Hey y'all! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been crazy busy with school!
However, I am going to start posting regularly again, and I really want to try and get the word out to everyone so they all know about my awesome blog!!!
So here's what I ask of you! Tell all of your friends to follow this blog on Twitter @1001MovieQuest and to join the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/thequestfor1001movies/! Let's get the word out there people!
Thanks y'all are the best! I'll have more movie reviews for you later!
OOOHHHHH and also LES MISERABLES IS OUT ON DVD/BluRay SO GO AND BUY IT RIGHT THIS SECOND.
That's all.
<3 <3
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Cold Bodies. Warm Heart.
"Cold Bodies. Warm Heart."
Quite possibly one of the cheesiest taglines for a movie EVER. The trailer? No better. After first seeing the preview for Warm Bodies, a zombie romance film, I had absolutely no intention of ever seeing that movie. However, the movie was getting rave reviews from everyone I knew, so, I just had to go check it out. And I can honestly say, I'm glad I did.
Warm Bodies is the story about a zombie named R who is different from other zombies. He thinks differently than they do. One day, he meets a human named Julie, and that's when things start to change. And by things, I mean the zombies. They literally start to change and cure themselves. It all stems from R and Julie, who start to fall in love.
It's a very Twilightesque type movie, but it also had it's Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers thing going on. It even had a balcony scene, like R&J. Who would've thought that even zombies could fall in love. All I know is, by the end of the movie every girl in the theater wished they had a zombie boyfriend. I know I wish I did. And it doesn't help that Valentine's is right around the corner... OK - I'm going to go eat a whole box of chocolates now....
But seriously, such a cute movie. A little weird at times, but if you can sit through the whole movie, I guarantee you, R will win you over, just like he did me. (3 Stars)
Quite possibly one of the cheesiest taglines for a movie EVER. The trailer? No better. After first seeing the preview for Warm Bodies, a zombie romance film, I had absolutely no intention of ever seeing that movie. However, the movie was getting rave reviews from everyone I knew, so, I just had to go check it out. And I can honestly say, I'm glad I did.
Warm Bodies is the story about a zombie named R who is different from other zombies. He thinks differently than they do. One day, he meets a human named Julie, and that's when things start to change. And by things, I mean the zombies. They literally start to change and cure themselves. It all stems from R and Julie, who start to fall in love.
It's a very Twilightesque type movie, but it also had it's Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers thing going on. It even had a balcony scene, like R&J. Who would've thought that even zombies could fall in love. All I know is, by the end of the movie every girl in the theater wished they had a zombie boyfriend. I know I wish I did. And it doesn't help that Valentine's is right around the corner... OK - I'm going to go eat a whole box of chocolates now....
But seriously, such a cute movie. A little weird at times, but if you can sit through the whole movie, I guarantee you, R will win you over, just like he did me. (3 Stars)
Friday, February 8, 2013
Don't Do Drugs
Had a little spare time this week and decided to watch a movie, or course. Today's review is about yes another "Must See" Drugstore Cowboy, the story of four junkies who steal drugs from pharmacies for an extra thrill.
Overall, a great movie, and I understand why it earned a spot on "The Book". I love movies that were made in the late-80s, early-90s (such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle) and this movie (1989) was no-exception. These movies have a certain quality to them that makes them so relatable and just so raw. In Drugstore Cowboy even if you aren't a junkie, or have never done drugs (which I fit into both categories) you can really understand what is going through the minds of these four characters.
The movie starts with just the thoughts of the main character, Bob (Matt Dillon), who is reflecting on his life as he is dying in the back of an ambulance. Right from the beginning, the movie really pulls you in. Soon, we find out the Bob is the leader of this crew that steals drugs. His wife, Dianne, is played by the superb Kelly Lynch (for any 90210 fans like myself, she plays Ivy's mom), and the other two members of the crew Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham) also do a wonderful job portraying the drug addicts in their struggles. The plot continues on the simple road of stealing drugs and staying away from the cops. Then tragedy strikes which makes Bob rethink his lifestyle and he decides to get on an addict program and get clean. All of this leads up to the moment that Bob is fighting for his life in the back of the ambulance as a very poetic ending.
