Ali: I don't remember much of Muhammad Ali as I was only a little tyke at the time of his antics. I only knew of his legendary status as a fighter and as a trash talker. I liked that the movie was honest about certain of his faults, like his tendency for womanizing. I have also heard some very negative things about Ali that weren't included in the movie. Overall though, I enjoyed soaking up a little bit of history and gaining a little better understanding of a man that you can't help but hear so much about. Also, Will Smith did a darned good job of portraying him.
American History X: A great movie, albeit pretty shocking in some parts. The racist dialogue spewed by the main character is amazingly intelligent and well stated. Without giving too much of the ending away, he ends up turning his bitterness toward African Americans around and attempting to persuade his little brother to do the same. It's an altogether convincing and dramatic story of the conflict between races in urban America and the feelings that surround it. Probably one of my favorite movies, also helping to make Edward Norton one of my favorite actors.
A Walk to Remember: This was a generally uplifting and family friendly teen film, which is just what we were in the mood for. It was a little slow at times, but that is certainly to be expected with this type of movie. While the chemistry between the two main characters was mostly believable, I sometimes found it difficult to feel convinced that their relationship could progress as far and/or fast as it did. The general premise seemed to be that the faith and intellect of one individual can outshine an otherwise tempting worldly/party lifestyle.
Behind Enemy Lines: I didn't dislike this movie. I just didn't really like it. Perhaps hearing that the actual events that the movie was based on were a lot less dramatic than the movie, having been "hollywoodized". Then, perhaps it was because I usually get annoyed when more than 5 bullets barely miss the hero's head and more than 2 explosions occurs only a couple of feet away, all of which leave the hero unscathed. All things considered, it was ok, but not much more than that.
Black Hawk Down: I started reading the book, but had to return it to the library before I had a chance to finish it. Incredibly, the movie stuck very closely to what I had read of the book. I found myself immersed in the experience that these soldiers were preparing for, then encountering. Even the details of the specific types of injuries to the men were accurate. It was quite an impressive portrayal of a difficult event in American armed forces history. Check it out.
Catch Me If You Can: Really enjoyable! I had a great time watching this movie that was not only entertaining, but even based, or "inspired by" a true story. The cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken were well chosen, the music was funky and kind of fun, and the whole concept of the plot was rather original, to me at least.
Fight Club: While I enjoyed the action that's readily apparent given the title of the movie, it's only a sliver of what the movie has to offer its audience. Fantastic dialogue and cinematography! Great acting by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Quirky but fascinating characters. Good music by 'The Dust Brothers'. An intriguing twist at the end. Primarily a guy movie, but interesting enough for all to enjoy, in my opinion.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Overall a decent flick. Fun to expand ones imagination. Amanda, who has read all of the Harry Potter books in the last couple of months, said it stuck fairly close to the book. By the time it was over though, I was ready for some adult reality, not to mention I got sick of seeing Harry's cheesy smile flashing at the camera.
The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring: I enjoyed the fight scenes. The special effects were great. The characters were portrayed well. The villains were extremely evil. The heroes were the epitome of heroic. By the end of the three hours though, I found myself a little bored with the story, even with the aforementioned positives. No, I haven't read the book(s) yet. Pathetic but true. I've added them to my reading list though.
The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers: While it may not be one of my favorite movies of all time, it certainly was better than the first one and was a very enjoyable movie overall. The battle scenes were even more intense than the first one, but there seemed to be a little bit lower of an intensity to the movie as a whole, perhaps due to longer breaks between the fighting, which made it easier to sit through for the 3 hour length.
