James Bond

Still working on watching all of these movies...

Breaking Dawn Part II

If it was not for the GREAT twist at the end of the movie, this show would have been a waste of film.

Unicorn City (2012)

This movie won all sorts of accolades that the film festival that they do down in Utah County each year (I cannot think of the name of the festival, but it is primarily focused on clean films). Unicorn City was filmed in Utah and is akeen to Napoleon Dynamite. Voss is a mid-twenties man who has enveloped his entire life around that of Fantasy. He is part of a coven at the local comic book store where they play Dungeon and Dragons games ad nasium. The rules and lifestyles are so enter twined that to separate them would cause these people to have withdrawals. Voss lives in his brothers closet, and is in need of finding a job. He finds a good job, but needs to prove to the hiring manager that he is able to lead a group of people, so he decides to take a group of his friends out in the mountains to create a real-life fantasy world called Unicorn City. Drama ensues and happiness wins out in the end. I laughed out-loud many times during this movie, but do not expect much more than a locally made movie. 3 Stars

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Several years ago Peter Jackman directed the greatest trilogy in the history of movies, but he filmed all three of the movies at one time, so as to maintain the same characters, scenes, and feelings that were portrayed in the Lord of the Rings series.  The Hobbit was the first book in the series of book that JRR Tolken wrote about the Hobbits and their impending adventures, but the Lord of the Rings was made first.  Frankly, I feel that this was a better move because it gave us a reason to care about the characters of the story.  If not, we would not have understood about Gollum, or Bilboe, or Gandolf or the trials that the "ring" was about to bring to their quiet world.

This movie begins back in the Shire showing Bilboe writing about his adventure he had been on some decades earlier; if you remember back to the LotR movies this is where that story begun, particularly the part where the Shire is preparing for Bilboe's birthday.  From there the movie dives into a back flash of the adventure that Bilboe went on to the Misty Mountains.

By a chance situation Bilboe and Gandolf find each other and Gandolf determines that Bilboe would be a perfect member for the band of Dwarfs that are going to go back to their mine city to reclaim it from the dragon that ran them out years earlier.  Bilboe states that he does not want to take part of this, but Gandolf does not take this as his final answer.  Later that night several dwarfs show up at his house to meet up for their adventure...to make a long story short Bilboe agrees to be their thief, and they head out on their adventure.  Along the way they encounter Wizards, Trolls, and Orks that all want to kill them, or stop them from going back to the mine city.

I really enjoyed this movie and felt that it picked right back up with the same feeling and emotion that the Lord of the Ring movies was filmed with.  For the longest time they were hoping the Del Torro would direct this film but I am glad that Peter Jackman came back to take the helm of these shows.  There will be two more movies in this story, and they were all filmed like it predecessor so I am expecting nothing but perfection with these films.  5 stars.

A Kiss Before Dying - 1956

I just finished a book about Natalie Wood's life. The author talked about how Robert Wagner's best film was this movie. So I had to check it out. I don't get what the big deal is about this movie. They even did a remake in 1991 with Matt Dillon. Wagner plays Bud Corliss who is dating Dorothy Kingship (Joann Woodward) purely for her father's mining fortune. When he finds she is pregnant he realises she is likely to be disinherited, so cleverly stages her suicide. After a couple of months her sister back home finds evidence to question the suicide verdict, but by then has a new boyfriend of her own... Bud. 1.5 stars.

No Man of Her Own - 1950

Just a fun little noir film. 2.5 stars. Here is what this film is about. "Helen Ferguson, pregnant, penniless and dumped by her boyfriend Steve Morley, takes the identity of the pregnant Patrice Harkness, when she and her husband are killed in a train crash. The rich Harkness in-laws, and their other son Bill, had never seen Patrice, so they accept her and her newborn son into their family. However Steve eventually finds her and starts to blackmail her" I am excited to see Les Mis in the theatres this holiday.

Witness for the Prosecution - 1957

All the reviews I read had high marks. We know that Billy Wilder is a great director, so mix that with a great writer (Agathe Christie)and what do you get? A 5 star movie with an absolutley stunning ending. Made my top 100 easily. I strongly recommend this movie. I saw it on NF instant. Charles Laughton plays Sir Wilfird Robarts- a tough old bird of a lawyer, who happens to be dying of heart disease. The british humor between Robarts and his at home nurse is great. Laughton steals the show with his performance. All of his manerisms are just perfect for the role. Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich play the other leads in the movie. Laughton is representing Power who has been charged with murder. I don't want to say anything else because it may ruin it for you. How many films have you seen where at the ending of the movie right when the credits are starting a voice actually says "The management of this theater suggests that for the greater entertainment of your friends who have not yet seen the picture you will not divulge to anyone the secret of the ending of Witness for the Prosecution." About half way through the movie I thought I had it figured out, wow did the end suprise me. Probably the best ending to a movie I can remember. Great acting by Laughton, great writing, directing, everything. Well done!!!

