jack42

With alone at home

If you've done the time, you might as well do the crime.

With alone at home

A mom dies and asks her twins to deliver letters to their father (whom they believe was killed) and brother (whom they never knew they had). In the ensuing search, They discover the complicated life their mom led. But wait, there's more. Very well done, worth seeing.

With alone at home

Track down a cop killer in a tough section of London. Brutal and rough.

With alone at home

So, you take money to be the guardian of an old man who can't take of himself. And the guy's grandson shows up because his mom (the man's daughter) is a drug addict. The kid is an expert wrestler, and then the mom shows up wanting what's hers (note: it's not the kid she wants). Really good stuff, and Paul Giamatti is not disgusting in this.

With Stephanie, Teresa at Studio Movie Grill, Town & Country Center

I hate sports. This is a great movie, even if it's somewhat about baseball. How do you build a team with virtually no money to compete against a team whose funds are comparatively limitless? Ultimately, what do you make your life count for?

With alone at home

Cute movie about a dinner party and all the secrets different people have who will attend. Jean Harlow is a knockout in this.

With alone at home

A young girl has been trained for lots of combat and defense. It is time for her to enter the world, a world where she has never heard music. Great fight scenes not cut to death.

With alone at home

What would you do if an alien contacted you? And then asked you to help it escape? Lots of fun, though a bit heavy-handed against Christianity and faith in parts.

With Clay at Memorial City

Three young Israeli Massad agents attempt to find and return the Butcher of Birknau to Israel for war crimes trials.

With alone at home

Spy games, cool gadgets, etc. Bond, but not tongue-in-cheek.

listening to commentary.

With alone at home

Watched this for the first time probably since it came out. It is better than I remember. Not sure how to describe, but Ethan Hunt goes up against a ruthless, remorseless bad guy. He also goes up against love.

bought it on blu-ray from Movie Exchange.

With alone at home

After years being thought vanquished and exiled to small plantations. Recently, attacks are on the rise, but the Church leaders are denying even the existence of any vampires. One Priest (of an order created to battle the vampires) realizes this and faces ex-communication for pursuing them.

With alone at home

Perhaps I am just missing something, but I'm not sure what the point of this movie is. Lots of funny vignettes, but I feel it is less than the sum of its parts. Naive insurance agent goes to convention; all his notions are shattered; then he goes back to normal. Worth watching because of the funny parts

With alone at home

A father is killed in New Orleans by some creature. Rebuffed by the police, the daughter seeks help from Dylan Dog, a sort of supernatural investigator, or at least he used to be. Who killed her dad, and more importantly, Why? It's clear why this wasn't successful in the theater, but if you like quirky off-beat movies, check it out.

hooray for redbox.

With alone at home

A modern take on the Beauty and the Beast story. Parts were good; parts were bad. The second half was better overall than the first. A totally self-absorbed boy crosses a witch, who puts a spell on him. He has 1 year to find love. A pretty tall order considering how hateful he is.

With Rockley family at AMC Katy Mills

An ape with an experimental treatment is raised by the main scientist. He's smarter & more adept than the usual ape, but not socially adept, either with humans or apes. One would think this would be super cheesy, but it's really intriguing and captivating.

With a bunch of people, but none of whom I know at Memorial City

This is a very fitting end of the Potter franchise. Just as the three have grown up, so have the movies. Outstanding!

wanted to see before it left the theater

With alone at home

Very funny movie with some great lines in it. Author Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) gets married and goes home to pack for his honeymoon, only to discover his spinster aunts have a proclivity for killing older bachelor men. His good-for-nothing brother shows after being gone for years up with a new face and the doctor that did it (to try again). And then there's the uncle who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt. "Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."

With alone at home

Loved this movie. Great story, great sequences, superb animation. A pet lizard is suddenly the sheriff of a small town out west. Someone has stolen the water. What will he do?

started watching Tuesday night; finished this afternoon.

With alone at home

This movie never fails to make me laugh. The first time I saw this, it took me 15 minutes before I realized who he was. Vinnie (aka Todd), is in witness protection while waiting to testify against his former boss. He can't lie low, however, and the con in his blood cannot be sated. Funny, funny, funny!

watched using my computer; wouldn't play sound in blu-ray player.