Moulin Rouge: I really liked how they incorporated and made medleys out of modern music to the setting of France in the 1900's, especially 'Roxanne' (The Police). The cinematography was innovative, but I found myself thinking at some points that plot was being sacrificed far too often for the sake of interesting but overly lengthy camera angles and sequences. Basic message: It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
Rat Race: We rented this movie on advice from a friend, whose suggestions we will probably not take too seriously in the future. The only things it had going for it was a great cast and that the concept of the movie was, well, acceptable. The implementation of the concept was beyond stupidity, as were the characters. I think the writer(s) were just sitting around one day thinking "there should be a movie with a helicopter chase scene, and monster trucks, then a hot air balloon, and how about a concert at the end." Every movie we've seen that has been little heard of but has an impossibly spectacular cast in it has been a big disappointment. This movie further confirmed that experience. In short, it royally sucked.
Rebel Without a Cause: I liked this more than I thought I would because I often don't enjoy really old movies, as the acting is typically cheesy and fakey. That wasn't the case with this movie though. It wasn't great by today's standards, but I could see a little bit of why it's an undeniably legendary piece of movie history. It probably addressed emotions and lifestyles of teens that the kids of that day hadn't seen on the big screen before. It's also interesting to watch the Brad Pitt of that time period, James Dean, at the start of his short-lived moment of glory. He even looked like him a little bit. If you've never seen it and want to experience a little bit of American culture, then I'd recommend it, but be prepared for quality that's understandably (given its age) below today's standard of moviemaking.
Snatch: Similar to Guy Ritchie's first big movie, Lock Stock, and a Couple of Smoking Barrels, the plot of this flick intermingles the lives of several characters, or groups of characters. In this one though, the common thread is a huge diamond that end up changing hands more than Lisa Marie Presley changes husbands. Great cinematography and a clever score provide additional enjoyment to a movie that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face, if only because the twists and surprises just don't stop.
The Gangs of New York: I like actions movies as much as the next guy, but the almost three hours of violence, not to mention the pathetic, corrupt lifestyle exhibited by 99% of the numerous characters, was just more that I could enjoy. I was pleased and relieved when the movie finally ended, wishing that the end solution to the armpit of a town that was the setting could have occurred after the first chaotic battle scene, instead of the second.
The Good Girl: Despite the rave reviews this movie received from the critics, I thought it blew. Here's why: Jennifer Anniston's character lives a pathetic, boring life, so instead of doing something constructive with herself, she has an affair, and the web of lies begins. To top it all off, when she finally has a chance to redeem herself in the end, she lies again, placing blame on an innocent co-worker for no reason except to cause more hurt for her husband, frustration for the audience, and to make fun of Christians, whom the co-worker happened to be. The final message of the movie was this: if life and marriage completely sucks, just have a baby and everything will be ok.
The Ring: We went to see this movie on Halloween night. It was wonderfully creepy and scary. Even more impressive to me is that is accomplished this with very little gore and plenty of suspense and cinematography, which is really how a great scary movie should be. I actually had goose bumps for many scenes during our viewing experience. Amanda was scared for the rest of the night too. If you are mentally depraved like me and enjoy the experience of being frightened occasionally by a scary movie, then I highly recommend this one.
Undisputed: While boxing was a major part of this movie, it primarily centered around the mentality and history of the movie's two main characters. It contrasted their decisions, thoughts, and different approaches to life. It also dug in a little bit into the motivation of the fighters participating in, as well as some of the history of, the pugilistic arts. If presented realistically enough, I usually enjoy a good fight movie, and with actors like Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames and Peter Falk you can't go wrong. Great guy movie not only for the action, but also for the story and philosophy presented by the main characters.
Windtalkers: I enjoyed learning a little about the history of the "Windtalkers", the World War II Navajo Indians whose language was used as an unbreakable code for battlefield communications, but the rest of the movie was long and annoying. Nicholas Cage's character becomes an explosion dodging Rambo whose every bullet hits its mark, which is annoying enough. This is coupled with a stupid pseudo-love story between a pathetic nurse who continues to write him despite the fact that there was no real relationship developed between them to begin with. Granted, I enjoy action in movies, but the continuous battle scenes and sad character portrayal just got stale after two hours.