Mr. Brooks

Year: 2007

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook

Dave - 4.5 Stars - I'm very happy that we stumbled upon this one last night. Costner has always been one of my favorites, and no one plays a woman scorned like Demi. Surprisingly good performance from Dane Cook, and the guy playing his evil shoulder angel was great. Overall great story, kept you engaged and quick moving. I didn't realize how long it was till it was over. Highly recommend

Lexie - 4 Stars - We stumbled upon this movie while channel surfing over the weekend, and I'm happy to report, I was quite surprised; the plot was original and engaging, I cared about the main character even though he was a murder addict and Costner played him divinely, I also loved William Hurt as the manifestation of Costner's psyche following him around; Moore's divorce and Costner's daughter added even more meat to the plot, and it was delicious!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780571/

The Black Dahlia

Year: 2006

Genre: Mystery/Drama

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Even though it didn't take you anywhere it was still a good ride. The fact that you didn't know where this was going, or why it was going there made you watch even though it was slow. Then when you finally figured out what the deal was, you 180'd and everything got pieced back together....my only question is, how do so many people get shot with no one getting arrested?

Lexie - 2 Stars - A weak, spotty, dragging movie trying to sell itself under the headline "based on a true story"--shame on you marketing people for sucking me in with the promise of playing off a true crime story only to bore me to the brink of sleep for two hours with bad acting and non-cliffhanging dead ends; it tries to offer up a theory of what might have happened regarding the unsolved crime, but falls short, leaving too many questions unanswered and too many details touched upon but not explored; and I refuse to accept "she was off her meds" as the reason for disemboweling someone. Sorry.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387877/

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Year: 1971

Genre: Drama

Starring: Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Terence Bayler

Dave - 2.5 Stars - The performances of Macbeth and his wife were very good, but the lack of depth from any of the other characters left you wanting more. Also, the fact that the truth of the murder was never brought to light bothered me a lot, especially with how obvious he and his wife were about their inner turmoil.

Lexie - 2.75 Stars - I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this movie yet, it's still sinking in.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067372/

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Year: 1938

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland, Claude Raines, Basil Rathbone

Dave - 4 Stars - Best version of Robin Hood that I've seen. Flynn is a true pimp before his time, and Olivia played the good girl loving the "bad" guy role wonderfully. I'm not sure if they could have casted a more perfect Prince John. All around great story, great sets. You take for granted the vastness of the sets and extras now that they are all computer generated.

Lexie - 4 Stars - Errol Flynn is a joy to watch (though the drooling sometimes becomes uncontrollable). Obviously the best version of Robin Hood available, this movie is fun, colorful, well written, and very well cast. It's a perfect example of classic Hollywood in its lavishness. There's a comforting authenticy unable to be recreated via CG.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/

Cats and Dogs

Year: 2001

Genre: Family Comedy

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin

Dave - 3 Stars - Cute story, and I want that puppy now. I'm not really sure what the re-watchablity of it is. Fine movie, but I think there could have been a better voice casted for the lead cat.

Lexie - 3 Stars - As an animal lover, particularly a cat lover, I am sold on this movie. It's funny, its characters are adorable and ingeniously representative of animal behavior, and its plot is clever and enjoyable throughout. It can be watched again and again.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0239395

Hamlet

Year: 1996

Genre: Drama

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Richard Briers, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Incredible acting, with incredible cinematography and cast. It's just a shame that I couldnt' really pick up on what was going on the whole time. When I did know, you can understand why old Billy has such amazing staying power. Branagh was entrancing....you couldn't keep your eyes off of him.

Lexie - 3.5 Stars - I understand what makes lovers of the craft want to make a film version of a Shakespeare play in its entirety, but as far as adaptations go, I also understand the artform, and, in this case, the necessary editing, that was lost in Branagh's decision not to cut anything from the play. While the acting in this film was exceptional (minus J. Lemmon, R. Williams, and B. Crystal) I thought it was too long to be consistently enjoyable. The difference between seeing a play and watching a movie, is in the physical experience. I believe it is practically impossible to translate the grandeur of theater onto the screen, and vice versa. The grandeur of this movie did not seem to fit in that it did not solicit from me, the emotional reaction I believe it was aiming for. All in all, the movie is okay, but not the awesome rendering I had anticipated.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/fullcredits#cast

Student Bodies

Year: 1981

Genre: Comedy/Parody

Starring: Richard Belzer, Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby

Dave - 2 Stars - Weak all around, funny for what it was meant for, but still something I could have lived my life without ever seeing....pointing out the typical horror mistakes was pretty funny though.

