"A devastating betrayal sends James Bond from Australia to Italy and South America on a mission of vengeance that pits the suave super-spy against a powerful businessman with diabolical intentions. Betrayed by Vesper, 007 suppresses the urge to make his latest mission personal as he teams with M to interrogate..."

"CGI effects wizard and versatile cinema Renaissance man Toby Wilkins directed this shocker, which is set in and around a remote gas station, where a vicious, virus-like entity invades the body of human victims and instills in them an unquenchable thirst for human blood. On their way into the wilderness for a romantic weekend alone, a young couple is carjacked by a desperate..."

Viewed:
May 19th, 2009

My Comment:  Special effects were pretty darn good, especially the snapping sounds as the splinter-thing twisted the human bodies around. This movie is another argument for always having a handgun and for never slowing for hitchhikers (call 911 instead). The movie moves so fast that I didn't even realize there were only five people in it until I started typing this. It would have been a lot more interesting if they'd found a way to show Jill Wagner topless.

The Finish:  A good old fun, unstoppable, unkillable, unknown, horrible-creature movie.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Keanu Reeves tops this adaptation of the seminal 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still with this 20th Century Fox production. Scott Derrickson helms the story of an alien traveler, Klaatu (Reeves), who heads to Earth along with his bodyguard robot, Gort, to deliver..."

"An ex-soldier (Liam Neeson) traveling through Europe embarks on a frantic quest to rescue his daughter (Maggie Grace) after the young girl is abducted by slave traders..."

"In Armed and Dangerous, John Candy plays a cop who has been kicked off the force on a trumped up charge. Eugene Levy costars as a disbarred lawyer. The two outcasts take low-paying jobs as security officers at a company controlled by mob boss Robert Loggia. In their own stumblebum fashion..."

Viewed:
April 24, 2009

My Comment:  Classic John Candy, silly, fun, movie. Being a security guard myself, I actually found the officers in the movie being more intelligent than the people I work with.
The Finish:  Good guys win, everyone lives happily after, except for Meg Ryan who gets her face chopped up by some Hollywood-based Dr. Moreau.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"In this sci-fi drama, an alien spaceship breaks down and crashes on the moon. These creatures need help to make repairs and so use their powers to possess a few scientists and use them as slaves. Unfortunately for them, one scientist has a metal plate in his head and cannot be..."

Viewed:
April 24, 2009

My Comment:  These are the kind of science fiction movies I grew up watching. As you can see above, the special effects were simply amazing.
The Finish:  So startling, I forgot what it was. I did find it strange though that Dr. Hutton was so ill that he could not travel to the meteor crash site, yet he could, later in the movie, fight like Jackie Chan on qualudes and sauerkraut.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Jack and Morgan star as two terminally ill cancer patients who decide to break out of the hospital and live their last days to the fullest in director Rob Reiner's seriocomic road movie. Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a corporate billionaire who is currently sharing a hospital room with blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Freeman). Though initially the pair seems to have nothing in common..."

Viewed:
May 16th, 2009

My Comment:  Wow! I was weeping like the day I found my mother had passed away. But that's not bad. If you're a Baby Boomer, you may want to watch this only with other Baby Boomer or older types. It's odd that the white billionaire is driven around in a car that is heavily preferred by black men.
The Finish:  Cute little twist at the end. Chock Full o' Nuts is horrible coffee, and this is a great movie about life, love and death.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are the stars, a pair of small-town handymen living in a small desert community, who stumble upon several difficult-to-explain phenomena, including a couple of people who've died under extremely strange (and, in one instance, very grisly) circumstances..."

Viewed:
April 24, 2009

My Comment:  Although characters do die, Tremors is still a really fun movie. My buddy John Gillespie did a lot of the special effects (you can see him in the bonus footage) and was also Fred Ward's stunt double. For instance when they are pole vaulting between the boulders that was John.
The Finish:  Judging from the three or four Tremor movies that followed this, I guess we did not win the battle, eh?

