Netflix #25 - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Suggested by Michelle and Jeff
Wow. The was by far one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer made an awesome team as a conman and gay private detective respectively. Not only was it hysterical, but the mystery/thriller aspect was hugely engaging. I love when a comedy takes it plot seriously, and doesn’t resort to a cookie cutter plot just as a means to tell some jokes. It also reminded me a lot of Family Guy and 30 Rock with its cutaway flashes of random humor. Plus Robert Downey Jr.’s narration was priceless. You need to see this movie immediately!
Netflix #26 - August Rush - Suggested by Irisgirl
This one took a while to win me over. I watched it for the first hour absolutely unimpressed. My cold, black heart wasn’t budging one bit. I thought it was ridiculously cliche and annoying. Plus Robin Williams’ storyline was not what I expected at all, and I absolutely hated the whole musical Lost Boys thing he had going on. But as the second hour progressed, my heart started to thaw and by the end I enjoyed it. I still don’t think it’s that great of a movie because of the kinda lame first hour and Robin Williams (who I normally love) but it was a cute little movie. Also: How gorgeous is Keri Russell?
Iron Man
What else is there to say about Iron Man that you haven’t already heard? It’s an incredible comic book movie on the same level as Batman Begins (although Batman Begins is still the pinnacle of comic book movies). I guess what I can say about the movie that you may not have heard yet is that it will make you like Gwyneth Paltrow again. I mean, after she nearly ruined the otherwise awesome Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with her atrocious acting and then named her kid Apple, I was all set to be annoyed by her mere presence in the movie. But she came across totally cute and charming. There. Now go see it. Not just for me, for Gwyneth.
My Recommendation to You: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
You guys are nice enough to give me loads of recommendations, so it’s about time I returned the favor. So I gladly present you with a 2001 movie you’ve probably never heard of called The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. It’s a throwback to the really bad science fiction movies of yesteryear. It’s absolutely ridiculous and wonderful. I’m not sure if it’s exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I watched it. Here’s the trailer so you can get a taste for what you’re in for.
Keep your recommendations coming!
Not liking this movie wasn’t even in the realm of possibility. What wasn’t to love? It’s a Korean monster movie for goodness sakes! So just imagine how shocked I was when I was let down. Prior to watching The Host, I rewatched Cloverfield (which holds up nicely on the small screen by the way) so I was all set for another awesome monster movie. It started off good enough: humans suck, so they accidentally create a giant mutant monster. But what followed were some pretty serious disappointments. I shouldn’t blame the movie entirely, I just had completely different expectations. Take the monster for example. It bursts out of the water and kicks people’s asses, which is all fine and good, but I assumed that it was going to get bigger as the movie went along, because as far as movie monsters go, this one was downright puny. So everytime the monster appeared on screen and it wasn’t suddenly enormous, it was another disappointment. But it swung around like a monkey, which was neat so I kept watching. The movie kept going and the main characters seemed to be getting picked off one by one. For a brief moment, the unassuming and totally awesome Aunt (who happens to be an archery champion) appears to be emerging as the Ellen Ripley of the movie. The music starts pumping, she’s running with her bow in hand, and I sit up in my seat, super excited at the idea of her charging into the monster’s den and kicking some serious monster ass. But no. She gets knocked out and doesn’t come back until the end of the movie. Another disappointment. And the virus storyline? What was the point of that? Why couldn’t it just be a monster movie? Why did there have to be this completely tacked on government conspiracy subplot? Maybe if I watched it again, I’d be able to enjoy it more, since I won’t have any false expectations, but chances are I won’t. 
I really enjoyed this one. You’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s a science fiction comedy starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, and Dax Shepard made by the same guy who did Office Space. Luke Wilson plays an average guy who goes into cryogenic sleep for 500 years and wakes up in time where everyone on Earth is a complete moron. Not only is it really funny, but it makes some very good cultural points. For example, water has been replaced by a Gatorade-type beverage, and everyone just blindly drinks it (and uses it to water crops) because it has electrolytes, yet no one has a damn clue what an electrolyte is (as a matter of fact, neither do I) but apparently it’s what “crops crave”. There’s also some really great scenes that take place in a future hospital and sadly, the hospital staff doesn’t seem that much dumber than some health care workers I’ve dealt with. It almost reminded me of a live-action South Park in it’s absolute absurdity (don’t forget Maya Rudolph is in this, and she plays a prostitute of course) but still smart enough to be absurd in new and clever ways. I’d definitely recommend this one for a rainy day if you need something different to watch. 