Lexie - 2 Stars - Comical; an obvious predecessor to the 'Scary Movie' franchise; amusing enough for its purpose.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083133/

The Nameless

Year: 1999

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Starring: Emma Vilarasau, Karra Elejalde, Tristan Ulloa

Dave - 3 Stars - Suspensful, awesome plot, great story line, lame ending, from the words of one of my favorite movie critics "just like stephen king...drags you through hell just to leave you unsatisfied."

Lexie - 3 Stars - I thought this story was well woven; it demonstrates a unique, almost sociological, approach to understanding cult mentality--which I very much enjoyed; the ending was rough to watch, gory and emotionally draining; a decent watch though I believe the themes could have been even more thoroughly explored.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222368/

The Duchess

Year: 2008

Genre: Drama

Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling

Dave - 3 Stars - I always enjoy movies about that era, as well as my gf. But with all the solid plot development at the beginning the movie turned slow and predictable as it went on. The ending was weak, and the general frustration of women's place in the world took away from the movie.

Lexie - 2.5 Stars - I was so excited by the story and main character of this movie at the beginning--it was interesting, well developed, and leading--then it crashed; I was so disappointed by how fast the plot thinned and became uninteresting and boring--it became another mediocre period drama.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0864761/

Horton Hears a Who

Year: 2008

Genre: Animated Comedy

Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett

Dave - 3.5 Stars - I would buy it because it was a cute enough version of a great old cartoon movie. You can't really go wrong with Dr. Seuss and it wasn't too over the top to where it lost it's Dr. Seuss-ness like the Grinch movie. Nice job holding together the integrity of the original with the modern updates that were needed for it to be a major motion picture.

Lexie - 3 Stars - A very cute adaptation of the Dr. Seuss favorite; fun to watch and I especially enjoyed the animated cartoon moments of Horton daydreaming himself as a Japanimation-type superhero; sometimes it lagged, but mostly it is very watchable.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451079/

Sleepaway Camp

Year: 1983

Genre: Horror

Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Paul DeAngelo

Dave - 2.5 Stars - Another victim of the overhype disease that has plagued me throughout our film study. Hilarious visual at the end, and the mom was hilarious...but wow. A little too "are you f-ing kidding me" kind of moments. You knew it was her well um him, but wow not expecting that badly pieced together head, naked penis thing.

Lexie - 2.5 Stars - This is one of my favorite horror movies because it is so hilarious and the ending is so surprising; all in all, it's a pretty bad horror movie, but I enjoy its 80's quality for the humor of it all; the subplots deserved more development.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086320/

The Prophecy

Year: 1995

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Starring: Eric Stoltz, Christopher Walken, Virgina Madsen

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Had a nice pace to the movie, Christopher Walken is sweet and the whole theory behind it is awesome. Sometimes it was a little hard to follow, but for the most part it had great flow and always a fun topic for someone like myself.

Lexie - 3.5 Stars - I think Eric Stoltz is possibly the most unfamous and underrated actor in Hollywood, he is in everything and he is always good; Walken is an excellent angry Gabriel, an angel soon to fall from God's favor; the story is very engaging, but often difficult to keep up with.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114194/

The Lord of the Rings

Year: 1978

Genre: Fantasy

Starring: Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes

Dave - 2.5 Stars - It was cool to see that the some of the scenes were stolen directly from the cartoon movie. Also, pretty impressive that they got the first 2 movies done in a hour and some change.

Lexie - 2 Stars - Clearly, Peter Jackson owes a lot of his own Trilogy versions of the books to this movie; someone thought himself very clever by mixing the live action with animation, but in reality, it was extremely tiresome and difficult to watch without getting a headache; it's lucky the story is so good otherwise this movie would have been astonishingly dismal.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077869/

The Ruins

Year: 2008

Genre: Horror

Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Shawn Ashmore

Dave - 2 Stars - As hilarious as the mimicking weeds were, when the dumb blonde chick started to lose it, the movie was pretty brutal; Why do all horror movies have to start with dumb chicks trying to tramp it up with some dude on vacation? SERIOUSLY?

Lexie - 2 Stars - Weak acting, though I did laugh when the curly haired boy said, "I'm so glad we cut his legs off;" average horror movie, very easy to figure out.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963794/

1408

Year: 2007

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Intense, but in true Stephen King fashion, the ending leaves you frustrated; amazing turns and the scene in the Post office was sweet; also love the conversations with the operator once things start going nuts.

