What Movies Did You Watch in January 2024?

Blood Moon (2021)

Horror: Nervous mom and her 10 year son relocate but something is not right specially since the night of the next full moon is marked on her calendar. This one suffered from time/distance syndrome. Her 10 year old boy walks from the house to a birthday party but when Mom picks him up they drive for a long time going very fast to try and get home...... anyhow, despite that not too bad if one don't mind action happening off camera..... 5.0/8
 
Erin Brockovich (2000) 7/8 A down on her luck, single mom forces her way into a job in a law office and uncovers a case of a power company poisoning the water in a local community. Julia Roberts is outstanding as the title character and earned an Oscar for Best Actress for her efforts.
 
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977) - One of Spielberg's best. Williams out did it on the score. I love how he took When You Wish Upon a Star as one of his themes. Visually stunning and well acted by all.

7/8

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) - Stand aside Beatles. Better than Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), this is the best band featuring film in movie history. Riff Randell for president! The Ramones are appropriately clunky and bemused in the film. The music makes up for all of the cheese and camp.

6/8

 
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Purplemojo said:
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977) - One of Spielberg's best. Williams out did it on the score. I love how he took When You Wish Upon a Star as one of his themes. Visually stunning and well acted by all.

7/8

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) - Stand aside Beatles. Better than Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), this is the best band featuring film in movie history. Riff Randell for president! The Ramones are appropriately clunky and bemused in the film. The music makes up for all of the cheese and camp.

6/8

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👍 Just watched Close Encounters a couple of nights ago. Outstanding movie for sure.

:) Back in the late 70's saw The Runaways open for The Ramones in Youngstown. Couple of months later saw The Ramones open for The Runaways in Pittsburgh. Lita Ford was a fave.....:cool:

 
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Gardens35 said:
👍 Just watched Close Encounters a couple of nights ago. Outstanding movie for sure.

:) Back in the late 70's saw The Runaways open for The Ramones in Youngstown. Couple of months later saw The Ramones open for The Runaways in Pittsburgh. Lita Ford was a fave.....:cool:

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Man! If only I had a time machine. In the mid to late 70's I was into Springsteen, Arena Rock and some Big Hair stuff. I wasn't hip to the developing Punk movement until it was too late. I researched the Ramone's concerts in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and I cannot believe how many opportunities I had to see them live. What can I say, I blew it. The Runaways? again I blew it. I've seen Joan Jett four times, starting in 1987. I've enjoyed a lot of Joan, but, missed out on the whole Runaway thing.

I do not regret the six times I have seen Springsteen, the five times I have seen Mellencamp, the Stones, Boston and many more. I am glad I was part of the stand against Disco. But with all of that, I wish I had made myself aware of the underground movement of proto punk and Punk.
 
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Man Alive (1945) - 5/8

Speed McBride, a successful businessman, is declared dead due to a police mix-up after a car accident. Two days later he wakes up in a stranger's house, only to find his wife holding his funeral and ready to marry her old college suitor. How can Speed reveal himself and win his wife back?

Excellent "ghost story" and screwball comedy. Thought this would be a corny throw-away - the plot setup is a bit contrived, but this turned out to be a gem. Very witty script, you have to pay attention to catch some of the puns and references. Fast-paced action, almost like a Billy Wilder film. A seance in a dark and lonely house. Thunderstorms and lightning. Scary faces at night. And a bowling ball with a mind of its own.

Pat O'Brien as Speed. Adolphe Menjou plays a lonely stranger determined to help Speed using "chicanery". Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer is very funny as a young man claiming to be Speed's "son".
 
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Purplemojo said:
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977) - One of Spielberg's best. Williams out did it on the score. I love how he took When You Wish Upon a Star as one of his themes. Visually stunning and well acted by all.
7/8
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Just had a late 70's flashback to those "Foto-Novels" that were popular for a short time. Can't remember the exact name, basically a paperback with photos from each movie scene and most of the script shown in speech balloons. I hadn't seen "Close Encounters" in the theater, but I read the foto-novel and liked it, and finally saw the flick. Pretty awesome. IIR, I think I saw the book for "Grease" also before seeing the movie.
 
Gardens35 said:
👍 Just watched Close Encounters a couple of nights ago. Outstanding movie for sure.

:) Back in the late 70's saw The Runaways open for The Ramones in Youngstown. Couple of months later saw The Ramones open for The Runaways in Pittsburgh. Lita Ford was a fave.....:cool:

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Aurrrgh, I missed the showing. Which version was it? I've seen a couple different ones on TV, but the original is my favorite.

The Runaways and Ramones - wow. Did you see Jackie Fox compete on "Jeopardy" under her real name Fuchs maybe four or five years ago?
 
Zunardo said:
Aurrrgh, I missed the showing. Which version was it? I've seen a couple different ones on TV, but the original is my favorite.

The Runaways and Ramones - wow. Did you see Jackie Fox compete on "Jeopardy" under her real name Fuchs maybe four or five years ago?
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The Director's Cut.

