Moviewatcher122's 2015 Film Diary: July

July 1



"There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it."

This movie was actually pretty underrated. Now I know that people were disappointed by this because they were expecting something amazing after Cars 2, but I think this is Pixar's most underrated movie. I mean sure it isn't very original or any different from your typical princess movie, but neither is the highly overrated Frozen and yet people love that movie to this day. This movie is pretty much a mix of previous princess movies with some of Brother Bear added in which was complained about quite a bit. Now I haven't seen Brother Bear in 10 years, but from what I remember it was just average and I think this movie does that story better. I thought this was a great movie with well-written characters, some funny moments and despite the story not being original it still works.

July 2



"Congratulations San Francisco, you've ruined Pizza! First the Hawaiians, and now YOU!"

Wow, I'm really impressed with this movie. I was really interested in seeing this due to it's really creative premise and it doesn't disappoint at all. Hell, I would be surprised if they did mess this concept up as that alone is classic Pixar material. It's easily one of the most creative movies I have seen in quite some time. It just has so many inventive ideas and many of them made for some really clever jokes. Not only that, but it got so intense at times that the inner child in me was cowering in fear. I loved the characters, but out of all of the emotion characters in this movie my favorite has to be Anger. He had some of the funniest lines in his movie and just the way he snaps at certain things was hilarious. Joy was also a great character too and I didn't even know she was voiced by Amy Poehler until now which really surprised me. I can't stand her most of the time, but she really did a great job voicing her and she suited the role very well. Still, the character I liked most in this movie was Riley and that was because I could really relate to her. Especially when I was that character's age as while I wasn't as depressed as her at that time and was more around the time in my early teenage years, but I still felt the same things she did. I was moved to a different school and didn't know that many people there, I didn't feel truly happy most of the time even if I was having fun and I felt like an outcast. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to her though, but her character just really hit home for me. Then there's the ending which I really need to talk about. The ending really hit home for me as well. While the ending for Toy Story 3 had the same effect on me, this one felt much more personal. The ending where Riley tells her parents that she misses her hometown and her parents agree with her, I kind of felt like crying and wasn't sure if I was able to maintain myself or not. This ending really spoke to me because when I was around 3 or 4 I lived in Calgary for about a year. I was too young for the move to affect me in anyway, but my mom did not like it there and she missed everybody, so we moved back to where we originally lived and haven't left there ever since. Some people might not like that ending and I kind of saw the ending coming, but the way they portrayed it was not what I was expecting and I was hoping they weren't going to do that whole thing where they move back to Minnesota just because their daughter wants to. Having the whole family wants to move is much more realistic and it works much better as an ending. I wasn't sure if I was going to call this my second favorite Pixar movie because I was debating if I really thought it was better than Toy Story 3, but the more I thought about it I decided that yes, it is that good. Even though I don't think that the decline of Pixar films was that bad, I still think this is a step in the right direction for them, although I'm kind of skeptical about The Good Dinosaur. This is the best movie of the year so far although I really doubt that anything else will top it.

July 3



"So you play a lot of characters at once?"
"Well, a couple. Most people do."
"But you're not most people. You created the world. You know all the secret codes."
"Like God-mode?"
"Is that what you call it?"
"That's when you have all the powers and can't be killed. It's actually really boring to play, though."

This was a really interesting movie. It had a creative concept and I really like the whole short story aspect of it all where the whole thing is separated into three parts. The acting was also really good and Ryan Reynolds' performance in this movie is up there with Buried. It really was that good and Melissa McCarthy is in it too and I was surprised by how good she was in this movie. This was before she got her big break as a stereotypically type-casted fat woman for movies like Bridesmaids, The Heat, Identity Thief, Tammy and so on. In this movie however she mostly plays herself, but the sad thing is that it's her best performance. For a movie that's only around 90 minutes it does make the best of it's premise, but it wasn't good enough for it to consider it a great movie although the last 15 minutes of this movie were really good and almost made me give this movie an extra star. Still, it's definitely a gem of a film and it is worth watching.

July 4



"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture."

This movie was good, but it could have been better. The first half of this movie is actually pretty good, but after that it's just not as interesting anymore. On top of that I didn't think Eric Bana was that exceptional in this movie. That's not to say that he wasn't good, but he's seen better days. It's a decent movie, but it would be better if the whole movie was as good as the first half.

July 5



"You don't hear the word "no" a lot, do you?"
"Well, I hear it all the time, only it's more like "no, please, no!"

I'm kind of surprised that I haven't watched this earlier, but better late than never I guess. This was a really funny movie and Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal had really good chemistry.

