Movie Night: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Review #458: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Cast
Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft), Daniel Craig (Alex West), Iain Glen (Manfred Powell), Jon Voight (Richard Croft), Noah Taylor (Bryce), Christopher Barrie (James Hillary), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Mr. Pimms), and Leslie Phillips (Wilson) Directed by Alex West.

Review
The first video game movie reviewed here, and...eh? There's not much to say about Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, it's not terrible, but it's not good either. The actors are okay, except for Jolie, who is probably one of the better actors in this film. The action is a mixed bag, sometimes it looks interesting, but the decent action is undercut by the occasional slow motion shots, which is unnecessary and adds nothing to the film other than making the film about 5 seconds longer. The plot is muddy, and feels like a rejected Indiana Jones script, which either makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull better or worse in comparison. The film doesn't last too long, though I do wonder how you can make a villain so obvious in the first 15 minutes. It's a mediocre film, it strives for adventure and only that, succeeding easily, yet emotionally vacant, so I guess it works for some.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Nutty Professor (1996).

Review #457: The Nutty Professor.

Cast
Eddie Murphy (Sherman Klump, Buddy Love, Mama Anna Klump, Grandma Klump, Papa Cletus Klump, Ernie Klump, Sr, and Lance Perkins), Jada Pinkett (Carla Purty), John Ales (Jason), James Coburn (Harlan Hartley), Larry Miller (Dean Richmond), Dave Chappelle (Reggie Warrington), John Ales (Jason), Jamal Mixon (Ernie Klump, Jr.), and Montell Jordan (Himself) Directed by Tom Shadyac (#148 - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)

Review
I'd compare this to the original version, however since I didn't see the 60s film beforehand, there is no point of comparison. Eddie Murphy can be funny, given the right material (Trading Places, Coming to America), but when you give him the wrong material (Norbit), it fails. This film thankfully has the right stuff to work. Murphy does a nice job because while the jokes aren't always funny, at least when the joke misfire, it isn't a spectacular failure. Murphy plays other roles (with make up by the fantastic Rick Baker), but it doesn't overwhelm the film to a halt, more a near afterthought. The actors are good, especially Larry Miller. He may have brief scenes, but he certainly leaves an impression. Jada Pinkett is fairly decent, and with Murphy, they do well. It's a pretty decent film that while not all that it could have been, it certainly makes its mark.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It Happened One Night.

Review #456: It Happened One Night.

Cast
Clark Gable (Peter Warne), Claudette Colbert (Ellie Andrews), Walter Connolly (Alexander Andrews), Roscoe Karns (Oscar Shapeley), Jameson Thomas (Westley), Alan Hale (Danker), and Arthur Hoyt (Zeke) Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and #319 - It's a Wonderful Life)

Review

It's been a while, but after a little (six day) break (also replace that word with: laziness), I got back on to watching a movie, and this was the film I landed on. Clark Gable does a fine job in this film, he doesn't overcrowd the film itself, Colbert also does a fine job, she manages to be engaging, and she also shines well in the hitchhiking scene, probably one of the more memorable scenes ever filmed. It's just so amusing to see her lift up her leg and immediately get a ride. Capra as usual does a fine job with his characters, and it has its moments of amusement. It's the basis for many, many, many romantic comedies, but this one is still the best. It's a fine film overall.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rear Window.

Review #455: Rear Window.

Cast
James Stewart (L.B. Jefferies), Grace Kelly (Lisa Fremont), Wendell Corey (Thomas J. Doyle), Thelma Ritter (Stella), Raymond Burr (Lars Thorwald), Judith Evelyn (Miss Lonelyhearts), Ross Bagdasarian (the Songwriter), and Georgine Darcy (Miss Torso) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope, #223 - North by Northwest, #446 - Spellbound, #447 - Psycho, and #450 - Vertigo)

Review

Rear Window reminds me of Rope in some ways, not using too many sets, but the film manages to transcend that with its more than unique premise. James Stewart (In his second of the four films he would do with Hitchcock) does a fine job, as always, pleasant but engaging. Grace Kelly is stunning and she does a fine job, along with Thelma Ritter, who provides a supporting hand into the foray. Raymond Burr doesn't speak too much until about the end, but he's an effective villain because while we don't her him much, we see him, we see him and the progression of his character, that's what the film feels like, watching Stewart watching the events unfold, with subplots along the way, and this is a film that doesn't drag on, it's an effective thriller.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Wild Wild West.

Review #454: Wild Wild West.

