Daily Special: Week 13

Only one of my week thirteen movies was made within the last eight years. I didn't watch anything too painful this week, except for a movie with Bruce Willis as a baby with an inner monologue.

Below are my movies of the week:

March 23

               Footloose (Directed by Herbert Ross) Thanks to Kevin Bacon's performance on the Tonight Show I had to watch this movie for the first time in years. I can't believe that back in the 80's there were towns that banned the smallest things like playing music loud and had book burnings.

               Moneyball (Directed by Bennett Miller) I have made it known on more than one occasion how I feel about sports themed movies. Add in the true story aspect and one of my favorite actors and I am definitely going to enjoy it.

               Timecop (Directed by Peter Hyams) I like the concept of this JCVD movie but it was just poorly executed. The other thing I couldn't get over was the fact that personal vehicles for people looked like tanks.

March 24

               Dude, Where's My Car? (Directed by Danny Leiner) Dude, where is a mindless movie to watch? This was just the mindless stupidity that I needed after a long day at work.

March 25

               50 First Dates (Directed by Peter Segal) It is hard not to enjoy a movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. They have great chemistry together and the stories are usually very enjoyable.

March 26

               Blast from the Past (Directed by Hugh Wilson) This movie is goofy but it also has some good messages mixed in with it. My crush on Alicia Silverstone was re-ignited after seeing her in this movie too.

March 27

               Look Who's Talking (Directed by Amy Heckerling) This was the first thing that displayed when I logged in to Netflix and since I wasn't sure what I wanted to watch I went with this. It is still as stupid as I remember it was years ago.

March 28

               Fly Away Home (Directed by Carroll Ballard) My feel good family movie of the week. The plot of this movie is very heartwarming and hard not to enjoy. It is hard to believe that the little girl helping geese fly south for the winter became Sookie Stackhouse on True Blood.

March 29

               Cobra (Directed by George P. Cosmatos) This might be one of the worst Stallon action movies I have seen. I don't mind ultra-violence but I need a bit of story to go along with it.

               The Perfect Storm (Directed by Wolfgang Petersen) I remember seeing this movie when it originally came out not knowing the outcome of the ship or its crew. If I was to become a fisherman I would want to be on a crew with all of the actors that make up the Andrea Gail's crew.

               Zathura: A Space Adventure (Directed by Jon Favreau) Had someone told me that this movie was 'Jumanji in Space' I would have watched it years ago. It didn't have the craziness of Robin Williams but Dax Shepard was a good replacement.

Days Watched: 88

Movies Watched: 150

Book/Movie Comparison: America’s Pastime

Recently I asked my friends on Facebook to help me pick my next book to movie comparison. The choices were Moneyball and Catch Me if You Can. Moneyball was the overall favorite with my friends. The book was written by Michael Lewis and the movie version was directed by Bennett Miller. I was glad when this option was picked because I have been a baseball fan since I was a little kid.

The full title of the book is Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and it gives a very in-depth look at how the Oakland A’s created a successful team with a budget not even half of the New York Yankees. The GM of the A’s Billy Beane has been involved with the major leagues since he was just a teenager. Once a player, then a scout he is now in charge of putting together a winning team. Instead of looking at the big stats of a player he with the help of Paul DePodesta use sabermetrics to help find players that while costing much to sign can get on base just as much as all stars. I really enjoyed the breakdown of all the different player stats and how sabermetrics were originally created. The book would also jump back and forth from time to time to Billy’s past and different times of his baseball career whether they be in high school or the minor leagues. The book also does a really good job of helping you picture the excitement of a player when they make a big play or are even told they are being signed.

