May 2011
3 posts
Bridesmaids (2011)
Directed by Paul Feig (created and directed several episodes of Freaks and Geeks)
Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper (Erin from The Office), Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911), Rose Byrne
Just saw this yesterday, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Kristen Wiig, who also co-wrote the film, is hilarious, as usual. She carries the film, but that doesn’t stop Melissa...
Hanna (2011)
Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice)
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander
Saw this when Joe was in town a few weeks ago. Really good, fun action movie, and it even has a little bit of depth. The most interesting part of the story is Hanna’s introduction into society. She is a young girl of exceptional mental and physical abilities who has...
The Next Three Days (2010)
Written and Directed by Paul Haggis (Crash, In The Valley of Elah)
Starring Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, RZA
I really enjoyed this movie. It starts as a straight-up thriller-drama, but quickly shifts into an action-thriller in the last third. The most compelling aspect of the story is the fact that Russell Crowe’s protagonist is not ex-Special Forces or former CIA or...
October 2010
1 post
A Prophet (2009)
Directed by Jacques Audiard
I watched this movie a few weeks ago, and have been thinking about how to describe it. The synopsis on IMDB doesn’t offer much as to what actually happens in the film. I think this excerpt from Roger Ebert’s four star review does a pretty good job setting the stage though:
“The movie, one of this year’s foreign film Oscar nominees, follows...
August 2010
2 posts
Frantic (1988)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Synopsis: “In a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder.”
Very solid thriller. The story itself isn’t groundbreaking, but the execution here is pretty impressive. Though I have to say that I always...
May 2010
1 post
My Blue Heaven (1990)
Directed by Herbert Ross (Footloose, Steel Magnolias)
Written by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, also wrote/directed You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie and Julia)
Starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Joan Cusack
Synopsis: “An all too uptight FBI agent (Moranis) must protect a larger than life mobster with a heart of gold (Martin), currently under witness protection...
April 2010
3 posts
Midnight Express (1978)
Directed by Alan Parker (Mississippi Burning, Fame, Evita, The Life of David Gale)
Written by Oliver Stone (his first big script, also won him an academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay)
Starring Brad Davis, John Hurt, Randy Quaid
Synopsis: “Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.”
INCREDIBLE. This movie is an intense, amazing,...
Brothers (2009)
Directed by Jim Sheridan (In The Name of the Father, The Boxer, In America)
Written by David Benioff (The 25th Hour)
Starring Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhall, Sam Shepard
Synopsis: “A young man recently release from prison (Gyllenhall) comforts his older brother’s wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.”
I have to say I enjoyed this movie....
Paranormal Entity (2009) [non-review]
Note: This is not a review for the smash hit Paranormal Activity, which I still have not seen. This is for a direct-to-DVD knock off, that has a similarly designed cover. I also have not seen this movie, and will not. But. The reason I am writing this is because I saw that this movie was directed by and stars, former Diagnosis Murder regular cast member, grandson of Dick and son of Barry…...
March 2010
4 posts
Heist (2001)
Written and Directed by David Mamet
Starring Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Danny Devito, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay
Synopsis: “A jewel thief (Devito)’s nephew (Rockwell) is sent along on a heist to ensure a longtime partner in crime (Hackman) stays honest about the division of the loot.”
Great movie. Character-driven crime movie with incredible dialogue. I...
Wag The Dog (1997)
Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Sleepers, Rain Man, etc.)
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Leary, Willy Nelson, John Michael Higgins
Synopsis: “Before the president runs for re-election, a spin-doctor (DeNiro) and a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) join efforts to ‘fabricate’ a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex...
Righteous Ties (2006) [non-review]
I haven’t watched this movie, but from the cover, I imagine it’s about two guys who quit rival gangs for their mutual admiration of designer ties, so they decide to open a tie store together. Then the rest of the movie is them selling and designing ties until a business conglomerate tries to buy out their store because it’s so successful, but they decide not to sell, because...
Couples Retreat (2009)
Directed by Peter Billingsly (the kid from A Christmas Story)
Starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Malin Ackerman, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love
Synopsis: “A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the...
February 2010
4 posts
Moon (2009)
Directed by Duncan Jones (Bowie’s son)
Starring Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey’s voice
Synopsis: “With only three weeks left in his three year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth. He is the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility along with his computer and assistant, GERTY. The long period of time alone however has resulted in him...
Guilty by Suspicion (1991)
Directed by Irwin Winkler (Life as a House, The Net, De-Lovely / also produced Rocky series, The Right Stuff, and a number of Scorsese films- Raging Bull, Goodfellas, etc)
Starring Robert De Niro, Annette Benning, George Wendt, Chris Cooper, Martin Scorsese
IMDB Synopsis: “David Merrill (Robert De Niro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that...
Cape Fear (1991)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Robert DeNiro, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Jessica Lange, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck (in his final film)
Synopsis: “A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14 year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.”
Really gripping, suspense-wise, and some great performances. DeNiro’s Max Cady is...