Cast
Will Smith (James T. West), Kevin Kline (Artemus Gordon and Ulysses S. Grant), Kenneth Branagh (Dr. Arliss Loveless), Salma Hayek (Rita Escobar), M. Emmet Walsh (Coleman), Bai Ling (Miss East), Ted Levine (General "Bloodbath" McGrath), Frederique van der Wal (Amazonia), Musetta Vander (Munitia), Sofia Eng (Miss Lippenrieder), and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon (Belle) Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (#005 - Get Shorty, #077 - The Addams Family, #078 - Addams Family Values, #211 - Men in Black, and #212 - Men in Black II)

Review
This was adapted off the classic television show The Wild Wild West, though judging by how they apparently changed significant aspects of the film, I'd cross out the word adapted. Will Smith is usually charming, even in the cliched Independence Day, but not even he can give any life to the way his character is portrayed. Kevin Kline is okay at best, but to say this would be a step down from A Fish Called Wanda is an understatement. Kenneth Branagh...playing an southern scientist with no legs was odd enough...but the thing that takes the cake is...the spider. Yes, a Mechanical Spider, in the Wild West. You might wonder how it could feasibly be made, I'm just wondering how no one ever mentions seeing it after the film's end, though I suppose Grant wouldn't want "I saw a giant spider, while opening a railroad. No I am not insane." being the last line of his memoirs. The effects have more merit then the story and it's a bland  stand still of a film, disappointing western buffs, action buffs, and of course, Wild Wild West fans.

The film was terrible enough to inspire Robert Conrad (the star of the original show) to accept the film's five Golden Raspberry Awards in person, and I can't blame him for doing that. In conclusion, the best way to sum this film is one quote: "I made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better. ... No, it's funny because I could never understand why Robert Conrad was so upset with Wild Wild West. And now I get it. It's like, 'That's my baby! I put my blood, sweat and tears into that!' So I'm going to apologize to Mr. Conrad for that because I didn't realize. I was young and immature. So much pain and joy went into The Fresh Prince that my greatest desire would be that it's left alone." And when that comes from Will Smith himself, that just makes this sad film even worse. Avoid this film like it's the plague.

Overall, I give it 2 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Soylent Green.

Review #453: Soylent Green.

Cast
Charlton Heston (Thorn), Leigh Taylor-Young (Shirl), Chuck Connors (Fielding), Edward G. Robinson (Sol Roth), Joseph Cotten (Simonson), Brock Peters (Hatcher), Paula Kelly (Martha), and Stephen Young (Gilbert) Directed by Richard Fleischer.

Review
Soylent Green has been considered as a film to be reviewed in the past, and I do vaguely remember having a chance to seeing it right around last year, but I decided to take a good night sleep instead. So...After feeling a bit under the weather, carrying a death wish and not wanting to do a lame pun by reviewing a Friday the 13th film on the most over hyped superstitious day, I decided to watch Soylent Green. The film was adapted from the novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison, who died just last year. This film has probably one of the more notable last lines which essentially gives the film new spin, but even still this doesn't validate all of the film. Heston is fine and Taylor-Young is okay, but the main actor that I seem to connect with is Edward G. Robinson, in his final film role, with his last scene of his last movie being both sad and ironic in approach. He does a good, if not great film, even if he isn't in the film too much. This feels like it could've been a Twilight Zone episode, especially with the twist ending and such. The future is grim bleak, and looks more like 1973 than 2022 at times. It's an okay film, highlighted with a fair twist and one or two great scenes, it's an alright science fiction film for the most part, just take it for what its worth.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Remember the Titans.

Review #452: Remember the Titans.

Cast
Denzel Washington (Herman Boone), Will Patton (Bill Yoast), Wood Harris (Julius Campbell), Ryan Hurst (Gerry Bertier), Donald Faison (Petey Jones), Ethan Suplee (Louie Lastik), Kip Pardue (Ronnie Bass), Craig Kirkwood (Jerry Harris), Nicole Ari Parker (Carole Boone), Krysten Leigh Jones (Nicky Boone), and Hayden Panettiere (Sheryl Yoast) Directed by Boaz Yakin.

Review
Is their inaccuracies in this film? Of course, no film could even try to be 100% accurate, so mixing the facts for dramatic effect isn't too much of a bone to pick, especially with this film. Denzel Washington is an excellent actor, intense yet subdued at times, which works especially in this film. It's not too hard to make a sports film, but the film tries to transcend that, and while it doesn't always hit, it certainly hits more than it misses. The actors are all well and good, like Will Patton or even Ethan Suplee, which is surprising, I must admit. Is this any better than say, 42? Not entirely, but at least this a fine film, and it certainly is enjoyable in its own way.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Green Hornet.

