One line review: Beverly Hills Cop is a mix of comedic pranks and buddy cop action, and it’s average in both.

Movie Title: Beverly Hills Cop

Actors: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, James Russo, Jonathan Banks, Stephen Elliott, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Paul Reiser

Director: Martin Brest

Year: 1984

Genre: Action / Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% – Classic ’80s Murphy vehicle; fun but foulmouthed.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): So apparently Dr. Dolittle made Action/Comedy movies before making a ton of family crap, and it didn’t impress me too much. A lot of this movie depends on your enjoying watching Eddie Murphy laugh at his own jokes and enjoying the same electronic music over and over again. The comedy was hit and miss, and I quickly got annoyed with Eddie Murphy, while the action was just slapped on at the end. This is at best an average movie, and I don’t see why it ended up being so memorable. Maybe other people appreciate Eddie Murphy’s antics more than I do.

No Country for Old Men

One line review: No Country for Old Men provides a gritty drama with a fascinating villain.

Movie Title: No Country For Old Men

Actors: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Year: 2007

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% – Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy’s grim, darkly funny novel.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I realize it’s one of the most critically acclaimed movies, I realize it has a near perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but I just don’t see what people are talking about. It’s a gritty, real drama, but it’s also a bit of a mess to follow who is killing who. The character of Anton Chigurh is very interesting, but he honestly seems like just another horror villain who loves killing. The acting is pretty good, but it doesn’t bring me into the story. Something about the heavily southern accents throws me off. It just seemed like an okay movie to me.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

One line review: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Movie Title: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Actors: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman, Rod Loomis, Al Leong, Jane Wiedlin, Robert V. Barron, Clifford David,    Hal Landon Jr.

Director: Stephen Herek

Year: 1989

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% – Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure manages to find the perfect mix between goofy comedy and annoying characters to come out as an absolutely fantastic movie. I can honestly not put my finger on what allows it to hit the sweet spot. Other movies have had annoying and obnoxious comedic duos and they sometimes fail horribly. It might be something their relative innocence that makes them endearing. One final note, the abuse of time travel logic in the final scenes in jail was the most hilarious thing I’ve seen in a while. This movie is just fun, silly, and a good time.

The Cannonball Run

One line review: The Cannonball Run

Movie Title: The Cannonball Run

Actors: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr

Director: Hal Needham

Year: 1981

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 31% – Nonsense but fun nevertheless with a crazy ensemble cast of celebrities of the era.

My rating: **

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This movie is just a series of crappy gags strung together in something vaugely resembling a plot. There is occasionally a joke or gag that can actually get a laugh, but for the most part this movie is a forgettable mess. I assume it was considered memorable for the big fight scene at the end, and honestly that scene alone is why this movie isn’t a one star. I have no intention of looking into the sequel and will probably even avoid looking at any other Burt Reynold movies. I just don’t know why anyone would enjoy this silly, stupid, movie.

Alien

One line review: Alien mixes mystery with creepy imagery to create an extremely good horror movie.

Movie Title: Alien

Actors: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo

Director: Ridley Scott

Year: 1979

Genre: Horror

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – A modern classic, Alien blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): The praise for this movie is extremely high, and it pulls some tricks with the horror genre that are completely unique. On top of that it featured an impressive set of special effects and a memorable cast. While I probably won’t put this into my personal favorites, I can recognize a well put together film. What holds me back from going all the way was just some confusion I had with the plot and details of the alien. I ended up having to look up online to understand some details. Perhaps that’s my own fault, but it’s still a great film.

Dracula

One line review: Dracula manages to hold up suprisingly well for it’s age, dependent mostly on the acting of Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye.

Movie Title: Dracula

Actors: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade, Joan Standing, Charles K. Gerrard

Director: Tod Browning, Karl Freund

Year: 1931

Genre: Horror

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% – Bela Lugosi’s timeless portrayal of Dracula in this creepy and atmospheric 1931 film has set the standard for major vampiric roles since.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Providing a great contrast to The Shining, Dracula had very little sound effects or music as it came soon after the silent age of films. Still, the silence works just as well, often making the viewer feel trapped with Count Dracula. In addition, the slow and calculating speech of Bela Lugosi combined with the manic and insane mumblings of Dwight Frye constantly leaves the viewer on edge. My only complaint is that there seems to be some inconsistencies with the powers of Dracula and what he can do to his victims, though that’s more my inner nerd talking. A great film.

The Evil Dead

One line review: The Evil Dead combines a horror, gore, and a bit of humor to make a surprisingly enjoyable film.

Movie Title: The Evil Dead

Actors: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Philip A. Gillis

Director: Sam Raimi

Year: 1981

Genre: Horror

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% – This classic low budget horror film combines just the right amount of gore and black humor, giving The Evil Dead an equal amount of thrills and laughs.

My rating: *****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I was surprised to learn that The Evil Dead and The Godfather both have 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s certainly an impressive low-budget horror movie. It manages to give a small amount of horror, a high amount of gore, and actually kept me interested in what will happen next throughout the entire movie. I’m not a fan of the horror genre, but this is my favorite horror movie. It’s very limited in it’s quiet and creepy moments, but instead starting kicking ass early and often. I honestly can’t wait to view the next movie, I enjoyed watching this a lot.

The Shining

One line review: The Shining does an impressive job of building up momentum through sound effects and a slow build, but it seems to fall apart at the end.

Movie Title: The Shining

Actors: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joe Turkel, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton, Lia Beldam, Billie Gibson, Barry Dennen

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1980

Genre: Horror

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% – Though it deviates from Stephen King’s novel, Stanley Kubricks’ The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness — exemplified in an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I was ready to declare this to be one of the best movies I had ever watched in this entire experiment. This is not a movie you could enjoy if the sound was muted and you were reading subtitles. So much of this film is dependent on eerie moments of subtle music or odd effects. I was impressed that there was suspense built up so early in the movie based solely on these dramatic moments. However, the film fell a bit flat at the end, somehow all the build up didn’t payoff. I’m disappointed that this movie couldn’t hold together throughout.

The Godfather

One line review: The power and emotions of the characters overwhelm the plot and provide a powerful experience for the viewer.

Movie Title: The Godfather

Actors: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Year: 1972

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% – One of Hollywood’s greatest critical and commercial successes, The Godfather gets everything right; not only did the movie transcend expectations, it established new benchmarks for American cinema.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): The Godfather is considered by some to be the greatest movie of all time, unfortunately I have a tendency to not enjoy these dramatic movie as much as the critics. I cannot deny the superb acting (even if I had trouble understanding Marlon Brando), all of these characters live and breathe with every move they make. My only problem is that I think the characters actually overwhelm the plot. The central plot to this movie is in the background, while the movie focuses on each individual character instead. It leaves you only focused on the acting rather than a whole story.

Big

One line review: Big is a decent movie that actually provides some moments of entertainment, but overall the gag just doesn’t last the entire film.

Movie Title: Big

Actors: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz, Mercedes Ruehl, Josh Clark

Director: Penny Marshall

Year: 1988

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Big certainly gets credit for Tom Hanks’ performance, capturing childhood innocence and happiness, but eventually the movie started to wear on me til I was just waiting for the whole thing to end. I’d almost be more interested in a version of this cut in half. For the most part I simply enjoyed watching Tom Hanks rather than enjoying any specific joke or skit. Actually some of the sections with awkward moments were the sections I hated the most. I just wanted to watch Tom Hanks, and the movie kind of got in the way. An okay movie, not my favorite.