Ugly Flicks - Movie Picks
You should watch the best movies first or you may not have a chance to watch them at all.| Movie | Date | Notes |
 | Il Postino (1994) 2006-12-11 | Italy makes some damn good movies. I just finished watching Il Postino - what a great movie. I also saw the new James Bond movie over the weekend. It was good - but I mean, come on - it got a 95% on rottentomatoes out of 183 reviews counted! That is almost unheard of. I guess I was expecting too much. I thought it was good, but not great like Il Postino - or Cinema Paradiso or Best of Youth or The Bicycle Thief or The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. I'll have to check out Fellini and here is a list of some other suggestions. |
 | A State of Mind (2004) 2006-10-09 | This British documentary about two North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games was really interesting to me because I had no idea that the country was so brainwashed to hate the USA - it was nuts. Even though the documentary wasn't about the country (it was about the girls preparation for the Mass Games), it is interesting to see how they live and what they think. Like any good documentary, it wasn't biased and let viewers decide for themselves. The footage of performances during the Mass Games is pretty amazing. |
 | Best of Youth (2003) 2006-10-09 | The thing I found most interesting about this movie is how close I became to the characters after spending so much time with them. The movie is over six hours long, so in some ways it is similar to reading a book - I didn't watch it all at once, but over the span of a week. In this way it is different and can offer more than your standard ~90 minute films. |
 | Sanjuro (1962) 2006-05-30 | I saw Sanjuro again this weekend. It is one of the greatest samurai movies of all time and one of my favorite movies. Directed by Akira Kurosawa - and starring Toshiro Mifune - the dynamic duo of Samurai films - it is a must-see for the samurai genre lover. As samurai movies go, it is the Old School Reel Deal - like the more well-known Seven Samurai. Don't miss this one! |
 | United 93 (2006) 2006-05-19 | When I saw the preview for United 93, I thought it looked cheesey and I was afraid it was going to resemble a made-for-TV reenactment. But when I heard some positive reviews, and saw that it had a 91% on rottentomatoes, I wanted to see it. With such a sensitive subject, it would be very easy to go wrong - but Paul Greengrass did a great job of presenting a realistic view of what did and might have happened. Leonard Maltin also liked it. |
 | Born Into Brothels (2004) 2006-05-07 | This was a great documentary about children of prostitutes who work Calcutta's notorious red light district. Zana Briski, one of the filmakers who helped to change the lives of these children, is a winner of the George Soros' Open Society Institute Fellowship. Did you know that George Soros - besides being a financial speculator, stock investor, philanthropist, liberal political activist and philosopher - is one of the few native speakers of Esperanto? Amazing and true. |
 | M (1931) 2006-02-26 | My father has been reading a biography on Peter Lorre, so this past weekend we watched one of his first films, M. With only twelve lines of dialog, Lorre does a great job of acting and looking like a crazed child murderer. I agree with the many film critics who say that "M is a cinematic masterpiece of visual drama" - the cinematography is great. This movie was made 75 years ago and is also interesting to see for its history - it was banned in Germany shortly after it premiered, and Fritz Lang and Peter Lorre, both Jews, soon fled the country. Make sure to watch the best movies first, or you may not have a chance to watch them at all - and M is one of the best. |
 | Brokeback Mountain (2005) 2006-01-10 | Brokeback Mountain is a love story. It is also a political movie. It will outrage and disgust many people and it will pierce the hearts of others. Movies and TV depict gay men as entertaining and feminine. It is a unique and learning experience for most to see them as rough cowboys and in an intense, deep love affair. For those in the audience who can get past their possible discomfort in "seeing two guys kissing," it is a very well done and touching story. |