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which book paper burns. In the distant oppressive future books are not tolerated, and there are firefighters are charged with burning the books and punishing the people who are found with books in their possession. Guy Montag is a young up and coming firefighter who begins to question what it is that they are doing as fire fighters. Not only are they not allowed to read or own books, but the citizens much watch the government run messages that are projected on their TV screens in their houses ala 1984. If you can get past the 1960s decor made to look like the distant future, it is an interesting story. Unfortunately for me I was not able to get past the decor. Only two stars for me.

Red Dawn (1984)

When I was in elementary school it was believed that our building was utilized as a hospital during the second World War.  The reason we believed this was because we could look through the old grated windows in the basement of the school and see beds and matraces.  Now that I am older I have found out that it was never used as ahospital, but was a school since its creation during WWII.  The beds and matraces were there for "Fall Out" purposes during the Cold War.  This movie was made during the high points of nuclear war discussions of my young childhood.  I remember playing on the playground pretending to be army guys being attacked by the Russians, it was great because the Americans always won.
Well, this movie was very much a depiction of those games we used to play on the playground, except it was not just the Russians that attacked, but the entire Central and Southern American countries as well.
The story begins with a couple of high school guys being droped off at school.  During their history class the invaders start to land and they begin shooting up the school and everyone in it.  A dozen of these boys escape, gather supplies, and head to the mountains to fight the war.  Their families have been killed, and they are left to take on the entire operation of WWIII.  Along the way they are able to find a couple of girls to join their team; and oddly enough they are able to go in to town anytime they want to gather more supplies.  As the "Wolverines", they are easily able to dismantle the entire enemy line, but that begins to collapse as some of these boys turn on their buddies.  In the end, they all are killed and they war is won elsewhere.  WOW!!!  I think this was filmed, edited, produced, and directed by a bunch a high school buddies who were caught up in the Cold War hysteria.  The only reason I decided to watch this movie was because of the recent release of a remake, boy I wish I hadn't.  The guys on the KSL movie show said this wasx a horrible movie, but I just had to watch it to see for myself.  Patrick Swazye, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey, man they had better careers after this show.  There was ZERO character development in this show.

The Thomas Crown Affair - 1968

Steve McQueen “the essence of cool” plays Thomas Crown in this classic. A man so bored the only thing he can do is try the impossible. He has all the money he needs, a Rolls Royce, mansion, etc. He even has a beautiful girl that he spends his time with. But for a man that has everything, he wants more. So he pulls of a bank heist for a couple of million dollars. Not for the money, just to “beat the system” as he says. For kicks I guess. Enter Faye Dunaway as Vicki Anderson. Vicki is hired by the bank and the insurance company of the bank to find the man who took their money. The police have no leads and Vicki is a professional head hunter if you will. The movie is about the tension between Vicki and Thomas. The first time she meets Thomas she tells him that she believes he stole the money (she had done some detective work prior to figure that out). Of course Thomas realizes she has nothing to go on but a hunch and plays it cool. The movie was popular with audiences because it is more about the tension between man and woman then it is about a stupid bank heist. It is rated R for showing a ladies back right at the start of the show, some kissing (doesn't show anything below their neck) and the sexual tension that exists between Thomas and Vicki as the play chess. It wouldn't be rated R today, but I still wouldn't show it to my kids due to the adult themes suggested during the chess game. The director was able to show tension without any nudity, just the way that they are playing chess together- it is really quite interesting. I had only seen the parity of this scene when Austin Powers recreates it in one of his movies. I like the feel of the movie. A millionaire who spends his time flying glider planes, playing polo, racing on the beach with his dune buggy, smoking big cigars, drinking, hiring people to rob banks, and of course dating the lady who is investigating him. Sean Connery turned down this role and McQueen said later that it ended up being his favorite movie of all time. Because of its uniqueness and the fact that it doesn't fit into any bucket of a "type of movie", I really do like this movie. I liked the split screen idea when it showed us the bank heist and I love the ending. It took me about 20 min after the movie was over to really understand the ending and what happened, but I think I have it figured out now. 4 solid stars for how different it is then most movies and the excellent acting of McQueen and Dunaway. The remake received horrible reviews.