I remember reading that this movie was a passion project for Brad Pitt shortly before it opened in theaters. I am a fan of Brad Pitt’s movies and if he is passionate about one I am usually immediately interested in it. Bennett Miller did a good job of directing a movie with baseball in it, but at times it didn’t feel like the focus of the movie was about baseball and analyzing stats to find players. Billy’s family life is not a big factor in the book but in the movie it is referenced at multiple times even in the closing minutes of the movie. Another big difference in the movie is the inclusion of Peter Brand. Peter Brand does not exist in the book but is created for the movie to resemble Paul DePodesta who did not want his name used in the film. The cast of actors for the movie do a very good job in their roles. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris Pratt both turned in very solid performances along with brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

While the movie is enjoyable for a sports fan there are a number of items missing from it that make the book such a better option. The movie primarily focused on the offensive side of the Oakland A’s and not the defense, namely the pitching staff. Yes they talk about pitcher Chad Bradford and show him in the movie a bit, but they don’t discuss his pitching style and history at all like in the book. The addition of a family life for the main character was not necessary. This is supposed to be about Baseball, not dealing with a tweenage daughter who plays guitar and sounds like she could have a song on the soundtrack to the movie Juno.

One of the two biggest things that I missed in the movie version was the discussions about the upcoming player draft and who they would want to sign. In the book you can feel the excitement as Billy waits to see if he can get the players he wants and in what order. One moment he is disappointed that a player he was hoping to get will no longer be available, but as soon as a team makes a move that they couldn’t have predicted he is elated once again because his player will be available. I also missed the bantering and deal making on the day of the trade deadline. There is a scene in the movie that covers that day for about five minutes but in the book it is a lot more intriguing as you picture Billy calling different teams to try and make multi team trades. Billy’s history of trading for players one year and trading them away the next is also included and I think helps show what a General Manager really does when it comes to player management. 

 The epilogue for the book is one part I went back and went through multiple times. Getting to read about Jeremy Brown a player that no one wanted except for Billy and Paul hitting a big time homerun was a perfect way to end it for me. The movie tried to include it at the end but by then too much had changed from the book to the movie. If someone was to walk up to Redbox and pick up this movie without knowing anything about it, they will probably enjoy it. As a fan of baseball movies I did enjoy it, but it was missing too much of the book to be a truly good adaptation of the book.

Book/Movie Comparison: Go for a Drive

Next up in my series of book to movie comparisons is Drive. Drive was written by James Sallis and the movie version was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. I didn’t know that the movie was based on the book until after I had seen it. I got a copy of the book after finding out it existed, but never got around to checking it out until now.

This is not a very long book but it sure packs in a lot of story. Right from the start you are thrown in to the world of the lead character. No backstory setup, that comes later during the book. The main character Driver is a stunt driver by day and at night or in his off time he is a getaway driver for criminals. I like the fact that book is not very long because James Sallis does not include any filler to carry the story along. The action and violent scenes are very descriptive and help the reader picture what is going on and what drives Driver to seek revenge. In a short time you come to care about the character and root for him even though technically he is a bad guy.

In the last few years Hollywood has fallen in love with Ryan Gosling. Gosling was a perfect fit for the role of Driver. He is very clean cut and looks like someone who could be your neighbor. The movie like the book is very fast paced. There is a bit more character setup and development in the movie but it is worth it in the end. One thing I really liked about the movie is that there didn’t seem to be very much if any CGI used throughout. The driving scenes seemed very natural and not overly flashy. The movie while set in California could very well have been set in any other state in the country because it didn’t rely on the surroundings to sell the story.

It is very hard to pick which one of these forms of the story I prefer. The book is a very well written character story that pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go until the very end. The movie follows the key points of the book very well. There are some differences from the book to the movie that are necessary. Without the changes I don’t think the movie would have been as good. For example, the backstory and development of some of the characters in the movie are important to help the viewer connect with them. In the book the development is not as crucial with the pace of it. One thing I do wish they would have covered in the movie is where Driver came from and how he really got his start. That was a very interesting part of the book and I think helps shed light on the person that is Driver and what leads him to do what he does.

Daily Special: Week 12

After going back to work during week twelve I missed not being able to watch a movie whenever I wanted. Most of the movies I watched this week were enjoyable. I also wrapped up the Twilight series with my friend, that was painful.

Below are my movies of the week:

March 16

               Panic Room (Directed by David Fincher) Pretty good suspense thriller. Hard to believe the daughter in this movie would grow up to marry a vampire. I had totally forgotten that Jared Leto was in this movie.

