6.3 ~ #9

"Babe" (1995)

From Netflix: "Director Chris Noonan's tale of precocious piglet Babe's (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) struggle to fit in and become a champion sheepherder won the hearts of audiences and critics. Nominated for seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture), Babe won the Visual Effects Oscar, and everything from farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) to the multitude of farm animals to the humble, edgy script is remarkably appealing for kids and adults alike."

I actually own this movie in VHS, and from this you can deduce that I've seen it a zillion times, but could probably stand watching it once more. :)

I learned while researching this movie that apparently it was made in Australia (I :heart: all things Australian, BTW) but it was dubbed in "American" accents before it's US release to make it more consumer friendly. Ridiculous, that we Americans need everything spoon-fed to us, but then again, who knows if the movie would have done poorly if it hadn't been dubbed? This movie was only an hour and half, just the second movie on the list of ten that have gone by that is under 2 hours long.

Random fact: Babe is voiced by the same lady that voiced Chuckie on Rugrats.

This movie totally makes me want to be a vegetarian again. I guess that's what happens when you anthropomorphize animals. It's so sad though, to imagine from an animal's perspective what it must be like to be raised with the sole purpose of being someone else's food. While in that respect, I don't think this movie should be labeled family friendly (I'd find that traumatizing!), I do think this movie has a couple of great messages, besides just being fun to watch: the first is that just because things have always been a certain way doesn't mean that there's not a better way. The other moral I found to this story is that aggression is not the answer, and you can get a lot more accomplished when you work together with other people instead of being a bully.

So yeah. In less than 24 hours I'll be 24 years old, and I still love "Babe".

:)

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For next week, I'll be watching:
#10: "Back to the Future"
#11: "The Batman Superman Movie"
DOTW: "Stripped"

I hope you'll watch along and comment! :)

6.2 ~ #8

"As Good As It Gets" (1997)

From Netflix: "When acerbic, reclusive and obsessive-compulsive author Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) lets stressed-out single mom and waitress Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt) and gay neighbor Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear) and his dog into his life, profound changes await them all in this touching dramedy. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, the film won Oscars for Nicholson's and Hunt's heartfelt performances."

I love this movie.

I've seen it before, many times. I think the reason I've seen so few movies is because once I decide I love a movie, I will watch that same movie a dozen times in a week. Considering that, it's no wonder I hadn't had time to watch a bigger variety of movies.

In any case...

With a cast like this, it's hard for any movie to suck. Add to that a great story, and you've got gold. Jack Nicholson is phenomenal, as always. I don't think this guy has EVER sucked at anything EVER. Greg Kinnear is another one of those guys that is just so GREAT at everything he does, whether he's playing the douchebag, the daddy or the gay artist (like here) he always delivers. I don't personally like Helen Hunt too much, but I really LOVED her in this. And Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a tiny part, but he's good at it.

And the dog that plays Verdell is the bomb.

This is such a great movie. It's funny, it's sad, and it's HUMAN. It tears down walls and makes you see how the characters tick, and when you see all these people on such a real level, it makes their interactions even more interesting. It's got a fantastic message about tolerance, and it also tells you that if you take chances, you might surprise yourself. Definitely a must-see, and entertaining enough that after all these times I've seen it, I only know realized that it's over 2 hours long. Every movie on this list so far with the exception of the first has been at least 2 hours long. Yikes! Good thing with movies like this, you don't feel it. :)

Next up: another movie I can watch over and over, and have: "Babe".

6.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"High: The True Tale of American Marijuana" (2008)

From Netflix: "Filmmaker John Holowach directs this fascinating documentary about the causes and effects of the war on drugs. It also delves into the little-known politics and economics behind the battle and exposes the broken lives and casualties left behind. Holowach examines the infamous drug rehab program Straight, Inc., the fight against pain medicine misuse, the history of the marijuana legalization movement and more."

Boring.

Badly made, the narrator talks over the people she's interviewing, and the film manages to take something interesting and important and find a way to make it boring...there are way better movies about this subject matter out there...

FAIL.

That's all I can say.

That's all I WILL say. Watch only if you wish to pass out.

5.2 ~ #7

"Amistad" (1997)

From Netflix: "Steven Spielberg directed this story about the 1839 revolt aboard Spanish slave ship La Amistad and the uprising's tragic aftermath. An African-born slave (Djimon Hounsou) leads a mutiny against his brutal captors. Because the ship is in American waters, a U.S. court must decide the slaves' fate. In an eloquent courtroom speech, ex-president John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) argues for the Africans' freedom."

