10-1-08 Seems Like Old Times – I don’t think Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase could ever make a bad movie as long as they were together. She’s cute; he’s cute; what could ever be wrong with that? In this film from 1980, Chevy Chase plays Goldie Hawn’s x-husband who has been charged with robbing a bank. When he shows up unexpectedly at her house, chaos ensues. This is a sweet romantic comedy.
10-2-08 Groundhog Day – In this movie, Bill Murray plays a weatherman who keeps living Groundhog Day over and over again. It is a very lovable movie and makes me desperately want to visit Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It pains me to tell you that this movie was not actually filmed in Pennsylvania, but in Woodstock, Illinois; in fact, Gobbler’s Knob is a made-up name. I don’t care though; I would still go to see Punxsutawney Phil!
10-6-08 Hanging Up – I remember renting this movie when it became available back around 2001 and I didn’t think much of it but I couldn’t remember why. Now that I have watched it again, I remember; there is not much of a story. Really. There are three sisters and only one of them is responsible for family affairs. The other two have chosen their careers and, since the one sister is there to care for their dad, why should they bother.
10-7-08 End of Days – The name of this movie says it all; it is about the end times. Arnold Schwarzenegger is on a mission to stop the devil from breeding. The language was colorful at times and it was very violent, but it was a good action movie.
10-8-08 Butterflies Are Free – This movie was made the same year I was born, but I doubt my mom went to see it. It was okay for a one-time movie, but not one I would want to sit through again. It’s one of those where once you know what happens, there’s really no need to sit through it again. It stars Goldie Hawn and Edward Albert who died in 2006 at the age of 55 of lung cancer. Eileen Heckart, who plays the mother of the main character, won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for this film. She was in many movies, but I recognized her from Burnt Offerings. She died of lung cancer in 2001.
10-9-08 Serendipity – This was a cute movie, but also your typical chick flick. It was 90 minutes of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy and girl find each other. That about sums up every chick flick out there. I enjoyed watching it once, but I prefer dramas and action movies.
10-12-08 Red Corner – In this drama from 1997, Richard Gere stars as an attorney who is in China and winds up wrongfully accused of murdering a woman he has only known for a few hours. The box touted this movie as “filled with explosive action”. They definitely embellished that statement! It was interesting, but never would I use the terms “explosive action” to describe it!
10-12-08 Creepshow – This movie includes five different tales of misfortune. I suppose some of these tales could be considered gross, however it is so fake to me, I didn’t consider it gross. One of the stories stars Stephen King and his part is more comical than anything.
10-17-08 Too Fast Too Young – This movie was given to me; otherwise I would have never rented it. I am suggesting you don’t spend the money renting it either. This is an action flick for people just in it for the action and not the story line. One cousin influences the other into robbing an armored car. The whole thing was one unbelievable event after another.
10-18-08 Dirty Harry – I just about didn’t recognize Clint Eastwood when he walked in the scene of this 1971 movie because he looked so young! Eastwood plays a police officer in San Francisco who is known as Dirty Harry. This is a CSI-type of movie and it was actually quite good. This was my favorite line spoken by Callahan (Dirty Harry):
“I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
10-20-08 Speed – The following line said by the “bad guy” will tell you what this movie is about:
“Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?”
This film stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. If you enjoyed the Die Hard movies, you will definitely enjoy this one. It is action packed from start to finish. I first saw it years ago, but it was just as good seeing it again now.
10-21-08 No Way Out – Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman star in this film where both men are sleeping with the same woman. When the woman is accidentally murdered, things get extreme. There are several chase scenes and intense moments. This is a movie with a twist.
10-22-08 Air America – This is an adventure movie where Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. play pilots during the Viet Nam War. I enjoyed the movie, but what I really loved was the awesome Soundtrack. There were many more great hits played during the movie that aren’t even on that soundtrack.
10-23-08 Ricochet – When a police officer arrests a man and the man ends up in jail, he spends his time planning revenge against that police officer. This movie had very crude and vulgar language, brief nudity, and lots of violence. It was definitely not something you would watch around the kids.
10-25-08 Blossoms in the Dust – This film, released in July of 1941, is about the woman who started adoptions. She also worked tirelessly to have the word “illegitimate” removed from birth certificates. This is a very sweet, innocent movie that the entire family could watch and enjoy.
10-25-08 The Fog – This John Carpenter movie is more of a mind game than anything else. I have no idea why it received an ‘R’ rating. There was no nudity or bad language and like the movie Halloween, there was no blood. I vividly remember my friend Beki watching this movie with me late one night. She only lived six or seven houses down from me, however when she left my house, it was very dark. Beki called her mom and made her meet her at the corner to walk her home. She was afraid, and so was I!
10-26-08 Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead – Andy Garcia is the star of this gangster-type movie, but there are many more famous people such as; Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Steve Buscemi, and Christopher Walken to name a few. I had no idea what this movie was about, but I’m really not into the gangster movies because of the violence.
10-27-08 P.K. and the Kid – This film starred Molly Ringwald and came out in 1987. This was after she had made Sixteen Candles in 1984, The Breakfast Club in 1985, and Pretty in Pink in 1986. I point this out because she looks SO young in this movie. I don’t know how she could appear as mature as she did in Sixteen Candles and then seem 15 again in this movie. It truly amazes me. As far as the movie goes, I wouldn’t watch it again and I wouldn’t recommend it either. It dragged on and on and was akin to one of those movies you see on Lifetime. In a nutshell, her stepdad has made strong sexual advances towards her, so she runs away from home. Her stepdad is running after her throughout the entire movie in an attempt to drag her back home to her disenchanted mother.
10-28-08 Smoke – This movie was an hour and a half of nothing. I thought there would be a plot which would turn into something larger, but that never happened. That being said, I believe Harvey Keitel and William Hurt acted very well, as did the other big name actors and actresses, with what they were given. Many movies I watched this month prove that just because you have numerous people who are famous acting in a movie, does not make the movie good.
10-29-08 The Grifters – This movie from 1990 is all about scam artists. It stars Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Bening. Annette Bening is actually nude several times during the movie which surprised me; not that I am very familiar with her; I guess I thought she was more high class than that. The movie had a good story, but by today’s movie making standards, it was dated.
10-30-08 This World, Then the Fireworks – If you have never heard of this movie, don’t feel bad. There is a reason you never heard of it; it stinks. It is about a brother who cannot keep a job and his sister, the prostitute. Oh, they are in love with each other – I cannot forget to mention that. I am sorry I wasted an hour and forty minutes on this pathetic excuse for a movie. In 1997 this movie was actually nominated for Best Film. You’ve got to be kidding me, right?!
10-31-08 Wall Street – Charlie Sheen plays a stock trader who wants to make the big money. His desire is to work with the wealthy and admired broker Gordon, played by Michael Douglas. This was a very interesting and well plotted movie even though I didn’t understand all the terminology. It was filmed in 1987, so the computers and cordless phones are attention-grabbing. It’s hard to believe cordless phones were so big; almost like carrying a brick! I am thankful we have come such a long way with technology! I bet those guys on Wall Street feel the same way!