249-225

I'm on a roll, why stop now.

My tutors for this morning have both cancelled, which means I have nothing to do until 10am. If you're just returning to my blog, realize that I have two blogs already this week, so check them out.

249. Gallipoli (1981) D: Peter Weir

Great more for its comments regarding our attitudes about war than for its actual war-scenes themselves. Great use of the stark Australian interior.

Performance to Savor: Mel Gibson
Memorable Moment: Diving for bullets

248. Ace Ventura (1994) D: Tom Shadyac

When I was younger, my friend Kit, some of you know him, decided that it would be a good idea to watch The Exorcist alone, in the dark, late at night. He was scared to death, and even had to see a therapist. As a form of therapy, the doctor advised him not to focus on the horrors he had just seen, but to concrentrate on something which made him happy. At the time, it was Ace Ventura. So, he memorized the movie, and took to typing the screenplay from memory. What a guy.

Performance to Savor: Jim Carrey
Memorable Moment: Finkle is Einhorn

247. Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) D: John McTiernen

Bruce Willis returns as John McLane in this suprisingly effective third movie in the series. Not quite as iconic as the original, but some interesting sequences keep the character fresh. And hungover, of course.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: In Harlem

246. Coming To America (1988) D: John Landis

Back when Eddie Murphey cared.

Performance to Savor: Eddie Murphey
Memorable Moment: None

245. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) D: Kevin Reynolds

Granted, Kevin Costner's accent is borderline unforgivable, but this telling of the classic tale is the best in recent memory. Maybe not quite up to the swashbuckling pirate of yesteryear, Errol Flynn, but definitely more suitable for a modern audience.

Performance to Savor: Alan Rickman
Memorable Moment: None

244. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) D: George Lucas

I think I like this one more in anticipation of what's to come than for its actual merits. We're finally starting to see some links to Episode IV (Jango and Boba, Clone/Storm Troopers, Anakin's hand, etc...), and that's what this new trilogy should be about. Only 2 months until Revenge of the Sith!

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

**Alright, this is it...we've gotten to the three star movies. Movies that I definitely like. Enjoy.***

243. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) D: Chris Columbus

What's up with all the Alan Rickman love? Anyway, this is probably the worst of the three released movies, but its the one that got me hooked. I saw this before I had read any books, and now I'm addicted.

Performance to Savor: Alan Rickman
Memorable Moment: None

242. Life is Beautiful (1997) D: Roberto Benigni

Well, he wsan't annoying in the movie.

Performance to Savor: Roberto Benigni
Memorable Moment: None

241. Odishon (1999) D: Takashi Miike

From Japan, this is one of the truly horrifying movies I have scene. Miike wisely follows the golden rule of true horror: Make us care about the characters. Once care has been established, even a tiny needle can be terrifying. There is also a sense of ambiguity and chronological mystery, which enables the viewer to fill in the blanks about what might be happening. The torture sequence towards the end is almost unwatchable. Rent this movie. Its known as "Audition" in the US.

Performance to Savor: Eihi Shiina
Memorable Moment: Torture

240. Chicken Run (2000) D: Peter Lord

The makers of Wallace and Grommit give us this delightful little tale of chickens trying to flee the coop. Great voicework by all involved. Some suprisingly tense times.

Performance to Savor: Mel Gibson
Memorable Moment: None

239. Unbreakable (2000) D: M. Night Shyamalan

It was really hard to place this one. At first I had it in the 400s, mostly because I though Night was trying to out-Night himself with the "twist" ending. Then, I considered his excellent use of lighting and mood...but the script is ultimately so-so. I dunno. But, I can't say that I don't like it, and its definitely better than average...so here it is. This was one of the hardest.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Bench Press

238. Rudy (1993) D: David Anspaugh

I always end up watching this whenever its on TV. Yeah, its cheesy. Yeah, its melodramatic. But you just can't beat watching little Rudy get carried off the field.

Performance to Savor: Sean Astin
Memorable Moment: Carried off the field

237. Swingers (1996) D: Doug Liman

So money!

Performance to Savor: Vince Vaughn
Memorable Moment: Leaving too many mesages

236. Saving Grace (2000) D: Nigel Cole

A sweet gem of a flick. A recently widowed woman uses her green thumb to make money by growing tons of marijuana! Light yet touching, a must-see.

Performance to Savor: Brenda Blethlyn
Memorable Moment: Town gets high

235. Enemy of the State (1998) D: Tony Scott

For once it was nice to see Will Smith play someone who wasn't cocksure and arrogant. Yeah, he was a lawyer, but a scared one. Silly "happy" ending dropped this at least 50 spots.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

234. A Time to Kill (1996) D: Joel Schumacher

You can just feel the sweat. Set in the humid south, and featuring a murder's row of acting talent, A Time to Kill feels more like a play than a film, which is a testament to the script and dialogue delivery. The best of John Grisham's book adaptations.

Performance to Savor: Samuel L. Jackson
Memorable Moment: None

233. Ronin (1998) D: John Frankenhiemer

With the Bourne series, this movie is a spy/thief movie for those of you sick of extravagent hollywood-ish spectacles. Excellent car chases.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

232. Alive (1993) D: Frank Marshall

Due to its grisly nature, my mom said that I could only see this if I read the book first. She feared that the movie would be to sensational, and not capture the human drama which is the heart of this astonishing tale. She was right. But, the story is so compelling and unforgettable, that even at its mediocre-ist, Alive still outshines many a film.

Performance to Savor: Vincent Spano
Memorable Moment: First taste

231. Cube (1998) D: Vincenzo Natali

Like Mulholland Drive and Odishon there is an overriding sense of ambiguity and meaninglessness which permeates the film. Wisely so, as any attempt to explain these events would be unsatisfactory.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

230. Mary Poppins (1964) D: Robert Stevens

I never realized this when I was growing up, but Julie Andrews is hot as a nanny!

Performance to Savor: Julie Andrews
Memorable Moment: Chim chimeree

229. Red Dragon (2002) D: Bret Ratner

I feel this would have been better recieved had it not been a remake of Michael Mann's classic Manhunter. It's not as good as that movie, but consider the acting talent involved: Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Ed Norton, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel....that's unbelievable.

Performance to Savor: Anthony Hopkins
Memorable Moment: None

228. Get Shorty (1995) D: Barry Sonnenfeld

Travolta cashes in on his post-Pulp Fiction appeal, and is relatively charming in this amusing story of a gangster turned movie-mogul.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

227. Cool Hand Luke (1967) D: Stuart Rosenberg

Grace is right: Paul Newman is a stud. Many signature pieces here: eating the eggs, "failure to communicate", the mysterious man...well done.

Performance to Savor: George Kennedy
Memorable Moment: eating the eggs

226. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) D: Francis Ford Coppola

A fine adaption of Stoker's book. Not an easy task either, given that it was written in the form of various character's diaries. But, Coppola nails the overall level of eeriness, without resorting to camp or unneeded gore.

Performance to Savor: Gary Oldman
Memorable Moment: Stabbing the cross

225. The Matrix Revolutions (2003) D: The Wachowski Brothers

Probably the weakest of the three, though that's mostly because of the poor set-up given by the third movie. I did like the trilogy, and a lot of shit that's been piled on to the last two is mostly a result of failed expectations. Sure, the Wachowskis had a chance to become forever entrenched in cinematic history, and while they fell short of that goal, they did successfully craft a unique exciting trilogy.

Performance to Savor: Hugo Weaving
Memorable Moment: The sky is blue

Have a nice day everyone.