Saving Private Ryan (1998)

I really, really hate war movies, so it's saying a *lot* that I found those movie mostly interesting and overall very touching. The fact that the story was so very personal probably had something to do with it - I really felt like it was about seeing the people deal with war, rather than a Movie About War. It's one of the few war flicks where I *have* felt it was a personal story, and I really appreciated that. It's not going to live in my top 100 of all time or anything, but it's a very solid effort, especially for a genre that I have to work hard to watch. Well done. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: Tom Hanks' monologue about who he was before the war was very moving. I especially liked his line that was something like, "Every time I kill a man, I feel further from home."
Worst Part: I felt like the bookend bits about grown-up Matt Damon were unnecessary. He's so clearly not the main character throughout, but throwing focus to him at the end made it feel like maybe he was *supposed* to be.
Flickchart: #766, below Death at a Funeral and above A Hard Day's Night.

My Week With Marilyn (2011)

I have a fondness for showbiz movies and, even though I am no great Marilyn Monroe fan, I found this film both very interesting and very moving. Michelle Williams does a surprisingly good job (although weeks of watching Smash has made me accustomed to seeing Megan Hilty as Marilyn, so on first view, I thought, "That doesn't look right," but I quickly adjusted). It's a low-key little story, not nearly as flashy as I expected, and, while not often an *exciting* story, it's a compelling one. Even though it's unlikely to stand out in my memory as a great film, it's one I'm glad to have watched. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: The protagonist is a very easy person to root for. I genuinely liked him.
Worst Part: Nothing really stands out. (I suspect that is going to be the problem with this film long-term in my mind - it was fun but nothing *really* stands out, either positively or negatively.)
Flickchart: #536, below Zodiac and above Munich.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

(Warning: spoilers for both this and Take Shelter, which I compare it to.)

This movie reminds me very much of Take Shelter, which I watched not too long ago. Both are about characters who are worrying they're mixing reality with what's in their head, while their family members try to help them but mostly just have to watch them fall apart. Then, in both cases, the movie ends after abruptly confirming that someone else sees the reality our protagnoist sees. Both movies left me going, "But - but what happens now?" However, Take Shelter wins this round because while I *liked* this movie, it didn't grip me on the same emotional level. It's slower and quieter and tells a great story, but at no point was I on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next to Martha. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: The actress playing Martha does do a very good job. I believed her even when I wasn't lured in by the movie as a whole.
Worst Part: I really did feel cheated by that ending, more than I did by Take Shelter's.


Flickchart: #351, below Driving Miss Daisy and above Interview With the Vampire.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

I'm have a fair amount of ambivalence toward this movie. I absolutely loved parts of it - it *looks* absolutely stunning, and is extremely creative and entertaining, very much a new, stylish take on claassic kung fu/samurai movies. My problem with it... Well, I'm not usually one to complain about violence, but for me, the violence has to add something to the story. In Kill Bill, that doesn't seem to be the case. For the most part its extreme violence is simply because it *looks* cool, not because it's adding anything to either the plot or the characters. That's not a use I feel comfortable with (or interested in - I zoned out partway through the giant fight at O-Ren's). It's disappointing, because whenever there *aren't* giant geysers of blood shooting out of people, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. And I do definitely want to see the second part - the story aspect of it is pretty fascinating. It's hard to know where to rank it, so let's give it... 3 stars.


Best Part: The colors in this movie are striking. That seems like an odd thing to choose as a best part, but it really is.
Worst Part: ...Well, I covered most of that up there. If I'm choosing a specific moment, I'm going with the fight scene I zoned out of.

Flickchart: #686, below House of Flying Daggers and above Broken Arrow.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

I don't consider myself a Tarantino fan. I was so bored by Pulp Fiction that I've had to push myself to watch both this and Reservoir Dogs, the only other one I've seen of his. However, it might *just* be Pulp Fiction I don't like, because I liked Reservoir Dogs and LOVED this. A thoroughly compelling 2 1/2 hours. It's outrageous and ridiculous and a complete rewrite of history, alternatively awful in its gruesomeness, unexpectedly hilarious, and breathtakingly creative. Most of the many various characters aren't focused on long enough to really be interested in them, but the few we do see are great fun - particularly the Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt characters. All in all, a wonderfully original film, and one that I'm glad I finally took the time to sit down and watch. 4.5 stars.

Best Part: I really think my favorite thing in the entire movie was Brad Pitt's Italian. Every time he said anything I cracked up.
Worst Part: I am not so much a fan of gore in my movies, and this one was definitely uncomfortable to watch sometimes. I cringed throughout the entire scene where Raine interrogates Bridget with his finger in her leg. It just HURT to watch.
Flickchart: #189, below Zombieland and above Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

The Score (2001)

A mediocre heist movie that I enjoyed more than I would have if I wasn't mostly in love with Edward Norton. The movie's major twists that it sets up are easy to see coming a mile away, and there's nothing unique about the heist itself or the story behind it. That being said, like all heist movies, it's kind of fun to watch it all come together in the end, and even if it's not anything new or original, there's something entertaining about the old familiar formula. Probably the same reason people like rom coms. 2.5 stars.

Best Part: As I said, I'm mostly in love with Edward Norton. I particularly love his switching of characters in this. He jumps back and forth several times between 3 different personas, and they're all fun.
Worst Part: The final moments of the movie are *so* overblown as a dramatic twist. I laughed out loud.

Flickchart: #926, below The Man in the Iron Mask and above Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The Band Wagon (1953)

The Band Wagon is, for the most part, a very solid and enjoyable movie musical, but it loses its way 2/3 of the way through and never quite regains it. The song and dance numbers are great fun, but they stop having any bearing on the plot about an hour in - and, worse, barely even *interact* with the plot. The only songs or dances in the last 30 minutes or so are ones that are part of the musical-within-a-musical. It becomes just a series of performances with no context to them, so the emotional effect, whether sweet or fun or uplifting, is mostly lost. While I don't always object to that, it was especially disappointing since I was so enamored with the first 2/3 of the movie. The impromptu dance sequence in the park was one of the most beautiful dance numbers I have perhaps ever seen in a movie musical. But it mattered because it had *context*. Strip the movie numbers of their context, even contrived context, and the songs have to be a *whole* lot more entertaining than this to make it matter. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: The dance scene in the park. So beautiful.
Worst Part: The triplets song and dance scene. It made zero sense in the context of the show and was, frankly, extremely creepy, both in the lyrics and in the costumes. Adults dressing and singing as babies will never not be creepy.

Flickchart: #479, below Drive and above Pushing Tin.