 | Withnail & I (1987) 2005-12-29 | I wasn't really expecting much from this movie partly because it only got 2.5 stars from Leonard Maltin and also because it is a cult film and that usually turns me off. However, I was pleasantly surpised with Withnail & I. I actually liked it a lot and thought it was really funny. Set in the late sixties, it is also a movie about freedom and friendship. I highly recommend drinking at least a half bottle of wine while watching this movie. A half bottle of wine makes many things more enjoyable, but it especially makes this movie more fun. |
 | Samurai Assassin (1965) 2005-12-01 | Samurai Assassin was really good. Mifune plays Tsuruchiyo Niiro, an ambitious samurai who recognizes an opportunity and lets nothing get in the way of achieving his goal. It is a great movie to watch for anyone who is considering giving up their job to become a day trader. |
 | Seppuku (1962) 2005-09-12 | I saw Harakiri at the Oak Street Cinema on Friday. The movie was totally awesome. The new 35mm print was the same one shown at the Film Forum in NYC only days before. The story is great, and Kunio Watanabe did an awesome job of directing the movie. Toshiro Mifune couldn't have played Ryozo Kasahara's part any better, which is a huge compliment to Ryozo Kasahara. I had never heard of him before seeing this, but now I will have to see his other stuff. Watanabe also did Chushingura with Mifune, which was great - but I will have to look into his other movies too. |
 | Hidden Blade, The (2004) 2005-09-07 | I loved Twilight Samurai and was very excited to see Yoji Yamada's new film, The Hidden Blade. It did not disappoint. It was another great samurai movie and love story. Movies like this are rare nowadays. The movies are old school and you can feel the wisdom of a forgotten past in each scene. I recommend the The Hidden Blade for everyone, but it is a must-see for samurai film lovers like me. |
 | Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) 2005-07-17 | With an 82% on rottentomatoes.com, I decided to see Me and You and Everyone We Know at the local artsy theater last night. This was written and directed by Miranda July, who also starred in the movie. It is definitely not a movie for everyone - and it wasn't great - but there were a couple of scenes that made me laugh harder out loud in a theater than I ever remember doing before. There were some very funny parts, and for that I recommend it. |
 | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 2005-05-26 | The new star wars movie has been breaking box office records and getting a positive reaction from critics. With an 83% on rottentomatoes, I decided to see it. I hadn't seen the two most recent star wars movies because of poor reviews. I liked this movie a lot as it is basically a samurai movie with a different setting. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the influence of Seven Samurai on George Lucas. It is comforting to know that new good samurai movies are being made by George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, and Yoji Yamada. |
 | Seven Samurai (1954) 2005-05-18 | George Lucas says that Seven Samurai changed his life. This is more evidence of why it is so important to watch the best movies first. They can change your life, and otherwise you may not have a chance to see them at all. Akira Kurosawa movies should be at the top of the list.
“I mean, it’s a brilliant, brilliant film, and every time I see it I can’t believe the magic mixture of a great story and great acting and humour and action and suspense — wonderful cinema. The art of moving pictures is on every frame of this movie." |
 | Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) 2005-04-30 | With a 97% on rottentomatoes.com, this documentary about Enron is a must see for readers of this blog. I saw it last night - opening night in the Twin Cities - and was not disappointed. As a trader, I was probably more sympathetic to the Enron traders than the normal viewer - which kind of scared me. There were some very interesting and relevant clips from the Milgram experiment. It was a very informative and thought provoking film. |
 | Breaker Morant (1980) 2005-03-21 | If you want to watch a great man's movie, you should see Breaker Morant. It is based on a true story of soldiers on trial for avenging the death of their friend during the Boer War.
