We rob banks

     I love a good gangster film and I can enjoy an okay one and today's was just that okay. The film had a lot of action but that's about it. The movie is about some of the most famous American gangsters of all time. Bonnie and Clyde is about the rise and fall of these two sweetheart bank robbers. They go through a bunch of  shot outs and robbers and a whole lot of talking. The movie is a classic but should it be?

     The film is dry and almost pointless feeling but this isn't the worst part. The film is way to long and wasn't as fun as everyone says it is, they should have just taken out a bunch of pointless talking much like the better film Lawless did. The film is a landmark in what studios were willing to show on screen, but that is about it in my opinion. The film just misses the heart that other gangster films have. I will say that this film is fun is some places but the characters are bland and boring. It is sad (but not really) when the best part of your film is Gene Wilder in a short appearance.

      This movie is okay but not great. The film is just so over hyped that I think it ruined it for me. But the real reason is just because the film is heartless so you don't care for SPOILER ALERT they die very brutally. Take my advice while this movie is a classic and should be viewed it's nothing special.  Go watch one of the holy trinity of gangster films, Scarface,Goodfellas,The Godfather.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 2 stars

I'm sorry mommy, I'll be a hero

     Let me start by saying that this is my first time watching this film so don't hate me. This film also made me cry quite a bit which is kind of a big deal. This is the most touching film I've seen this month. The movie is basically Pinocchio but with robots. The story is about a family who's son is sick. A company has made a robot child who has the power to love. The parents abandon him and all he wants is to find the blue fairy and be a real boy so his mom will love him by pleading things such as the title of this post and "what if I'm real I love you". I am of course A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Again don't have me for never seeing this one before.

      This film is a powerhouse of emotion as I've said before. The sets are beyond lavish and imaginative and this works perfectly for a film of this magnitude. The acting is spectacular. Haley Joel was the best child actor of his time and his work never ceases to amaze. The whole tale is told in a style that works well with gritty realism and stark wonder. The film is one of the best I have ever seen and I question my existence and other deep questions because I have never seen this film.

This film left me speechless and for that you all need to see it.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

That'll be the day

     Today I started the day off with another western by the legendary John Ford and John Wayne. This is often called the teams best and for good reason it has influenced many films of the more modern age such as the excellent Taxi Driver. The movie is titled The Searchers and for those who haven't seen it shame on you. The story is about a family whose daughter is kidnapped by Indians, luckily they have an uncle named John Wayne and he does what he does best. The movie deals with many adult themes such as family, hope, and identity.  The movie is very deep and one of the best films I have ever seen but there are a few problems with it.

      The movie has some of the best scenery of all time and really shows what a movie could do. The costumes and acting are perfect I've seen few movies who have had such a great cast and chemistry. My first big issue and really my only issue is the fact that a comedic character has been added and he is terrible. This really ruins almost every scene that the character is in. However, the story is so powerful that I can overlook this small thing. The story is paced very well and there are no slow moments and this makes all the difference.

     This movie is one for the books all people should watch this one. There are few westerns that  are filmed better and have made a lasting impact. The film is truly a masterpiece and I've never been so touched by westerns. You all need to watch this one.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I do the cutting

      Whenever I see any westerns I look back at my childhood when you could almost always find my dad every Saturday watching a western on TV. When I was in my youth I guess I never understood what was so cool about them they were always to long and to boring, that is until some cowboys decided to shoot up a place. Once I heard gunfire I was out of my room and glued to the TV, but now that I'm slightly older I have come to love the story and the feel behind the most American of movie styles. Today I watched two westerns the first was an all American tale but the second was an Italian movie a spaghetti-western if you will. Today's movie is the most famous of them all it is of course the movie that made Clint Eastwood a  star The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. This movie is so great I can't even begin to describe it but I will try.

       The story is about the man with no name who is one the hunt for some gold along with his kind of friend Tuco and always behind and sometimes in front of them Angel Eyes. This movie is the first in the Dollars trilogy even if it came out last.This movie is so tense after every scene you breathe a sigh of relief because you are worried for the characters. The film uses a lot of cool camera angles and locations to really drive home the idea of the world that the characters are in. The film is long and could have cut out thirty minutes i think but I can't take a star off for that because this movie is so good.

        If you have never seen a western before watch this one. If you haven't seen this before watch this. If you need a pick me up or just want to be amazed I have the movie for you. This movie is not for the family but is ok for kids over ten as there is a bit of bloody violence. This movie is as good as The Man who Shot Liberty Valance is every way and in some ways outshines it. mostly when it comes to that iconic theme song.Seriously though go watch this right now.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Think you can make it pilgrim

     There's nothing like the wild west where the only thing that mattered was the color of your hat and the speed of your draw. There are few genres more American than that of the Western and there are only a few directors that can pull them off with the right amount of gusto. Perhaps the king of all of these western directors is the legendary John Ford today I watched one of his classic films which stared the cowboy himself John Wayne and a man we have seen before on this list James Stewart. The movie is of course The Man who Shot Liberty Valence.  The story follows a senator (James Stewart) as he tells the newspapers a story about his old friend Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) a local tough guy who he met many years ago when he was robbed by Liberty Valence. The story goes on from here much like Citizen Kane did.

      The sets and costumes are the first thing one must talk about while discussing a western film (unless it does not take place during the olden days). This is obviously because if it is set in the wild west it better look like it.  This film does superb with all the sets and costumes everything looks as if your watching a reel from the wagon days. The acting is great and that goes without saying when you have two powerhouses working together as well as they did. The story is also paced well and there are no lags so to speak In fact I find little at fault with this film at all. The only thing that I would have changed would be to take out the comedic relief although in all of Ford's movies he has to have one.

        This movie is great and one of the best westerns I have ever seen it's on Instant stream so I would say watch it. This film isn't very adult like some of the other westerns of today and I would say a good family movie as it is fun and funny at times. I thing that this one is one I'll watch again soon.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Went you going to grow

     I love me a good documentary they are for the most time good fun and quite interesting. Today I had the pleasure and I mean pleasure to watch a movie that was both fun and interesting and may be one of the best sport documentaries of all time. I'm talking about the film Hoop Dreams. The movie is about two inner city boys who have dreams of playing on the NBA. The movie follows them as they go to high school and off to college and this film talks about some hard stuff. One of the families is on welfare sadly they still had no money to pay the bills, so we see a powerful shot of the mother walking around carrying a camp stove for light. The movie also deals with drug abuse, painful injuries, and broken homes. You could call this standard sports movie material but there is something more to this film and that's the heart that is always present. The people may be going through some things you wouldn't which on your enemy but you would never be able to tell by there faces.
 
      The narrator has an annoying voice but that is one of the only criticisms I have on the whole picture. Sure it is paced slowly but it is a documentary so you have to allow that to slide a little bit. The movie is long almost three hours but the film never losses focus and hits home very powerfully. As a child I can't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up even at the age that these kids were at I was still drawing a blank. This movie made me think about how great of a thing hope as a child is, they had heroes. My childhood hero was Batman but I couldn't say to my parents one day I'm going to be him and then have there support as I try to make it in Gotham. This movie made me really think about happiness and how it is necessary to a child's life.

      This movie is not for everyone and those who don't like documentaries may not like this film. However if you love movies about overcoming trails and facing such things head on this is the picture for you. If you want to play basketball this film may give you a glimpse into that world. Allow me to paraphrase badly what Ebert once said about movies he said I go to movies to be placed into the body and mind of another race, gender, and age group. That's what movies do. That's what this film did for me.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I'm only a slave

     It's day 12 in November and I'm on day six not good. Why must life get in the way of movies? Well maybe there is more to life than sitting down each day and getting lost in the world that is the movie. That was a bad joke movies are very important to life and should be second or third just about love and happiness but below work and school. Today's movie deals with such themes as love and happiness (great segway Tyler, thanks myself). And it's called The Bridge on the River Kwai the story is about a British officer played by none other than Obi-wan himself who leads his men in building a bridge while help captive in a Japanese  prisoner of war camp. He becomes very attached to the bridge as he thinks of it not as helping the enemy but as leaving his mark on the world. An American with a mysterious path escapes from the camp and returns with a platoon of English men to blow it up. This is when all hell breaks loose.

     The movie is very moving as many prisoner story's are but this one has something different to it. It's not about soldiers trying to escape or stay alive but trying to understand why their captain is crazy. The story is interesting and holds your attention as it progresses but it is long and will take you three hours to finish. The acting is top notch and it's through this mean that you feel for the characters. That may seem like an odd thing to say being that the acting is always how we feel for the character, but I think your wrong many times we like and feel for the character we are the  most alike but in this movie it's really the acting that pushes us into that frame of mind.

