The Common Sense Movie Blog

Dirty Harry (1971)

2010-04-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

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)

2010-04-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

Image from Wikipedia.

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)

2010-03-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Image from Wikipedia.

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)

2010-03-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Image from Wikipedida.

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)

2010-03-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Image from Wikipedia.

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)

2010-03-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.

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)

2010-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

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

A Passage to India (1984)

2010-02-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.

This movie is based on the book A Passage to India. The book and movie deal with themes of colonialism, racism, class disparity, and the stigma of sexual assault accusations.

While on a trip to India to visit her prospective husband a young English woman named Adela is startled to see the class separations between the English and the Indians. To remedy this Adela decides to see a bit of real India by traveling to some famous caves nearby with an Indian doctor who has befriended her and her traveling companion. While at the caves Adela has some kind of mental break down and runs fleeing from the Indian doctor who she later accuses of attempted rape. During the trial of the doctor Adela recants her story and loses the respect of her English countrymen. After the trial the doctor has to fight the anger he feels for Adela and some of his own English friends. The movie ends with a reconciliation of the doctor and one of his English friends in a Himalayan town in northern India.

I really liked this movie. It has heavy themes, but every aspect is well thought out and executed. The movie will make you both angry and sad, but good movies should bring out some type of emotion in you.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 9/10

Link;

Big Fan (2009)

2010-02-07T03:32:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.

I love this movie. This movie is everything that a sports movie should be. The main character, played by comedian Patton Oswalt, is a crazy Giants fan who gets assaulted by a Giants player. After being almost beaten to death the main character has a crisis of fandom. The character doesn't know if he should tell the police what happened in his assault case, which would ultimately hurt his team, or simply keep his mouth shut. The character is also a frequent caller of a sports radio show who has an on going feud with a fan of a rival team, the Philadelphia Eagles. The two problems facing the main character are solved in one amazing ending. I won't tell you what how it ends, but if you enjoy sports you should really watch this movie.

This movie is incredibly relevant today due to all of the legal problems that players, especially NFL players, seem to be faced with. The fact that the new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had to come down so hard on off the field legal problems makes this movie very modern.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 9.5/10

Link;

The Informant (2009)

2010-02-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.

The Informant! is a movie that I wanted to see in theaters, but couldn't justify spending money to see it. I enjoyed the movie, but with all the cheaper ways to watch movies it was probably a smart decision. The Informant! is based upon the true story of a corporate whistle blower in the corn industry. Mark, the main character of the movie is a compulsive liar who is incapable of telling the truth even when it is to his benefit. At the beginning of the movie you don't really understand what's going on, but you quickly come to realize that Mark has decided to sell out his friends and co-workers for no apparent reason at all. The rest of the movie follows his efforts to record their wrong doing.

I liked this movie. Matt Damon gained some weight for this movie and you get to see him dressed in early 1990s suits throughout the movie. I really wasn't sure what this movie was about when I watched. I actually thought it was about a guy recruited by the CIA or something like that. Anyways, I enjoyed it and you might too.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 7.5/10

Link;

Home Sweet Home (1982)

2010-02-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

This is another movie by Mike Leigh, who did Grown-Ups. I think these movies were a series of made for tv movies, but I'm not exactly sure. They run about an hour and fiften to thirty minutes.

Home Sweet Home is a movie about British postal workers and their relationships. The movie follows one postal worker who is divorced and who rarely sees his only child who lives in foster care for apparently no good reason. The character is also sleeping with at least one of his co-worker's wives. The main character is a real bastard with no charm at all. It's also pretty hard to watch how the wives of the other postal workers talk to their husbands, who are for the most part decent men.

I'm not exactly sure why I watched this movie. It wasn't anything special. I think i just wanted to see if the passive postal employees would lash out at their co-worker for sleeping with their wives. Anyways, the movie wasn't bad, but I can't imagine many people watching it.

