Movie #373 - Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher
2003 - Rated R - 2 hr 16 min
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore, Donnie Wahlberg

What a weird movie this is.  But it's Stephen King, so you know... it happens.  There are aliens and weird worm virus thingies and a super-smart kid with mental problems who grows up to be Donnie Walhberg... and then can kill the bad alien guys.

This is one of those movies that you watch and follow along and everything seems okay... then you get to the end and you kinda feel like you've been punched in the head or something.  What the hell did I just watch? you may ask yourself.  You followed it, it was making sense... but when you take stock of the whole 2+ hours you can't really remember how you got from point A to B. You know what I mean?

Good cast though, so that part is lots of fun.  There's lots that goes unexplained and I suppose, for the purposes of this movie, that's a good thing.  To watch this one, you've got to be able to just accept some weird stuff. If you're new to Stephen King, this might not be the first one to watch... just sayin'.

Movie #372 - Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate
1997 - Rated R - 2 hr 24 min
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Connie Nielsen, Craig T. Nelson

Oh man.  I haven't seen this one in years but I was so excited to pick it up to add to the collection.  What a great movie to revisit after so long!  And you know what, still awesome.

It has a perfect title, too. Perfect on so many levels.

Anyway, Keanu Reeves is a lawyer in Florida who always wins. Always.  And he'll do anything to keep it that way.  When he gets discovered by a New York city firm, he thinks it's because of his talent.  He lets himself get wrapped up in the "blood money," as his wife (Theron) says later.  They live the life for a while but as their marriage falls apart, so does her sanity... or so it seems. 

I really don't want to spoilt this one because, if you haven't seen it, you need to.  There are a few gory scenes, but you'll live.  And the ending of this movie is so perfect... you gotta love it.

Movie #371 - Dave

Dave
1993 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 50 min
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank , Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, Laura Linney, Bonnie Hunt, Faith Prince

Clever concept here, with a stand-in taking up the helm when the president has a massive stroke.  Dave is the guy replacing the Prez and he takes some liberties as he gets more and more comfortable in his borrowed dress shoes.  Who knows if presidents really have body doubles or not, but it does make a really good premise.

Add Sigourney Weaver as the estranged wife who helps put on a good show for the cameras.  Of course she figures it out, it's only a matter of time... right?  And what happens when the game is over and Dave can't carry on anymore?  The end of this movie seems a bit contrived (SPOILER ALERT), since I really can't see a presidential look-alike being able to mount his own campaign for a political office.  Won't people get confused? Won't conspriacy theorists catch on?  I'd think they'd give him his own private island somewhere or something like that.

Oh well.  If you watch this one, check out little Ving Rhames.... if it wasn't for the voice, I'd never recognize him!

Movie #370 - Courage Under Fire

Courage Under Fire
1996 - Rated R - 1 hr 57 min
Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon, Bronson Pinchot, Seth Gilliam, Michael Moriarty, Sean Astin

Another new one for me.  I'm not usually a big war-movie fan, but this one's got an interesting enough premise that it caught my attention.  Washington is investigating the Medal of Honor nomination of Ryan's Medevac Captain Walden.  In the process, he uncovers a story that no one suspected. And confronts his own warped war-time story along the way.

There's a lot of great stuff here, including a confused moral gray area. While Ryan spends most of her screentime screaming, it's nice to see her play a character that's not in love with Tom Cruise :)  And Washington's troubled, drinking Serling is well done from start to finish.

If that's not enough, there's a really skinny Matt Damon in here too.

Movie #369 - Conversations with Other Women

Conversations with Other Women
2005 - Rated R - 1 hr 24 min
Director: Hans Canosa
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Aaron Eckhart, Brian Geraghty, Brianna Brown, Thomas Lennon, Olivia Wilde

I'd venture to say that this is probably the most Indie film on this wall.  But I like this one, mostly for the performances of both Eckhart and Carter. I'd watch her play any role, it's true.

Here, they play an ex-married couple who end up at the same wedding, both with the same agenda: have a one-night stand and then go back to their separate lives.  Seems innocent enough... until it gets a little more complicated.  The lesson? Sex complicates things, perhaps.  Or, there's no such thing as closure. 

