So, I'm going to start this blog by saying something that they tell you in the English department never to say... I liked this movie. Why am I not allowed to say that? Because I'm supposed to say something more... But that is honestly how I feel about this movie.
The basic plot: Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is a washed-up boxer that has gotten mixed up with the mob. We first meet him when he is setting up a man, Joey, to be murdered, although Terry thinks they're just going to "lean on him a little," and when he sees Joey dead, it is obvious that he feels bad. During all of the commotion over Joey, Terry runs into Joey's sister, Edie, a girl he knew from grade school. A romance sparks between them as she tries to get to the bottom of who murdered her brother. In the mean time, Father Barry, the priest at the local church, has taken it upon himself to gather the union workers that work on the waterfront to take back the work from the mob so that everyone can work instead of just the people that the mob bosses choose. None of the workers seem all that anxious to rise up against the mob because they don't want to end up like Joey. When the police come around asking questions, no one wants to say anything. However, when Terry's brother, Charley, is murdered by the mob bosses that Terry thought he could trust, he decides to testify against them in court. Because of that, everyone that Terry is close to, with the exception of Edie and Father Barry, turn away from Terry. He is no longer picked to work on the waterfront, and so he is forced to physically fight for his right to work on the waterfront.
What I find interesting is how much I liked the love story between Terry and Edie. She really seemed to soften him, and made him the likable character he was. When she asks him what side he is on (as far as bosses vs. workers) he says he's not on a side, "I'm just me." And the thing is that he really does stick to that. Sometimes he is on the mob's side, but there are times when he really does the right thing and fights against the evil in that town. Sometimes he plays the tough guy and other times he is guiding her gently through a crowd and making sure she gets home safe. She is "the nicest thing that's ever happened to" him, and he certainly does acknowledge it.
I found it funny how they kept saying "on the waterfront." Usually the title is just said once in this movie, but they all worked on the waterfront, so I guess they had to keep saying it.
I really liked Terry's interaction with his brother, Charley. When they are in the car together, and Terry is talking about how it was Charley that came down and told Terry to throw his last boxing match because the bosses were betting against him, it's just so moving. And then when Terry find's Charley's body hanging in the alley and he tells Edie not to leave him alone for too long and he's crying, it really shows the depth of the character. You really feel sorry for him.
It was absolutely gut wrenching when Terry comes home to find all of his pigeons dead. I was so angry at that kid for killing all of them. And then you see his big hulking man pick up these small, innocent, lifeless birds and it just breaks your heart.
I really liked the dialogue in this movie. I definitely think that the "I coulda been a contenda" quote deserved its rank on the AFI's top 100 quotes list. Like I said before, that scene is just amazing. It really drove the character home for me. Also, in the bar, when Terry has the gun that Charley gave him and he wants to kill Johnny Friendly, and then Father Berry comes in and says... well the quote in the title, that is one of my favorites. Finally, when Johnny has to swear "to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" and he says "right." oh man. Marlon Brando played that part so well. Being the tough guy that's trying to do the right thing. Perfect. Although I'm sure he was probably somewhat like that in real life, tough exterior but soft exterior. Made him perfect for that character.
The only thing I had a hard time with was why all of the union workers turned against Terry after he testified in court. I didn't understand why they would all be mad at him. They all still got to work, he was the only one that was shut out. Still they did end up coming through for him in the end and backing him up, saying that they wouldn't work if Terry didn't work. I just really felt like those men needed to man up a little bit. All of those union workers wanted someone else to do their dirty work for them, and only were willing to stand up once it was safe.
I give this movie a 4.101 out of 5. It was really good, and I enjoyed it. All of these old movies with their fresh ideas (fresh compared to all of the run of the mill movies I've watched for the majority of my life) are really awesome to watch. They are smart, and they expect for their audience to be smart too. I'm not saying that there aren't good movies that come out these days, and I'm not saying this movie is perfect. I did feel like it lulled at some moments, but over all it was a fantastic watch.
I'm not sure what I will watch tonight. I guess you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out. It is pretty much up to Netflix and whatever they have on instant. I hope you are enjoying reading as much as I am watching and writing.
Love to all of my readers, whoever you are.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
What happened to the old bank? People kept robbing it. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Before I start, I would like to say that hopefully this blog will not be entry after entry of good reviews. I mean, I want my writing to be good, but don't some of these reviews need to be negative? I guess we'll see... If they are all good I hope they won't get boring.
So, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was absolutely amazing. From start to finish I loved it. I mean the very first line (as listed above in the title of this blog) the dialogue was amazing. I laughed, I was scared... I didn't cry, but I was a little sad at some points.
A little bit of the plot for you: Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are famous bank and train robbers. Butch is the brains and Sundance is the sharp shooter. They are so famous, in fact, that the owner of a railroad company outfits a team of specialized trackers and lawmen to track down Butch and Sundance and kill them. For a good portion of the movie, we watch the team chase the duo all over the desert. After a few days of running, Butch and Sundance decide to take Sundance's girlfriend (and Butch's love interest) and escape to Bolivia. They begin robbing banks again, and eventually become so notorious that the team that was chasing them in America has followed them down to Bolivia. After a few attempts to get straight and lay low, Butch and Sundance get caught, and end up in a shoot out with the entire Bolivian police force.
The bad stuff: This isn't really a bad thing... But I've already told you that I'm hard on love stories in movies. Etta's love for Butch was sweet, but at times it just made me sad, like when she would be in bed with Sundance and Butch would be jealous. I was scared the entire time that she was going to break the two of them up (which is what usually happens in movies today.) I was relieved that she never really got in the way. And, this movie is based on a true story, so they couldn't leave her out.
On to the good stuff, which is the entire movie. I loved the witty banter between Butch and Sundance. They always had something funny to say, even in the worst situations (like when they first get to Bolivia and see all the pigs), even in the face of death. One of my favorite parts is when we find out that Sundance can't swim, but they have to jump off the cliff into the river. Sundance just kept saying the whole time they're floating down the river that he is going to kill Butch. So funny.
The ending of this movie is just awesome. The shoot out with the police is so cool. When the police back up shows up, they can't believe that so many police have been taken out by just two men. (Dos hombres?!) It was gut wrenching to see Butch get shot in the back, and then have Butch ducking under a rain of bullets. Still, even when they are all shot up and bleeding, they are still cracking jokes. Another one of my favorite lines comes from when they're talking about going to Australia next (even though they know they're about to die):
Butch: You could learn to swim!
Sundance: No swimmings not important!
Then, when they run out and face the police force, the movie stops on a snapshot of the two of them with their guns blazing. We can hear the sound of the head of the police force telling his men to fire on Butch and Sundance, but we don't see them get riddled with bullets. Instead they are allowed to live on in infamy as heroes. Even though they are bank robbers, they are still heroes. Awesome.
However, not only are these two funny, they are also real. Like how we find out in the middle of the movie that Butch has never shot anyone before, and they have to shoot those robbers. Afterward, Butch looks really torn up about it, and Etta is trying to calm them down. Also when Sundance returns to Etta from being chased by the special team, he pretends like he doesn't care and tells her not to make a big thing out of it, but then as she walks away, he pulls her back and says "No, make a big thing out of it." It is those moments, mixed in with the witty banter that makes this movie awesome.
I had to write down so many quotes while watching this movie. They were all so funny. I would give you a list of my top 5, but they wouldn't be as funny out of context. You really have to watch it.
This is my first Paul Newman movie. This is the first Robert Redford movie I've watched all the way though (I watched some of The Great Gatsby in high school English, and now I know what Mrs. Meadows was talking about.) Umm... how have I been missing out on these two all my life? They are some of the best actors I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I can't wait to watch more of them.
Also, this was my first western. I'm excited for more of them, especially some Clint Eastwood.
So... I give this movie a 5 out of 5. It was amazing. One of my favorites ever.
I was thinking though... If someone was going to remake this now, I have some ideas as to who they should cast. Butch would be Matthew McConaughey, because he talks fast, Sundance would be Brad Pitt (probably a younger version) because he can play the strong silent type, and Etta would probably be someone like Scarlet Johansson or Jessica Beil, someone they could make look trashy in western clothes. Also, I think they would probably play up Butch's jealousy, have the two split up or have an argument over Etta. Also, I think the end would have been a lot more bloody. Would it be nearly as good? Definitely not. Would people go see it? Definitely.
Okay, so next I would like to watch Cool Hand Luke, but it just depends on what I can watch instantly on Netflix. I hope this review was better than the last. I look forward to writing another one. I hope you look forward to reading it!
So, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was absolutely amazing. From start to finish I loved it. I mean the very first line (as listed above in the title of this blog) the dialogue was amazing. I laughed, I was scared... I didn't cry, but I was a little sad at some points.
