestige

Oh my!  This movie get me every time.  I know what's going to happen and yet I also feel the adrenaline pumping during the big reveal.  Christopher Nolan took a very good book and stripped it down into an even more amazing story.

Finding Nemo

Another Pixar movie for my February marathon.  While this isn't my absolute favorite Pixar, it's still a really good movie.  Especially when you compare it to other animated movies.

Avatar

Ugh!  Not a good movie at all.  I was thoroughly bored throughout.  And the storyline is completely predictable.  Definitely don't waste your three plus hours on this movie.

Cool Hand Luke

A classic Newman movie.  Must see for all movie buffs, if not just for the egg eating scene.  Newman exudes cool and calm throughout the movie.  But make no mistake, the movie has some brutal moments.  Still a great classic.

A Beautiful Mind

Not the best at all.  I don't really understand all the hype surrounding this one.  It just doesn't resonate at all.

American Beauty

Another overhyped movie.  The only interesting part was Kevin Spacey.  Everything and everyone else is done.

And so that's my review catch up.

IMDB #4: Pirates of the Caribbean

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Year Released/Rating: 2003 PG-13

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush

Directed By: Gore Verbinski

Written By: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 4/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

• Johnny Depp wore contact lenses which served as sunglasses so he wouldn't be squinting in the sun all the time.
• The scene where Orlando Bloom impersonates Johnny Depp's performance was devised by Bloom who asked producer Jerry Bruckheimer if he could put it into the movie.
• When returning from a night shoot on one of the Caribbean islands, Keira Knightley's boat struck a reef and went down. The only people aboard were Knightley, her mother Sharman Macdonald and the boat's skipper, all of whom escaped unharmed and were rescued within a few hours. However, the incident ultimately determined that the rest of the island night shoots needed would complete filming in a studio, rather than on location.
• The East India Company (the real-life counterpart of the film franchise's East India Trading Company) really did brand pirates with a "P" but it was put on their forehead instead of their arm.
• The "Fort" in Port Royal is actually not on St. Vincent's, but at a closed down amusement park (Marineland) in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
• The name "Barbossa" might have been derived from the real Turkish pirate "Barbarossa". Barbarossa, also known as "Redbeard", was once a pirate in the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas before he became a fleet admiral of the Ottoman Empire navy.

Summary: Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Review: A fun movie, but just don't think about it too much.  The best part of the movie is definitely Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa.  He is such a hoot.  Love him!  The rest of the cast is ho-hum in comparison.  It's still a fun movie to watch for a night in.

Best Bits: 

• Jack Sparrow: Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
• Norrington: No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn't point north, [looks at Jack's sword] and I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of.  Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.
• Will Turner: This is either madness... or brilliance.  Jack Sparrow: It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide.
• Elizabeth: Captain Barbossa , I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal .  Barbossa: There are a lot of long words in there, Miss; we're naught but humble pirates. What is it that you want?  Elizabeth: I want you to leave and never come back.  Barbossa: I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means "no".
• Jack Sparrow: Parleley, parlelellyleloooo, par le nee, partner, par... snip, parsley...  Ragetti: Parley?  Jack Sparrow: That's the one. Parley. Parley.  Pintel: Parley? Damn to the depths whatever man what thought of "Parley".  Jack Sparrow: That would be the French.

IMDB #3: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Title: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Year Released/Rating: 1981 PG

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it!

Trivia:

• The original name of the lead character in the script was Indiana Smith. His name was changed to Jones on the first day of production.
• In the submarine pen, the German who comes upon Indiana says, in German, "Good day" "Tired? Why do you sleep? Wash yourself! And straighten your shirt, so that you don't look like a pig at your court martial..." "Stand up... [straight]" He is cut off by Indiana's punch.
• Although the Nazis speak German in many scenes, most of the lines were dubbed for the German versions of the film because the actors spoke very bad German with a very strong American accent. Some lines were simply wrong. On the recent DVD release, no German lines are wrong. The majority of the German lines seems to be spoken by native German speakers with a slight south German accent.
• In filming the Well of Souls sequence, the producers scoured every pet shop in London and the South of England for every snake they could lay their hands on. Hence there are snakes that are identifiable from many different geographical areas. However, once all the snakes were on set, it became clear that there were not nearly enough of them, so Steven Spielberg had several hoses cut into lengths, and these were used as well. Looking closely, you can tell which are the real snakes and which are not. A sheet of glass separates Harrison Fordand the arched (and highly dangerous) cobra when he falls in. The snake actually did spray venom onto the glass.
• The submarine pen on the island where the Ark is taken and finally opened is not a set, but in fact an actual German U-Boat pen left over from World War II in La Rochelle, France. Producer Robert Watts was amazed at how preserved the submarine pen was (even down to the graffiti on the walls) that he described it as "a actual set in existence".
• Body Count: 67 (including the monkey).