     This is a movie that has stood the test of time and for very good reason. I think most will like it due to its themes and great feeling it gives off. The music will be instantly recognizable to all even if you have never seen the movie and the locations will blow you away.  If you have a hard time sitting through long movies this movie has an intermission you can use. I only say that because I think everyone reading this should watch it because it is a film we can all get behind weather it is for the main character or the American. God Bless the veterans and those in wars on all sides this week.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I'm due back on planet Earth

      Sorry for the break my fellow lovers of cinema but school and work have been taking charge but fear not for today I watched quite the funny movie. Annie Hall is a wonderfully funny film and does it have pretty much everything you can put in a movie. The movie is almost your normal Romcom except it's a Woody Allen film so it's not slapstick. This is his best film too if you ask me which may not be your best idea because I'm not an Allen aficionado. The movie is about Alvy Singer your local wimp who is has just been dumped by his girlfriend Annie Hall the movie is about the rise and fall of their relationship and does so in a way that isn't normal for most movies in a good way.

       This film was perfect when it comes to editing which is not something new to this list. However, this movie doesn't use editing to move the story it uses it top tell the story. You have many scenes when it's in splitscreen you have characters thoughts appear in the form of subtitles and animation. The best part was the fact that the people in this movie broke the fourth wall almost all the time which was funny and it's one of my favorite things to see in a film. this film was just a blast to see and great to watch.

        If you haven't seen an Allen movie this is the one for you. If you're looking for a movie to make you laugh because of it's wit and dry humor this is for you. If you're looking for a movie that will cheer you up watch this one.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Keep hope alive

     Today marks the day that I have only 300 movies left to watch. That's a lot. Today's movie was Do the Right Thing and what a movie it was. The movie is about racism and the affects it has on American lives. You may have guessed this if you knew the director was none other than Spike Lee the most pretentious and racist man on the face of the earth. I have beef with him pretty much only because he is a self righteous and is remaking one of my favorite movies Oldboy the remake looks terrible the original was a piece of art its on Netflix look it up as is today's movie. The movie follows a man named Mookie during the hottest day in the year a whopping 92 degrees, and the heat heats up (sorry for the pun) the race wars. The heat is about my ideal weather because I'm from Lake Havasu and our summers are around 115 to 120 so this 92 degrees isn't hot at all.

      The movie is shot in a style that can only be described as Spike Lee it's heavy on low angle shots and the use of primary colors as the source of his pallet. The film feels longer than it should but not by much, and the movie jumps a fair deal but that just the nature of the story. The acting is great and you feel for all the characters and that is a tough thing to do in today's age. Another great accomplishment is how this movie isn't just about how terrible white people are like all his other movies this one has other ethnic groups that are equally if not more racist. This way the movie doesn't seem one sided and is still a watchable movie. This movie's crowning achievement is the use of the camera to tell the story instead of a narrator. We aren't being feed the story we are living it and that's something I wash more movies would do.

          This movie is adult and not for young kids. If you aren't a fan of movies dealing with heavy topics shame on you and go watch this one because it is a good movie. My only drawback is sometimes the pacing felt off and the movie ran a bit long and should have ended at an earlier scene. But all and all this is a good movie.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3.5 stars

Let's go to the movies

     Today I watched one of the first movies by the legendary director Martin Scorsese we have already talked about a few of his movies in these last two months and I believe he has one more movie on the list after today's. The movie is called Mean Streets and oh what a movie it is. The story is semi autobiographical much like I think   8 1/2  was. The movie follows Charlie (Harvey Keitel) and his buddy Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) and their life as criminals in New York City. The movie is about Charlie seeking redemption for his sins but he doesn't know if he trusts the church. This is much like how Martin was in seminary.

        The movie is shot in a very dark and gritty way much like the masterpiece that is Taxi Driver however this movie isn't as good. The camera and the film is gritty probably super sixteen mm but it works for this film as it reflects the minds and morally grey choices that the cast makes. The acting is top notch as this was still the time when if De Niro was in a movie you knew it was going to be good. However,  all the actors look very similar so it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. The story is also hard to follow and jumps a lot this is annoying in a small degree but this film isn't about the story but about how the characters feel. This felt similar to Saturday Night Fever in that way.

     This is a good movie and a little hardcore but ok for anyone who has seen any other Scorsese movie. I don't think this should be your first as it isn't one of my favorites of his but I think it should be watched if you are a fan or trying to be. This film was a challenge for me to watch but that may be just because I let my mind wander of maybe it really was the movie.  If your looking for a crime movie then check this one out.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3 stars

For God's sake, do you duty.

     During my sophomore and junior year of high school I was required to read To Kill a Mockingbird  and I hated it and the movie. Naturally when I saw it on this list I cried with fear however, I don't know if the last four years have changed me that much or this is the first time I truly watched this film. The movie is told by a young girl named Scout which is an effective median. But, the real story is about her dad Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) and how he is the only man in the town who will defend a black man. This movie is very deep and touching and may make you cry.

       The acting in this movie is amazing and earned Atticus Finch the top spot on AFI's hero list. The movie is also number one on their courtroom drama list. This movie has a great set and a great soundtrack and all that jazz but it isn't the greatness of the film I want to talk about but why Roger Ebert didn't give it four stars. He said that Atticus shouldn't be the main focus but the black man should. I agree but Ebert should know that the kids are telling the story and don't cay about the black man. But, that's just one reason

      This movie is great and may be one of the best movies ever. It is for those who need a little happiness in their life. This movie is the good to the bad and one needs to see it to believe it. There is nothing bad I have to say about this movie because it is just so good. Enjoy this movie because you can't not unless your in high school, or Ebert but even he knows this is a great movie

Ebert's score 2.5 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Forget it Jake it's Chinatown

     We have talked a lot about Film Noir last month and since it's one of my favorite genres I decided to star this month off right with one of my favorites Chinatown. This movie isn't your old school Humphrey Bogart movie this is a more gritty and modern tale set in the same era. The movie is about a private detective named Jake who is played by Jack Nicholson who is send by a wife to spy on her cheating husband. It turns out the wife was just a pawn in a game of chess. And the chess board is L.A. and the game of chess is a bad metaphor for murder. The husband is drowned and now Jake has to find out why he was tricked and by who.

     The film is really gritty and the shady colors help it out much like the black and white of the older movies helped them. Also in the last five minutes the camera changes from it's normal style and pace into a really odd almost documentary like fell. This is one of the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. The acting is top notch but that's not a surprise.  The real ticket though is the story and how it unfolds there are a lot of double crosses and plot twists. This is one movie you can't miss.

     This is one you need to watch and if you've seen it before rewatch this flick. The movie is dark and gritty but it's a Noir so that's that. The movie is as exciting as The Big Sleep (you should have watched it by now). If you like excitement and crime movies really give this one a shot.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Top ten movies of October

1 The Seven Samurai
2 12 Angry Men
3 Rear Window
4 The Shawshank Redemption
5 Psycho
6 Vertigo
7 The Big Sleep
8 The Last Temptation of Christ
9 The Maltese Falcon
10 Fargo

People and worms

     Today I also watched the movie that proved what you could do with editing. This is the movie that showed us what was possible and what emotions we could evoke with the camera. I'm talking about the Russian masterpiece The Battleship Potemkin. This movie is often called a propaganda film but I think that is a term used by those who just don't like it. Now I'm not suggesting that this film isn't heavily communist influenced but I think it's a historical movie. The movie is about a mutiny of a battleship and the aftermath that follows. You may know this one for the staircase scene.

     This movie is one of the best silent pictures ever made and the editing is perfection. I cannot really describe it to you but only express how it moved me. That is the best thing an editor can hear and this movie was cut in a way that moves us every time we see it. The one complaint I have for this movie is it is in black and white and has a crudely colored red flag. I am not saying that it should be perfect but in early films namely The Phantom of the Opera we say an array of colors in the palate and none where craply added in. But even this isn't enough to ruin this film.

     This movie is on instant stream and should be watched by everyone as it is one of the most iconic films in the silent era and I think all of us should know some movies of that time. This movie is short and sweet but oh is it powerful you really must watch this one. Tomorrow I'll write down my top ten of this month. Happy Halloween

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

You know how people are

     Today I watched the wonderful film Days of Heaven. This movie is on instant and well worth the hour and a half to watch it. The movie isn't a game changer as many on this list this month have been but it is still a good romance movie. The movie is about a steel mill worker who murders someone. Him and his wife go on the train to get away under the guise as brother and sister so they wont be suspected for the killing. Soon they find a large farm to work on and the owner is dying and fancies the steel workers wife. This leads to an idea to make money but does it work?

