“T” is for Treasure Planet

| rachelhamm
source: movies.disney.com
source: movies.disney.com

Watched: March 18, 2015 on Netflix

Hashtag: #WatchingTreasure Planet

Year Released: 2002

Genre: Animated – Kids

Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pierce

Run Time: 95 minutes

Description (from Google): The legendary “loot of a thousand worlds” inspires an intergalactic treasure hunt when 15-year-old Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a map to the greatest pirate trove in the universe in Walt Disney Pictures’ thrilling animated space adventure, “Treasure Planet.” Based on one of the greatest adventure stories ever told – Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” – this film follows Jim’s fantastic journey across a parallel universe as a cabin boy aboard a glittering space galleon.

 

source: rebloggy.com
source: rebloggy.com

The visuals in this movie were pretty stunning – Disney’s idea of space and flying ships and dying stars are just lovely.  That’s about the extent of my positive feelings, though.  The story felt clunky, the characters felt one-dimensional (Jim, Doppler, Captain Amelia, Sarah) or way-too-dimensional (John Silver).  Most of my tweets throughout the movie were along the lines, “So the cyborg is a villain?” “Oh, wait, he’s not.” “Nope, he definitely is.”  I can definitely see why this film hasn’t become a Disney classic in the vein of The Lion King, Aladdin, or The Little Mermaid. It was just missing the spark of magic.  Also, the side characters, which Disney usually does so well, were annoying and added nothing to the plot.  Hard pass on watching again.

 

If you want to see the rest of my tweets from this movie, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and look for #WatchingTreasurePlanet

“S” is for The Silence of the Lambs

| rachelhamm
source: lipmag.com
source: lipmag.com

Watched: April 19, 2015 on Netflix

Hashtag: #WatchingSilenceoftheLambs

Year Released: 1991

Genre: Thriller

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins

Run Time: 118 minutes

Description (from IMDb): A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

There will be no gifs or funny pictures for this post, because this movie is too disturbing to produce any.

This was the one movie I was most concerned about watching because I do NOT do horror, but luckily it was definitely more of a thriller.  I think I had the misconception because I read somewhere that it was the only horror film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.  It was definitely CREEPY, though, even if it wasn’t really scary.

It was a very good movie, and I definitely understand the hype, but I do wish the case against Buffalo Bill had been more of a focus.  In the first half of the movie, it seemed more like an afterthought.  I also never fully understood why the FBI would send in a cadet to deal with Hannibal Lecter, that part just didn’t feel believable.  Even if she was his type.

All, in all, though, I give it 2 thumbs up.  Very well made and interesting to watch.  I only had a few moments where I had to look away from the screen (the poor cops – you know what I’m talking about).

 

I actually didn’t have a lot of tweets for this movie, but if you do want to see the rest of them, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingSilenceoftheLambs

“R” is for Reservoir Dogs

| rachelhamm
source: pixshark.com
source: pixshark.com

Watched: April 18, 2015 on Netflix

Hashtag: #WatchingReservoirDogs

Year Released: 1992

Genre: Crime/Drama

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi

Run Time: 99 minutes

Description (from IMDb): After a simple jewelry heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

You may want to get yourself in the mood with this song. Press Play before reading the review.

source: threttassessment.wordpress.com
source: threttassessment.wordpress.com

Okay, so I didn’t realize Reservoir Dogs was another Quentin Tarantino film until I hit ‘play’ on Netflix.  Serves me right for not doing my research, huh?  But actually, I enjoyed Reservoir Dogs more than Kill Bill, which surprised me.  You’d think I’d be all about a movie which was all about the bad-assness of strong ladies, rather than a movie that was all about the weakness and craziness of stupid men, but in the end, the gore and fight scenes in Kill Bill were just a hair worse than those in Reservoir Dogs.

That’s not to say there wasn’t gore or fight scenes in RD. In fact, I almost turned the movie off during the infamous torture scene because it was AWFUL – I literally thought I was going to puke if Mr. Blonde set the cop on fire.  But, Tarantino reigned himself in little bit.  There wasn’t blood spurting everywhere and the torture scene was at least interesting for being broken up with the music and dance number (in the gif above) and the long shot where Mr. Blonde walked out to his car and then back inside.

