Boycott (2001)

I don't know how comfortable I feel using this movie, because technically, it was a TV movie. But I decided it was good enough to talk about, so I am counting it. This was a very well made movie about the 1955 (? right year??) bus boycott. Terrence Howard is in a supporting role as Ralph Abernathy, therefore, I can use this movie as my last Oscar related movie of the month....but the true shining point in this movie was the always impressive Jeffrey Wright, starring as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. As everyone who knows me, knows this is a topic that haunts me for some reason. I can't watch a movie like this, without feeling like my heart is being just ripped out of my body. Its actually painful. I can't comprehend that it was only 50 years ago, that these beautiful people were being treated as second class citizens, or worse, like animals. Its disgusting, revolting, and every other word I can think of. Wright does a fantastic job showing all the emotions you could imagine Rev. King went through during that time, fear, anger, pain etc...he is so expressive, he doesn't even need to speak most of the time, you can read his emotions on his face. This was a fantastic movie, that I plan to get a copy of, so that when we study this period later with Ian, I can use this movie as a learning tool. We took Ian down to see Rosa Parks before her funeral, when she laid in state at the African History Museum downtown...it was an amazing experience, that I hope he will always remember. I think this movie would be a great addition to that lesson we started learning that day. I highly recommend it.

Pleasantville (1998?)

I need to look up that date to make sure, its pretty much a guess. I caught just the end of this today on Starz, so I Tivo'd the next showing on StarzWest, just to see the rest. I really liked this movie. I remember it was just before Tobey Maguire really got "famous" and it was one of the first times I remember seeing Joan Allen. I thought this movie was very well made. The concept was cool enough, and it reminded me a bit of "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (also starring Jeff Daniels). I love movies that make me feel inspired when I am done watching them. It was a great day to watch this too, after finding my old Creative Writing folder, and remembering how much I loved that class, and what it did for my college experience. That class was all about thinking outside the box, and thats exactly what this movie was about too. I love the courtroom scene when Bud makes the comment that "you can't stop what's inside you"...meanwhile the passions of all the people have turned the town from black and white to color. I love that sappy crap! The perfect movie for today. Coincidence? I think not. Also, Reese Witherspoon (the reason I got to count this movie today, Oscar nominee for Walk the Line) was so fabulous, even back then. I think she has been underappreciated, or thought of as "a good chick flick girl" when actually she has been good in most every movie I have seen her in. This was one of my favorites. Even if you have seen this movie before, check it out again...

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Its been several years since I have seen this movie. It was my favorite movie for so long, then I think I just got sick of it. When I first started watching it, I thought I was over it, the love was gone. Then as soon as the men went off to war, I remembered why I always loved it so much. It was so ahead of its time as far as cinematography goes, and the characters are so rich. By the time it was over, I found myself crying during all the sad parts and having a good old time. It didn't hurt that I have a miserable cold right now, so it was the perfect movie to lie in bed all day to watch. I truly still love this movie. It has fantastic music, and a wonderful screenplay. It made me want to dust the book off and read that again too!

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Wow, has it really been that long? 1996? Sometimes it feels just like yesterday that Cuba Gooding Jr, was on that Oscar stage screaming and jumping around. I don't like Tom Cruise much. He doesn't really do much for me, I don't think he is the biggest freak on the earth, like some people do, but I don't really like him as an actor. I did however, love this movie. Maybe it has more to do with my everlasting love for director and writer Cameron Crowe, who perhaps in another life, was my true soul mate. Or maybe its my attachment to Renee Zellweger, who I think, is a very believable actress in just about everything she does. I think its just a sweet, cheesy, very well written movie. I never get enough of watching it, and anyone who loves this movie, or even likes it...MUST watch this DVD with the audio commentary. Its a great one, Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, and Cuba Gooding Jr, do the commentary and you can actually watch them, watch the movie, its a riot. very good way to spend a lazy afternoon!