Summary: Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Review: 

One of my all time favorite movies.  How can you not love Indiana Jones?  This is just a fun action adventure movie.  We introduce the twins to it last year and they loved it.  A must see for everyone.

Best Bits: 

• Belloq: What a fitting end to your life's pursuits. You're about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something.  Indiana: Ha ha ha ha. [under his breath]  Indiana: Son of a bitch.
• Sallah: Indy, there is something that troubles me.  Indiana: What is it?  Sallah: The Ark. If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth.
• Indiana: Do we need the monkey?  Marion: I'm surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He's got your looks, too.  Indiana: And your brains.
• [Upon opening the Well of the Souls and peering down]  Sallah: Indy, why does the floor move?  Indiana: Give me your torch.  [Indy takes the torch and drops it in]  Indiana: Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?  Sallah: Asps... very dangerous. You go first.
• Indiana: Meet me at Omar's. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck.  Sallah: How?  Indiana: I don't know, I'm making this up as I go!

IMDB #1: Singin' in the Rain

For one of my February life goals, I aim to watch a movie off our IMDB list everyday.  We're starting with a classic...

Title: Singin' in the Rain

Year Released/Rating: 1952

Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds

Directed By: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

Written By: Adolph Green, Betty Comden

Genre: Musical

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

• Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds for not being able to dance. Fred Astaire, who was hanging around the studio, found her crying under a piano and helped her with her dancing.
• For the "Make Em Laugh" number, Gene Kelly asked Donald O'Connor to revive a trick he had done as a young dancer, running up a wall and completing a somersault. The number was so physically taxing that O'Connor, who smoked four packs of cigarettes a day at the time, went to bed (or may have been hospitalized, depending on the source) for a week after its completion, suffering from exhaustion and painful carpet burns. Unfortunately, an accident ruined all of the initial footage, so after a brief rest, O'Connor, ever the professional, agreed to do the difficult number all over again.
• Donald O'Connor admitted that he did not enjoy working with Gene Kelly, since Kelly was somewhat of a tyrant. O'Connor said that for the first several weeks he was terrified of making a mistake and being yelled at by Kelly.
• Cyd Charisse had to be taught how to smoke for her vampy dance sequence.

Summary: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

Review: This is definitely one of my absolute favorite musicals.  It has such great scenes, not the least of which is the title song.  I really love the comedic scenes with Lina Lamont.  And Cyd Charisse's vampy dance in Broadway is just to die for.  The storyline in this one is actually quite good.  It's not like some of the old musicals where characters and story just don't exist in favor of flashy musicals.  Of course, this one still has some of those flashy musical numbers.  It's a must see...

Best Bits: 

• Lina Lamont: Gee, this wig weighs a ton! What dope'd wear a thing like this?Rosco: Everybody used to wear them, Lina. Lina Lamont: Well, then everybody was a dope.
• Cosmo Brown: Lina. She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat.
• Don Lockwood: Now Lina, you've been reading all those fan magazines again! Now look Lina, you shouldn't believe all that banana oil Dora Bailey and the columnists dish out. Now try to get this straight: there is nothing between us. There has never been anything between us. Just air. Lina: Oh, Donny, you don't mean that.
• Cosmo Brown: The new Don Lockwood. He yodels, he jumps around to music. Don Lockwood: The only problem is once they release this movie, no-one's gonna want to see me jump off the Woolworth building into a damp rag.
• Don Lockwood: Cosmo, call me a cab. Cosmo Brown: OK, you're a cab.