10.2 ~ #18

"Clerks" (1994)

From Netflix: "Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives."

I love all things Kevin Smith.

EVERYTHING he's ever written, directed, starred in...is GOLD.

Except Jersey Girl, but I love him enough to forgive him for that.

I've only seen Clerks a handful of times...it's a little more grown-up than a lot of the movies Kevin Smith did later on in his career, mostly because it's so verbose. The whole thing takes place inside a convenience store, and is completely dialogue-driven. It's also completely in black-and-white, a trait that they play homage to in the opening of Clerks 2...which I own and have PLAYED OUT. And of course, you can always count on Silent Bob and his one line that seems to wrap up the whole movie in a nice, neat, philosophical package...

Great movie, but maybe I'm biased because I watched movies like Dogma & Mallrats before I watched this one for the first time, so I was already used to the style, plus I already liked a few of the characters. I don't know how I'd feel about this film if I had watched them all in the order in which they were made. This is the first film featuring recurring characters from the View Askewniverse, a badass world that our friend Kevin Smith created.

Great film, though I'd love to discuss it's merits with someone who sees it with new eyes, before being exposed to other works of Kevin Smith...

10.1 ~ #17

"A Clockwork Orange" (1971)



From Netflix: "In this Stanley Kubrick classic based on Anthony Burgess's novel, teenage miscreant Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) wanders aimlessly amid a bleak, futuristic urban landscape, drinking drugged milk and listening to Beethoven with his fellow "droogs." But he also spends his time stealing, raping and beating innocent people in nihilistic orgies of violence, all in an attempt to get his nightly kicks."

The opening scene is BEAUTIFUL, visually at least.

Is the dubbing REALLY off, or is it just my internet connection?

Well isn't that lovely? A beating 4 minutes in, and a rape 6 minutes in.

ok, turns out it WAS my internet connection LOL

(in case you haven't caught on, I'm writing as I watch, if only to make this more tolerable. I have absolutely no motivation to watch this film, and have actually been actively avoiding it.)

Less than 15 minutes in and I'm generally repulsed with myself for allowing myself to continue to watch thus far...

wow it's ridiculous how poorly Netflix streams this movie. That paired with how little I want to watch is making it very difficult to force myself to continue watching...

and a CONSENSUAL threesome less than thirty minutes in. So far, smut for the sake of smut.

"Api-poli-logies"? British people have the weirdest slang...Why bother making a slang term for something if it's just going to be longer or otherwise more difficult to spit out than the regular word?

Alright, props to me. I got through 45 minutes of it with awful lag and crap, well, everything (even WITH the giant penis statue). I suppose it's not fair to judge the whole 130 minute film on the first 45 minutes, but if I had to, I would say 100% utter crap. Perhaps I'll give it a chance again at a later date and under different circumstances, but certainly for now, I've had enough.

:signing off:

5.3 ~ #16

"Apocalypse Now" (1979)

From Netflix: "Francis Ford Coppola's timeless epic adapts Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to the Vietnam War, where special operations Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) must travel deep into the Cambodian jungle to locate and kill the mysterious -- and insane -- Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). This double feature includes the 1979 Oscar-winning masterwork set in the Vietnam War, along with the re-edited and expanded 2001 director's cut, Apocalypse Now Redux."


Finally got around to watching this. I've had it at home for almost 2 whole months and I couldn't bring myself to watch. I'd seen a few scenes of this when I was in middle school and I expected something REALLY gory and sad, what I got instead was almost three hours of BLAH.

I really couldn't make myself care enough to pay full attention. Maybe I missed something crucial that would make me understand it's brilliance, but although I watched the whole thing, I'm pretty sure I could have lead a full existance without ever having seen this.

Dennis Hopper was the best part of the movie...he was only in it for about 20-30 minutes at the end, but his acting made the whole movie. I really hope he won something for his role...though true to the film, I don't care enough to actually look it up and see for sure.

Well, at least now I can say I've seen it, though that's all I can say about it.