Traffic

I haven't seen this one all the way through in awhile, and thought it was time for a second viewing. I thougth this was a very well made movie. I loved the way this movie was directed, how grainy the scenes in Mexico were, and how the Michael Douglas scenes were filmed with something that made them look sort of blue. I loved Benecio Del Toro (hey, where has he been lately??) and all the scenes with Don Cheadle. I love movies like this, where all the characters kind of blend together in and out, it makes things more interesting. Sort of reminds me a bit of Crash in that way. I thought Topher Grace was really good in this small role, I think it made people take him more seriously and really allowed him to break away from That 70's show. I remember thinking that this movie should have won the Best Picture that year. I really thought it was well done.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

This should be dated for yesterday. I couldn't get this blog to work to save my life, and now I can't get the date change thing to come up here. Argh. Okay, for starters, I had no idea about any of this Enron scandal crap. I knew it was a bunch of greedy jerk-off businessmen, and I knew some of them were in bed with our so called fearless leader. But I had no clue what a fiasco it really was. I didn't know about the power problem in California, I didn't know that so many people lost their retirements, etc...and I had no clue how much these jerks really profitted. It was disgusting to hear their arrogant phone calls to each other, just a very disturbing movie. I dont' think it was interesting enough to beat either Murderball or March of the Penguins, but I did find it worth watching, and I only got bored a few times (it was a bit long for a documentary on a subject like this)

North Country (2005)

I thought this movie was alright. Not really spectacular, but interesting. I found it to be a bit "lifetime movie of the week" though, not really Oscar material. Charlize Theron was good, she seems to be always good. Frances McDormand was really good. Her character was my favorite part of the movie. But I guess I didn't feel as moved or inspired as I like to be in movies like that. I thought it was sad, and made me feel like things just don't move fast enough in bringing equality in the workplace. It made me sick in parts, that woman were still treated like that, such a short time ago. But I still thought it could have been better.

Along Came Polly (2004)

another one of those "guilty pleasures" for me. I really love these kooky Ben Stiller movies. I find him amazingly charming, reminds me of a more personable Woody Allen, and I can't seem to get enough of these cheesy comedies that he tends to make. I got to use my man Philip Seymour Hoffman, as my excuse to blog about this movie...but I think that too many people have missed out on this gem. If only for the scenes between Ben and Phil...I thought Sandy was the best character in this movie, he was hysterical. If you can get through the "shart" scene without laughing...you seriously have no sense of humor. Lisa told me to rent this movie ages ago, and I tried and made it through only the first 10 minutes or so, and didn't find it amusing. A few months later it was on cable and I tried again. This time I found it so entertaining, I have seen it probably 10 times since. Bubs and I both love it, and quote it regularly. Good stuff.

The Last Party 2000 (2001)

I really enjoyed watching this one. I had seen the Robert Downey Jr. film "The Last Party" which focused on the Democratic National Convention in 1992. I thought that was interesting, so I noticed this on the shelf, which appeared to be somewhat of a follow up. This one, focused on the entire election of 2000, different interviews with people of different political affiliations. Some scary stuff, in my personal opinion. I loved Philip Seymour Hoffman in the "role" if you could call it a role, of the guy on the campaign trail, asking questions, spending a lot of time outside of the conventions, seeing what people are talking about, and just trying to get a feel for what is going on in this current political process. I thought he did a great job of being open minded but eventually ending up seeming as disillusioned as I feel most of the time these days. There were some interesting points made by many people in this movie. A great movie, directed by Donovan Leitch, who I adore, I thought this was a very well made movie. And a Philip Seymour Hoffman was the perfect excuse to have to watch it!

Flawless (1999)

I really thought this was a great movie. I have always thought about renting it, and somehow I always forget about it. Now with the Philip Seymour Hoffman nomination, I had the perfect excuse. I thought he was absolutely amazing. It surprises me that he didn't get nominated for this movie actually ( I know he got Screen Actors Guild award nomination, but that doesnt' seem like quite enough to me) he was awesome. I thought he was completely believable as "Rusty".
I guess the academy just can't take Joel Schumaker films seriously or something. He doesn't seem to be a "favorite"
The acting though...they were both awesome. I love Robert DeNiro, so this was an easy one to watch. I thought it was sweet, and honest. The relationship that grew with these very different, unlikely friends was just beautiful. Again, a movie that shows how ignorant that prejudice is, and how easy it is to win, when you put these prejudices behind you and just see people as people. See how connected we all really are with each other, on the deepest level. Its touching, and inspiring. I thought that DeNiro was so amazing as Walt, the ultra-conservative guy, who had suffered a stroke while trying to be a hero. He was very raw, and honest, and sometimes was actually painful to watch as he fumbled his way around after the stroke. I thought he did a fantastic job. I enjoyed this movie, and would definetly watch it again.

