Movies 1-29-14

Second in Command - DD- Jean Claude Van Dam This is typical Jean Claude Van Dam, but I was not as impressed with this film as with some of his other films. Lots of explosions, and fight scenes, but its like a copy cat of something that has been done before and told better.



Behind Enemy Lines II - DDD - Keith David, I didn’t see the first film so I really had nothing to compare it to. Since I had seen Second in Command a few days before I figured it might be similar. I was surprised. I really enjoyed this film and it will be a part of the collection for a while. Soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines when a mission is aborted a little two late. It’s a film that makes one think.

Grandma’s Boy- DDD - Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Doris Roberts and Jonah Hill Laughter is the best medicine even if it is a little raunchy sometimes. This was a movie someone passed along to me so I figured I’d watch it and make a decision as to keep it or donate it. I’ll keep it a while. A thirty something tech geek ends up moving in with his grandmother after his roommate forgets to pay the rent for several months. Embarrassed by this he tells the young guys he works with that he has three female roommates. It’s a very entertaining film with a few annoying characters.





Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So, so if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


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Houseboat & Transsiberian

 (I just thought I'd include a photograph. I want to start including images that reflect the movies. I don't have pictures of all of the films that I watch, but I'm going to start looking for my catalogs and scan images from films or stars.)

It had been a very long time since I had seen the film Houseboat with Sophia Loren and Cary Grant. Cary Grant is a widower taking care of three kids. He has to alter his life to keep the kids together. He meets a spoiled Italian woman, played by Sophia Loren. She becomes the house keeper and when the home they are to move into gets demolished by a train, they move into a houseboat. They work together to create a home and become a family again. The little kid that plays Roberto steals every scene he is in. I don't recall when I saw this film for the first time, but I do remember Sophia Loren. This was probably the first film I saw her in, but the film Two Women is my favorite. (DDDD) It's a fun film with several messages. The importance of family and being honest with one another.

Transsiberian (DDDD) stars Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Thomas Kretschmann and Ben Kingsley. I had never heard of this film before. I was in Dollar Tree and it seemed like something I'd be interested in seeing so I picked it up. I didn't have any expectations for the film, but I got quite the surprise. The case didn't give anything away which is what I like. There were lots of surprises as each character was dealing with a lie. It's a very good movie. Emily Mortimer plays an amateur photographer and the visuals which she captures and the cinematography made the film very inspiring. I highly recommend this film if you can find it. The film was written by Brad Anderson and Will Conroy. It was directed by Brad Anderson. This film does include some violent scenes of torture.

Although I haven' seen any films that are nominated for Oscars, I'm going to look at the list and make my predictions.
Check back to see if you agree.

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Return to Movies 2014

(This is not a photograph from the film. I just decided I'd start adding photos and I'll try to tie them into the theme.)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) DDDDD This film stars Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, directed by Howard Hawk. I had never seen this film before. Only clips when they do those specials. This has to be one of Marilyn Monroe’s funniest films. The film has a few musical numbers, Including the infamous ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend.’
Marilyn plays a woman obsessed with men who have money and diamonds. Jane Russell is the best friend just looking for love. When ever Marilyn is on the screen she commands it. My focus was always on her. Jane Russell has one interesting musical scene surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad men. She also does a rendition of the classic song impersonating Marilyn who she nicked named Blonde during the making of the film. If you’re not a fan of musicals, this one doesn’t break out into song every five minutes. There are about six musical numbers, but its worth it to see Marilyn Monroe who I don’t think ever looked sexier.

Quest for Fire (1982)  DDDD I’ve not seen this film since the 80’s. It’s an interesting film about a small group of men surviving in the prehistoric era as they search for fire. I didn’t remember how brutal and graphic this film was. I had remembered one rape scene, but there are many. We are not sure how they discovered fire. The film opens with fire and we see smoke and fire, but it isn’t until about thirty minutes before the film is over that we see them make fire, but how did they learn?
The film stars Ron Perlman, Rae Dawn Chong, Everett McGill and Nemeer El-Kadi
The cinematography is interesting as well as the unique dialogue. This is a visual piece of art. It’s like watching a foreign film as we are left to make our own conclusions.



Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


Thanks for stopping by and keep an open mind. Become a follower while you are here.

2014 Movies I

I’ve been focusing most of my time on watching Criminal Minds. I became obsessed with the show the first time I saw it. Whenever I’d go to New Orleans, my sister and my aunt had cable and one of the stations Ion would run two episodes in the mornings and two in the evenings. I was glued to the set to see as many episodes as I could. Now I’ve invested in the series and each time I buy a new season I start from the beginning. Not since Oz and the L word have I been so enthralled in a series since the days of Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210.

(I took this picture while in Arkansas, 2006)

Every now and then I find time to watch a movie. Movies TV network have been showing a lot of movies I’ve already seen or had no interest in seeing. Sometimes the timing is off so I have to see when the film will run again.

Where The Day Take You is one of my favorite films. I don’t recall ever seeing this film available on DVD. I watched it on VHS yesterday afternoon. The film stars Laura San Giacomo as a reporter tracing the life of King played by Dermott Mulroney. The film delves into life on the streets in Hollywood. The place where everyone comes who dreams of making it big as a movie star. Almost every actor in this film has a moment to shine which is rare when you have such a large ensemble of talented actors. Balthazar Getty as Little J and Sean Astin are the standouts in the film. Artists are always trying to fin that break out role or they are looking for a role that has meat to it to top the previous role. It becomes like an audition as you try to leave one role behind and show that you are a good actor. It’s not easy to capture life on the streets because there are so many stories to tell. The circumstances are different for each individual.

Kyle Maclaughlin plays a drug dealer /user who keeps trying to get Sean Astin’s character to upgrade to a better high. When you grow up as a child actor, you want that one role that lets everyone know you are an adult. For some actors the transition is easy and for others it takes a little longer.
Will Smith plays a fowl mouthed wheelchair bound amputee living on the streets.
Ricki Lake, Nancy McKeon, Alyssa Milano, David Arquette, Adam Baldwin, Christian Slater, James LeGros as Crasher, Laura Flynn Boyle as Heather and Robert Kepner as Rocky round out the cast.
The message that the film tries to convey is what happens to some kids when they run away from home. At that time it was estimated that every 26 seconds a kid runs away from home.



Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


Thanks for stopping by and keep an open mind. Become a follower while you are here.






The Seattle International Film Festival will celebrate it’s 40th year in May of 2014. I’ll review some of my favorite films. And talk about my experiences from 1993 - 1999.

Thanks for stopping by, and do come back again or become a follower. Remember to keep an open mind.