Staycation Movies

I recently stayed with a family member after they had surgery, but they did so well that we spent most of the time watching movies. It was a mix of movies I haven't seen in a while, along with movies I never saw way back when they came out, with a few newer films added to the mix. There were comedies and dramas, Oscar winners and silly fun. The list in no particular order is:

80 for Brady stars Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field. It is a light story and weirdly, it’s based on a true story. It was silly and funny and brings a new light to the Patriot comeback in 2017. Oh, and Brady is in it.  ANd if you like it, check out Book Club.

Public Enemies, based on John Dillinger's life, stars Johnny Depp. After showing up law enforcement, Dillinger is hunted and killed. 

Last King of Scotland is a fictional story set during Idi Amin's regime in Uganda in the 1970s. Forest Whitaker is brilliant at playing the Ugandan leader and James McAvoy plays a young naive doctor who takes on the role of his personal physician. The movie portrays a leader unraveling. It culminates with the June 27, 1976 Air France Flight 139 hijacking to Entebbe Airport in Uganda- where the real-life Amin had his soldiers support the hijackers. Our doctor escapes with the non-Jewish/non-Israeli passengers who were released. An after-credit notes that the Israelis raided and freed most of the remaining passengers, but that is a different movie.

Tommy Boy- do yeah, I know how old this movie is, and until this vacation, I had never seen it. And apparently, I am the only person in my part of the world who hasn’t. It stars Chris Farley and David Spade and Spade is in charge of keeping Chris Farley on the straight and narrow while they try to save the company Farley inherits. Rob Lowe is a surprise (to me) as the evil “step-brother” who is actually step-mom’s boy toy.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris was a story I fell in love with when I saw the trailer an age ago. I had watched it once on my own and had to share it- because it is an absolute delight! The surprise in this one is Lucius Malfoy (yeah I should know the actor’s name) as a truly good guy.

A Man named Otto- Oh My God! I laughed, I cried and not just a little.

 Catch Me if You Can- always worth watching again!

Black Sheep stars Chris Farley and David Spade and   Spade is in charge of keeping Chris Farley on the straight and narrow. Sound familiar?

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure- Who could have seen where Keanu Reeves would go from here? Still love after all these years

Philadelphia- still so brutal, just like AIDS.

Directv and Free Movies, continued...

Some more things we have been watching... 


Chasing Papi (2003) The successful and handsome wolf executive of the cosmetic industry Thomas Fuentes has three sexy Latin girlfriends: in Miami, the waitress Cici; in Chicago, the intellectual lawyer Lorena; and in New York, the "daddy's girl" Patricia. When the three women decide to visit him in Los Angeles, Thomas is in a big trouble.

My take- this is a funny, silly movie that I enjoyed

The Monuments Men (2014) An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

My take- I can totally relate to the guy trying to speak  French and being told repeatedly to stop... I loved the story of saving culture, one picture and statue at a time. It is hard to imagine people setting fire to great works of art.

Also, I watched Sons of Liberty and I must say, it was a great addition what I knew of the time frame, but the miniseries John Adams went into much more detail of the shift from colonies to country.

Oscars 2015

The Oscar nominations are out and I have only heard of four of the movies up for best picture, three of the films which got a best actor/Actress nod, and only one of the supporting actor/actress films.

I probably have only been to the theater twice in as many years.

I would like to see Unbroken and Selma, both look quite promising, but will likely wait for a DVD or on-line streaming. Going to the movies is just too expensive. Even buying the DVD, it is less money to eat popcorn in my living room watching than go down to Showcase Cinemas. And if it is great- I can watch it again for free.

Clearly I am not the demographic Hollywood is aiming for...

Directv and a free Premium weekend (January 8-11)

Since Directv gave me a free weekend of movie channels, I DVRed as many as I could, so I have movies to watch. And since I never go to the movies, the vast majority are movies I have never seen.

So far I have made it through 7 of the movies and I liked most of them. Here is my list so far:

(Internet Movie Database movie descriptions are used)

Black Nativity (2013):A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives, where he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey.

 

My take: It is a musical, which was a nice surprise for me. And such amazing voices- a Christmas treat for me

The Best Man Holiday (2013)When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.

My take: This movie had light moments, but a dying best friend breaks my heart every time.

Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again (2014)- A documentary that chronicles Jennifer Lopez's life on and off-stage during her first ever world tour.

My take: My favorite moment- Jennifer and Marc sharing the stage in Puerto Rico

CBGB (2013) A look at the New York City punk-rock scene and the venerable nightclub, CBGB.

My take: A guilty pleasure for this New York girl of the 80’s.

The Normal Heart (2014) A gay activist attempts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness during the early 1980s.

