everybody has a secret they don't want you to find

Average rating: 6. Ouch.

Rio Bravo (1959) - "When gunslinger Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) kills a man in a saloon, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) arrests him with the aid of the town drunk, Dude (Dean Martin). Before long, Burdette's brother, Nathan (John Russell), comes around, indicating that he's prepared to bust his brother out of jail if necessary. Chance decides to make a stand until reinforcements arrive, enlisting Dude, an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and baby-faced cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) to help."
length: 2 hours, 21 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I've seen Rio Grande (1950) and Rio Lobo (1970), and wanted to complete the trio—which are totally unrelated
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 5/10

notable quote: "That's the second time you hit me. Don't ever do it again."

MPAA rating: Approved

directed by: Howard Hawks

my notes: meh. Dean Martin (Borrachón) plays such a credible drunk, it's possible to imagine that he WAS a credible drunk. Ricky Nelson (Colorado) was 19 when this came out but looks 15, maybe. Angie Dickinson (Feathers) is a one-note song. John Wayne (Sheriff Chance) looks weary and annoyed.

    Still, there's some good shootouts and a couple of nice musical numbers. .

overall: marginally  recommended

Runaway Jury (2003) - "After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), who uses illegal means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. But when juror Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) and his girlfriend, Marlee (Rachel Weisz), reveal their ability to sway the jury into delivering any verdict they want, a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game begins."

length: 2 hours, 7 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I watched one "adapted from a novel" law movie recently that didn't wow me, and am hoping this one will do it
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 3/10

notable quote: "Anybody can be gotten to."

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Gary Fleder

my notes: ugh, another legal movie that can't get the law right. First, how the F does this character KNOW that he's going to be called for jury duty, much less selected to appear, much less chosen to serve? That in itself is impossible. And that, in itself, is the movie—once that element of disbelief takes over, the rest of the story is just BS. (Numerous other plot points are unrealistic, bad law as well—like the fact that a mistrial would have been called after any of three egregious, irrevocably tainting situations played out.)

overall: not  recommended

City Lights (1931) - "A hapless but resilient tramp (Charles Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the tough city streets. Upon learning that she and her grandmother are to be evicted from their home, the tramp undertakes a series of attempts to provide them with the money they need, all of which end in humiliating failure. But after a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) lavishly rewards him for saving his life, the tramp can change the flower girl's life forever."
length: 1 hour, 27 minutes

source: I own the DVD (also reviewed here)
I watched it because: I have a houseguest, with whom I wanted to enjoy a full-attention movie
IMDB: 8.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 95% Audience: 96%
my IMDB: 10/10

AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Movies (original list 1998) #76

    100 Years ... 100 Laughs (2000) #38

    100 Years ... 100 Passions (2002) #10

    100 Years ... 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Hero #38

    100 Years ... 100 Cheers (2006) #33

    100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th anniversary ed. 2007) #11

    10 Top 10 (2008) Romantic Comedy #1

MPAA rating: G

notable quote: "Where's my friend?"

directed by: Chaplin

my notes: beautifully filmed, delicately acted despite the rigors of pantomime, and imbued with a lovely story

overall: most highly recommended

The Sorcerer and the White Snake {Bai she chuan shuo} (2011) - "Action director Ching Siu-Tung helms this fantasy film based on an old Chinese legend about an herbalist who falls in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who discovers the Snake's true identity and battles to save the man's soul."
length: 1 hour, 42 minutes

source: streamed on PeacockTV
I watched it because: I want to see everything Jet Li's done
IMDB: 5.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 29% Audience: 49%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "You married a thousand-year-old demon!!"

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Siu-Tang Ching

my notes: it's a wacked out plot with a wide range of acting quality, some pretty good stunts (and some that are ridiculously transparent), with a deep meaning that could be interpreted as "do whatever you like and all shall be forgiven later". I didn't love it, but neither was it unwatchable. Li is, as always, the star of the show, and Raymond Lam as Xi Xian is charming and relatable.

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Runaway Jury]