Sunday, July 22, 2012

Movie Confessions Blogathon


Nostra at Myfilmviews has created a new blogathon, entitled the Movie Confessions blogathon. In it, you can confess things that might have, up to now, been a secret. Read my confessions after the cut.


Which classic movie don’t you like/can’t enjoy and why?
Lawrence of Arabia (1962). It's so long and so drawn-out. I hate to call it boring, but, for me, it is. Although Lean's a director I admire, I think most of his epics could be trimmed down. It feels too bloated, and it's not a film I plan on watching again soon.

Which ten classic movies haven’t you seen yet?
The Birth of a Nation (1915), Greed (1924), Intolerance (1916), The Great Dictator (1940), Eraserhead (1977), Nashville (1975), Pierrot le Fou (1965), The Wages of Fear (1953), Tokyo Story (1953), Ran (1985)

Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema?
Yes, once. When I saw Two Brothers in 2004, I was so bored with it that I left after 20 or 30 minutes, and I went into a nearby screening room to watch some of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Which actor/actress do you think is overrated?

















Meryl Streep. For me, she is usually good, but not often great. While she is consistent, I don't think she's an all-time acting legend. I would even give her a Best Actress win (Sophie's Choice, 1982) and a Supporting one (The Deer Hunter, 1978). She just doesn't blow me away with every performance she gives though.

From which big director have you never seen any movie (and why)?
D.W. Griffith. I have seen a few clips from The Birth of a Nation, but I haven't seen any of his films in their entirety yet. This is because his two most famous films are around 3 hours long, and it's hard to sit down and watch a lot of epic movies. (I don't like to stop a movie I haven't seen before, so that makes a really long one difficult to see.)

Which movie do you love, but is generally hated?
















A Good Year (2006). This film has a 25% on RT and a 47 on Metacritic. It's so much fun though. It stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish, Albert Finney, and Freddie Highmore. What a cast! And the score and cinematography are gorgeous. It's my favorite feel-good movie.

Have you ever been “one of those annoying people” at the cinema?
No. Ever since I was a kid going to the Star Wars Special Edition re-releases in 1997, I only focused on the screen. I go to the cinema to watch the movie.

Did you ever watch a movie, which you knew in advance would be bad, just because of a specific actor/actress was in it? Which one and why?
I watched Dark Shadows because of Johnny Depp. Given that Alice in Wonderland had let me down, I wasn't expecting much from Depp's next collaboration with Tim Burton, and I was right.

Did you ever not watch a specific movie because it had subtitles?
No. But I will admit that I generally don't watch subtitled movies at night when I can't concentrate as much.

Are there any movies in your collection that you have had for more than five years and never watched?


















Hell's Angels (1930). I bought it sometime after The Aviator (2004) came out and still haven't watched it.

Which are the worst movies in your collection and why do you still own them?

















Rocky V (1990). I can't bring myself to break up the set.


















Christmas with the Kranks (2004). It's a guilty pleasure, but I haven't seen it all the way through in over two years.

Do you have any confessions about your movie watching setup at home?
I have a Blu-ray/DVD player and a DVD/VCR combo. However, only the VCR works on the combo. Also, my TV is so old that I have to use a converter box to connect the DVD/VCR to it. Because of this, I have to plug my Blu-ray/DVD player into the front of the DVD/VCR combo.

If I watch a movie online, I watch it on my laptop. I hate doing that though, so I usually stick to DVDs and Blu-rays.

Any other confessions you want to make?
I don't watch the end credits of a film unless I know there is a scene after them.

If I really like a new film, I'll usually see it in theaters 2 or 3 times. If I buy it on DVD when it comes out, I'll only watch it once. Then it sits there for months.

I don't get snacks at the theater, and I haven't in years. I don't snack at home when I watch movies either.

20 comments:

  1. I really need to see A Good Year, I love Cotiliard and Cornish is usually pretty good. I usually don't watch end credits too, unless the music that plays over them is really good.

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    1. It's obviously not an acclaimed film, but I love it so much. I'd recommend it to everyone, just to get more people to see it.

