it's not life that matters but the journey...

I've been meaning to do this for a long time. Here's a list of the movies that I've watched in the last couple of months. Boy time has really flown, and some of these I watched almost two months ago!!

I've split my list up into movies I watched for the first time, and those that I "revisited" either on DVD or on TV. I've also added a mini-review and a rating (1-5 stars) and a recommendation (to view or not to view).

First time views:

300 ***** must see



For some reason, when this movie came out many months ago, I didn't want to see it. I had just seen "Sin City", which I hated, and thought that 300 would be similar. I thought it would be just so much blood and violence and that it wouldn't be interesting. But I was wrong. This movie was so much different from "Sin City" in that it has a fascinating, and of course historical plot. And the way that it's filmed is so artistic and creative - and with the costumes and the sets, it was such a treat for the eyes. Oh and not to mention the gorgeous men with their ripped bodies! I want to watch this again because there was so much to see. And I discovered a beautiful actor (who doesn't look so beautiful playing Xerxes in this film), who I really want to see more of. I guess he's been on the show "Lost" is that right? His name is Rodrigo Santoro, a Brazilian hottie:





Conversations with Other Women **** worth the watch


This was a recommendation from dove95 and I have yet to thank her. This is a great film. Very understated, mostly just talk and not lots of action. Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart (in a role that is surprisingly different from all of his others), it's an exploration of relationships, love, sex and other things, and all takes place in a hotel following a wedding (except for some very artfully done flashbacks). it's also very creative in that the entire movie is done with a split screen; some of the action is taking place at the same time, and some is in flashback. Helena is a fantastic, and very underrated actress, and Aaron is also worth watching.



The U.S. vs. John Lennon ***** Must see documentary



On a whim, I added this to my queue because of my love of the Beatles, John Lennon, and documentaries. This is an extremely fascinating look at John Lennon's anti-war activity mostly during the 60s and much of it during Nixon's administration;and how the U.S. began seeing Lennon as a threat, mostly because of his high profile status as an entertainer. His relationship with Yoko is prominent in this film, including their very famous week in bed for peace. To sum up the movie, and it's stance, here is a great quote from someone famous, I think it was Gore Vidal (though if you've seen this movie, and I'm wrong, please let me know): "Lennon was a born enemy of those who govern the U.S. He was everything they hated, so I just say that he represented life and is admirable. And Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death and that is a bad thing."



Blades of Glory ***1/2 worth watching (if you're a fan of Will Ferrell)




this was a fun movie, but very very silly. Not Will Ferrell's best (especially considering "Stranger than Fiction" and "Elf" which are my favorites), but of course he is the only actor who could pull off this kind of film. I admit I didn't really even watch the whole movie - it was playing while I was doing other things. But I did like some of the skating scenes, and of course Will's rendition of The Black Eyed Peas song "Lady Humps"! and it was fun seeing John Heder in something besides Napoleon Dynamite - though he will always be Napoleon to me!



Hideous Kinky **** worth watching for Kate Winslet



I had the hardest time getting this movie. It was on my netflix queue (actually still is) since I joined over a year ago, and is showing as an indefinite wait. I don't know why - if someone stole the only copies available, or if someone just kept it because they love Kate. But I finally found this at Blockbuster, and watched it over a month ago, right after I had my initial visit with the surgeon after my biopsy. This movie is about a young mother who moves from London to Marrakesh, in Morocco, with her two young daughters, to search for more meaning in her life. Living very sparsely, and subjecting her daughters to a very difficult and radically different lifestyle, Kate develops a relationship with a very mysterious and handsome Moroccan, and faces many other adventures. it's well worth the watch for any fans of Kate, as she shines as always! good luck finding the DVD though - go to Blockbuster not to Netflix.



High Art **1/2 not worth watching



My sister recommended this 1998 movie with Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell awhile ago, so I got it from Netflix, and watched it recently on a day that I was home sick. it was interesting, but nothing that I could relate to, as well as being a bit depressing and dark. The acting is good, and I guarantee this is a side to Ally Sheedy that you haven't seen. She may have played dark in "Breakfast Club" but in this movie, she is a self-obsessed, drug-addicted lesbian named Lucy Berliner. She even looks like a junkie - very skinny and pale and haggard. Patricia Clarkson (who I love) plays Lucy's lover Greta, a German actress with a serious drug problem. and Radha Mitchell plays Syd, the naive, innocent young photography magazine intern, who falls for the dark side when she falls for Lucy. It's an interesting character study, but I don't like movies with drug use, and the ending is definitely not a HOllywood one.



Finally some thoughts on movies that I revisited because I love them:

The Fight Club - I've seen this movie so many times, but for some reason never tire of it. It's just a brilliant movie, my favorite of Brad Pitt's roles, and another of my favorite roles of Helena Bonham Carter. And Edward Norton - enough said! oh and it contains one of my favorite ever movie lines: "the things that you own end up owning you."

The Station Agent - I caught this again the other day on The Independent film channel. Such a joyful movie to watch, so low-key, with great photography and wonderful acting by Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson, and a cameo by the adorable Michelle Williams. This is a must-see movie if you haven't yet.

The Mighty - this is such an emotional, but uplifting movie with Sharon Stone and one of the Culkin boys (not Macauley) about friendship and triumph of good over evil. Great movie to watch - and have a tissue box handy!!

Night of the Living Dead , the 1990 remake by George Romero - this is the one with the very cool king of horror, the "Candyman" himself, Tony Todd. I am ashamed to admit I never watched the original Night of the Living Dead, mostly because I don't want to watch it in B&W. This remake is tense, well-acted, and shocking. A great movie to watch, as I did, for Halloween.

Well that's it for my list of films. I have been watching the Independent film channel a lot lately as there are some great films on there. Otherwise, I've been watching the sixth season of "Smallville" and am very disappointed. Lana has become a female version of Lex. Clark lost his luster, and I don't like the relationship between Lois and Oliver (aka the Green Arrow bandit). I've heard lots of people say they didn't watch anymore after Jonathan Kent was gone from the show. I stuck with it though. When is the show going to end, by the way?

If you want to list your recent movie views, I would love to see them!! have a great Sunday everyone!!