I was just telling some friends of my mistake in watching a second Tarantino film for this project and realized I had to admit that I respect him as a filmmaker.  He is original and takes risks and uses music really well, I just don’t particularly care for the stories he tells.

Also of note, there is not a single female speaking role in this movie. It was his first movie, and as I said above, he did go on to showcase really awesome female characters in future movies, so while it irks me, I’m not going to hold it too much against him.

source: wifflegif.com
source: wifflegif.com

To see all my thoughts on this movie as I was watching it, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingReservoirDogs

“Q” is for The Quiet Man

| rachelhamm
source: en.wikipedia.org
source: en.wikipedia.org

Watched: April 18, 2015 on Netflix

Hashtag: #WatchingQuietMan

Year Released: 1952

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara

Run Time: 129 minutes

Description (from Google): In an attempt to escape his past, Sean Thornton (John Wayne) returns to America to reclaim his homestead. Once he is home, his eye is caught by Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara), a poor maiden with an ill-tempered older brother named Will. Their relationship is constantly on attack by Will (Victor McLaglen), which forms the main plot line, with Sean’s past as the undercurrent.

source: tumblr.com
source: tumblr.com

Here’s what I got out of this movie: I’m super attracted to John Wayne in a tailored suit and I will now need to watch all of his westerns to see if I feel the same way about him in cowboy attire.  Also, while I loved Maureen O’Hara in the original Parent Trap, I did not care for her in this movie.  She was scared whitless of this man (John Wayne’s character Sean Thornton), then he kisses her once (without any prompting or permission) and suddenly she’s in love with him.  I realize there probably weren’t a ton of character options for women back in the 50’s, but I mean, COME ON!  Of course, it could have just been the tailored suit she was so enamored with, in which case, I semi-forgive her.

After watching the film, I read the trivia section on IMDb, as I always do, and found out that the studio wanted the director (John Ford) to cut at least 9 minutes out of the movie to get it under two hours and he argued that he’d already trimmed all the fat.  Well, I’d like to argue with him on that.  There were so many gratuitous shots of green valleys and hills, and superfluous minor characters that he could have EASILY cut another 15-20 minutes from this film and not lost a bit of story.  I agree with the studio, it was TOO long.

I mostly enjoyed it, except for the length and the terrible Mary Kate character, but I doubt I’ll watch again.

source: doriantb.blogspot.com
source: doriantb.blogspot.com

 

 

For more of my tweets from this movie, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingQuietMan

“P” is for The Producers

| rachelhamm
source: imdb.com
source: imdb.com

Watched: April 16, 2015

Hashtag: #WatchingTheProducers

Year Released: 1967

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder

Run Time: 88 minutes

Description (from IMDb): After putting together another Broadway flop, down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock teams up with timid accountant Leo Bloom in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world’s worst show.

source: celluloidfire.tumblr.com
source: celluloidfire.tumblr.com

This movie hurt my feelings because it was so awful.  Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I did not like this movie. It was loud and obnoxious and I didn’t find it at all funny.  I was surprised because I like Gene Wilder and I like Mel Brooks, but this movie just didn’t work for me.  I don’t really have anything else to say about it, except that I was pretty close to turning it off halfway through and I’m not thrilled that I stuck it out!  I’m sure this is considered blasphemy, but I cannot believe this is considered a comedy classic.

 

source: celluloidfire.tumblr.com
source: celluloidfire.tumblr.com

 

For more of my tweets from this movie experience, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingTheProducers

“O” is for Obvious Child

| rachelhamm
source: imdb.com
source: imdb.com

Watched: April 14, 2015

Hashtag: #WatchingObviousChild

Year Released: 2014

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Starring: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy

Run Time: 84 minutes

Description (from IMDb): A twenty-something comedienne’s unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront the realities of independent womanhood for the first time.