With alone at home

Roy Hobbs, a naturally-talented baseball player, shows up one day to play ball for a bottom-of-the-league team. Also, he's 42, essentially past retirement age for pro-ball players. He wants to play, but there are others with a different thought about him.

my first viewing ever

With alone at home

A boy, reaching his 18th (or 21st) birthday, is given 1000 pounds and told by his mother that she is not his mother and he is to leave and find his own fortune. What will he do?

With alone at home

Lucy walked in on her husband in bed with another woman. She walked in with an ax and went medieval on their torso, etc. Twenty years later, she is released from the asylum, but is she okay? Harsh and brutal for its time, and probably mind-boggling for its time, too. Is she or isn't she insane still plays well.

With alone at home

Ethan is a struggling writer who meets Jesse, a struggling(?) waitress at a diner. Does he ask her out? Yes. Does a good-looking guy come in and ask her out immediately after Ethan leaves the diner? Yes. What will Jesse do with the burgeoning romance with each guy?

home sick; Hulu

With Carol, Dena, Teresa at Studio Movie Grill, Town & Country Center

Fully engaging movie covering the origin and first (and seemingly last) adventure of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.

With alone at home

This movie does not have Sheriff Taylor of Mayberry. Andy Griffith gives an extremely powerful performance as "Lonesome" Rhodes, a man discovered in a jail who can sing and has great charisma. The country is enthralled by him and buys everything he promotes. But what cost fame?

With alone at home

One of the best Hitchcock films, a man is mistakenly presumed to be a particular spy, and a chase is on after the truth.

With alone at home

star-studded movie depicting fandom and actordom, warts and all. This movie is a comedy, but it does not mock fans or actors. Well worth watching or watching again. Lots of fun.

hadn't watched this in many years; I think I enjoyed it more now than when I first saw it so long ago, and I liked it way back then.

With alone at home

Very good movie. more grown-up movie for a more grown-up audience. Really really enjoyed this.

watched in preparation to see part 2. (wound up not seeing it--yet)

With alone at home

A fun little heist movie. K-k-k-ken's c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me. Love it.

With alone at home

blech. horrible

With alone at home

A man resorts to a robbery with his brother. He is held responsible and sentenced to die because someone was killed during the robbery. And then he wakes up to a new life. That's a tad unusual.

With alone at home

What would you do if a criminal you sent to jail got out and was coming to get you?

With Clay at Memorial City

Another giant robot smash-em up. better than the second one.

saw it in 3D

With alone at home

On Christmas Eve, a suicide prevention hotline agency is served an eviction notice; the head of the agency is dumped by his girlfriend, much to the delight of one of his co-workers; and the seaside town is hounded by a serial killer known as the Seaside Strangler. I hated this movie the first time I saw it, but after thinking about it, there were very funny parts in it and upon rewatching, I fell in love with it. This is also a remake of a French film, Joyeaux Noel (which I haven't seen but want to).

from the collection, when My Blue Heaven DVD wouldn't play with sound (bummer).

With alone at home

Did you ever have one of those nights that you thought was going to be great, and everything you get involved in gets messed up? That's this movie.

With alone at home

Great movie about some retired CIA operatives. Fun! (and lots of guns)

With Clay, Teresa, Michelle at Memorial City

Mutants Unite! Fight! Right....

With alone at home

This is the best-made Harry Potter movie, by far! And oh so very dark, even in the daylight. Bad stuff goes on, and we're not done yet! This is a great movie!

couldn't find my blu-ray, so I bought the DVD so I could at least watch the movie.

With alone at home

Welcome to the family. I keel you now. Very funny black comedy.

Netflix Instant Watch

With alone at laptop

Very enjoyable take on Sherlock Holmes as a young student in high school. All the familiar Holmes trappings in an original tale.

Netflix Instant Watch

With Michelle at Katy Cinemark

Decent; liked it better than 2 or 3. A little talky in places

With Teresa, LaNell at AMC Dunvale

I was not expecting much from the movie; I was very pleasantly surprised. And Loki rocked!

With alone at home

Twelve years on, The Matrix still rocks big time. It's a mind trip with some pretty heavy-duty questions on the nature of existence.

With alone at home

The trailer for Skyline raises largely unmet expectations with an ending guaranteed to make one gag.