Growing up watching the Twilight Zone on video has both it’s pluses and minuses. On the one hand it made me appreciate a great twist but on the other it made it more difficult to be surprised. Cases in point - “The Sixth Sense” and “Identity”. Both great movies, particularly the latter because I love John Cusack and creepy hotels with people being killed one by one. Unfortunately, unlike many, I guessed the end in the first 10 minutes. Maybe it’s that my mind has become twisted by both The Zone and David Lynch movies. “Lost Highway” is another that I figured out early on. I still enjoy all those movies but I do miss having the “A-HA!” moment that others have. It does make me appreciate all the more those movies that do that for me like any Agatha Christie. She pulled the “Usual Suspects” twist first and the astonishing revelation at the end of “Murder on the Orient Express” left me dropped jawed. “Primal Fear” with Richard Gere defending Ed Norton and “Jacob’s Ladder” with Tim Robbins as a Vietnam vet also did manage to surprise me.
The ending that I absolutely never saw coming was “The Mist” I’m fairly certain there has never been an ending like it before or since. Stephen King had left the short story open and believe me, I would much have preferred that. The real bummer for me was that I was really enjoying the movie up until that point. The characters were interesting, the monsters were scary, the people’s reactions were horrifying. Then BOOM! The end hit me like a ton of elephants. Despite it being ironic and very Twilight Zone-ish it left me feeling disturbed. The only ending that I have found worse was “The Life and Death of David Gale” containing a scene so vile I wish I had never seen it. But there was nothing redeemable about that movie for me. At least “The Mist” was worth watching.
On to the other end of the spectrum are those super movies that make you cheer at the end. There are few experiences greater than being in a huge audience watching “Star Wars”, “Aliens”, or “The Karate Kid”.
The clapping, hooting and stomping of feet that always came at the final scenes lifts the spirit and brings a lump to the thought and/or streaming tears. I sadly never saw “Jaws” in the movies but I’m told that it brought about the same reaction. If you are one of the three people who never saw those movies - RENT THEM NOW!
Two lesser known movies that I would also heartily recommend are “Two Brothers” and “Hero At Large” Unlike the ones above these I can simply watch the last ten minutes and get that warm and fuzzy feeling. “Two Brothers” is about tigers that are separated when cubs and are brought together in a Gladiator style fight as adults. The movie does contain heartbreaking scenes when they are being mistreated by their human captors. But the ending is so sentimental and uplifting, it makes the whole thing worthwhile. “Hero at Large” is a movie with John Ritter playing a normal guy who dons a hero costume and decides to fight crime on his own. I remember watching the last ten minutes of this movie dozens of times when I was a kid, any time I needed a pick me up.
These are endings that some consider a twist, but what I say - Nay! Thou has undone everything that I have seen up til now. Movies like “The Game” with Michael Douglas, M. Night’s “The Village” or the old slasher film “April Fool’s Day”. Movies that don’t make me feel fooled as much as a fool. “The Village” was the most disappointing because I’m a fan of M. Night and it was advertised as being a horror movie. Instead it was more of a social commentary drama, not scary with an ending that made me groan. Better more intelligent movies such as “Donnie Darko” and “Mulhulland Drive” make you rethink everything that you’ve seen on the second viewing. But they don’t make you feel cheated and are therefore worth that second and third viewing.