Autism is a World (2004)

Wow. What an incredible story. This movie was nominated for Best Documentary short ( I believe) in 2004. It really was amazing to me. Its the story of a girl with autism, named Sue Rubin, who up until the age of 13, was believed to not only have autism, but also mentally retarded with a developmental age of around 2. She was given the opportunity of learning to communicate with a keyboard type thing ( I can't remember what it was called) and before that year was up, she tested with an IQ of 133. She then went to regular high school, and was a junior in college majoring in History when this movie was being filmed. The film takes you through her life, talks about her world. She can't speak, or doesn't speak many words or sentences but uses this keyboard to type out what she wants and needs to say. It was so bizarre to me, thinking of her seeming to be trapped in this body and delays on the outside, but inside have this amazing mind working away. It was sad, and yet very inspiring at the same time. It makes me wonder how many other autistic children could be reached this way? She is leading an incredible life compared to the one her parents probably expected when she was a baby and they thought she would never develop mentally past the age of 2. She is living on her own, with 24 hour support staff that helps her out. I am very interested in learning more about this method of communication for autistic children

Good Will Hunting (1997)

I had another movie to watch today but decided to go with this one instead because it was on, and I couldn't stop watching it. I remember how much I loved it that year. I still think its timeless, its truly a great movie. The writing was incredible, fast, and smart. The characters were interesting, sad yet sweet at the same time, and I totally found myself falling back in love with these characters. I love Robin Williams, even in bad movies, he makes them better, but this was truly the perfect part for him. I am so glad he won his oscar for such an amazing part as this was for him. Sean had so much heart, and was so loving and caring to Will, it was heartwarming to watch, and just....well done. Even Ben Afflecks character was sweet and honest. I thought Matt Damon was overlooked here, it was an amazing performance, I think he should have won. Also such a great soundtrack with all those beautiful, haunting Elliott Smith songs. I can't believe I don't own this movie, I need to change that.

Junebug (2005)

I really expected to like this movie better than I actually did. I thought it was just okay. I thought there were great moments, and some awesome characters and acting....but some moments where I just scratched my head and thought..."what the heck was that about?" I thought Amy Adams was charming. I thought she did such an amazing job, I felt like I really got to know her character, and fell in love with her. The way her eyes would light up when she was talking, and her smile was just captivating. I could have watched a whole movie with her as the main character and like it much more than I liked this movie. I thought they did a great job with casting, these people were a believable family. I didn't like any of the parts with the artist, it just didn't flow with the rest of the film, and I thought it bogged it down quite a bit. I liked the movie, but I don't think I would watch it again.

Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

I have been trying to see this movie for months now, and I finally got to see it tonight. I thought it was very interesting. I thought it was a bit slow in parts, but the topic was more interesting than I thought. It seemed a lot longer than it actually was, but there were a lot of things that I really liked about this movie. Do I think it was one of the top 5 of the year? I don't know, maybe...I liked Walk the Line better I suppose, but I did think this was worth several nominations. I thought it had some amazing cinematography, art direction, etc. The acting was awesome of course, George Clooney even impressed me in a great supporting role, also Robert Downy Jr, always a pleasure to see him. I thought he did a fantastic job as director, deserving of a nomination. David Straithern (that spelling looks wrong, but I don't have time to look it up right now) was just incredible, even though I don't think I have ever seen any real footage of Edward R Murrow, just his voice alone, was different, I imagine that he really worked hard on perfecting the voice and mannerisms. I also thought that in general, this was an important movie for this day and age. The integrity of the news seemed like such an amazing thing back then, and I worry now that we have really gone in the other direction in journalism, it makes me truly sad. I think that most of what he said in his speech for the tribute rang sadly very true for americans and television these days. A story that needed to be told, and seen, and remembered....so we don't continue to make the same mistakes.

