Movies

The Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog covers Fifteen Geek Movies to See Before You Die. Not sure if I agree entirely with the list, but let’s see how I’ve done so far: Brazil - Terry Gilliam movie that I always intend to see, but never do. The Matrix - Overrated as science fiction, but a revelation as an action movie. It’s Predator-like, as far as its must-see-ness. The Fifth Element - Made me a Luc Besson fan. Filled with the joy of Silver Age comics, without the pain of Silver Age exposition. Oddly subtle performances in a completely over-the-top movie. ...

Were R2-D2 and Chewbacca the central characters of the Star Wars story? Link courtesy of Out of Ambit.

Or, Why We Love the Phantom Stranger VI, from the Absorbascon. Personally, while I think “Bond…James Bond” is one of the greatest lines in movie history, I have to pull for the person who unleashes this quote while pouncing on someone: You have touched a life and left a blistering sore on the flesh of Humanity – And you must not be allowed to do so again! (A key difference between hero and villain is the ability to monologue while actually doing something.) ...

Chris Knight reviews Sophie Scholl: The Final Days --- the story of a member of the White Rose --- and finds the cover blurb “Chilling authenticity” goes further than anyone would think.

The blog Girlfriend ‘07 lists ten fictional women who make it difficult to date real women: Hollywood has a tendency to create female characters who make it nearly impossible to ever be truly satisfied with real women. Because not only do these women tend to be beyond beautiful on the outside, but they’re always unbelievable on the inside too. They’re cool. They’re fun. They always know what to say. And they always have that one little thing that makes you fall in love with them. Maybe it’s because they usually have guys writing their lines and making them perfect, but either way they’re a tough act to follow. ...

Rumor has it that Sam Raimi plans to direct a movie featuring Doc Savage, the Shadow, and the Avenger. Please, please, please let it be true! :)

Apparently Brett Favre brings his own weather with him on the road. Green Bay and Seattle are playing Monday Night Football in a snowstorm, in Seattle. When you’re watching pro wrestling, and two tag teams are competing called D-Generation X and the Spirit Squad, it’s inevitable the team named DX will be the good guys. According to the USA Network, we shouldn’t just respect Pearl Harbor veterans for being great soldiers fighters. They were also great lovers. ...

Good mashup. Link courtesy of TV Squad.

Something in me loves these Polish movie posters…it must be something very dark. Of course, if I actually walked into a theater and saw a wall full of them, I might never go out again. The originals are for sale at PolishPoster.com.

If you need to see these 102 movies to be movie-literate, I’ve still got a ways to go. Blatantly stealing from kottke.org, I’ll list the movies and mark the ones that I’ve seen with an *. :) \* 2001: A Space Odyssey The 400 Blows 8 1/2 \* Aguirre, the Wrath of God \* Alien All About Eve \* Annie Hall \* Apocalypse Now \* Bambi \* The Battleship Potemkin \* The Best Years of Our Lives \* The Big Red One The Bicycle Thief \* The Big Sleep \* Blade Runner Blowup \* Blue Velvet \* Bonnie and Clyde Breathless \* Bringing Up Baby Carrie \* Casablanca Un Chien Andalou Children of Paradise / Les Enfants du Paradis \* Chinatown \* Citizen Kane A Clockwork Orange \* The Crying Game \* The Day the Earth Stood Still Days of Heaven \* Dirty Harry The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie \* Do the Right Thing La Dolce Vita \* Double Indemnity \* Dr. Strangelove \* Duck Soup \* E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial Easy Rider \* The Empire Strikes Back The Exorcist \* Fargo Fight Club \* Frankenstein \* The General The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II \* Gone With the Wind GoodFellas The Graduate \* Halloween A Hard Day’s Night Intolerance It’s a Gift \* It’s a Wonderful Life \* Jaws The Lady Eve \* Lawrence of Arabia M \* Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior \* The Maltese Falcon \* The Manchurian Candidate \* Metropolis \* Modern Times \* Monty Python and the Holy Grail Nashville \* The Night of the Hunter Night of the Living Dead \* North by Northwest \* Nosferatu On the Waterfront \* Once Upon a Time in the West Out of the Past Persona Pink Flamingos \* Psycho \* Pulp Fiction \* Rashomon \* Rear Window \* Rebel Without a Cause \* Red River Repulsion The Rules of the Game \* Scarface The Scarlet Empress Schindler’s List \* The Searchers \* The Seven Samurai \* Singin’ in the Rain \* Some Like It Hot A Star Is Born A Streetcar Named Desire Sunset Boulevard \* Taxi Driver \* The Third Man Tokyo Story \* Touch of Evil \* The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Trouble in Paradise \* Vertigo \* West Side Story \* The Wild Bunch \* The Wizard of Oz ...