Again, in order of date seen, starting with the earliest. And again, all plot summaries are ripped from www.imdb.com unless otherwise stated:
1) Strangers
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks.
Okay, so I loved this one. It had just enough scary and suspense to leave me jumping and screaming. It was overplyed AND it didn't rely on gore and special effects.
2) Leatherheads
(my synopsis, imdb is just too long) So George Clooney's character is a pro footballer (in the American sense) before professional football really became popular with the masses. In a move to bring popularity to the sport, he recruits a war-time hero who plays college football to join his team. Then, to add conflict to our otherwise football-based plotline enter witty journalist played by Renee Zellweger who is trying to get proof that our supposed "war-hero" made the entire thing up.
Okay, this one was not nearly as funny or romantic as it could have been... I wouldn't watch it again, but kudos on the casting. Beautiful men kept me watching through the otherwise entirely boring begginning.
3) The Producers (from 2005, imdb indicates there is another, earlier, version)
New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme tailor-made for producers who can only make flops: raise far more money than you need, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus. To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken. Then they get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct. Finally, they hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla (whose last name has over 15 syllables). As opening night draws near, what can go wrong?
Don't watch this film. That's all I have to say on this matter. It was hardly funny at all (I laughed maybe once) and the singing sucked a bit too... I have never been so dissappointed in a movie
4) Failure to Launch
(my synopsis) So, Sarah Jessica Parker is an "interventionist" who has made a living from convincing guys to move out of their parent's home. Tripp is a 35-yr-old bachelor whose parent's hire Paula (SJP) to get him out. Things don't go according to Paula's plan, especially when she is discovered by his friends.
Okay, I can't help it, I love this movie. I think SJP is getting a bit old for roles like the one she plays, but it is still an adorable movie.
5) The Fog – original (someone told me there is a remake out there)
The Centenary of the small sea town, Antonio Bay, is approaching. While the townsfolk prepare to celebrate, the victims of the crime that founded the town rise from the sea to claim retribution. Under cover of the fog, they carry out their vicious attacks, searching for what is rightly theirs
Eh... This movie was so-so. Kind of ridiculous, fun to make fun of. It was made in the 80s... That is its excuse.
6) Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary (PS) is a 1989 horror flick based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. After moving into their new home the Creed family's cat is killed after wondering onto the highway. Jud an elderly neighbor shows Louis, the father, to an isolated hill behind the local Pet Cemetery and instructs him to bury the deceased feline there. Not long after the cat reappears at the Creed home, only he is not the same. The docile cat is now vicious and destructive. When their youngest son meets with a fatal accident, the distraught Louis buries him in the same location hoping to revive him. Unfortunately he unleashes far more than he had bargained for.
I bow down to Stephen King. Seriously, only he could think of this stuff. It's amazing, it's creepy, and it gives me nightmares. There were a few plot elements that really bothered me (they didn't make sense... If you watch it, you'll probably figure out what), but it was awesome. The begginning sucked a bit - I made fun of it alost all the way through. But once the kid dies, the action and suspense escalate, and this movie becomes amazing.
7) Herr Lehmann (German)
In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of students, artists, bohemians and barflys had flourished among crumbling buildings. Part of that microcosm is barkeeper Frank, semi-formally called 'Herr Lehmann' by friends and patrons. He hangs out drinking, sports utter disregard for anything beyond SO 36 and lazily pursues an affair with cook Katrin. His lifestyle is gradually disturbed, when his parents show up for a visit, things go awry with Katrin and his best friend Karl starts to act strange. Meanwhile, political turmoil mounts on the other side of the Wall
okay, this movie is in German, and has no English subtitles. So basically, unless you know German, there is no watching this or you. It's funny though...
8) Himmel über Berlin – aka, Wings of Desire (German)
This Wim Wenders film centers around the story of two angels wandering in a mixture of post-war and modern Berlin. Invisible to humans, they nevertheless give their help and comfort to all the lonely and depressed souls they meet. Finally, after many centuries, one of the angels becomes unhappy with his immortal state and wishes to become human in order to experience the joys of everyday life. He meets a circus acrobat and finds in her the fufillment of all his mortal desires. He also discovers that he is not alone in making this cross over, and that a purely spiritual experience is not enough to satisfy anyone
Okay, I had subtitles for this and it confused me to death... like, I spent the entire time thinkg "Whaaa?" Way too deep for me... It has Peter Faulk in it though, playing himself - the only humorous part of this story. I did like the way the film makers utilized color in this film though. The black/white scenes held meaning and the color scenes hold a different meaning.
9) Secret Life of Bees
set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping
This movie was better than the book. That's a rare thing to say.... Iliked it. Boys should never see it unless they want to piss themselves off. When I read the book for class about 5 yrs ago, I couldn't help but think it'd make a reat Lifetime movie...
10) Scarface -1983 version
An update of the 1932 film, Scarface (1983) follows gangster Tony Montana and his close friend Manny Ray from their trip on the Cuban Boat Lift for refugees to their arrival in Miami. After killing a powerful Cuban figure, Montana and company gain the ability to leave their refugee camps and roam around the U.S. After unsuccessfully trying to make it legitamately in the country, Montana and Ray resort to selling cocaine to dealers around the world. Tony's rise is quick, but as he becomes more powerful, his enemies and his own paranoia begin to plague his empire.
This movie was good (although slightly gory) during the first hour or two, but near the end I got bored and annoyed. I am going to say it's another movie destroyed by the 80s.... I couldn't get past his sister's horrible hair.
11) Enough (with Jennifer Lopez)
An abused woman discovers that the dream man she married isn't who she thought he was. She and her daughter try to escape (aided by her previous boyfriend), but he pursues her relentlessly. Fearing also for the safety of her daughter, she decides that there's only one way out of the marriage: kill him.
Guilty Pleasure! Ugh, this movie is horrible yet sooo good at the same time. J.Lo isn't that bad of an actress really, and she's a fierce bitch in this movie (another one which belongs on Lifetime).
And there you have it. Look forward to March's list. =D
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