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"In this horror thriller, a wealthy collector of mutant human freaks finds himself in deep trouble when the owner of his latest acquisition decides he wants it back. But while the two men are battling it out over ownership, the creature himself musters his horrifying compatriots to get bloody revenge on their captors." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Viewed:
March 28-April 9, 2009

My Comment:  A truly hideous movie. Overacted, underacted, un-acted. Special effects are something to see.
The Finish:  Us guys spend the whole movie hoping the blond lady's vest will fly open and reveal her breasts.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"A genetic discovery that could prove mankind's saving grace is instead used to create the very beings who threaten their existence in director Kazuaki Kirya's visionary sci-fi epic. The time is the late 21st Century; fifty years of war between Europa and the Eastern Federation have left the planet devastated and the human race completely dispirited."

Viewed:
March 27-April 1, 2009

My Comment:  As my son said, from whom I borrowed this dvd, "Horrible, just awful."
The Finish:  Don't know, and don't care.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"The plot of this Raymond Chandler-esque comedy crime caper from the Coen Brothers pivots around a case of mistaken identity complicated by extortion, double-crosses, deception, embezzlement, sex, pot, and gallons of White Russians (made with fresh cream, please). In 1991, unemployed '60s refugee Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) grooves into his laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle. One of the laziest men in LA, he..."

Viewed in HD:
March 26th, 2009

My Comment:  What can one say of the second most perfect movie ever made? This movie will be studied for the ages. The first time one views it, she may simply cast it away as just another fun movie. But no, this work of art will enter your dreams, will drive you to purchase pints of Half & Half creamer and 750ml bottles of Kahlua during your waking hours ... each of us must come to our own understanding of THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

"In Barrow, AK, one night can last an eternity. One month every year, this town is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to its location far north of the Arctic Circle. While extended periods of darkness are something that the locals have become accustomed to, this year something sinister is about to emerge from the long and unforgiving night. As a maniacal horde of vampires assumes control of the city streets and..."

Viewed:
March 19-26, 2009

My Comment:  Fun kind of vampire, murder, lost-love, northern movie. Basically unlike any other vampire movie I've seen. Vampires, or creatures that seem to act live vampires and spread their infection like vampires are depicted as ultra-violent, ultra fast, meat-eating, blood-drinking, monsters. While not the most scary vampire movie I've seen, it was certainly the most bloody and action-filled.
The Finish:  Sunrise.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Based on the  novel by Steven Gould, Jumper concerns David (Hayden Christensen), a young man who quite literally wills himself away from his grim family life by teleporting to another place with the power of his mind. Years later, David is using his powers to raid bank vaults, seduce girls in London, lunch on the pyramids, and surf in Fiji. But he soon discovers that he is not the only..."

Viewed in Blu-ray:
March 22nd, 2009

My Comment:  Fun action movie like Hancock. Special effects were marvelous especially in the very clear Blu-ray format.
The Finish:  Not an entirely unexpected ending, but nicely wraps up the movie.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"As the film begins, New York journalist John Kelso (John Cusack), alter ego of author Berendt, arrives in Savannah to do a brief Town and Country article on the annual Christmas party given by sophisticated, urbane antique dealer Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), who restored many mansions in Savannah, including the famed Mercer House where he lives. After the party, Williams kills his rude..."

Viewed:
March 19th, 2009

My Comment:  Fun kind of vodoo, murder, homo, southern movie. Basically like the real south. Bulldog owners must see this movie to see, what else? "The Bulldog". And you can see Clint Eastwood's daughter as she looked twelve years ago. Everything is excellent in the movie, including the twist at the end. John Cusack's acting left a lot to be desired as it was impossible for me to fit his character's muggings into making sense. He had to be angry with the director (Clint) or something to trash a part like that.
The Finish:  Justified.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle follows the life-changing (and mind-altering) journey of Korean-American investment banker Harold and Indian-American medical-school candidate Kumar. Both underdogs, Harold and Kumar decide to spend what would have been an otherwise uneventful Friday night satisfying an oddly intense urge for White Castle hamburgers..."