With Clay, LaNell, Teresa at AMC Dunvale

This is a very likable thriller. If you had a way to boost your brain power phenomenally, would you do it? And what could you accomplish? This is a fairly good look at such, but the ending didn't quite live up to its potential (would have been 8 stars if slightly better).

Good Friday movie watching, then Chuy's!

With alone at home

In the future, the Joker is dead. In the future, the Joker comes back from the dead. He wants the world to burn, or Batman, anyway.

With alone at home

Another nice Agatha Christie mystery (what's up with her, being so twisted and all?). Set on a boat on the Nile river, a murder is committed. Whodunit? No one, because everyone has an alibi. Yikes, what is Poirot to do?

With alone at home

Another Agatha Christie mystery full of well known actors. Today, this would be considered stunt casting, but it works for the time. At a dinner party, a guest is poisoned. Who would want to poison the simple woman, and why? Or is she even the intended victim?

With alone at home

This movie is a puzzle, both in story and in what to make of it. Simon wakes up from a nightmare, or is it in a nightmare. The movie is real pretty to watch, but I'm not sure it's a whole lot more than that.

With alone at home

Very nice Agatha Christie mystery. A woman is killed on a deserted beach, and everyone has an alibi. What is a world-famous sleuth to do? Beautiful scenery, very puzzling mystery, seemingly unsolvable.

With alone at home

This movie is extremely well done; the set decoration in the apartment is really nice; the interaction with the mom is scary and telling. The Black Swan dance scene is exquisite. All that being said, the movie was just meh to me. I recognize that others find value in it, but it did not reach me emotionally.

With alone at home

Two children, along with an alcoholic ship's mate are the only apparent survivors of a ship wreck. The mate teaches the children some basics before he dies (oh, spoiler alert there). How will the children cope on this island full of unknowns. And why is she so fat?

With alone at Memorial City

not sure how to describe this movie. Think I need to see it again. Visually stunning masterpiece. borderline brilliant

so glad I went to see it.

With a bunch of people, but none of whom I know at Memorial City

Other than the TVs always working even when lights were flickering, this was an enjoyable movie. Aliens have come with prejudice. I think it's a very realistic view all the way around. Worth seeing, and worth seeing in the theater (full disclosure: I paid $5 matinee price and would do so again).

With alone at home

still an enjoyable movie.

watched with commentary running; distracted the last time I watched it and watched more closely.

With alone at home

Very enjoyable movie; a little slow for about 10 minutes in the middle. But the story moves right along. Imagine living your favorite comic hero's origin and becoming that hero. How would family, friends, and the government react? And just what if your power could be taken away?

finally broke down and bought the DVD (cheap). Would now like it on blu-ray.

With a bunch of people, but none of whom I know at Memorial City

Home, family, friends, all words that we hope to find in our lives. Actually, most of us have these if we open our eyes. John Smith longs to know these things in his life and sees a chance to have these things, but first, he has to fight off these pesky aliens out to kill him and his brethren, the same aliens who want to take over the earth.

With alone at home

This movie was not what I was expecting. I was expecting pure raunch, and while there was some, I didn't find it to be outlandish. It was also not as funny as everyone has purported it to be. Funny, yes, but not the funniest movie ever, not even top 10. I enjoyed it more than I thought it would, but not for all the reasons the populace deemed it "good".

Clay loaned this to me.

With alone at home

Very funny movie looking at Derek Zoolander and his call to do something besides look pretty and stuff. He does get a little sidetracked by this whole assassination attempt, a la The Manchurian Candidate.

Hadn't watched this in a while & looking for something light.

With alone at home

There's not much to say about this movie. It has lots of cool effects, but the story isn't that exciting, depending too much upon knowledge of the excellent cartoon series. This movie did manage to have almost none of the fun of the cartoon.

With alone at home

This movie is a lot smarter than one would assume from the trailer. Emma Stone does a great job portraying a high schooler on the outskirts of the school's in crowd suddenly becoming the talk of the school, even if for infamous reasons. Soon, however, her well-intentioned charity cases backfire, and her reputation explodes beyond her ability to control.

With alone at home

This is an interesting movie about two brothers, identical twins (played by Edward Norton), who have gone on separate paths in life. One is a professor in Boston, and the other becomes a pot supplier to a large region in Oklahoma. The pot brother fakes his own death to force prof brother to come to OK. Life ensues.