Morant was a polished, well educated English migrant and soon made his mark as a horseman, fighter, thief, bush troubadour, poet, liar, loyal friend and courageous soldier. This rolling stone also was a flamboyant, hard-drinking male chauvinist and dare-devil. If there was a crowd to watch he would attempt the most hair-raising stunts and his talent for breaking horses soon earned him the name The Breaker. He was able to hold his own in any society and at other times brawl with the roughest of the rough in the bush pubs where he often drank to excess.You can read more of the history here (contains spoiler - read it after you see the movie). |
 | Los Olvidados (1950) 2005-03-20 | I was lucky to get the chance to watch Los Olvidados last night at a theater in Minneapolis that shows great movies that are rarely shown on the big screen. This movie reminded me a lot of City of God because the message was very similar. Even though I really liked the stlye of City of God, I thought that Los Olvidados was put together more simply and more powerfully. As an added bonus we were shown an alternate ending which was made (but luckily never used) to "soften the blow" with audiences. |
 | Master of the Flying Guillotine (1975) 2005-02-28 | If you want to see the quintessential dubbed over kung fu movie from the seventies - watch Master of the Flying Guillotine. It is great. Nothing more than the basic vengeance plot and lots of kung fu, finished off by the final climax fight scene. You have to see some of the amazing things these kung fu masters can do (e.g. stretch arms out 6 feet to punch). A movie like this is great to watch for a look at the genre's style and not to be taken too seriously. It is a "bad" kung fu movie that is good. |
 | Chushingura (1962) 2005-02-21 | There is almost nothing more exciting to me than sitting down to a samurai movie that I have never seen before and that I know will be good. Especially one with Toshiro Mifune or directed by Akira Kurosawa (and lately Yoji Yamada). There is a limited supply of these movies and it was nice to feel the excitement again with Chushingura. Mifune only plays a small part in this 207 minute film, but it is a great movie based on the famous Japanese historic tale of the loyal 47 samurai. If you want to truly understand the samurai spirit, especially its emphasis on loyalty - watch this movie. I had also seen the earlier 1941 version of the same story (241 minutes), which is very similar and just as good if not better. Supposedly, this movie was more or less forced on the director (Mizoguchi) and his studios by a "government that was taking increasing control of film production and mandating a cinema that would inspire loyalty among the people as the country sank deeper into World War II." |
 | Shaolin Soccer (2001) 2005-02-19 | Shaolin Soccer is a pretty funny movie. After watching Stephen Chow in the Chinese box office hit Kung Fu Hustle, I decided to borrow his other highly recommended movie from the library. It is also a kung fu comedy that is well done and has quite a few scenes that made me laugh out loud. |
 | Monterey Pop (1968) 2005-02-13 | I saw the documentary Monterey Pop this weekend, directed by D.A. Pennebaker, who also made Don't Look Back about Bob Dylan (which is also good). I think it was a fascinating glimpse of the unique culture of the 1960's in the USA. It also inspired me to part my hair on the other side and to go to the thrift store and buy some corduroy pants and two $4 (half-off) "retro" sweaters. |
 | Hotel Rwanda (2004) 2005-01-16 | Hotel Rwanda is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I thought that it was not only good, but important. I was impressed by Don Cheadle. I think that it is doing poorly at the box office for some of the same reasons nobody did anything to stop the genocide in Rwanda - they don't really care about it and it is depressing. Leonard Maltin says:
Nothing kills audience interest in a movie more quickly than being told the film is “important.” Even writer-director Terry George, who spent years of his life bringing this astonishing story to the screen, understood the risk of making a message movie about the Rwandan massacre of 1994. He was smart enough to focus on one man, Paul Rusesabagina, and he scored a bull’s-eye by casting Don Cheadle to play him.In the news yesterday - one million Rwandans are to face murder charges soon for what happened in 1994. |
 | Million Dollar Baby (2004) 2005-01-08 | I saw Million Dollar Baby tonight, and it was so good. I was expecting it to be great even though I hadn't heard that much about it, and it was. Here is what Leonard Maltin says:
...if all you know is that it deals with an aging trainer who takes on a young female boxer, that’s perfect. The film turns out to be much more than that, a story that unfolds in layers, revealing itself even as it doles out scraps of information about its characters. The end result is a deceptively straightforward story that has real impact, and resonance. |
 | Kid, The (1921) 2004-12-21 | This silent movie is really funny even though it is over 80 years old. The Kid was written, directed, and starred in by Charlie Chaplin. His co-star in the movie, Jackie Coogan - the "kid," grew up to become Uncle Fester in the Addams Family. It is a great movie, and the print of the film on the DVD we watched was almost flawless. |
 | Paper Chase, The (1973) 2004-12-16 | I watched the Paper Chase last night and thought it was really good. It was a coming of age story about a new Harvard Law student and the pressures of competition. Most people would not consider this a guy movie, but I do. Not a macho guy movie, but a movie with real, well developed men characters - about how they relate to each other and what they think. |
 | Twilight Samurai (2002) 2004-12-04 | I don't know if I've ever enjoyed watching a movie in the theater more than I did with Twilight Samurai. It was a great movie - surprisingly little action, yet exactly the right amount. Great acting and directing that reminded me of some older Japanese movies (e.g. Kurosawa's films), and a wonderful love story. |
 | Shogun (1980) 2004-12-03 | I watched the first two episodes of this ten episode mini-series last night. Toshiro Mifune, one of my favorite actors, is in this as well.