      The movie really isn't anything super and that is the sad truth, however this doesn't make it a bad movie. The acting is great  it really is top notch. The costumes are very good and this is perhaps the most important aspect of a period piece because if it doesn't look right it wont feel right. The story is very touching as is the rest of the film but I just felt as if something was missing from this flick. This wouldn't be a problem and isn't really a big deal but it really bothered me.

      If you are a fan of a good romance movie this is the one for you. If you don't like romance don't watch this one. I hate to be as black and white about this movie as I am being but that's almost how it is with this movie. Personally I prefer my romance movies to be on two tiers like Drive.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

We've become a race of peeping toms

    There are few men who I would call masters of cinema and the best of all those people would be Alfred Hitchcock and we have talked a lot about him and how great he was. That is why most of his movies are on this list of great movies. Rear Window is no exception to this list, this movie may be one of his most suspenseful films and to my embarrassment I may have screamed at the screen once or twice. The movie is about a photographer who has his leg broken. This means he has nothing better to do than spy on his neighbors this leads him into trouble when he suspects that one of them is a murder. You may remember a film a few years ago called Disturbia that follows a similar plot and that remake is no where as good as this classic.

      This movie has a perfect set no movie can beat this one. The whole movie is one mans apartment and his backyard and neighbors apartment. Fun fact the apartment which is one level two is really ground level. The backyard is the basement of the sound stage. The camera is also amazing as it never leaves his apartment, and everything we see of the outside is from his window with one exception. It also needs to be noted again hat this movie has some of the best Hitchcock suspense in any of his movies. This is great when paired up with James Stewart's great acting.

      This film is one for the ages and one that every person should see if you haven't seen a Hitchcock movie this one needs to be your first. You will find yourself  pacing your room trying to find out if the man is guilty or not. You will also close your blinds from now on because this movie is very unsettling.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I'll get you my pretty

     There is nothing that can be said about to Wizard of OZ that hasn't already been said because this films is such a classic and so much ahead of its own time. I do think that this is the first modern movie Even though it may not be. This movie has captivated pretty much everyone who has seen it and for good reason. The story is about a child named Dorothy (Judy Garland) who gets swept into a tornado and lands in OZ. She gets the ruby slippers and has to trek to the emerald city to get back home. She meets the Scarecrow, The Tinman, and the Lion and they go to the wizard and then some stuff goes down. If you haven't seen this movie go move out from under that rock. The book by the same name has influenced many shows, movies,  musicals, and an amazing orgin story for the Tinman(click this and be happy) and this movie  has placed it in pop-culture history.

       This movie has some of the best music in film history. The sets and costumes are so iconic that if you even glimpse one of them you could name the movie without a problem, which is a great thing. This film has everything and the acting is so perfect that I was shocked when I watched it again today. The Lion is funny and maybe only because I had a teacher and she looked just like the Lion. This movie also has a lot of conspiracy around it. Is there a dead actor or is it really a bird as the Blu-Ray will have you believe it. Also SPOILERS FOR A CLASSIC MOVIE why would the witch have water in her castle if she knew it would kill her? Anyway not important.

       This movie is for everyone of all ages, little kids will love it until the monkeys fly, but hey we all had to see it when we were young so make you kids watch it. Infact watch it as a family. This classic should be watched again and again for the sole reason that it is wonderful and it goes from back and white to color and that's always a cool thing to see.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Law of the Weakest

     As long as children have been alive as small number in every generation will commit criminal activities. It happens all the time in our world today but on the silver screen it is a little taboo. West Side Story was one of the first and biggest movies to explore the idea of youth violence however it wasn't until a more modern time that we have been really placed into it. Movies like Kids and City of God brutally placed us in the life of children we hoped we would never have to meet but before these two controversial films was a Brazilian movie called Pixote. Pixote is the story of a small child by the same name who lives on the streets and commits murders, sells coke, and smokes joints. This movie is not for children.

     This movie is a hard hitter although not as hard as Kids it is still going to be a hard view for some of you so be warned. The locations are awful and you can almost feel the vomit and blood on the dirt street. The actors had no experience and do an amazing job. The lead actor was a street child who the director found as most of these movies do, sadly he was killed by a police officer a few months after this film was released. The music is almost non existent which is a nice feel for this movie because you fell like it is real life more that way. This movie is very real in everything it does. However, The best scenes are at the beginning in the prison once everyone broke out I felt like the movie slowed down to much. All and all this isn't a movie you will forget after you see it because it is done so well.
   
     This movie is brutal  and has a lot of unsettling situations in it so I cannot recommend it to everyone. For those of you who are familiar with  under praised Harmony Korine (Gummo, Julian Donkey-Boy) this is his favorite movie and you can see how it influenced him heavily. This movie is not exactly nihilistic but all it's characters are. The only people in this movie who seem to have any doubt about the wrongness of this movie never say that they do and accept it as life. If you have never seen a movie about child gangsters check out this one as it is one of the bests.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Farmers are born to suffer

     In today's day and age I think as a country we have been drifting away from foreign films. This is a bad idea because now we have limited ourselves in what movies we are watching. If you like horror movies you shouldn't even be watching American movies anymore. Today's movie was made in Japan by the greatest of Japanese directors Akira Kurosawa. His movies are rarely dull and almost always thought provoking today's movie is no exception Today's film is his best The Seven Samurai. The movie is about a bunch of farmers whose crops are about to be taken by bandits for the second time. They decide to buy the help of seven samurai and then a great battle takes place.

     This movie's music, sets, and costumes are all authentic which is beyond amazing. The story is never boring and all the characters are so well written and acted I felt for all of them which is no easy feat. The action is amazing but I found it odd how the action is slower feeling than all the lead up. At least for me. This movie just was so full of life that I had a hard time pulling away from this great film.

     This movie is long almost three and a half hours so fair warning but ready for the movie of your life. I can think of few words to say about this film because I am honestly in shock about this movie. If you love yourself go watch this now.

Ebert's score 4 stars
Tyler's score 4 stars
   

Tyler and Roommates top ten Halloween list

 This is the list my roommates and I agreed are the best movies to watch on Halloween

1 The Shining
2 Psycho
3 Behind the mask:The rise of Leslie Vernon
4 Bride of Frankenstein
5 The Thing
6 The Exorcist
 7 Scream
8 The Evil Dead
9 Shawn of the Dead
10 The Conjuring

honorable mentions
Susperia
Let the Right One in
Halloween
The Host
Cannibal Holocaust

I just think we owe him a few words, that's all.

     I do not think in the history of movies there has been a better courtroom drama than today's movie although To Kill a Mockingbird comes very close. Today's I watched the masterpiece that is 12 Angry Men. This movie was so great I could hardly contain my emotions. Apparently I can't do this during any movies as I learned from a friend last night. The movie is about a jury who is hearing a murder trial. Once away in their room eleven of the twelve are convinced that the man is guilty. Our hero Juror number eight has a reasonable doubt and the movie is him trying o convince the jury that the man is innocent.

    This movie was very well done and is now one of my favorites. The setting is perfect, the room is cramped and hot. This is done so well that I felt as if I was in the room with them and I didn't want to be. The characters are so well acted I felt as I wasn't watching a movie but a part of the action. The people in this movie are so colorful that they just seem realer than real. This movie is very moving and uses a great deal of suspense. Which is helpful because this movie would be way boring without it.

     This movie is a must for anyone who likes court room dramas, as well as anyone who loves a drama.  This movie is very fun to watch and plays itself as a mystery story with a heart. I think the best part is the fact that you never find out if the man in innocent or if the men in the room reach the right verdict. To be honest I think it doesn't matter much. But seriously rent this piece of gold right now.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

All things come from God

    Most of the times when we watch a movie about the crucifixion of Jesus we are in for a heart wrenching film filled with gore and hard stuff to watch. Who didn't cry during The Passion of the Christ. Today's movie isn't that but it is a movie about Jesus's death. The Last Temptation of Christ isn't the same as every other movie in this genre and that is want makes it arguably better. The movie follows Jesus as he is on the road to dead but does so in a different way. Instead of having Jesus be all god they make him a human and a god. This is hard to explain so let me just say he has all the human wants and desires and regularly tries to go after them. This movie is touching and was very moving but not in a religious way but in a very human way.

     The music is something I want to talk about because it was always on my mind. It isn't what you expect and feels much more modern than what I would have put there. However, this music drives us like any good score and it's clash with the times solidifies Christ's flash with his dad. The acting is wonderful as Willem DaFoe portrays Jesus (I know it sounds odd but after you let go of it he does wonderfully) and the always great Harvey Keitel plays Judas. The story is very well paced and doesn't feel like the almost three hours it is and that is always a good thing. I think one thing this movie does better than most is allow camera to shoot from some odd places. There are many back of the head shots which are normally hard for me to watch but this one scene was breathtaking.