To be completely honest, I've been avoided watching this movie. I am very passionate about civil rights and have very strong feelings watching anything having to do with slavery, the civil rights movement, etc. and I was told this is the kind of movie that stirs emotion and makes the most stoic person cry. Well, I have a confession...I am a crier. So I was not looking forward to watching this film at ALL.

It's remarkable to hear how the characters address the slaves that the movie revolves around..."savages", "beasts of burden", "creatures of prey"..they are compared to livestock and heirlooms in one scene. It is so shameful to think that this country was founded in order to escape persecution, and yet every new group of people that has come to this land for exactly that purpose has been met with just that...persecution. Disgusting. Slights like this, I believe, are the reason that though I was born here, I do not consider myself an American but a child of Cubans. I don't wish to identify myself with a country that treats it's immigrants in such a manner just because I had the serendipity to be born here. I appreciate very many things about the liberties I'm given in this country, but as a result I appreciate more the struggles of the people that had to fight to make it this way. And we still have a LONG way to go...

But I digress...

The acting in this film is phenomal...Matthew McConaughey plays probably his best role ever, Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman...well, they never disappoint, do they? And Djimon Hounsou is so beautiful and haunting in his role...he really makes you feel his desperation and his strength without words, just through his eyes. Amazing.

Wow. Saying I cried watching this movie would be an understatement. Sobbed intermitently through the last hour and a half is more like it. There was a full 8 minutes about an hour and 15 minutes in where I couldn't breathe because the sobs were coming so hard...

I don't know if I would watch this movie again. It was very hard to watch and remarkably sad to imagine that people had to go through exactly this. That being said, it is a beautifully made and remarkably acted movie that everyone should watch at least once, if only to appreciate it cinematically, but ideally to take away the story with you and let it be a part of you...because the fact is that if you live in America, this story, regardless of whether you've heard it or seen it, IS a part of you.

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The other movie for this week, "Apocalypse Now", had a "short wait" indicator on Netflix, so I will be watching it and reporting on it as soon as it's available...

For week 6:
#8: "As Good As It Gets"
#9: "Babe"
DOTW: "High: The True Tale of American Marijuana"

5.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Modify" (2005)

From Netflix: "Introducing viewers to people who've explored branding, piercing, tattooing, tongue splitting and every body modification imaginable, this striking documentary plumbs the thoughts of artists and their human canvases to reveal how and why they've gone to such extremes to express themselves. The groundbreaking film also features an original soundtrack from more than 20 new musical artists."

The first thing I have to mention is that the quality of the movie on the Netflix streaming function is BEYOND crap. That is of course, no fault of the movie itself, but it did affect my experience of watching it.

Another note: this movie is NOT for the squeamish. It deals with several different forms of body modification, including a graphic and in-depth look at plastic surgery. If you don't like blood and guts, prepare to look away in some parts! it was gross enough that I let the movie run and just listened to it without watching it for about 4 minutes because I couldn't handle all the insides I was seeing...

And...there's LOTS of UP CLOSE GENITALS getting pierced. You have been warned.

That being said, I am way too squeamish for this movie. Watching this is a challenge...

I am all for freedom of expression, and I myself at my peak had three tattoos (well, I still have those) and had 12 piercings (I've only got 8 now), but I just can't handle WATCHING someone getting these things done. The tattooing is the least of it, that I'm fine with watching. Even the piercings for the most part aren't so difficult to watch. But when they start getting into the surgeries, the suspensions, and the skin implants, it becomes a but much for me. I don't know if it's because I imagine the pain of that act, or if it's just my natural "that's-not-natural" urge, but I can't help but shield my eyes or look away for most of this film.

In any case, it's remarkable to hear the stories of the people featured in the movie and to find out why they have done the things they have, and the motivation behind their modifications...I always like to hear stories behind people's tattoos, and everyone of mine has a story behind it. Piercings I usually have done just because I think they look good, but I also kinda like the attention. Everyone has their reasons, some spiritual, some for shock value, but always something unique because each of these people are unique. It also shows how damn near everyone in our society has had a body modification at some point, and yet they still are prejudiced against people that have had modifications that are perhaps a bit different than theirs.