               School Ties (Directed by Robert Mandel) I have watched this movie every few years since it originally came out. It is hard to believe how many actors in it have gone on to have long lasting careers. Pretty sure this is the first time Matt and Ben appeared in a Hollywood movie together.

March 17

               Requiem for the Big East (Directed by Ezra Edelman) The latest 30 for 30 documentary looked at the formation of the NCAA's Big East Conference. It was interesting to see how the conference came about and how it has changed over the years. I had no idea Jim Boeheim had been the head coach for Syracuse since 1976.

March 18

               Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Directed by Cody Cameron & Kris Pearn) Not as good as the original but still very creative and fun. My favorite part was seeing all the different food animal creations and their names.

March 19

               Need for Speed (Directed by Scott Waugh) Overall plot was stupid with a number of holes but the driving scenes more than made up for the plot problems. The car scenes were all real. No CGI was needed.

March 20

               Joe Dirt (Directed by Dennie Gordon) This is one of my favorite quotable movies to enjoy over and over again. The story is ridiculous but it is also very fun. Which watching I enjoyed a fun quote throwdown with my friend Eric via Facebook.

March 21

               Veronica Mars (Directed by Rob Thomas) I remember when this TV show was originally on. I didn't watch but a handful of episodes but I was very interested in this movie when it originally launched its Kickstarter campaign last year. For not having watched much of the show I really enjoyed the movie. It had little 'Easter Egg' moments for fans of the show but overall it was a movie that someone never introduced to the show could enjoy.

March 22

               Zoom (Directed by Peter Hewitt) I grew up watching Home Improvement on a weekly basis. I became a big fan of Tim Allen and while most of his movies might be a bit on the cheesy side I still get a laugh out of them at least a bit.

               The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Directed by David Slade) Oh the tough decisions a young girl must make when she is in love with a Vampire and a Werewolf. I am totally not sure why everyone was looking to protect Bella. I'd rather take the side of the fiery redhead.

               The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (Directed by Bill Condon) Thank goodness they got married. It is important that recent high school graduates get married soon after graduation. Without being married how else can they truly live? Is that too much sarcasm? Ok, I didn't think so.

               The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (Directed by Bill Condon) It is finally over! I will no longer have to watch another Twilight movie for as long as I live. I would have thought that by the fifth movie they would have figured out how to use special effects, that baby sure didn't look real to me.

Days Watched: 81

Movies Watched: 139

Daily Special: Week 11

Week eleven was busy movie week. I enjoyed a week long staycation from work. My longtime friend Tish visiting from Colorado wanted to make sure and watch a couple movies on my couch. I also celebrated my birthday with my friend Sarah and watched two movies with her as well. Back to work tomorrow and that means fewer double and triple days.

Below are my movies of the week:

March 9

               Over the Top (Directed by Menahem Golan) I am so glad this movie explained what "Double Elimination" meant multiple times. I was so confused even after they described it the first time. It is amazing that this was actually made in to a movie, but it was the 80’s.

March 10

               Edward Scissorhands (Directed by Tim Burton) I couldn't tell you the last time I had seen this movie. One thing I like about older Tim Burton movies is he takes time to develop the main characters as well as the smaller lesser used one, like most of the neighbors in this movie.

               The Smurfs (Directed by Raja Gosnell) Ok yeah that was a bad movie. I grew up with the Smurfs but even I thought this was ridiculous. Some animated cartoons should stay that way, not everything needs to be live-action.

               Mr. Peabody & Sherman (Directed by Rob Minkoff) Very disappointed in this movie. Was hoping for something that had cool animation and humor. The animation was good but it took until 5 minutes left in the movie to really make my dad or I laugh.

March 11  

               Homefront (Directed by Gary Fleder) I watched this with my very good friend Tish who was visiting from Texas. The movie itself was pretty good. Good fight scenes and a story that was easy to follow. The one thing I disliked about it was they seemed to develop a certain character only to have her disappear before the end of the movie with no mention of again.

