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Added by the giraffe on 9 Sep 2013 01:01
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Movies the giraffe watched: September 2013

Sort by: Showing 13 items
Decade: Rating: List Type:
The breakdown: 11 movies, 1 stand-up special and 1 short film watched - 8 via Netflix instant and 5 in the theatre; of those 10 were first views including the one stand-up special, 3 were re-watches including the one short film, and they came from the following decades: 60s, 70s, 90s, 00s, and 2010s.

Funny how movies were not my main focus for the month of September, and yet I still managed to go to the theatre 4 times. But given my theatre experiences this month it's no wonder I kept wanting to go back as I made a new friend and found a new (to me) experience. Hopefully my going to the theatre will continue to be a more frequent thing, but next month will be unusual so we'll see how November goes I guess. Of course I'll be doing my usual Horrorfest, but I'll also be out of town on vacation most of the month which may throw my plans off balance. Time will tell. Regardless though, I'll be around more than I was this past month & should have my list up sooner rather than waiting until the end.

Best new-to-me movie for September: The World's End (since stand-up specials aren't movies)
Best hidden gem(s): Going by the Book and OSS 117: Lost in Rio
Worst film: Wet Hot American Summer though at 6/10 it's not THAT bad & thus this month seems even better all around.
First viewing - Sept. 2nd

Well, this settles it...I'm a fan. I loved Sleepwalk With Me when I watched it, so when I found out this stand-up special was on Netflix I decided to check it out. Not only did I laugh often & heartily, but his act also stirred other emotions as well. Plus there's something about the performance as a whole that really impressed me, though I won't divulge it to anyone who hasn't watched this yet. Definitely worth a look.

Currently streaming on Netflix
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 2936 Average listal rating (1866 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 7.2
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Re-watch - Sept. 21st

Watched this one with my daughter & it's still one of if not THE most depressing Disney movie(s) ever. Yep, even despite its happy ending. I remember when I went to see this in the theatre 11 years ago & walked into it expecting it to mainly be about Stitch causing mischief, then they blindsided me with the story of the broken family he encounters. Cue the waterworks. And so I'd never intended to watch this one again, but I was pleased to find that the characters have held up so well over time & the story is mostly well done. Plus there was more humor throughout than I'd remembered, which was nice. I might even watch it again some time, but I think I'll wait at least another 10 years to do so.

Currently streaming on Netflix
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Big screen attractions

Films caught on the big screen
People who added this item 998 Average listal rating (693 ratings) 6.9 IMDB Rating 7
First viewing - Sept. 1st


Review by PvtCaboose91

Kicked off September with the film I'd most wanted to watch last month, and was not disappointed. Sure I've rated it an 8/10, just like Hot Fuzz, but I think I liked it slightly more than Hot Fuzz. Guess I'll have to re-watch that one to see if I can figure that out for sure (though also like Hot Fuzz, this one falls just short of crossing the line into Greatness for me for some reason).
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 433 Average listal rating (300 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 6.5
First viewing - Sept. 8th

Yeah, OK, so this isn't very original. Matter of fact, if you're paying attention then to some degree it's pretty damn predictable. Horror movie cliches abound, though they're handled well enough. But you know what? I had a LOT of fun watching You're Next anyway. And I'd probably watch it again, despite what my rating says. But I can't rate it an 8/10, because the camera work often annoyed me on a very conscious level plus the above comments. No idea what the reasoning is behind that (maybe they just wanted to make sure we knew this is a low-budget movie?), but the blurryness & shaky-cam was overdone when less of both would have helped. But hey, I was very entertained & had a lot of fun, so in the end such complaints don't seem to be worth hating on this movie.

Just a thought: Nice to see a big nod here for Scream. And Drafthouse's choice to include a scene from The Wicker Man (original, not remake) in their pre-show entertainment was brilliant.
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 499 Average listal rating (323 ratings) 6.3 IMDB Rating 6.4
Riddick (2013)
First viewing - Sept. 15th

So when I went to see You're Next I had also considered seeing Riddick, but since it had just opened & You're Next was clearly on its way out of the theatre I decided to hold off. As I waited to enter the theatre for You're Next a guy walks up & starts talking about how he'd just missed the last Riddick screening, so the ticket guy recommended YN instead. We hit it off, kept talking, and made (then tentative, later concrete) plans to catch Riddick the next weekend. Yay new friends!

So how was Riddick? Solidly entertaining actually. Now I'm a fan of this series overall (though I still need to check out the animated Dark Fury, a fact I was reminded of as it popped up twice during Drafthouse's pre-show entertainment), so it would have taken a lot to disappoint me. It probably also helps that I haven't seen its predecessors since Chronicles of Riddick was in theatres. This one is nothing groundbreaking though, and some of the effects are a little weak (or maybe it's just the fact I'm rarely impressed by CGI). Fortunately the story is told well enough that you're too entertained to get bogged down in the film's flaws, or at least that was the case for me while watching it. So yeah, it was worth seeing & I might even watch it again some time (you know, if it came on & I had nothing better to watch at the time).
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 41 Average listal rating (23 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 7.4
Re-watch - Sept. 28th

This was included in the Drafthouse pre-show entertainment before the film below (alongside Flying Circus clips and trailers/scenes from other film adaptations of King Arthur's stories), and since they showed all of it I figure it counts. I've seen it before of course, but I'm pretty sure this was the first time I saw it on the big screen. Still very amusing.
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 3784 Average listal rating (2552 ratings) 8.1 IMDB Rating 8.2
Re-watch - Sept. 28th

For a long time now I've been curious to check out one of the Quote-Along screenings that Alamo Drafthouse does. Usually they happen late on Friday nights when it's nigh impossible for us to get a babysitter for the kiddo & thus we've never gone. Well this one happened to be on a Saturday night & the kiddo was staying with my parents for the weekend, so I couldn't pass it up. And man am I glad I went.