Viewed:
March 10th, 2009

My Comment:  A laugh your fanny off movie. Especially funny if you've ever smoked pot, gotten the munchies and went on a quest. On my own ganga-fumed quest in the 1970s, my buddy & I saw some strange things such as: a guy washing his car with the car cover still on it, a car with the rear license plate meticulously mounted with four screws holding it on upside down, wild horses running across the road when the last time there were wild horses seen there it was the 1800s, and my friend screaming at me, the driver, to look out! and just as I turned my face forward we impacted a huge card-board refrigerator box in the middle of the road at 45mph. Thank gawd the refrigerator had been removed. So I entirely believe that Harold & Kumar is more of a documentary than some story someone wrote.
The Finish:  Satisfying and filling.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Los Angeles has finally had the really big earthquake everyone was afraid of, and what remains is now an island. Because the country's ultra-righteous President-for-Life (Cliff Roberton) wants it that way, all the weirdos and freaks that previously inhabited New York in large numbers, and the rest of the U.S. in smaller concentrations, have been..."

Viewed:
March 5th, 2009

My Comment:  Hard to top the 1996 CG effects and spotless acting.
The Finish:  Predictable, and not nearly as entertaining as the original Escape from New York, but still worth a viewing every ten years or so.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"In this horror film, the spirit of a young boy named David reaches out to Linda Brewster (Tawny Kitaen) while she participates in an Ouija board session at a party. However, when Linda unwisely uses the board alone to attempt to communicate with David, she summons..."

Viewed:
February 24th, 2009

My Comment:  Early this century, the movie class I was in at community college made a movie in about one week. The acting in Witchboard is just a little bit better than ours. (Of course, my acting, as always, was impeccable.)

This is a movie that must be owned simply to spot all the inconsistencies, from the fact the drywaller (in the late 1980's still a U.S. citizen, earning decent wages) used a hatchet instead of a hammer (and that apparently he could not hit the head of a nail in one strike) to the 'heavy barrels' which tumble down and crush one victim and knock another one out, are clearly full of only air as they are later seen lazily floating in the water.

Any movie that must list Rose Marie 'Special Guest Star', you know has a lot going for it. However, Tawny Kitaen, being a past-shoulder-length-red head is absolutely stunning, although it took her full frontal nudity coming-out-of-the-shower-shot to convince me of her excellent acting ability.

Be certain to watch "The Making of WITCHBOARD". It is a fall down on the floor howler!
The Finish:  Predictable, but you gotta love it.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"When African-American professional Andrew Sterling moves into a summer home on an up-tight all-white New England resort island, the snoopy white neighbors are sure he must be breaking and entering. They call the cops who..."

Viewed:
February 22nd, 2009

My Comment:  So stupid, and true, it's funnier than hell. It's been a long time since I've laughed out loud at a movie. The movie is so old, 1993, that the word "nigger" is actually heard. Oh my gawd, how shocking and improper!
The Finish:  Predictable. Love the movie, can't believe it got such poor ratings from "the professionals". I guess they were expecting a message movie like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach ..."

Viewed:
February 18th, 2009

My Comment:  Really great movie. Battle action scenes dwarfing 1998's Saving Private Ryan although you could tell some scenes used a lot of CGI. But Eastwood still needed to use my buddy Bruno Van Zeebroeck for a few old fashion special effects. I remember hearing the name of Native American "Ira Hayes" when I was growing up in the 1950s because he was from my state of Arizona.

A rare war film, in that it also delves into the economic barriers that arise during international conflicts and how even a free and democratic country could have been brought  to the bargaining table with despots had the American people not believed that the fight to keep our freedom was worth both their blood and their bankrolls.
The Finish:  A movie not to be missed for the fighting scenes and the throat-choking sadness and horrors of war, along with the millions of personal tragedies left in its wake. God Bless our fighting men from 1776 to 2009 and on.

Imagine if Ambassador Joe Kennedy Sr.'s pick had won, we would no longer have to worry about racism, because there would only be one race: The Master Race. "Seig Hiel!"

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"THE RED VIOLIN follows the unusual journey of an original and unique violin as it survives three centuries, ultimately turning up at a present-day auction in Montreal. The violin transforms all those who play it into a Svengali, from traveling Gypsies to a famous concert violinist in England. The mysterious object also narrowly avoids..."