A little bit of the plot for you: Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are famous bank and train robbers. Butch is the brains and Sundance is the sharp shooter. They are so famous, in fact, that the owner of a railroad company outfits a team of specialized trackers and lawmen to track down Butch and Sundance and kill them. For a good portion of the movie, we watch the team chase the duo all over the desert. After a few days of running, Butch and Sundance decide to take Sundance's girlfriend (and Butch's love interest) and escape to Bolivia. They begin robbing banks again, and eventually become so notorious that the team that was chasing them in America has followed them down to Bolivia. After a few attempts to get straight and lay low, Butch and Sundance get caught, and end up in a shoot out with the entire Bolivian police force.
The bad stuff: This isn't really a bad thing... But I've already told you that I'm hard on love stories in movies. Etta's love for Butch was sweet, but at times it just made me sad, like when she would be in bed with Sundance and Butch would be jealous. I was scared the entire time that she was going to break the two of them up (which is what usually happens in movies today.) I was relieved that she never really got in the way. And, this movie is based on a true story, so they couldn't leave her out.
On to the good stuff, which is the entire movie. I loved the witty banter between Butch and Sundance. They always had something funny to say, even in the worst situations (like when they first get to Bolivia and see all the pigs), even in the face of death. One of my favorite parts is when we find out that Sundance can't swim, but they have to jump off the cliff into the river. Sundance just kept saying the whole time they're floating down the river that he is going to kill Butch. So funny.
The ending of this movie is just awesome. The shoot out with the police is so cool. When the police back up shows up, they can't believe that so many police have been taken out by just two men. (Dos hombres?!) It was gut wrenching to see Butch get shot in the back, and then have Butch ducking under a rain of bullets. Still, even when they are all shot up and bleeding, they are still cracking jokes. Another one of my favorite lines comes from when they're talking about going to Australia next (even though they know they're about to die):
Butch: You could learn to swim!
Sundance: No swimmings not important!
Then, when they run out and face the police force, the movie stops on a snapshot of the two of them with their guns blazing. We can hear the sound of the head of the police force telling his men to fire on Butch and Sundance, but we don't see them get riddled with bullets. Instead they are allowed to live on in infamy as heroes. Even though they are bank robbers, they are still heroes. Awesome.
However, not only are these two funny, they are also real. Like how we find out in the middle of the movie that Butch has never shot anyone before, and they have to shoot those robbers. Afterward, Butch looks really torn up about it, and Etta is trying to calm them down. Also when Sundance returns to Etta from being chased by the special team, he pretends like he doesn't care and tells her not to make a big thing out of it, but then as she walks away, he pulls her back and says "No, make a big thing out of it." It is those moments, mixed in with the witty banter that makes this movie awesome.
I had to write down so many quotes while watching this movie. They were all so funny. I would give you a list of my top 5, but they wouldn't be as funny out of context. You really have to watch it.
This is my first Paul Newman movie. This is the first Robert Redford movie I've watched all the way though (I watched some of The Great Gatsby in high school English, and now I know what Mrs. Meadows was talking about.) Umm... how have I been missing out on these two all my life? They are some of the best actors I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I can't wait to watch more of them.
Also, this was my first western. I'm excited for more of them, especially some Clint Eastwood.
So... I give this movie a 5 out of 5. It was amazing. One of my favorites ever.
I was thinking though... If someone was going to remake this now, I have some ideas as to who they should cast. Butch would be Matthew McConaughey, because he talks fast, Sundance would be Brad Pitt (probably a younger version) because he can play the strong silent type, and Etta would probably be someone like Scarlet Johansson or Jessica Beil, someone they could make look trashy in western clothes. Also, I think they would probably play up Butch's jealousy, have the two split up or have an argument over Etta. Also, I think the end would have been a lot more bloody. Would it be nearly as good? Definitely not. Would people go see it? Definitely.
Okay, so next I would like to watch Cool Hand Luke, but it just depends on what I can watch instantly on Netflix. I hope this review was better than the last. I look forward to writing another one. I hope you look forward to reading it!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Post Numero Uno... A little behind... Rear Window
Alright, so I got this idea from Julie and Julia... the movie... I don't have a friend named Julia... Anyway, I'm starting a blog of reviews for AFI's Top 100. I, being someone that my friends go to for movie questions, feel as if I am a failure because I have yet to see the classics.