     This movie may offend some so if you are a very religious person this may not be the film for you because it is not based off of the gospels. However f you re looking for a moving picture about humanity in us all then this is the one for you. It is on Instant Stream and is one of the best on it. I highly recommend this for being so though provoking and being for moving.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Before we all become shades

      The Dead is the title of today's movie and no it is not a horror film but a romance. The movie is based on a short story of the same name and feels like a stage play. I have a problem with movies that feel like plays or even movies based off of plays with a few exceptions. What I mean by that statement is a movie is a highly visual median and stage while high visual is more of an aural experience with the exception of ballet. This movie has very little movement for the most part and it is basically just talking. This isn't a bad thing it just is very different from most movies today.  The story is about a family dinner party and a ride home. That's it there is nothing else to the plot, but we learn a great deal from the stories the characters say to each other.

     The main problem with this movie is the pacing. This is a slow one and that is because of the lack of movement. The acting though is enough to keep you entertained for the most part. I do wish that the plot and problem were introduced earlier in the script instead of waiting an hour for a thirty minute pay off. The key to doing this is to build the characters which this movie didn't really do, there was almost no arc to speak of. But what this movie does well is have a very moving score and perfect performances. The movie is set in Ireland so the music is beautiful of course. Another thing that I find hard to do is place the majority of a movie in on setting and in one room. This is hard because we want to see new things this movie makes it work. Reservoir Dogs also does this perfectly but the best movie is Bug the set is literally a character. Having the set be a character would have worked well in this movie but I think that the director was more concerned about the feelings this movie portrays.

     This movie is good but it isn't great. I would say watch it if you have Netflix instant. But if you are making a list of these movies as I hope you do I wouldn't place this one to high on your watch list. All and all I wish this movie was faster paced and had more in it, instead of a slowish film that had a fantastic ending but a subpar middle and beginning.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3 stars

I gotta model myself after someone

     I am not a huge Woody Allen fan I never had been. However, I do count him around the top film makers of all time. His movie Manhattan is  a classic Woody Allen film and is a very good film at. The film stars Woody as a TV writer named Isaac Davis who is dating a high schooler much like Scott Pilgrim. He goes through life trying to find love and a purpose in life while his ex-wife writes a book about him. His pals are also pretty much trying to do the same thing. Isaac meets a girl named Mary and they romance it from there.

      The movie is shot in black and white which shows us the mindset and the bleakness of Isaac's world. His world is not black and white but full of grey areas everything he does is wrong or right or pointless. He cannot cope anymore so the film shows that through its lack of color. The movie is also full of wit and banter of the usual kind we are to expect from a Woody Allen film. However, is this movie a great film? I think this movie is good and funny but there is something that was lacking and it wasn't heart. I think it was caring. I didn't care much for any of the characters or their action. A movie should make me feel like I am part of it not just watching it. That being said these performances are great and Woody and the cast truly show us what real life is.

     I do recommend this if you have never seen a Woody Allen picture but it isn't as high on my list as a few of the other films I have seen this month or even this week. Overall this movie has a lot of good things in it. The Camera work is mild and doesn't take a lot of detail which works wonders for this movie but for a movie about people lost in life trying to make it I just didn't feel like they felt lost enough. As always let me know if I'm wrong though.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3.5 stars

My theory is that everyone is a potential murderer

     Were delving into a bit more Hitchcock. This was the first one I ever saw and one of the best movies he has ever made. And this movie is Strangers on a Train. The movie follows a tennis player named Guy Haines ( Farley Granger) who meets a crazy guy named Bruno Anthony ( Robert Walker) on a train. On the train Bruno starts talking to Guy about the perfect murder and tells him that he will kill Guy's wife if Guy kills his dad. Guy just thinks Bruno is joking and then Bruno does it. What does Guy do how will he clear his named. Watch this awesome picture to find out.

       One of my favorite things about this movie is Bruno I think he is one of my favorite Hitchcock villains because he is so crazy. This film is of course very suspenseful and perfect in that way. The movie feels a little more real to me than Vertigo but I don't know if it is as good. This movie isn't bad but it shouldn't be your first Hitchcock film. This movie has a lot of great music and great acting. The best scene is the editing in tennis game. I talked a lot about The Godfather nad the final scene and the editing and this film is almost as good.

      I think that this movie is one of my favorite movies I have seen this month and will for sure be on my top ten for this month. I think that on this list there are a lot of Hitchcock films and even if your not a film fan you need to watch all of his flicks because they truly are great movies. And this movie isn't an exception

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Once upon a time

     Un Chien Andalou is a short film that experiments hard with the ideas of realism and dreams. This whole movie is about a dream that the artist Salvador Dali had. This movie feels very much lie one of his paintings and is on of the most disturbing short films I have ever seen. Yes it feels dated but it is a classic. The movie opens with one of the most brutal things I can think of and that is slicing a real eyeball on screen. The eyeball is a calf's eye just a bit of worthless info. Then the story follows this one eyed girl who now has two eyes. Her boyfriend has ants that come out of his hand and there are a few donkeys inside of a piano. This movie is twenty minutes of what am I watching.

      This movie would be a good film to start out with on you Halloween movie marathon (My roommates and my list of to ten movies to watch on Halloween will come out Friday). This movie really feels like a dad dream because there is no plot only one weird thing after another. Normally we would just toss this out of the window but here we accept this as what it is. Brilliant. No one can deny the sheer brilliance it took to make this in the twenties. This movie just has a certain feeling to it that I'm having a hard time putting into words but I think it is dread. This whole movie your sitting there wondering what is going to happen next.

      If you've ever been to a David Bowie concert you may have already seen this as he loves to show this before he goes on stage, thank you IMDB. Seriously though if you are bored and want to know what kind of craziness I watched the link is here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DZ1x-xBtUM) Do not click if you have a problem with nudity in movies as there is a bit of it in this picture.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Farewell and ado to you fair spanish ladies

     Jaws is a wonderful horror film that almost sucks, more on that soon. First allow me to summarize the story to the two people in the world who haven't seen this film. The story is about a small Island named Amity who's water has a huge great white shark living in it. Our hero Brody who is a police chief played by Roy Scheider decides after a few gruesome attacks that he has to go on board of the Orca along with marine biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Captain Quint ( Robert Shaw). This movie is often hailed for being one of the best horror films of all times and definitely belongs on that list.

     Jaws almost sucked because the shark was going to be n almost every shark. This would have ruined the movie because all the suspense would have been gone. And because the shark wouldn't look horrifying after 20 shots. Not that this shark isn't scary. The shark instead had a lot of malfunctions show it had to stay mostly off screen this little change made a huge difference to this Moby Dick like tale.

     The thing that really works for this movie though is the music. This score is so famous if you hum one line almost anyone in almost every country would be able to name the movie. The only more famous score I can think off is the shower scene in Psycho. This movie needs to be on your watch list for sure and your rewatch list if you don't have already. Do not forget to pack your boat.......Make sure it's a big one.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I was the tool and you were the victim

     Vertigo is quite the thrilling movie but that isn't to shocking being that it was directed by the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. This is often stated as his best work and for good reason. It's funny to think that at the time it was filmed and shown many people hated it and Hitchcock him self thought he was done. I think the reason was because the movie has two acts that are very separated and it feels like two movies. The first act is all I shall discuss as to not reveal any spoilers. The movie follows John Ferguson (James Stewart) who is hired by Galvin Elster to shadow his wife played by Kim Novak. The wife may or may not be possessed by a ghost of her great grandmother and Mr. Ferguson is in one jumble of a mess.

    Hitchcock was a true master of cinema and like all masters he added something to the techniques used while filming. In Vertigo to experience vertigo as John does in many scenes Hitchcock had a clever little camera trick made. He zoomed out and pulled the camera in at the same time, pure genius. The movie also uses a lot of symbolism. This is one great movie and you need to go and rent this one if you want a nice thrill.

     I remember when I first saw this movie I didn't think I understood it all the way. This time however I was blown away by every thing in the frames.  This is one of the most perfect films I have ever seen and should hop at the top of your list. The best thing about this movie is hard to explain if there even is one because this whole movie works together perfectly to make an exciting experience.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains!

