Two Movies With Very Different Takes on Feeling Free

What, movie night 2 weeks in a row?!? Can't be! Yup...it happened. The schedules of five people somehow allowed us to hold movie night 2 weeks in a row. And with Brooke and Chuck's wedding just a week away, it's a wonder either of them were able to concentrate (ok, well at least Brooke...Chuck's probably not too worried about it!). Going into this movie night, it was a given there would be some sleepers for the second movie because pick #1 was a lengthy one. But, we made it through, Chuck and Brooke got home safely, and now we wait a few more weeks until we meet again. On to the reviews...

Titanic
Picked by: Steph
Why Picked: "Because Dave refused to watch it with me...but the rules about movie night require him to sit through it! I've always thought it was a great movie and wanted him to see it."

Brooke: Two thumbs up!
I am so glad that Chuck finally saw this movie. This is one of my favorite movies, not only for the great love story, but that it's based on an actual event that is still hard to believe really happened. Leo should have won an Oscar for this.

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
Overall it's a good movie, but very long. If you haven't seen it, you should have a snack and get comfortable.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
I've only seen this movie once before - in the theatre...so I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. Thankfully, it was better. Seriously - I am an extremely restless person and the 3+ hours just flew by.

Dave: Two thumbs up!
It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I liked the spin they put on it at the beginning. Oh, and "that iceberg was the devil"

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
I have seen this movie before a couple times. Good movie. A little too long, but a good story. I am a little shocked that everyone gave it two thumbs up! Way to go Dave and Chuck, I'm impressed. Before the movie Dave kept saying "It's this (arms spread out wide) then this (gesture of a crash)". He was soooo not looking forward to this movie, I'm glad he liked it!

Gardenstate
Picked by: Stacy
Why Picked: I think that most people, whether or not they admit it, go through periods of time when they feel emotionally empty. I can very closely relate to the character played by Zach Braff, so this movie really hits home with me. It's important for me to share this movie because I feel like it gives a little glimpse into my own head sometimes.

Brooke: Two thumbs up!
I've never seen this movie all the way though. I enjoyed it. Not a big fan of Natalie Portman, but I like her in this character. Good job Zach Braff!

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
I really like the flaming arrows, but I think it was a little sad overall. His friends remind me of high school.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
I loved this movie although I dozed off for 10 minutes (have seen it before though). Killer soundtrack!! Loved Zach Braff's character and what he stood for.

Dave: Two thumbs up!
I really like Portman's character in this movie.

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
There's beauty in the breakdown. Still in my top 3 favorite movies, even after seeing it 5 times.

The movie is very sad overall Chuck, welcome to the inside of my head (-: Having battled depression since the age of 15, I have never believed in taking medication for it. I don't necessarily want to feel the way I do sometimes, but I also don't want to be completely numb. At the end of the movie, I want to know, what do they do? How do they end up? Is her existence really all he needs to free himself from his state of numbness? Or does he just go back to it a few months down the road, leaving her a crumpled mess that probably would have been better off not ever meeting him? I want a sequel.

You Are Not Forgiven for Being a Jerk!

Being almost a month in the making, I think we were all ready for a great movie night. I got to see two movies I had not seen before - a Western and a Steve Martin comedy. Two movies that I never would have taken the time or had the desire to watch on my own. Although I was greatly looking forward to movie night, I admit I had set myself up for disappointment, assuming I was not going to care for either of the movies. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised. And that is what this movie club is all about. Oh, and Brooke - thanks for the delicious jerk chicken, oh I mean Italian chicken! (-: On to the reviews...

Unforgiven
Picked by: Brooke
Why Picked: "I wanted to watch the movie Gene got his second Oscar for" (Gene Hackman is Brooke's great Uncle)

Brooke: Two thumbs up!
Gene Hackman rocks! I am not a big fan of Westerns, but this movie kept my attention. What ever you do, don't go cutting up any whores or Clint will kill you!

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
I like the way that he was trying to forget the past, but in the end you can't run from your past.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
I liked the movie alot - but I did not like the beatings. Clint Eastwood is a bad-ass!

Dave: One thumb up, one thumb down
I'm glad he got his revenge at the end, but sad that his friend had to die. That's all I got.

Stacy: One thumb up, one thumb down
Not a movie I would ever watch on my own, but I enjoyed it. Except for the jerk chicken getting to me!