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Directed by Mike Newell (Pushing Tin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral)
Starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, Michael Madsen, Anne Heche
Synopsis: “This true story follows FBI agent Joe Pistone as he infiltrates the mafia of New York. Befriending Lefty Ruggiero, Pistone (under the name Donnie Brasco) is able to embed himself in a mafia faction lead by Sonny...
January 2010
5 posts
4 tags
Suddenly (1954)
Directed by Lewis Allen
Starring Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden (The Godfather, Kubrick’s The Killing, also The Long Goodbye)
Synopsis: “In the city of Suddenly, three gangsters trap the Benson family in their own house, on the top of a hill nearby the railroad station, with the intention of killing the president of the USA.”
I chose to the image above because it’s...
Up (2009)
Directed by Pete Doctor (Monsters Inc) Starring voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai Synopsis: “By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his...
Marathon Man (1976)
Directed by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy)
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Lawrence Olivier, Roy Scheider, and William “Secretary of State from 24” Devane
Synopsis: “A graduate history student, Dustin Hoffman, is unwittingly caught in the middle of an international conspiracy involving his CIA agent brother (Scheider), and an exiled Nazi war criminal(Olivier).”
This movie...
Year of the Dragon (1985)
Directed by Michael Cimino (Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate) Written by Cimino and Oliver Stone (lots of good stuff) Starring Mickey Rourke, John Lone (Ricky Tan from Rush Hour 2), Raymond J. Barry (from one of my first reviews) Synopsis: “Joey Tai becomes the head of the Chinese mafia in New York using unprecedented degrees of violence. Stanley White, the most decorated cop in New York...
The Yakuza (1974)
Directed by Sydney Pollock (The Firm, Tootsie, Out of Africa, Sabrina-1995) Written by Robert Towne (Chinatown, Mission: Impossible, The Last Detail) and Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) Starring Robert Mitchum, James Shigeta (Joseph Takagi from Die Hard) Synopsis: “Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George’s kidnapped daughter -...
December 2009
1 post
The Dead Zone (1983)
Directed by David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, etc.)
Starring Christopher Walken, Tom Skerrit, and Martin Sheen
Synopsis: “Teacher Johnny Smith gets in a horrible accident which forces him into a coma for five years. Once Johnny wakes up, he discovers he has the ability to read a person’s life just by making physical contact with them....
October 2009
2 posts
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Directed by Robert Altman
Starring Elliot Gould, Sterling Hayden
Synopsis: “Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife. Adapted from the Raymond Chandler book.”
-70s Elliot Gould Round 2-
Great movie. Elliot Gould plays the same character that had been immortalized by Humphrey Bogart decades earlier, and he does an amazing job. Thats two...
California Split (1974)
Directed by Robert Altman Starring Elliot Gould and George Segal Synopsis: “Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Walters (Elliot Gould) are two compulsive gamblers with nothing in common except incredibly bad luck. But after a chance meeting in a Los Angeles card parlor, they find that they make an unbeatable team.” I had never heard of this movie before, but when I saw it available...
September 2009
1 post
Duplicity (2009)
Wait a second… Steve has a blog?
Written and Directed by Tony Gilroy (wrote Bourne movies, Devil’s Advocate, wrote and directed Michael Clayton, and most importantly, his first writing credit is actually the hockey/figure skating crossover, The Cutting Edge)
Starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts
Plot Synopsis: ” A pair of corporate spies who share a steamy past hook up to...
July 2009
1 post
Revolutionay Road (2008)
Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates (Titanic reunion!)
IMDB Plot: “A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.”
Before its release this movie had a ton of awards buzz, but...
June 2009
1 post
Defiance (2008)
Directed by Ed Zwick (Glory, The Siege, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond)
Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie “Billy Elliot” Bell
Synopsis: “Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish...
May 2009
3 posts
Raising Cain (1992)
Directed by Brian De Palma (Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables, Carrie, Scarface, Mission to Mars)
Starring John Lithgow
I know I haven’t reviewed in awhile, and I realized that I would have to either quit my job or watch fewer movies to review them all, so to compromise I decided to stay at my job and simply not review all of the movies that I watch.
This movie was really...
Express Post 2: Cruise Control
The Hurricane (1999)
Directed by Norman Jewison (UofT grad, Jesus Christ Superstar, Moonstruck, In The Heat of The Night, The Thomas Crown Affair- the original) Starring Denzel Washington Good movie, though a bit long. Denzel’s performance is the best part. When the movie came out there was a bit of controversy about it not being historically accurate, but that never really deters me from...
Express Post part 1
Sorry about the lack of updates recently. Work has been busy. But just because I haven’t had time to write any movies up doesn’t mean that I haven’t been watching any. Here’s a quick rundown of the things I have seen in the last few weeks:
Doubt (2008)
Directed by John Patrick Shanley
Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Amy Adams
Very compelling and...
April 2009
3 posts
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Directed by Woody Allen Starring Martin Landau, Woody Allen, Anjelica Huston, Mia Farrow, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda Synopsis: “Opthalmologist Judah Rosenthal (Landau) has had an affair with Dolores (Huston) for several years, and now she threatens to ruin his life if he doesn’t marry her. When his brother Jack (Orbach) suggests to have Dolores murdered, Judah is faced with a big moral...