My rating; WATCHABLE
Metric; 6.5/10

Link;

The Auteur (2008)

2010-01-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

Arturo Domingo is the Italian American art house porn director of this surprisingly well done comedy. Arturo is sort of a predictable ego-manic, control freak, porn director who is down on his luck lately. After a divorce from his wife and a falling out with the star of his adult films Arturo is lucky enough to find himself being honored in Portland, Oregon for his body of work. While in Portland Arturo makes a surprise visit to his ex-wife and is surprised himself by the former star of his films. The movie ends with the reunion of Arturo and his favorite actor in a new movie that Arturo believes will be his best ever.

This movie has a lot of funny things going on it. Women outside of the porn industry are disgusted by Arturo are constantly telling him off as he walks by. Men however, are supremely impressed by Arturo and are far too friendly with a man they have never met. Being a comedy about the porn industry, the movie does have a LOT of nudity. All of the sex scenes in the movie are fake though (think Boogie Nights). I liked this movie more at the beginning than at the end, but I still think its pretty funny.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 7.5/10

Link;

Amexicano (2007)

2010-01-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

Amexicano is a great movie about Bruno, an American of Italian descent, who becomes a day laborer and works alongside Mexicans after he falls on hard times. The main character overcomes his prejudice of immigrants after he works with Ignacio, another day laborer. The two become friends and Bruno is invited to spend time with Ignacio and his 'wife' at their home. The story finishes up with Ignacio being deported and attempting to enter back into the United States with the help of Bruno.

This was a great movie. It has great characters of all types, especially Mexicans. Bruno's east coast accent and mannerisms are funny to watch along side Ignacio, a somewhat shy Mexican. Ignacio's 'wife' is pretty nice to look at too. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric: 9/10

Link; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0867241/

The Hurt Locker (2009)

2010-01-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.
I got this movie with high hopes that I was going to see something interesting and perhaps even special. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with what I got, however I still enjoyed the movie. The Hurt Locker is action packed and very suspenseful.

The movie follows a group of US soldiers in Iraq who are charged with disposing of explosives left by insurgents. The scenes move very quickly from action scene to action scene, with each situation being a little bit different than the last. The recklessness of one of the main characters (who at times looks like so much like Jason Bateman it's distracting) leaves you feeling like you just don't know what's going to happen. Despite all the action the movie is actually a bit long. I also hope that you enjoy the shaky camera technique. Hurt Locker is a good though and I hope you see it.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8.5/10

Link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hurt_Locker

Smart People (2008)

2010-01-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.

I watched this one last night after having passed over it about a dozen times. It's about a college English professor who is an arrogant snob. After his wife dies the main character, played by Dennis Quaid (half the reason it took me a dozen times to finally watch the movie), struggles to get back into the dating scene. The lead female role, played by Sarah Jessica Parker (gross), is a doctor who has to learn to deal with Dennis Quaid's aggroance when she learns that she's going to bear Dennis Quaids love child.

The more I write about this movie the more I hate it so I'm just going to stop. It wasn't complete garbage, but I think you get the picture.

My rating; WATCHABLE
Metric; 5.5/10

Link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_People

Michael Clayton (2007)

2010-01-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

Michael Clayton was a movie that I didn't know much about when I saw it on Netflix. It has recently come to my attention that I am a George Clooney fan. As such, I decided to watch this movie as it was one I had not scene.

The movie follows the character of Michael Clayton, a lawyer whose job it is to fix problems that clients have outside of the legal system. Clayton is called in to fix a problem when a lead defense attorney has a mental break down and threatens to send the plaintiffs evidence damaging to the defense. Then the story gets complicated as other lawyers hire private detectives/hitmen to spy on Clayton and the defense attorney Clayton is charged with overseeing.

I was a little disappointed with this movie after reading some other reviews of it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I thought I was going to get more with this movie. I think this movie is intended for an older audience, but it could be enjoyed by anyone with slow movie tastes.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 7.5/10

The Snake (2009)

2010-01-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Snake is a great comedy about a guy who is willing to lie about anything in order to sleep with women. Ken, the main character, has surprisingly high standards about the women he attempts to sleep with. At the beginning of the movie Ken makes out with a very attractive girl who eventually asks to come home with him. Ken refuses her invitation after one of his friends comments on how she is too fat. The story really gets moving when Ken comes across a cute girl in a coffee shop who is on her way to group therapy for bulimia. Ken fakes a body image disorder in order to gain the trust the of the young girl. Ken also has funny interactions with the members of the therapy group who immediately know he is compulsive liar. One of these characters is a lesbian who is also trying to sleep with Talia, the young bulimic girl.

