list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

Palm Springs Weekend

Essential early '60s teenage romp and a low in Hollywood moviemaking, Palm Springs Weekend is comfortably trashy and supremely idiotic with a cast of aging actors portraying college kids during spring break.   Though bad on almost every level, the film is a marvel of garish Technicolor, depraved Americana, and teenploitation.   Awful, and a must-see.

The Iron Lady

Sensitive portrait of Ms. Thatcher told in retrospect from her point of view in her later years.   Meryl Streep is typically exceptional and the script is beautifully written, startling at times as Thatcher observes her whole life splayed out in front of her on TV, through visions and lost memories, and the film illustrates nicely how the individual human struggle is more powerful than politics.   Not the best movie in the world but first-rate entertainment.

Hoop Dreams

The 1994 doc that follows two inner-city teen basketball prodigies is still immensely pleasurable and insightful, and applies just as well to today's school sports programs as eighteen years ago.   The paradox of being talented in a valued field only to be thrust into a world where those talents are commonplace is no better explored than in the slowly unfolding dramas played-out here, and Hoop Dreams screams for a follow-up film on contemporary high school/college sports.   True storytelling at its best.

The Avengers:

The Quiet One wrote: Blue Velvet by David Lynch Dark. I was constantly waiting to be totally "scared", but fortunately that never happened. Now, it's a good plot and it's an original way of telling it, but not sure if I like the whole Lynch-mentality. This is only my second Lynch movie though, the other being Elephant Man which I liked but wouldn't watch again, i think.

Meet Joe Black

As manipulative as it is, the quiet moments and unhurried pace of this sentimental fable are effective and we sympathize with Anthony Hopkins' character as he approaches his premature demise and a personified Death falls for his daughter.   Romance with a touch of myth, the movie brings some originality to the tearjerker format.

John Carter

Considering how fast this thing sunk at the boxoffice, I wasn't expecting much.  To my shock, for pulp fantasy it ain't bad.  Predating Conan and many other fantasy staples, E.R. Burrough's series is reasonably adapted here by Disney and Taylor Kitsch is good as Carter, a displaced Civil War soldier who finds himself in the middle of a Martian war.  Reminiscent of Stargate but better, and of Escape From New York but not as good.

^ Very sharp attention to detail.

Dark Shadows:  Pretty decent rendition, for what they could do with a long running soap opera in just under 2 hours, until the Hollywood ending.  Wish they'd done it a bit more subtle than that.  On the other hand, Eva Green.    3 stars.

Memento:  Awesome if you don't mind watching a movie from end to beginning.  Twisted plot, if a little predictable in parts.  I knew she was a bad guy from the beginning (the end).  Could have made the end (the beginning) even more twisted had they wanted to, but as it stood, pretty cool.  4 stars.

On Her Majesty's Secret Cervix...oh, wait.  Forget that one.  But still, 5 stars. 

Safe House

Exceedingly tight and tense action/suspense has Denzel Washington as a veteran superspy thrown together with a young CIA 'housekeeper' well-played by Ryan Reynolds as they evade all number of assassins gunning for Washington.   Sam Shepard perfectly cast as a CIA station chief.   In a Bourne Identity vein but superior, more direct, and rarely stops moving in interesting directions.