These are the ‘revenge’ or standing up for yourself movies. Movies which bring out that primal instinct that we don’t want to admit having. Movies that make you cheer “Yah! Get ‘em!” or something like that at the end when the villain finally gets their comeuppance. Though I’m not a Jodie Foster fan, I did enjoy “The Brave One”. I mean who couldn’t like a heroine who growls “I want my dog back!” before dispatching one of the baddies. Also not crazy about Julia Roberts but the end of “Sleeping with the Enemy” gave me a similar feeling with her last line (which I won’t give away). There’s another old movie, “Defiance” with Jan Michael Vincent that we used to love as kids where he helps the townspeople stand up to a gang. It’s a serious version of “Blazing Saddles” or “The Three Amigos” (which I love). The movie “Death Sentence” with Kevin Bacon has a more realistic end to the tale of vengeance. But who wants realism in a movie like this? Give me my Kirk kicking Klingon off the cliff “I’ve had about enough of you” moment any day.
I love horror movies. “The Shining”, “The Exorcist” truly scared me so I can’t watch them that often. “Poltergeist”, “Jaws”, “JoyRide” and most recently “1408″ on the other hand scared me but they were just plain fun too. I can watch them time and time again. They leave you feeling scared but overall good at the end. Then there are those movies whose endings left me feeling completely creeped out like “The Ring”, “Dead Silence” and “May”. I saw “The Ring” in the movies and when the girl crawled out of the TV, I literally put my arms up in front of my face as if someone was trying to whack me on the head. It’s one of the only movies that gave me nightmares for days after. The director of “Saw” made “Dead Silence”. There aren’t many things creepier than ventriloquist dummies and the flashback end was surprising and ick-y. “May” is an independent and little known movie about a shy girl with an obsession for dolls who begins a gory search for the “perfect” guy. The final scene of this one had an even higher ick factor then “Dead Silence”. These are movies that keep giving you a chill on the back of your neck long after.
Ones that first come to mind are “The Royal Tennanbaums”, “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Wild at Heart”. The first two are both stories of dysfunctional families that come together in unexpectedly sentimental ways. “Little Miss Sunshine” is great from the start but the ending puts it over the top in my mind. “The Royal Tennanbaums”, I only enjoyed after seeing the ending. “Wild at Heart” (yet another David Lynch) is filled with crazy offbeat characters that you’re not even sure you like at first. But they grow on you and the movie has one of the most romantic endings ever. “Splash” being runner up.
There are two types of movies that fall into this category - the difference between a good cry and a bad cry. Movies like “E.T.”, “Glory”, “Lassie” and “The Muppet Movie” (any Jim Henson will reduce me to tears) all made me cry but left me feeling good after. A bad cry to me is one that leaves me feeling down. Three that come to mind are “Phenomenon”, “My Life” and “Sunshine”. “Phenomenon” has John Travolta seeing a flash in the sky and then becoming smarter and smarter. It’s like “Flowers for Algernon” if anyone knows that. As much as I love John Travolta the ending leaves me feeling incredibly down. “Sunshine” is a sci-fi movie about a team going into space to reignite the sun and save the earth. It’s a fantastic story with great actors (Cillian Murphy & Chris Evans), is very suspenseful. I can’t even say the ending was bad but it left me in a puddle of tears. At least one knows what they are in for with “My Life” (Michael Keaton as a cancer patient who makes home movies so his new born son will know him). I sat in my car for 15 minutes after the movie ended bawling my eyes out. I would recommend all those movies but with a warning, you will want to have a feel good movie like “Snow Buddies” handy to recover after.
Many movies have big revelations at the end, but few are as memorable and supercharged as “Saw”, “Signs” and “Dead Again” They have not so much endings as Grand Finales. “Saw” is the most notorious with it’s keep you guessing who is the villain plot. Like “Dead Silence” it’s revealed in fast paced dizzying editing with soaring music. Even though it was completely ghoulish, the directing makes you feel like it’s a triumph (of who I won’t say). 
“Signs” was one of the most beautiful and spiritual endings, everything coming together and displaying a message of hope that there is a reason for everything. Kenneth Branagh’s “Dead Again” is one of my top faves of all time and it’s largely due to the finale. Switching between flashbacks and present, the murderer is revealed and another key twist occurs, all the while the heroes are fighting for their lives. Patrick Doyle’s score is simply amazing adding that great orchestral crescendo. Again if you haven’t seen that one - RENT IT NOW!
