Spring Break came around and I decided to spend that time watching the best oldies that I could find on Netflix. So huddle around the TV, kick your feet up, grab your parents if you would like, and dig into some classics.
Laura (1944)
Summary:
Laura is a 40’s Academy-Award winning drama, where we follow a Manhattan detective Mark McPherson who investigates the brutal murder of a woman whom many love, named Laura. The story takes place in her fashionable 40’s apartment, and we venture through a series of flashbacks of events leading up to the tragedy. We laugh at the two rivals for her affections: Waldo Lydecker and Shelby Carpenter, and admire her favored personality and spark. The detector McPherson himself eventually falls under Laura’s spell; ultimately consumed with the solution to the widely known murder.
Laura Hunt . . . . . Gene Tierney; Mark McPherson . . . . . Dana Andrews; Waldo Lydecker . . . . . Clifton Webb; Shelby Carpenter . . . . . Vincent Price; Ann Treadwell . . . . . Judith Anderson; Bessie Clary . . . . . Dorothy Adams; McAvity . . . . . James Flavin; Bullitt . . . . . Clyde Fillmore; Fred Callahan . . . . . Ralph Dunn; Corey . . . . . Grant Mitchell; Louise . . . . . Kathleen Howard;Servant . . . . . Lee Tung Foo; Inspector . . . . . Cy Kendall
Review:
Final Rating: 9
The characters are well developed and charming, however could possibly become muffled between the scenes of Laura. The dialogue is sharp, the lines were memorable, the scenes are humorous, which defined the movie as a comedy, yet a thriller and mystery. I’ve seen Laura several times, but the identity of the murderer doesn’t spring quickly to mind, and some of the suspects many see were Bessie (the maid) and Waldo, someone who held Laura close to him. (spoiler ahead) Viewers were in the outermost shock to see the supposed corpse turn up alive at about the halfway mark and to find out about another murder. I don’t want to give too much away, but I would end with a sincere recommendation of Otto Preminger’s, Laura.
Rounders (1998)
Summary:
Mike, a law student, is living with girlfriend, Jo. The movie flashes back to Mike, an extremely skilled poker player, losing his entire life savings of $30,000 and to Teddy KGB, a skilled and well-known player. Jo began to talk him into quitting poker, and Mike executed these reforms. However, his best friend Worm is released from prison and their first instinct is to go play poker, which is their favorite pastime, and this leads them to a dangerous series of problems and dept. Worm ends up owing a lot of money to bad people, and Mike, supporting his best friend, becomes his sidekick in doing so. Mike and Worm have to earn this money by playing poker in a very limited time to avoid serious consequences, and the movie is about the places they go and the games they play in the process.
Matt Damon. . . . . Mike; Edward Norton . . . . . Worm; John Turturro . . . . . Joey; Famke Janssen . . . . . Petra;Gretchen Mol . . . . . Jo; John Malkovich . . . . . Teddy K. G. B. ;Martin Landau . . . . . Professor Petrovsky;Michael Rispoli . . . . . Grama; Vernon E. Jordan Jr. . . . . . Judge Mckinnon
Review:
Final Rating: 8
I found that in the middle of the movie it reached a lull, until the pair come close to earning the money back but are caught cheating towards the end of the movie. This means that Mike has to make one last-ditch effort to beat the Russian KBG player. Mike was able to reach an understanding of his opponents thoughts during the game by looking by his body language. When nervous KBG would start nibbling away on a cookie, and although this seems simple, it was a genius move that satisfied the viewers. All the components of the movie such as the cookies were tied in from the beginning to the end, and every scene was planned out carefully, making it a good complement to the story. Worm was in debt, and not a great player, because he always tried to gamble more than he could, without being smart about it, and gets his friend Mike in trouble constantly, which reciprocated with angry emotion in the viewers. The dialogue is incredibly humorous, including accents and the explicit language. Rounders is rated R, including profanity, suggestive situations, and threats of violence.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Summary:
Truck driver, Jack Burton, with the help of a couple of Chinese men (Dennis Dun and Victor Wong, a Chinese leprechaun), set out to rescue a green-eyed girl, his best friend’s fiancee. Jack and his best friend, Wang, must rescue the green eyed Miao Yin, before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him with an immortal spirit and gruesomely ugly appearance.
Jack Burton…Kurt Russell; Gracie Law…Kim Cattrall; Wang Chi…Dennis Dun; Lo Pan…James Hong; Egg Shen…Victor Wong; Margo…Kate Burton; Eddie Lee…Donald Li; Thunder…Carter Wong; Rain…Peter Kwong; Lightning…James Pax; Miao Yin…Suzee Pai; Uncle Chu…Chao Li Chi; Needles…Jeff Imada; Joe Lucky…Rummel Mor.
Review:
Final Rating: 7
It is very easy to lose track of what is going on throughout the movie, confuse the bad guys and the good guys, become lost in the endless sword battles, clashings, and the crazy special effects in the air. The script consists of many filler lines, and throw-away acting (unsatisfying, emotionless) so it could get a bit repetitive and insignificant throughout the movie. However unrealistic the movie effects were, we have to consider the time the movie was made, but sneak a few laughs. It is a crazy humorous action movie full of kung fu and monsters; basically everything that is going on in a 13-year old teens head. I would recommend this movie for a good laugh with the family.