Movie #193 - Fallen

Fallen
1998 - Rated R - 2 hr 4 min
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland

I like this one, although it's pretty creepy and doesn't exactly have a happy ending... The whole thing is one big deception, so that's cool. And Denzel Washington does a good job, playing the man who sacrifices everything to capture one "criminal." Or whatever you want to call it.

Yeah, it's creepy.  There are some questions I have, namely, why can this "being" pass to everyone BUT Denzel? It's a bit strange how long it plays with him and then, all of a sudden, it can possess him no problem.  Maybe I missed something.

Either way, the whole movie hinges on one twist at the end, so you might get there and be disappointed.  Unless you enjoy the ride, the payoff's not enough to watch the whole thing.  Fortunately, I did enjoy it, even knowing what the big finish was.

Movie #188 - Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty
2007 - Rated PG - 1 hr 36 min
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hill, Molly Shannon

Technically, this is the sequel to Bruce Almighty but it has very little to do with Bruce.  And Jim Carrey's not even in it.  But Evan Baxter, a side character from the first movie, gets his own God encounter in this movie. But instead of being God himself, he gets to play the underrated role of Noah.  Set in modern day, poor "Noah" gets a bad rap, but I'm sure it must have been tough for him to get people to believe him, even back then.  Now, talking to God is a symptom of insanity, so Evan's lucky he doesn't get locked up.

I'm glad Morgan Freeman is in this again, since he's an excellent God. (hahaha) And it provides some consistency as well.  The flood scene is fun, but a bit disappointing after all the buildup.  I mean, do we really need gazelles and giraffes for this? But the good guys win in the end, and Evan's family becomes stronger for the experience. Also, they adopt a homeless dog. Everyone wins.

And so they get to do the dance.

Movie #71 - The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski
Gramercy Pictures
1998 - Rated R - 1 hr 57 min
Directors: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid

Here's a classic film with a solid cult following and a classic plotline that harkens back to Shakespeare. (Which explains the adapted script Two Gentlemen of Lebowski...) Mistaken identities, missing money, weird group of crazies, lovable hero with obvious flaws. And for these reasons, it's really fun to watch.

Something about the supreme loserness of these guys is compelling. They really, really believe they're in control of this situation at some points... well, mostly John Goodman does. Still, it's endearing, not annoying as you'd think. I also have to add that never before has bowling been so epic.

The quirky characters and great performances in this movie sell it. It really is just enjoyable to watch The Dude and company in action.