In May I broke down and took advantage of the free trial offer from Netflix. I reasoned that paying the monthly fee would still be less than renting a comparable amount of movies from Dish Network. So far I’m really enjoying it. I decided that it might be fun to rate them as I watch. I had thought about doing the whole “movie critic” thing, but I’ve found that for some of the movies, I just don’t have that much to say. So mostly I’m just going to rate them and if I have a little something-something to say about that particular movie I will add it. Here is my rating system:
- AFI – The movie should be on AFI’s list.
- DVD – I will be purchasing this DVD.
- $ – The movie was not a waste of money.
- Meh – Just a movie.
- Ouch – I would rather have a dry socket than sit through this movie again.
So to catch up with what I’ve seen so far:
- Up in the Air (Meh) – George Clooney at his George Clooney-ist.
- Avatar (DVD-already have) – Sigourney Weaver was a very nice surprise in this film.
- Extraordinary Measures (Meh) – Sad, heartwarming, but seemed to drag on.
- The Princess and the Frog ($) – I like the fact that this was “old-school” animation in the modern world of CGI, and it has the usual Walt Disney themes.
- Inglourious Basterds ($) – A bit darker and more thought provoking than the trailers might lead one to believe.
- Valkyrie ($) – I had seen a special on the assassination attempt and the movie seemed to hold pretty close to that. Filled with good actors.
- The Invention of Lying ($) – Not only funny, but made me think as well.
- To Have and Have Not (DVD 1/2) – The movie where Bogie and Bacall fell in love. That really shows through on the screen. Wonderful, wonderful movie.
- The Secret Life of Bees ($ 1/2) – Another solid Dakota Fanning performance. Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson join a really great cast. Tear-jerker.
- It’s Complicated ($) – Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play off of each other really well. Throw in Steve Martin and it becomes a great funny/thoughtful movie.
- Lawrence of Arabia (AFI) – I was told by a friend that the score makes this movie and it certainly does. It’s a long one, so don’t plan on popping it for a quick watch. It’s hard to believe that this was Peter O’Toole’s first starring role.
- To Hell and Back ($ 1/2) – Audie Murphy plays himself in this movie recreating his days in WWII, for which he was the most decorated American Soldier. Another example of how much our troops give to keep us safe and free.
- The Blind Side ($ 1/2) – Incredibly uplifting story. Sandra Bullock deserves every award she won for her performance.
- Alice in Wonderland ($) – Loved the colors and somewhat new spin on this classic. It’s easy to tell it’s a Tim Burton movie.
And that’s it so far.