Druggie or not, I highly recommend you seeing this film at least once. It's a diamond in the rough, if you take the time to watch it fully and try to sympathize with the characters. (3 Stars)
Overall, a great movie, and I understand why it earned a spot on "The Book". I love movies that were made in the late-80s, early-90s (such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle) and this movie (1989) was no-exception. These movies have a certain quality to them that makes them so relatable and just so raw. In Drugstore Cowboy even if you aren't a junkie, or have never done drugs (which I fit into both categories) you can really understand what is going through the minds of these four characters.
The movie starts with just the thoughts of the main character, Bob (Matt Dillon), who is reflecting on his life as he is dying in the back of an ambulance. Right from the beginning, the movie really pulls you in. Soon, we find out the Bob is the leader of this crew that steals drugs. His wife, Dianne, is played by the superb Kelly Lynch (for any 90210 fans like myself, she plays Ivy's mom), and the other two members of the crew Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham) also do a wonderful job portraying the drug addicts in their struggles. The plot continues on the simple road of stealing drugs and staying away from the cops. Then tragedy strikes which makes Bob rethink his lifestyle and he decides to get on an addict program and get clean. All of this leads up to the moment that Bob is fighting for his life in the back of the ambulance as a very poetic ending.
Druggie or not, I highly recommend you seeing this film at least once. It's a diamond in the rough, if you take the time to watch it fully and try to sympathize with the characters. (3 Stars)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Movie of the Future From the Past
This Tuesday's movie was Metropolis, a famous German movie from the 1920s.
At first, I was really excited to watch this because it's one of those classics that almost everyone has heard about. Plus, it was in "The Book" (this makes 76 by the way). However, it had a VERY slow start. I'm talking, check your phone every two minutes, thinking it's been an hour slow start. Fortunately, after the first hour the movie really started to pick up and get suspenseful. however, last thirty minutes were, again, very slow.
So, a little bit about this movie:
It's based on a futuristic society in Germany. In this society, a man named Joh Fredersen has built the city Metropolis from the ground up with the help of the people of the city. The people do all the hard labor,and he pretty much sits back and watches. Joh's son, Freder, has grown up in a spoiled, high-class world because of this. But, one day, a beautiful woman named Maria crosses over into the high-society world and catches Freder's attention. He then goes underground (where the working class lives/works) and what he sees there changes his life. The rest of the movie is about Freder trying to save the city of Metropolis, with the help of Maria, Josaphat (a recently fired worker of Joh) and Georgy (a laborer). An inventor named Rotwang has cloned Maria onto a robot and the robot is creating turmoil within the city. The workers are now setting out to destroy the city of Metropolis because of the robot. Luckily, Freder and company are able to save all of the children of the city before it is completely destroyed, and eventually the workers see the mistake they have made.
Overall, it was an interesting movie, although slow at some parts. The suspenseful, fast-paced scenes were definitely more enjoyable than others. One of my favorite parts about my Film class so far is being able to see the transgression between movies as time progresses. This movie is much higher in quality than the one's we watched the first week, and without this class, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the quality and beauty of Metropolis. (3 Stars)
At first, I was really excited to watch this because it's one of those classics that almost everyone has heard about. Plus, it was in "The Book" (this makes 76 by the way). However, it had a VERY slow start. I'm talking, check your phone every two minutes, thinking it's been an hour slow start. Fortunately, after the first hour the movie really started to pick up and get suspenseful. however, last thirty minutes were, again, very slow.
So, a little bit about this movie:
It's based on a futuristic society in Germany. In this society, a man named Joh Fredersen has built the city Metropolis from the ground up with the help of the people of the city. The people do all the hard labor,and he pretty much sits back and watches. Joh's son, Freder, has grown up in a spoiled, high-class world because of this. But, one day, a beautiful woman named Maria crosses over into the high-society world and catches Freder's attention. He then goes underground (where the working class lives/works) and what he sees there changes his life. The rest of the movie is about Freder trying to save the city of Metropolis, with the help of Maria, Josaphat (a recently fired worker of Joh) and Georgy (a laborer). An inventor named Rotwang has cloned Maria onto a robot and the robot is creating turmoil within the city. The workers are now setting out to destroy the city of Metropolis because of the robot. Luckily, Freder and company are able to save all of the children of the city before it is completely destroyed, and eventually the workers see the mistake they have made.
