Stephanie's favorites (including my latest top favorites!) Yipes, but this
page hasn't been updated in AGES!!! August 2009
Knowing
almost nothing about this movie, Friend of Friends Steve and I Previews here:
Then, last
week, John and I went to see "Ponyo" the latest from Feb. 14, 2008 Ok film lovers, here are some of the latest gems I've seen on screen and on DVD We just saw "Blades of
Glory" on DVD and I LOVED it! A sweet, funny movie and Will Ferrell and Jon
Heder were brilliant as the former ice skating foes who become an incomparable
male skating team. The skating routines alone are worth watching this.
And Nick Swardson provides an
added unexpectedly off the wall touch
as Hector the crazed Jimmy MacElroy stalker
fan. Plus, throw in a great performance by Craig T. Nelson as the coach, and
Jenna Fischer
our favorite "Office: girl as the
love interest, plus one of my favorite actors, William Fitchner as Jimmy's
callous adoptive dad. I noticed I didn't
mention "Napoleon Dynamite" here, before, so, let me tell you when I saw it in
the movies I fell in love with it. A perfect little oddball film and Jon Heder
is completely endearing in the lead. A classic!
The last movie I saw in the theater was "Cloverfield". Steve and I went to see this and we both found it riveting. I hate that so many reviews give away a lot of the story. I avoided reviews and we saw it the day it came out, so, let's just say, if you liked "Blair Witch" and you liked "The Host" chances are pretty good you'll like this one, too. I always appreciate a film maker using unknowns so you don't have the baggage of known actors in a movie like this distracting from the rush of the action. I got some terrific DVDs for the holidays including: "The Thin Blue
Line" with the divine Rowan Atkinson: The third DVD set of
"Black Books" (thanks to pal Mike Lynch for turning us on to this) Another DVD set I got
recently was one I've been waiting for years to see again! And, last but not least, I got myself the "Voyagers" DVD set. This was a quirky time travel show that starred the late gorgeous and talented Jon- Erik Hexum, an actor who managed to be sexy and funny and had great comic timing. Highly enjoyable series. Film lovers, if you
haven't seen the terrific Korean monster movie "The Host"
OK, these next 4 are new reviews. MORE to come, when I have time. Also, I've been watching a
lot of great things on TV and DVD, like: The Good Baby: Henry Thomas has grown up to be a leading man, and what a sweet, poignancy he brings to the role of a backwoods recluse who just happens to find the most darling (and very good) baby on earth in the forest, and the problems that ensue when this discovery comes to light. A strong supporting cast including the eminently creepy David Strathairn. E.R. Murrow, HA! I will always view his roles with suspicion, after this, just as I never trusted Charles Grodin after he turned Mia Farrow in to the all of them witches coven in "Rosemary's Baby"! Whispers of the Heart: An absolutely lovely Anime film. If you love Miyazaki's films, this one was scripted and storyboarded by him, and directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Shizuku, a book loving school girl begins to notice that every book she checks out of the library has been checked out by the same boy. It is a beautifully captured tale of first and true love which includes a brilliant music session revolving around John Denver's "Country Roads" song in Japanese. A must see!
About A Boy: What can I say. I love Hugh Grant. He is very funny as a cynical playboy living off the royalties of a Christmas song (Sant'a Souped Up Sleigh) written by his Dad, and sneakily trying to break into dating single mom's in a parents without partners type group. Toni Collette is hilarious as the depressed mother of an enterprising young son, played by Nicholas Hoult (who is the "about " character) who looks at Grant as the type of Dad he's always wanted.