Cold Mountain (2003)

I know most people didn't really like this movie, but I really did. I watched it this time because of the small role of the Reverend Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Actor nominee for this year). I loved him in this movie...then again, I love him in every movie I have ever seen him in. I would not be disappointed if he won this year for "Capote" thats for sure. This role was not huge, but it was amusing. I think that he transforms for his roles, and is always amazingly believable. I thought Jude Law was incredible here too, and of course, Renee Zellweger, in such an amazing role. Nicole Kidman bugged me a bit in this movie, she was just too pretty, too pure. And I think part of the plot bothered me too, like why the heck would he go through so much for her, when they barely knew each other. But overall, this movie was rich in characters, and beautiful cinematography. The music wasn't too bad either. Overall, a great movie.

Driving Miss Daisy ( 1989)

This is by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. I am not sure if it would be in my top ten, but it comes close. I know that no matter how many times I have seen it, i still find it so touching. The story of true friendship, of an unlikely friendship. I always love movies set in the south during the civil rights period. It is a period in our history in this country, that still breaks my heart. I am obsessed with it, I find it so upsetting, and fascinating at the same time. I seldom skip a movie about this time period or topic. Racism to me, is the worst thing there is...I think thats why I loved "Crash" so much, because its a topic that still just breaks my heart. So Driving Miss Daisy, such a sweet and beautiful story. Such amazing performances, by both Jessica Tandy (who won the Oscar that year) and of course, the always stellar Morgan Freeman, (who sadly, did not win that year) I think it was my favorite performance by him. I have seen many others that were great, "The Shawshank Redemption" comes to mind. But this character just really touched me. This was a rough year for me at Oscar time, there were so many movies that I loved. It was a classic year, we had that crazy Oscar party, and Lis and I made that silly video and Scott was there, we dressed up in fancy dresses and everything. Its pretty funny to watch now! It was the first year that I really made it a point to see everything nominated, and have done so ever since (or at the very least, tried to see them all) I had been in love with the Oscars for years prior to this, but this was the first year I made it into such a huge fuss for myself. A lot of great movies came out that year, but this was my favorite.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

I have already seen this movie, only once at the theater. I loved it. I thought it was one of the best movies I saw last year. I was amazed at how much information I just had no clue about the whole Rwanda situation. How sad it was, that while all that was going on, we were busy focusing on the stupid OJ Simpson fiasco. How sad, and embarassing. I used Joaquin Phoenix (current best actor nominee...for anyone who might have forgotten!) as the excuse for being able to count this movie. It didn't get nominated for Best Picture, but in my opinion, it certainly should have. Don Cheadle was just incredible. the whole movie had me so emotional the first time I saw it, that I literally cried through most of it. I think its an important movie though, and I think all americans need to see movies like this so they can open their eyes to whats going on in the rest of the world, and not being so self centered, or focusing on the media freak shows instead of whats really important.

Parenthood

I thought I would really reach back for this one. Joaquin Phoenix back when he was still going by the name Leaf Phoenix. I remember thinking, even way back then, that he was really really talented. I loved this movie. I thought there were some really profound ideas, and it was so wonderfully written. I love ensemble pieces like that, and good ones, the kind where you love the characters so much you wish you were part of their crazy world. The true magic of movies, in my opinion, is when you forget you are watching a movie, and you think you are actually somehow involved in these the lives of these characters, and that is what this movie did to me. It did make me a bit sad though, for Rick Moranis, who was so good in this, but then did all those "honey I shrunk the kids" sequels etc....It was good to see this one again.

The Village (2003?)

I am guessing at the year, I might be wrong, but I flat out don't feel like looking it up right now. Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor Nominee for Walk the Line) is my main man...seriously, he is the guy for me lately. I liked this movie, though I realize I am in the minority. I still remember seeing it at the theater and people actually walking out. I thought it maybe wasn't M. Night Shymalans best work...but I found it exciting, interesting...pretty cool. I loved Bryce Dallas Howard, I thought she did a fantastic job for being such a "new" girl. I guess coming from Ron Howard you would have to be at least well versed in the art of movies...but she is very pretty too, I hope to see more from her soon, I think she is someone to watch out for. I thought my main man did an amazing job, again a subtle performance that just speaks volumes. He is so quiet sometimes but his face is so expressive that I think he doesn't even have to talk. I also thought that Adrian Brody was awesome here, very believable. I loved the color in this movie too. Overall I have to say its one of my favorites of this directors...I liked it far better than "signs" thats for sure, and I think its actually better than "unbreakable" as well, (though I did like that one too) I watch this every time I see it on, so I guess its good enough for repeats for me. Of course thats why this is almost another cheating post.