 

source: tumblr.com
source: tumblr.com

So far, I haven’t commented on a film prior to watching it for this experiment, but I’m REALLY excited about this movie.  It had amazing reviews when it came out and Jake Lacy is an underrated gem of an actor (anyone else remember him from the short-lived television show Better With You?).  I know the movie is about a woman who gets pregnant from a one-night stand and makes the decision to have an abortion and a lot of critics lauded it for finding a way to be about a woman who has an abortion without it being a movie about abortion.  I hope my expectations aren’t too high because I am just ready to love this movie.

source: tumblr.com
source: tumblr.com

Okay, just finished it and I freaking loved it. I loved everything about it.  I had heard it called a romantic comedy and didn’t really believe it was going to be a romantic comedy, just thought that people were calling it that because it had a female lead and was a comedy and might possibly have a romantic subplot (I’m looking at you, In a World – so not a romantic comedy), but it actually WAS a romantic comedy. And a great one at that. A great, modern romantic comedy that showed two really seemingly incompatible people, who actually are super compatible, dealing with real life issues.  I appreciated the minimal use of romantic comedy cliches and the fact that the abortion plot was what it was – just a fact of life.  There were no politics or social commentary involved in her decision.  No one tried to change her mind, and the father/love interest was wonderfully supportive of her, even though he barely knew her.  I just loved everything about this movie.

source: huffingtonpost.com
source: huffingtonpost.com

Check out all of my tweets from watching the movie by following me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and searching for #WatchingObviousChild

“N” is for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

| rachelhamm
source: flickeringmyth.com
source: flickeringmyth.com

Watched: April 12, 2015

Hashtag: #WatchingNakedGun

Year Released: 1988

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Leslie Nielson, Priscilla Presley, OJ Simson (Yes, THAT OJ Simpson)

Run Time: 85 minutes

Description (from IMDb): Incompetent cop Frank Drebin has to foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

source: karmajello.com
source: karmajello.com

I was a little too tired while watching this movie to fully appreciate it, but I really enjoyed it.  For a dumb film, it does a lot of smart things with humor.  The visual gags come one after another and Frank’s lovable stupidity feels like a precursor to 00 comedies like The Office and 30 Rock.  Now that I know that there are 3 Naked Gun movies, I’ll definitely be checking out the next two.  Good, stupid, unwholesome fun!

My favorite visual gag was definitely the “chalk” outline of a body floating in the water at a crime scene, and Frank walking around a wall while his colleagues went through a door is a close second.  I’m looking forward to watching again and catching more gags I missed the first time.

source: karmajello.com
source: karmajello.com

 

 

To check out the rest of my tweets from this movie, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingNakedGun

“M” is for Mr. & Mrs. Smith

| rachelhamm
source: imdb.com
source: imdb.com

Watched: April 12, 2015

Hashtag: #WatchingMrMrsSmith

Year Released: 2005

Genre: Action / Comedy

Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie

Run Time: 120 minutes

Description (from IMDb): A bored married couple is surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other.

source: wifflegif.com
source: wifflegif.com

I feel like the entire world went and saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith when it was in theaters ten years ago. Everyone except me.  And now, having finally seen it, I’m okay with that.  IT was not a bad movie, but it was by no means a great one.  It was just okay.  With different actors, it probably would have been a complete bomb.  The storyline didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and though there were great supporting actors included in the cast, they weren’t given time to shine.  Angelina was sweet and sexy, Brad was charismatic and sexy, and that’s about it.  I’ll be returning the dvd to my brother-in-law without feeling the need to ever see it again.

source: tumblr.com
source: tumblr.com

 

 

To read all of my tweets from my first-time watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, follow me on Twitter @RLHammAuthor and search for #WatchingMrMrsSmith.

“L” is for Lost in Translation

| rachelhamm
source: imdb.com
source: imdb.com

Watched: April 9, 2015

Hashtag: #WatchingLostInTranslation

Year Released: 2003

Genre: Drama

Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson

Run Time: 101 minutes

Description (from IMDb): A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

 

source: wifflegif.com
source: wifflegif.com

I unintentionally had an Asian theme going on the past couple of letters!  I enjoyed it, but I think “L” will be the last Asian-based movie, at least for a little while.

I have to say, this movie bored me to tears.  It didn’t have a lot of dialogue and it had absolutely zero momentum.  It was kinda like watching someone’s vacation slideshow from their summer trip to Japan.  The architecture of Tokyo was grand, and Scarlett rocked a pink wig at one point, but those were about the only things I enjoyed.  I literally felt “lost in translation.”  I didn’t get what the director and everyone who praises this movie was seeing.

source: tumblr.com
source: tumblr.com

As always, follow me on twitter @RLHammAuthor and look for the #WatchingLostInTranslation hashtag to see more of my tweets from this watching experience.