Review #451: The Green Hornet.

Cast
Seth Rogen (Britt Reid), Jay Chou (Kato), Christoph Waltz (Benjamin Chudnofsky), Cameron Diaz (Lenore "Casey" Case), David Harbour (District Attorney Frank Scanlon), Tom Wilkinson (James Reid), Edward James Olmos (Mike Axford), Jamie Harris (Popeye), Chad Coleman (Chili), and Edward Furlong (Tupper) Directed by Michel Gondry.

Review
This is one of those films I never had actually got to finishing twice. Around the end of the year (heh, big shock) when every test was done, our classes used to watch some films. The Green Hornet was one of them, though I never got to finish the film. Until now. Everytime I watched it, I had a few questions that popped in my head about the movie: So in the 1960's show, was Kato more useful than the Green Hornet? Was Kato always better in hero work than the Hornet? Why does it seem that the Green Hornet is eerily similar to Batman? And who is Seth Rogen? The answers to my questions are: There are none. Well, maybe one answer. The Green Hornet was created on radio in 1936, 3 years before Batman was, with comic books about the Hornet coming 4 years later, later spawning two serial films, a short 10 minute French film, and the short lived but memorable 1960's series with Bruce Lee and Van Williams. The history of the Green Hornet is probably more interesting than the film itself. What I mean is that Rogen doesn't provide too much to the table, he feels more like the comedy relief to Jay Chou than an actual hero. The Black Beauty is a beautiful looking car though, and the effects are halfway decent, though it can't make up for the mediocre acting and the mediocre story. This was meant to be a superhero comedy, but it feels more like a chore, and Waltz, while admirable in his attempts, can't liven the film enough. This would be a disappointment, but since I don't really know the Hornet, it's just a miss.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Vertigo.

Review #450: Vertigo.

Cast
James Stewart (John Ferguson), Kim Novak (Madeleine Elster), Barbara Bel Geddes (Midge Wood), Tom Helmore (Gavin Elster), Henry Jones (Coroner), Ellen Corby (Hotel owner), and Konstantin Shayne (Pop Leibel) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope, #223 - North by Northwest, #446 - Spellbound, and #447 - Psycho)

Review
Arguably one the best films of all time, I decided to give this a watch, and for such a landmark, I thought it'd be nice to do. Likewise, the film rewarded me by being an excellent film. James Stewart (who noticeably shows silver hair) does a fine job, though this was one of his last films where he was the romantic lead, and it does show, but Stewart always did manage to do an excellent job, no matter what the age. Kim Novak is noticeable and does a fine job in her role, and together with Stewart, makes for great scenes, such as when the love scene near the waves, with such tension making a memorable and effective scene. The twist in the film occurs near the end of the film and I do like the twist not because it comes completely out of nowhere, but because it doesn't define the film, it doesn't become the spectacle, it's the film that does it itself (an example of that would probably be any of M. Night Shamalyan's films), and Hitchcock is, as usual, effective in his direction. Is it the greatest film of all time? Sight and Sound's 2012 poll likes to think so, over Citizen Kane (#200), but trying to determine the greatest film by argument takes more time to do then by just watching. Whatever you might think is the greatest (or favorite, whichever word), Vertigo has a foothold in excellence and shines alongside other great films and Hitchcock's best. Take it for what it's worth. I'd like to thank all of you for putting up with me for over 2 years and 450 reviews, and I assure you there will be more to come on Movie Night. Thank you. I'd like to make an announcement about the seasons that accompany this, as it will change to a January 1-December 31st season effective next year. Thank you.

Overall I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Things to Come.

Review #449: Things to Come.

Cast
Raymond Massey (John Cabal/Oswald Cabal), Edward Chapman (Pippa Passworthy/Raymond Passworthy), Ralph Richardson (Rudolf), Margaretta Scott (Roxana Black/Rowena Cabal), Cedric Hardwicke (Theotocopulos), and Maurice Braddell (Edward Harding) Directed by William Cameron Menzies (#448 - Invaders from Mars)

Review
H. G. Wells devised the plot and dialogue for the film which was adapted from his own novel, The Shape of Things to Come, though apparently scenes were shortened for censors, and learning that he wanted the music to be recorded in response and have the film made around the music is both an intriguing idea and odd at the same time, for 1936 at least. But enough about Wells, there's the film itself, and how it is on the whole, and it's...not too bad. Somewhat dated but never too dull, the actors do alright and the highlight of the film is undoubtedly the effects which have been compared to Art Deco, which isn't a bad thing. The directing by Menzies (Who I just talked about in the last review...) is not too shabby for a film like this. For the time this was made it feels like foreboding, and while this isn't as great as it could have been, it's at least watchable and one of those films that shouldn't be remade, which in the world we live, is an achievement, I suppose. There's just one more film to get to in this countdown. Countdown to 450 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

And now, the 450th Review (which will be posted tomorrow night) will be...