Witness to Murder - 1954

I continue to get sucked into these stupid noir films, well not everyone is bad, but you have to watch 5 to get to a gem. This one is 1 star and was just awful.

Black Narcisus (1947)

Generally, I do not like to judge a movie by it's cover but for this one I did.  The cover art was haunting, I mean a nun ringing a bell 9000 feet up on the side of a mountain, boy I was hooked...I wish I hadn't.  This movie was awful from the word go.  Every once and a while they would go back to the imagery of that nun ringing the bell and I would get sucked in again.

A small group of young nuns is sent out to establish a school and hospital in this old abandoned castle for the local villagers.  The castle is on the side of a mountain some 9000 feet up and it is constantly windy up there.  Mr. Dean is the local Englishman who has been asked to be their handyman, but the nuns nor Mr. Deam can tolerate each other.  To make a long story short two of the nuns fall for Mr. Dean, and one actually falls from the bell cliff for him.

Dumb movie!!

Move Over Darling - 1963

Doris Day and James Garner try to duplicate what Cary Grant and Irene Dunn did in this remake of the 1940 hit movie "My Favorite Wife". The original is better. only 2 stars for me. I also found out that MM was completing a remake of this movie as well in 1962 before her death, it was called Something's Got to Give (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217055/). Had MM lived, Move Over Darling would never have happened, they only got to do the remake because of Something's Got to Give not finishing.

Columbus Circle - 2012

Found this on NF. I was impressed with all the big names they got to cast the film. This is one of those movies that when you are done watching it you think "wow that actually was a really good script". And then you realize how bad the acting and directing was that you realize the movie bombed for those reasons. The most I can offer is 2 stars. The show is about an heiress who's been shut inside her apartment building for nearly two decades and now she is forced to confront her fears after one of her neighbors is killed and a detective arrives to begin the investigation.

Lilies of the Field - 1963

It is a rarity but when it happens it is worth savoring every moment. What I am referring to is when a simple script turns into a great movie. If someone told you they were going to make a movie about an unemployed person helping nuns build a chapel, you would think that would be a dumb movie. The tension between Homer Smith & Mother Maria is more about their own stubborness than it is about their different faiths, cultures or background. They never admit it, but they need each other to fullfill their potential. 4 out of 5 stars and it almost made my list.

The Artist - 2011

I took your advice and Valli and I watched this silent award winning film. I enjoyed watching a silent film because I approached it differently- I paid attention more and tried to do some lip reading. It was very easy to follow the story line, which I wasn't sure how that would work. It seemed like when we really needed to know what they were saying they would give that to us with captions. I didn't like how the director never let us know why the main actor hated his wife (actress Penelope Miller). The actress that played "Peppy Miller" was incredible. I loved a lot of things about this movie. 4 stars.

America (1924)

D. W Griffith made about 535 movies (98% of them were short films) in the early 1900s.  He directed the Birth of a Nation, Intollerance, Abraham Lincoln, among others.  This is a look at the Revolutionary War through the stories of Rebels and English Loyalists.  As I was watching this movie I kept thinking about the Last of the Mohechans.  I am going to try and watch all of these movies, grant it most of them are two minutes or less in length, but when you get to the feature length movies they are mostly over 2 hours long.

Follow Me Boys (1966)

I was in the Boy Scout office the other day (I am the Cub Master), and I saw that they were selling this DVD there, so I thought I would try it out for kicks and giggles. I found it over at the library, and have been singing the main song for about a week now. Lem (Fred MacMurray) is a saxophone player in a traveling jazz band, who is studying law, and looking for a honest job and place to settle down. He finds that place and becomes a store clerk in a sleepy little town. Soon he gets eyes for a young lady in town and will do anything to get her attention. To his chagrin he must become a Scout Master for a bunch of rag-tag boys to get that attention. He takes these boys and forms them into a marching, camping group of scouts. Over time he marries, adopts one of these boys, and remains the scout master for the next thirty years. This story covers all of those years, and we get a brief history on about three of those troops. I found this movie to be entertaining and enjoyable to watch with my two cub scout aged boys. It will not make any list for me, but it was a fun Disney watch. My only grief with the show as that it was a bit too long, much like many of the Disney movies from that era.