prepare with struggle; film with fun

A couple of classics, a hidden gem, and a cuckoo in the nest.

Junebug (2005) - "A dealer in 'outsider' art travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet her new in-laws, challenging the equilibrium of this middle class Southern home."
Source: purchased from an Amazon seller who lied, big time, about the disc itself. It is Region 2, from Italy. As in, Italian is the primary language track, and there are only Italian subtitles. Sorpresa!
I watched it because: it was next on the list (for movies that have to be watched on the region-free DVD player, which is in the basement where I work out)
IMDB: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 73%
story: 5/10--there are two stories here, one about art and one about family. The art story is incomprehensible. The family story is hilarious, awkward, wrenching, and real.
visuals: 6/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 6/10
acting: 6.5/10--standouts: Embeth Davidtz (Madeleine) and Amy Adams (Ashley) both rocked it. Truly great performances. The rest of the cast were limited by tiny roles with strange direction. Imagine if Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers had a baby, and the baby grew up to write and direct a film. This would be that film.
intangibles: 6/10
Academy Award nominee: Best Supporting Actress--Adams
overall: 5.9/10

Rebel without a Cause (1955) - "A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies."
Source: my dad gave me the DVD. Fun fact: I had the movie poster that looked just like this version of the DVD box on my wall during high school!
I watched it because: I was looking for something older that was not a war movie or a Western
IMDB: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 88%
AFI: 100 Years...100 Movies (1998) #59
story: 7.5/10
visuals: 8/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 7/10
acting: 8.5/10--standouts: Sal Mineo was dear, unsettling, and gutsy as the [romantically-] adoring Plato, and James Dean played the hell out of what could have been a cartoonish role for a 24-year-old man, as Jim Stark. His first and the final scenes ought to be studied by every young actor.
intangibles: 7/10--there is a lot to live up to, with a film like this. What one knows about it is likely more than one really knows of it. I have seen it a few times, and seem to like it better each time.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actor--Mineo
• Best Supporting Actress--Natalie Wood
• Best Writing, motion picture story
overall: 7.6/10

Spy Game (2001) - "Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors."
Source: a box set of "conspiracy thriller" DVDs that I got a while ago
I watched it because: I had been half asleep all day, and needed something to pull me through a workout
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 66% Audience: 75%
story: 8/10
visuals: 7/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 9.5/10--these characters age nearly a lifetime (through flashbacks) and appear both perfectly plausible (physically) and completely appropriate to the time and place. Very well done.
acting: 7.5/10--standouts: Robert Redford (Nathan Muir) and Brad Pitt (Tom Bishop) are terrific, and Stephen Dillane (Harker) is pretty great. Too bad the female lead was godawful....
intangibles: 7/10--it takes a while to get there - and through convoluted passageways - but the finale is freaking outstanding. I really liked this one.
overall: 7.8/10

The Guns of Navarone (1961) - "A British team is sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel."
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: I recently watched the nominal "sequel" and realized that I may have never seen the original.
IMDB: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 91% Audience: 86%
story: 7/10--there are a couple of wee moments of implausibility...
visuals: 8/10--even realizing that this was limited by 1961 effects (however Oscar-worthy) and that these are actors, I was overcome by vertigo while watching the climbing scenes. VERY realistically done!
costumes, hair & makeup: 7.5/10--some clever symbolism
acting: 8.5/10--standouts: I utterly adore Gregory Peck (Captain Keith Mallory) and David Niven (Corporal Miller). Anthony Quayle was terrific and heartbreaking as Major Roy Franklin, and Anthony Quinn was dangerous, funny, and sexy as Col. Andrea Stavros.
intangibles: 7.5/10--an unusual war movie, set in an unlikely spot. Well worth seeing.
Academy Award winner: Best Effects, Special Effects
overall: 7.7/10

[the title quotation is by Kihachi Okamoto]