Movie Night: Invaders from Mars (1953).

Review #448: Invaders from Mars.

Cast
Jimmy Hunt (David Maclean), Helena Carter (Dr. Pat Blake), Arthur Franz (Dr. Stuart Kelston), Morris Ankrum (Fielding), Leif Erickson (George MacLean), Hillary Brooke (Mary MacLean), Max Wagner (Rinaldi), Milburn Stone (Capt. Roth), and Janine Perreau (Kathy Wilson) Directed by William Cameron Menzies.

Review
This is an odd film in sorts, and it may be due to the color changes, the sets or because of the twist ending that sounds extremely familiar. But anyway, Invaders from Mars doesn't run too long but it does have its charm. Jimmy Hunt isn't a terrible child actor in this film and he manages to do a respectable job. The effects in this film aren't too bad for 1953 and the color changes that occur do gives more context to the confusion that this film sometimes does. It's a weird film, and while the ending probably justifies the oddness, it's an okay film at best, not too hokey (unless you count that grey alien, which reminds me of Colin Mochrie for some reason.) It's something you could watch easily, what with the 70 minutes run time and all. The ending actually wasn't kept in foreign versions like in England, which edited their own ending, a bit less thought provoking than the original version. This is a mostly decent film that could be argued to be a mid-classic, and it's best to take it for what it's worth. Countdown to 450 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2...

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

And now, I will reveal the next review in advance...Things to Come.

Movie Night: Psycho (1960).

Review #447: Psycho.

Cast
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Janet Leigh (Marion Crane), Vera Miles (Lila Crane), John Gavin (Sam Loomis), Martin Balsam (Milton Arbogast), John McIntire (Al Chambers), Virginia Gregg (Norma Bates), and Simon Oakland (Fred Richmond) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope, #223 - North by Northwest, and #446 - Spellbound)

Review
First off, I'd like to say happy Labor Day to all who I'm sure are enjoying this day off. 

The film doesn't take too long to be impressive, as its titles by Saul Bass certainly do leave an impression, and in a way foretells the rest of the film. Janet Leigh does a fine job and all, but Perkins certainly steals the show, maybe it's the demeanor, or that creepy smile, but he leaves you wanting more, and makes for an interesting character, which drives the film. The film has its moments of suspense, especially at the end. And then there's the shower scene (Which if I didn't mention, I'd regret later), which is certainly the most effective scene of the film. You could say the scene might be spoiled already, but when you watch the film, it's given a proper context, and that certainly helps. I won't spoil it, you'll probably (if not definitely) find it on YouTube, or when you watch the film, whichever comes first. Hitchcock does a fine job directing, and this for a film produced by him and made on a tight budget, very quickly and very successful, spawning three sequels and a TV series. There was a "remake", but...there's a reason I put that it quotations. Nevertheless, this is an impressive, chilling, and interesting film. 

Countdown to 450 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Spellbound (1945).

Review #446: Spellbound.

Cast
Ingrid Bergman (Constance Petersen), Gregory Peck (Anthony Edwardes/John Ballantyne), Michael Chekhov (Alexander Brulov), Leo G. Carroll (Dr. Murchison), Rhonda Fleming (Mary Carmichael), John Emery (Dr. Fleurot), Steven Geray (Dr. Graff), and Paul Harvey (Dr. Hanish) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope and #223 - North by Northwest)

Review
With my laziness at reviewing films probably noticed for August (Seriously, I did 7 reviews in 31 days. That month doesn't even have any holidays to celebrate) and September having just started, I figured I needed something to start off September before someone might've complained over the general lack of reviews. Anyway...

Spellbound is notable for its psychoanalysis and a dream sequence designed by notable artist Salvador Dalí, which occurs near the end of the film. Setting the notables aside, this is a really good film. Ingrid Bergman shines, along with Gregory Peck, and they pair off each other extremely well, but the film is more than just that, it's a gripping mystery, a strange tale that only Hitchcock could do. The dream sequence by Dali is extraordinary, and while it may not last too long, it certainly does leave an impression. It's a (pardon the pun) spellbinding film, and it certainly is excellent. 

Countdown to 450 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.