Viewed:
February 16th, 2009

My Comment:  A wonderful if too long movie and a must see for any violin player. If it wasn't for all the sadness depicted I would have recommended it as a 'Must Own DVD'. Samuel Jackson, who is damned good, doesn't appear in the movie until the final 20 minutes while you are led to believe he is in it from the beginning.
The Finish:  Satisfying and reminiscent of a Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode. You will never guess what the builder of the violin used to get his red pigment.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"The year is 1943 and Adolf Hitler's devastating march across Europe has resulted in the formation of the White Rose, an underground resistance movement born in Munich and dedicated to the fall of the Third Reich. Despite being one of the only female members in the White Rose movement... "

Viewed:
February 2nd, 2009

My Comment:  Don't worry, there are no torture scenes. The action is in the language, the dialogue. First they take away the citizens guns, then they take away their free speech. Note that actress Julia Jentsch was also in another one of my favorite foreign-language movies 'The Edukators'.
The Finish:  A movie that U.S. citizens need to see since our latest president, like Adolph Hitler, was elected via a 'cult of personality'. This is what happens when a nation selects a leader based on feelings not on facts. Who knew Germany used the guillotine during WWII?

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a morally conflicted Depression-era hit man committing murder in the name of his employer, John Rooney (Paul Newman). A kindly, aging Irish crime boss who raised Sullivan as his surrogate son, Rooney is affiliated with Al Capone in Chicago and thus wields great power... "

Viewed:
January 31st, 2009

My Comment:  Not your usual 1930's gangster shoot-em-up movie.
The Finish:  A fine movie. Great cinematography. Great story. Only reason it's not a recommended buy is because it made me cry too much.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Having crashed to Earth, an extraterrestrial space traveller must assume a human identity lest he be captured by the authorities. The alien (Jeff Bridges) chooses the likeness of the recently deceased husband of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). At first dumbstruck, Jenny becomes both hostile toward and frightened... "

Viewed:
January 26th, 2009

My Comment:  Continuing in my astrologically named movie theme, I viewed my $4.99 dvd of Starman.
The Finish:  Predictable ending, silly special effects, still a good movie and great to see all the older cars. And yes, I did tear up from time to time. I must be getting senile.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"The true story behind the murders that many crime scholars believe to be the most perplexing series of unsolved crimes in modern history comes to the screen in chilling detail as Fight Club and Seven director David Fincher steps behind the camera to tell the mysterious tale of the infamous Zodiac killer. A relentless serial killer is stalking the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area... "

Viewed:
January 25rd, 2009

My Comment:  An edge of your seat real-life murder mystery, impossible to watch in pieces. Compelling.
The Finish:  We all know who did it ...

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"...Gable plays submarine commander "Rich" Richardson, who assumes command of the USS Nerka. Because his previous sub was sunk by the Japanese under highly suspect circumstances, Richardson inspires nothing but... "

Viewed:
January 22th, 2009

My Comment:  Good old-fashioned 20th Century black and white movie. Ignore the naval ships that look like they were models floating in an above-ground pool, this movie is about acting.
The Finish:  A little twist at the end, and in war-time anyone can die.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Fail-Safe is set for the most part at Strategic Air Command headquarters, where a misguided transmission sends a squadron of bombers hurtling towards Russia, fully prepared to drop their atomic weaponry on Moscow..."

Viewed:
January 15th, 2009

My Comment:  Classic 1964 black and white movie with the theme that computers are making too many of our decisions (and that the leaders of the former Soviet Union could be trusted). Supposedly set in the underground Omaha SAC headquarters that looked nothing like the actual one I toured in the 1990s. The 'Vindicator' bombers seen were the Convair B-58 'Hustlers' which were designed to fly above Mach 2 when approaching their targets. Witness a 30 year old Larry Hagman looking 20, with enough grease in his hair to cook a day's French fries at a busy McDonald's. Back before the drunks in Washington were designing our cars, Walter Matthau drives a classic 1964 T-Bird Convertible, while all the official government cars are very cool suicide-door equipped Lincoln Continentals.
The Finish:  Long cuts, a thirty second commercial these days has more cuts than this entire movie. That's because last-century adults were capable of concentrating like a mountain lion studying his prey, unlike the multi-tasking humming-bird citizens we've become today.

