conscience... that stuff can drive you nuts!

Critically acclaimed: that should mean "good," right? I think we've well established that my cinematic taste is not like everyone's; what appeals to me is not necessarily what calls out to my friends. It also means that sometimes I try something out and discover it's terrible, like ordering something new off the menu just to see what it's like. Exploration, adventure, expanding the mind and taste. ...

On the Waterfront (1954) - "An ex-prizefighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses."
NOTE: Reviewing now because I somehow missed it before, I actually watched this in March
I watched it because: it is highly critically acclaimed

Source: I borrowed the Blu-ray from the public library

AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Movies (original list 1998) #8

    100 Years ... 100 Cheers (2006) #36

    100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th anniversary edition 2007) #19

IMDB: 8.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 99% Audience: 95%

notable quote: "You think you're God Almighty, but you know what you are? You're a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin' mug! And I'm glad what I done to ya, ya hear that? I'm glad what I done!"
story: an obvious precursor to Rocky, this is a story about the interconnectedness between boxing, the mob, and others' expectations
visuals: disturbingly realistic
acting: I don't love Marlon Brando, but he is really good as Terry Malloy. Lee J. Cobb was terrific as boss Johnny Friendly.

intangibles: tough to watch and very worth it
Academy Award winner:
• Best Picture

• Best Actor—Brando

• Best Supporting Actress—Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle)

• Best Director—Elia Kazan

• Best Writing, Story and Screenplay—Budd Schulberg

• Best Cinematography, Black and White

• Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black and White

• Best Film Editing
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actor—Cobb

• Best Supporting Actor—Karl Malden (Father Barry)

• Best Supporting Actor—Rod Steiger (Charley Malloy)

• Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture—Leonard Bernstein
overall: recommended

Rock Star (2001) - "The lead singer of a tribute band becomes lead singer of the real band he idolizes."
Source: it is part of my "Mark Wahlberg 4-movie collection" box set
I watched it because: I was in the mood for something more light-hearted and not so ... theatrical. This certainly fit the bill.
IMDB: 6.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 53% Audience: 59%

notable quote: "I don't want to be in some cut-rate cover band that butchers the music the people come to hear, just so you can play your crappy originals!"
story: overgrown teenager is obsessed with a band, to the point that he gives up everything else in his life to be like them
visuals: bright and flashy, even the bad parts are prettied-up
costumes, hair & makeup: terrible. What era is this supposed to be? It's impossible to tell from the costumes and hair, which are stereotyped but blend too many time periods. The guys' wigs are obvious, ill-fitting, and ugly besides. There is a fight scene in a parking lot, over an ostentatious jacket, that is too absurd to be believed.
acting: oh come ON, this script is terrible and a fifth-grader could put more realistic passion into any of these guys' roles. In fact, that might've been the way to do it: cast a horde of 10-y-o boys, and this might've had a chance to be something less embarrassing and gag-worthy. Jennifer Aniston is a whiny, uncertain addition to a crew of heedless men, with Wahlberg at the helm. He can sometimes be good—not at all here.

intangibles: I've seen some really bad movies, but none quite like this. Based on a true story, it was somehow less believable than most films. Please don't see it.
overall: not recommended

Cobb (1994) - "A reporter hired to write the 'official' biography of Ty Cobb discovers just how dark the baseball legend's real story is."
Source: it is part of my "Tommy Lee Jones 4-movie collection" box set
I watched it because: I was in the mood for a sports film
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 65% Audience: 58%

notable quote: "Come on, Ty—aren't you going to give Ruth credit for anything?'

    'He could run OK, for a fat man.'"
visuals: archival baseball footage mixed with some mocked up retro-style footage, interspersed with the action between the characters
costumes, hair & makeup: realistic for the time periods presented
acting: not at all a fan of Robert Wuhl (Al Stump), who is always grating and aggressively pathetic. Tommy Lee Jones is too effective as the grumpy bastard Ty Cobb, because he is unlikable and irritating. It makes for a long movie.

intangibles: I wanted to like it, but it was a slow, mildly offensive slog
overall: not recommended

The Bridges of Madison County (1995) - "Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: it was on the AFI list, and I wanted something romantic
AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Passions (2002) #90

IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 87%

notable quote: "The old dreams were good dreams; they didn't work out, but I'm glad I had them."
visuals: beautifully shot and directed, it captures "Iowa life" 
acting: Clint Eastwood (Robert Kincaid) is not my idea of a romantic leading man, but he carries it off here. Meryl Streep (Francesca Johnson) is less affecting to me, because it is harder to lose her "Meryl Streep-ness" in the character and buy in.

intangibles: I read the book (by Robert James Waller) in my 20s and was swept away by it. Considerably older now, wiser and more jaded, I view this story and film in a different way. Well-shot and -acted, it is a sad portrayal of two people living out their lives bounded by fear and lies. That's not romantic.  
Academy Award nominee: Best Actress—Streep
overall: recommended for Clint completists and romantic optimists

Dinner at Eight (1933) - "Affluent Millicent and Oliver Jordan throw a dinner party for a handful of wealthy and/or well-born acquaintances, each of whom has much to reveal."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: I found it on the AFI list and was in the mood for an "old movie" comedy
AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Laughs (2000) #85

IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 75%

notable quote: "I never could understand why it has to be just even, male and female. They're invited for dinner, not for mating."
story: the Great Depression is just sinking in, and a group of high-brows is getting together in the midst of it, each with his own agenda and life weighing heavily on all of them
costumes, hair & makeup: outstanding
acting: Jean Harlow (Kitty Packard) was ethereal and gorgeous. John Barrymore was astoundingly good as Larry Renault.

intangibles: this is a very disturbing film, made even more so by its inclusion in the "100 Laughs" category. I found it upsetting and depressing. Others who are less sensitive may not have the same issues.
overall: recommended for the all-star cast, but with very strong reservations

[the title quotation is from On the Waterfront]