I really liked this movie. Ken reminds me of an adult version of Cartman from South Park, except hes not fat. I would recommend this movie to anyone

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metricl 10/10

Link; http://thesnakemovie.com/html/

Last Stop for Pual (2008)

2010-01-20T18:36:00.001-08:00

Last Stop for Paul is an indie comedy about two guys traveling the world and sprinkling the ashes of one of their friends at each one of their stops. This would have been a really fun movie to film because it appears they shot on location in Jamaica, Chile, Germany, Greece, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. The movie is shot in a documentary style and at each destination the guys meet another traveler who tells them an interesting story or who joins them in some adventure. I wouldn't call this a backpackers movie, but it has a good approach to travel. One thing that bothered me about their trip is that they claimed to be traveling the world, but only spent a few days at most in each location. If you're going to make a claim like that you had better be spending longer in each location and be traveling for more than two weeks.

I enjoyed this movie. It was the perfect length for what it was and the stories were all pretty interesting. At one point one of the main characters is stuck on a fishing boat in the South China sea when the fisherman drops anchor, pulls out a knife, and starts asking the traveler about God. Although I have never been to southeast Asia, this represents one of my greatest fears of traveling to the region (although I am sure it is mostly unfounded).

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8/10

Link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Stop_for_Paul

The Commitments (1991)

2010-01-20T03:40:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.
This movie is about the creation and untimely destruction of an Irish soul band. That's really about it. The movie begins with the auditioning of band members and then follows the predictable path of practicing, playing, and breaking up right before they hit the big time. Throw in a few romantic interests and you have the typical movie.

I was much more excited about this movie at the beginning than at the end. The plot was really predictable and took away from the overall entertainment value. The movie also seemed to run a bit longer than it needed to with such a predictable story line. With that being said, the movie does have quite a few up sides. The music in it is actually pretty good. You also get a taste of what life in Ireland is like as the characters make a trip to the unemployment office. There is also a funny bit about how the Irish are the blacks of Europe, which the manager seems to think justifies the creation of an Irish soul band. I wasn't terrible impressed with this movie, but I think you might be if you can handle predictable movies but enjoy Irish accents and soul music.

My grade; WATCHABLE
Metric; 6/10

Link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Commitments_%28film%29

Amreeka (2009)

2010-01-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.
Amreeka is an Arabic language indie drama/comedy about a Palestinian woman and her son who immigrate to the US and live their with relatives. The mother was a banker in Palestine who struggles to find work in the town she settles in. Eventually she gets a job at a White Castle. The son starts high school and immediately runs into trouble with some local kids who are riding the anti-Arab wave of post 9/11 America. While trying to adjust to life in America the son distances himself from his family and eventually gets himself arrested for attacking one of his bullies at their home. The movie ends with the family forgetting all their troubles and enjoying an Arab style dinner in a restaurant.

This movie has a lot going on; Palestinian and Israeli conflict, the Iraq war, anti-immigrant and Arab prejudice in America, body image ideals, and a whole lot more. All of these issues are told through the story of the family. The movie was able to convey these ideas and themes without getting too bogged down in drama. I really liked this movie. It was very well done.

My rating; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8.5/10

Link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amreeka

The Big Bad Swim (2006)

2010-01-19T01:53:00.001-08:00

The Big Bad Swim is an indie comedy about an adult swim class and the real life struggles the students and teacher face. I'm not going to lie, I watched this one because I couldn't find anything else on Netflix that sounded decent enough to watch. I won't get into the story line because I don't really think it will influence your decision to watch this movie or not. The story gets a bit heavy on the romance, but gives a few laughs. There are a few attractive women in the movie and there is a pretty dry sex scene somewhere in the middle.

I'm not sure what to say about this movie other than it could have been a lot worse. The Big Bad Swim could have ended up being a National Lampoon or American Pie style movie that is incredibly hard to sit through unless you're about 13 years old. Thankfully, the acting and story line were done well enough to allow me to sit through the movie without wishing I was drowning in the pool on screen.