With alone at home

This movie is fairly suspenseful throughout it's short running time (1:20), but some things are just set up to be used later. I realize other movies do this as well, but they accomplish it in a less heavy-handed manner where it's not so obvious what is being done. It is not enough, however, to destroy the movie, just keep it from being better.

With alone at home

Watching some of the extras, my suspicion this movie was inspired by Heat was confirmed. It's a very stylish caper movie, a la Ocean's 11, but it has a little more depth. Against their better judgment, the gang is convinced to pull off another heist within a couple of weeks of their annual big heist. Complications ensue. This is a very enjoyable movie, well worth seeing. It is not as complex or as powerful as Heat, but it is a worthy addition to the caper genre.

With alone at home

hadn't seen this movie in years, and then it was on TV while I couldn't sleep. A very touching movie about growing up and learning the difference between fantasy and real life.

I hate not sleeping, but at least there was something decent on to watch.

With alone at home

For some reason, I didn't see this in the theater, and I'm kind of sorry I missed it. There are several scenes that would have been outstanding to see on the big screen, such as the dragon, the satellite dish scenes. I found it thoroughly entertaining, and I look forward to adding it to my library. On sale.

intended to work while this was playing, but it was so entertaining, I watched it mostly.

With alone at home

This movie was pretty much what I was expecting from the trailer, the trailer did a good job of enticing me without telling me everything; there were still surprises in the movie. Enjoyable and well worth watching.

another movie to entertain me while I was working.

With alone at home

The original pilot I saw did nothing to entice me to want to watch this movie. Once it came out on DVD and I heard an actual synopsis, I was intrigued. This was very funny, very poignant at times, and quite enjoyable.

something to entertain while I was working.

With alone at home

Thoroughly enjoyable movie; good music, good action sequences, and a decent story.

With Clay at Memorial City

I didn't know what to expect going in to the movie other than basic premise. I can't think of anything I disliked about this movie. The music, the scenery/cinematography, acting, all of these things worked together to produce a modern masterpiece.

This was our New Year Holiday

With alone at home

This movie was much better than I thought it would be. Adrien Brody & Topher Grace both did a good job. Highly recommended.

With Steve at AMC Dunvale

This is my favorite movie of 2010. This movie was a thrill ride, full of fantastic special effects that served the story. It's a sweet romance interspersed with epically epic battles.

Sneak peek

With Michelle, Julie, Teresa at Memorial City

A little uneven at first, eventually we get to some action and adventure after about 15 minutes. It's easy to see how different scenes came from or could drive video games. Overall, a fun little romp.

At home

Perhaps you should re-think your first desire to execute someone who has wronged you. Perhaps your first thoughts as to what happened just might not be what happened.

With Teresa, Janice at Memorial City

There are some drop-dead hilarious moments in this movie, and the rest is just fairly funny, all of it relatively effortlessly. Question to ponder: would two beings who meet and fall in love manage to do it again if circumstances were completely opposite?

At home

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is the American title of this movie. The main character, Nausicaa, is a princess in the valley of the wind. Evil is afoot in the valley, attempting to destroy the villagers (valleyers?) to attempt to recover from an ecological disaster. There are thrilling scenes throughout the movie, and the animation, while not fluid like Spirited Away and other later Miyazaki, is still beautiful.

At home

This is an interesting movie dealing with times in China before it shut itself off from the rest of the world. In particular it deals with whether martial arts would remain an integral part, and it deals with honor.

With Mark, Teresa, Michelle, Cheryl at Memorial CIty

How did "Robin Hood" come into being? This movie explores the beginnings of Robin Hood. It was a little long but very enjoyable. Know that this is not the traditional Robin Hood story a la Errol Flynn (which is a fantastic movie itself), and you will find this much more enjoyable

At work

What a nice screwball comedy with some fantastic one-liners! Kent (Bowman), a cartoonist on his way to the war, meets Dr. Lane (Russell), a psychiatrist not at all interested in matters of the heart except as a form of neurosis. Comedic hijinks ensue, from a time when that phrase was not meant ironically. Is there room for both heart and mind in this world? Follow along to see whether these two get together (it's not hard to figure out -- but the journey is half or most of the fun!)

another of the watch during lunch movies. Finished it on this date.

