Movie #333 - A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men
1992 - Rated R - 2 hr 18 min
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, JT Walsh, Christopher Guest, Matt Craven, JA Preston, Noah Wyle

This is the first time I've watched this movie as an adult.  It was a favorite of my parents' so I had definitely seen it as a teen, but never really sat down and absorbed it as an adult.  Nor did I realize this is based on a play.  The style of the film and the scene structure makes a lot of sense knowing that.

Anyway, this really is a good damn movie. (SPOILER ALERT) It raises one of my favorite questions: Is it okay to sacrifice one to save many?  Nicholson's character things it is, Cruise and Moore don't think so.  As they dig to get to the bottom of this one, watching the chain of corruption climb higher and higher, this question gets asked many times.  The moral gray area is left for us to ponder, while the movie ends almost the only way it can.  He could get away with it, I guess, but not up against the unexpected powerhouse of Tom Cruise.  Really, who saw Cruise taking out Nicholson? Anywhere else, my money'd be on Jack.

Long story short, it was nice to enjoy this again with the ability to really process what it's trying to say.  Some outstanding performances here, but what I really enjoyed most were the questions it raised and asked me to answer for myself.

Movie #209 - For Your Consideration

For Your Consideration
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 26 min
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Parker Posey, Ed Begley Jr, Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachael Harris

This is my least favorite of all the Christopher Guest & Co. movies. That said, it's not that bad. It's just not as good as his others, so it's a bit disappointing.

In this mock-umentary, Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, and Parker Posey star in a movie that generates quite a bit of Oscar buzz for them.  It's meant to be a revealing and comical look at the road to Oscar, and of course, the road that fails to reach the Oscar.  The performances are good, but overall the movie is lukewarm.  You feel bad for them, rather than root for them, especially O'Hara's Marilyn Hack.  And Christopher Guest isn't in this movie nearly enough. Not my fave, not by a long shot.

Movie #69 - Best in Show

Best in Show

Castle Rock Entertainment

2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 30 min

Director: Christopher Guest

Starring: Parker Posey, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley Jr., Fred Willard
I can't help it. Next to Guffman, this is my favorite Christopher Guest and company movie. The characters are great, the dogs adorable, and the utter seriousness with which they handle difficult situations is hillarious.

Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins are probably my favorite characters, with Parker Posey and her hubby a close second. And of course, who doesn't love a good Jane Lynch character? Before she was Sue Sylvestor, she was kicking dog butt and taking names as Butch's butch dog handler Christie Cummings.

So if you always wondered what the "real" world of dog shows was all about, this mockumentary is one you can't miss. It's fun, it's funny, and it's full of that usual Guest charm.