A movie made during the days when the elites told us we would certainly blow up the world with atomic weapons before the close of the century and must acquiesce to world-wide communist domination in order to 'save all of mankind'.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"Near the dawn of the 20th century, underlings of Czar Nicholas II created a book called The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which purported to be the outline of a master plan created by powerful Jews determined to rule the world. First published in 1903, the essay was a..."

Viewed:
January 17th, 2009

My Comment:  The Protocols of Zion are a proven false document that details how the Jews will take over the world. Many Jew-haters (even those who've never had to deal with a Jewish female in a retail transaction) are happy to believe The Protocols are the truth, using them to justify ill treatment of Jews everywhere. Marc Levin steps through a few of the protocols and demonstrates how they are simply false. His interviews consist of him asking the questions and then shutting up and letting the other person expose his ignorance. I loved the telephone conversation when Mr. Levin tried to get on-camera a Jewish 'Hollywood' producer or actor. Naturally, he got the Jewish run-around. Mr. Levin walks bow-legged like an American West cowboy because his juevos are the size of cantaloupes.

The Finish:  At first you're thinking that he's only going to show other religions in a silly light but he shows everyone under the same honest glare. Non-Jews need to know that there are four 'branches' of Judaism, with only one of them reflecting the beliefs of the Jews in the Old Testament.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"A true American original, Thompson was a writer whose depraved exploits were only exceeded by his extraordinary prose. In this documentary, the recollections of Thompson's friends, family, colleagues, and various partners in crime..."

"...comedy drama concerning an aging professor-turned-bitter eccentric due to the death of his longtime wife. Ever since his wife passed away, Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) has become overly acerbic and self-absorbed..."

Viewed:
January 13th, 2008

My Comment:  Ellen Page is just the cutest little thing you could imagine. Sarah Jessica Parker face looks like some mutant potato-being from another planet. She looks like the Wicked Witch of the West who shaved her chin. Her hands have more wrinkles in them than my scrotum. The only redeeming factor of the movie is the mention, early on, of the book I purchased in 2009, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.
The Finish:  Let's see, the uncle gets Ellen Page's character to smoke marijuana and then gets her drunk at a bar, even though she is only seventeen years old. Sarah Jessica Parker's character goes to bed on the second date with Quaid, after the first one lasts twenty minutes. She's a medical doctor and a whore? This movie is supposed to be a comedy and I think I laughed more at my last root canal.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"2LDK is part of the "Duel Project," in which super-efficient directors Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus), who had both worked on the anthology Jam Films, were each challenged to take one week and make a feature with two actors dueling in a single setting..."

"A selfless teen who has always put the needs of others before her own experiences a personal crisis after setting her best friend up with her handsome new neighbor in an affecting coming-of-age drama starring..."

Viewed:
December 31st, 2008

My Comment:  A promising movie based in a trailer park somewhere in New Mexico.

The Finish:  Just couldn't finish the movie. It could be that the father character became a total drunk after his wife died--similar to myself becoming a total drunk after my soul-mate, the child-bearer of my progeny, best friend, mother and wife left me for a billionaire.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

" -- a film considered by critics and enthusiasts alike to be the crowning achievement of modern American cinema. The story of Charles Foster Kane is told using several flashbacks from those who knew him best. Outstanding performances from Welles as Kane, Joseph Cotton as Kane's best friend Jedediah Leland, Agnes Moorehead as Kane's mother, and..."

Viewed:
January 4th, 2008

My Comment:  The number one movie of all times on most movie lists.

The Finish:  Almost eighty years after it was made, a lot of the marvel is gone. Be sure to listen to Roger Ebert's commentary at the end of disc one to gain a full appreciation of how ground-breaking this movie was. Citizen Kane was the first movie many of these actors appeared in, including Orson Welles.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"...Journalist Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) misses witnessing the assassination of a senator at Seattle's Space Needle, but his newswoman former girlfriend Lee Carter (Paula Prentiss) was there. Even after a government commission concludes that it was a freak lone assassin, Lee tells Joe that she fears for her life since..."

Viewed:
December 19th, 2008

My Comment:  A movie reflecting back to the unsolved murder of President John F. Kennedy.

