Picks and Pans

[jamesglewisf]

What are the best movies you've seen this year? I liked:

Gladiator
The Patriot
Nurse Betty
X-Men
My Dog Skip
Space Cowboys

I thought Star Wars was dreadfully boring compared to the previous ones.

[jamesglewisf]

If you want to see some old classic movies that are a riot, check out:

You Can't Take it with You
It Started with Eve
The Thin Man
My Man Godfrey
The Philadelphia Story
Arsenic and Old Lace
Harvey

[blinc]

Aha! Someone else who has seen the movie Harvey. The one with Jimmy Stewart and the giant rabbit? Please tell me yes!! I've been trying to convince my husband I'm not crazy, there really was a giant rabbit movie! :D

I loved Arsenic and Old Lace, those two aunts just cracked me up. Great movie!

African Queen was an oldie but goodie too.

So far my favorite movie this year was "The Green Mile", with Tom Hanks.

All around favorite movie ever, is "Empire of the Sun". I adore this movie and have watched it a good half dozen times. The background singing, especially the song, "Suo Gan", just blows me away. The music was done by John Williams, who is one of my favorite movie music people.
(erm... I hope that made sense)

[jamesglewisf]

I already have The Green Mile on DVD. I like just about anything with Tom Hanks. I thought that all of the actors and actresses were excellent in it.

[Carrie Earls]

Best movie I think I've ever seen is the movie-version of Les Miserables. Came out a few years ago.

Anyone else seen it? What did you think?

[jamesglewisf]

If you mean the one with Liam Neeson, I saw it. It was very good, but I don't think it was my favorite of all time.

[Carrie Earls]

That's the one. I can never think of Liam Neeson's name.

A completely clean story of redemption and unconditional love. Pretty good for hollywood, I thought. I was surprised they didn't mess it up.

[jamesglewisf]

Blinc, you are correct about Jimmy Stewart and the giant rabbit.

[jamesglewisf]

I was impressed that The Watcher, a movie about a sicko who stalks and kills women, didn't have any nudity in it. Check out the parental review at kids-in-mind.com (http://www.kids-in-mind.com/W/watcher_2000.htm).

Of course, that doesn't mean it's a great movie, but it was surprising to me.

[jamesglewisf]

Did you know that Clint Eastwood had the rights to Space Cowboys and tabled it because he didn't think anybody would buy the idea of 70-year-olds in space. Then John Glenn went on the Space Shuttle, and Clint dusted off the script and made the movie.

[TTP]

I just watched, "Mystery Alaska," last night. I tell ya I loved the movie and think it was one of the best this year. Most excellent movie...two thummers up!

[Anat]

This year I really liked "Saving Grace" and "Brother where art thou". In the past few years the best there was IMO "The Matrix". Some of the scenes were really choreographed in a breath-taking way.

[Debby]

The Patriot was great!!! But it made me cry...:( and I also loved the Green Mile, though the book was better...Stephen King at his best, scary or not. Poor Mr. Jingles....I cried when I thought he had been crushed....guess I cry alot...LOL

[TTP]

Hey was "Meet Joe Black," this year? Honestly I don't know, if it was that gets my vote now. I just watched it for the first time and loved it!

[jamesglewisf]

I really liked "Meet Joe Black" also. It was an interesting story.

[In_His_Shadow]

I like "Meet Joe Black" also. I didn't have any expectations of the movie because the critics had blasted it. I have come to believe if the critics don't like I probably will and visa versa.

I love old black and white movies. Bringing up Baby with Katherine Hepburn (sp?) and Cary Grant. It was boths first comedy and it was hilarious.

CJ

[Debby]

That was the one with Brad Pitt in it wasn't it? Where he plays death? I think thats the one, It has been awhile since I saw it, but I really liked it, especially the part where he eats peanut butter for the first time..:)

[rs0522]

Watched 'Rob Roy' with Liam Neeson last night. Fairly good, although the sword fighting everyone talked about was not realistic.

Saw 'Remember the Titans'. Did not enjoy it, as I have no faith in the 'football as a metaphor for life' idea and Denzel Washington just does not work as a Vince Lombardi clone. The plot is your basic Rocky in shoulder pads.

The Patriot was also OK but no more.

Rented 'Snake Eyes' with Nicolas Cage last weekend, and could not finish it. The movie existed simply as a series of plot twists, and never gave me any time to identify with any of the characters or get a feel for how the movie should proceed so the plot twists were never surprising. I realized twenty minutes in that every character was guilty of something, and after that I couldn't care less what happened.

My wife and I both liked 'The Matrix', and now she wants to see 'The Cell'.

Has anyone seen the 'Left Behind' video? I am reading the books (and enjoying them - somewhat against my will, since they are not terribly well written and grossly padded), but I cannot find the video. I asked at a local video chain and was told in a rather snooty tone that they did not have it and would not carry it. I think they are missing a bet, but I have trouble finding a lot of non-top 100 videos that I would really like, so don't go by my tastes.

[In_His_Shadow]

You can find the Left Behind movie at any Christian bookstore.

CJ

[kezzer]

WE rented Joseph, King of Dreams for the kids. Very good movie.

[Debby]

i have never heard of Left Behind, but if it is anything like the book and video 666, I want nothing to do with it. When I was about 11, (about 1976) they came out with this book called 666. I don't remember who wrote it...only that the book was pink and white. I read it....I had horrible, horrible nightmares for years after....it was about when christ comes back and what the auther thought was going to happen to the people left behind. It was about a little girl who was about 12, and she had to watch as they cut her parents fingers off and threw them in boiling oil, to get them to give in and accept the mark of the beast...I think it is awful to traumatize people that way.

[Debby]

We rented the movie Frequency tonight and it was excellent!!! I highly recommend it. :)

[blinc]

Meet Joe Black. Man, I had expected so much more from this movie. I really enjoy Anthony Hopkins... but was so surprised at the lack of any real emotional attachments to any of the characters. It was almost a sterile movie as far as being able to get involved in any one of the characters. This movie had such a terrific potential to be so much better. I even watched it a few times - trying to get that "feel" for it. Just didn't happen for me, but maybe because I had anticipated watching this movie for a couple months before seeing it - that I placed unrealistic expectations on it.

They made a movie very similar to this back in the 70's. Can't remember the name right off - but even as much as I detest 70's movies, that one was better then this one.

[Debby]

The funniest thing I remember about Meet Joe Black, was when he was trying to eat the peanut butter. {toothy} I do know what you mean about it, though Blinc...not as good as I expected. :( But it was worth it for me to see Brad Pitt!!! LOL