Big Screen Small Words: 08/14: Car Chases & Cinematic Escapades

August has passed in a whirl. A lot of entertainment related events unfolded this month. There was the success of Marvel's wild card, Guardians of the Galaxy. Then there's the demise of beloved actor Robin Williams (whose filmography I need to revisit some time). The Emmy Awards was also this month, and I definitely did not expect those Sherlock awards (especially since they were going up against The Normal Heart, which was a fantastic film). Then Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finally got hitched (though I don't know what to feel about it except it seems like passing news compared to the others).

I do have a question for you, though. In the world of technology, it's impossible to stay disconnected to the world. I'm not sure about the mobile culture for other countries, but I can vouch that there are a lot of differences. This month I found myself functioning without my phone. Sure, I missed a couple of calls here and there, but in a way, I did not feel as disconnected because there are other means of using the internet. Have you tried going without your phone for a couple of days? You sort of get used without the device nearby, but it does get difficult to communicate when you're nowhere near anyplace with a phone line. And with that, let's get on with this month's recap!

A Beautiful Mind - I really liked Russell Crowe in this one.
Better Living Through Chemistry - I quite enjoyed this one as well. Sam Rockwell could probably do no wrong.
Death to Smoochy - This was hilarious. Robin Williams and Edward Norton were funny.
Dumb and Dumber - I don't think I have ever been so annoyed with Jim Carrey as much as I was with him in this movie. Jeff Daniels, what were you thinking agreeing to a sequel?
Guardians of the Galaxy - There is a need to watch this again!
Harold and Kumar Escapes from Guantanamo Bay - This was the better Harold & Kumar movie, in my opinion.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle - This was such a nonsense movie that I have no idea how it spanned sequels.
Locke - I'm still thinking if I'm going to do a full length review, but for now, it's pretty amazing how Tom Hardy could make you watch him talking inside a car.
Mission: Impossible II: As sequels go, this was a bit mediocre compared to its predecessor.
Neighbors - Also thinking if I'm going to do a review, but despite a couple of laughs, the comedy fell short in terms of impact.
Rushmore - It's a pretty good Anderson film, and I understand why a lot of people like this one.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - It's a light movie that had some potential to be more, with a little tweaking here and there.
The Love Punch - This was just horrible. Even Emma Thompson couldn't save this disaster of a movie.

The Skin I Live In - It was rather interesting. It differed from the novel with some parts, but nonetheless, the essence was still there. I would have liked it better if it took the same ending as the novel, but the events unfolding were still nonetheless surprising.

Working Girl - Harrison Ford basically stood out for me.
World's Greatest Dad - The kid was such a douche. I don't know how Robin Williams put up with him.

Mettel Ray shares things she loves about The Mindy Project. I'm a big fan of the show, and I cannot wait for the new season.

Katy brings up some issues regarding the portrayal of Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Sati discusses Morgan Freeman's performance in Se7en.

Wendell shares a list of great talking animals.

The Playlist shares Bill Hader's movie list.

Ruth shares her favorite Steven Spielberg films.

10 comments:

AnonymousSeptember 1, 2014 at 6:24 PM
Brad and Angelina wedding was a formality, I remember last year I got into an argument with somebody over the fact that she thought the two were already married. The smile on my face when she discovered she was wrong, I live for those moments.

I can't really go without my phone because my mother will have a panic attack when I don't answer but I do remember those disconnected times last Summer.. I went without Internet, phone, TV for a week even.. loved every moment of it.

Thanks for the link!! TMP is sooooo close, so so so close!
UnknownSeptember 1, 2014 at 6:55 PM
I didn't know The Skin I Live In was based on a novel! I still need to check out both of them, though. I'm happy you liked Locke, and I totally agree about Hardy - very few actors could do what he did, I was glued to the screen/him!
DellSeptember 1, 2014 at 9:15 PM
To answer your question, Jeff Bridges was probably thinking of money when he signed on for a sequel to "Dumb and Dumber." Lots of people consider that a comedy classic. I haven't seen it, so I can't say what I think. Speaking of comedy, I actually prefer "H & K Go to White Castle" to "Guantanamo Bay." Sure, the first was stupid, but I laughed a bunch. The second one didn't do it for me.

I love "The Skin I Live In," such a great movie. The unfolding of events had me hooked right from the very beginning. Not sure how familiar you are with the director, but all of his movies that I've seen have that same effect on me. Haven't read the novel, though, so I don't have that perspective.

Thanks very much for the link!
ruthSeptember 2, 2014 at 3:17 AM
Gaah I lost the first comment I put in. Ah well, I wanted to thank you for the link, really appreciate it! I still need to see Rushmore, that' one I haven't see from Wes.Oh and I love Crowe in A Beautiful Mind too, he's one of my top 10 fave actors :D
John HitchcockSeptember 2, 2014 at 9:20 AM
I've got a fairly lengthy list of movies I've seen, so it would be hard to list them all, but off the top of my head this month I've watched Attack of the Monsters, Gamera the Invincible, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Guardians of the Galaxy, All is Lost, Leon the Professional, Boyhood, Queen to Play, and Before Midnight; plus trying to watch Soul Surfer and not finishing it because I didn't find it to be a very good movie.