Dirty Harry (1971)

Image from Wikipedia.

I sat down the other night and decided to watch this movie all the way through for the first time. While watching it I realized that I am a big Clint Eastwood fan. Yes, he can be a bit one dimensional, but that one dimension is great. I liked Dirty Harry a lot, but its not the type of movie you want to watch very often. The action is pretty good, the acting and characters are all very good as well. I was surprised to learn that the bad guy is played by the same guy who played Garak, the Cardasian tailor from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Dirty Harry is a bit long, so be prepared for that if you consider watching it.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8/10

Amadeus (1984)

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Amadeus is a movie that I had always wanted to see, but was very reluctant to actually sit down and watch. I saw part of this movie as a kid and those few scenes (I think it was a scene with the characters wearing strange masks) managed to form my opinion about the movie for years. Anyways, I liked the movie.

Amadeus is a movie somewhat loosely based off of the life of Mozart, the famous music composer. The main character in the film is not Mozart, but a jealous composer that worked in the same court as Mozart. That character is played by Frank Murray, who won that year's Academy Award for best actor for his role. I'm not someone who is at all interested in awards, especially those for celebrities, but in this case the award was well deserved. Amadeus did a great job of turning a subject that most people are not familiar with or perhaps even interested in and managed to make it both interesting and entertaining. The movie has lots of familiar faces as well. One lady from Sex in the City, the principal from Ferris Buhler's Day Off, and of course Mozart is played by Tom Hulce an Animal House actor who is actually looking pretty old these days. I liked the movie, but be prepared to sit down for close to two and a half hours if you decide to give it a try.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 9/10

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

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I had sort of wanted to see this movie in theaters, but once again decided to pocket the $10. I like the characters in this movie, Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. make for a good team. I didn't really enjoy the plot at all though; Sherlock Holmes fighting the occult only at the end of the movie to discover that magic didn't really exist after all. The movie is also full of average action that is now expected in all movies. I suppose I'm a little disappointed in the movie although I know I should expect less. I'm not sure why it needed to be so long either.

My rating: WATCHABLE
Metric; 6/10

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

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This was another movie that I wasn't too excited to watch. I remember seeing the commercials for Pelham 123 and thinking that it looked pretty lame. Although the movie has John Travolta, I should know not to dismiss Denzel Washington by now. So, yet another movie that I surprised by and enjoyed.

Pelham 123 follows a heist and hostage stand off on board a New York subway car led by John Travolta. The hostage takers demand $10 million from the city of New York, but also seem to have an ulterior motive. The movie ends with the discovery of this motive and an escape scene that pits John Travolta against Denzel Washington, a train car director.

I liked this movie. In fact, I think it's one of the better action movies I have seen in a long while. John Travolta did a particularly good job as a nut case. The character has a lot of traits that you may recognize in unstable people you have met in your own life. If you have the time and want a good action movie then you should check this movie out.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 9/10

2012 (2009)

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Up front I have to admit that I watched this movie to see how far I would be able to get into it before I had to turn it off. I was expecting something along the lines of Transformers, which I consider to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen, but I got something more like Independence Day as far how watchable the movie was. So, you could say that 2012 surprised me.

2012 was really nothing more than attempt to make a movie off of a terrible History/Discovery channel documentary about a Mayan doomsday that we have all become familiar with. That isn't a great insight, but I always find it interesting how people find ways to make money off of catch phrases like 2012.

So, what type of event did 2012 use to destroy the Earth? I actually found this part more interesting than I thought it would be. In 2012 a giant solar flare emits neutrons which heat the Earth's core and slowly melts the Earth's crust. The melting crust causes the continents to drift, which causes massive earthquakes and tsunamis. I have no idea if such an event is possible, of course I assume that it is not, but I found this plot line much more original than a meteor/nuclear-war/plague. After the Earth's crust begins to melt the story follows one families plan to escape southern California to China, where they believe space ships have been constructed that could lead the family to safety. The families escape scene to an airport and following airplane escape scenes are very cliche. The special effects in these scenes is actually a bit disappointing in my opinion. Honestly, I don't feel like summarizing the movie too much so I will conclude with saying that the acting and plot line make the movie good enough to finish watching, but just barely.

My rating; WATCHABLE (barely)
Metric; 5/10

Link;

Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999)

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This is an interesting movie done in a documentary style and narrated by David Hyde Pierce. It is essentially about how couples get together and have children. The story follows a male and a female character and discusses how they go about attracting mates. The male actor is a guy who I have never seen before, but the female lead is played by Carmen Elektra. The movie reminds me a bit of The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down.

Mating Habits.. has quite a few funny observations about both sexes, but other than that it doesn't have too much to offer. I did enjoy it and its worth watching checking out if you ever come across it.

My Rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 7/10

Link:

Street Thief (2006)

Street Thief is a documentary style Indie movie about a successful career burglar, Kaspar Carr. The film crew follows Kaspar around as he cases buildings that he is planning on robbing. Eventually the team follows Kaspar on a burglary (I would if the writers did any research about burglaries before they wrote the movie). The movie sort of slows down in the middle as Kaspar distances himself from the film crew. The movie ends with the mysterious and bloody disappearance of Kaspar outside of his garage.

I liked the pace that Street Thief starts with. The movie also has one great character in Kaspar Carr. Kaspar is very real in his mannerism, speech, and motivations. I enjoyed this movie and I think others might as well.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8/10