      If you've been following my blog you know I love me a good film noir I also thank you sincerely for reading what I have to say about movies. Film noir is just one of those genres that I just can get behind I think it's because I'm about as cynical as anyone in them. Today I watched one I am ashamed to have never seen before and that's the classic The Big Sleep. This film just kept me right on the edge of my seat the whole time, which is important in a great film. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as private eye  Phillip Marlowe who is assigned to a blackmailing case. During this time he falls in love with the daughter of the man he's working for. The, to the horror of the characters and the delight of us the movie goes through more turns then a mountain trail and more and more bodies start to pile up.

     This movie has the same atmosphere as some of the other movie's I have reviewed so far and has that same sense of hopelessness all film noirs share. However, I think the main difference in this movie was the actresses who were leap years ahead of those in the other movies. They were also complete bombshells(sorry for my slang allow me to step back into today's time). The movie just has an incredible story and an all star cast. Bogart is one of if not the best actor of the film noir age and his star power shows heavy as well as some surprising minor characters who act just as well.

     The sets are very well done, but the thing that shocked me the mos was the sound effects. Every gunshot sounded way better than it should have. All the duologue was easy to hear and was very well written. This may be the best movie of the week and if you liked The Maltese Falcon you must give this one a try. If you haven't been introduced to the wisecracked and bleak world of film noir yet give these to titles a buy not a rent. You'll be happy you did.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I don't see any Courry Brand cat food here.

     The Long Goodbye is one of those movies I love. I also love to lie. I hated The Long Goodbye, this movie was a film noir which is total bogus. I would never sit through this again ever. Ebert was wrong about this movie. The movie is about a chain-smoking, wise-cracking, and horrible mumbler. And he solves crimes and other stuff. The movie would make more sense if I could understand anything the main character was saying.

      The film looks grainy at best but it's a seventies movie so I guess that would explain it but is it? The story is so vague that it tried to be a genre film and a pure genre film. And I love a genre film but even most of those have plots. I have nothing good to say and I have nothing to add besides there is no silver lining in this flick. Do not watch. Watch The Maltese Falcon instead.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 0 stars.

You can't love me

    Hey guys sorry about yesterday's lack of film but life is crazy hopefully by Friday I'll have two movies for you, but in order to make it up I found a wonderful film on Netflix Instant that was captivating to say the least. Monsieur Hire is French movie that came out about thirty years ago and it's short just about an hour and twenty minutes, but there is something magical about it. The film is about a taioer who's world is all black and white and prim and proper except everyone hates him and he spends his nights spying on his neighbor. His female neighbor's boyfriend killed a woman and Monsieur Hire our hero is getting framed for it. Hire and his neighbor have a strange connection both know what is going on and both let it happen. Is it love? I honestly can't say but you need to watch this one.

     The story takes place mostly in one room and the soundtrack is one song that Monsieur Hire just keeps playing on his record player  over and over like it is the only record he owns. The story follows heavily form the classic Rear Window but it doesn't evolve as Rear window does. Instead the characters are stagnant almost as if life is a loop. Hire only wears one coat and as a tailer that is almost unfeasible but it tells us a lot about him. Imagine Travis Bickle if he just drove the cab instead of acting on it, that is what Hire does. The acting is very subtle and it works so well I almost feel as if the actors aren't acting and they're just being human.

      I will say that this movie is almost to simple but is that a bad thing? In some cases yes but in this case no. We are not so much worried about the plot as much as we are worried about the feeling the movie gives us. This movie moved me deeply and not because of anything in the mise-en-scene but solely with the acting and the characters themselves. This isn't a movie for everyone but if you are looking for a truly human experience check this one out.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

You stole my cab.

    To begin I am not a fan of commedies I enjoy a select few but most of the time I find them just kind of boring and now days just filled with sex jokes and underdevloeped plots. Today's movie wasn't my normal cup of tea if I'm going to watch a comedy it is going to be dark, proably twisted, and very saterical. Planes, Trains, and Automoblies is none of those things but I still enjoyed it. The story follows a man named Neal Page (Steve Martin) who just needs to get on a plane and fly home in time for Thanksgiving. He misses his cab thanks to Kevin Bacon. When he get's to the airport he meets his opposite Del Griffith (John Candy) and then all the forces on earth try and stop him from getting home in time.

      It's a remarkable cast and it's very fun to see two funny men play both the comedic and the straight role at different times. The movie isn't howlingly funny and it does run out of steam in some scenes but as a whole it is a very funny movie and worth the hour and a half you need to watch this. It is on Netflix instant. The movie needs to be shorter or have nor funny things happen in the middle because as I said it loses steam but it does pick up. If you like screwball stuff this is the flick for you.

     The biggest praise I have for this movie is the cast. The stars make this movie very human feeling especaily John Candy. This is one I will rewatch just because I feel like there is a lot more of himself than Del Griffith on screen and same with Steve Martin. This isn't a four star movie but there is a lot of heart in this one. The more I write about it the more I like it. It is one of thos movies that you should watch not as a study of film but it is a movie you watch to feel hope and to laugh. Tell me your thoughts about this funny mn movie.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3 stars

We all go a little mad sometimes

      If you haven't guessed today's movie by the title I'm sorry. Today's movie is the first slasher movie and one of the best. It is of course Psycho directed by the mastermind Alfred Hitchcock. Psycho is one of those movies that was almost not made and full of cinema firsts such as the first toilet on screen. The movie is about a young woman who steals 40,000 dollars and runs away to see her lover but she first goes to the  legendary Bates motel. She meets the charming and kind Norman Bates perfectly acted by Anthony Perkins. To bad she also meets his crazy mother. This movie also has one of the most amazing twists of all time and I feel bad but I spoiled it in my film class and some people haven't seen in. It's not like it's almost fifty years old or anything.

      The movie is one of Hitchcock's best and for good reason. When it hit theaters he made a list for all the owners on how to show his movie. The curtains must close right after the credits. No one was to come in late or spoil the movie. In the underrated movie Hitchcock  which is about the making of this very movie. We hear the sounds from the infamous shower scene and the sounds of the audience screaming. Alfred does exactly what I think he would have done he dances like a maniac. This is one of history's best horror films and I think that has largely to do with the calmness of Norman.

     If you haven't seen this classic and like horror movies give it a shot for sure. And do not spoil the ending for anyone because you don't know who has and who hasn't seen it. This is the perfect Halloween movie because it's just so creepy. And if you want to commit a crime of your own go rent the shot for shot remake with Vince Vaughn... Don't you wouldn't even want to show that to a person you hate.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

People lose teeth talking like that

     I have already said how much I love a good film noir more than most movies and today I watched the quintessential one and that is The Maltese Falcon . This movie has everything you need and more this movie is great in every way you look at it. I'm guessing most of you haven't seen it because it is such an old film however, this is one of the movies to watch before you die for sure. The film follows detective Sam Spade ( Humphrey Bogart) who is sent to follow a man by Thrisby. His partner is shot dead and his all turns out to be a scheme for a statue of a bird encrusted in gold and jewels.  Many different people get involved and this just makes the movie about how is playing who and it does so spectacularly.

      This film uses shadows to help hide the action and make everything seen dark and dreary. The characters are all great and I'm not talking about the actors but the characters themselves. And the dialogue is just so perfect I love old timey slanglike "They shot him close one shot right through the pump". What?!? perfection. This movie is an oldy but a goldy and I strongly suggest if your looking for an exciting film check this old standby out.

      Seriously go rent this treasure chest right now because it is that good (So are most of the movies on this list). This movie is thrilling, exciting, and downright mind bending in a non-David Lynch way. If I had to pick the best film noir film of all time it would be this one and if I had to pick the best detective movie of all time this would either be it or a strong number two. I have no complaints about this movie because it is as perfect as a mystery story gets.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

The world is yours

     Yesterday I watched Scarface but a lot of stuff stopped me from writing a review. Curse your time!!! However, the future is now so let's begin. This movie is about is about Tony Montana (Al Pacino) who is a a cocaine dealing gangster on the rise in Miami. Tony is one of the most famous movie characters of all time he is the Paula Dean of movie characters. But, instead of putting butter on everything he puts cocaine on everything and by on everything I mean his nose.

     This movie is one of the trinity of gangster movies along with The Godfather and Goodfellas.  The acting in this movie is great and Al Pacino is of course outstanding in this film. The sets are lavish as are all the eighties suits.  This movie has so much going for it that it's redundant to talk about them all. But, this movie works for one major reason and that is the fact that it doesn't hold anything back. I feel like in this day and age holding things back is so overdone because people are afraid of what parents will say. There are of course exceptions to a genre of films that show everything and the kitchen sink A Serbian Film but with gangster films it seems that style is in and content is out.

