I've watched a lot of classic movies in my time. I think the #1 thing that disqualifies me from cinephile circles is that I hold no special regard for "The Godfather." But perhaps #2 on the list is that I have no special appreciation of Stanley Kubrick.
But one movie I don't dissent on is "Dr. Strangelove." I do like "Strangelove" and I do think it is a classic. And it's so rare that a comedy ages so well. 1964 here.
When I was a kid, they showed "Dr. Strangelove" on PBS and I remember being shocked and somewhat traumatized by Slim Pickens sitting on the nuke as it drops from the bomber. The whole idea of comedy/satire was beyond me, I just found it scary.
It seems to me that "The Insider" is an underrated classic.
There's an interesting phenomenon here They say the movie makes them question the government and the News stories they're told, etc. - that's all well and good - but they believe the movie implicitly. Why is one form of storytelling more trustworthy than the other?
If you haven't seen "Awakenings," go watch it before watching this.
This is one of my favorite films, I think it's Robin Williams' best performance and Robert De Niro's best performance. Fun fact: the nurse love interest is Julie Kavner, who you usually know as Marge Simpson.
Similar to "Twins," another wide-release, crowd-pleasing, mainstream movie that we don't get anymore, it seems.
A little depressing that the Billy Crystal character has a mid-life crisis when he's younger than I am. Of course he also thinks his life sucks when he has a steady job, a wife and kids. Best not think about it too much.
Cassie's final thoughts in this reaction include the sentiment that "They don't make movies like this anymore." That got me thinking... I think I agree. Yes, that's become a trope but I believe it to be true. But, for the life of me, I can't figure out why. It's not Shakespeare, it's not the smartest or most elaborate movie of all-time, it's just a simple, fun, buddy comedy. In fact, I don't know if I'd even call this a "smart" comedy - this is a not-stupid, charming, general-audience pleasing light comedy. That's the bar we seemingly aren't able to reach.
Am I blinded by nostalgia? Was there a fundamental change of culture? Have studios decided they're not profitable? (And even if the latter is so, a movie of this type could easily be done independently.)
This is the movie equivalent of the secret formula of Coca-Cola. I intuit that it should be reproducible yet no one is reproducing it.
And one more mystery while we're here...
The movie makes it clear that the engine/suitcase is worth $5 million. The movie makes it abundantly, perfectly clear that the engine/suitcase is worth $5 million. And then at the end, Devito says that by turning it into the authorities, they got a $50,000 reward when they could have had $4 million.
I've wondered about this for decades. Is that an obvious mistake or are they implying that Vincent is still dishonest, and muddling the happy ending?
"Gladiator" is one of those classics that I should be re-watching consistently but, in reality, I can't tell you the last time I watched it. The first time I saw it in the theater, it was such an intense, transcendent, experience but then every time I watched it thereafter I found I liked it a little less each time. So I stopped the bleeding.
If you've followed along, Carly is not a fan of violence in movies so watching "Gladiator" is at least a precarious proposition, if not a very bad idea.
I never put it together that Oliver Reed is in this as Proximo (the gladiator owner). All I know of him comes from the disastrous "Late Night" interview. His excellent performance is possibly due to the fact that he promised Ridley Scott he would not drink during production. According to Wikipedia, he went to an Irish bar, was challenged to a drinking match, accepted, and died of a heart attack. The rest of his scenes had to be completed with a body double and CGI.
Growing up, we never had advent calendars. I remember my friend had one in 1st or 2nd grade but that was it. Whenever I would watch this movie, the thing that would fill me with Christmas awe and wonder was the advent calendar. As the date of the calendar increases, childlike joy and excitement build inexorably.
Cassie watches "Austin Powers 2" for the first time.
By total coincidence, I re-watched this movie recently. It's a very uneven movie and a lot of it falls flat. The character of Fat Bastard seems like an old relic, the plot isn't even trying to make sense, there's never been anything funny about the coffee/lab scene...
The musical numbers. When Austin introduces a Burt Bacharach number, it's completely appropriate. But then when Dr. Evil sings "One of Us" I was baffled and wondered how many people today are even aware of that song. Finally you get to Dr. Evil singing "Just the Two of Us" and it's a "jump the shark" level of bonkers. Why are there so many musical interludes?
Still, the good jokes outnumber the bad and so if you look at it as a series of gags - which it is - and you add to it the extreme nostalgia of seeing it during a college summer, it's an enjoyable movie. I have my criticisms but I don't want to go too far.
Cassie has reached the end of her goal to watch the most important "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes. In this episode, she watches the series finale.
She's certainly going to go on to the TNG movies but we know how that goes...
I've never really penetrated what the Coen Brothers are trying to say with "No Country for Old Men." I have a general guess but that's it. Even so, it is a masterpiece in the aspect of creating tension and dread.
This episode includes the famous "Darmok" episode.
"Unification" guest stars Stephen Root and I'm blown away. He plays a Klingon and he is absolutely unrecognizable, both visually and voice-wise. Even now that I know that it's Stephen Root I still don't understand.