Most of the movie is shot in a frustrating two-frame fashion, which is distracting at first.  For some scenes though, watching both of their faces and catching simultaneous expressions is totally worth it.  With no "off-camera" time, both actors have to give full-out performances.  And while the movie does get a bit more artsy at times than I usually enjoy, it's not self-indulgent or preachy.  It's just telling a story.

And we just get to watch it.

Movie #368 - Connie & Carla

Connie and Carla
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, David Duchovny, Stephen Spinella, Alec Mapa, Ian Gomez

Two would-be stars accidentally witness a crime and have to go on the run.  They wind up in a bar performing show tunes as drag queens... and that's when things get complicated.

Genius premise - possibly the most inventive from writer Nia Vardalos, who also co-stars in this musical comedy.  Toni Collette is her unwavering sidekick and, when dressed in drag, bears a striking resemblance to Liza Minelli.  I never noticed that before. Huh.

So, yes, I love this one.  It's full of fun songs and fabulous drag queens. And it really looks like they had a blast making this one.  Well done all around and highly underrated. More people need to see this one.

Movie #367 - Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger
1993 - Rated R - 1 hr 52 min
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn

Who doesn't like a good 4000-foot fall to the death to open up an action flick?  Right?  As far as beginning scenes go, this one wins.  As far as the rest of the movie goes.... well, it kinda tapers off a little bit.  Too powerful an opening scene? Maybe.

Don't get me wrong.  I like this movie. It's got crazy mountain-climbing action scenes and helicopters and evil John Lithgow.  Battling his guilt over dropping his friend to her death is Sylester Stallone and blaming him for the death of his girlfriend is Michael Rooker.  (Not that I saw HIM trying to climb out there to save her from falling... but just sayin.)

The money hunt in the mountains is a bit weird for a premise. But the writers needed some reason to make Stallone's character go back to the spot where he dropped the girl, right?  It works.

To be honest, you're not really watching this movie for its plot, so I guess it doesn't much matter.  It's all about that mountain scenery.  But I have just one question... why doesn't Stallone wear anything when he's climbing? It's snowy and cold up there! Where is your jacket?

Movie #366 - Can't Hardly Wait

Can't Hardly Wait
1998 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 40 min
Directors: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, Freddy Rodriguez,  Sean Patrick Thomas, Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly, Selma Blair, Jason Segel, Chris Owen

Oh, high school. This movie came out the year before I graduate high school, so the whole party-before-college premise rung true for me at the time.  Jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and X-filers alike can revel in this movie's accurate rendering of high school in the 90s.  And what a cast... so many great bit parts played by actors who have real careers now!

See if you can spot Selma Blair. Or how about Jason Segel?  Yep, that's him all right!  This was fun to revisit after so much time has passed.  Not only could I still remember my favorite lines, but finding all these "new" faces in the crowd became a game for me. 

Anyway, it's no Oscar winner, nor does it have the kind of original plot that keeps you riveted.  The characters are stereotypes, the acting's okay, but the real joy here is in what it represents for me.  If you didn't graduate high school in the late 90s, this might not strike the same chord for you.

Movie #365 - Breach

Breach
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 50 min
Director: Billy Ray
Starring: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Lauran Linney, Caroline Dhavernas, Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert, Kathleen Quinlan, Bruce Davison

Intrigue and espionage are always more interesting when the story's based on true events.  This one charts the true life take down of the biggest internal FBI spy ever.  And Chris Cooper plays the character with such duality you'll be confused how you feel about him by the end... yeah, he's a spy, but is he really so bad?

Ryan Phillippe is uneventful and unremarkable here - I feel like you could lift him out and put just about anyone in his play.  Jake Gyllenhaal. Tobey Maguire. You get the idea.  Laura Linney, however, gives a great performance here. And oh hey, it's the boss from Office Space!

Anyway, if you're into this type of movie, this is a great effort that's worth watching.  Scary that it's true, but good that we caught the guy, right?

Movie #364 - The Animatrix

The Animatrix
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 42 min
Directors: Peter Chung, Andy Jones, et al
Starring: Akio Ohtsuka, Clayton Watson, Pamela Adlon

I know, with a name like Animatrix, who would guess this movie is animated scenes inspired by The Matrix. Shocking, huh?

