next time I have to come in here, I'm crackin' skulls

Average rating: 5.2, which means there's a really good one here!

Bedtime Story (1964) - "The caddish Freddy Benson (Marlon Brando) enjoys setting up elaborate ruses to seduce women on the French Riviera. Con artist Lawrence Jameson (David Niven) likes to pose as a prince to swindle the wealthy. When the two men meet, each perceives the other as an interloper and a threat. Upon the arrival of vacationing soap heiress Janet Walker (Shirley Jones), the two sweet-talking scoundrels compete to be the first man to trick her out of both her clothes and her fortune."
source: borrowed the DVD through interlibrary loan
I watched it because: I've seen the remake (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - reviewed here) many times, and just found out it was based on this film. The anticipated bonus of Brando in a comedy role made it irresistible.
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 33%
my IMDB: 5/10

notable quote: "Listen, we're the weaker sex, not women. We're perishable, like ripe peaches hanging on a tree."

MPAA rating: NR

directed by: Ralph Levy

my notes: nowhere near as funny as Scoundrels. Niven is always a treat. Brando, though, was not funny, and his womanizing vacillated between skeezy and nonplussed. And, Shirley Jones as the lady everyone's panting over...nope.

overall: marginally recommended

The Breakfast Club (1985) - "Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess Claire (Molly Ringwald), outcast Allison (Ally Sheedy), brainy Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same. "

source: DVD
I watched it because: I hadn't seen it in a while, and felt the need
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 92%
my IMDB: 10/10

notable quote: "If you say you haven't, you're a prude. If you say you have you're a slut. It's a trap. You want to but you can't, and when you do you wish you didn't, right? ... Or are you a tease?"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: John Hughes

my notes: I love this movie. It feels familiar, sweet, painful, and so dear. Nelson is terrific, Hall is pure and sweet, and Sheedy's portrayal of the "basket case" is nuanced, smart, and very funny.

overall: terrifically highly recommended

The Invisible Boy (1957) - "Timmie (Richard Eyer), a mischievous 10-year-old boy, is plopped in front of a supercomputer by his scientist father, Dr. Tom (Philip Abbott). The computer, however, secretly gives Timmie super-intelligence and he's soon able to reanimate a robot named Robbie. Timmie and Robbie become best friends, embarking on a series of lighthearted pranks. But when Robbie starts taking orders from the evil supercomputer, Timmie must choose between his best friend and the safety of the world."
source: borrowed the DVD from Joe the Barber
I watched it because: some of his (JTB's) movies are bizarrely entertaining
IMDB: 5.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 25%
my IMDB: 1/10

notable quote: "'Can you see around corners?'

    'No, no, merely through walls.'"

MPAA rating: Approved [G]

directed by: Herman Hoffman

my notes: stupid story, poorly acted

overall: not  recommended

Jason Bourne (2016) - "It's been 10 years since Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) walked away from the agency that trained him to become a deadly weapon. Hoping to draw him out of the shadows, CIA director Robert Dewey assigns hacker and counterinsurgency expert Heather Lee to find him. Lee suspects that former operative Nicky Parsons is also looking for him. As she begins tracking the duo, Bourne finds himself back in action battling a sinister network that utilizes terror and technology to maintain unchecked power."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I think I've seen the rest of the series - maybe? - and liked at least one of them pretty well. (Ultimatum reviewed here; Identity reviewed here)
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 54% Audience: 55%
my IMDB: 3/10

notable quote: "...made a bargain with a guy in a dark suit, and now he's come back to take my soul."

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Paul Greengrass

my notes: such a stretch. It's hard to be engaged by a cast that rarely interacts with other people, but stares at monitors and talks on phones and drives and runs and dashes through crowds and traffic. It's like watching a couple hours of security camera footage.

overall: not  recommended

 

Fracture (2007) - "Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), a hotshot prosecutor, is about to leave his post for a lucrative job at a private law firm when his boss (David Strathairn) hands him a seemingly open-and-shut case. Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) tried to kill his wife with a shot to the head and is defending himself in court. All hope for a quick and easy trial fly out the door when Ted proves to be a more cunning and devious adversary than Willy anticipates."

source: DVD
I watched it because: it's an early Ryan Gosling movie with good reviews - a rare bird - and also an Anthony Hopkins movie that I haven't seen. win/win
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 72% Audience: 73%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "'I warned you about him.'

    'You warned me he was smart. You didn't warn me you were stupid.'"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Gregory Hoblit

my notes: pretty good! Hopkins goes overboard being creepy, sort of a low-key Lecter, and Gosling's Willy is a childish dingdong until he suddenly snaps his shit together and figures stuff out. His "love interest" with his boss (Rosamund Pike) is pointless. Still, it kept me guessing. Best of the bunch is Strathairn as the wise old boss.

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Breakfast Club]