Movie #415 - Life of Brian

Life of Brian

1979 - Rated R - 1 hr 34 min
Director: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin

It's always a welcome change of pace to pop a Monty Python movie into my DVD player.  We don't have many of them, for now at least.

And this one has always been a fan favorite.  It's no Grail, which is coming up in the M's, but the whole ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary circumstances in the time of Jesus is pretty clever.  From the misinformed magi who praise Brian at birth to the Latin grammar-correcting centurion, the off-beat comedy of the Monty Python troupe is very much alive and well here.  It's a great testament to their versatility as well, with most of the actors picking up several roles throughout, sprinkling quotable one-liners here and there.

Granted, this has to be your kind of humor to appreciate it.  But I love a good skit by these guys, so a whole movie is fantastic.

Movie #258 - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
2002 - Rated PG - 2 hr 41 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Jason Isaacs, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, John Cleese, Warwick Davis, Gemma Jones, Shirley Henderson

Dobby! And Malfoy's dad!  I remember how excited I was to see this one in theaters. At midnight of course.  It was the first movie to come out after I'd started reading the books and I was psyched. Ahh, memories.

Anyway, this one's another short book so the page to screen translation isn't so bad.  Of course, they take a few liberties here and there, trim down some other bits, but the basics are all there.  You can watch this and jump into the books at #3 if you really wanted to... but who would want to do that?

Movie #257 - Harry Potter & the Sorceror's Stone

Harry Potter & the Sorceror's Stone
2001 - Rated G - 2 hr 32 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, Ian Hart, Warwick Davis, Verne Troyer, John Hurt, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, John Cleese, Alan Rickman

A Harry Potter marathon?  Ok, sure!  I've never watched all of these in order - it's a huge undertaking.  But so much fun!

Yes, I'm a fan. And yes, I'm still pissed that I'm a muggle. 

This first movie reminds me of that... and how I never got my letter to Hogwarts. But I digress... from a book-to-movie standpoint, this is probably one of the best films.  Basically, it's the shortest book so they didn't have to cut that much out.  Once we get to the complicated, longer books, I can't say the same.  Sad, but necessary.

The only thing I regret about this movie is that they didn't have the foresight to cast Ralph Fiennes to do Voldemort's voice this early on.  But when this movie came out, I don't think the fourth book had even been released yet. So I guess I can't blame them.

Onward to the Chamber of Secrets!

Movie #243 - The Great Muppet Caper

The Great Muppet Caper
1981 - Rated G - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Jim Henson
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, John Cleese, Kathryn Mullen, Jack Warden

A lone Muppet movie in the G's is a treat. Yay!  The witty dialogue, sing-along songs, and guest appearances that make the Muppets famous are all alive and well in this classic movie.  Wow... this was made the year I was born. It's ooooollllldddd.

Anyway, Kermit and Fozzy play identical twins turned journalists who travel to England to get to the bottom of a jewelry robbery.  In a classic case of mistaken identity, they think Miss Piggy is Lady Holliday, a wealthy fashion designer who was robbed.  Turns out, her brother is the evil thief.  He falls in love with Miss Piggy (cuz, that's what happens, you know?) and the Muppets have to interrupt the heist to save the day.

So not only do the Muppets go international in this movie, but they're solving crimes! What kid from the 80's doesn't love a good Muppet movie, espeically this one?

Movie #205 - A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda
1988 - Rated R - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Charles Crichton
Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin

I love this movie for so many reasons.  Kevin Kline eating live fish, John Cleese speaking Russion in an outrageous accent, poor stuttering Ken... Not to mention Hollywood's best steam-roller "accident."

The premise is kind of nuts, but it's so much fun to watch and it's so expertly done that you have to love it.  Two criminals plan a robbery with two Brits, turn one of the Brits in only to find he's moved the loot, then have to cozy up to his lawyer to get the information... And obviously, Jamie Lee Curtis spends much of her time trying to keep Kevin Kline on his leash.  Not easy.

This was fun to watch again and it reminded me how talented this entire cast is.