My take: Powerful, sad and amazing. It is a reminder of how it all started not so long ago.

The Other Woman (2014) After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he's been betraying. And when yet another love affair is discovered, all three women team up to plot revenge on the three-timing S.O.B.

My take: A silly comedy and girl-power. In a word, fun.

August: Osage County (2013) A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.

My take: Dreary, sad, dark and ugly. The acting may have been great but I want my two hours back.

Bad Movies

My family has a long history of watching BAD movies all the way to the end, in hopes that the story will, in the end, prove worthy of being watched. Sadly, though, we often step away declaring the last hour and a half as time wasted that we are never getting back.

Vanishing Point is a good example. Made in 1971, the movie consists of a man driving through the desert...

Vanishing Point, a movie my father rented more than 23 times, was GOD-AWFUL, but each time he saw the name on the movie list, it sounded cool and came home with him again. His memory was terrible... is terrible. We finally had them put a note on our account sleeve saying he wasn't allowed to rent it any more.

I actually paid money to see Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man... bad does not begin to describe it.  And don't get me started on Unforgiven... Clint- I am STILL unhappy and it was 1992 when I saw it...

So when I recently got the "3 premium movie stations free for 3 months" with my new carrier, I knew there was potential to find some less than exciting movies.

But I have seen some just awful rubbish. And some of these films have great actors I LOVE. So disappointing! Just glad I didn't pay $10 for them. More proof I should not pay for premium movie channels...

Here is just a sample:

Rachel is getting married- I should have followed my instinct and stopped watching after 10 minutes. Anne Hathaway- WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! Hopefully Fantine will redeem you...

Hope Springs- Really Colin? Really? After being Mr. Darcy and the King?

5-Year Engagement- Not funny, went nowhere, 124 minutes of my life that I am NEVER GETTING BACK! Emily Blunt, I am ashamed of you. I loved Young Victoria and this was purely a waste of time.

War Horse- the brutality of war with a horse... Perplexing.

So what movie did you sit and watch when you should have changed the channel?

Movies

I don’t like scary movies. I am a romantic comedy kind of girl.

Historical accounts, period dramas… They are more my style. Pride and Prejudice, Band of Brothers : I just can't get enough.

Every now and again, I am in the mood for a real tear-jerker. Oldies but goodies include The Champ and Kramer vs. Kramer.

Do I have favorites?

I have eclectic taste, some big hits I love and yet some "great" films people rave about are ones I just do not get.

I LOVED Gone with the Wind, yet Titanic is 3 hours (or days as it seemed at the time) I am never getting back. Erica, just so you know- I am still annoyed...

And How Clint Eastwood won anything for UNFORGIVEN is beyond my understanding.

I loved Dead Again, Conspiracy Theory, and even now Silence of the Lambs creeps me out.

Top Gun still makes my heart race, Sixteen Candles is still charming, and I LOVED The Hangover - it had me laughing out loud. As a Harry Potter fan, I found the movies very entertaining.

My must see list of films:

1. 12 Angry Men- Powerful jury room story
2. 16 Candles- High School teen love story
3. A Christmas Story- How it was way back… a Christmas Classic
4. A Fish Called Wanda- fun to watch again and again
5. All the President’s Men- Watergate story
6. American Graffiti- how we got to “Happy Days”
7. And the Band Played On- AIDS in the early days, moving
8. Apollo 13- Space Race drama
9. Back to the Future- Marty McFly and the DeLorean
10. Beauty and the Beast (a)- The Best Picture cartoon
11. Beverly Hills Cop- fun and so funny
12. Big- Tom Hanks and FAO Schwatz- the dancing piano
13. Born Free- Just watched this again with my son, still wonderful
14. Bringing up Baby- funny, one of my mom’s favorites
15. Casablanca- Here’s looking at you, sweetheart
16. Close Encounters of a Third Kind- A different type of Alien movie
17. Conspiracy Theory- I loved this movie nobody ever heard of
18. Dances with Wolves- Post Civil War Western tale
19. Dead Again- excellent storytelling
20. Desperately Seeking Susan- Fun story in NYC, with Madonna playing a character just like her.
21. Die Hard- Action all the way
22. Dirty Harry- Make my day…
23. El Norte- Guatemalan children trying to escape to a better life
24. ET- still makes me tear up
25. Fantasia (a)- it has gotten better with age
26. Father of the Bride- Steve Martin goes crazy when his daughter gets engaged
27. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off- The day we all dreamed about in High School
28. Forest Gump- A new look at US history
29. Four Weddings and a Funeral- Best wedding movie ever
30. Gandhi- A great man who did gentle good
31. Glory- Black soldiers in the Civil War
32. Gone with the Wind- This is what a classic is
33. Good Morning Vietnam- funny disturbing and true to life
34. Goodbye Girl- What do you do when he leaves and sublets your apartment?
35. Goodfellas- Being made
36. Grease- Sandy Danny Rizzo and Kenickie still go together
37. Groundhog Day- do it over till you get it right
38. Harry Potter (3, 5 and 8)- best 3 of the 8.
39. Hercules (a)- Love the gospel singing muses
40. His Girl Friday- Reporter story with an excellent cast
41. In the Name of the Father- Terrorists? Not so fast…
42. Independence Day- Love Will Smith dragging the alien through the dessert
43. Indiana Jones 1-3- Indiana was the dog…
44. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World- excellent cast and funny
45. It’s a Wonderful Life- The heart warmer for Christmas
46. JAWS- Still scares me… that music…
47. Karate Kid- the bullied kid gets even through greatness
48. Kramer vs. Kramer- crying already
49. Lawrence of Arabia- Personal Bias- my grandpa served under him.
50. Little Women- Lovely story of sisters
51. Lord of the Rings Trilogy- perfection
52. Love Actually- Christmas romance alive and well in London
53. Mary Poppins- "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"
54. MASH- The Police Action that wasn’t really a war
55. Meet me in St. Louis- Love Ms. Judy
56. Miracle on 34th Street (original B & W)Santa works at Macy’s
57. Mission Impossible- Heart racing action
58. Monte Python and the Holy Grail- British humor
59. Muppet Christmas Carol- Classic Muppets
60. My Fair Lady- Diamond in the rough to pure gem
61. Nightmare on Elm Street (1 and 3)- Scary to be killed in your dream
62. On the Town- Fun silly and a great look at New York City
63. Out of Africa- I loved this tragic love story
64. Philadelphia- AIDS discrimination of a dying man
65. Pretty Woman- Cinderella works on Hollywood Blvd
66. Princess Bride- Fantastic fantasy
67. Rain Man- harder to watch now than at the time
68. Risky Business- “Terrific!! I’ve got a trig midterm tomorrow, and I’m being chased by Guido the killer pimp”
69. Rocky Horror Picture Show- Better on a Friday at midnight with toilet paper flying overhead
70. Roman Holiday- The princess takes a day off in Rome
71. Romancing The Stone- slapstick adventure comedy
72. Sabrina- Sometimes the love of your life just isn’t
73. Saving Private Ryan- WWII with your every wide open
74. Say Anything- “ She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”
75. Schindler’s List- I will never forget that little girl in the rich red coat
76. Sense and Sensibility- Mr. Ferris and Cornel Brandon win
77. Sherlock Holmes- a new way to see Holmes and Watson
78. Shrek (a)A new look at fairytales
79. Silence of the Lambs- CREEPY Dr. Lecter
80. Sound of Music- “Somewhere out there is a lady who I think will never be a nun”
81. Splendor in the Grass- Natalie goes crazy for love
82. Stand by Me- Buddy film
83. Star Wars, Empire and Return of the Jedi- the newer don’t measure up
84. Terminator (1 & 2) “I’ll be back” and he was.
85. The Champ- the last ten minutes will make everyone cry
86. The Commitments- Like a visit home
87. The Godfather, I and II (Three was pretty awful)
88. The Hangover- Hilarious and original
89. The King and I- a splendid musical love story
90. The King’s Speech- The man who didn’t want to be king
91. The Muppet Movie- Personal Bias- The Rainbow Connection was my graduation song
92. The Outsiders- What happens on the wrong side of the tracks
93. The Philadelphia Story- Reporter, Heiress, and Ex… What could go wrong?
94. The Producers- A musical… About Hitler… FUNNY
95. The Quiet Man- Ireland and John Wayne
96. The Shawshank Redemption- Prison and the nightmare of an innocent man
97. The Sting- Con man gets conned
98. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (The original)- My dad counted the money…
99. The Ten Commandments- always good during Easter week
100. To Sir, With Love- Race and poverty
101. Tootsie- When you can’t work any other way…
102. Top Gun- Best recruitment tool ever
103. Untouchables- George Stone… Hot Hot Hot
104. West Side Story- “I want to live in America!”
105. What’s Up, Doc? “Hi Daddy”
106. When Harry Met Sally- Can men and women be just friends? “I’ll have what she’s having.”
107. Who Framed Roger Rabbit- Cartoons in Hollywood and tunetown
108. Working Girl- Making your way to the top in an untraditional way
109. Yentl- Studying means she must be a boy
110. Young Frankenstein- Still making me laugh. “Put the candle back!”
111. Yours, Mine, and Ours (original)- blending families

Yes, I know some "great films" sre missing- perhaps because I haven't seen them or because I thought they were rubbish. This list is just my opinion.