So, for Thanksgiving, my wife and I decided to blow off the day. We didn't want to cook or anything like that, so we got a bunch of easy to prepare snacky foods and a bunch of movies.
The movies we rented (in order that we watched them) were Star Trek: Nemesis, Casablanca, The Italian Job, Holiday Inn, and Punch Drunk Love.
StarTrek: Nemesis was decent, but I can't say I'll miss the franchise if this is the end. The characters are still great, but with 5 different Star Trek series, and almost a dozen films, they are running out of things they can do that are truly new. As a Star Trek fan, I enjoyed the movie, but they just don't bring out the excitement that they used to for me. 7 out of 10
Casablanca is, of course, a classic, and justifiably so. This movie has been seen and reviewed so many times that there's little I could say that would add to what's already out there. Suffice to say, if you've never seen Casablanca you've done yourself a disservice. If you've ever said "This looks like the begining of a beautiful friendship." or "Here's looking at you, kid." than you know that this movie is a part of life. 9 out of 10
The Italian Job is the kind of movie that as a red-blooded, american male, I enjoyed. There were fast cars, stuff got blown up, there was humor, and a pretty girl to top it all off. What it didn't have was much in the way of anything new. New ways of doing old things... ways that were cool... but still nothing particularly new. Edward Norton's character was fairly two dimentional, which is dissapointing for someone as tallented as he is. Seth Green was the best part of the movie with some good one-liners and entertaining moments. This is the kind of movie to rent for a guys night, decent for background while playing cards and having a few beers. 6 out of 10
Holiday Inn is another classic. Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire... This is the movie where "White Christmas" comes from. There is great singing and amazing dancing, and a pretty good story which uses a circular pattern of having a movie made about "Holiday Inn" as part of the plot of the movie. There are some things that are clearly dated (such as a blackface number) but on the whole, it's a classic that deserves to be such. 7 out of 10
Punch-Drunk Love is an entirely different kettle of fish than the previous movies. This movie defies classification, and in-fact understanding to some extent. I'm not sure that I'm able to wrap my mind around it even now. As best I can tell, the movie was about relationships and how they give life meaning. People are all insane, especially when seen through the eyes of an outsider, but love can give that insanity reason and meaning. This movie is surreal and strange. Not at all what I would expect from Adam Sandler, but amazing in its own way. I want to watch it again, and my opinion of it may change if I do, but for now... 7 out of 10 (maybe 8)
Leave a Comment
Before leaving a comment, please ensure you have read and understand my comments policy and my privacy policy. Any comment that does not abide by the comment policy will be deleted immediately.