What I wanted to accomplish with this is to give older movies a new look. Growing up, my parents were not big movie watchers, so I was not like most kids of my generation watching Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or even E.T. So, being a virgin to good films such as the ones named above, and movies even older than that, I wanted to start reviewing them through the eyes of a person that has pretty much only watched movies of the ADD generation... ones that are an hour and a half long and are filled with boob and fart jokes.
So here I go. First review ever. Let's do it.
I watched Rear Window last night. It was my first legit Hitchcock film, besides Riding the Bullet which was a made for TV movie, and crap. My aunt insisted that I watch it because it was one of AFI's Top 100 and a movie that she thinks to be really scary.
The basic plot: L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to his apartment in a wheelchair after suffering from a broken leg. When we first meet him, he has been in his cast for seven weeks, and will have the cast taken off in a week. In those seven weeks, he has taken to watching his neighbors in the apartment building across from his from his window. He has become engrossed in their stories and even has created nicknames for them like "Miss Torso" a ballerina who walks around in leotards and other outfits that show off her... well, torso. He has also become bored in his relationship with his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) because she seems "too perfect" for his rugged photographer's lifestyle. One night, Jeff sees some suspicious behavior going on between a husband and wife with obvious marital problems. Jeff is sure that the husband, Lars Thorwald, has murdered his wife, Anna Thorwald, chopped her up, and moved her body out of the apartment piece by piece. Jeff involves his detective friend, Doyle, in the investigation, but Doyle is quick to find evidence that Anna has just traveled to the country for her health, and he advises Jeff to stay out of other people's business. Jeff, and then in turn Lisa, are not convinced that Lars is innocent, so they do an investigation of their own.
First, the bad stuff. This part is short. I said at about an hour and fifteen minutes into the movie "When is this going to get good?" Not that the acting wasn't good, or that I wasn't enjoying it, but I'm used to a thriller that thrills me throughout... I was looking for daunting music and jumpy moments, but I wasn't getting any of that. I was only seeing Jeff trying to think of ways to convince Doyle that Lars was guilty, and Doyle shooting Jeff down at every turn. It was getting a little flat for me. However...
When there was about fifteen minutes left in the movie, I finally got scared. (Spoilers...) When Lars sees Jeff watching him, and then walks over to Jeff's apartment, it was obvious that something was about to happen, and the tension builds. Then, the phone rings, and Jeff picks up, thinking it's Doyle, and realizes too late its Lars... its a chilling moment, and I wanted to scream "NOOOOOOO!" because Jeff is in a wheelchair with a cast up to his waist, and he can't get to the door to lock it because there are stairs leading up to the door. There are these daunting footsteps that seem to last forever. There may have only been fifteen minutes left in the movie, but Hitchcock made it feel like an hour. I was paralyzed in my seat, praying that Jeff figure out a way to get out of there before Lars killed him.
I thought it was clever the use of the flash bulbs to blind Lars until Doyle and the police showed up. I'm not sure whether its a good thing or a bad thing that I thought it was funny that Lars tried to push Jeff out the window. I mean, I was definitely scared for him, but at the same time I wanted to laugh because it wasn't so simple as say stabbing him or clubbing him or something.
I liked the way the whole movie looked. I liked that there was a separate story for each of the neighbors. I knew there had to be a reason for all of them, and that was part of the reason that this movie kept my attention. I couldn't miss a moment to say look at a text message because if I looked away for a moment, I would miss some type of interaction. There was this feeling of community, everyone living together, going about their daily lives. I could see every quirky detail because everyone had their windows open in the heat wave in New York. I didn't even notice that we never left Jeff's apartment, but instead were watching everything from far away. We could only get closer when he got out his camera with the huge zoom lens or his binoculars. We rarely heard dialogue between the neighbors because they are so far away. We were watching everything through Jeff's perspective alone. I love a movie with great details like that. There were hints being dropped everywhere, and it was great.
What I also think was pretty great was the fact that I was really convinced that Lars didn't kill his wife. It was getting to the point where Jeff was grabbing at straws, and I really was disinclined to believe him. I actually said right before Lars started attacking Jeff "I really don't think he did it." But then, by the end, we know without a doubt, that Lars was the murderer.
I know this is probably going to sound lame, but I find it refreshing to watch older movies where the director is so much more modest with the women. Like, Miss Torso for example, in a remake today, would probably be naked a lot more, dancing around her apartment with windows wide open. The movie didn't need any nudity to make it compelling. The story was good enough on its own.