Overall, it was an interesting movie, although slow at some parts. The suspenseful, fast-paced scenes were definitely more enjoyable than others. One of my favorite parts about my Film class so far is being able to see the transgression between movies as time progresses. This movie is much higher in quality than the one's we watched the first week, and without this class, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the quality and beauty of Metropolis. (3 Stars)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The Big Seven-Five
It's Tuesday night, so I have two killer movies for y'all to watch. And I highly recommend both of these. And as an added bonus, one was in "The Book" which makes a whopping 75 movies that I have seen from "The Book". I think this is quite a milestone! *Insert celebratory dance*
First movie of the night is Buster Keaton's The Scarecrow. This movie was absolutely magnificent and had everyone laughing the entire 19 minutes. Keaton's style is similar to that of Charlie Chaplin. Personally,I love them both! In The Scarecrow, Keaton and his roommate have fallen in love with the neighbor farm girl and are both vying for her attention and hand in marriage. However, her dad (played by Keaton's actual father) doesn't like either one. So the movie turns into this giant comedic chase to prevent either from getting her hand in marriage, but in the end, Keaton succeeds. (4 Stars)
The second, and final movie, is Sergei M. Eisenstein's Bronenosets Potyomkin [Battleship Potemkin]. Battleship is a visionary Soviet film that was meant to be a commemoration of the uprising of 1905, which led to the Bolshevik Revolution in Soviet Russia. Normally, I'm not a fan of these particular types of movies, but I really enjoyed this one. My film class has really changed (and improved) my outlook on these foreign classics, because I get to really understand more of a back story to these films, and what makes them so important to their time. For example, Battleship is considered a Political Montage which was very popular in both the USSR and France during the 1920s. This film is about the uprising f soldiers on the Battleship Potemkin and the reaction of the civilians in the nearby town. It has a very poetic, artistic style to it. For instance, the first soldier to call out for rebellion was the first of many to die, and his death was the symbol that started the uprising in the civilian people. I honestly would love to see a modern remake of this film, I think it would be really cool! This is definitely a classic that everyone should see. (3 Stars)
First movie of the night is Buster Keaton's The Scarecrow. This movie was absolutely magnificent and had everyone laughing the entire 19 minutes. Keaton's style is similar to that of Charlie Chaplin. Personally,I love them both! In The Scarecrow, Keaton and his roommate have fallen in love with the neighbor farm girl and are both vying for her attention and hand in marriage. However, her dad (played by Keaton's actual father) doesn't like either one. So the movie turns into this giant comedic chase to prevent either from getting her hand in marriage, but in the end, Keaton succeeds. (4 Stars)
The second, and final movie, is Sergei M. Eisenstein's Bronenosets Potyomkin [Battleship Potemkin]. Battleship is a visionary Soviet film that was meant to be a commemoration of the uprising of 1905, which led to the Bolshevik Revolution in Soviet Russia. Normally, I'm not a fan of these particular types of movies, but I really enjoyed this one. My film class has really changed (and improved) my outlook on these foreign classics, because I get to really understand more of a back story to these films, and what makes them so important to their time. For example, Battleship is considered a Political Montage which was very popular in both the USSR and France during the 1920s. This film is about the uprising f soldiers on the Battleship Potemkin and the reaction of the civilians in the nearby town. It has a very poetic, artistic style to it. For instance, the first soldier to call out for rebellion was the first of many to die, and his death was the symbol that started the uprising in the civilian people. I honestly would love to see a modern remake of this film, I think it would be really cool! This is definitely a classic that everyone should see. (3 Stars)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Two Classics
It's Tuesday, so you know what that means! MORE MOVIE REVIEWS! YEEHAW.