A little slow at times, but overall I liked the characters and thought both Gene and Clint were great. It's kinda crazy that the really young kids were spontaneously left alone to fend for themselves, and all the pigs were getting sick. Wonder what they were gonna eat?

The Jerk
Picked by: Dave
Why Picked: "Just wanted to see a classic Steve Martin film"

Brooke: One thumb up, one thumb down
What was with the singing? Some funny parts but it is not what Chuck made it out to be.

Chuck: One thumb up, one thumb down
Some of the movie was funny, and some was dumb. But I would watch it again.

Steph: One thumb up, one thumb down
Funny - but also annoying at the same time. So glad Navin got to find his special purpose in life.

Dave: Two thumbs up!
If you have seen this movie, then "you're somebody now"

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
I actually really liked it! It was cracking me up! Lighthearted and so stupid really, but I was entertained. Glad I've seen it.

A Barrel of Laughs and a Head Spinning Horror

Last week the movie club got together to watch Chuck's pick Dumb & Dumber and my pick The Exorcist. We cooked hot dogs and Chuck brought pizza. In the spirit of the road trip to Aspin, oops I mean Aspen, we sipped on Big Gulps from the gas station!

On to the reviews...

Dumb & Dumber
Picked by: Chuck
Why Picked: "I picked this movie because it always makes me smile!"



Brooke: Two thumbs up!
Great movie. Very funny. Even though I haven't seen the movie in at least five years, I can still remember all the lines and they are still funny.

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
This is an instant classic. I could watch this film over and over.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
Took me back to Old Navy days. We had like 3 movies in the break room to watch during our 1 hour lunch breaks. I've never seen the whole movie from start to finish, but have seen every part at some time. Loved it!

Dave: Two thumbs up!
I have seen this movie 50+ times and it still makes me laugh out loud. One of my favorite movie lines ever - "Big Gulps eh...well see you later"

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
This movie cracks me up! Great soundtrack too!

The Exorcist
Picked by: Stacy
Why Picked: I enjoy a good horror flick. Problem is, there aren't that many good horror flicks. This one is supposedly pretty good.



Brooke: One thumb up, one thumb down
I respect the classic movie that it is, but I remember this movie being a lot better.

Chuck: One thumb up, one thumb down
I am stunned by the slow progression of the movie. But as an old movie it was on the cutting edge for its time.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
Beginning was definitly slow moving and I was getting pissed that the DVD froze up. Being that this was made in 1973, it definitly deserves two thumbs up. Although it was vulgar, it was definitly ahead of its time.

Dave: One thumb up, one thumb down
I need the voice to make anything I have to say meaningful, so "Lick me"

Stacy: One thumb up, one thumb down
This was quite vulgar! Lick me, lick me...slow moving in some parts (and sometimes because the DVD kept freezing) but overall pretty good.

Silence of the Lambs & Memento

Stacy: "What dessert should we make for movie night?"

Steph: "Well, what movies are we watching?"

Stacy: "Silence of the Lambs and Memento"

Steph: "OOOOH - you should make Lady Fingers! You know...since he eats people!"

So I decided to make a yummy dessert that used Lady Fingers in the recipe. After wasting at least 30 minutes roaming the aisles of Target and Acme for a 3 ounce package of Lady Fingers as my recipe called for, I threw my hands in the air and decided to make the Ice Cream Pie from the side of the Whoppers Candy container. It was actually quite tasty, and if you're a fan of Whoppers, I highly recommend trying it! For dinner, Brooke made very tasty chili and cornbread - and even though it wasn't a chilly day outside, I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner!

On to the reviews...

Silence of the Lambs
Picked by: Dave
Why Picked: A classic movie the wife needed to see.







Brooke: Two thumbs up!
A great scary movie - well, my kind of scary movie. I have seen this movie a couple times, but I never noticed the captain from Monk and the lesbian from Grey's were in it!

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
I really like the way the story leads you in many directions. It's a movie to make you think, do FBI women wear pearl earrings?

Steph: Two thumbs up!
"Put the fucking movie on your list!" (spoken in the tone of "put the fucking lotion in the basket!") I loved this movie! Simply cannot wait to see the others (Manhunter, Red Dragon, etc.). I cannot believe that I didn't see this movie until now. Right up my alley! And how about Dr. Haan?!?