Yes, it is written by the creators of the famed trilogy. And yes, it does involve some of the familiar characters of the same trilogy.  Trinity is as kick-ass animated as she is embodied by Carrie-Anne Moss.  But mostly, this series of 9 animated shorts tells the other stories about the matrix universe, including how it all got started.

If you're a fan, it's a must-see.  Especially because it is by the creators, not some knock-off fan fiction or something.  You'll learn more about the world and history of the Matrix and you'll meet some equally interesting characters.  If you only like the Matrix for Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, or the special effects... you can probably skip this one.  None of those appear in this compilation.

Movie #363 - Analyze This

Analyze This
1999 - Rated R - 1 hr 43 min
Director: Harold Ramis
Starring: Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Viterelli, Molly Shannon

While the sequel Analyze That should never have happened, this first installment is actually kinda funny.  De Niro plays the gangster under pressure who resorts to getting help from Crystal, a regular psychiatrist who'd rather not be involved with the mob.  De Niro pushes and prods, Crystal resists but in the end resolves to help him confront his anxiety.

Mostly though, it's just a comedy.  And there are little tributes to The Godfather here, including a dream sequence that's shot-for-shot from the classic.  Nice.

Overall, this one's just for fun.  De Niro and Crystal are fun to watch together -- totally worth it.

Movie #362 - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
1988 - Rated PG - 2 hr 6 min
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, Uma Thurman, Robin Williams

From the weird, imaginative mind of Terry Gilliam.... Even though it's based on a book.  This is very much up the same alley as Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, just 20 or so years earlier and with less sophisticated effects.

Visually, for its time, this movie is over the top, but really well done. Elaborate sets and costumes, eccentric characters, loud makeup, and lots of action... it's a well-rounded movie.  It also boasts an excellent cast as well.  But basically, the plot is just a bunch of nonsense strung together... some scenes more realistic than others, some more firmly rooted in myths, and some just more ridiculous.  Like floating head people. Trippy, isn't it?

But I think it was meant for kids, so then I guess that's okay.  I remember enjoying this one way back when and now it's with fond nostalgia that I watch it.  Mike loves this one too, but I credit that love to his own nostalgia too.  If you were to watch this one for the first time as an adult now, I can't say that you'd like it that much.

Movie #361 - The 13th Warrior

The 13th Warrior
1999 - Rated R - 1 hr 42 min
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Vladimir Kulich, John DeSantis, Clive Russell, Omar Sharif, Erick Avari, Tony Curran

I'm not a huge Beowulf fan, I have to admit. So the idea of yet another retelling of this age-old epic was bumming me out.  Even if it does star Antonio Banderas. Even if it was written by Jurassic Park genius Michael Crichton.  Add the director of the Die Hard franchise and you'd think I'd be sold.

What does win me over on this movie is the concept of the re-imagined tale, the story behind the myth viewpoint. A kind of Wicked makeover for The Wizard of Oz.  Told from the perspective of an unlikely compatriot to Beowulf (who gets a new, weird name in this version), the Grendel myth has real roots... it's a cult-like group that is raising hell.  Kill 'em and you're the hero.  Simple enough. 

There's nothing revolutionary here, but it's still appealing in a new way.  This is one version of the epic that turns things just the right way and reexamines them in a way that's more interesting.  Okay, Crichton? You got me.

Movie #360 - Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing
1996 - Rated R - 1 hr 41 min
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern, William Sanderson, Christopher Walken, David Patrick Kelly, Karina Lombard, Alexandra Powers, Ken Jenkins, Leslie Mann

If you like 20's-era gangster movies that feature a "modern" 90's action hero... tada!  Bruce Willis puts on his dapperest attire to play this gunslinger who gets caught up in a mob war in Jericho, Texas during prohibition.  There are prostitutes, lots of guns, and some gratuitous violence. Delicious!

For me, the action is fun. And Willis is always good at the gritty hero-who's-no-hero role, so that works.  But the plot feels a little convuluded at times.  There's some chicks involved that Willis tries to save, but mostly he destroys all the mobsters to save his own neck. 

And yeah, he's the "last man standing" in case you were wondering.