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

I feel like I am cheating yet again. I have seen this before, but was using it this month since I have already seen pretty much all of the movies Catherine Keener (best supporting actress nominee - Capote) has been in. I really like her. I would have seen this movie either way, because Steve Carell rocks my world. I loved it the first time, second time and even this third time! I thought this movie was funny, sweet, funny some more, even just the right amount of vulgarity. I hope to see more comedies like this in the future. Comedies for grown ups. I see a lot of comedies these days that seem to be very "family" oriented. Which is fine sometimes..but I miss the days of "The Jerk" or "Animal House" adult comedies. This movie was one of a few I have seen recently, so maybe it is a trend...

Just Like Heaven (2005)

This was sort of a cheat again. I have already seen this movie, but decided it would count because Reese Witherspoon (Best Actress Nominee this year) is in it, so I watched it anyway. Actually, I bought it, and the worst part of all....I bought it at Walmart. I don't shop there. I hate Walmart. But I was desperate for this movie last night, so I caved and bought it there. I liked this movie, despite its bad reviews or lukewarm box office sales. I think Mark Ruffalo is very underrated, and I keep waiting for him to finally get more starring roles. Not that I mind the independent stuff, thats fine with me. But it would make it easier to see him more often if he did more of these cheesy mainstream movies. This was definetly a cheesy mainstream movie. I loved it anyway. I thought it was unique in some ways. I loved the Jon Heder character. I seriously love that guy...he can't be in enough movies for me. Reese Witherspoon has really become one of my favorites. She really shines in comedies like this. This was sweet in all the right ways, and is one of those movies I could watch again and again. I am glad I caved and went to that hell hole to buy it, even though it went against everything I believe in. I am pathetic.

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Thanks Steph!!! I really enjoyed this. I almost fell asleep because I was watching it so freaking late, but I pushed on through because it was so much fun. I thought it was very well done, and I found myself laughing too....I think I would never have bothered with it if it wasn't for my new found love for Heath Ledger, and lo and behold, it was great! I am so happy that I talked to my friend Steph the other night about it, because it worked out perfect for this month (since it stars Best Actor nominee, Heath Ledger). Matt Damon did a good job too, though his hair really bugged me, looked a little to fake for me. (don't know if it was fake, but it sure looked fake) I can't believe this movie didn't do better at the theaters, it was very entertaining.

Sideways (2004)

I keep resorting to movies I actually own because I have been too busy to see anything or even rent anything. I loved Sideways. I thought it was sweet, and funny, and sort of sad. It made me very interested about wine, and I thought the script was just beautiful...especially in Virginia Madsens little monologue about wine, I thought it so poignant. I thought Paul Giamatti was robbed blind, by not winning an oscar for this movie. I thought Sandra Oh was great too, she impressed me so much I actually caved last year to watch Grey's Anatomy even though I can't stand medical shows, just because she was on it...and who the heck knew that Thomas Hayden Church had a movie like this in him, I thought he was destined for bad TV shows, I actually think that he can act! I could watch this movie 100 times and not get sick of it. I was actually kind of hoping it would win the Oscar last year, but movies like this don't often do that anymore.