     We have become accustom to the overly terrible gangster movies of today that I feel like we should all turn our heads towards the past. Scarface may be graphic and many say over the top but you have to remember that the main character is over the top and a very sick and graphic kind of man. All he has is his balls and his word and he don't break them for nobody.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.

     Today I watched a movie by the name of The Conversation it's a good thriller directed by Mr. Coppola (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather) This movie stars Gene Hackman in a great role for him. The movie is on instant stream but you may need subtitles I did. The movie follows Henry Caul a audio tracker as he follows two young people and records their voices for a director of a large company. The movie rather slowly takes its time to let you know that these two people may be in danger of getting murdered. The movie then takes another long amount of time to do anything about it. This is one slow movie and the longest feeling two hours I've had in a long time. However, the last thirty minutes are well wort it.

     As I said this movie takes a lot of time to build and I think that it is because this movie is trying to be like Taxi Driver by being a character study. Gene Hackman is great in this role the last ten minutes are just screen gold it's just to bad the movie to that long to get to it. This movie is a thriller but it isn't anywhere near to Hitchcock's masterpieces which I would say watch before you watch this.

     The movie has a lot of downs but it also has a lot more ups. The acting is great and the sets make everything feel cramped and hopeless which works well in this picture. The soundtrack reminds me a lot of the semi-underground movie Ink (4 stars) The film as a whole works but if I was directing I would take a lot of it out. Is this movie a great film no. But is this movie as bad as others I've seen, also no. If you are looking for a thriller to chill your bones go watch North By Northwest or Vertigo. This movie is a one time watch. Give it a try and let me know in the comments what you thought about it.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3 stars

I need him like the ax needs the turkey.

     It's fair to say that I have a soft spot for rom-coms as long as they're good.  The Lady Eve is one of those. It's about a man who falls in love with a girl on a cruise ship back to America the lady is a con woman who with the help of her father tricks the boy into giving up 32,000 dollars. The boy returns to America and is tricked by the same girl who is under the alias Eve. They fall in love and get married and then the ploy falls from there. Either way you look at it this boy isn't the brightest of men.

     For those of you who haven't seen this gem its on instant stream and I recommend it highly. The movie itself is funny and the sets are lavish I'm always amazed by sets in these old movies and I don't know why but they seem to have a sort of character to them. The costumes also deserve praise whether it's the almost Bogey style dinner jackets or the wedding veil that's almost twenty yards long this move gets all the stuff right down to brass tacks.

     The comedy is very slapstick with a lot of wit kind of like if the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges colabed for a movie. And all the characters are swell. The mans caretaker is very Popeyeish and Eve herself has all the qualities of a film noir femme fatle. This movie is short and sweet which I like in most cases. My only critique is that I wish that some of the minor characters had bigger role. The man's caretaker is the funniest man in the film and barely says anything. Oh well it is still a great movie.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Does he hear the temple bells?

     Broken Flowers is a silent film by the legendary director D.W. Griffith who is on my list for least favorite directors of all time. I have yet to watch a movie of his that I like and I doubt I ever will. All of the movies of his that I have seen are dull, slow, and trying to hard to be meaningful. The story of this film is about a Chinese immigrant named the yellow man (you can't make this stuff up) or the chink if you get more than thirty minutes into this one. He falls in love with a grimy street rat who is the daughter of a very abusive father named Battling Burrows. Another evil character is called Evil Eye. This man truly spent years deciding these names. But, the dad basically does everything he can to keep the yellow man and Lucy apart.

       Ok so after about minute forty nothing happened so I started to play Sonic as I watched and it wasn't until the last ten minutes anything happened. If your movie takes over an hour to get interesting scrap your movie on the spot. The acting was terrible for a silent film and the sets were awful. I've seen blank canvases with more set design. Geesem what a terrible picture. I read Ebert's review and he even said that this movie was dated and hard to watch at some points.

     So I have pretty much bashed this flick enough so allow me to try to find one silver lining and that is the closet scene. If you have seen The Shining you'll remember the bathroom scene when Jack breaks down the door. That's the scene and probably what influenced it. This movie is on Netflix and if you don't have a life you can give this one a try but I wouldn't.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 1 star

The Earth will never be thine.

     I enjoy foreign films very much because I feel like it's a good marker on what their culture is. As I type this I realise that this may be the dumbest sentence I have typed. Nevertheless I feel as if I gain an of insight on what kind of things people in other countries do based off of their movies. For instance I could say that in the silent film era Germans were trying to break the mold of what movies were. In France they were more into what could be shown on screen. Today I watched Faust which is a German horror film from the silent era, and it is less experimental than The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The movie is also very good and you can tell that by the number of remakes that tried to match the original. IMDB counts up to five remakes and reimaginings.

       The movie was filmed in 1926 and can be found on instant stream. God and Satan are competing for the world and if Satan can sway Faust he gets Earth. Faust is a wise and holy man and everyone comes to him for help when the plague starts. Mephesto aka Satan gives Faust what he wants more than anything youth and love. Faust meets Gretchen and gets her to love him but then things go down hill very very fast. This movie is remarkable and to me felt modern in many ways.

      I think the most modern scene is the opening in which the whole screen is taken up by the sheer size of the devil. also the special effects are quite good not as good as Sherlock Jr. but good nonetheless. The film shows us how far they could meld the feelings of the audience even during a movie from the silent era. This isn't the best movie of this month but so far it's one of my favorites and may be on my top ten list.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

It's a beautiful day, and I just don't understand it

     The Ceon brothers have graced us with great cinema since their first movie and today we're talking about one of their bests. It's Fargo and it is a great movie indeed. Now I have already talked about one of these guy's movies already the great comedy The Big Lebowski and while you can feel some of the same style in both movies they are not even close to the same category. Fargo is about a man named Jerry Lundegaard (William Macy) low on dough so he hires to criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife. The kidnapping doesn't go as plan and three people die. Enter our hero a cop by the name of Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand ) she goes on a hunt for the killers in snowy Minnesota.

    

 This movie is acted perfectly and that really is mostly because the script. The script is amazing and all the people in this movie seem real. The setting also adds to the reality of the characters in the story. I honestly felt like I was watching the actual events unfold instead of a movie. The colors are all-realistic and pretty much everything in this movie feels very real world and I love that about a murder movie. It makes the story more compelling that way.

     

 The movie is simply great in every way you look at it and I think it is technically the best Ceon brother’s movie out there so if you haven't seen it and have seen all of their other movies give this one a try. This movie isn't life changing like some of the other movie's on this list but it is superb in every way. If you like crime shows and movies put this one at the top of your list.

Ebert's score 4 stars

 Tyler's score 4 stars

Hope is a dangerous thing

     Whenever I go on a date the question of what are some of your favorite movies always comes up. I hope that's normal because I'm already way to obsessed with movies. There are only three answers to this question. The first and best is the girl gives you a list including movies you've never seen (thanks to my pal Dillon for telling me about Gummo 4 stars and no where weren't dating). This is good because I think giving away great movies to people is one of the best gifts ever. Next is the worst, the girl says her favorite movie is a terrible movie and she's not joking. Example; " My favorite movie is Planet of the Apes". You of course say "That's such a classic I love the end and all you see is the statue of liberty and your like what? It gets me every time". She turns horrified "They don't do that Mark Walberg sees the Lincoln Memorial". Then you bail because you realise there is not hope in life and spent the rest of the night wondering why good things happen to bad people. The third is a list of movies that don't surprise you because duh there great and on everyone's list. Today we're talking about one of those movies.

      The Shawshank Redemption is a beautiful film and I know I say this way to often but seriously if you haven't seen it stop reading and rent this film. Its a must see. This film is number 27 on AFI's 100 years 100 cheers list and number 73 on their top 100 movies list. The story is a prison drama that is told through the eyes of the great actor Morgan Freeman. This movie is breathtaking every time I watch it and I cannot help but sobbing like a child  and the first halfway house scene. This movie is about how you can have hope in terrible places but it's also about how places become your reality.

     My favorite line is one where a prisoner got out and is working in the real world and he asks his manager from across the room for a restroom break. The manager tells him he doesn't have to ask to talk a piss. But, the prisoner is so used to asking he just can't go without permission. This movie is slow and it takes about two hours until anything huge happens. This movie doesn't feel like its more than an hour though. That's because you become part of the film. To me a great movie makes you forget everything about the outside world and brings you into the screen and that's what this movie does.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

What are you trying to prove?

     There is something about sports movies that I hate. Maybe it's all the cliches maybe it's how redundant the plot feels. Today were talking about a boxing movie and it isn't Rocky it's Raging Bull. This movie is one of those movies I never get tired of and no matter how many times I watch it I still get way to into the movie. The movie follows Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) as he moves up the boxing ropes. The movie isn't a boxing movie though the movie is about a man who can't trust anyone so the whole movie you watch as Jake pushes away his wife and brother.

