Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

One line review: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid doesn’t have a lot of depth to it, but it’s a fun movie and holds up well.

Movie Title: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Actors: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth

Director: George Roy Hill

Year: 1969

Genre: Adventure

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% – With its iconic pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, jaunty screenplay and Burt Bacharach score, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has gone down as among the defining moments in late-’60s American cinema.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): While it’s a little hokey, and can initially be annoying, eventually the team up of two criminals who are complete opposites will warm you up. The movie is probably best remembered for it’s dramatic conclusion and I have to admit that the ending really won me over. Without a powerful ending I probably would have considered this a bit of an aged movie with some hit and miss comedy. Only when I take in the movie as a whole do I get over the odd bits and enjoy it. I would recommend anyone who enjoys action or westerns to watch it.

Beverly Hills Cop

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.

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.

Man on Fire

One line review: Man on Fire seems to start out as a dramatic, heart-felt story, then suddenly turns into a precursor of Taken for the 2nd half of the movie, leaving the entire movie as a confusing mess.

Movie Title: Man on Fire

Actors: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Jesús Ochoa, Mickey Rourke, Angelina Peláez, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Gero Camilo, Rosa María Hernández, Heriberto Del Castillo

Director: Tony Scott

Year: 2004

Genre: Drama

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 39% – Man on Fire starts out well, but goes over the top in the violent second half.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I have no idea what this movie wants to be. It might just be an action movie that wanted to give their characters more than two dimensions. It might be a drama that had the action cranked up to try to bring in more viewers. The mental unstability of Creasy is handled very well, and certainly makes you care for the character, the action in the second half is pretty enjoyable too. However, because the two halves of this movie are so far apart it leaves you completely confused when they try to fuse the two together. It’s an okay movie.

Goldfinger

One line review: The classic Bond relies less on explosions and more on gadgets, but it’s Sean Connery that steals the show.

Movie Title: Goldfinger

Actors: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet, Harold Sakata, Bernard Lee, Martin Benson, Cec Linder, Austin Willis, Lois Maxwell, Bill Nagy

Director: Guy Hamilton

Year: 1964

Genre: Action

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – This 1964 entry is the most enjoyable of the James Bond thrillers starring Sean Connery — perhaps because it’s the most comic and cartoony in look as well as conception.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This is the classic vision of Bond I had before I had watched any of the movies; a wise-cracking agent with tech gadgets, over the top villains, and one-liners after each death. It definitely makes the series seem less noble and serious, but the one thing that this Bond has over all the others is Sean Connery. Something about his mannerisms and grin makes him my favorite James Bond. I suppose my ideal movie would be in the serious Daniel Craig universe but with Sean Connery giving his one-liners to lighten the mood. It’s an okay film, with an awesome star.

High Noon

One line review: A very simple film that practically fits the definition of a classic Western.

Movie Title: High Noon

Actors: Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Grace Kelly, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney Jr., Harry Morgan, Ian MacDonald, Eve McVeagh, Morgan Farley, Harry Shannon, Lee Van Cleef

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Year: 1952

Genre: Western

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% – A classic of the Western genre that broke with many of the traditions at the time, High Noon endures — in no small part thanks to Gary Cooper’s defiant, Oscar-winning performance.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): There’s very little else to comment on this then it appears to be a classic western. The standard story of the sheriff meeting the bad guy at high noon in the middle of town. The only Western I had seen before this was Unforgiven, which seemed like the Western to end the genre itself. This seems like the Western in it’s prime. There were a few interesting twists like having a Quaker wife forced to take a life, however I felt it was over all a forgettable movie. Still, a movie worth watching if only to see a classic, enjoyable Western.

GoldenEye

One line review: A film that keeps the action up throughout the entire film, mostly to hide what little else it has to offer.

Movie Title: GoldenEye

Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Gottfried John, Alan Cumming, Tchéky Karyo, Desmond Llewelyn

Director: Martin Campbell

Year: 1995

Genre: Action

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% – Pierce Brosnan turns in a fine performance, establishing himself as a fine heir to the Bond throne. The plotting isn’t as solid as in the best Bond films, but this is still a good time.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I have included three bond movies on my list, to try to compare the different styles that the character has taken over the years. If this movie is to judge all of the Pierce Brosnan films, then James Bond movies are loud, action packed, and never let up the pace for a second. There’s little else to this movie. If I were asked to define a summer blockbuster, this would seem like the perfect definition. It also doesn’t leave much of an imprint, nor any desire to see the film again. A decent action film, but not very memorable or unique.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

One line review: A shotgun blast of random comedy bits loosely strung together to form something resembling a movie.

Movie Title: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Actors: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth

Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Year: 1975

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: Family

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% – A cult classic as gut-bustingly hilarious as it is blithely ridiculous, Monty Python and the Holy Grail has lost none of its exceedingly silly charm.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I’m honestly not quite sure what I’ve just seen. I suppose it was a movie, though a very strange movie that barely had a central plot or logical path. It was more a series of skits loosely strung together. Some skits were funny, some weren’t, but overall it was good. I don’t think I see this as a classic like other people do, so much as some harmless fun. The movie itself is hoping you’ll forget the lame skits and have good memories of the funny skits. Good enough for a single watch, but no need to watch it again.

A Fish Called Wanda

One line review: A strange but fun comedy that is helped by very strong characters.

Movie Title: A Fish Called Wanda

Actors: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis , Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken, Tom Georgeson, Patricia Hayes

Director: Charles Crichton

Year: 1988

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – Although filled with clever twists and double-crosses, the film’s storyline is less important than the opportunities it gives the actors to exploit their goofy characterizations.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): A very odd, quirky, unusual, and awkward comedy. Despite all that, still enjoyable. You’ll have to turn your brain off for several of the plot twists and sillier parts of the movie, but once you do so you should have a fun time with it. I felt a bit too much of it’s comedy was focused on having the characters acting silly in public or just playing off of each other. At the same time, the strong characters and strong acting probably saved this movie from being just another mediocre comedy. While I can’t give it a high recommendation, it’s okay.