               Runner Runner (Directed by Brad Furman) After watching Homefront, Tish and I jumped right in to this movie. Within minutes we were confused by the actions of the main character. The plot as a whole was interesting but from time to time it would drop in parts that would confuse you. It has a nice twist ending, but it needed too after the long setup it had.

March 12

               That Thing You Do! (Directed by Tom Hanks) The one Tom Hanks movie I could not find for my Thanksgiving marathon last year just happened to air commercial free on DirecTV last weekend. The movie is a bit cheesy but I think it also speaks volumes about a number of one hit wonder musical artists today.

               The Silence of the Lambs (Directed by Jonathan Demme) This was the first time I ever watched this movie all the way through. I have seen the sequels before, but not this one. The movie is good but it is a bit unsettling from beginning to end.

               Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Directed by Steven Spielberg) It has been 20 years since I last saw this movie. I forgot how much fun it is. I really enjoy seeing Sean Connery and Harrison Ford play off one another.

March 13

               The Addams Family (Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld) I have only seen a few episodes of the original TV show but I think this is one of the better TV show turned in to a movie adaptation. All of the actors were perfect choices for their characters. The story was fun and quirky just like the show.

               Bull Durham (Directed by Ron Shelton) This is one of my least favorite sport movies. I know it may seem stupid but I don't like when the love story is a bigger focus then the sport being played is. If you don't want to refer to this as a sports themed movie then that changes the dynamics in my opinion.

March 14

               Moonrise Kingdom (Directed by Wes Anderson) I finally got caught up on Wes Anderson's last movie in time for his latest movie to come out in theater. First 15-20 minutes was a bit slow for me but then it picked up and I was fully engaged by all the different characters.

               Dave (Directed by Ivan Reitman) This is one of my watch and enjoy anytime movies. It isn't heavy on special effects but instead focuses on a good story with a strong cast of characters.

               Man of the House (Directed by Stephen Herek) Why did I watch this? I was doing some cleaning and wanted something on in the background. There are little pieces in this movie that make me laugh, like Cedric the Entertainer.

               Hyde Park on Hudson (Directed by Roger Michell) This movie started out quite slow and I had a hard time figuring out who some of the characters were until the very end. Bill Murray was great as FDR and I had to laugh at all the drama surrounding the eating of a hot dog.

March 15

               RoboCop (2014) (Directed by José Padilha) I was surprised how much I liked this remake. The storyline was very interesting and the characters were well written. The action scenes were pretty fun to watch as well. Even being just PG-13 I don't think it was really missing anything without the excessive blood like in the original.

               300: Rise of an Empire (Directed by Noam Murro) I was not a fan of the first half hour of the movie. It was a lot of talking that I thought dragged on and was too monotone. It picked up after that and became a fun action movie. Highlight of the movie though had to be Eva Green.

               Step Brothers (Directed by Adam McKay) This is such a stupid movie. But it is also one that always makes me laugh no matter when I watch it. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are a great comedy team when they work together.

Days Watched: 74

Movies Watched: 128

Daily Special: Week 10

Week ten was the unofficial week of Matthew Lillard and new Netflix addition movies. I ended up watching three movies with Matthew Lillard and another three movies just added to Netflix streaming this week. I am off from work for the next week so we'll see how many movies I can fit in before going back to work.

Below are my movies of the week:

March 2

               Drive (Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn) Really good action movie that instead of relying on lots of CGI and special effects instead tells a strong story with the help of a very strong cast.

               Airborne (Directed by Rob Bowman) I am not totally sure why I like this movie except for maybe the fact that Seth Green is in it. The addition of a young Jack Black is also a plus for the movie.

               Surf Ninjas (Directed by Neal Israel) I remember seeing this movie in theaters with my brother and my cousin when we were kids. After the movie we of course had to pretend we were surf ninjas.

March 3

               Scream (Directed by Wes Craven) Over the top cheesy and corny but still fun. Randy the horror movie buff is of course my favorite. I am not good with horror trivia but I can channel my inner Randy from time to time.

March 4

               Ghostbusters II (Directed by Ivan Reitman) Thank you Netflix for adding this to your streaming library. Not as good as the first one, but still a lot of fun to watch. I forgot how much I liked this movie.

