Spaceballs: "A rogue star pilot and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a Princess and save the galaxy from a ruthless race of beings known as Spaceballs."
I watched it because: I've seen it a few times before and knew it's a solid comedy
story: 2.5/5
acting: 2/5--standout--John Candy (Barf)
visuals: 2/5
intangibles: 3.5/5--a lot of classic actors, several now deceased
overall: 2.5/5 John Candy is hilarious in this role. Mel Brooks as Yogurt kills me. A couple of the other actors are in thankless roles and a lot of the script has been better done in Brooks' other films. That said, it's still funny enough.
Once: "A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story."
I watched it because: I'd heard good things, I like Ireland, and I love music
story: 4/5
acting: 4/5--standout--Markéta Irglová (the girl)
visuals: 5/5
intangibles: 5/5--gorgeous location, some great music (some repetitive music too though), and a poignant and bittersweet story
overall: 4.5/5 Glad I wasn't watching it with anyone else. Holy cow.
Bel Canto: "A world-renowned opera singer becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she's invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America."
I watched it because: Sebastian Koch is a featured actor (he plays Messner, the Red Cross worker)
story: 3.5/5
acting: 3.5/5--standouts--Ryo Kase (Gen) & Christopher Lambert (Simon Thibault)
visuals: 5/5
intangibles: 2/5--beautifully filmed, for the most part sensitively acted, and very well written
overall: 3.5/5 The casting, by and large, sucked. Julianne Moore is horrific in this role, an insult to singers everywhere. Was she even trying?? Godawful, especially as compared to the delicate and understated performances of the rest of the cast (most particularly the rebels!). Not recommended.
The Sixth Sense: "A boy who communicates with spirits seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist."
I watched it because: I've seen it before and wanted to test the "tricks"
story: 3/5
acting: 5/5--standout--Donnie Wahlberg (Vincent Grey)
visuals: 4/5
intangibles: 5/5--say what you will, but the tricks are cool; Haley Joel Osment is smart as heck for such a young actor, and Bruce Willis' sensitive side is lovely
overall: 4.25/5 I liked it. Liked it when I didn't know, and liked it when I did. Toni Colette is all over the map, but "I'm not a parent, so I cannot possibly understand" seems to be the theme of the summer.
The Green Book: "A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South."
I watched it because: my parents shoved it into my hands last weekend and told me to watch it. I knew nothing about it (apparently I live in a cave) but decided to give it a go.
story: 5/5
acting: 5/5--standout--Linda Cardellini (Dolores)
visuals: 5/5
intangibles: 5/5--cinematography, challenging story, and uncomfortable moral lesson
overall: 5/5 I didn't expect to love it. There were problems (and I haven't checked out all the post-Oscars blah blah, so I don't know exactly what that was all about) but I thought it was engrossing, shaming, and redeeming. History-based entertainment could all hope for so much.
Bodyguards and Assassins (Shí Yuè Wéi Chéng): "In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-Sen visits Hong Kong to discuss plans with Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing dynasty. But when they find out that assassins have been sent to kill him, they assemble a group of protectors to prevent any attacks."
I watched it because: it came as a preview on another movie that I've watched before (God only knows which one), and I'd plunked it into my Amazon cart for eventual future purchase. I do love Donnie Yen.
story: 4/5
acting: 5/5--standouts--Nicholas Tse (Ah Si) & Donnie Yen (Sum Chung-Yang)
visuals: 4/5
intangibles: 5/5--effects are always huge in these movies, but this one has a profound sense of history and also some tenderness, too
overall: 4.5/5 From the imdb description above it sounds dull as dirt, but it's an incredibly action-packed, surprisingly funny, sweet, enormously sad, heart-filled epic. Definitely not for everybody, but for fans of the genre it's top-notch.
[the title quotation is by Slavoj Žižek]
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