The love story in this was perfect. I'm usually pretty harsh on love stories in movies (such as The Departed... that is one of my favorite movies, but I feel like the whole affair thing was just too much. It dragged the movie down.), but in this case, I actually liked it. It was so subtle. At the beginning, Jeff says Lisa is too perfect for him, but amidst their detective work, he begins to see that she isn't so perfect and that she probably could handle herself in his adventurous lifestyle. It was actually really sweet, and didn't get in the way of the story,but instead pushed it forward. Just a few quick looks between them to know that they were falling for each other was all it had, and they were perfect.
I'm glad this movie had a happy ending. I know not all of them will, and that's fine, but here it worked. Everything gets summed up, even down to the tiniest detail with the neighbors. We have this nice, neat, little story all wrapped up for us with no loose ends. And, I laughed out loud when I saw Jeff with two broken legs. Karma I guess for peeping into everyone else's business. He's lucky. If this movie were written now, he would have been chopped up and eaten or something.
So... I haven't quite worked out a ranking system yet... but I'm going to try a few until I get one that best fits. If you have any ideas, let me know.
I give this movie a... 4.978 out of 5. It isn't perfect... but it's close. I really enjoyed it. It may have been flat, but it definitely needed to be because then the ending wouldn't have been as good. We had to think that Jeff was wrong so that Lars actually being the murderer would be a surprise and we could actually get scared.
BTW, I can see how Disturbia (the movie... not the song by Rihanna) is a knock off or spin off or interpretation... but the two cannot be compared. One was born in today's world when we need a MTV Movie Awards best kiss and graphic violence and bodies stacked to the ceiling. The other was born in a time... well, I still think we can do this today, but it was more common then... that all we needed was an idea to freak us out. I enjoyed both of those movies, but they are completely different.
Okay... so that was my first time ever doing anything like that. Thoughts? What did you think?
Next, I might write about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid if I have time to watch it. If not, I might write about another movie that I've watched on AFI's Top 100... although, I haven't watched those in a little while. If worst comes to worst, I might have to write about A Serious Man (the one that was nominated for best picture this year) which sucked. But that's for another time.
What I wanted to accomplish with this is to give older movies a new look. Growing up, my parents were not big movie watchers, so I was not like most kids of my generation watching Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or even E.T. So, being a virgin to good films such as the ones named above, and movies even older than that, I wanted to start reviewing them through the eyes of a person that has pretty much only watched movies of the ADD generation... ones that are an hour and a half long and are filled with boob and fart jokes.
So here I go. First review ever. Let's do it.
I watched Rear Window last night. It was my first legit Hitchcock film, besides Riding the Bullet which was a made for TV movie, and crap. My aunt insisted that I watch it because it was one of AFI's Top 100 and a movie that she thinks to be really scary.
The basic plot: L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to his apartment in a wheelchair after suffering from a broken leg. When we first meet him, he has been in his cast for seven weeks, and will have the cast taken off in a week. In those seven weeks, he has taken to watching his neighbors in the apartment building across from his from his window. He has become engrossed in their stories and even has created nicknames for them like "Miss Torso" a ballerina who walks around in leotards and other outfits that show off her... well, torso. He has also become bored in his relationship with his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) because she seems "too perfect" for his rugged photographer's lifestyle. One night, Jeff sees some suspicious behavior going on between a husband and wife with obvious marital problems. Jeff is sure that the husband, Lars Thorwald, has murdered his wife, Anna Thorwald, chopped her up, and moved her body out of the apartment piece by piece. Jeff involves his detective friend, Doyle, in the investigation, but Doyle is quick to find evidence that Anna has just traveled to the country for her health, and he advises Jeff to stay out of other people's business. Jeff, and then in turn Lisa, are not convinced that Lars is innocent, so they do an investigation of their own.
First, the bad stuff. This part is short. I said at about an hour and fifteen minutes into the movie "When is this going to get good?" Not that the acting wasn't good, or that I wasn't enjoying it, but I'm used to a thriller that thrills me throughout... I was looking for daunting music and jumpy moments, but I wasn't getting any of that. I was only seeing Jeff trying to think of ways to convince Doyle that Lars was guilty, and Doyle shooting Jeff down at every turn. It was getting a little flat for me. However...
