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.

:)

8.2 ~ #12

"Braveheart" (1995)

From Netflix: "Enraged at the slaughter of Murron (Catherine McCormack) -- his new bride and childhood love -- legendary Scottish warrior William Wallace (Mel Gibson, who also directed the film) slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule. With vivid battle scenes and a heaping portion of legend, Gibson's epic won five Oscars, including Best Picture."

I REALLY didn't want to watch this film. I remember being nine years old when my dad took my sister and me to the theater to watch this, and my elementary school aged ass walked out of the theater and waiting outside for 2.5 hours because I couldn't stand how ridiculously bloody and horribly sad the movie was...and now here it is on this list, so I can no longer escape it...

Not even fifteen minutes, there's shacks full of hung corpses, the child being called in to check out how his dad's heart was cut out, and then that theme song...which made me actually pause the movie just so I could look this up...(LOL I HAD to! That song was the JAM back in the day...and I've just successfully dated myself LMAO)

Seriously though, this is not a movie to watch at work (which I did) because the movie is a very emotional one to watch...it makes you desperately sad, uncontrollably angry, and you can't unleash your emotions just anywhere. If you are going to watch this movie, make sure you do it in a space where people won't think you're crazy for changing your mood 37 times in the span of three hours.

Oh...I hadn't mentioned this movie is 3 hours long? Well, it is. (Good thing I love all things medieval.)

It's also remarkably violent and gory, which is cool if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not.

The movie is also sad, but in a way that makes you feel grateful for your lot in life. There's a lot of wisdom to be taken away from this movie, if you let it hit you...One to watch at least once, perhaps more often if the violence doesn't bother you...Really a beautiful film...

8.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State" (2005)

From Netflix: "This BBC documentary series tackles one of World War II's -- and history's -- most disquieting and repugnant subjects: the Holocaust and its infamous killing factory, Auschwitz-Birkenau. The location, set up by Nazis and specializing in the atrocious, industrialized extermination of more than one million Jews, is explored in this six-part program, from "Surprising Beginnings" to "Liberation & Revenge.""

300 minutes long. That's 5 hours. WOW.

Needless to say, I watched this in shifts. LONGEST FILM YET.

Oh, another important note, I didn't watch the whole thing.

The "film" is divided in 6 "episodes", and the first one deals with how Auschwitz even came to be, why that site was chosen, etc. Rather boring. Then of course, there's interviews with former nazis that STILL do not see anything wrong with their actions throughout the war. That's enough to make me want to kick an old man in the face, to say the least. Piece of shit humans.

It's a PBS documentary, and it plays out as such. Maybe one day when I'm VERY bored and in the mood to get angry to the point of tears, I'll dig this up again and watch the next episode. Otherwise, don't count on a much more detailed review of this film.

:gives up on this movie:

7.3 ~ #11

"Back to the Future" (1985)

From Netflix: "In this classic sci-fi adventure from director Robert Zemeckis, eccentric inventor Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) turns a DeLorean into a time machine that inadvertently sends his young friend, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), 30 years into the past. While stuck in the 1950s, Marty disrupts his parents' destiny and risks throwing the time-space continuum completely out of whack. The only way back to 1985 now is to get mom and dad to pucker up."

so, I'm finally back! I was met with apprehension when I told my family I'd be doing this project, everyone told me I wouldn't have time..."it's just three movies a week!" said I. "Who doesn't have time to watch three movies in a week?!"

Well, apparently I don't.

Between birthdays, funerals, a full time job, a husband, a room remodel, and running my own business...three movies a week is hard work! Especially considering that most of them are over 2 hours long, or even double-disc sets!

In any case, I am armed with a list of ten movies I need to watch ASAP in order to get back on schedule, and here I go, aiming to watch at least one a day till I'm on track again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back to the Future is a classic. I don't think I know ANYONE that hasn't seen the original at least once. Even the now defunct ride at Universal Studios kicked ass! We own it on VHS, I remember buying it at Burger King when I was a kid, some sort of promotion I guess...

This is movie is all sorts of funny, the soundtrack kicks ass (I love Huey Lewis and the News, and I LOVE that Huey has a cameo early in the film), and the movie really makes you think about and appreciate all the things that had to fall into place just so that your life would be at the place it is now...

Christopher Lloyd is always brilliant, but I think this might have been his best role yet, and Micheal J. Fox could pretty much do no wrong in my eyes (up until Spin City) so he, of course, is awesome in this as well.

Definitely one of those movies that you can watch over and over again, to the point of being able to recite the movie word-for-word (like I and a lot of people I know can) and still be totally cool with watching it again!

NOTE: Tomorrow would be the 54th anniversary of the date Doc Brown discovered the secret of time-travel, the flux-capacitor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, here's the list of movies I have to watch in order to get up to speed...

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
Braveheart
Casablanca
Maxed Out
Chocolat
Citizen Kane
Indie Sex
Clerks
Clockwork Orange

PLUS I'm still waiting on Netflix to send me Apocalypse Now, which has been available for a couple of weeks, yet for some reason they keep skipping it in my queue and sending me the rest of the movies on my list...

Thanks for being patient with me, and I'll be back VERY soon!

7.2 ~ #10

"The Batman Superman Movie" (1998)

From Netflix: "In this animated superstory, The Joker solicits the help of Lex Luthor in a new fiendish scheme, and only the combined superpowers of Batman and Superman can save Metropolis. Will the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader be able to foil the plot of this diabolical duo? Not if the superheroes' alter egos clash as they vie for the attention of the self-reliant Lois!"

I don't know.

I dig comic books. I dig Batman (hell, I've got the Batman logo tattooed on my leg as part of a bigger piece). I LOVE the Joker and especially Harley Quinn (probably the hottest cartoon character that's ever existed. There, I said it.)

Now, why this movie made the list of 101 movies I MUST see before I die, I'm not sure.

I mean, yeah, it kicked ass. Why wouldn't it? Awesome villain, kick ass hero, a Lois Lane-Batman-Superman love triangle...but, I MUST see this? Really? ok...

It was good. I liked it. Hell, I'd even watch it again. Just don't expect it to change your life and shake you to your core. More like, it'll entertain you and remind you of when cartoons rocked (unlike the crap that's around nowadays)

:)