I just love, I love, I love movies

Blogger has switched out the "classic" interface for a "new Blogger". There are a few improvements and many drawbacks. No spell-check? Decreased functionality in photo placement? Switching back and forth to HTML view loses links? I have been writing and publishing this blog for sixteen years, and Blogger has changed several times over that period. It would be great if they would get their shit together about what is necessary to make the business work, what works for users, and how to accomplish all of that inside their business model. [/rant]

Some good movies hit the blog this week, including a surprise addition from the far fields. As we come closer to "the end of the list," it has been fascinating (for me) to see what rolls through--a microcosm of my taste. As always, all comments are welcome.

Shaolin (2011) - "After ambushing and killing his rival, losing everything in the process, dispirited warlord Hou Chieh turns to a Shaolin monastery seeking salvation."
Source: I got the DVD after seeing a preview on another DVD
I watched it because: I love martial arts movies, and particularly enjoy some of these actors' work
IMDB: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 71%
story: 7.5/10
visuals: 8.5/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 8/10
acting: 7.5/10--standout: Andy Lau (Hou Chieh)
intangibles: 9.5/10--there is one scene, where the humbled and newly ... observant? aware? Hou Chieh comes upon a young monk who is training in the cold dark. He asks the young man why he is out in the cold. "So I can train! Do you ever train in the cold?" Hou Chieh smiles. The young man smiles back. "Train with me!" As they begin to work through the forms, the boy reveals his rudimentary but decent understanding of the art - and the adult reveals his love for it, the joy he takes in the work, his pleasure in it. It is an intangible, hard to explain, lovely, unforgettable moment. (see below)

overall: 8.2/10

I would recommend this to: lovers of historical martial arts films who are open to redemption stories

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) - "Jack Ryan, as a young covert C.I.A. analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack."
Source: it was included in my Jack Ryan DVD box set
I watched it because: it was the last movie in the box!
IMDB: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 55% Audience: 53%
story: 5/10--disclaimer: I have never read a Tom Clancy book. Did the guy have a danged clue that all of these stories were completely ludicrous? The C.I.A. must be in a world of hurt, if they are relying on guys like this to save the country.
visuals: 8/10--so pretty, these people
costumes, hair & makeup: 7/10
acting: 6/10--standout: hey look, it's Kevin Costner (Thomas Harper)! There is also director Kenneth Brannagh, effecting a horrendous 'Russian' accent and plodding through the works as the creepy Viktor Cherevin.
intangibles: 6/10--I wanted to like it... It would help if they had not tried to turn it into a love story. (Ick)
overall: 6.4/10

I would recommend this to: completists and maybe someone in a hotel room, bored and waiting for an event that is a couple of hours away, who does not want to spend their time watching a Bar Rescue marathon or some similar.

Your Friends & Neighbors (1998) - "Unhappy couples fall apart and hop into other beds with other people."
Source: included in my "dark comedies" DVD box set
I watched it because: it was the last movie in the box!
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 77% Audience: 64%
story: 4/10
visuals: 5/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 5/10
acting: 7/10--standout: Amy Brenneman (Mary) and Nastassja Kinski (Cheri)
intangibles: 7.5/10--the discomfort level of this film is (intended to be) very high. It is very funny in parts, and also cringeworthy, and also amazingly profound - and also profoundly painful. I am not the target audience (by a long shot), so this was a tough sell. 
overall: 5.7/10

I would recommend this to: an intellectual with a high tolerance for awkwardness, who is not under a lot of personal stress

State of Play (2009) - "When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. journalist starts investigating the case involving the Representative, his old college friend."
Source: included in my "conspiracy thrillers" DVD box set
I watched it because: it was the last movie in the box!
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 84% Audience: 73%
story: 7/10
visuals: 7.5/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 8/10
acting: 7.5/10--standout: Russell Crowe (Cal McAffrey)
intangibles: 6/10
overall: 7.2/10
I would recommend this to: anyone who likes thrillers. It is a solid movie.

Casino (1995) - "A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a fast living and fast loving socialite."
I watched it because: it was thematically appropriate for the weekend
IMDB: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 93%
story: 8/10--based on real events, this is a fantastic (in the 'fanciful' sense) take on how Vegas developed. Is it "true"? Did everyone behave this way? Is it played out to the extreme? This is a Martin Scorsese film!! Enjoy the excess.
visuals: 8/10--flashy, gritty, raw, sumptuous (even through the limited medium of VHS!)
costumes, hair & makeup: 9/10--gorgeously detailed. Robert De Niro's Sam (Ace) Rothstein is always decked out to the nines. Anyone else notice the pink theme in his wardrobe??
acting: 9/10--standouts: Terrific cast. Sharon Stone (Ginger McKenna) at the height of her prickly, obnoxious beauty. De Niro encapsulating Ace through the ages, fully embodying all the changes that time wrought. My favorites, though, were Joe Pesci as off-the-rails scary Nicky Santoro, and Frank Vincent as Frank Marino. Marino was the seemingly mild-mannered sidekick, sent along to monitor the situation for the guys back home, who tied things up in the end. 

intangibles: 7.5/10--lots to debate here. The opening sequence is a drug-trip. Yes, the movie is too damned long (178 min.) and could have benefited from judicious editing. The degree of realism could be argued 'til Doomsday. Is there anything redeeming about Stone's character? What happened to the child? Why was Nicky so orally fixated? These questions contribute to it being a classic.
Academy Award nominee: Best Actress--Stone
overall: 8.3/10

I would recommend this to: fans of Scorsese, Vegas lore, the 'fast life', or any of these actors. This is a good one!

Red River (1948) - "Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son."
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: I wanted something kind of mellow, to ease back into "regular life" after being away for a few days
IMDB: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 88%
story: 4/10--a long story to tell a short story
visuals: 5/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 5/10
acting: 6/10--standout: Montgomery Clift (Matt Garth)
intangibles: 5/10--this is a bare-bones Western, critically acclaimed, that did nothing for me. The characters conduct themselves inexplicably, and the ending is unconvincing. 
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Writing, Motion picture story

• Best Film Editing
overall: 5/10
I would recommend this to: John Wayne or Howard Hawks completists

[the title quote is by Laura Dern]