Tag: movies

Monday Movie Meme – Animation

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
This week’s movie topic is all about Animation…
Share on your blog movies whose drawn, digitized or old school clay figures rock your world, linking back here at The Bumbles.
 1.  Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) is one of my all-time favorites, animation or not.  I love that silly rabbit! 
2.The Little Mermaid (1989) is the first one I saw multiple times over a summer and not by choice.  When I was working at Ohio State orientation over the summer during college this was always playing in someone’s room.  You’d think I would have gotten sick of it, but it has become a beloved memory.
3. The Lion King (1994) is a wonderful movie and great broadway show.  If you ever get a chance to see it  at your local theater or in New York, don’t miss it.
4. Finding Nemo (2003) was the first animated film Jason and I had seen after a long hiatus.  We were both impressed and fell in love with little Nemo.
5. Wall-E (2008).  I fell in love with Wall-E when I watched this a few months ago.  Not only did I love him I thought the movie had something important to say.
 
So, what’s your favorite animated movie?

Fave Film #22 – A Few Good Men

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A Few Good Men poster.jpg1992

Cast- Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Pollack, Kevin Bacon, JT Walsh, Kiefer Sutherland

Two Marines are accused of murdering a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay and an untried Navy lawyer is chosen to defend them.  The accused, Dawson and Downey, are not the easiest clients, and Kaffee, is not the most understanding lawyer.  Forced to deal with a lawyer from Internal Affairs and an arrogant Colonel Jessep, Kaffee feels the pressure to clear these Marines of all charges.

Why I Love It – There is much to like about this film, but the performances by Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are at the top of the list for me.  Tom Cruise manages to carry this movie with his cocky and winsome Kaffee.  And Nicholson was the perfect Colonel Jessep and his performance places this movie in the great category for me.  I know how ridiculous the last scene of the movie is from a reality standpoint, but I really don’t care.  I loved every minute of it.  And it provided so many unforgettable lines that the movie is still being referenced more than 15 years later.

They were not the only awesome performances.  I thought everyone in the movie was spot on.  Even if Demi Moore’s character was a little too gung-ho and melodramatic at times she did provide the patriotism needed to make the movie work.  The cast alone makes this a must see if only to use it in the Kevin Bacon game.

I liked revisiting Gitmo in its pre-hot button issue years.  There did used to be a base there that did not have politicians foaming at the mouth.  The courtroom story was excellent and the movie was fun to watch.  I think this is my highest rated courtroom drama because it did not rely on tricks or any great surprise at the end, it was just a well told story by a group of talented actors and film makers.  And all those men in uniform made it visually appealing.  C’mon, I did marry a Navy man after all 🙂

Monday Movie Meme – Boredom

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
July is National Anti-Boredom month, and in honor of that, what are the movies you turn to when you’re bored?
This week’s question comes from Forgetfulone.  Visit the Bumbles for more boredom busters.
These movies always help curb any boredome I may have…
1.  Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings) 2001  Full of excitement and a storyline worth following.  Oh, and it has Strider who is always a cure for boredom 🙂
2. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 1987  For some reason I never tire of this movie.  Makes me laugh every time.
3.The Philadelphia Story 1940.  Love the story, the performances, and the actors are some of my favorites.
 
Do you have a movie that you can watch to combat that bored feeling?
 

Monday Movie Meme – Hidden Gems

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
The Bumbles have a guest blogger for the Monday Movie Meme, Terry Kate from Romance in the Backseat.
This week it’s all about those movies that we love that have somehow been overlooked by the masses.   I’m not sure any of these really qualify as hidden, but they are the best I could come up with.
 
1. Modern Times (1936) This may not qualify as a hidden gem, but if you rarely watch old movies, have never watched Charlie Chaplin or a silent movie then I think this is one you should take the time to try.  This pic is from one of the most hilarious scenes I’ve ever seen.
2. Dogma (1999) Controversial, uncomfortable and hilarious.  The cast is top notch.  This is not for those who cannot appreciate religious satire.  Sometimes the movie went too far, but I watched it more than once and loved the originality.
3.The Butcher’s Wife (1991).  This is my silly choice.  It is a romantic comedy with a fun cast and magical plot.  This was not well received, but I thought it was sweet.
4. Dead Again (1991) Quirky and confusing and haunting.  And I love Emma and Kenneth.
5. I have mentioned these movies more than once here, so no description necessary…A Walk on the Moon (1999), Made in Heaven (1987)
 
Want to see a few more overlooked movies?  Check out The Bumbles.
 