To explain: a "Quote-Along" is (as it probably sounds) a screening where you can quote some or all of the movie out loud while you're watching it, and thus it's all about the audience participation. They add karaoke-esque subtitles for the parts they think are most quotable so everyone can play along, and they hand out props to everyone before you go in. In this case the props were 2 coconut halves so we could make the horse noises, and an inflatable sword with which you could do battle. And to make it even more fun they asked everyone to speak the words the same as the individual characters, accent & all. So it was a BLAST. Seriously, this is the most fun I've had in a theatre in AGES, so much so that I'm tempted to quit going to anything BUT Quote-Along screenings. Words can not express the pure joy I felt every time people started banging their coconuts together right on cue, or finding that I wasn't the only one in the audience who could quote most of the movie without the words shown on the screen. Awesome experience and one I'm anxious to do again.
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Netflix Instant Project 2013


Netflix Instant Project for 2013


My secondary project for 2013 involves recommendations of lesser-known/lesser-seen films that are currently streaming on Netflix, also from my fellow Listalites. If you use Netflix Instant Watch & want to participate, please check out the list above & the thread in the Movies Forum.
First viewing - Sept. 14th/15th

A solidly entertaining flick, but I can't say I enjoyed this one as much as Lost in Rio mainly because this film plays it more straight whereas Rio goes for a full-on spoof. Still, it's nice to see Berenice Bejo in another role besides her one in The Artist, and you can tell Dujardin had a blast in his role here. I liked the music in this one better too, but overall it just failed to live up to the expectations its sequel gave me. Still, it was worth watching.

Just a thought: Miz Bejo makes me feel kinda funny, like when we used to climb the rope in gym class.

Currently streaming on Netflix
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Netflix exorcisms

Films I caught before they left Netflix Instant.
People who added this item 112 Average listal rating (79 ratings) 6.1 IMDB Rating 6.8
First viewing - Sept. 8th

So I thought this was the one that had been a part of the Netflix project, but it wasn't (that'd be OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies). I found this to be a very amusing spoof from start to finish, sort of the French answer to Austin Powers. On this particular night I needed something that didn't take itself too seriously & so this delivered. Depending on your sense of humor, I suppose your mileage may vary, but I was very entertained. Some of the stylistic flourishes really enhanced the experience as the film apes some spy movie visuals for comedic effect. The comedy is not very consistent though (which made more sense after I watched Cairo actually), so there are some flat moments & it may even be a bit overlong. But still I enjoyed it for what it is.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Sept. 16th/17th

Yeah, it's basically just another episode of the show masquerading as a movie. If there's anything different it's that they threw a fresh coat of paint on everything & shot it with better equipment than usual. Personally I'd rather see Joel & TV's Frank involved, but when I'm laughing this much & as hard as I did all of the above are very minor complaints. I'm glad I finally caught it after all these years.
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 2678 Average listal rating (1623 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 7.7
First viewing - Sept. 21st/22nd

Were it not for my recently discovered appreciation of Miz Hepburn, I probably would've gone on avoiding this movie. However, the fact she's in it & the fact that it's widely considered a cinematic classic finally convinced me to give it a shot. And hey look it's a romantic comedy & thus predictable to a fault. Yawn. Fortunately Miz Hepburn is so charming I couldn't help but keep watching regardless of the fact I knew where it was headed all along. And George Peppard does a solid enough job too, though I kept wishing he'd smoke a cigar & say something about plans coming together. On the other hand, Mickey Rooney is offensively awful/awfully offensive as a stereotypical Japanese man. Was there some blacklist of Japanese actors that led them to cast a white person in a Japanese role? Did someone think it'd be funny to have Rooney in this part? Whatever the case it's a major low point in a film that might otherwise have crossed over into Greatness. So yeah, I find this movie pretty overrated (which I'd anticipated), but it was watchable and entertaining enough I could almost overlook its many flaws. That said, I won't be watching it again.

Just a thought: I still hate that terrible song that mentions this film, but kinda liking the movie seems apt. Loving it on the other hand seems like taking it too far.
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 33 Average listal rating (22 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.3
First viewing - Sept. 23rd

One of the things I did during my time away from here was get myself hooked up with a website where I can write about movies. I'll now have access to press screenings, and if my posts generate enough traffic there could be monetary rewards. So one of my ideas is to write up hidden gems like this one. So if you want to know my thoughts on this film you should just check out my article there.
the giraffe's rating:
People who added this item 319 Average listal rating (220 ratings) 6 IMDB Rating 6.6
First viewing - Sept. 27th

As a long-time fan of the former members of The State & their various other works, I had to check this one out since it was written and directed by as well as starred several of them. And it was entertaining enough for the most part, but by no means anything great. It's one of those films that's probably best viewed if you're not sober at the time (not that I promote such behavior, but it was less funny to me when my buzz wore off so I believe this statement is accurate) or else can simply sit back & not take it seriously at all. It's also kinda fun to see some now very recognizable faces (Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper) back when they were less known in a movie like this.

So yeah, I liked it OK but will definitely not watch it again.
the giraffe's rating:

Voters of this movie list - View all
PvtCaboose91FunnyGuyJuusorewsterHootsaidtheowlNerdy WerewolfMackenzi
I know I know, I said it wasn't likely I'd make one of these for this month. But hey, turns out I had some time to watch a few movies and still get other things taken care of too.

No Five by Five this month though, as I didn't make it to the video store even once.

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