From a user on imdb.com:
I don't know what women think about this, but it certainly hits home as a mans movie. It's right up near the top of my all time favorites. |
 | Hero (2002) 2004-12-02 | I mentioned this one briefly here before, but I wanted to include it in Ugly Flicks. This one is a must-see for martial arts fans. It has an engaging story, great action scenes, beautiful cinematography and wonderful acting and directing. I rarely watch a movie twice - because I want to watch as many great movies as I can with the time I set aside for movie watching - but I did with Hero. I saw it two years ago on a DVD from a Chinese friend and then in theaters when it was released in the US this past summer. Supposedly Quentin Tarantino is responsible for bringing this film to the USA |
 | Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) 2004-11-29 | Tonight I watched the first DVD of the Samurai Trilogy box set that I purchased this past summer, Miyamoto Musashi. This is one of only two or three movies I have ever purchased. The only reason I will purchase a movie is if the libraries and video rental stores do not have it and I really want to see it. I thought it was great and I am excited to watch the second and third part to this series. Toshiro Mifune, one of my favorite actors, plays an orphan who becomes a samurai. Like other great samurai movies, you see the distinction between the non-samurai and the samurai. Not only in skill, but in courage, strength and honor. Mifune portrays this perfectly as the orphan grows into and becomes the samurai. This is another movie for men. I don't think most women will be able to understand it in the same way. |
 | Incredibles, The (2004) 2004-11-26 | The Incredibles was really good. I wasn't looking forward to seeing it because I have been turned off by so many bad animated comedy movies that have come out within the last five years. It also appeared too main-stream and "made to please" (i.e. unoriginal). And I did not see that it had a very high rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com. So I was pleasantly surprised - it was well made, funny, and had an interesting story. |
 | Sideways (2004) 2004-11-26 | I also saw Sideways, which was very good. I like Paul Giamatti, and was looking forward to this movie, which was rated extremely high on rottentomatoes.com (99%). It didn't disappoint me and was very funny. I also thought it was well directed and enjoyed some of the seventies-style screen splits, along with the music. I think it is much more of a man's movie - men will be able to relate to and understand it better. I love these types of movies for guys - many Kurosawa movies and also Roger Dodger are of this nature and highly recommended. |
 | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) 2004-10-19 | If you haven't seen Searching for Bobby Fischer, I very highly recommend it. It gives you a glimpse of the excitement of what most people consider to be a dull game. |
 | Baadasssss! (2003) 2004-09-23 | This was a really good movie and now I'd like to see Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song but I don't think they'll have it at the library. |
 | City of God (2002) 2004-09-20 | After waiting a few months for my library reserve of City of God to arrive at my local branch, I finally got it and saw it this weekend. It was worth the wait. I had no idea it was going to be a gangster movie. |
 | Shaun of the Dead (2004) 2004-09-10 | I skipped Japanese class and saw Shaun of the Dead tonight - it was worth it. It was a very funny movie - especially the first half. Even better that it was free, I saw it 3 weeks before its US release, and I got a free pin. |
 | Ikiru (1952) 2004-08-12 | The stock market is a very fun, exciting, competitive, dynamic, engaging, puzzling, and (hopefully) rewarding game to play. But it is good to remind yourself that there are much more important things to life than just this. It is easy to get caught up in it and forget. Watching Ikiru every couple of months should help. It is truly a great movie. |
 | Ordinary People (1980) 2004-07-23 | I saw Ordinary People again last night. The things I love about it are: 1) The setting (Midwest Autumn in the early eighties) 2) The beginning scene (trees) 3) The ending (father and son dialogue) 4) The likeable Conrad Jarrett I was impressed that Robert Redford directed the movie. |