March 5

               Wild Things (Directed by John McNaughton        ) Another recent Netflix addition. I remember when this movie came out in theaters. I worked at the local AMC and this was the movie that most of the guys would go and watch from the entryway in between theater cleanings. One of our managers would even check in on us.

March 6

               Grind (Directed by Casey La Scala) Adam Brody and Extreme Sports is a movie I will most definitely watch. Add in the beautiful Jennifer Morrison and well I could watch this movie over and over again.

March 7

               Hackers (Directed by Iain Softley) I remember loving this movie after the first time I saw it. I still really enjoy it to this day, but mainly for the humor. The cast of the movie is pretty badass though.

               Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Directed by Dave Filoni) Decided to watch this after I saw that the entire Clone Wars series was now available on Netflix. The animation is pretty good and the story was more enjoyable than a good chunk of Episodes 1-3.

March 8

               Daybreakers (Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig) Interesting take on vampire movies. Not usually an Ethan Hawke fan but Sam Neill & Willem Dafoe more than make up for his awkward delivery.

               She's All That (Directed by Robert Iscove) I am so confused after watching this movie. Where was I during the professional grade dance routine during my junior and senior proms? I must have missed the planning meeting for it my junior year when we coordinated everything else for the prom. Also, not sure how I ended up watching three Matthew Lillard movies this week.

Days Watched: 67

Movies Watched: 110

2014 Oscar Predictions by DeeJ

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) extensive movie watching life I was able to watch all of the movies nominated for Best Picture and Best Director as well as all of the acting awards before Oscar night. In years past I have made predictions based on the movies I have seen but now I can make my predictions a bit better since I have seen them all. Having said that I think it is time to make some predictions.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
• Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
• June Squibb (Nebraska)

I really liked June Squib in Nebraska but I do not think her performance was Oscar worthy. On the other hand both Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o turned in Oscar worthy performances. It would be very cool to see Jennifer Lawrence win an Oscar two years in a row but something tells me that Lupita Nyong'o will be the actress with her name announced.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
• Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
• Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
• Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

As soon as I finished watching Dallas Buyers Club I proclaimed that Jared Leto should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. My friend Andy said I should wait until I see 12 Years a Salve because Michael Fassbender was his pick. I will admit that Fassbender did a great job of making me hate him with a passion. Leto though is still my favorite because he became Rayon and I didn’t see any part of his normal persona in the movie. I am going with Leto for the win.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)
• Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
• Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
• Judi Dench (Philomena)
• Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

This is the hardest category for me to make a prediction on. I know who I want to win but I am pretty sure it isn’t who will win. I like both Amy Adams and Sandra Bullock in this category to win the Oscar. I don’t think either of them will win and instead it will go to either Cate Blanchet to Meryl Streep. I was not a fan of either women’s performances nor was I a big fan of their movies. I felt Meryl was too over the top in August: Osage County and Cate was just plain annoying to me in Blue Jasmine. I want to see Sandra Bullock win her second Best Actress Oscar but I think it will go to Cate Blanchett this year.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Christian Bale (American Hustle)
• Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
• Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

This isn’t even a competition in my opinion. The Oscar belongs to Matthew McConaughey. While Leonardo and Chiwetel’s performances shined in their movies, McConaughey went above and beyond anything I have ever seen him do before. For years I have always pictured him as his character from the movie Dazed and Confused, but not anymore.

Best Directing

• American Hustle (David O. Russell)
• Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
• Nebraska (Alexander Payne)
• 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

This category is a bit of a tossup. All of the directors nominated did a superb job with their movies but the one I think shined about the rest is Alfonso Cuarón. Gravity was a visually stunning movie that made me feel like I was floating around in space with Sandra Bullock. The other two directors that I think could sneak in and steal the win are Martin Scorsese and Steve McQueen; both of their two movies are in my top 5 of 2013 releases. It could be close but I am going with Cuarón to take the Oscar.

