a word of advice, girls—if you're picking the wrong fight, at least pick the right weapon

A quirky group of five that are not precisely in my wheelhouse, not my normal subjects, and for sure not my go-to actors...yet, interesting....

Wyatt Earp (1994) - "From Wichita to Dodge City to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, a man becomes a myth in this thrilling journey of romance, adventure, and desperate, heroic action."

Source: it's in my Kevin Costner box set
I watched it because: I'd seen Tombstone (reviewed here) and wanted to know how this stacked up
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 46% Audience: 61%

notable quote: "All of you can kiss my rebel dick."
story: look it up.
visuals: Kevin Costner always makes a beautiful movie, and this is particularly gorgeous. Sweeping, well-shot, clear, unique without pretense.
acting: it really all comes down to Quaid v. Kilmer in the Doc Holliday role, and there is no contest. Kilmer's performance has come to be considered iconic, and I completely agree—he played the TB as one characteristic, not the defining element, of the man; he put more into a steely-eyed glance than Quaid could into a page of dialog; and the latter's overall look was so dissipated that it was almost impossible to believe that he could hold a gun, much less do any damage with it. 

intangibles: a good story, and a good enough movie, but not the best on the subject
Academy Award nominee: Best Cinematography
overall:  recommended with caveats

Blitz (2011) - "A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers."
Source: I owned the DVD
I watched it because: I'm selling some of my movies and wanted to see this again before it went out the door 
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 48% Audience: 36%

notable quote: "This, lads, is a hurley. Used in the Irish game of hurling - a cross between hockey and murder."
story: rogue Detective Sergeant kicks a lot of ass while trying to catch a serial cop killer
visuals: graphic, stark
costumes, hair & makeup: "London tough"
acting: Jason Statham (Tom Brant) and Paddy Considine (Porter Nash) are very good, and Mark Rylance (Chief Inspector James Roberts) is my acting hero

intangibles: I really like this one. Kinda wish I hadn't decided to sell it. 
overall: highly recommended

Labor Day (2013) - "Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search their town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited."
Source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: it's been a while since I've seen it. I loved it the first time.
IMDB: 6.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 35% Audience: 54%

notable quote: "It's a great thing when a man knows how to dance. When a man can dance, the world is his oyster."
story: I read the book after seeing the film for the first time, by the way. I won't do that very often. There is something so soft and lyrical about this picture, though. It has ample tension but it is the kind that translates from page to screen flawlessly. 
visuals: beautifully filmed, simple and pretty with magnificent lighting
costumes, hair & makeup: again, simple and pretty
acting: I have to get it right out there that Josh Brolin (Frank Chambers) bears a resemblance to someone I dated in college. Not a "sort of" similarity, but a five-h wowwwwwuhhhhh kinda wow-holy-shit likeness. So there's that.

    Brolin and Kate Winslet (Adele Wheeler) have terrific chemistry, both as acting partners and as a would-be couple. Their characters are wounded, thoughtful, cautious, and sexy as Hell. You've never seen pie like this pie.

intangibles: sad, funny, heart-rending and gorgeous. I adore this movie.
overall: highly recommended

Keeping the Faith (2000) - "Two friends—a priest and a rabbi—fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance."
Source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: I'm selling some of my movies and wanted to see this again before it went out the door 
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 69% Audience: 59%

notable quote: "The truth is, you can never tell yourself that there is only one thing you could be. If you are a priest, or if you marry a woman, it's the same challenge: you cannot make a real commitment unless you accept that it's a choice that you keep making, again and again and again."
story: this is a comedy about a serious, thoughtful subject: the effect of religion on love, or the effect of love on religion. Whichever you see as the focus, it is addressed with both wit and care in this movie - directed by costar Edward Norton (Father Brian Finn).
visuals: a combination of streetwise New York and golden sun - like the cover of the DVD shows. Norton has a great eye for lighting and visual metaphor.
acting: I particularly liked Norton, Brian George as bartender Paulie Chopra, and Miloš Forman as funny, sweet Father Havel.

intangibles: don't expect this film to be schmaltzy or flimsy. It will entertain if you want only that level, and it might open your mind if you let it.
overall: recommended

The Majestic (2001) - "In 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son."
Source: it was part of my Jim Carrey box set
I watched it because: it's been a long time since I've seen it
IMDB: 6.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 42% Audience: 60%

notable quote: "'Are you asking this committee to believe that you attended the meeting of a communist organization because of a girl?'

    'Yes, sir. I'm sure that even a majority counselor like yourself is familiar with the concept of impressing a girl.'"
story: troubled screenwriter in the 1950s develops amnesia and finds himself recognized as the hero of the small town where he surfaces
visuals: spectacular. The efforts to reproduce the era are so well done, from the vehicles to the buildings and even the colors of paint. The visual tone of the picture is a gorgeous throwback.
costumes, hair & makeup: the costumes are amazing. I love the dresses, the shoes, and men's pants and suits. So sophisticated and dashing!
acting: this is Carrey's (Peter Appleton) finest film, the one where he truly acts. It helps that he's surrounded by a quality cast, like Jeffrey DeMunn (Ernie Cole), David Ogden Stiers (Doc Stanton) and Karl Bury (Bob Leffert)

intangibles: I've got a soft spot for it
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from Blitz]