Schindler’s List

One line review: If you can get past the length you will find a movie that will strike an emotional cord in the coldest of hearts.

Movie Title: Schindler’s List

Actors: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall

Director: Stephen Spielberg

Year: 1993

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – Schindler’s List blends the abject horror of the Holocaust with Steven Spielberg’s signature tender humanism to create the director’s dramatic masterpiece.

My rating: *****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I feel obligated to give this movie five star not because it’s considered one of Spielberg’s best films, but because it is the first film to actual strike an emotional chord with me. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to relate to so much death so long ago. However, once Schindler realizes the level of destruction, and begins to desperately try to save as many people as possible, you finally feel a human connection to this film. Somehow the timing of Schindler’s emotional turn around coincided with my own, making the last thirty minutes a grueling, somber triumph.

Serenity

One line review: A SciFi action thriller that only makes the absence of Firefly that much more painful.

Movie Title: Serenity

Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz

Director: Serenity

Year: 2005

Genre: Action / SciFi

Method of Viewing: Netflix Instant Watch

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: Friends in #Jazzmess

Rotten Tomatoes: 81% – Snappy dialogue and goofy characters make this Wild Wild West soap opera in space fun and adventurous.

My rating: *** – A Great Movie

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I only actually watched Firefly in the last 6 months or so, and while I loved the series I didn’t seem to have the same level of love as others. Perhaps because I didn’t watch it when Fox was canceling it, or I didn’t follow the build up to this film. However, now that I’ve finally seen the finale of Firefly, I still can’t seem to find the absolute love that others had. It was a fantastic and fun movie to watch, but it didn’t really end the series so much as make me wish the movies or episodes could continue.

Police Academy

One line review: An average movie with a few funny moments, and plenty of vulgar moments.

Movie Title: Police Academy

Actors: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall,     G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, Donovan Scott, George Gaynes, Andrew Rubin, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook, Michael Winslow,     Debralee Scott, Bruce Mahler,     Ted Ross, Scott Thomson, Brant von Hoffman

Director: Hugh Wilson

Year: 1984

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: TV

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 47% – Police Academy at its core is a harmless, innocent poke at authority that does find a fresh background in a police academy.

My rating: ** – A Good Movie

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): The more I think about this movie, the more I dislike it. The movie itself is actually surprisingly forgettable, with each character devolving into nothing more than their cliches. The only memorable parts for me are the vulgar comedy scenes that I hated. However, there are at least enough funny scenes to keep you entertained for the duration of the movie. Still, there are better ways to spend your time, and I certainly have no plans of watching any of the sequels. This movie is good for some laughs here and there, but there’s little else to enjoy with this movie.

Halloween

One line review: It’s a film that has managed to find the perfect balance between suspense, atmosphere, and shock value.

Movie Title: Halloween

Actors: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Tony Moran

Director: John Carpenter

Year: 1978

Genre: Horror

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% – Scary, suspenseful, and viscerally thrilling, Halloween set the standard for modern horror films.

My rating: **** – A Legendary movie, but with some flaws

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This may cause some people to be absolutely shocked, but I believe this is the first horror movie I’ve ever watched. This leaves me with no set of previous movies to compare this film against. However, even a complete amateaur horror film viewer can recognize a well executed film. It’s a simple concept, that slowly builds to an exciting conclusion. Though I wasn’t actually scared by any of the scenes (perhaps less shocking 30 years later) I still enjoyed the story. I think I’ll enjoy these original horror movies much more than the remakes that are being spat out right now.

Posting delays

I apologize for the lack of posting, work caught up on me. I’ve caught up on the three movies I missed, and will try to do Halloween tonight (a day late). As for the future, I’m going to have to reduce the schedule I had planned out, but hopefully I can get a more consistent schedule going eventually.