Trying to get back on track, though at this point I think it's safe to say that the schedule is screwed...but I will do my best to catch up on the list as quickly as possible! :)

9.3 ~ #15

"Citizen Kane" (1941)

From Netflix: "Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane, which, in essence, was a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Welles's complex and technically stunning film chronicles Kane's rise from poverty to become one of America's most influential men -- and it's considered one of the best movies ever made."

Great movie.

It probably would have been better if I hadn't already know what Rosebud was before I watched it, or maybe it would have been a huge letdown if I found out when I was supposed to. Yes, I think so.

The movie had a wonderful cast, no one I had ever seen or heard of before, but wonderful because all movies of this time were driven on plotlines and delivery rather than pyrotechnics and CGI. I particularly liked the actor that played the title character, though he must not be any big name because he doesn't even appear on Netflix's description of the movie. (Scratch that. Apparently he doesn't appear as the star because he appears as the director...the film was directed by and starred Orson Welles. I'm going to have to find out more about this dude...)

Very good film, definitely one to watch at least once. Teaches a lot about perception...




Next up: "Apocalypse Now" (finally lol)



(EDIT: how COOL! Orson Welles died THE DAY BEFORE I was born. Maybe I was put on this earth to replace him LOL)

9.2 ~ #14

"Chocolat" (2000)

From Netflix: "Blown in by the north wind, an iconoclastic single mother (Oscar nominee Juliette Binoche) and her young daughter move into a peaceful French village and open an uncommon chocolate shop during the height of Lent -- directly across the street from a church. At first, the shop's rich, sensuous desserts scandalize the town. But the villagers (including Judi Dench, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp) soon learn to savor the sweetness."

So, I love Judi Dench. If you didn't know this about me, know you do. :)

Also, I love France, I feel close to it...my name is French, and when I was little I imagined that I was born in the wrong place, as I was obviously supposed to be European...I learned to count to ten in French, and then took a class in college, but I have yet to visit my "homeland"...

This film is very clever, and very funny...I actually laughed out loud on several occasions, my husband thought I was crazy listening to me watch it. I love movies that are funny on the basis of wit, and not because of vulgarities, etc...although those movies have their place as well ;)

The cast is incredible...Judi Dench, of course, but also Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina (LOVE him!), Johnny Depp...every role in this film is exceptionally played. I definitely would recommend you watch this movie when you want something light-hearted and kind of chick flick-y.

:)

9.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Maxed Out" (2006)

From Netflix: "With sobering facts and black humor, this thought-provoking documentary unveils the consequences of our collective addiction to debt -- including its contribution to the vanishing act of a once-robust American middle class. Investigating both Americans' personal debt and the government's growing national debt, the film explores the staggering financial burden we live with every day and sheds light on the contemporary financial industry."

The review of this movie will be short and sweet: the film itself is rather slow, but I URGE everyone to watch this movie and PAY ATTENTION. There is very important information in this movie that every American should know, especially in this time of economic hardship.

Nothing else to say, really. The movie speaks for itself.

8.3 ~ #13

"Casablanca" (1942)

From Netflix: "In this Oscar-winning classic, American expat Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) plays host to gamblers, thieves and refugees at his Moroccan nightclub during World War II … but he never expected Isla (Ingrid Bergman) -- the woman who broke his heart -- to walk through that door. Isla hopes that with Rick's help, she and her fugitive husband (Paul Henreid) can escape to America. But the spark that brought the lovers together still burns brightly."

Can you believe I've never seen this before? Cuz most people do not believe it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this movie. It's romantic, dramatic, witty...it has action, intrigue, superb acting...You really feel connected to each character. And there are so many phrases from this movie that people use all the time! I didn't realize how many well-known phrases could come from one film!

I didn't cry, however. It's supposed to be this tremendously sad movie, and I didn't even get teary. This is a remarkably odd thing, considering that even commercials make me sob...

ok, maybe I got teary at the end. It's tragic stuff...

This movie totally lives up to its hype. People say it's a classic not just for show, but because it is a CLASSIC. What an amazing movie, perfection even. Everyone should see this movie, though chances are, you already have.

:)