At home

This movie is superb, one of the most perfectly-created movies I've ever seen. Compelling characters populate this journal of the Corleone family.

This is the first time I've ever seen this movie, one of many friends are shocked I haven't seen. Not my favorite movie, but probably the best-made movie I've ever seen.

At home

Jack Carter sets out to determine his brother's killer. Michael Caine portrays a take-no-guff gangster who displays neither remorse nor any emotion but revenge. This is an excellently-made film, well worth seeing if you're a fan of gangster movies at all.

With Teresa at Memorial CIty

This is an enjoyable next-romp for the Man of Iron.

At home

(This movie is AKA: My Lucky Stars) One would think a movie starring Jackie Chan would have a lot more Jackie Chan in it. Not so in this case. There's quite a bit of action, and it satisfies, but the movie also rests heavily on some pretty horrible comedy. Perhaps if I spoke Chinese, it might have been better, but I don't. Worth a rent, but don't have high expectations.

there are worse ways to spend a Friday night, but there are much, much better, too.

At work

This is one of the funniest movies I've seen, and it has a totally surprise ending. (People at work thought I was having seizures.) Ruth and Eileen move to New York to pursue their respective dreams of writing and acting. Hilarity clearly ensues, and in a good way. Very enjoyable, and very funny. Highly recommended

watch about 15 minutes a day or so at work during lunch.

At home

(AKA: La Vie en Rose) An interesting look at the life of French singer Edith Piaf. She lived a lot of life in her 47 years filled with many highs and lows.

At Memorial CIty

An interesting and engrossing movie, I was left a little empty by the ending. Nice action, the story was nothing really new, but how much is really new these days? It was fun.

At home

What do you do with an extra husband? This is the quandary Vicky finds herself in when her first husband, presumed drowned in a boating accident a year ago -- and there's proof! -- shows up not expecting she would have gotten married already, to his best man, no less. A funny movie from the screwball movie collection, this does raise the question of, "Who would you choose?", much akin to asking which of your children let die.

At home

A barrister (lawyer) engages a campaign against some blackmailers. Good movie.

Netflix rental

At home

The basic plot concerns a soldier who wakes from crygenic sleep, disoriented & confused. He slowly regains his memory, only to discover the ship has been overrun (in sections) with man-eating creatures. Decent horror flick with a little too much emphasis on the gore. It's not Hostel, mind you, bu tthen, what is?

Redbox rental

At home

In the middle of the depression, James Buchanan walks out of his car company and meets Joan Hawthorne. He pretends to be down on his luck, and together they concoct a scheme to pose as a butler and cook so she can get a job. The job is for a gangster. Mr. Buchanan is also hiding from a potential wedding to someone who is less than desirable. Hilarity ensues (non-ironically).

At home

I've always known women have had a much more difficult time to get half as far as men. This movie really demonstrates this and drove the point home to me. Also, men are pigs. Sorry.

At home

Up in the Air is an excellent character study and lens over what makes a life valuable. Always running from life, it's hard to live it and make any meaningful connection.

At home

I'm so glad I finally got to see this movie. It is quite excellent and highly recommended. A missionary (Hepburn) is rescued by a boat captain (Bogart). The movie entails their travel and plans. It is far more excellent than this brief description.

At Memorial CIty

Follow Perseus on a journey to restore order to the world. Parts were excellent, and parts were a little painful.

At home

A fancy lad goes to sea, gets forced to be a servant, and is just plain stupid.

At home

Tetsuo, long the underdog of his friends, suddenly develops powers in Neo-Tokyo. These powers are related to the detonation (or something) of Akira that destroyed Tokyo to begin with. Corruption and chaos abound.

This is my fifth or sixth time to watch this movie. Seeing it blu-ray for the first time is like watching the movie for the first time. I'm sure the 42" screen doesn't hurt, either. The studio did an outstanding job updating this to blu-ray quality. No jaggies, pristine colors, etc. If you're new to anime, this is a must see.

At home

"what we've got here is... failure to communicate." Great movie; great character study. Highly recommended

nothing like being home sick to watch a bunch of movies.

At home

mediocre at best.

At home

I only made it through 17:40 before the total nonsensicalness of this movie forced me to turn it off. Avoid at all costs.