Today I have two movies from the Classic Hollywood Age, Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant (1917) and D.W. Griffith's True Heart Susie (1919).
First up, The Immigrant! I would just like to start out by stressing how much of a cinematic genius Charlie Chaplin is. When it comes to the world of film, I hold him in very high regards and would LOVE to meet him and just talk about movies with him. First off, he's hilarious and he never even speaks in his movies. Second, he was so good that he was getting paid crazy salaries for the time. He just has this wonderful on-screen charisma that everyone can relate to, which is why people adored him so. In this movie, he plays a poor immigrant on his way to America. On the boat ride to the states, he wins a bunch of money playing poker, but gives it to this beautiful woman he meets who needs it more than him. After living in America sometime, we see that Chaplin is a poor, hungry man. He finds a silver dollar on the ground and decides to treat himself to some food, but that is literally all of the money he has. While getting food, he sees the woman once again and in the end tries to convince her to marry him, and we can see that even though they are both poor, they are happy. Needless to say, I loved it. (4 stars)
The second and final movie of the night was True Heart Susie. This movie, ultimately, was about love. The title character, Susie, is in love with the boy next door, William. William wants to go to college, but cannot afford it, so Susie secretly sells off her belongings and pays for William's tuition. William is your typical teenage boy; he cannot see what is right in front of him until it is too late. Susie is madly in love with him, but he has no clue. Not surprising, eh, ladies? So William goes off to college and comes back to become the minister of the town. While he was away, Susie was preparing herself to be the perfect mate for him. Of course, that doesn't happen, because this slut Bettina moves in and woos him for all the wrong reasons, so Betty and William get married. Little does he know (in fact, only Susie knows) that Bettina has been having extramarital affairs. Even after Betty dies from pneumonia, Susie never betrays William by letting him know. However, he finds out everything (including that Susie paid for his college) and realizes he loved her the whole time. Not going to lie, it was a pretty complicated storyline to keep up with, especially when there are no words to accompany it. Overall, I felt like I could connect with Susie, and I'm sure any girl in the world could. It's hard to watch the guy you like fall for "the wrong girl" let alone any girl at all. I gotta give Susie some props for keeping her cool. Other than that, the movie was painfully long (or at least felt that way) and I don't really plan on seeing it ever again. (2.5 stars)
More for y'all later!
Today I have two movies from the Classic Hollywood Age, Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant (1917) and D.W. Griffith's True Heart Susie (1919).
First up, The Immigrant! I would just like to start out by stressing how much of a cinematic genius Charlie Chaplin is. When it comes to the world of film, I hold him in very high regards and would LOVE to meet him and just talk about movies with him. First off, he's hilarious and he never even speaks in his movies. Second, he was so good that he was getting paid crazy salaries for the time. He just has this wonderful on-screen charisma that everyone can relate to, which is why people adored him so. In this movie, he plays a poor immigrant on his way to America. On the boat ride to the states, he wins a bunch of money playing poker, but gives it to this beautiful woman he meets who needs it more than him. After living in America sometime, we see that Chaplin is a poor, hungry man. He finds a silver dollar on the ground and decides to treat himself to some food, but that is literally all of the money he has. While getting food, he sees the woman once again and in the end tries to convince her to marry him, and we can see that even though they are both poor, they are happy. Needless to say, I loved it. (4 stars)
The second and final movie of the night was True Heart Susie. This movie, ultimately, was about love. The title character, Susie, is in love with the boy next door, William. William wants to go to college, but cannot afford it, so Susie secretly sells off her belongings and pays for William's tuition. William is your typical teenage boy; he cannot see what is right in front of him until it is too late. Susie is madly in love with him, but he has no clue. Not surprising, eh, ladies? So William goes off to college and comes back to become the minister of the town. While he was away, Susie was preparing herself to be the perfect mate for him. Of course, that doesn't happen, because this slut Bettina moves in and woos him for all the wrong reasons, so Betty and William get married. Little does he know (in fact, only Susie knows) that Bettina has been having extramarital affairs. Even after Betty dies from pneumonia, Susie never betrays William by letting him know. However, he finds out everything (including that Susie paid for his college) and realizes he loved her the whole time. Not going to lie, it was a pretty complicated storyline to keep up with, especially when there are no words to accompany it. Overall, I felt like I could connect with Susie, and I'm sure any girl in the world could. It's hard to watch the guy you like fall for "the wrong girl" let alone any girl at all. I gotta give Susie some props for keeping her cool. Other than that, the movie was painfully long (or at least felt that way) and I don't really plan on seeing it ever again. (2.5 stars)
More for y'all later!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Tarantino Classic
There is so much hype right now concerning the newest Quinten Tarantino movie, Django Unchained. Although I had never seen a Tarantino movie, I knew that his type of movies were not my cup of tea, which is why I decided I would not pay money to go see his latest film. However, I figured it's about time I finally see a Tarantino movie, especially if I want to claim "not to like them", so, I started at the beginning with his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. (Also, I'd like to apologize to those of you who thought you would be getting a review on Django, because you're not.)