The Aviator (2004)

Gosh do I have that date right? Was that really only last year? My movie of the year last year. Seriously, I loved this movie. Granted, I love Martin Scorcese, at all times, love him, love him, love him. I love so many things about him, I love him for his obsessive love for movies. I love him for knowing so much about them, and for his cute little fast talking voice. Okay, so I guess we should actually discuss the movie, and not just the director (who I strongly feel got ripped off last year, but I digress) So...Leonardo DiCaprio, it's hard to like him, you want to hate him, really...He is so pretty, and has made some...um....Interesting movie choices. But this was not one of them. This was really the role of a lifetime for him, in my not so very humble opinion. I truly loved this movie. I loved it because I found Howard Hughes to be a very interesting man...But I mainly loved it because of old Hollywood. I loved it because of Katharine Hepburn (or Cate Blanchette, playing her so perfectly it was almost creepy)and Ava Gardner, and just the addiction of movies. I can see why Scorcese had to make this movie. His movie addiction/obsession is truly unique, and Howard Hughes love for his movies, and making them perfect, the same as his passion for flying, the two seem very similar to me. Except of course, that Martin seems like a normal enough guy. I remember when I saw this at the movies for the first time, the thing that stuck out to me the most, is the sadness of the whole thing. The idea that his mother could have put such an idea into his head, that it truly ruined him, years later. The idea that you can really screw your kids up if you aren't careful. It really made me think. I thought it was cinematically fantastic, and it lost something a bit, watching it on the small screen...Maybe I need a bigger screen at home.

Ray (2004)

I will admit, this was a lazy cop-out of a choice to watch. I didn't have anything else to watch and I found it on cable. I am really getting lazy here, I know... So..."Ray"....I liked it. I still don't think it should have been nominated last year, I thought there were better movies that were ignored. I certainly thought that "Walk the Line" was better this year, then "Ray" as well...but hey, I am just the movie freak, not an academy member, right? Okay, so back to "Ray"...I thought Jamie Foxx was awesome, and even though I didn't want him to win, necessarily. I thought his performance was just amazing. If I didn't know better, I would swear that some of that was actually old footage of Ray Charles, it was like he was channeling him. Absolutely terrific. I thought his life was interesting, and I thought his music was awesome. I just think the movie itself was just okay. Good, but nothing special...it just reminded me again how sad I am about "Walk the Line", now that was something special.

Fargo (1996)

Fargo....Fargo is fun. I don't care how gross people think much of it is...Fargo is just fun to me. I love so many things about it. I loved watching it again after all these years. I love the accents, I love the crazy comedy of errors the thing turns out to be. I fell in love with William H Macy after watching Fargo, and I still love him to this day. I am pretty sure either this is where I fell in love with Steve Buscemi, or else it was the reason I went to see Fargo...I can hardly remember its been so long. But I really thought Fargo was one of the best. Call it a cult classic if you will, but I think it was just good in general. I don't think you have to like strange independant movies to enjoy the humor and creativity in Fargo. The acting was superb. I thought the screenplay was awesome. I still love the wood chipper scene, as nasty as it is. I remember so many lines that Bubs and I used to repeat on a daily basis because they were so amusing. I enjoyed watching it all over again.

March of the Penguins (2005)

It took me several weeks to finish this movie, I started it a few weeks ago, and didn't get a chance to finish it, so I finally pulled it out again today. This movie was nominated for Best Documentary feature. I thought it was absolutely amazing. The story, the cinematography, the beautiful, amazing animals. I truly loved this movie. It was sadder than I thought it was going to be, even though I had heard several times that it was sad. Its always hard to watch that kind of "survival of the fittest" kind of things. I am not sure, however, if I really believe that this was better than Murderball. So far, if it was up to me, Murderball would win the award in this category. Sometimes March of the Penguins, just seemed like a Discovery channel special...interesting, but not interesting enough. I enjoyed it, and will end up buying it, and I really thought it was awesome.

Murderball (2005)

For my first Oscar nominated movie of the month, I chose Murderball. It is nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category. I was very anxious to see this when it was out at the movies, and now I am so sorry I never made it. This movie was incredible. I really love documentaries these days anyways, but this one was really powerful and inspiring. I was so in awe of these incredible guys, and I found every single story interesting. I even enjoyed watching footage of the actual Rugby games. I couldn't believe the things these guys were accomplishing even though they were confined to those wheelchairs. I had no clue that the Paralympics even existed, but I am very interested in them now. What an awesome way to show that these athletes are still able to do so many things. It was a very inspirational movie, I would like to actually own it so I can watch all the special features, I am so interested in these guys now. I will definetly be recommending this one to everyone I know.