I watched it because: I'm trying to see more Alfred Hitchcock movies, and I like Jimmy Stewart.
story: 3/5--as you'd expect, the story itself is kind of far-fetched
visuals: 4/5--filmed on location in Morocco and England (as well as some in-studio), this is a gorgeous film
acting: 4.5/5--standout: Doris Day is great in the role of Jo, which required a whole lot of singing while stressed out
intangibles: 4.5/5--even the child actor (Christopher Olsen, as Hank McKenna) is terrific. This is a must-see.
Academy Award winner: Best Music--Best Original Song ("Que Sera, Sera")
overall: 4/5
Not Another Happy Ending (2013) - "When a struggling publisher discovers his only successful author is blocked he knows he has to unblock her or he's finished. With her newfound success, she's become too damn happy and she can't write when she's happy. The only trouble is, the worse he makes her feel, the more he realises he's in love with her."I watched it because: I was looking for something kind of quirky for a gloomy Saturday afternoon. This--on Amazon Prime--was just the thing.
story: 3/5--the "isn't that convenient?" factor is very high
visuals: 3/5--pretty people being pretty, but nothing too memorable
acting: 3.5/5--standout: Iain De Caestecker (Roddy, the best friend) has understated star power
intangibles: 4/5--this is a moody, contemplative, depressing love story. If you can get over all those caveats, you'll love it.
overall: 3.375/5
I watched it because: As we all know, I adore Sebastian Koch--and he was fantastic in this.
story: 4/5
visuals: 5/5--gorgeous film
acting: 4/5--standout: besides Koch, Jessica Brown Findlay (as the rootless rebel Emilia) was terrific. It's also worth a look at the pre-star power Felicity Jones (Beth)
intangibles: 4.5/5--the whole point of the film is a moral conundrum that is not easily resolved. This one will make you think and may stick with you for a while. It certainly has with me.
overall: 4.375/5
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) - "John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C."I watched it because: I'm watching the series - and don't recall having seen this one before?
story: 2.5/5--great cinema, this ain't
visuals: 4.5/5--there's a reason this stuff is as popular as it's been: it's like salty snacks for the eyes (OK, ouch?) But my point is that it is compulsively watchable, and in this era Bruce Willis was swaggeringly, bewilderingly hot.
acting: 3/5--standout: John Amos as Grant, the Really Obviously Good Guy, and Art Evans (Leslie Barnes), the nerdy sidekick. And also Tom Bower (who I totally thought was Billy Bob Thornton), as Marvin.
intangibles: 4/5
overall: 3.5/5
I watched it because: it was a preview on another movie that I watched in the last month or so.
story: 4.5/5--convoluted as Hell, so don't think you can get up to get more to drink without missing a key plot point. It's not confusing so much as intricately detailed.
visuals: 5/5--phenomenal
acting: 4.5/5--standout: Johnny Depp was amazing.
intangibles: 4.5/5--There is something about this film that really drew me in. I think I could watch it again already. Highly recommended.
overall: 4.625/5
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) - "Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities."I watched it because: I'm watching the series in order. I think I've seen this one? Maybe only at the theater when it first came out, though.
story: 2/5--way, way over the top unbelievable story. These movies get sillier as the series goes on, and this one is pretty insultingly dumb.
visuals: 4/5--filmed on location in California, it's a beautiful film to watch
acting: 2.5/5--standout: Sam the dog, and Joe Pesci (Leo Getz)--and this ought to say something...
intangibles: 2.5/5--the whole creepy South African thing is overdone, as is Riggs' bizarrely untenable reactions to fairly normal cop stuff
Academy Award nominee: Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
overall: 2.75/5
I watched it because: it's part of a box set that I got with some Jet Li movies. Don't ask me!
story: 4/5--this is such a Steven Soderbergh movie! He directed it, and his fingers are all over the pie. The way it's cut, the flow of time, the strange senses of humor and personal ethics, they all seem unique to him.
visuals: 3/5--very, very stark
acting: 3.5/5--standouts: Terence Stamp (as the super-creepy, frozen Wilson) and Peter Fonda (as the super-creepy, flamboyantly weird Terry Valentine)
intangibles: 4/5--Steven Soderbergh makes some distinctly peculiar pieces of work
overall: 3.625/5
NOTE: I watched the first 9/10 of this on DVD, as indicated above. I bought the set new from Amazon. Interestingly, at the climax of the film, the DVD froze. When I removed it from the player, I discovered distinct scratches on both the play side and the top (label) side; it had clearly been used many times before and polished as if to make it appear new. However, those top-side scratches rendered it unplayable. Luckily, the title is available on Prime. I watched the last 10 minutes on my [bleep] phone.
Home Again (2017) - "Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her."I watched it because: I'm always trying to bring something a little softer or funnier into the movie mix.
story: 3.5/5--kind of doofy. Is there any character in this movie who's not famous, or just about there? Come on.
visuals: 4/5--undeniably pretty
acting: 3.5/5--nothing Oscar-worthy here, but there are standouts: Jon Rudnitsky (George, the grown-up friend), Lola Flanery (Isabel, the preteen daughter), and Candice Bergen (Lillian, essentially the "Candice Bergen" type)
intangibles: 3/5--the love interest, Harry (played by Pico Alexander, a strange choice) is implausible, and even Reese Witherspoon's Alice seems unclear about how to sort out the situation beyond the first morning-after. It makes for a kind of long "light" movie.
overall: 3.5/5
[the title quotation is by Siegfried Kracauer]
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