Is there a hidden gem that you think we should see?  Leave a comment and let us know!
 
  

Patriotic Movie Quiz

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Another July 4th has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait another year for the fireworks and parades to pull our patriotic strings.  These ten movies will make you proud to be an American.  Identify as many of the movies as you can my leaving a comment.

Here are the rules… 1. Open to everyone.  Play once or every week, that’s okay.  I’m happy to have you here today.

2. No cheating.  No googling, other internet searches or looking at other commenter answers.  Yes, we’re going by the honor system

3. Your first answers will be the only ones accepted.

Answers to last week’s quiz here.  Leaderboard here.

1. This guy was our President.  Independence Day

2. Jimmy Stewart displays American idealism at its best when he shows us not every politician is corrupt.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

3. Rocky Balboa went to Russia to fight in which Rocky movie?  (Hint-There are 6)  Rocky IV

4. This Canadian guy played our President in TWO movies. You can name them both for extra points.  13 Days & National Treasure Book iof Secrets

5. The 1980 Olympics gave our hockey team the chance to show the world that Americans never give up.   Miracle

6. This high soaring thrill ride made household name of Tom Cruise.  And who can forget Iceman?   Top Gun

7. This guy was our President.  Air Force One

8. These American heroes were headed to the moon, but ran into a few problems.   Apollo 13

9. Matt Damon plays the last surviving brother and is the focus of an American hunt in WWII Europe.  Saving Private Ryan

10. In this 1942 film which President is seen from behind?  Franklin D Roosevelt

You have until Thursday night to submit your answers.  They will show up on Friday.

June’s 5 Word Movie Reviews

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Two documentaries in a month is unusual, but both were worthwhile.  My husband won our March Madness bet and I bet you can guess which one we saw at the theater for his third movie choice.

If you’ve seen any of the movies leave me your 1-5 words in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.  Or, if you are feeling ambitious and want to do this on your own blog leave me a link in the comments and I’ll add it to the bottom of the post.   Of course,  you can always just comment

The poster of an airport window looking onto the tarmac with a Boeing 747 at the gate. An airport sign at the top: "George Clooney", "Up in the Air", "From the Director of 'Juno' and 'Thank You For Smoking'". Three travelers silhouette from left to right: Natalie Keener (Kendrick), Ryan Bingham (Clooney), Alex Goran (Farmiga). At the bottom, tagline: "The story of a man ready to make a connection." and "Arriving this December".(2009. Cast- George Clooney,Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick)   Grade B+

Great But Ending Frustrated Me

Funny, touching, sharp and clever. (Nolatari)

George Clooney unloads his backpack.  (Tony)

POV: Lost Boys of Sudan(2003 documentary)                          Grade B

Fascinating.  More Questions Than Answers. 

The actors Liam Neeson Bradley Cooper Quinton Jackson Sharlto Copley from the movie The A-Team(2010. Cast- Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson, Jessica Biel)  Grade B

Testosterone Filled.  True To Original.

Decent update, loved original more (Kay)

Silly, fun, action-filled revenge!  (Heather)

Over the top, wobbly landing.  (Tony)

(1968. Cast- Pete O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton)  Grade B

Crazy Royal Family.  Awesome Dialogue.

Talk about a dysfunctional family. (Stephanie)

Engaging but tedious at times. (Nolatari)

(2009 documentary. Cast- LeBron James)  Grade B-

Will LeBron Stay or Go?

Because I Said So Poster.jpgBecause I Said So, 2007. Cast – Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham)  Grade C-

Annoyingly Meddlesome Mother. Silly daughter.

Terrible movie, adorable Gabriel Macht. (Nolatari)

Monday Movie Meme – Heroines

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
Time for a little “Girl Power!” There are leading ladies, love interests, eye candy and comediennes – but my favorite roles for actresses are those who take charge and get things done. I’m talking Heroines. Here are our choices for ladies we’d want on our side. Share on your blog women characters from film who know how to save the day, linking back at The Bumbles.
  