-Catch-up Post-
Sorry my posting frequency has slowed down. I started writing a post yesterday, and the window froze after I was two movies in. Work has been too busy to spend inordinate amounts of time writing about the inordinate amount of time I spend watching movies. Here is a super express post with what I’ve been watching over the past 3 weeks.
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
Peter Sellers as Inspector...
Being There (1979)
****NOTE THE READER(S) OF THIS BLOG: Hi mom. I have revised the way in which I rate the movies. You will see the result below.****
Directed by Hal Ashby
Starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Jack “Big Ben Healy” Warden
IMDB Synopsis: “A simple-minded gardener named Chance (Sellers) has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies,...
March 2009
7 posts
Eagle Eye (2008)
Directed by DJ Caruso (Distrubia, Two for the Money)
Starring Shia Lebeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thorton, Michael Chiklis, Rosario Dawson, William Sadler (the bad guy from Die Harder)
Synopsis: “Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and...
...Catch-up Post...
What Just Happened? (2008)
Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Rain Man, Sleepers)
Starring Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright Penn, Sean Penn, John Turturro, Kristen Stewart, Bruce Willis
Synopsis: ” Two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer who’s having a rough time trying to get his new picture made.”
Based on the memoir of Art Linson, an actual Hollywood producer,...
The Graduate (1967)
Directed by Mike Nichols (Regarding Henry, Closer, Charlie Wilson’s War)
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
Synopsis: “Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father’s business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.”
Though I...
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadephia, The Manchurian Candidate)
Written by Jenny Lumet (daughter of Sidney Lumet- Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Network, Murder on the Orient Express, Twelve Angry Men, The Verdict)
Starring Anne Hathaway
IMDB Synopsis: ” A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her...
.............
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Directed by Spike Lee
Synopsis: ” Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.”
Really disappointing. When I heard the bad reviews, I assumed it was just Spike-Lee-hatin’, but unfortunately I think they were right. There are some interesting bits about what it meant for black soldiers...
The King of Comedy (1982)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard
Synopsis: “Rupert Pupkin is obsessed with becoming a comedy great. However, when he confronts his idol, talk show host Jerry Langford, with a plea to perform on the Jerry’s show, he is only given the run-around. He does not give up, however, but persists in stalking Jerry until he gets what he...
Express Post
I’ve watched a bunch of movies in the last few weeks that I haven’t had a chance to talk about. Here is a quick rundown of those movies that I likely will not have the time to dedicate a full post to:
Black Book (2006)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Showgirls, Starship Troopers)
Synopsis: “In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer...
February 2009
8 posts
W. (2008)
Directed by Oliver Stone (JFK, Nixon, Wall Street, Platoon, World Trade Center, Alexander, etc.)
Starring Josh “W” Brolin, Richard “Cheney” Dreyfess, James “Bush Sr.” Cromwell (also Babe’s father/owner), Ellen “Barbara Bush” Burstyn, Thandie “Condoleezza” Newton, etc.
IMDB Synopsis: “Oliver Stone’s biographical take...
The Good German (2006)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s 11, 12, 13)
Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges
IMDB Synopsis: “While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver.”
I watched this last week, but...
Swingers (1996)
Directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Go, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper-unfortunately)
Starring Jon Favereau (also wrote it), Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston)
Two Alternate IMDB Synopses (both accurate):
“Wannabe actors become regulars in the stylish neo-lounge scene; Trent teaches his friend Mike the unwritten rules of the scene.”
“This is a story about Mike, a guy who...
Kicking And Screaming (1995)
Directed by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, co-writer of The Life Aquatic)
Starring some guys, and Eric Stoltz (Not the Will Ferrell movie of the same name)
IMDB Synopsis: “After college graduation, Grover’s girlfriend Jane tells him she’s moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with...
Cloverfield (2008)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Starring some people and a monster
IMDB Synopsis: “Revolves around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people.”
I know a lot of people do not care for this movie, but I really enjoy it. I saw it in theaters when it first came out, and now upon second viewing (divorced from the hype and anticipation) I am still...
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula (All The President’s Men, Parallax View, The Pelican Brief)
Starring Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, Bonnie “Holly Genero-McClaine” Bedilia
IMDB Synopsis: “After his former girlfriend is killed and he becomes the prime suspect, D.A. Harrison Ford goes on a search to find the real killer.”
I love early to mid-90s Harrison Ford....
Hard Times (1975)
Directed by Walter Hill (48 Hours, The Warriors, Last Man Standing)
Starring Charles Bronson, James Coburn
IMDB Synopsis: “In the depression, Chaney, a strong silent streetfighter, joins with Speed, a promoter of no-holds-barred street boxing bout.”
I came across this movie on the instant download list of movies, and thought I would give it a shot because I like a bunch of other...
An American Carol (2008)
I just wrote a very long and detailed post for this, but my internet window closed unexpectedly… Lucky for you it will probably be shorter this time.
Directed by David Zucker (The Naked Gun)
Starring Kevin Farley (Chris’s brother), Leslie Nielsen, Kelsey Grammar, Jon Voight
IMDB Synopsis: “An anti-American filmmaker who’s out to abolish the July Fourth holiday is...
