Dirty Harry has really aged well. It doesn’t really feature anything that hasn’t been emulated in dozens of cop movies that you have already seen, but it is well-done. Clint Eastwood is still really cool in his brown suit and sunglasses, waiting on top of the bridge. What was funny for me was to hear his famous lines actually spoken by him. How many times have we heard someone quote “I know what you’re thinking…Do you feel lucky?” The only parts that gave me trouble was the lack of back-up in several scenes. Would you really lure the killer to a certain rooftop and then only have three cops there, two on another rooftop? However, to still come off as very current, it must have been way ahead of it’s time.

A cute movie that made me really miss Ireland. But ultimately I couldn’t bring myself to like the film because of the storyline that Maureen O’Hara would only be satisfied if John Wayne roughed her up a bit. Nothing like a little charming spousal abuse. I know it was done with humor in mind, but it just didn’t sit well with me.

Eight hours after my initial viewing and subsequent decision that I never wanted to see “No Country for Old Men” again – here I was, raptly watching it with my boyfriend. What was I thinking? This was the film that had kept my body so tense and dread-filled for two hours that I was physically exhausted and a little nauseous. Although I had respect for the film after my initial viewing, I couldn’t bring myself to mark it “Worth Consuming” because I hadn’t enjoyed it. Not a second of it. So as the tension started to become palpable again, why was I still watching it? Because this time I was enjoying it. Well, a little at least.

On my first viewing, all I could focus on was the sense of dread that filled the screen every time Javier Bardem appeared. It is hard to even pinpoint what makes him so damn scary. We’ve seen psychoathic killers before. The dead stare, the menacing voice, the worry that anyone who comes in contact with him won’t make it through the scene alive. But Bardem escalates all of this to a new level and creates one of the scariest film villains in history. His Dorothy Hamill-style haircut accentuates his large face, making him into a modern Frankenstein monster, slow walk included. I’m not one easily scared during films, and maybe in other hands Chigurh would have been only menacing. What the Coen brothers bring to the film is a sense that fate is at play, that you cannot avoid the awful things to come. These themses are difficult to translate from written word to film, but they do it skillfully. Every moment of the film is sparse, minimal – there are long stretches of silence that others would have filled with moody soundtrack. Yet, as much as it is about unavoidable fate, it is also about the decisions we make. Josh Brolin tells his wife that he is about to go do something very stupid, but he does it anyway. They are all compelled along this destructive path whether it be from sense of duty, greed, or a very grim moral ethic.

I didn’t pick up all of this the first time. It wasn’t until I rewatched the film that I was able to concentrate on anything besides the struggle. It was hard to even pick up on most of the dark humor at first. I have officially changed my opinion to “Worth Consuming.” It is a brilliant movie. I still can’t say it was my favorite film of the year, but definitely one that will be watched, rewatched, and studied for decades.

A lovely, charming film from beginning to end. John McCrea has lot of big ideas, but no money and he won’t let his wife, Claudette Colbert, get the money for him because it involves using her womanly charms. So she decides that the best thing for them is to get a divorce, and sets out to get to Palm Beach with only her good looks to help her along the way. If you liked Bringing Up Baby and those older screwball comedies, you should really like this gem of a film.

It took me a while to get used to the theatrical style, but once I did I really enjoyed the film. Spike Lee skillyfully managed to flesh out a speaking cast of about 20 people enough so that when the climax came, you understood how each one of them was feeling in the situation. This gave the ending a much better conclusion for me because Lee didn’t try to say one side was right or one side was wrong, but instead left you wanting to discuss the film.

I watched Duck Soup a couple of months back and enjoyed it a lot, it felt like experimental filmmaking – very different from anything you would see made today. A Night at the Opera is much more mainstream in comparison, and honestly I think I enjoyed it much more because of that – isn’t that sad? I think what made the most difference was the amount of screen time for Groucho, who I think works better if he isn’t in every scene. I liked the musical interludes, especially Chico and Harpo’s performances on the ship. Overall, watch Duck Soup if you want to witness genius, watch this film if you want to laugh.

I didn’t expect to ever watch this movie, but rented it after it was nominated for an Academy for Animated Feature Film. It was much different than I anticipated from watching the previews when it came out in theaters. Entertaining, definitely aimed at older children (like 8+ I would think), and good voice actors. I wouldn’t buy it, but it was worth renting.

To be honest, I watched the movie in short spurts over two days, so I can’t be quite sure if I wasn’t blown away by the film because of the constant interruptions or because I simply felt that way. However, I did like it – I liked the director’s editing method of jumping around chronologically. Without that, it would have felt like a very familiar biopic arc – rags to riches/fame, drugs, love affairs (see also Ray, Walk the Line, any Elvis story, etc.). What makes the film unique and wonderful is the performance of Marion Cotillard, who deservedly was nominated for an Oscar. I have liked her in her previous films that I had seen (Big Fish, Love Me If You Dare, A Very Long Engagement), and yet I did not recognize her at all. A complete transformation. I had been complaining recently about the last few years of biopic shoe-ins for Best Actor and Actress because people tend to praise them higher than a character an actor creates out of whole-cloth, but this is one time I have no complaints. The make-up was also wonderfully done.

I liked the film, but don’t understand the adoration of Christie’s performance. In fact, I’ve never been a huge fan of hers, even back in the Doctor Zhivago days. She’s gorgeous, and a good actor, but in no ways remarkable. I didn’t see how her take on the role was any different from any of the other actresses who have portrayed alzheimer’s on film. I think the industry respects her because she could have had a much different career than the one she chose to have and is very vocal with her opinions. But Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page gave much better performances this year (haven’t yet seen The Savages or Elizabeth: The Golden Age). Anyway, the film is well-done on its own without any awards hype, very well written I thought.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this movie! Proof that a simple story told well can be incredibly powerful. And the music was truly lovely.