Dave: Two thumbs up!
A great psycho thriller that will keep your attention until the very end. Best line in a movie "I'm having an old friend for dinner"

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
I've caught this movie on TV two or three times, but apparently I never saw about the first 30 minutes of it before! This is a great film - keeps me on the edge of my seat most of the time. Of all the movies in the lists that I have seen before, I think I was most excited to see this one make Dave's list.


Memento
Picked by: Steph
Why Picked: "Because I remembered watching it several years ago and being baffled. I thought it would be a good movie to watch in a group and discuss.








Brooke: One thumb up, one thumb down.
So........who was that guy?

Chuck: One thumb up, one thumb down.
I like the way the movie goes in parts from end to start.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
Definitely kept my attention and I think I got it figured out. Who knows. My ADD is making it hard to focus on the facts and the sequence of everything.

Dave: One thumb up, one thumb down
What?

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
Wow this is a crazy movie. I have so many questions. The extras on the DVD helped put all the pieces together.

Whenever I watch movies, I'm usually pretty good at noticing some mistakes in filming, like things out of place within the same scene or something that just missed editing. So during this movie, since it is played from end to beginning, I was trying really hard to catch something that didn't add up. And the only thing I noticed is I think when they show the phone number for Teddy on the picture, it's always the same, but when they shot the scene when he writes the phone number on the picture, I swear he writes a different number - 1134 instead of 0134. I didnt want to stop the movie and rewind since 4 other people were watching, so I don't know for sure. At any rate, I really enjoyed this movie. I was getting very sleepy towards the end, but was watching so intently because I didnt want to miss a piece of the puzzle. And at the end, I still was trying to figure it out. It's kind of like watching an episode of Lost - at the end, you think you're starting to figure things out, but it only leaves you with more questions.

The Graduate and The Drunk...

Last night's movie night was one month in the making. It had been an entire month since the group last got together for movie night, and I was like a little kid when Friday finally came. Although we've been doing this movie club thing for just a short time, it's the thing I look forward to the most. Last night I was in charge of dinner - stuffed shells, garlic bread, and salad. I love to cook, and really enjoy cooking for other people, so I had even more reason to be excited. So someone please tell me why I insisted upon drinking way too much wine, causing me to literally pass out during the second movie. I am very disappointed in myself, and I feel awful for crashing movie night. I woke up on the couch at 3:30 in the morning, and battled the usual hangover crap until about 1:30 this afternoon. And the wine wasn't even that good.


We watched The Graduate and The Machinist. I had not seen either, and as it stands now, I need to re-rent The Machinist. On to the reviews...


The Graduate
Picked by: Stacy
Why Picked: A twisted love story with turmoil and confusion. Sounds good to me! Obviously, I need to see the movie that created a label - Mrs. Robinson - for a woman having an affair with a younger man.

Brooke: One thumb up, one thumb down
I was expecting so much more. It was funny when he was so nervous about his first time. I have questions about the plot.

Chuck: One thumb up, one thumb down
For the time the movie was set, it was funny. But I don't get one thing - if you live in California, you don't have tan lines.

Dave: One thumb up, one thumb down
I have no opinion about this movie at all. Just overall strange. Not sure why it is a classic. Although it was nice to see Principle Feeny!

Steph: Two thumbs up!
I liked the movie, but I was expecting so much more. I felt the relationship with the daughter lacked the passion to back up such a dramatic alter scene, but whatever.

Stacy: One thumb up, One thumb down
I enjoyed the movie, taking into consideration that in the 1960's, movies were a little bit different than they are now. It had me chuckling a few times, and it was pretty good overall. But, the soundtrack was quite repetitive, the cinematography left a little to be desired, and the "sexual attraction" between Ben and Mrs. Robinson left A LOT to be desired. There seemed to be zero connection between the two of them, leaving me to wonder why he was partaking in the affair to begin with. Then, he goes on one extremely awkward date with the daughter Robinson, she finds out about him and her mother, and then they plan on getting married? There was a large disconnect between the emotions presented by the characters and the events that resulted from those supposed emotions. It's not one of my favorites, but I am glad that I have seen it now. And dad, your Plastics scene was great (-:


The Machinist
Picked by: Brooke

Brooke: Two thumbs up!
The first time I saw this movie, the end blew me away. I love that is was so dark and the weird music really goes.