Lexie - 3 Stars - As usual, Stephen King drags us through hell but we can't help but love it; I wish there could have been better resolve in the ending after being pulled face-first through scalding mud for 90 minutes; 5 stars to John Cusack for carrying the movie as a solo character for 90% of its running time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450385/

The Apartment

Year: 1960

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray

Dave - 4.5 Stars - Another great movie; Lemmon is classic from usual and my buddy from McLintock!; good story.

Lexie - 5 Stars - Sometimes I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a comedy, but I loved it just the same; Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are adorable together with sweet chemistry; extremely comical and pretty believable story, the kind you can watch over and over again.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053604/

The Red Violin

Year: 1998

Genre: Drama

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Carlo Cecchi, Anita Laurenzi

Dave - 5 Stars - Just incredible; awesome plot, amazing story; it never had a dull moment and kept me engaged throughout.

Lexie - 5 Stars - An amazing journey from start to finish; intense, heart-wrenching, and maddeningly entertaining; brilliant and clever; appeals to a range of emotions without leaving you feeling like you've been put through the ringer (even though you have been).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120802/fullcredits#cast

Twilight

Year: 2008

Genre: Drama

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson,

Dave - 3 Stars - Decent enough story, but still a little over the top; Also, a vampire is a glittery ball of sparkles?--No; Just good enough to make me want to see the next one, but just bad enough that I could have waited for the DVD

Lexie - 3.5 Stars - A good story with great potential, but gets lost amongst the teen angst and forever-developing love story (tick tock, tick tock, we know there's going to be a sequel, stop dragging it out!).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/

Bolt

Year: 2008

Genre: Animated Comedy

Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman

Dave - 4 Stars - Super cute and a great story; GO RHINO!

Lexie - 3.5 Stars - Very clever storyline from start to finish; I mostly enjoyed the pigeons in each of the different regions of the country and how they each portrayed a different American culture; lots of fun; Miley Cyrus may not be the best choice to voice an animated character as she sounds like she started smoking in utero.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397892/

Equus

Year: 1977

Genre: Drama

Starring: Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Joan Plowright

Dave - 4 Stars - For writing and acting--5; for ability to be useful after viewing--3.

Lexie - 4 Stars - Unbelievably well acted and extremely well written; as a viewer I felt like a puppet, being yanked about by every emotional string with little hope of relief, in this way, it is almost draining; don't plan on doing anything after watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075995/

Stand by Me

Year: 1986

Genre: Drama

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell

Dave - 4.5 Stars - Really good flick. It's a shame River Phoenix OD'd because he was really good and convincing. Good story, great acting, all around solid.

Lexie - 4.5 Stars - One of my favorite films of all time. Beautifully written coming-of-age story. Engaging, relatable, and reminiscent. I also want to pinch Jerry O'Connell.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092005/

The Lost Boys

Year: 1987

Genre: Horror

Starring: Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Edward Herrmann

Dave - 3 Stars - Didn't live up to the hype, even though it is a shame Corey Haim turned into a crack head because he was solid. Epic fight scene at the end and Grandpa is my homey.

Lexie - 4 Stars - One of my personal favorites. I love this movie even though it's a little cheesy. Easily among the top 5 vampire movies ever made. Kiefer Sutherland is fabulous!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093437/

The Wizard of Gore

Year: 2007

Genre: Horror

Starring: Kip Pardue, Bijou Phillips, Crispin Glover

Dave - 3 Stars - Suspenseful as all hell and way too trippy, but it is amazing how sucked in you can be when you have no idea what's going on, the Wizard was very convincing.

Lexie - 2.5 Stars - This movie disappointed me because its potential was not realized. The plot was clever and intriguing, but the details and resolution got lost in the acid-trip atmosphere. Glover as Montag was incredibly captivating and his performance is enough to make me recommend this movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765487/

Teeth

Year: 2007

Genre: Horror

Starring: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Hale Appleman

Dave - 3.5 Stars - I didn't want to like it, but the acting was pretty good, the story was solid, and the reactions were in a word, priceless

Lexie - 3 Stars - Knowing the premise of the story (a young virgin preacher discovers she has an extra set of teeth "down there") I had very low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it was gross, but it was wildly entertaining and the personal journey of the main character was admirable.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780622/

The Other Boleyn Girl

Year: 2008

Genre: Historical Drama

Starring: Eric Bana, Natalie Portman, Scarlet Johansson

Dave - 3 Stars - The acting was solid, but it's frustrating when you turn a non-fiction story into a fictional tale; Portman was delightfully evil…reminded me of Lexie.

