after you cry, you still have to live life

Average rating: 6.25, thanks to one surprisingly awful ending.

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - "One evening, private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a strange woman, Christina (Cloris Leachman), who's standing on the highway wearing only a trench coat. They're stopped farther on by strangers who knock out Mike and murder Christina. Although warned not to investigate by the police, Mike and his girlfriend and assistant, Velda (Maxine Cooper), become ensnared in a dark plot involving scientist Dr. Soberin (Albert Dekker) and Christina's terrified roommate, Lily (Gaby Rodgers)."
length: 1 hour, 46 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it got some good reviews and appears on an alternate best-list
IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 3/10

notable quote: "'You're never around when I need you.'

    'You never need me when I'm around.'"

MPAA rating: NR

directed by: Robert Aldrich

my notes: practically the definition of film noir, this is quite a movie. Driving drunk and all over the road, smoking pointlessly and incessantly, gang fighting, the "hero" smooching any dame who comes near... The main character is an offensive, arrogant jerk. 

    And then it goes completely off the rails, with a bizarre, propagandistic, unexpectedly stupid and very poorly acted and shot detour into Sci Fi.

overall:  not recommended

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) - "After avenging the death of his wife and young son at the hands of a vicious gang leader, Max (Mel Gibson) drives the post-apocalyptic highways of the Australian outback, fending off attacks from nomadic tribes that prey on outsiders. Falling into an encampment led by the relatively peaceful Pappagallo (Mike Preston), Max at first schemes to steal their oil, but soon becomes the group's reluctant defender against the hulking Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his ruthless marauders."

length: 1 hour, 36 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I saw the first movie in the series this past April (reviewed here) and want to watch the whole shebang in order
IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "No! It's my snake. I trained it, I'm going to eat it! I got a recipe for snake. Delicious. Fricassee of reptile. You are what you eat."

MPAA rating: R

directed by: George Miller

my notes: crazy movie. There's basically 3 scenes, the last of which is at least 30 minutes long. It's extremely intense, violent, and (putting it mildly) stunt-heavy. Achieving continuity in that scene must have been a major challenge! I'm really impressed that the movie didn't cost a zillion dollars, given all the shit they blew up. Awesome action, terrifically filmed, and some surprisingly good acting (LOVE Bruce Spence as The Gyro Captain!). Mel Gibson with the beat-up face, too... good stuff.

overall:  recommended

The Palm Beach Story (1942) - "This screwball comedy finds married couple Tom (Joel McCrea) and Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) in a strained relationship, largely due to financial difficulties. Gerry decides to leave Tom, a struggling architect, and head to Palm Beach in order to marry a wealthy man who could fund Tom's projects. When Tom follows Gerry, they cross paths with the quirky millionaire John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) and his chatty, husband-seeking sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor)."
length: 1 hour, 28 minutes

source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: I'm in Joel McCrea fever
IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 97% Audience: 81%
my IMDB: 8/10

AFI: 100 Years…100 Laughs (2000) #77

notable quote: "I was broke too when I was about your age, but I didn't have a figure like you've got. I had to use my brains. You'll get over it. You'll get over being young, too. Someday you'll wake up and find everything behind you. Gives you quite a turn. Makes you sorry for a few of the things you didn't do while you still could."

MPAA rating: Approved

directed by: Preston Sturges

my notes: adorable. Terrific cast—Rudy Vallee is a special treat—and a clever script. "Tom and Gerry" made me laugh. Robert Dudley as the Wienie King is hilarious.

overall:  strongly recommended

Fearless {Huo Yuan Jia} (2006) - "After a terrible tragedy, a martial artist (Jet Li) retreats to a remote village to gain a new appreciation for the important things in life, but when he returns to the city to reconcile his past with the present, he gets caught up in a duel to the death defending China's honor."
length: 1 hour, 44 minutes

source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: it's been too long since I've seen it
IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "There is no know that cannot be untangled."

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Ronny Yu

my notes: sweet, beautiful, sad, inspiring. Jet Li is marvelous in the title role, rarely looking so fluid and stunning. Li Sun is lovely as delicate, kind Moon. The cinematography would be hard to beat—the lotus planting scene is incredible.

overall: much recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Fearless]