Yes, we saw her on Jeopardy.
 
The Beekeeper: (5/8) Jason Statham flick where he blows up alot of stuff and kills alot of people as revenge for a financial hacking situation. I was really in the mood for this type of flick last night, so I may have enjoyed it more than others.
 
The Impossible Years (1968) - 5/8

A psychiatry professor and author of books on how to handle teenagers, struggles to deal with his nubile (and suddenly rebellious) 17 year-old daughter, along with her horny paramours.

Probably the dirtiest G-rated sex comedy of all time. A plethora of euphemisms for losing one's virginity and being pregnant. Somehow the writers snuck "bitchy" into the script, albeit creatively. Hadn't watched this since I saw it on TV when I was 13 (mostly for the bikinis), didn't remember it being quite so frank regarding sexual mores at the time. A scene where the girl's boyfriend is trying to force himself on her on the couch using the "if you really loved me " tactic was a bit uncomfortable to watch yesterday.

Based on a very successful 1965 Broadway play that was co-written by Groucho Marx's son Arthur. David Niven carries the picture as the professor who is determined to keep his cool and defend his daughter's honor, even it means taking on a buff biker hippie six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than himself.

Didn't get great reviews at the time, probably because it combines the feel of "Beach Blanket Bingo" with "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes". Some very stereotypical stock characters in there, but Niven's always-suave persona makes this watchable, along with a very witty script.

Lola Albright as the professor's wife, and Christine Ferrare as the wayward daughter. Also features Ozzie Harriet in his last movie role. A hard-to-recognize Chad Everett is the prof's literary collaborator, quite a character change from the starring role he would have the following year in TV's "Medical Center". And I would swear a young Kurt Russell is a passerby in the opening scene, although he's not credited.
 
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Barbie - Finally saw it with my Wife and Granddaughter. It wasn't bad. I enjoyed the whole Ken story line. It wasn't too preachy with its "girl power" themes. I could see the nostalgia for any women who grew up with Barbies. The one trans actor was a bit of a distraction. It became kind of a "Where's Waldo" thing. Staging and scenery was dead on and Robbie was great as usual.

6/8

Johnstown Flood (1926) (silent) - Well acted and stunning visual effects. The depiction of the flood itself was stunningly horrific. That depiction was very accurate. The back story however was very inaccurate. I guess if they told the true story they could not have worked in the love triangle involving a hulky hero and two pretty girls.

5/8
 
Apollo 13 (1995) - Either I didn't know the details surrounding this mission or I had forgotten. Maybe, both. What an ordeal.
Directed by Ron Howard. With Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise. 6.5/8.0
 
Repeat Performance (1947) - 4/8

Film noir fantasy. A stage actress kills her ungrateful, boozing, philandering hubby on New Year's Eve, then magically gets to relive the previous year over so she can correct the mistakes she made over the previous 12 months.

Mildly interesting melodrama, but drags on too long. Would have made a good 60-minute TV drama. In fact, it could've been the inspiration for Twilight Zone, there's a narrator waxing eloquently on "what if something in the stars could turn back time and change our fate, etc. etc.".
 
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American Fiction - Funniest movie I have seen in a long time and maybe the smartest comedy I have ever seen. I laughed out loud time and time again at this film, all the while it raised serious societal issues. Exposing the liberal racism of low expectations and the celebration negative stereotypes this film should be seen by all Americans regardless of race or class.

7/8
 
Murder by Death (1976) ... 6.5/8

Never loved 2 Peters more than in this movie.... I mean, Peter Sellers and Peter Falk were amazing in this mystery comedy. I've seen this movie a few times and it never gets old!!!!!
 
A Disturbance In The Force: 7/8



A fascinating watch for any Star Wars fan, documenting the history and failure of the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978.



 
Necessary Roughness (1991) 2.5/8 A fictional college football team gets in trouble for a list of violations after winning a national championship and must rebuild with non-scholarship students. The team is led by a 34 year old ex-high school star QB (Scott Bakula). I hadn't seen this in years and I remembered really liking it when I was younger. After watching it again, not sure what I liked so much about it.

Walk the Line (2006) 6.5/8 Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. Great movie and look into the star's life and early struggles with drugs and alcohol. Earned several Oscar nominations with Witherspoon winning for Best Supporting Actress.
 
Paisan (1946) (Italian) - Six vignettes showing the interaction between American Gis and the Italian people as the Americans move up the Italian peninsula. Filmed while the rubble was still smoldering and using real people, especially in the case of the Italians, it is a Neo-Realism classic. Fellini and Rosellini teamed up on this one.

If you can overlook some of the clunky acting by some of the amateur actors, it is a compelling set of stories showing the courage and resilience of the Italian people.

6/8
 
PantherProud said:
A Disturbance In The Force: 7/8



A fascinating watch for any Star Wars fan, documenting the history and failure of the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978.



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Oh my God! I just watched it. It is so bad. Forget the SW cast, how could they do that to Art Carney? The only positive comment I have is about Leia apparently going braless in one scene.
 
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