go, confront the problem! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits

I am apparently an unrepentant thief for borrowing all these DVDs without prior authorization from their owner. Oh well! There's no going back The best I can do is review them (honestly), and let the world know just what kind of movies are in that collection....

The Incredibles (2004) - "A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world."

Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: I haven't seen it in ages (2016 last) and was presented with the opportunity
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 97% Audience: 75%

notable quote: "...never look back, darling—it distracts from the now."
story: truth and trust, getting older, living up to your potential, and taking care of the people you care about - those are the themes of the film
visuals: brilliant

intangibles: fun, exciting, and funny
Academy Award winner:
• Best Sound Editing

• Best Animated Feature Film
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Writing, Original Screenplay

• Best Sound Mixing
overall: recommended

Casualties of War (1989) - "During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap and rape a female villager."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: it's a war movie I hadn't seen, and Sean Penn is almost always worth seeing
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 75%

notable quote: "There ain't no point. I'm simply trying to illuminate the terrain in which we currently find ourselves deployed. You don't mind that, do you? And if you do—fuck you! You on my frequency?"
story: see description, above. (Though I must question, seriously, the word "unnecessarily.")
visuals: filmed in Thailand, the scenery is disturbingly realistic
acting: the casting was bizarre, hit-or-miss. Thuy Thu Le (Oanh) was phenomenal—she gave an Oscar-quality performance. Fox is far too clean-cut and childlike to pass for a soldier; the elapsed time for this film is a couple of weeks maybe, and he has literally no beard growth and hasn't any dirt or sweat on him for about half of it. Penn is almost too good at playing the unhinged Meserve.

intangibles: my initial reaction was to push my thumb down, but I've realized that I judge war movies more strictly than any others. It's not bad, just not one of my favorite Vietnam films. 
overall: recommended with reservations

Rio Lobo (1970) - "After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose treachery caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the death of a close friend."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: John Wayne!
IMDB: 6.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 68% Audience: 71%

notable quote: "you're a good teacher, Frenchy!"
story: Western, with the subgenre of Revenge
visuals: better than most 1970s Westerns
costumes, hair & makeup: surprisingly racy
acting: Wayne (Col. Cord McNally) is both inspiring and really funny, Jorge Rivero (Capt. Pierre Cordona, i.e. "Frenchy") is the eye-candy and also a fine actor, and Jennifer O'Neill (Shasta Delaney) is pretty and more than a little bit crazy

intangibles: heavy subject, but well played and engaging throughout
overall: highly recommended

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) - "The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: I've seen the 1946 B&W a couple of times (reviewed here) and was curious to see how this one measured up
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 79% Audience: 59%

notable quote: "You got this on the dash. And you don't know where you got this."
story: so very noirrrr
visuals: creepily realistic
costumes, hair & makeup: fantastically accurate to the time period
acting: Jack Nicholson (Frank Chambers) as the sexy male lead?? Well, it works - and this movie is almost porn-hot. Jessica Lange (Cora Papadakis) is wary, scary, and dangerous to know.

intangibles: a very different film than the Lana Turner/James Garfield version, this is more physical - both violent and sexual - and less subtle, but also quite good
overall: strongly recommended

High Plains Drifter (1973) - "A gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: it fit into my goal of seeing every Clint Eastwood film that doesn't involve a simian co-star
IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 86%

notable quote: "I wonder why it took her so long to get mad?"
story: strong, silent (-ish) type clip-clops into town and happenstance pulls him into the local mess with some outlaws. He takes control - and takes advantage - with the help of a little person, a whip, and a fast gun.
visuals: bizarrely colorful
costumes, hair & makeup: your basic Western get-ups
acting: Eastwood's 'Stranger' is gross and reprehensible. I'd never seen one of his characters rape before, and it was not the act but the relish and disregard that was so chilling. The final scene in the film...well, it does not "redeem" the character, but it sort of justified my interest, in my own conscience. Billy Curtis (Mordecai) paired humanity with the humor of his role and tempered some of the discomfort of the movie.

intangibles: this would obviously never be my favorite, but it is absolutely worth seeing.
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from The Incredibles]