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.

Indiana Jones Trilogy

One line review: A fantastic trilogy of action packed movies that have helped define more genre cliches than almost any other series.

Movie Title: Raiders of the Lost of the Ark / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Actors: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Ric Young, Chua Kah Joo, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody , John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne, Kevork Malikyan, Robert Eddison, Richard Young, Alexei Sayle, Alex Hyde-White, Paul Maxwell

Director: Steven Spielberg

Year: 1981 / 1984 / 1989

Genre: Action / Adventure

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes:

Raiders of the Lost Ark – 94% – Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – 85% -If it was a sign of the times for Indiana Jones to take on more of a comic-book aspect, the film’s accomodation of darker themes and explicit imagery came as something of a shock to many.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 89% – Last Crusade is pure kicks, and I would never fault this spunky blast of quips and near-misses for trying to vanilla its way back into the hearts of millions.

My rating: *****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): The biggest thing I’ve learned during this little experiment is just how many movie references and cliches have been ripped from previous movie series. Indiana Jones borrowed it’s fair share from things like Zorro or cowboy films, but the sheet number of films that have eithere made vauge references or just straight up copied the entire movie is amazing. The Indiana Jones Trilogy still rises above any of those other movies because it is just a constant barrage of action. These movies know exactly what they need to do to entertain their audience, and they do it well. A fantastic trilogy

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

One line review: A film that once again suffers from over an hour of plot holes and stupidity before finally getting to some decent superhero action.

Movie Title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Actors: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Clifton James, E.G. Marshall, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp

Director: Richard Donner

Year:[Superman II] 1980 / [Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut] 2006

Genre: Action / Adventure

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: [Superman II] 87% – The humor occasionally stumbles into slapstick territory, and the special effects are dated, but Superman II meets, if not exceeds, the standard set by its predecessor.

[Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut] 83% – This version of Superman II is a triumph of intention, sending the imagination soaring again over this new angle on a very old question mark.

My rating: **

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I simply can’t understand why either of the two Superman movies I saw are considered so good. If this is considered good I can only dread what the sequels would hold in store for me. There are enough plot holes in this movie to make my mind melt, there are enough stupid actions by characters to make me wish I could smack each and every one of them up side the head. I’m now convinced that there is no live action movie that truly captures Superman, they seem too busy trying to make Superman a comedy rather than an action movie.

Avatar

One line review: A film that may have pushed the envelope in visual techniques, but does not fully live up to it’s sky high hype.

Movie Title: Avatar

Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Sean Anthony Moran

Director: James Cameron

Year: 2009

Genre: Action / Adventure

Method of Viewing: Theater

Location of Viewing: Theater

Viewing with: Family

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% – It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron’s singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This film has both been praised for it’s fantastic visuals, and lambasted for it’s basic plot. I fall somewhere in the middle. I feel that while the visuals are some of the most impressive 3D and CGI I’ve ever seen, it was still an artificial effect that felt like a gimmick. As for the plot, the basic idea may have been stolen from Dances with Wolves, but Avatar adds a few twists of it’s own to make it feel like a unique story. This film has earned it’s place in history, and I will be fascinated to see the upcoming sequels.

The Goonies

One line review: A fantastic tale that is only entertaining for children.

Movie Title: The Goonies

Actors: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, John Matuszak, Robert Davi

Director: Richard Donner

Year: 1985

Genre: Comedy / Adventure

Method of Viewing: TV

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 64% – The Goonies is a smooth mixture of the usual ingredients from Steven Spielberg action movies, made special because of the high-energy performances of the kids who have the adventures.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This movie works only as a movie for young children (despite the random cursing thrown in). Kids will be thrilled by the constant challenges and adventures the Goonies go through, however there is little else to be enjoyed. It’s actually quite disappointing, since so many of the great children’s movies that I’ve watched seem to have at least something for adults to enjoy. However, this movie barely has a central plot, and instead simply has a series of crazy, scary, and fantastic events. Still, I can strongly recommend this movie for any child, they’ll absolutely be entertained from start to finish.

Tron

One line review: What once was a technological marvel has little to offer to the modern viewer.

Movie Title: Tron

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes, Dan Shor, Peter Jurasik, Tony Stephano

Director: Steven Lisberger

Year: 1982

Genre: Action / Adventure

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 68% – Although Tron’s state-of-the-art, computer-generated visuals look primitive by current standards, it’s intelligently conceived (on a visual level, at any rate) and largely good fun.

My rating: **

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This is definitely a movie that has not stood the test of time. It feels as though it’s completely reliant on visuals to entertain the viewers when the plot isn’t moving forward. Even when you simply focus on the plot, it’s a very simplistic one that doesn’t seem to live up to the hype that has surrounded it. To top that off, being a programmer does not help me appreciate the world that surrounds this film. While I was able to understand the cult following the Star Wars film had, I simply can’t understand why this film was considered a classic.

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.