Definitely worth watching, super interesting film...even if you end up looking away half the time like I did :)

4.3 ~ #6

"Amadeus" (1984)

From Netflix: "F. Murray Abraham earned a Best Actor Oscar for his imperious performance as Antonio Salieri, a mediocre composer whose churlish young rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), wins immortality with his musical genius. Not happy to see his talent eclipsed, Salieri dons a disguise and deviously plots revenge, obsessed with muffling Mozart's maddening laughter. Milos Forman's masterful drama also won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director."

Longest movie yet, clocking in at 2 hrs, 40 min. Good thing it was interesting, otherwise that would have sucked. It was actually a very enjoyable movie.. I watched it with my little brother and my father, both of whom had seen it before (I told you I was doing this project for a reason LOL).

The story is told in flashbacks by a character by the name of Salieri, a colleague of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The character of Mozart is a braggart, arrogant, dirty-minded and selfish...an eternal child in the worst sense. He has a grating laugh and a sense of entitlement that is understandable from a child star, but irritating nonetheless. He is forward with his thoughts, salacious with his words, and thinks only of himself and his music. After watching this movie, I'd love to read a biography of him, just to see which of his traits were exaggerated, if any.

Salieri grows up wanting nothing more than to have the musical talent to praise God through music, and to be known by the people around him for his talent. He lives a chaste and humble life, so that God may reward him with the gift he craves. He is obsessed with Mozart's talent, and thinks God sings through his compositions. So when he meets Mozart and discovers he is a vulgar brat, he wonders why God would "choose such an obscene child to be his instrument". He takes this, among many other happenings, as personal slights against him from God himself, and decides he must do drastic things to have even half the glory of Mozart, whom he considers an enemy.

Mozart is admirable in that he lives as pure ID in a time where everyone else ran on pure superego. He just lives his passion and ignores any societal responsibility that interferes with his good time. Salieri seems to suffer from severe delusions of grandeur, as he seems to look at everything that happens in the world around him, from deaths to the failures of his colleagues, as something that God is doing directly as a favor to him or in order to spite him. This movie also shows the amazing things that people are capable of doing and thinking of when they allow themselves to truly be overcome by something.

Very good movie, overall :)

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For next week:

DOTW: "Modify"
#7: "Amistad"
#8: "Apocalypse Now"

Watch along! Discuss! Tell your friends! And thanks for reading! :)

4.2 ~ #5

"American Beauty" (1999)

From Netflix: "Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is struggling to endure marriage to uber-realtor Carolyn (Annette Bening), an unfulfilling career and a sullen teenage daughter (Thora Birch). Deep into a midlife crisis, Lester becomes infatuated with a friend (Mena Suvari) of his daughter. Soon, he's quit his job and is working at a fast-food joint in this dazzling blend of social satire and domestic tragedy from director Sam Mendes that scooped up five Oscars."

Another 2 hour wonder. Not that I minded AT ALL.

I've seen this movie a couple times before this week (I lie. More than a couple. I developed a mild obsession with it in high school). I totally see why it's on this list. So much so in fact, that fifteen minutes in, I started it over because my mother had never seen it and I felt she HAD to. Then at about 20 minutes in, I started it over AGAIN because my sister had never seen it, and I felt she HAD to.

The director of this movie had never worked on film before, only in stage productions, and now with my training in photography, I can really appreciate that in the cinematography. The lighting in this movie is PHENOMENAL! The score is amazing as well, which for some reason I never really appreciated before either. Kevin Spacey is mind-blowing as the main character of the film, and Annette Bening is my all time favorite actress ever, so it goes without saying that I loved her in this as well. Everything about the film seems so organic, like we really are catching a glimpse at these people's lives and not watching a movie...And I always cry at the end of this film, no matter how many times I watch it. Not a sad cry, but a so-much-emotion-built-up-inside-you-you-have-to-get-it-out cry. It's a movie that really stirs the soul and makes you truly grateful for every seemingly insignificant thing you've ever encountered or experienced.

This truly is a film that everyone on earth should watch at least once. I credit this movie with teaching me early on that one should always be kinder than maybe one deems necessary at first glance, because EVERYONE is broken, EVERYONE is battling demons, and you never really know what people are dealing with or why they do what they do, sometimes even in situations where you feel you know everything about a person, you might be surprised. I think another great message to take away from this movie is that people need to learn to slow down and just LIVE. Don't be so consumed with making a living that you forget to make a life...and of course, the most important moral of all...

"there's nothing worse in life than being ordinary."