July 6



"Everybody's acting like we can do anything and it don't matter what we do. Maybe we gotta' be extra careful because maybe it matters more than we even know."

While watching this, I was surprised to find out that this is far from your typical war movie as it focuses more on the kidnapping of a female villager than it does with the Vietnam war itself. It's such a emotionally powerful journey with great acting, a really thought-provoking story and it's very uncompromising. It's a great movie and it's one of Brian De Palma's best films.

July 7



"I've got good news and bad news."
"What's the good news?"
"Your mom's in the trunk."
"What's the bad news?"
"She's still alive."

This movie was weak and it didn't have to be. This could've been a fun, cheesy movie that never takes itself too seriously and has a good sense of humor, but unfortunately the people behind this movie aren't competent enough to make this work. The only thing in this movie that was done right when it comes to cheesiness was the action. Other than that we get a really bad CGI fight scene with metal scorpions at the beginning which looked so bad that I thought I rented a Power Rangers movie by mistake. Not only did it look bad, but it had no purpose to the movie at all. The acting is lackluster, the humor is mostly tasteless and only delivers a good joke every twenty minutes or so and the tone in this movie is so inconsistent. At some times the tone of this movie is fine, but there are other times where the movie takes itself way too seriously. I mean come on, it's a movie about Elvis impersonators robbing a casino! Just have fun with it. This really could've been a good movie, but it really deserved better writing and a director that actually knows how to handle this premise.

July 8



"All I've got left is that room upstairs."

I haven't seen many Peter Sellers movies, so I decided to watch this one and it's a great movie. While I do consider it to be more of a drama than a comedy, it still has it's really funny moments and it has an amazing performance from Peter Sellers and the fact that he didn't win the Oscar is insulting. I don't really have that much problems with the movie besides the out-of-place bloopers scene which should've been a DVD extra which kind of takes away the emotional power the ending had, but other than that it's a near-masterpiece.

July 11



"Sometimes I wonder... will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize... God left this place a long time ago."

I had this on DVD for quite a while, but never watched it until now. It's a great movie with another fantastic performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, a great story and some really good social commentary. It kind of starts off slow, but it's still a great movie and it deserves the praise it gets.

July 12-13



"Computers are your life, aren't they?"
"Yes. The perfect hiding place."

This was just average. It starts off promising, but it really gets more and more cliche as it goes on. It has it's moments of suspense and the acting isn't bad for this kind of movie and it has some merit overall, but in the end I was just indifferent to it.

July 13



"I got a woman who I can't stand to be two feet away from."
"Congratulations."
"Then again, I love to fish."
"Son, you've got a problem."

This one tends to have the same reputation as the majority of disaster movies, but I can't understand why. I liked how this one focuses more on the story and that the characters in this movie were actually fleshed out. It also had a really good all-star cast and their acting is pretty good for this kind of movie. There isn't much suspense in this movie until near the end, but it is worth the wait. It's not a great movie, but it was still a good one and I wouldn't mind watching it again.

July 15



"Your friend was a murderer and a thief."
"That's a lie. I know he didn't kill her."
"Let me tell you something else. It's a minor crime, to kill your wife. The major crime is that he stole my money. Your friend stole my money, and the penalty for that is capital punishment."

I hadn't heard about this movie until I joined this site and as of now it has an 8.7 contacts rating. I'm glad I finally saw it as it is an underrated gem. Elliot Gould completely disappears into his character and is pretty much the main reason why this movie is so great. It also has really good dialogue with some funny lines, a story that isn't particularly original, but is still pulled off very well and a great ending.

July 18



"If you are watching this in the future, know that time has had its way with us, and that we knew it would. And it will with you. There is no escaping this. In a strange way, it's what makes life so beautiful and strange, that nothing alive stays the same."

While this movie is far from being anything exceptional, it really wasn't trying to be. It's just a fun movie that never takes itself too seriously and it has a good cast and a really cool soundtrack. It also has a bit of self-awareness as shown in the quote I used for this movie and that makes me respect the movie a bit more. The only reason I didn't give this movie a higher score as a 7/10 is because it is somewhat dated and in this day and age it's nothing too special and I didn't really find this movie to be uproariously funny, but I still thought it was an entertaining movie nonetheless. This movie isn't for the casual movie watcher, but if you are familiar with the 70's culture and/or have an adventurous taste in cinema then it's worth checking out.

July 18



"I never thought about it before. Revenge. But... when I saw you kill that man in your apartment... I knew I had my answer."