Best Picture

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Gravity
• Her
• Nebraska
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

There are three movies on this list that stand out to me as possible winners. The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club and 12 Years a Slave stood out as the best of the best for me this year and if any of them win I will be happy. The one movie I hope does take the prize is 12 Years a Slave. It is both one of the best movies I have ever seen and also one of the worst. It is one of the best because it is a true story and it was brought to life on the big screen and it does a great job of making you feel like you are in the pre-Civil War south. The main reason that it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen is because it is in fact a true story

Well there are my predictions for six of the top categories. I hope I go five for six (with my only incorrect being Best Actress in a Leading Role) but who knows I could be completely off in who I think will win.

Quick Pick Predictions

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Directing

• Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)

Best Picture

• 12 Years a Slave

Daily Special: Week 9

Two months down and going strong. This week I experienced the best and worst in Animated comic book movies. Shame on you Marvel! Another week of all movie challenge originals.

Below are my movies of the week:

February 23

               Behind Enemy Lines (Directed by John Moore) I have never really thought of Owen Wilson as an action star; this movie proves he has it in him. Gene Hackman is my favorite character in the movie and his performance reminded me of his character in Crimson Tide.

               I, Robot (Directed by Alex Proyas) This is one of my favorite Will Smith movies. I like the action and I am a tech junkie so all the gadgets are cool to see and I wish I could have. Early Shia LaBeouf sighting, yep still annoying back then.

               Twister (Directed by Jan de Bont) I enjoy this movie for the ridiculous action and also because of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character. He is my favorite character in the movie. The action scenes are a little over the top especially when you use a belt to save you from an F5 tornado. During this viewing I noticed that not many people live in Oklahoma nor do they drive on roads, the place looked just about abandoned.

February 24

               Justice League: War (Directed by Jay Oliva) This DC animated feature is based on the "New 52" Universe started a few years ago. DC is still on top when it comes to animated features when compared to Marvel. It sounded like most of the characters were voiced by new actors this time too.

February 25

               Clueless (Directed by Amy Heckerling) Having been born in the early 80's I was a bit young to really get in to The Breakfast Club when it first came out. This however I could get in to and can still quote to this day. My favorite characters were the ones played by Breckin Meyer and Donald Faison.

February 26

               Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United (Directed by Eric Radomski & Leo Riley) Marvel's animated feature division is embarrassingly BAD. This movie proves just that. When did The Hulk become a total over the top childish character? This movie was so hard to finish.

February 27

               License to Drive (Directed by Greg Beeman) I am a bit confused about what made the Corey's so popular back in the 80's. One is annoying and the other is very annoying. I remember laughing at this movie as a kid but now I find it completely stupid.

February 28

               Moon (Directed by Duncan Jones) My friend Sarah has been telling me to watch this movie for a few years now. Sam Rockwell was great like he usually is and the music for the movie made it that much better. The twist was a bit predictable but I like how it played out in the end.

Movies watched in 28 of 28 Days. 47 Total Movies in February

March 1

               Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Directed by Steven Spielberg) Indiana Jones is always a fun character to watch. I don't enjoy this prequel as much as Raiders of the Lost Ark but it is still ten times better than Crystal Skull. I wish the kid playing Short Round would have done more after this movie besides The Goonies and the TV show Head of the Class.

               Bedazzled (Directed by Harold Ramis) I didn't realize that this was a Harold Ramis movie until the other day. I have had this on my watchlist on Amazon Prime for a while and thought it was time to watch it. It was directed by a great man who touched the lives of many people. The main character is the super cheesy type that I find uncomfortable to watch at times.

               Planet Terror (Directed by Robert Rodriguez) My favorite movie in the Grindhosue Double Feature from Rodriguez and Tarrantino. A lot of the regular cast of people from Rodriguez's other movies are present. I really want to know how Rose McGowan’s Cherry Darling was pulling the trigger on her leg stump gun.

               Death Proof (Directed by Quentin Tarantino) This might be my least favorite Tarrantino movie. I found it to be very boring. I am usually a big Kurt Russell fan but this movie moved too slow for me to get in to it. I am really not sure the purpose of the first half of the movie.

Days Watched: 60

Movies Watched: 99