My rating; WATCHABLE
Metric; 6/10

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bad_Swim

The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down (2006)

2010-01-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

I watched this movie late at night when I was tired so my rating of this movie might be off. I think a similar finding could occur if you watched the movie under the influence of something as well. Anyways, I liked the movie.

The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down is a narrative style movie that follows several characters around town as they strategize how to get into clubs and bring someone home for the night. The movie gives tips on how to pick the right night clubs, tip bartenders, how to buy drugs, bring people home with you, and find the best after party.

I thought the movie was pretty funny overall. The tips often seem as if they could actually help, but are usually pretty basic information for the average 20-something. The characters in the movie are all 'hipsters,' but despite this fact many of them are quite funny. I should issue a warning with this movie. Not everyone is going to like it. The narration is not always as clever as it could be and the movie is about 15 minutes longer than it ought to be.

My rating; WATCHABLE
Metrix; 6.5/10

Link; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464907/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_&_Girls_Guide_to_Getting_Down

Rocky Balboa (2006)

2010-01-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

Image from Wikipedia.
As a fan of the Rocky movies I am surprised it took me so long to see this movie. A big reason in my decision not to see it in theaters was the movie's bad hype, which after seeing I now think was over stated.

Although I haven't seen the original movie in quite some time I think Rocky Balboa is more like the original movie than any of the others. The slow start to the movie and the character development are one of the big reasons why I've come to this conclusion. One common theme continued in the movie is the struggle of real life. In each of the Rocky movies Rocky has to overcome some new set back. Overcoming poverty, death of friends and family members, betrayal and financial ruin are some examples of these struggles. Rocky Balboa continues this theme of struggle with the death of Adrian and the loneliness Rocky has to overcome.

One big departure from other Rocky movies includes the shortness of training sessions and fight scenes. About two-thirds of the movie is dedicated to dialogue with just the last third dedicated to the fight. The movie was also lighter as far as music was concerned, which I think made the movie better.

The story-line that brings Rocky out of retirement to fight revolves around a computer simulation seen on ESPN between the current heavy weight champion and Rocky, the former champion. I thought this part of the story was ridiculous, but its something you just have to accept to get through the movie. Another thing I didn't like about the movie was the fight scene, which sought to look like a live HBO fight with lots of in the ring shots and close ups of announcers and broadcasters. The way the fight was shot reminds me a lot of reality tv and not boxing (images of Shaq vs. Oscar de la Hoya come to mind). The HBO style fight made me think I was watching Sylvester Stalone instead of Rocky Balboa, which a movie should never do in my opinion.

Although some aspects of the movie bugged me I was surprised by Rocky Balboa. I was expecting a really terrible movie and found a decent sequel.

My grade; ENJOYABLE
Metric; 8/10

Links; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479143/

Grown-Ups (1980)

2010-01-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Grown-Ups is a British comedy that was released in 1980. The story follows a young married couple who have just moved into their first home. As the story develops the audience is introduced to the older, single, sister of the wife. The older sister is constantly showing up at the home of the newly-wed couple and does not respond to subtle hints to leave. Further along in the movie the couple is forced to remove the sister from their home when she refuses to leave. In a scene that seems to be so bizarre that it must have been inspired by real events, the older sister has a freak out and storms into the home of a neighbor, who turns out to a high school teacher of the newly-wed couple. This scene is definitely the peek of the movie and is quite funny.

Other than the bizarre antics of the sister the audience is treated to many British quirks and 1980s fashion and decor. For example, the husband seems completely unable to close his mouth which is a trait I have noticed among the British. The husband is also a rather heavy drinker and smoker and is constantly asking people for 'fags' to smoke. The wife wears blue and pink eye make-up throughout the movie as well. The home which the couple have just bought is full of the most hideous wallpaper I've ever seen which provides comedy in scenes where the dialogue can slow down.

Overall, this movie was pretty funny and tells a story which can still be relevant. The lack of music in the movie really focuses your attention on the characters.

My grade; WATCHABLE
Metric; 6.5/10

Links; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080819/