While this is mostly your typical revenge film, it does have a lot to like about it. The acting is solid, the character's have at least a bit of depth to them and overall it's a pretty good revenge film. Nothing new, but still entertaining.

July 19



"I'm innocent. I've committed no crime. A crime's been committed against me."

I went into this movie expecting it to be about boxing, but I was surprised to find out that it didn't have much to do with boxing and instead told a compelling story about a boxer who was imprisoned for being accused of murder. Denzel Washington is amazing in this movie and so far it's the best movie I've seen him in. I loved every minute of it, but his performance is what really makes this movie great.

July 20



"If this shit wasn't illegal guys, we'd be up for the Nobel Prize."

This was just an average comedy. While it does have it's moments, the story is cliche, some of the jokes are incredibly stupid and in the end it's just a cheap cash-in on some show from the 70's and doesn't do anything with the source material. If you're looking for a comedy that is just trying to deliver laughs then there are worse movies you could watch than this one, but it's no 21 Jump Street.

July 20



"Shoot them again!"
"What for?"
"Their soul's still dancing!"

While this is not the masterpiece that the original Bad Lieutenant was, this was still a pretty damn good reimagining of it. Nicolas Cage gives one of his best performances as this insane cop and he comes close to being as good as Harvey Keitel in the original film. The other actors in this movie are good too. While it doesn't bring anything new to the whole cop movie, Nicolas Cage's performance alone makes this movie really good.

July 22



"If we can't get strong from what we lose, what we miss, what we want and can't have... then we could never get strong enough, could we? What else makes us strong?"

This was a pretty stupid, but still pretty funny dark comedy. It has a decent cast, delivered some good laughs and even though it kind of falls apart near the end it's still a enjoyable movie.

July 24



"Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60s. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted."

While it's no One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it's still great in it's own right. The main thing I want to touch on which is what made this movie was Angelina Jolie's performance. I haven't seen very many movies that she's in mainly because the majority of her movies don't really interest me. Also almost all of the movies I've seen her in are animated, so I'm still unsure with what I think of her as an actress. She really took me by surprise in this movie though. She was really dedicated to her role and she just played that character perfectly. She definitely deserved to win the Oscar for this movie. That's not to say the rest of the cast didn't do a great job though. Winona Ryder was also amazing and she was snubbed as she didn't even get a nomination. The story of this movie was also really impressive and I just thought it was a great movie overall.

July 26

Re-watch



"Really, it's only a side thing for my true passion."
"And what's that?"
"I work with retards."
"Isn't that a little politically incorrect?"
"Yeah, maybe, but hell, no one's gonna tell me who I can and can't work with."

This movie was when The Farelly Brothers knew how to use gross-out instead of either shoehorning it in or just using too much of it. While my opinion on this movie hasn't really changed, it's still as funny as I remembered and on the plus side I remembered certain jokes that I initally forgot about.

July 28



"Hey, you know what? Disco's so fucking big right now, I wouldn't be suprised if KISS did a disco song."
"Man, if there's one thing KISS will never do, it is a bullshit disco song."
"No shit man!"
"Yeah man. Disco blows dogs for quarters man!"

This movie reminds me of that one incident where I went to a KISS concert with my dad. I already mentioned it in my concert thread, but I'll sum it up in a nutshell. We got the tickets from Craigslist, turns out we got scammed and luckily we were able to buy two tickets at the stand. While that was a pain in the ass, these guys had it much much worse when it came to getting tickets. This was a pretty funny movie. I prefer this movie much more over Dazed and Confused since that movie just had a few funny jokes every now and then while this movie was very funny from start to finish. It also had some decent characters that have interesting personalities and it had an awesome soundtrack. It's a great movie that any fan of KISS or even classic rock should see.

July 29



"You want what they want, don't you... I'll never tell. I'll never tell... Any of you."

This was a pretty good movie. It's a really good thriller with a good amount of suspense, solid acting and it does everything it needed to do to be an interesting thriller. I probably won't remember that much of it later on, but it's still a solid thriller and I'm glad I watched it.

July 30



"Wait I didn't steal anything! I was returning something I stole!"

