Because my poor movie thread on OB is basically dead, I'll continue updates here. Um, and they normally won't be this long -- this is two weeks worth of updates here (and a busy two weeks at that!).
They Live (1988): "Rowdy" Roddy Piper + paranoid horror. What's not to love? The beginning is actually quite different than what I anticipated -- it sets up the rough life Roddy's character lives and the economic, social and cultural frustrations many people were feeling at the time. Then it gets into taking down the extraterrestrial forces that are subjugating the masses with subliminal mind control. My kind of movie.
The Terminator (1984): A definite science-fiction/horror classic, but watching it again, it's funny how '80s it is. Just reeks of it (not that I mind, really lol).
The Adolescence of Utena (1999): I've heard mixed things about it, but I'm in the camp that likes the movie, although not as much as the series. It's at least worth watching because it is friggin' gorgeous. I felt legitimately guilty watching it on YouTube. As an abbreviated retelling of the anime, it definitely works better than, say, the RahXephon movie (which I'm not sure I would have liked if I had not seen the anime). Best parts for me, besides the lusciousness, are the stunning fight scenes, short-haired Utena (!!!) and Shiori turning into a car -- a symbol of power in Utena -- after becoming a Chessmaster for a few scenes and then getting gloriously owned by Anthy and Utena. The highest of comedy, I say.
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979): Believe it or not, I have seen maybe one or two episodes of Lupin III, but I loved this. The movie's very funny, it doesn't feel dated at all animation-wise and the action is a ton of fun. It has convinced me to seek out Lupin III (well, this and Lupin III Abridged did the job).
The Professional (1994): I like this a bit less now compared to when I first saw it. My main problem with it is Natalie Portman's character -- the acting is just fine, but the character never strikes me as believable in any way (well, except her reaction to Stansfield being the scariest bastard alive), and it really takes me out of the movie. Kind of a shame, because I like Jean Reno and would probably be frightened of Gary Oldman if I saw him in the street after watching this.
High Plains Drifter (1973): I said it all here, but it bears repeating that this is an excellent western that rises above its genre to present an incredibly interesting story (also, Clint Eastwood is like a 9.8 on the Vengeance Scale here). Maybe not the first western you should see if you're wary of the genre, but give it a shot if you're looking for something different than a straight black-and-white morality tale.
In the Heat of the Night (1967): Good movie with, oddly enough, a story that I actually wasn't too invested in. The interactions between Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) and Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) are more interesting and suspenseful than the mystery they are trying to solve. Most memorable part for me isn't "They call me Mister Tibbs!" but Tibbs laying the smack down on a racist son of a bitch. I imagine that was a really shocking scene when the movie was first released.
Michael Clayton (2007): Liked it much more than I thought I would (legal thriller usually isn't my genre of choice, haha). Best parts are all the scenes with Tom Wilkinson, who definitely deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod (and he probably would have won in a year without Javier Bardem). Don't know if it was one of the five best movies from last year, but it is good.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976): Really good, off-kilter western. It starts off with Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) living solely for vengeance, but as the movie progresses, and he gains more people in his strange posse, he opens up and is able to live life the right way again. The best part of the movie is Eastwood and company took a book written by a former Klansman and segregationist speechwriter (which they didn't know at the time) and turned it into a movie emphasizing strong intercultural ties. Humongous LOL @ the KKK.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1998): Great movie with quite the depressing ending. Also about as violent an animated movie as I have ever seen. Yikes. But the story is as strong as the violence -- Kazuki Fuse is a great character. If you watch this (and you should), also take the time to read about the political sentiment behind the movie, because it is very interesting.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): Just one huge WTF that precariously teeters the line between camp and truly frightening while Joan Crawford and Bette Davis throw their onscreen images out the window. And it is amazing. Crawford plays completely against type as a weak, submissive woman totally dominated by her sister; Davis doesn't play as against type, but she makes up for it by being absolutely batshit insane. Victor Buono is also wonderful as an English pianist hired by Davis to help her on the comeback trail (she was a child star once upon a time). His facial expressions while Davis, er, performs for him are perfect. If you are a fan of weird psychological thrillers, this is the Holy Grail.
Movie Count: 68 (Live Free and Die Hard, Time Bandits, The Hustler, Black Dragon (Miracles), Hollywoodland, Blood Diamond, Animal Crackers, Marie Antoinette, Inside Man, The Fountain, Tombstone, Jurassic Park (Rifftrax), No Country for Old Men, Juno, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Rifftrax), There Will Be Blood, Rize, Born Into Brothels, Eastern Promises, Gone Baby Gone, Hard Candy, The Matrix Reloaded (Rifftrax), Hot Fuzz, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, Phone Booth, The Dark Knight, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Predator, Ratatouille, Renaissance, Pretty in Pink, Scanners, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, Stop Making Sense, The Killing, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rifftrax), Voices of a Distant Star, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Amadeus, Touch of Evil, Paths of Glory, Gangs of New York, Five Easy Pieces, Perfect Blue, Novocaine, A Fish Called Wanda, A Hard Day's Night, Arsenic and Old Lace, Out of the Past, The Lady from Shanghai, The Wild Bunch, The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Bringing Up Baby, Pleasantville, Citizen Kane, They Live, The Terminator, The Adolescence of Utena, The Castle of Cagliostro, The Professional, High Plains Drifter, In the Heat of the Night, Michael Clayton, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?)