Here are few of my favorite take charge movie heroines
 
1.  I’ll take Ripley from Alien (1979) in a scrape.  Any scrape.  This woman is tough and smart.  A deadly combination.
2. Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs (1991) is another tough cookie who relies on her smarts to catch the bad guy, but knows her way around guns too.
3. Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is a woman I would like to be friends with and have with me in a fight. 
4. Vianne from Chocolat (2000) uses a more subtle way to bring about change and she does it without changing herself.  This is more how I operate 😉  Oh, and she ends up with Johnny Depp.
5. Chris from Adventures in Babysitting (1987) is my sentimental choice and I always have to include at least one 80’s movie.  I did a little babysitting back in the day and always hoped for a little excitement, but I’m pretty sure I would not have fared as well as Chris did!
Do you have a favorite movie heroine?

Fave Film #12 – Four Weddings and a Funeral

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Four weddings poster.jpg1994

Cast- Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, John Hannah, Rowan Atkinson

Hugh Grant won Golden Globe for Best Actor

Charles (Hugh Grant) and his circle of friends spend a lot of time attending weddings.  In the first wedding Charles is the best man who forgets the rings.  In the second wedding three months later the priest (Rowan Atkinson) has a few problems conducting his first wedding ceremony. The third wedding is one that breaks the hearts of them all by leading to the funeral a few days later.  The last wedding is a shocker, but, as always, funny.

Why I Love It – This British comedy has an outstanding cast, not all of whom I was familiar with, and the humor is sometimes more subtle than in-your-face.  You really have to pay attention to appreciate all of the details.  Hugh Grant is the core of the movie and if you find him charming like I do, I think you’ll like it too.  The dialogue and directing was superb and I only mention it because it does get compared to Love, Actually (Same director and Hugh Grant), but I like this one better because although I love all the characters the movie revolves around one storyline, making it easier for me to care.

I love that it revolves around weddings.  There are no day-to-day jobs (I don’t even know what Charles did for a living) and yet I grew to know and love each of the characters.

I watched this again last night after having lunch with ladies that included a friend who is British and one who is Canadian and we had a fun time discussing swear words in each of the countries.  We laughed a lot and this movie continued the fun.  Oh, and you know I love hats and there were some classic ones here.

Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it…

Monday Movie Meme – Time Travel

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
This week’s movie topic is all about Time Travel…
Check out the Bumbles for other blogger lists.
I enjoy  good time travel movie.  Sometimes I don’t really understand how the ‘travel’ is working, but if the movie is fun it doesn’t matter.  Here are a few of my favorites…
 
1. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Totally excellent, Dude!  Makes me want to see the Wyld Stallyons again 🙂  And Keanu, of course.
2. Back to the Future  (1985) – One of my husband’s favorite movies, so I’ve seen it more times than I wanted to, but it is a fun movie.  Crazy Doc was my favorite.
3. Lake House (2006) – This one made little to no sense to me as far as how the time travel worked, but I still fell in love with Sandra and Keanu.
4. Kate & Leopold (2001) – Romantic fantasy with Hugh Jackman as the 19th century Duke.  Yum.
5. Deja Vu (2006) – Denzel tries to save over 500 people from an explosion.  Interesting New  Orleans thriller.
 
Do you have a time travel favorite?  Tell us 🙂

Monday Movie Meme – All About Babies

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
This week’s movie topic is all about Babies…
To see everyone else’s lists visit the Bumbles
 
I promise that I did not choose this topic.  I know I have babies on the brain right now, but you’ll have to blame the Bumbles for this one!  I decided to go 80’s retro this week.
 
1.I love Baby Boom (1987) with Diane Keaton.  Sometimes giving birth has nothing to do with motherhood.
2.Three Men and a Baby (1987) is fun one.  I guess I like unconventional baby stories 😉
3.Love Parenthood (1989) and the whole brood.  I also really like the new tv series based on it.
4.80’s teen queen Molly Ringwald gets herself knocked up in For Keeps (1988).  Shows the not so pretty side of being a parent.
5.Look Who’s Talking (1989) was funny and sometimes annoying, but original.