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  2. A Good Year has 25%...??? I can't believe it! I remember watching it some years ago and liking it, what was so wrong with it?

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    1. I know, right? I remember Crowe got a lot of flack for trying to do a romantic comedy, but I thought he was terrific in it. And it's definitely better than a lot of rom-coms that have come out recently.

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  3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) I didn't even finish, probably it's better on big screen when you are forced to watch and can't put it on pause...

    Definitely check out Eraserhead (1977), it's a unique experience and when people discuss the 70s as a great decade for cinema it often gets left out of the conversation. If you can't find it there's always youtube!

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    1. I got through LoA somehow, but I plan on watching Eraserhead very soon. I've been wanting to see it for the longest time, so I can't wait.

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  4. I enjoyed A Good Year too -- as you said, it was a good "feel good" movie. I've never watched Christmas with the Kranks, but we all need those "guilty pleasures." And it's amazing how a bad comedy can grow on you. ;-)

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    1. Thanks for your comment. I'm glad some people like A Good Year because I've been a fan since its theatrical release. And guilty pleasures like bad comedies are always fun.

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  5. Aiyah, I haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia yet but now I better manage my expectation as most people seem to love it.

    Oh, I like A Good Year as well. I think the critics are always expecting Crowe to be this Maximus-like character but I think he's a versatile actor and he's just as fun to watch in a dramedy.

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    1. Thanks for commenting Ruth! Lawrence of Arabia is almost 4 hours long, so good luck when you do watch it. :)

      More love for A Good Year! I completely agree on Crowe, and I'd love to see him try more dramedies.

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  6. Hooray. I love Christmas With The Kranks!!

    A fun choice of confessions here.

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  7. Lawrence is an interesting choice. I love that film, but can’t really argue that it feels long. Same goes The Birth of a Nation, necessary, but awfully long.

    Rocky V!! Tommy “Machine” Gun! So so bad.

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    1. Long films don't usually bother me, but Lawrence did for some reason.

      I wouldn't call Rocky V unwatchable, but it is REALLY bad.

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  8. I actually don't remember my reaction to Lawrence of Arabia but I am quite certain that I did not see it in one sitting. So, I am guessing it wasn't too enthusiastic. Even, A Good Year. I won't say it was great but pretty decent. Decent enough that I watched it again when it was on TV. His flashbacks with Albert Finney are probably what brought me back.

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    1. I watched Lawrence of Arabia during the day. I remember that I paused it once or twice, but it felt like it took most of the day to get through it.

      I love those flashbacks in A Good Year.

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  9. Although I have seen Lawrence of Arabia there isn't much I remember of it, but I thought it was pretty good. Not that I will rewatch it anytime soon.

    I actually only saw Ran and The Great Dictator out of the ones you haven't seen. Would suggest you check out the latter one.

    I'm in the same camp as you with Meryl Streep. There's something about her that creeps me out.

    Dark Shadows looks like a movie I might enjoy, but I'll wait till it lands on DVD to check it out.

    Interesting setup with the VCR :) So I guess the VCR doesn't output a HD signal?

    Wow, I'm impressed that you see movie 2 or 3 times in theaters. I never really done that (except when a friend of mine really wants to see it and I don't mind joining)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Nostra.

      I will rewatch Lawrence of Arabia one day, but not soon.

      I really want to see The Great Dictator, so I'll hopefully get to that very soon.

      Meryl Streep was a popular choice, but I had to go with her.

      Dark Shadows started out great, then it slowly fell apart.

      Don't know about the VCR :) I just watch movies through it. I really could do with a better setup in the future, but it works just fine for now.

      Like I said, I only see movies that I love 2 or 3 times in theaters. Recent examples: TDKR, Hugo, Drive, Midnight in Paris, The Rum Diary (loved it), Black Swan, The American, and Inception.

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  10. It seems that many people watch bad or average movies because of Johnny Depp. I think I'm among them. But I also define a bad movie differently.

    I envy you that you own Hell's Angels. I hope to watch it someday.

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    1. I picked Dark Shadows because it was the most recent example I could think of. I do that with a lot of actors though.

      I really need to watch Hell's Angels. I think I've had it 7 years.

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