Lexie - 2.5 Stars - Terribly inaccurate historically; you can't tell a story about Henry VIII without Thomas More; the other figures were poorly represented and personified, the acting was good for what the film was attempting. Terribly disappointing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/

The Witch's Sabbath

Year: 2005

Genre: Questionable

Starring: Christine Cowden, April Betts, Gregor Collins

Dave - 0 Stars - Seriously?

Lexie - .5 Stars - I would give this movie zero stars if it weren't for Ron Jeremy appearing as a bible salesman named Craven Moorehead.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421007/

Lost Colony or Wraiths of Roanoke

Year: 2007

Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror

Starring: Adrian Paul, Frida Show, Rhett Giles

Dave - 1 Star - Had a theme that could have been great but missed.

Lexie - 1 Star - I fell asleep about half way through; I grew tired of seeing the same thing happen over and over again to all the characters who were too stupid to learn anything. Norwegian ghosts? Just move.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0875696/

A Bucket of Blood

Year: 1959

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Starring: Dick Miller, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone

Dave - 1.5 Stars - Too beatnik-y for me

Lexie - 2 Stars - Started out all right, but I couldn't get past feeling sorry for the main character so I was lost early on.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052655/

The Woods

Year: 2006

Genre: Horror

Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson, Bruce Campbell

Dave - 2.5 Stars - Pretty good story; it just didn't get there; not likely to watch again

Lexie - 2.5 Stars - Not a bad story but it takes too long to get moving; good casting, I particularly love Bruce Campbell cameo

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380066/

The Public Enemy

Year: 1931

Genre: Gangster Drama

Starring: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Amazing for the time; Cagney is a pimp; Nails is my homey; I couldn't get past the "30's-ness" of it all

Lexie - 4 Stars - Very early and interesting mob film with a documentary feel, as such, the narrative is a little spotty, but not difficult to follow; Cagney at his finest; a film school must!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022286/

The Quiet Man

Year: 1952

Genre: Drama

Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald

Dave - 4 Stars - Great movie, similar to McLintock

Lexie - 4 Stars - A little slow at times, but a very sweet and relatable story; the relationship between Wayne and O'Hara is full of chemistry and hilarious to watch as it develops; per usual John Wayne does not disappoint.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045061/

Witness for the Prosecution

Year: 1957

Genre: Drama

Starring: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton

Dave - 4.5 Stars - Well acted, well written, very enjoyable

Lexie - 5 Stars - Phenomenal! Great cast, great story, and a great twist; Sir Wilfrid Robarts is one of the wittiest, most memorable characters I have ever seen, portrayed perfectly by Charles Laughton; an absolute "must-see"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051201/

A Man for All Seasons

Year: 1966

Genre: Historical Drama

Starring: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Jack Gwillim

Dave - 3 Stars - Some great acting, surrounded by weaknesses

Lexie - 4 Stars - Amazingly well-written play about the king's "Great Matter," I appreciate the consideration of historical context though it often strayed from truth; Paul Scofield played Thomas More brilliantly through quiet, contemplative speech; Robert Shaw is exactly how I picture Henry VIII--awe strikingly tempestuous, I only wish he had more scenes.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/

From Hell

Year: 2001

Genre: Horror

Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Holm

Dave - 3.5 Stars - Love Johnny Depp; story was well written and moved nicely; hookers acting was a little weak; overall solid film; would watch again.

Lexie - 3 Stars - Interesting take on the Jack the Ripper mystery, it seems very plausible; Depp was very believable as a strung-out-on-absinthe detective; Graham's acting was "ok," but her accent was difficult to listen to; I liked the alternate ending on the DVD better than the theatrical ending.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120681/

Lolita

Year: 1997

Genre: Drama

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, Melanie Griffith

Dave - 2.5 Stars - Very well written but the story did not resonate with its viewer; Jeremy Irons' performance is masterful

Lexie - 3.5 Stars - Excellent story; Jeremy Irons is superb; a very dark and sad reality of tortured people presented through beautiful narrative.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119558/

What is Film School?

My husband and I joined Blockbuster online and put together a list of hundreds of movies we'd like to watch. As we do so, we rate each movie on a 5 star scale and write reviews. Since I have no better way to post our feedback, here it is.