Pulp Fiction

One line review: A strange mix of cool one-liners, unusual situations, and strangely dull scenes

Movie Title: Pulp Fiction

Actors: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Phil LaMarr, Maria de Medeiros, Rosanna Arquette, Peter Greene, Uma Thurman, Duane Whitaker

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Year: 1994

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% – What makes the film such wicked fun is the way Tarantino delivers the familiar with a twist. He continually prepares us for one thing and then delivers another.

My rating: *** – A great movie

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Just like Predator seemed to be loved more for it’s over the top action and strange one-liners than for the entire movie, this movie is full of one-liners that I never knew the source for. The setting, the characters, and the winding storyline all help to make this a very enjoyable movie to watch. However, I feel this movie indulges itself far too much in all of this long, pointless dialog. When I think of this movie, I don’t think of a funny one-liner, I think of Samuel L. Jackson prattling on for 30 minutes with a gun in his hand.

Wayne’s World

One line review: Unless your a child in the 90’s, this movie does not hold up at all.

Movie Title: Wayne’s World

Actors: Mike Myers,Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Doyle-Murray, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael DeLuise, Dan Bell, Lee Tergesen

Director: Penelope Spheeris

Year: 1992

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: TV

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% – An oddball comedy that revels in its silliness and memorable catch phrases, Wayne’s World is also fondly regarded because of its endearing characters.

My rating: * – A Bad Movie

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I simply hated this movie. Perhaps I was in a bad mood when watching or perhaps I couldn’t find humor in Wayne or Garth making funny faces. Either way, this movie was just painful for me to watch. I have heard so many different ideas about this movie, some thinking it’s an essential film, while others think it’s just a bad movie. I just don’t get this movie. I don’t know how anyone could actually like this movie. It’s stupid, vulgar, boring, and not funny. Sorry if you like it, but it’s the worst movie I have on my list. Period.

The Princess Bride

One line review: A magical fairytale full of spirit, humor, and action.

Movie Title: The Princess Bride

Actors: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Robin Wright Penn, Peter Falk, Peter Cook

Director: Rob Reiner

Year: 1987

Genre: Adventure / Comedy

Method of Viewing: Netflix Instant Play

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: Friends in #Jazzmess

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% – One of Reiner’s most entertaining films, effective as a swashbuckling epic, romantic fable, and satire of these genres.

My rating: **** – A Legendary Movie, but with some flaws

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): The Princess Bride is another book turned into a movie. Nearly every time a book is turned into a movie, fans of the book are annoyed that the movie cannot capture the entire scope of the book. However, this movie did exactly what it should. It pulled me in, made me fascinated to find out more about the characters and back story, and made me want to go and buy the book. Each character, from the major to the minor, seem to have their own spirit about them, and the world they live in is full of magic and wonder. Fantastic!

Netflix Movie Night TONIGHT!

Tonight, at 7pm CST, we’ll be watching The Princess Bride on Netflix Instant Play, in the #Jazzmess Chat Room. If you don’t have an IRC client, feel free to use this Mibbit room, or look to the Chat page for more options.
See you there!

The Deer Hunter

One line review: A crushing look at the impact of the Vietnam War on a small group of friends.

Movie Title: The Deer Hunter

Actors: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Shirley Stoler, Rutanya Alda, Pierre Segui

Director: Michael Cimino

Year: 1978

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No one

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% – Its greatness is blunted by its length and one-sided point of view, but the film’s weaknesses are overpowered by Michael Cimino’s sympathetic direction and a series of heartbreaking performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.

My rating: **** – A Legendary Movie, but with some flaws

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I can’t help but feel that I’m completely incapable of properly appreciating this movie. I have never been in a real fight for my life, much less a war. I am reviewing a movie over 30 years old about a war that started nearly 50 years ago, it’s very difficult to relate. However, as I’ve allowed the movie to sink in, the images and the themes presented still ring with me.  Despite my distance from the Vietnam War, this movie managed to capture a small slice of the pain it caused. Still, the message is dulled by the movie’s length.