     This movie is shot in black and white which adds a lot to the film. I feel like it makes the movie look like one of those old boxing matches you'd See on TV in the 1940's which is when this movie takes place. This movie also uses color to highlight the happiness of Jake's second wife during the honeymoon phase. This movie is heavy and pretty dark but as a character study it is as good as Taxi Driver. In fact when the real Jake LaMotta say this he called his ex-wife if he was that bad. She said he was worse.

      There are few movies that one could call almost perfect and even fewer that one could call perfect ( I can only think of two both are on the great movie list). However Raging Bull is an almost perfect film and perfect for anyone who is into boxing, sports, or life in general. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie you will be glad you did.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score  4 stars

There are spirits everywhere

     Today I watched a movie that no doubt influenced Tim Burton and if your a fan of him you'll love The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Its a classic silent film and the most well know German Expressionist film. This Would also be on the list of top silent horror films. The story deals with a unnamed man who I shall call Mac to make it easier to follow. Mac and his pal Alan are at a fair where they meet Dr. Caligari and his sleepwalking pal  Cesare. Cesare sleeps all day and when he is sleepwalking Caligari has trained him to kill. Alan dies so Mac takes it on his own hands to go after Caligari. He does this way to easy and then the movie ends with a big plot twist.

      I've talked about this movie before when I talked about The Bride of Frankenstein. This movie uses the dutch shot and the movie's crazy sets reflect the characters mindset. It uses the set as part of its mise-en -scene which is often overlooked today but in a movie like this you can't do anything but stare at the mind of all the people in the movie. This will put off some people because this movie doesn't look normal at all, but it's an expressionist film so it isn't supposed to.

      I would say that this movie is good and it deserves to be on this list but this movie felt slow compared to all the silents I've watched so far. They also used the iris shot to much witch is one thing that makes me pull my hair out. The iris shot is where the camera blacks out the screen except the small part you're supposed to see. I feel like this is a slap in the face as clearly I know whats important and also because I want to see all the actors react to the thing the camera is focused on. This movie isn't bad but there is something there that isn't worth the full forth star.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3.5 stars

He was training to be a detective

     Today's movie was another Buster Keaton movie and this one was way better than The General today we're talking about Sherlock Jr.. This movie was beyond fantastic in fact I've rarely been silenced by a film and this one did it for me. This movie follows stone faced Buster as he works in a movie house and trying to get a woman to like him. He is framed for a crime and after defeat as a detective he goes bad to a movie house and dreams that he's in the movie and this is the best scene I've seen in a silent movie.

      I know that this movie uses editing to hide stuff and most of this is editing tricks but still I don't want to believe it. In one scene he jumps from a window and quick changes this is shot so you don't see any cuts in the film. In an other shot he jumps through his pals chest I don't even have the words to describe how I felt. Then he rides a bike on the handlebars with no one driving it. Now that I've been around movies for so long I can tell how they do stuff and the magic is sometimes ruined, but this movie made me feel like a child again.

      I don't think I can persuade you enough to watch it, the movie is forty four minutes and on Instant stream on netflix or if you don't have it click the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC1aD7e4ZHs). Bam!!!

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

The man had two loves his engine and his wife

     I have a soft spot in my heart for the films of Buster Keaton I don't know why maybe it's how funny they are compared to today's movies. Maybe it's the slight cynicism they contain. However, I think it's Buster's famous stoic expressions I just love when people just don't care when things are going bad. If your looking for a more modern example of what I mean go watch the dark comedy Happiness(do not watch this movie unless your at least seventeen). If I had to chose my all time favorite Buster movie it would be the movie of today The General.

     The movie is about an engineer who is rejected from serving the confederacy but they forgot to mention it was because he was to valuable to fight. The Union steals the train who our main character loves so much and kidnaps his lover. Our hero fights his way on the rails and gets the girl but will he get home. This movie's plot is simple but the movie is anything but that. he movie uses so many film ideas that I would consider modern day stuff. In one scene Buster just sits on the wheel piston as it cranks which is just a remarkable shot.

     The movie is just full of humor that has been lost in the valley of time. I am sick of comedies just trying to be about getting laid, getting married, and other overly done plots. This movie uses physical humor but it isn't slapstick it's more sophisticated. This movie is more of a three stooges movie if you took out the stooges and replaced them with a man with a stone face. The funny stuff happens but our hero just stares at them with no emotion. It's about an hour and on Instant stream I suggest you watch it.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

Best movies of the first month

     Well the first month of Ebert's great movies is over and in honor of that I will list my top ten out of the movies I watched this month.

1 The Godfather
2 Star Wars: A New Hope
3 The Silence of the Lambs
4 West Side Story
5 Taxi Driver
6 Pan's Labyrinth
7 Pulp Fiction
8 Apocalypse Now
9 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
10 Bride of Frankenstein

There you have it thanks for all the support guys

Myself as I am, not as I'd like to be.

     There are few movie's so far on this list that I disagree with and today I watched a movie that I absolutely hated. That film is the Italian "masterpiece" 8 1/2. So fair warning this will be a rant. The movie is about a film maker who doesn't have his heart in his next project so he spends his time thinking back on his youth and not talking to anyone else in the creative process. This movie is much like Akira Kurosawa's Dreams except it isn't as good. By that I mean the movie is clearly about the actual film director's life and the movie's lack of caring is the directors feelings that he would rather not do movie's he is pressured into.

      The movie follows no narrative but I'm ok with that I gave The Man with a Movie Camera four stars and that has no narrative. This movie flows so slow I could carry a boulder up a mountain before anything important happens. Now I don't want to sound like I totally hated this movie because I did enjoy one scene where the director is remembering himself as a child on the beach. But other than that scene I find no love in this movie.

      I know I must be wrong because this is often hailed to be a near perfect film about movie making but this movie takes all the wonder away from the behind the camera. Instead go watch My Week with Marilyn or Hitchcock. Do not waste your time with this one, but if you understand it please tell me. I guess the best way to describe this movie is one with no aim and no ambition. The movie itself is about a movie with no heart so perhaps that's what this movie is.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 1.5 stars

Yeah, well I saw it on TV first, then I made it up

     Since I skipped a movie on Saturday I'll be watching two today to make up for it also tomorrow check for my top ten movies of this month. To start today I watched Saturday Night Fever which is the movie I should have watched Saturday just because it was a pun. This movie follows around Tony (John Travolta) he's a dancing superstar in Brooklyn during the disco years and yes this movie is stocked with the Bee Jees. Tony goes through life training for a dance off while his friends and family screw up it's like a teenage coming to age movie except this one swears more than a sailor.

     I can't say I loved this movie because I was bored after thirty minutes and I wasn't really into it until the last twenty. But this movie isn't a throwaway like I thought Shane  was this movie just drags in the middle because the pacing is a bit off. The characters are never developed fully and that's a shame because I felt like that would have pushed the movie forward quite a bit. But I will say the atmosphere of the movie felt like I was back in the day. Pretty soon I'm going to say groovy like Ash from The Evil Dead 2.

     This movie had a lot going for it and I feel like it missed a heart which is kind of what this movie is about. The dancing is good and if your into shirtless John Travolta you won't be disappointed. Overall I think the movie was good but wasn't perfect. It was by no means a great film and I wouldn't have put it on this list. But I will say it's worth checking out if your a disco chick or if you like teen dramas. If those things aren't your grove then I can't really suggest it to you. It's cool but once was enough.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 3 stars

Have the lambs stopped screaming?

     The Silence of the Lambs is one of the best thrillers to ever grace the silver screen. This movie frightens us few ways movies can  it's in the acting. For the small amount of you on the Internet who haven't seen this movie I am ashamed to count you among the human race. Go watch this movie unless your under the age of fourteen as this movie is very disturbing in a physiological kind of way. The movie is told by Clarice (Jodi Foster) and as much as I love every character in this film it is her movie all the way.

     The movie is famous for many reasons but the main one is Hannibal Lector who is brilliantly played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. He is so creepy that to this day I get chills when he talks and more so during the prison dinner scene. This man is a cannibal who loves whine and beans, AFI even named him the number one movie villain of all time just above Norman Bates and Darth Vader. But as I said earlier moviegoers often overlook Jodi Foster's performance.