The Finish:  Thankfully, comes soon. No answers. No plot. What the hell is going on?

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"The year is 1914, and as World War I continues to rage across the European countryside...On Christmas Eve of that year, the lonely souls of the front lines abandoned their arms to reach out to their enemies on the battlefield and greet them with not anger or hostility, but with the simple, kindly gesture of a much needed cigarette or a treasured..."

Viewed:
December 23rd, 2008

My Comment:  Another movie that shows the abject unfairness of war, while the elite plan and party, the every-man suffers, fights and gives his life for them. War, where the Christian God is told whose trench He's in.

The Finish:  No happy ending. Just the truth. I am thankful that the English subtitles continued when the Scottish officers were speaking.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"A hard-drinking lush finds himself thrust into superhero mode in director Peter Berg's unconventional look at the private life of a crime-fighter. Will Smith stars as the embittered do-gooder whose lifestyle is more akin to a rock star than a role model..."

"...dark drama of a man trying to turn over a new leaf late in life. Howard Spence (Sam Shepard) is a veteran actor who has been a popular Western star since the mid-'70s. Spence's on screen image as a strong, principled lawman is a severe contrast to his life off the set, which has been dominated by drinking, drugs, and..."

*  The Finish:  If you're not a Wim Wenders, fan you might not appreciate his signature score, cinematography, location shoots, and less than refined performances by his actors.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd  *

"A pedal-to-the-metal race car determined to prove his worth on the tracks discovers that life isn't always about crossing the finish line first in Toy Story director John Lasseter's mechanically minded tale of friendship and loyalty. Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) may be just a rookie..."

Viewed:
December 9th, 2008

My Comment:  First movie I'd ever seen in the Blu-ray format. Really clear, but nothing to get excited about.

The Finish:  The "Doc Hollywood" of cartoon cars. For all the cars, pretty cool if you're a car nut.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd

"The true story of a man who never gave up on his dreams of doing something big -- and doing it very, very fast -- provides the basis for this engaging comedy drama. Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) was born in 1899 in Invercargill, New Zealand. From childhood, Munro had a passion for machines that moved fast..."

"...In the future presented in the film, humans have become exceedingly dependent on robots in their everyday lives. Robots have become more and more advanced, but each one is preprogrammed to always obey humans and to, under no circumstances, ever harm a human. So, when..."

Viewed:
December 3rd, 2008

My Comment:  Other than the title, absolutely nothing to do with the book of the same name. I think the CG is really good, then again, I'm seeing it through my cataracts.

The Finish:  A subtle switch at the end. A really good mystery movie with lots of action set in 2035.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd  

"...Tae-suk is a young drifter who appears to be homeless by inclination as much as necessity; he squats in the homes of strangers while they're away, carefully seeing to it that no damage is done to the property and sometimes performing small household chores as a display of gratitude..."

Web Site

Viewed:
December 3rd, 2008

My Comment:  Nice, quiet, mostly non-violent look at Korean life. Check out the protagnist's $30,000 BMW motorcycle. The police cars being Hyundai's gave away the film location.

The Finish:  Ending a little strange, but it was meant to be. Probably means a lot more to one of Asian background.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times  
• *****  Must own dvd

"Acclaimed film director Sydney Pollack took a five-year break from the realms of fiction to assemble a lovingly crafted tribute to longtime friend and acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in this documentary born from the sketches of its talented subject. A notoriously shy craftsman whose impressive body of work includes the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao..."

Viewed:
November 25th, 2008

My Comment:  A documentary so much more than about architecture and buildings. A movie about hopes, dreams, triumphs and failures. A movie about living life.

The Finish:  Must see for any type of creative person. A movie that parents of young children should see so they can witness the profound effects good parenting can result in.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd  

"...Thelma and Louise, two working-class friends who together have planned a weekend getaway from the men in their lives. Thelma's husband, Darryl (Chris McDonald), is an overbearing oaf, and Louise's boyfriend, Jimmy (Michael Madsen), simply will not commit..."