I can tell you straight off the bat that I didn't like it. I am NOT A FAN of Tarantino. His style is just way too bizarre for me. Yes, I do think he is a phenomenal director when it comes to the logistics of film, I just don't particularly enjoy his movies. Again, I've only seen one so far, so he may prove me wrong yet.
Reservoir Dogs (RD) is about a botched robbery. The story itself is told in a sort of reverse order. At the beginning of the film, we see a man driving a wounded man to a warehouse, begging him to stay alive. Slowly, we get backstories of all the other characters. We learn that there is a group of men who all know each other by code names only, such as Mr. Black and Mr. Pink, and aer working together to rob a jewelry store. However, someone ratted and the cops knew they would be there. So now, the remaining men still alive are trying to figure out who the traitor is. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I hate to ruin it, but everybody dies. No seriously they do. This isn't some trick where I shout "Everyone dies" just to piss you off. They really do all die. Kind of depressing. Also, there are very few women in this film. I can only remember there being one... But, anyways... That's the movie in a nutshell. I feel kind of bad for Tarantino though, because he's the first one to die. But, it is his movie, so it's his own fault. OK - I no longer feel bad for him. (2 Stars)
Well, some exciting news is that this movie was in "The Book"! 74 down!! Yee Yee!
Also, I would just like to rub in the fact that
a) I had the day off today
and
b) Since I didn't procrastinate all weekend (I actually did all my HW on Saturday/Sunday) I got to spend my day catching up on my TV shows and watching this movie. So HA.
I can tell you straight off the bat that I didn't like it. I am NOT A FAN of Tarantino. His style is just way too bizarre for me. Yes, I do think he is a phenomenal director when it comes to the logistics of film, I just don't particularly enjoy his movies. Again, I've only seen one so far, so he may prove me wrong yet.
Reservoir Dogs (RD) is about a botched robbery. The story itself is told in a sort of reverse order. At the beginning of the film, we see a man driving a wounded man to a warehouse, begging him to stay alive. Slowly, we get backstories of all the other characters. We learn that there is a group of men who all know each other by code names only, such as Mr. Black and Mr. Pink, and aer working together to rob a jewelry store. However, someone ratted and the cops knew they would be there. So now, the remaining men still alive are trying to figure out who the traitor is. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I hate to ruin it, but everybody dies. No seriously they do. This isn't some trick where I shout "Everyone dies" just to piss you off. They really do all die. Kind of depressing. Also, there are very few women in this film. I can only remember there being one... But, anyways... That's the movie in a nutshell. I feel kind of bad for Tarantino though, because he's the first one to die. But, it is his movie, so it's his own fault. OK - I no longer feel bad for him. (2 Stars)
Well, some exciting news is that this movie was in "The Book"! 74 down!! Yee Yee!
Also, I would just like to rub in the fact that
a) I had the day off today
and
b) Since I didn't procrastinate all weekend (I actually did all my HW on Saturday/Sunday) I got to spend my day catching up on my TV shows and watching this movie. So HA.
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