When there was about fifteen minutes left in the movie, I finally got scared. (Spoilers...) When Lars sees Jeff watching him, and then walks over to Jeff's apartment, it was obvious that something was about to happen, and the tension builds. Then, the phone rings, and Jeff picks up, thinking it's Doyle, and realizes too late its Lars... its a chilling moment, and I wanted to scream "NOOOOOOO!" because Jeff is in a wheelchair with a cast up to his waist, and he can't get to the door to lock it because there are stairs leading up to the door. There are these daunting footsteps that seem to last forever. There may have only been fifteen minutes left in the movie, but Hitchcock made it feel like an hour. I was paralyzed in my seat, praying that Jeff figure out a way to get out of there before Lars killed him.
I thought it was clever the use of the flash bulbs to blind Lars until Doyle and the police showed up. I'm not sure whether its a good thing or a bad thing that I thought it was funny that Lars tried to push Jeff out the window. I mean, I was definitely scared for him, but at the same time I wanted to laugh because it wasn't so simple as say stabbing him or clubbing him or something.
I liked the way the whole movie looked. I liked that there was a separate story for each of the neighbors. I knew there had to be a reason for all of them, and that was part of the reason that this movie kept my attention. I couldn't miss a moment to say look at a text message because if I looked away for a moment, I would miss some type of interaction. There was this feeling of community, everyone living together, going about their daily lives. I could see every quirky detail because everyone had their windows open in the heat wave in New York. I didn't even notice that we never left Jeff's apartment, but instead were watching everything from far away. We could only get closer when he got out his camera with the huge zoom lens or his binoculars. We rarely heard dialogue between the neighbors because they are so far away. We were watching everything through Jeff's perspective alone. I love a movie with great details like that. There were hints being dropped everywhere, and it was great.
What I also think was pretty great was the fact that I was really convinced that Lars didn't kill his wife. It was getting to the point where Jeff was grabbing at straws, and I really was disinclined to believe him. I actually said right before Lars started attacking Jeff "I really don't think he did it." But then, by the end, we know without a doubt, that Lars was the murderer.
I know this is probably going to sound lame, but I find it refreshing to watch older movies where the director is so much more modest with the women. Like, Miss Torso for example, in a remake today, would probably be naked a lot more, dancing around her apartment with windows wide open. The movie didn't need any nudity to make it compelling. The story was good enough on its own.
The love story in this was perfect. I'm usually pretty harsh on love stories in movies (such as The Departed... that is one of my favorite movies, but I feel like the whole affair thing was just too much. It dragged the movie down.), but in this case, I actually liked it. It was so subtle. At the beginning, Jeff says Lisa is too perfect for him, but amidst their detective work, he begins to see that she isn't so perfect and that she probably could handle herself in his adventurous lifestyle. It was actually really sweet, and didn't get in the way of the story,but instead pushed it forward. Just a few quick looks between them to know that they were falling for each other was all it had, and they were perfect.
I'm glad this movie had a happy ending. I know not all of them will, and that's fine, but here it worked. Everything gets summed up, even down to the tiniest detail with the neighbors. We have this nice, neat, little story all wrapped up for us with no loose ends. And, I laughed out loud when I saw Jeff with two broken legs. Karma I guess for peeping into everyone else's business. He's lucky. If this movie were written now, he would have been chopped up and eaten or something.
So... I haven't quite worked out a ranking system yet... but I'm going to try a few until I get one that best fits. If you have any ideas, let me know.
I give this movie a... 4.978 out of 5. It isn't perfect... but it's close. I really enjoyed it. It may have been flat, but it definitely needed to be because then the ending wouldn't have been as good. We had to think that Jeff was wrong so that Lars actually being the murderer would be a surprise and we could actually get scared.
BTW, I can see how Disturbia (the movie... not the song by Rihanna) is a knock off or spin off or interpretation... but the two cannot be compared. One was born in today's world when we need a MTV Movie Awards best kiss and graphic violence and bodies stacked to the ceiling. The other was born in a time... well, I still think we can do this today, but it was more common then... that all we needed was an idea to freak us out. I enjoyed both of those movies, but they are completely different.
Okay... so that was my first time ever doing anything like that. Thoughts? What did you think?
Next, I might write about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid if I have time to watch it. If not, I might write about another movie that I've watched on AFI's Top 100... although, I haven't watched those in a little while. If worst comes to worst, I might have to write about A Serious Man (the one that was nominated for best picture this year) which sucked. But that's for another time.
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