I was very skeptical about this movie even before the trailers came out. What made me uninterested in this movie was the news that Edgar Wright would not be directing and instead they got Peyton Reed. Yes, that Peyton Reed. The guy who directed Bring it On and Yes Man. I haven't seen the former and I did like Yes Man, but having him direct a superhero movie seemed way too far out of his comfort zone. Not to mention that the trailers looked mediocre and I also wasn't sold with the choice of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. Since it got pretty good reviews and because my curiousity started to peak I decided to just give in and see it in theatres. This movie really exceeded my expectations. The odd story was executed well, the characters were well fleshed-out, Paul Rudd actually suited the role very well and it was consistently funny. This movie is actually refreshing for a Marvel movie as I found a couple of their movies in the past took themselves way too seriously (I'm looking at you Avengers: Age of Ultron.) while this one doesn't and it's more self-aware like Guardians of the Galaxy which is a good thing. One thing that was just a minor problem for me since this movie is mostly story and comedy based, but I felt like it took too long to get into the action. I really wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not since Marvel movies nowadays kind of over does it with the action scenes, but it still bugged me a little bit. It is worth it in the end though. I really enjoyed this movie and I think it's better than Avengers: Age of Ultron.

July 31



"I have run out of time. I have lost it all. So I can't work fast enough to catch up. I can't run fast enough to catch up. And the only thing that catches me up is doing my magic act."

Judging from the Michael Mann movies I've seen so far, he tends to be hit and miss. While the only movie from him I didn't like was Public Enemies, his movies tend to feel very similar to each other and not in a good way. This was his first movie though and I feel like this one perfected his style of filmmaking. The dialogue was excellent, the acting was great and it's kind of like Heat except better. I really loved every minute of this movie and I'm glad I finally watched it. On a side-note I have to re-visit Heat sometime soon because while I did like it, looking back I don't think I was in the right mood when I saw it as I had a lot on my mind.

I'd like to end this by something that isn't too important, but for me it's impressive. This is one of the best months of movie-watching for me right up there with last December (I'm definitely going to be doing that acclaimed movie theme next December by the way.) because you might've noticed by now that I didn't watch any bad movies this month. Not one! I mean I did watch a couple mediocre movies like Starsky and Hutch and 3000 Miles to Graceland, but those movies still had things that I liked about them and they had some enjoyment value which kept them from being bad. I will be more adventurous in August since while I obviously do not enjoy watching bad movies, I sometimes have more fun talking about them for some weird reason.

July 6



"Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She's just dead."

This is the weakest James Bond movie with Sean Connery so far, but it's still decent. While it does feel all over the place at times, Sean Connery is still really good as James Bond and it does have some good action scenes although none of them can top the underwater scene. It's a decent effort, but it's not as good as some of the other bond films.

July 10



"They'll print anything these days."

This one was actually really enjoyable and I don't understand why some people didn't like it. It just seems like the critics and general movie-goers just haven't been very kind to Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies after Goldeneye. It's not better than Goldeneye, but it's still on the same level. Pierce Brosnan is still good as James Bond and he's probably my second favorite Bond actor so far, the action is solid and it had some decent one-liners.

July 16



"Right. Now pay attention, 007. I want you to take great care of this equipment. There are one or two rather special accessories..."
"Q, have I ever let you down?"
"Frequently."

Meh, this one is pretty underwhelming compared to The Man with the Golden Gun. It's still good and it has it's moments, but for most of the movie I felt like I wasn't as engaged with this movie as I should've been. The last 30 minutes are very exciting though and it almost made me bump up my rating a little bit, but it just takes so long for the movie to be this good. Jaws was a decent villain, but I feel like I would've liked him more if he had more screentime as I don't think he's as good of a villain as most people make him out to be. It is a decent movie, but it's mostly a standard Bond film.

July 17



"It doesn't bother you? Killing all those people?"
"Well I wouldn't be very good at my job if it did."

Out of all the actors that starred in a James Bond movie, the only one I hadn't seen this far was one with Daniel Craig. (Excluding Lazenby.) I actually remember how hyped this movie was when it came out with the advertising, a new actor and this was at the point where the series needed to be rebooted after Die Another Day which I haven't seen yet, but I haven't heard too many good things about it. It might be too early to judge, but so far Daniel Craig has replaced Pierce Brosnan as my second favorite Bond actor. He really portrayed the character really well and I loved the personality he brings to the character. The whole movie was awesome as it had a great villain, a very interesting storyline and it has some breathtaking action scenes. I hate to say this, but I love this movie more than Goldfinger because technology has advanced since this movie and in my opinion there's just no comparison between the two. It's my new favorite Bond movie and I'm really excited for Spectre now.

July 19



"My apologies for the way you were brought here. I wasn't sure you'd accept a *formal* invitation."
"There's always something formal about the point of a pistol."