     The movie also has a very odd color pallet mostly yellows and greens much like Se7en. This is nice because it gives us a creepy feel to the whole product. It's hard for me to say anything about this movie because it's all been said before. However, I will say that this movie is truly a work of art and love the editing is ahead of it's time and nods heavily on The Godfather. So go and rewatch this classic piece of cinema... Bon Appetit.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

The Dude abides

   I've seen  The Big Lebowski about five times and every time I've laughed a bit but it's never been my favorite Coen Brothers movie that spot goes to  No Country for Old Men but I won't deny that this movie is funny. However, this time my eyes were opened and I saw this movie for what it is a great movie. The movie follows "The Dude" as he searches for a new rug, his rug was peed on because he shares a name with a millionaire whose wife owes money to some gangsters. "The dude" is then hired by "the big Lebowski" to get his wife back while all the dude wants to do is bowl with his buddies.

     This movie took me a while but it's so funny I almost died every time Walter (John Goodman) said anything because how serious he was about telling Donny (Steve Buscemi) to shut the f--- up. This movie is just so different that one might be put off by it but you have to give it a chance and you have to give it a few views because there is genius here.

     The soundtrack is also quite grand and I was shocked by how well it complemented the movie which is a weird thing to say but they just worked so well together. The acting in this movie deserves praise Jeff Bridges was outstanding as the Dude and Philip Seymour Hoffman was excellent as the nervous assistant to the big Lebowski. If you haven't seen this one check it out and give it some time you'll be glad you did. because it really ties the room together.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

I suppose you'll call this a confession when you hear it...

     There are a few things I require in every Film Noir I see. The first is a great Femme Fatale. The second thing is the movie must feel dark I want to know that there is no hope for any of these people. Three the costumes must be top notch the men in fedoras and the ladies in something a little more sultry. Finally, everyone needs to smoke at least four packs a day. Double Indemnity has all of these things plus a whole lot more. For those of you who don't know it's the movie is the main characters confession of murder. The movie acts out the scenes as they happen and it is just dark as ever.

     If you haven't seen a Film Noir I recommend you get lost in this sleazy world its on instant stream and a great way to spend two hours. The story weaves it way through the plot twisting corners every chance it can. The people all talk in old urban slang for example every woman is a dame and a bombshell of one. This movie starts out dark and dreary and rolls down hill fast which is very interesting to see. Memento by Christopher Nolan is a more modern film that follows this kind of a feel where they tell or show a person die and then they lead up to his or her death.

      The acting is snappy and right on the nose and the dialogue while old timey sounds fresh and cool. This movie is very fun as almost all of these 1940's films are because they learned that its not enough to see the people in the maze you have to be in the maze yourself.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

AN EXPERIMENTATION IN THE CINEMATIC COMMUNICATION

     The Man with a Movie Camera will be the hardest film in the world for me to describe. It isn't a movie in a classical sense it's more of an experiment. There are no actors, plots, or anything of that nature. However, this film works well without any of them. It is a film about a man with a camera who films a day in Russia during the Soviet rule. That's it the whole movie follows this guy around day after day and they splice it all into one movie.

     Now I know that this sounds way boring but it isn't. This movie just seems to work somehow. Perhaps it's the simplicity, but I think the main reason is the music. The music in this  film makes the movie it pushes us through this film almost by itself. No movie has done that solely by its score Requiem for a Dream is the only movie that comes close but its not in the same category because it has plot and actors. If you haven't seen it watch it now. Then watch The Man with a Movie Camera both are on instant stream.

      Another final and interesting thing about this movie is the shot length. Most movies of this time had a shot length of eleven seconds this one has roughly three. Basically the first half of Moulin Rouge! except I enjoy this one because it isn't up in your face about it. Again, this movie is more of what a movie can show than what it can tell. I think most of you will enjoy it because it is a different type of movie that they don't make anymore, others will be bored by the lack of plot. I was entranced.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it

    

     Ah the wild wild west it was a simpler time when you could tell a man's character just by the color of his hat. It was a time when an old gun slinger could give up his old life and just till the earth until trouble comes around. I'm talking about Shane a man with a bad past who's just trying to be good.  Until someone tries to stop him. So strap on your spurs as we go back to the wild west.

     All bad jokes aside this movie is probably my least favorite out of all the one's I've seen so far and by no means is a great movie. I'll start out by saying the Western isn't my favorite genre but there are some things I demand in my Western tales. For starters this movie just isn't grand enough to be on this list. The characters are boring and the small boy joey is just annoying. This feels like a movie of the week type of film. This movie also had terrible pacing, a movie should flow well this one made me check my clock one to many times (which is once).

     I have beef with this story not going anywhere until the last ten minutes and then it just ends kind off unsatisfactory. This movie had a lot of potential to really bite at you and a barely felt a nimble. The movie just felt to drab for me when it could have been this big force. It's not an adventure story so I was expecting some dryness but this movie had almost no meat. There were a few saying point a great fight, a good speech, and a very good use of the setting. This movie isn't terrible it's kind of like a big mac. There's taste and you can't deny the taste but it's not a steak.

 Ebert's score 4 stars.

 Tyler's score 2 stars

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!

     I have a soft spot for the genre known as dark comedy I would call it by its real name but black comedy makes most people think of Tyler Perry movies. The dark comedy is the type of movie you can watch with a multitude of people and few will laugh but many will become sad or enveloped in the drama. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those movies I love to show other people. I recommend it as the perfect date movie if you have fallen in love, because it will place you both in an odd position that only ends in happiness.

      The film starts with Joel waking up he is portrayed by Jim Carrey and this his best role. Joel decides to go to the beach where he meets Clementine but plot twist they have already met and both have had all their memories of each other wiped clean. They wiped their memories because they had a brutal breakup the movie takes us in Joel's head during the wiping process. I don't want to give anymore away so lets leave it at that.

       This film is very beautiful and quite funny if you chose to see it that way. But there is something there that is a level deeper. This movie is about us and our struggles in life I dare to say not one of you won't connect with Joel or Clementine. This movie penetrates our hearts and our minds because we have all gone through similar experiences. On another note this film is massively designed just as our brain is. Go on Netflix and watch this movie now it is beyond great. It will make you feel as few movies have.

Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars

All my life I've wanted to be a gangster

     Goodfellas is one of those gangster films that ages extremely well. It's almost on the same level as The Godfather. The story follows the life of three gangsters Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), and James Conway ( Robert De Niro) on the rise to power. The story follows many hits, drugs, and great acting all around. The casting in this movie is perfect there is no weak link in the whole group. This is way important because it makes all the actor's performances level with one anther's.

      The sets in this movie as great as is the wardrobe. I love the wardrobe because it covers about thirty years of fashion elegantly. Another great fact is that almost all this movie is improved which just blows my mind.  This movie is absolutely grand and a pleasure to behold. Most of this is because of Joe Pesci's breath taking performance. But De Niro takes the helm as well.

      This movie is hard for me to describe because there isn't one scene that sticks out to me. This is to be taken in a good way because the whole movie does. This movie is a movie all should see when one grows up because this movie is hard R.

Ebert's score 4 stars
Tyler's score 4 stars

I got some bad ideas in my head

     Taxi Driver is one of the most human movies I have ever seen, anyone who has seen it may not stand with me on that statement. This movie follows a man named Travis Bickle who is brilliantly portrayed by the great Robert De Niro. Travis is a Vietnam veteran who is a little unsound he can't sleep so he takes up twelve hour night shifts as a cabbie. We follow him as he sees the worst of the city crawl into his cab. After not being about to take to filth of New York he decides to kill criminals and "rescue" a underage prostitute. As I'm sure you guessed this movie is not for children nor is it for anyone who isn't mentally ready to see a very gruesome and philosophical film.
    
     The technical side of this film is wonderful all the things flow smoothly even the desaturated colors add a great touch. But the thing I want to talk about is the character of Travis. Travis is a man who doesn't think like the rest of us for example on his second date with a girl he takes her to a movie. But instead of any movie a girl would want to see he takes her to a porno she is horrified and offended. Travis is shocked that she reacted this way, because he doesn't think rationally. The thing that sets him off is a when he picks up a passenger played by the director the legendary Martin Scorsese who tells Travis how he plans to murder his cheating wife. Travis just thinks the right think to do is train to stop people who are evil.

     Is it right? We don't question him because the movie is through Travis's eyes. We almost agree  with him that its rational. That's is a great film its one that puts you in with the character. I won't give away the ending although it is often discussed scholarly. After this movie my roommate turned to me and asked what is the point of this movie. He said it felt like the man was insane. The point is that when we are alone all we want to do is connect with people. Travis is alone he just wants to help people because he hopes that they will talk to him after he does. The best example is what he says in front of his mirror. "You talking to me. I'm the only one here". This is a great film but a heavy film

 Ebert's score 4 stars

Tyler's score 4 stars