2009 Movie Maraton: March

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Miniquiz: Who said: «There must and shall be BOOZE!»

We have just entered the lovely month of April, and spring is in the air, finally! This probably means that there will be fewer movies and more rooting in the garden in the coming months on my part. But YOU, dear reader, might find brief enjoyment in some of the movies I came across in the month of March, in the year of our fnord 2009.

  1. The day the earth stood still, 1951 (****) It is always fun to watch the original after the remake, and I must say I enjoyed the 1951 version alot more, especially for the «spectacular» cheesy special effects :)
  2. Stir Crazy (*****) I remember watching this comedy a billion times on VHS recorded from tv in the 80s. Still great fun. And it has a beautiful version of the song «Birmingham Jail» as a bonus.
  3. Jackie Brown (*****) I like Jackie Brown, but there is something «off» about the tempo of this movie, compared to Tarantino’s masterpiece «Pulp Fiction».
  4. Heaven and Earth (****) Oliver Stone’s third and last movie in his Vietnam trilogy, and the least praised, probably because of it’s Vietnamese cast. Quote: «Lasting victories are won in the heart» (not in this land or that)
  5. Lost in La Mancha (*****) Documentary of a movieshoot gone bad. VERY bad. Poor Terry Gilliam
  6. The adventures of Baron Munchhausen (*****) «Quote: «I am tired of the world, and the world is evidently tired of me.» According to the documentary «Lost in la mancha» the production if Baron Munchhausen was a complete dissaster, but to my eyes it looks fantastic. I can understand that Gilliam went over budget, because the sets are fantastic in their complexity. More quotes: «It is the dawning of the age of lovely intimate things» (while blowing up a hot air balloon made of female undergarments.) + «He won’t get far on hot air and fantasy» + «I’ve got tides to regulate and comets to direct, I don’t have time for flatulence and orgasms» (Robin Williams as the King of the Moon)
  7. Platoon (******) «Rejoice O young man in thy youth …» – Ecclesiastes. Ironic quote chosen by Oliver Stone as the intro to this classic.
  8. The man with two brains (****) Steve Martin in one of his funniest roles.
  9. Summer (**** or *****) Great form and storytelling! (Imdb)
  10. Cape Fear (***) It has lost it’s bite from the first time I saw it. But still impressed about Robert De Niro transformed his body for this role.
  11. Match Point (***) Longwinded, but I love the Carousoi soundtrack, which has sentimental value to me.
  12. The Outsiders (*** or ****) Quote: Stay gold.
  13. McCabe and Mrs. Miller (****) A tale from the wild west, but with music from Leonard Cohen. It is also one of few movies ever that shot in sequence, according to wikipedia.
  14. Crocodile Dundee (****) Actually this is ***** if I should follow my own rating system, because it is obviously worth seeing again. Hello 1986! Quote: «To talk about who owns the earth is like two fleas discussing who owns the dog they are sitting on.» – Crockodile Dundee said that :)
  15. Club Paradise (*** or ****) Another 1986 movie, this time a lighthearted comedy, like this decade is so known for. With Robin Williams.
  16. Money pit (****) Tom Hanks stars in this hillarious 1986 comedy. (wikipedia)
  17. Pretty in Pink (*****) A classic. And this one is also from 1986. A good year. Quote: «Why can’t we start old and get younger»
  18. Watchmen (**** or *****) Strange forward movement and tempo on this movie, with all the flashbacks. Slow, but wakes you up with ultraviolent scenes, but I am uncertain about where the story is taking me. Quote: «Beneath me, this awful city, it screams like an abattoir full of retarded children.» – Rorschach
  19. Role Models (***) Quite entertaining. Quote about girls: «In my experience the bigger ones do way more stuff»
  20. The Graduate (*****) A classic. Dustin Hoffman portraying the most irritating / gayest man ever.
  21. Death Proof (*****) Watched it again to see the 8 minute one take conversation around a diner table, but ended up seeing the whole thing. Not Tarantinos best, but it has a few golden moments.
  22. The French Connection (***) What a messy movie. Gene Hackman delivers ok, but kind of dissapointing.
  23. Kids (*****) It blew my mind the first time I saw it, now it just scares me.
  24. Rumble Fish (*****) Was shot back to back with The Outsider, but this is quite a different production, and a lot better in my opinion. Quote: «Even the most primitive society has an inate respect for the insane.» – Motorcycle boy (played by Mickey Rourke) + «I feel like I’m wasteing my life waiting for something.» – Rusty James (Matt Dillion)
  25. Robin Williams – Live at the Met (*****) A classic, Robin Williams before he got «family friendly». Classic quote: «It’s five o clock in the morning, and you’ve just pissed on a dumpster. It’s Miller time.»
  26. Sid and Nancy (*****) Gary Oldman! What the hell, I had completely missed that Gary Oldman played Sid Vicious, and I’ve watched this movie twice before. These fuckers knew how to have fun! Quote: «I was so bored once that I fucked a dog»
  27. Rio Bravo (****) Hillarious and strange. John Wayne is a complete dork!
  28. Confessions of an action hero (***) Funny spoof on the wonderful world of horrible action heroes.
  29. Ready or not (***) a bachelor movie from Las Vegas. Wish I had friends like that.
  30. Birdy (***** or ******) What?»
  31. Mad Max 2 (*****) Quotes: «Are you happy out there? One day blurring into another?» + «A burnt out desolate man»
  32. The cake eaters (****) Sweet smalltown love-story.
  33. Mr Blandings builds his dream house (****) Cary Grant, 1948. Kind of hard to feel sorry for a dude with a black maid. Quote: «This house needs two. One to love it and one to hold it up.»
  34. Kabluey (**** or *****) Quote: «We’re being attacked by cheese!»
  35. What doesn’t kill you (*** or ****) Ethan Hawke with a gold tooth. Hm.

Av Morten Skogly

Creator of Things