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
The idea that you can change reality in your own mind is both amazing and scary. Side note, the way he became the character is incredible.

Dave: Two thumbs up!
Good movie, I liked all the twists and turns that kept you guessing. All came together 5 minutes after it was over. Sweet...nice.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
Great movie. I kinda guessed the plot about halfway through but was still in suspense the entire time. I love all the hidden foreshadowing - and especially his shirt "Justice Brothers Race car Repair". Wow. I think I'll have to watch this one again!


Stacy: Two thumbs up!
Okay, so I did pass out during this movie, but I saw the first 45 minutes or so, and that at least deserves two thumbs up. I actually am very upset that I was unable to see the whole movie. I will be renting it and watching it, probably on my day off next Friday if not this Sunday, and I will write my whole review then. Brooke, I am sorry that I was not coherent during your movie pick and assure you that I will no longer be drinking during movie nights (-:

Movie Withrawal

I'm going through movie withdrawal! We weren't able to get together this past Friday because I had a wedding rehearsal dinner to go to. And we won't be getting together again until March 13th because of Chuck's work schedule. But...I'll get to see two more movies I have never seen, so I guess it should be worth the wait!

Up next...The Graduate and The Machinist

A Change in Plans...

It was Steph's and my turn to pick the movies for last night - Steph picked Primal Fear (with Richard Gere) and I picked The Graduate. I was super excited for this movie night because I have never seen either of the movies. When we popped in the DVD of The Graduate, we discovered it was damaged and would not play. So, my movie pick was replaced with Chuck's pick of Halloween - and The Graduate will have to wait until next time. )-:

Brooke and Chuck made tacos for dinner, and Brooke found awesome Movie Night paper plates to use. And, in the spirit of The Graduate, she rolled and tied the napkins to look like diplomas. She's so creative! Dinner was delicious! On to the reviews...

Primal Fear (with Richard Gere)
Picked by: Stephanie
Why Picked: " I picked this movie because I remembered being completely surprised at the ending. Plus, I like Edward Norton and think that he did a great job in this role. Oh...and a recent Mentalist episode with a similar twist had me thinking about this movie.

Brooke: Two thumbs up!
I have never seen this movie. I really enjoyed it. Edward Norton was awesome and talented. I thought the ending was unexpected.

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
I have seen this move but not for a long time. It's amazing how the end twists.

Steph: Two thumbs up!
Although I have to admit that knowing how the movie ended really sucked the suspense out. Truth be told, I was a little bored, but I did enjoy seeing it again and sharing with with Dave and everyone else.

Dave: Two thumbs up!
I like the movie, it kept my attention well for being a suspense drama. Nice little twist at the end.

Stacy: Two thumbs up!
I enjoyed the movie. Edward Norton did a great job portraying the character. Mmm Mmm Mmm...can't wait for American History X!

Prior to seeing the movie, Stephanie had already told me that there is a twist at the end, and that it plays out very similar to a Mentalist episode we had watched...so I pretty much thought that I wasn't going to be shocked by anything. But I was! There was a twist above and beyond what I had expected! I was pleasantly surprised...I won't ruin it for anyone. It's a good courtroom drama with great acting on everyone's part.

Halloween
Picked by: Chuck

Brooke: One thumb up, one thumb down
A horror classic...but the Rob Zombie version is much scarier.

Chuck: Two thumbs up!
William Shattner makes this movie without starring in it. The mask is his face painted white. The best killers are slow and steady.

Steph:One thumb up, one thumb down
I braced myself for a horror flick...and what I got was zzzzzzzz's. Totally fell asleep for about 1/3 of the movie. Couldn't believe that I was scared to watch. Sorry - ranks with Candyman!

Dave: One thumb up, one thumb down
The tipickle (that's for you Dave) horror film - not that impressed, ranks with Candyman; good before, now sucks my balls!

Stacy: Two thumbs down
Predictable. Not as scary as I was expecting. I was quite bored during the movie. I know it's classic horror, but what kind of idiot just drops the knife at the feet of the killer and walks away? Of course he's not dead. It was kind of neat to see Jamie Lee Curtis so young though- her face looked sooooo long.