Movies From A Hat #2
My wife & I choose 40 films (20 we've seen, 20 we haven't, 20 each), mix them up, and watch them in order. These are the 140-character reviews that result.
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40 titles
- DirectorOwen HarrisStarsBen CrispinSteve PuntCharles EdwardsTells the story of the outraged, and sometimes violent, response to 'The Life of Brian' the Monty Python movie that satirized the life of Jesus.Holy Flying Circus is frantic and imitative and only offers a faint echo of the real Monty Pythons. We didn't even finish this turkey.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsGerard ButlerLena HeadeyDavid WenhamIn the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army.We gave 300 a watch with Rifftrax and it quickly turned into a laugh riot. I would suggest alternating viewings with 'trax on and off.
- DirectorJames ClavellStarsSidney PoitierJudy GeesonChristian RobertsIdealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.Featuring a heroic performance by Sidney Poitier, To Sir, With Love is good, but ends abruptly without much conflict in need of resolution.
- DirectorTed PostStarsClint EastwoodHal HolbrookMitchell RyanInspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan pursues a conspiracy of vigilante cops, who are not above going beyond the law to kill San Francisco's undesirables.Magnum Force is the lackluster 1st sequel to Dirty Harry. Harry lacks real motivation but it's still fun, thanks to Eastwood, but not great.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsKevin KlineMary Elizabeth MastrantonioKevin SpaceyDuring a joint dinner at the restaurant, the neighbors offer to exchange wives for one night. It was a joke, but only at first.A bargain bin title starring big name actors, Consenting Adults is surprisingly suspenseful, sexy, and full of flawed neo-noir characters.
- DirectorPhilippe ClaudelStarsKristin Scott ThomasElsa ZylbersteinSerge HazanaviciusA woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.I've Loved You So Long is a horrible wound to self-inflict due to its uncompromising cruelty and corrosive negativity. We didn't finish it. Perfect for those nights when it's a toss-up between watching a movie or slitting your wrists.
- DirectorTodd Strauss-SchulsonStarsKal PennJohn ChoNeil Patrick HarrisSix years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree.A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is a good follow-up, but there's nothing to differentiate it from the others in scope or style, so if you were looking for more of the same (we were) then you won't be disappointed.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsMatthew MacfadyenPeter DinklageEwen BremnerChaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.Death At a Funeral (2007) is hilarious & didn't need a remake. If you're too thick to relate because the actors don't look like you, die.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsNicolas CageMeryl StreepChris CooperA lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.Adaptation. is a great film that satirizes the Hollywood template yet provides a pretty good example of it and Nick Cage is perfectly cast.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsNicole KidmanMatt DillonJoaquin PhoenixA beautiful but naïve aspiring television personality films a documentary on teenagers with a darker ulterior motive.For all its accolades, To Die For is kind of disappointing. Dull. Boring. Life is too short, I feel, to give it a thorough watch. Skip it!
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.[THIS COMMENT IS FOR EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL (2003)]
Evil Dead the Musical captures the spirit of the films, includes every beat, offers its own witty insights, and may even surpass them all. - DirectorShane BlackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Val KilmerMichelle MonaghanAfter being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is gripping, funny, and packs a genius script and actors. We picked this up the very next time we saw it in the store.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsJohn RitterPam DawberJeffrey JonesA husband and wife are sucked into a hellish television set and must survive the gauntlet of twisted versions of shows in which they find themselves.Stay Tuned is a perfect summation of the films I grew up with in the 90's. It isn't smart or hilarious, but it's entertaining.
- DirectorAndrew StantonStarsBen BurttElissa KnightJeff GarlinIn the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.Wall-E is amusing but not as picturesque upon second viewing. There are several magnificent plot holes and a robot is saved by love.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsWill FerrellChristina ApplegateSteve CarellIn the 1970s, an anchorman's stint as San Diego's top-rated newsreader is challenged when an ambitious newswoman becomes his co-anchor.Anchorman. I don't understand the fascination with this turd. The script is great, plenty of memorable lines, but on screen it's boring.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJohn CusackCameron DiazCatherine KeenerA puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.Being John Malkovich is a screwy, rewatchable portrait of magical realism, impotence & paranoid delusions. Great cast and eerie filming.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsNoah TaylorThandiwe NewtonNicole KidmanTwo freethinking teenagers - a boy and a girl - confront with authoritarian teachers in their boarding schools. The other students treat this differently.Flirting is a sweet film, provided you don't learn some uncomfortable truths about John Duigan and Thandie Newton's on-set relationship.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsEthan HawkeGwyneth PaltrowHank AzariaModernization of Charles Dickens' classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York City pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.Great Expectations is on the cusp of being an MTV movie, but avoids that set of cliches by sticking closer to those in the source material.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsHarrison FordSean BeanAnne ArcherWhen CIA analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets him and his family for revenge.I was surprised that we had to slog through Patriot Games, expecting a much more action-packed experience in the vein as Frantic. Not so.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.A Beautiful Mind has an exquisite script, brilliant direction, a talented cast, and a surprisingly watchable butthole for a protagonist.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerPenelope Ann MillerPamela ReedA tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.I intended to introduce my wife to Kindergarten Cop, but she had seen it. For now, I'd like to keep it as an untarnished fond memory...
- DirectorRichard StanleyStarsDylan McDermottStacey TravisJohn LynchThe head of a cyborg reactivates, rebuilds itself, and goes on a violent rampage in a space marine's girlfriend's apartment.The visuals in Hardware are great and that's all. The story is bland, effort is never made, and there's a character named "Shades".
- DirectorMarc CaroJean-Pierre JeunetStarsMarie-Laure DougnacDominique PinonPascal BenezechPost-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.Delicatessen is a masterpiece that avoids its grisly subject matter by creating an ensemble cast that are both cartoonish and sweetly real.
- DirectorAlan AldaStarsAlan AldaCarol BurnettLen CariouThree couples vacation together every season. After one divorces, feelings of betrayal and more spawn criticisms of one another, but the things that keep them together are stronger than those which might pull them apart.The Four Seasons isn't complicated, none of the actors are overworked, but the effect is calming, relatable, and a worthwhile yearly watch.
- DirectorJamin WinansStarsChristopher Soren KellyQuinn HuncharJessica DuffyA mysterious creature, known as Ink, steals a child's soul in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip to join the Incubi - the group of supernatural beings responsible for creating nightmares.After twenty minutes of perseverance, Ink didn't seem to be leading anywhere that wasn't precious or cliche. We gave up on it.