This was an entertaining Bond movie. While I didn't think George Lazenby was very exceptional as James Bond, (Hell, if I was to rank all the Bond actors based on the movies I've seen so far, he'd be only one step above Roger Moore.) he did a good enough job and I think he would've been even better if he was given a fair chance. This was more story-driven and it didn't have much action, but I didn't really mind it since I already got a good amount with the previous ones. The actor who plays Blofeld this time is not as good as Donald Plesance, but he's still good despite the fact that his voice is pretty different. The only problem I had with this movie that I can think of is the ending which I kind of like and don't like at the same time. I like how it's a different kind of ending for a Bond film, but I just found it too depressing and it does kind of feel tacked on. Other than that I really enjoyed it and it doesn't deserve some of the flack it gets.

July 21



"The satellite is at present over... Kansas. Well, if we destroy Kansas the world may not hear about it for years. Perhaps New York, with all that smut and traffic... might give them a chance for a fresh start. Washington, DC. Perfect. Since we have not heard from them, *they* will hear from us."

While I do think Lazenby deserved another chance, It's great to see Sean Connery again as Bond for one last time. Well, that is until 1983, but I'll get to that one some other time. This is probably one of the most underrated Bond films yet. It's got great action, Sean Connery is still great even if he's aged a little in this one and it never takes itself too seriously. Blofeld was also great except for one problem which may seem minor. While Charles Grey's voice is closer to Pleasance's original voice, it is a little grating to see him have hair in this movie when Blofeld didn't have any in the previous two movies. It's not a huge problem, but it is distracting. Again, it's really underrated and it's one of the best Bond movies to star Sean Connery.

July 24



"My God, what's Bond doing?"
"I think he's attempting re-entry, sir."

I wasn't a huge fan of this one. On the plus side Jaws is a much better villain in this movie and he saves it from mediocrity, but on the other hand it doesn't really feel that much like a Bond movie and like a few people said it kind of feels like a parody of James Bond at times. It's still an entertaining instalment and while it takes a long time for the space aspect of the movie to kick in and it's basically a blatant Star Wars rip-off, it's still fun to watch. Even though the movie is not that bad, it's one of the weakest Bond movies I've seen this far.

July 25



"They say you're judged by the strength of your enemies."

While I did like this one, I felt like it was trying way too hard to top Casino Royale. It did have too much action and not enough story or character development. I should also note that this is the shortest James Bond movie to date and this is another example where the short runtime doesn't work for this movie. It really needed much more time to flesh out the characters instead of just mainly focusing on the action. There were still things I liked about this movie and Daniel Craig is still really good as Bond, but the final product just feels rushed and they should've handed this movie to a more experienced director.

July 29



"I'm giving you the opportunity to walk out with the money, Mr. Bond."
"I'm giving you the opportunity to walk out with your life."

This one was even better than Tomorrow Never Dies. The plot in this movie is more like a return to the traditional Bond formula and for the most part it works. The only thing that brings this movie down a little bit is Denise Richards' character who is the worst Bond girl so far. Other than that it's a solid movie and once again it's much better than it's credited for.

July 31



"The whole office goes up in smoke and that bloody thing survives."
"Your interior decorating tips have always been appreciated, 007."

This movie starts off great, but starts to drag on as the movie goes on. I think the main problem is that while Quantum of Solace was too short, this one was too long. Now I still really liked this movie. It had some good action, Daniel Craig is still great, Judi Dench delivers what is possibly her best performance in any Bond movie and Javier Bardem was a pretty good villain. While I did enjoy this movie for the most part, it could've been... no should've been better considering that this was the 50th anniversary of James Bond and they should've went all out with it.

I managed to watch ten James Bond movies which I didn't think was going to happen and as for the ones I haven't seen yet, I'll most likely carry on watching the rest in August and maybe September. I'll try to get all of them watched by the time Spectre comes out.

July 27



"Mom, it's prohibition!"
"Oh, shut up! Stop acting like some fag choir boy!"

Out of all the comedies I have seen, this is the most underrated one I've ever seen. I have never even heard of this movie until a few years ago when the giraffe brought it to my attention. On a related note I've been meaning to watch this earlier this month, but didn't until now. I have been starting to re-listen to all of Weird Al's albums and right now I'm on UHF and when I watched the music video to This is the Life and the YouTube comments saying that clips from this movie was used in the music video, it reminded me to watch it. And wouldn't you know it, the song appears in the opening credits too. All I can say about this movie is that it is a laugh riot from start to finish. It's got so many hilarious lines and visual gags that I can't believe this movie is either overlooked or just written off as average by some people, but I guess this movie was too clever by the general moviegoers at the time. It does have a small cult following, but it doesn't get the recognition this movie deserves. It's a fantastic spoof of gangster movies from the 30's and I think it's safe to say that Amy Heckerling never made a movie this funny and clever again. This would definitely make my list of the funniest movies of all time.