Hoop Dreams

A really neat documentary. Especially since I was going to Marquette at the same time part of this movie was filmed. . I thought it was a very real portrayal of an interesting subculture – which is what many good documentaries are. I remember that people thought this got snubbed at the Oscars. I have to ask, how many people actually saw the movie that won? Sure Hoop Dreams was good, but how do you know it was “the best” unless you’ve seen all the competition? It’s simply a documentary that many people saw. There are a lot of decent documentaries out there.

Homegrown

This movie is about a bunch of dope growers in northern California. Their boss gets killed, they don’t know who did it, and they decide to sell the crop… but they don’t really know what they’re doing. It’s a pretty funny movie – it doesn’t have much of the ‘whooo I’m so stoned’ type of humor, it’s sort of a dark comedy about a bunch of people in way over their heads. This theme has been done before, but this movie takes a somewhat fresh approach. I never had the feeling that I’d seen it all before, the acting, characters, and writing were all good, and I liked the ending & the way the plot wrapped itself up. I was surprised by all the big names in it: Ted Danson, John Lithgow, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Lynch, Billy Bob Thornton…

Himalaya

A really cool & unique movie. It really has a timely story about generational conflict and human nature, but it’s set in a timeless place. The movie takes place (apparently) in the mountains of Tibet. There is nothing in this movie that attaches it to a time period (other than one brief glass bottle – but that hardly narrows it down). The movie was filmed entirely in Nepal, and the authenticity of the actors and scenery shine. If you’re sick of seeing the same old movie again and again, go see Himalaya.

Highway Patrolman

This is a Mexican movie that’s… well… Mexican. It’s the film equivalent of a velvet painting of Mary framed with chistmas lights. It’s one of those things that should have you turning your head, but you can’t because it’s so true, so real. The movie is about a Mexican cop who graduates from the academy & gets posted to Mexican siberia – some dirt infested town in the middle of nowhere. He gradually loses his idealism & becomes just another nameless face… It’s a sick thing, but how can you not watch it?

Hercules in New York

One of the most hilarious films I’ve seen. The only problem is that it’s too long. After about a half-hour I said to myself, “why am I wasting my life watching this?”. Ahnold’s first movie, he’s credited as “Arnold Strong”, his voice is dubbed by some soap star or something. “I am Hercules”. I’m sitting here laughing out loud just thinking about it.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Wow. What a seriously creepy movie. It’s a rare film where the lead character, or “hero”, is a truly evil person. Not just a bad guy, but downright deranged. To top it off, they almost gave this movie a happy ending… and then there’s that final sequence! This movie was totally twisted. I loved it. Michael Rooker nailed this part.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Mildly entertaining I suppose, but hardly riveting… It felt like somebody was behind the screen, just turning the crank. More special effects, more wizard stuff, more monsters, etc etc etc… Did you notice how utterly helpless all the “professors” are? I mean, they don’t even try to solve the mystery, they just want to give up and close the school – even the head wizard dude doesn’t really do anything. The plot would have been more engaging if the professors were trying to solve the mystery too, but stuck on a “wrong path” or something. I suppose that’s what one gets in a kid’s book/movie though – helpless adults & hero kids.

Happy Gilmore

I hate this movie with a passion. I haven’t seen all of Adam Sandler’s movies, but most of them suck. This one REALLY sucks. Yes, I know, a lot of people have just the opposite feeling. But, I guess I have a different view of golf. The jokes in this movie should be funny only to someone who doesn’t play much or any golf. It was totally shallow, and just unbelievably dumb. If you want to see decent golf humor, see caddyshack.

Happenstance

A cute movie that is growing on me more now that it’s over. For a while it was really dialogue-heavy, which is difficult with a sub-titled film. But, it was really well thought-out, and the bits really didn’t seem contrived. Basically, it’s about all the little odd bits of happenstance that happen over the course of a day that bring two people together. If not for any one of these things, they might not have ever met. Makes me wonder about all the things that have brought me to my current state of affairs… and wonder if any little randowm things I’ve done have altered the course of others lives… make me feel both powerful and powerless at the same time.