A. I.
Ghost World
Chung King Express- Entwining tales of policemen in love in modern Hong Kong. One of the best ever. We can't recommend it enough!! <Ponette- A weepie. A four year old French girl learns to live with the loss of her mom... expect to cry a lot!!! We loved it. While the Cat's Away- We just love those French films- and this is another small gem. A tale of lost cats, life and friendship in the city. Savage Nights- A different sort of love story. It has a director and leading man, Cyrill Collard, who died of AIDS, a loss to film lovers everywhere. And its leading lady. Romane Bohringer, gives one of the best performances of a girl off the deep end for love ever put on film. Nashville- It's the 25th anniversary of one of the best American movies ever made- celebrate by seeing it again! With its outstanding cast, ranging from Henry Gibson and Lily Tomlin to Keith Carradine, and Ronee Blakely, original music and political satire... what more could you want? We Love Robert Altman, so, also check out Cookie's Fortune! Cold Feet- Hilarious story of jewel thieves and horse rustlers. Tom Waites is a standout! An unsung classic. Americathon- Oh, I know the critics panned this when it came out- but, trust me, where else can you see Harvey Korman trying to save the USA from debt by putting on a nonstop telethon that includes ventriloquists, Meatloaf bashing a car, and Jay Leno boxing his mother? The Dark Backwards- Incredible, visionary , and creepy dark comedy. The story of a garbage man who longs to become a standup comic. Jud Nelson and Bill Paxton are brilliant. If you're looking for something really different, look no further! Nico's favorites Sliding Doors- John Hannah proves his worth in this sweet "what if" story. Gwenyth is great too. Run Lola Run and lots of other parallel life stories are forever in its debt. Mom loves this one too. Reality Bites- A tribute to slackerdom and the early nineties. Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder and Janeane Garofalo ("He’s weird. He’s strange. He’s sloppy. He’s a total nightmare for women... I can’t believe I haven’t slept with him yet.") make this movie like watching a documentary, they are that natural. Beautiful Thing- The incredible story of two boys in love. A great coming of age movie and one of the best on screen kisses ever. With a happy ending and a great soundtrack. It has great supporting actors and its stars are so believable they make me cry. Get Real- The companion, not so happy ending movie to Beautiful Thing. Make a great double feature, full of wit, cute boys and English accents tonight. The Object of my Affection- Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston are the happiest couple in Brooklyn... except for the fact that he's gay and she's pregnant with her boyfriend's baby. This is such a nice, funny and touching movie it is the perfect flick for when you need a pick-me-up. My Best Friend's wedding- Another movie with a gay best friend. But in this one Julia Roberts would much rather marry her old flame who has recently gotten engaged. How could you not love a film where the characters break out into Burt Bacharac songs? Empire Records- The best supposedly bad movie! Liv Tyler and Rene Zelwegger both shine in this tribute to record store employees everywhere. 1:37 will forever be remembered as "the pertfect time." Matilda- More than just a kid's movie. It is a true representation of Roald Dahl's brilliant work. Danny Devito keeps it from being syrupy and a soundtrack featuring Rusted Root keeps it upbeat and happy. What a colorful funny movie!
John's favorites Caged Heat II - The star of this women-in-prison affair, Jewel Shepard, is not only a great B movie actress, but she owns two of Stephanie's cat design T-shirts! (USA) The Tin Drum Author Gunter Grass was closely consulted as his classic book charting the rise and defeat of Nazism was adapted for a movie, with no loss of the original genius. (German) Siberiade A beautifully filmed saga of the great events in Russia/Soviet Union decade after decade, and seen as ripples eventually reaching a far-flung outpost in Siberia. (Russian) The Life of Brian Perhaps the best of the Monty Python team's films. (English) Sherman's March A low budget one-man-searching-for-something-down-South documentary that becomes increasingly engaging. (USA) The Small Faces A very true-to-life film about gang kids in a housing scheme, with a good story about believable characters told without an over-exploitation of violence or any patronizing saccharine. (Scottish) The Mirror - One of the most enigmatic films ever made. Does it start in the middle, the beginning or the end? (Let me know.) Be sure to watch the camera close in on a coffee cup and lingeringly record a moisture ring slowly evaporating from a polished table! Wow! Directed by Tarkovesky. (Russian) The City of Lost Children Surrealism at its finest. A three thumbs up. (French)
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