Tag: movies

I’ve been cutting back on my movie watching. Although they are a relaxing pastime, they can also occupy too much time—time I could better spend doing other things. I’ve been doing quite well at restricting my cinematic viewing, although it is hard to tell from this past weekend.

At the theater, I saw the new Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, with a group of friends. It was quite good; I give it 4 stars. Although well done, Caspian had more battle scenes and violence then was warranted. I enjoyed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe much more (5 stars).

On video, our family watched I’m Reed Fish. This is a quirky romantic comedy, a movie about a movie. It has a surprise ending that makes you say, “What just happened?” Fortunately we were able to figure it out, but it was on the second viewing where I was really able to appreciate all the subtle plot details and subdued humor. If you watch it, which I recommend, pay careful attention to the names Kate and Jill. Enough said.  I also give it 4 stars.

On TV I watched The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. It’s a dumb title and I dismissed the movie, but knowing that the “adventures” are the results of a young boy’s dreams, made it plausible enough for me to give it a go. Unfortunately, the story line didn’t hold together and it ended a bit sappy and contrived. Two stars.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book The Successful Author for insider tips and insights.

Please indulge me one more blog about movies and then I’ll go on to something else—at least for a while.

Although I enjoy classic moves, silent films seemed a bit too “classic” for my taste. That, however, may be changing.

I’ve only seen three silent films (that I can remember, anyway) and each one was more enjoyable than the former.

The first is “Modern Times” (1936) written, directed, and staring Charlie Chaplin. It is clever, entertaining, and funny. Plus I will never look at square buttons the same way again.

The second is The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).  It used detailed historic documents about Joan’s trail and subsequent execution (hope I didn’t ruin the ending) and portrays a gripping account of the injustice heaped upon this heroic person. Labeled as one of the greatest films of all times, it has a colorful history. After the first cut was destroyed in a fire, the director made a second version from alternate takes. When it too was destroyed in a fire, it was thought to be forever lost. However, a copy of the original was amazingly found—in good condition—in 1981.  The film is haunting, compelling, and unforgettable.

The third and most enjoyable is The General (1927), directed by and starring Buster Keaton. I have often heard the name Buster Keaton and the word genius in the same sentence. After seeing this film, I know why. I plan on there being many more Buster Keaton movies in my future viewing.

And in case you are wondering, all three are available from Netflix!

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book The Successful Author for insider tips and insights.

Yesterday I confessed to a proclivity for movies and a great affection for Netflix.

With Netflix, you can rate movies on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.  Based on the movies you rate, Netflix recommends other titles that you might like and even projects what rating you might give them. Right now, Netflix has 138 recommended movies for me!

I recall that the average Netflix member has rated about 140 movies. In this regard, I am above average – way above average. I’ve rated—drum roll, please – 917 movies! (See why I’m trying to cut back?) And that doesn’t include movies I’ve seen, but can’t remember well enough to rate.

My rating scale is simple:

5 stars: the movie was great and I happily watch it over and over.
4 stars: the movie was quite good and I might be inclined to watch it again.
3 stars: the movie was good, but once was enough.
2 stars: I didn’t like the movie and wouldn’t recommend it.
1 star: the movie was awful and I regret the time I wasted watching it.

There are 89 movies that I have given 5 stars to. They include all genres, from all eras. Most movies I have given 3 stars to. I gave 2 stars to 47 and 1 star to only 17.

Right now, I’m quite excited. Netflix just sent Fantastic Four and it should arrive tomorrow. If I like it, I’ll probably order the next one, too!

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book The Successful Author for insider tips and insights.

Last week I mentioned that I’ve scaled back on my TV watching.  Coupled with that is cutting down on movies, but that’s been a bit harder.

You see, I really like movies. It would be all too easy for me to check out and watch one every evening. But, again, that’s not a wise use of my time.  So I have become much more discriminating in both the quality and the quantity of the movies in which I partake.

I suppose my favorite genre is dramas. A more recent favorite is The Ultimate Gift. Next is sci-fi.  Star-Trek and Star Wars top the list.  Transformers was especially enjoyable as well.

I like a good comedy, but there aren’t too many good comedies any more; what passes for humor nowadays is either crass or gratuitous slapstick or crassly gratuitous slapstick.  I think I’ll pass. The In Laws was a notable exception; though it would have done better with a more creative title.

Many of the recent animation features have been quite good. I also enjoy a romance as long as it doesn’t get too sappy.

Action adventures are generally low on my list, although I really liked the Bourne movies (personally, I’m pulling for a fourth installment – there is more to the Jason/Nikki story that must be told). Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight (think of a female version of Bourne Identity meets Die Hard) was an incredible action adventure anomaly. I’ll pass on the Bond movies, as well as the Die Hard series.

Musicals are bottom on my list (such as the popular High School Musical). However, the remake of Hairspray was wonderful.

If you’ve checked out the links I’ve provided, you’ll see that I’m a big fan of IMDB – the Internet Movie Database. I’m an even bigger fan of Netflix – which I will tell you about tomorrow (unless something else comes up).

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book The Successful Author for insider tips and insights.