that dog don't take to pettin', son

SPOILER ALERT! Don't read the final review if you're looking to see the film!

Average rating: 7.25, which is pretty bad math, really. Maybe I need to start using a 100-point scale, for specificity? Hmm.

 

Dial M for Murder (1954) - "Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully-orchestrated set-up goes awry, and Margot stays alive. Now Wendice must frantically scheme to outwit the police and avoid having his plot detected."
length: 1 hour, 45 min.

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I was in the mood for something scary, and recalled this film as being terribly tense 

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 8.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 92%
my IMDB: 8/10

AFI: 100 Years...100 Thrills (2001) #48

    10 Top 10 (2008) Mystery #9

MPAA rating: PG

notable quote: "Mind you, even I didn't guess that at once...  extraordinary!"

directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

my notes: intricate and tricksy. Love John Williams as the brilliant Chief Inspector Hubbard.

overall:  recommended

 

The Tai Chi Master {Twin Warriors} {Tai gik Cheung Sam Fung} (1993) - "The story of two boys accepted into a monastery, Junbiao (Jet Li), who grows up to learn and live the way of Buddha, and Tianbiao (Siu-Ho Chin), who succumbs to the temptation of greed and the attraction of power. Yes, this is a classic story of good against evil. After reaching adulthood, the two are ejected from the monastery when Tianbiao loses his temper following a cheap ruse by another monk during a sparring session. In the outside world, the two soon part ways, following their own paths but destined to meet again."
length: 1 hour, 36 minutes

source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: what could be better than a revenge and redemption story? 

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "'We've been friends since the beginning.'

    'The beginning has an end—and so does our friendship.'"

directed by: Yuen Woo-Ping

my notes: although I could happily watch Jet Li meditate quietly, I'm a sucker for his more energetic side. The fight scenes are extensive and creative, the story outlandish yet believable, and the romantic side isn't terribly silly. And I love the defeat of the proud jerks by the quiet and patient.

overall:  recommended

Hondo (1953) - "Army scout Hondo Lane (John Wayne) stumbles across an isolated homestead in the middle of Apache territory. The inhabitants—a woman and her son—believe they are safe, as there is a treaty with the Apaches. Lane knows better though, as the Army has just broken the treaty, causing the Apache to seek revenge on settlers. Despite being a scout for the US Army, Lane has sympathies for the Apaches, having been married to a Native American woman and living with her people for five years. With divided loyalties he now must tread a fine line. "
length: 1 hour, 23 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I was in the mood for a really good Western 

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 74%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: PG

notable quote: "'Anyway, I don't believe a dog can smell Indians. I mean, as different from anyone else. You and me, for instance.'

    'Well they can. As a matter of fact, Indians can smell white people.'

    'I don't believe it.'

    'Well it's true. I'm part Indian and I can smell you when I'm downwind of you.'

    'That's impossible.'

    'No, it isn't impossible, Mrs. Lowe. You baked today. I can smell fresh bread on you. Sometime today, you cooked with salt pork. Smell that on you, too. You smell all over like soap: you took a bath. And, on top of that, you smell all over like a woman. I could find you in the dark, Mrs. Lowe, and I'm only part Indian.'"

directed by: John Farrow

my notes: dated, racist (duh), a little scandalous, and overall a very good Western. John Wayne was at his height as a horseman, and had developed that drawl without becoming a caricature. Geraldine Page (!) in her first film role. Wow!

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actress—Geraldine Page
• Best  Writing, Motion picture story—Louis L'Amour

    ("Although the film had originally been nominated the producer and the nominee questioned its inclusion into the Motion Picture Story category since the film is based on the short story 'The Gift of Cochise' published in Collier's magazine in July 1952, a fact not represented in the film's credits. The nomination was withdrawn and only four films were included on the final ballot.")

overall: strongly recommended

Green Card (1990) - "Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell (Andie MacDowell) has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building's board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré (Gérard Depardieu), a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other's nerves."

length: 1 hour, 47 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I like Gérard Depardieu, though his movies (in English) are hit or miss
IMDB: 6.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 59% Audience: 50%
my IMDB: 6/10

MPAA rating: PG-13

notable quote: "He's dishy."

directed by: Peter Weir

my notes: what the fuck is that non-ending?! I seriously thought that I'd missed the final scene, but there were the credits so apparently it's supposed to just... stop. From the Orlando Sentinel review, "It pains me to see a good movie with such a bad ending."

    I liked it, thought the main characters were good, was pulled into the beautiful setting and some clever acting...and then slammed into the wall of the ending. Feh.

Academy Award nominee: Best Writing, Screenplay written directly for the screen—Peter Weir

overall: not entirely recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Hondo]