Viewed:
November 29th, 2008

My Comment:  Classic 'girls just wanna have fun' movie. Geeze who knew Ridley Scott could direct such a bright, lively movie, where the thing wasn't entirely filmed in the Carlsbad, Caverns?

The Finish:  Sad but happy ending. Circumstances, sadly, would be the same today. Men are pigs. Men rule the world. While women raise the world.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Happy to see multiple times
• *****  Must own dvd  

"...Arrested by the police inspector Herzog at the onset of World War II, Sorowitsch is sent to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp. It's not long before Salomon's thinly veiled opportunism earns him a relatively comfortable position as the camp's resident sketch artist, and five years later he is mysteriously swept away to Sachsenhausen ... Sorowitsch discovers that Herzog, now a commandant, is attempting to destabilize the economies of the Allies while simultaneously funding the Nazi war machine by assembling a special team of counterfeit artists to create millions in fraudulent ..."

Viewed:
November 23rd, 2008

My Comment:  Reminds me of the horrors of war, and the inhumane actions of the conquering Germans and their inexplicable and unforgiveable treatment of the Jews.

The Finish:  Surprising.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again  
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"...an aging janitor and an American executive who form an unlikely alliance in order to carry out an elaborate jewel heist. Set in 1960s-era London, the tense crime thriller stars Michael Caine as the scheming maintenance man who longs to relieve his employers at the London Diamond Corporation (aka: DeBeers)..."

Viewed:
November 19th, 2008

My Comment:  Demi Moore is aging beautifully and is beautiful. A good old how'd he do it mystery with the viewer so hoping she doesn't get caught.

The Finish:  The anti-climax...an ignorant plan. I'm from the "Teach a man to fish..." school of philosophy myself.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again  
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"Massoud Amir Behrani, an Iranian immigrant living the United States. Even though he was a high-ranking official in Iran, he works several menial jobs in order to provide his wife, Nadi, and his son, Esmail, with an apartment in California. He buys a California bungalow..."

Viewed:
November 18th, 2008

My Comment:  From the beginning I had a hard time accepting that a knock-out-dead-gorgeous-stacked-babe looking like Jennifer Connelly (who appeared as if she was working through one of my own 'non'-hangovers) could find herself in such a fix. Ben Kingsley was great. Casting got it half right, half wrong.

The Finish:  Did not finish.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie  
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******Must own dvd

"A man discovers a deadly secret when he tries to find out who killed the woman he loves in this suspense drama based on a novel by John Le Carré. Justin Quale is a low-level British diplomat who has been given a new assignment in Kenya. Justin's wife, Tessa, is an activist..."

Viewed:
November 13th, 2008

My Comment:  Hang in there, takes awhile to build up to action & suspense. You can see the country (Kenya) where our President-elect was born. Catch the BWM police car in Berlin.

The Finish:  Would have preferred a more shoot 'em out ending. Be sure to watch the bonus extras about the location shoot and the book of the same name.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd  

"Doc Levy (Scheider) is an American secret agent who has been running interference between the U.S. government and escaped Nazi war criminal Szell (Olivier). Believing that Doc has stolen a valuable cache of gems..."

Viewed:
November 3rd, 2008

My Comment:  Movie is a little dated. Hard to believe the 39 year old Hoffman is supposed to be a college student. Roy Scheider is in awesome shape. NAZI war crimes may not mean anything to people born after 1955. And definitely do not watch if you've got a visit to the dentist in the next six months.

The Finish:  It's okay, nothing fantastic, but worth seeing.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again  
• ******  Must own dvd

"A spy discovers doing a favor for a friend leads her into unexpectedly dangerous circumstances in this dark comedy. It's been close a decade since French intelligence agent Irene (Juliette Binoche) has heard from her friend Elliot (Nick Nolte)..."

Viewed:
November 1st, 2008

My Comment:  Juliette Binoche is a dead ringer for the hated Sarah Palin. The acting of Sara Forestier and Tom Riley couldn't be faulted in a first semester community college acting class. The movie feels like it was shot in a couple of days. Who knew Turturro spoke French? Sacré bleu!

The Finish:  Let's hope this isn't Nick Nolte's final movie before succumbing to the always fatal effects of his alcohol addiction.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie  
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd