2. Ghost - [rewatch] I just LOVE this movie so much. I remember thinking Whoopi Goldberg was the funniest person on the planet with this movie. I still use the quote "Molly, you in danger girl" regularly. But also if I'm in a sour mood, I will think of her saying "gas...I get a little gas from time to time" LOL. She's such a legend and she deserved that Oscar, for REAL. The whole bank/check scene is one of my favorite scenes in film history. I haven't seen this movie in a while, so it was interesting to watch it knowing the friend is the bad guy - it makes me look at the details and foreshadowing that I didn't notice as a younger viewer. I also didn't notice how much Swayze's character talks about death in the beginning and how he's afraid of dying. It's just a really solid movie - solid plot and character twists, interesting characters, great dialogue. It's also just really romantic - and not in the cheesy, unrealistic romance. The pottery wheel scene is one of the sexiest scenes ever. And they picked the perfect song to match the romance. I would say the only criticism I have is that it *looks* terrible now from a modern viewpoint. The effects are awful. But there are some incredible shots - that mirror shot?? MIND BLOWN!! And Demi Moore is so gorgeous, but that's obvious.
3. Misery - [rewatch] I reread this book last year, so I was excited to rewatch this. This is one of my favorite Stephen King stories (although I haven't read enough of his books - there are just so many!). I've seen the movie a few times, but a long time ago. It was my second read of the book. And I even saw the Broadway play a while back (starring BRUCE WILLIS!! LOL. He was terrible. Just not an actor made for Broadway. But I love him and I'm glad I got to see him in one of his last roles before his diagnosis.). But this is the first time that I connected *just* how good Kathy Bates is in this role. Annie Wilkes is probably the most loved fictional murderer of all time because you can't help but love Bates and feel empathy for her character. There's a warmth to her, an innocence under her cold-bloodedness. It's just incredible. Just an incredible performance. I think Rob Reiner (RIP) really made this suspense feel effortless too. It's so simple - simple set design, simple story, just a few characters but he made this soooo intense and terrifying.
4. Foxy Brown - [blind spot] I've never seen this, but I love Pam Grier! Legend! I also love seeing the actual inspiration for the Austin Powers Beyonce character (Foxy Cleopatra). I liked this a lot - her outfits are stunning, it's funnier than I expected, and it moves very quickly. I laughed so hard at the scene in which her and the prostitute are making fun of the guy's penis ("I just can't find it" OMG dying). Also the opening credits are great. There's definitely some dated moments & dialogue that are hard to watch (both the n-word and f-word are used). Other random thoughts - the one white guy looks like Bryan Cranston. I love the line of dialogue "Vigilante justice? It's as American as apple pie". Also, I'm surprised there's no sequels? Why did I think this was a series of movies with this character?
5. Waiting For Guffman - [blind spot] Man, the loss of Catherine O'Hara really hit hard. I think losing both Diane Keaton and O'Hara in their 70s made me realize that we are going to start losing this generation of women that elder millennials grew up with - our mother figures of movies, and that just reminded me that our own moms are next (my mom is actually a lot younger because she had me as a teenager, but STILL. It's now in the back of my mind that that time is arriving faster than I ever expected). I also BLEW my young co-workers mind when I walked past her talking about O'Hara dying. I stopped in my tracks because I hadn't heard the news and she went "yeah, the mom from Schitt's Creek" and I said "you mean the mom from Home Alone" and her mouth literally dropped open and she went "WAIT THAT'S THE SAME PERSON?". Anyway, this is one of the only Christopher Guest movies that I haven't seen - so I thought I would give it a go after this news hit. Because this is also how I know O'Hara - she will always be mama McCallister, but she's also synonymous with Guest's mockumentary films. I do think I'm going to rewatch them all soon because I don't remember them. I know I really liked Best in Show, but that's all I got. But this is great. I actually liked it way more than I was expecting to. The highlight, for me, is Parker Posey. She's hilarious. Working at "the DQ", and singing that teacher's pet song?? ICON. There's also some really great lines ("He shops at Walmart. He doesn't even support the town" pretty BOLD for a film from 1996. I mean, I'm pretty convinced that the popularity of Walmart led to the destruction of America, and people still shop there! WILD.). The end drags a bit with the actual play being performed - an absolutely terrible play that we didn't need to see. But overall, this is great!
6. La Notte - [rewatch] I definitely watched this before (I'm assuming in my Italian New Wave Cinema class), but I wanted to rewatch this after having recently watched L'Adventurre for the first time a few years back. I didn't realize the connection of this unofficial trilogy (although I probably did learn that back in the day, I just forgot). I love them both, and both have similar themes of marital ennui, I do think I enjoyed L'Adventurre a bit more - I just like the mystery of it. Monica Vitti is one of the most beautiful women to ever exist, and she doesn't appear in this until 1/2 way in! It definitely needed more Monica Vitti. But overall, this is a beautiful movie and essential viewing for any film fan (like actual film fans who are interested in the history and cultural significance of films).
7. Cujo - [rewatch] I remember this movie well for some reason, even though I haven't seen it since I was a kid. It's one of those movies that stuck with me, but I also remember that I wasn't scared at all by it, and instead I just felt really, really bad for poor Cujo! I will never be scared of dogs - as a kid, we had a LOT of dogs around us all the time - even the "scary" ones like Pit Bulls. And then as a teenager, my first job was at a dog boarding & grooming place. I just love dogs and they love me. So I watch this movie just feeling bad for this poor dog and wishing someone would help him. But watching this as an adult, I definitely didn't get the often used horror trope of "if you cheat on your spouse, bad things happen" storyline. It's a well-made movie - mostly one location, very tightly edited, and some great shots (the circular tracking shot that happens in the car and then it spins around is SICK!). It's also incredibly brutal and relentless. But still not scary.
8. The Cutting Edge - [rewatch] TOE PICK!!! One of my favorite films as a teenager - I know that it's not actually a good movie, but it's such a cute romcom with a good positive message about not judging someone by first impressions. And that "Toe pick" line is a classic. I also had a bit of a crush on Moira Kelly as a teenager - she's ADORABLE! I love that she has movie star hair - nobody has movie star hair anymore (except Margaret Qualley). I call it the "Jennifer Aniston effect" - her pin straight hair became such an iconic hair style that everybody is scared of big curls and voluminous hair. Anyway, I enjoy the "opposites attract" love story. It's kind of the similar to Overboard with this snooty, wealthy woman falling for a working-class, sarcastic guy. D.B. Sweeney does this role really well, too. I totally believe him as rough and tough hockey player who has no choice but to suck it up and learn figure skating in order to keep skating. It feels very much like an 80s movies (those montages!), but it's early 90s. Some of the slo-mo ice skating scenes look really awful, but overall, I still enjoy this film a lot 25 years later. Also I screamed when I realized John Lock from Lost is her dad. LOL.
9. Pulp Fiction - [rewatch] I know I'm a minority in this, especially among film fans my age, but I was never the biggest fan of Pulp Fiction. Out of Tarantino's 9 films, this in my bottom 4 (along with both Kill Bills and The Hateful Eight). And it still lands there after this rewatch, but I did bump it up by a 1/2 star (to 3.5 stars instead of just 3). There's a lot I love about it, but I think the over-acting is annoying (John Travolta, Sam Jackson, Tim Roth, Uma Thurman - take your pick, they're all guilty) and the entire part with Bruce Willis is SO boring. But I get why it's a classic - there are several scenes in the movie that undeniably iconic. The dance scene between Travolta & Thurman, the back & forth dialogue between Travolta & Jackson about a "royale with cheese", etc. I do like the way the story is told out of order, but there's a lot of ideas and it feels disjointed in parts. A lot of scenes feel pointless. It makes me wonder if this same story told chronologically would actually be a better film? I'm sure some nerd has done this edit? I'm definitely curious. Also, obviously the soundtrack is incredible.
10. Marathon Man - [blind spot] Wow! This movie is great. I don't know how I've never had it on my lists. I saw it listed on TCM and thought "how have I never seen this?". I love Dustin Hoffman so much. Truly one of the best actors of his generation. And was Roy Scheider hot?? The scene with him doing those push-ups??? I was like "OKAY ROY"...haha! I was definitely confused by the beginning - I couldn't figure out what was happening - what does Roy's character do? Who is this French woman? I felt like I missed something, but then they do a good job of streamlining things and then things get *really good*. The bathroom scene is so fucking intense. I almost forgot to breathe. And then the whole dentist torture...eeek! So good. Highly recommend for fans of the spy/thriller genre (especially 70s spy films).
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