As usual, I am catching up on old Oscar winners while everyone else is talking about new Oscar winners. One day I’ll be current, though that day will probably not be until my children have gone off to college. I guess, what I’m saying, is that I’ll be current some time in the 2030s.
This is a movie from 1928 by an unknown director (Bryan Foy) with unknown stars. But it was, as history tells us, the first film with an entirely synchronized dialogue track. So I watched it with thanks to a nice print on Turner Classic Movies.
I’ve had an annoying cough the last few days which has me kept awake at night until I’m completely exhausted. Rather than cough horizontally for 67 minutes tonight, I decided to do something far more useful: watch the 1959 sci-fi film INVISIBLE INVADERS. Which activity would be more entertaining was a toss-up going in…
This is a thriller I knew nothing about other than the tagline: A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal in one of those two-characters-for-the-price-of-one deals. Knowing nothing about it, I had no idea I was in for a really weird time.
I absolutely thought that this was the fourth PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movie. Not only is it the fifth, but I have seen all of the other four. I suppose that is a testament to how cookie cutter the series has become. But I’m in this thing now. It’s the first modern horror series that I’ve cared enough to continue on, unless you count SCREAM (though that is tough, since most of them are over a decade old). So, any time a new PARANORMAL ACTIVITY finds its way into my view, I’ll give it a run.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES (2014)’
A day after watching one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s newest three hour movies, we decided to watch the original Leonardo DiCpario three hour movie. This has been on my mind a bit as of late if only because there is a musical cue in FROZEN, which my kids watch at least once a day, that reminds me of TITANIC. I haven’t seen James Cameron’s epic since the 20th century, so I thought it was time to revisit the shipwreck.
I started my 2015 by watching a movie from 2013 which was featured in many award shows from 2014. Martin Scorsese’s comedic biography of Jordan Belfort, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, was another Scorsese film to garner a bunch of Academy Award nominations (five) and to ultimately win none of them.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013)’
Wrapping up my sixth year of writing about every movie I watch. This remains the only New Year’s Resolution I’ve ever kept (it’s one I made as 2008 turned into 2009). Had a year of change in my life this year. Left my job of seven years for a new job, and a new career, (and I love it… teaching in a small school system in Maine and running a Performing Arts Center). But one constant has remained (well in addition to things like, you know, my wife and kids) and that constant is that I love movies, and I enjoy writing about them.
My last movie of 2014 was the 3 hour 20 minute Director’s Cut of TROY. I remember seeing the shorter version of this ten years ago, give or take, and thinking it was pretty decent. I’ve been sitting on the Director’s Cut for awhile, and it seemed like serendipity when I realized I could watch it with three minutes to spare before the ball dropped at midnight. Happy 2015 everyone!
It’s been a hectic holiday season. Visited home for a few days after Christmas. Got a chance to catch up with my folks and my in-laws and a whole bunch of great friends we don’t see nearly enough since moving to Maine. Also, my wife and I took an opportunity to sneak out and have a real live date. We grabbed a drink and some food and made our way to MOCKINGJAY. Revisiting the first two HUNGER GAMES films reminded me of how good the series really was. I had no idea what to expect from the third movie, but I had high hopes for sure based on the first two…
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 (2014)’
johnlinkmovies 