Fright Night Movies!

It's that crazy time of the year, when everyone wants to be spooked out of their skin.  While I've never been one to enjoy this particular day, I do recognize that it can be quite enjoyable for others.  One of the things I attempted to do this month was to revisit the horror film genre.  As a kid, I didn't watch many, if any, horror films.  Not necessarily because I was afraid of them, but more so because I didn't have any real interest in them.  It wasn't until my mid-teen years that I started following the genre.   

I don't watch many "scary movies" anymore, but I do enjoy watching a one from time to time.  I didn't start off liking this particular genre, but I have grown to appreciate the movie experience it provides.  While I'm not one for the slasher type films, I do enjoy the suspense and thriller type ones.  I think these types make you contemplate the plight of the characters involved.  In case you were looking for something to watch over the next few days, here are some of my favorites.  After having a few discussions with my colleagues, I'm also including a list of movies that I feel are classics that you should also check over throughout the year.

My Top 5 Horror/Thrillers

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The Others (2001)

Ghost Ship (2002)

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Thirteen Ghosts (2001)

Honorable Mentions:

Jack Frost (1997)

Hollow Man (2000)

Cabin Fever (2002)

My Top 10 Classic Horror/Thrillers

The Thing From Another World (1951) 

Carrie (1976)

Alien (1979)

The Shining (1980)

An American Werewolf in London(1981)

Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Child's Play (1988)

It (1990)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Candyman (1992) 

Honorable Mention:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Christmas Movies 2016

Most of us have those things that immediately come to mind when we think about the holidays.  It could be a delicious meal, spending time with the family or listening to some Christmas songs on the radio.  These things, and more, definitely help to put most of us in the Christmas mood.  However, one activity that is probably one of my favorite to do during the holiday season is to watch movies.  I'd guess that I'm not the only one who enjoys watching movies during the Christmas break.

Some of the movies are for kids, while others are geared more towards family or adults only.

1.  The Polar Express (2004)

If you have kids around during the holiday season, this is a film that you must show them.  Upon watching it for the first time, I expected this one to be one of the great classics.  It's also a nice bonus that the animation is amazing in this particular movie.

2.  Batman Returns (1992)

Christmas in Gotham City, what more could you ask for?  In my opinion, this is one of the best in the Batman series.  Keaton, DaVito, Pfeiffer and Walken all do an exceptional job in their individual roles.

3.  Gremlins (1984)

I was too young to watch this one initially, but I do remember seeing it while I was still in elementary school.  Even as a kid, I recognized the humor in the film.  The gremlins might be a bit much for young children.  Watching this movie as an adult feels just as good as when I watched it as a kid during the 80's.

4. & 5. Die Hard 1 (1988) & 2 (1990)

Action movies are one of absolute favorite genres to watch. These two movies are full of it and I'm glad they were both set during the Christmas season.  Every film can't be about Santa or Reindeer, happy families and presents.  This is a great alternative for the adults to check out once the kids have gone to bed.

Die Hard

Die Hard 2

6.  Elf (2003)

I find this one to be quite humorous, but I could understand if one doesn't find it to be funny.  Some of the comedic moments may be too much, but it'll put you in the Christmas spirit.  How could you not cheer for Buddy (Ferrell's character) to end up happily ever after with his family?

7.  A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

If you don't know about this one, then you must have been living under a rock your entire life.  This CBS Special, originally introduced over fifty years is an American classic.  It is a staple of the Christmas movie line-up.

8.  This Christmas (2007)

I couldn't have a Christmas movie list without at least one about family.  While it's fairly new, I believe it deserves to be placed on the list of classic Christmas films.  This particular film has a great cast and the soundtrack isn't too bad either.

9.  Lethal Weapon (1987)

What's a Christmas movie list without at least one cop movie?  

10.  Deck The Halls (2006)

Christmas decorations on steroids.  This one definitely has it's funny moments.  I could only imagine living in a neighborhood where Christmas was celebrated to this degree.

Bonus:  To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

About ten years ago, I got the idea that I would read this classic work by Harper Lee during my Christmas break.  Upon finishing the book, I immediately watched the movie.  I'm not sure why I selected this particular book, because it's not exactly set during the Christmas season.  Nonetheless, I've enjoyed watching this film every year since I started the tradition.

Celebrating Mr. Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier

There are many good actors, but some are legendary.  Mr. Sidney Poitier is indeed one of the most iconic actor to ever speak a line on the big screen.  We're all aware of the obstacles he overcame to become one of the most popular actors of his time.  The movie roles he starred in were certainly groundbreaking for their time and they helped pave the way for many others after him.  I consider Mr. Poitier to be one of my favorite actors and in celebration of his 89th birthday weekend, here are my "Top 5" Sidney Poitier movies.  Before the list of my favorites, you will find the film that catapulted Mr. Poitier into legendary, Lilies of the Field.  After this, you will see two other films listed that I've also enjoyed.

1964 Oscar's Best Actor Acceptance Speech

Lilies of the Field (1963)

Honorable Mentions:

No Way Out (1950)

Uptown Saturday Night (1974)

____________________________________________________________________________
5.  Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Talk about completely flipping the script (pun intended).  Who could have imagined discussing the issue of interracial relationships during the 1960's, let alone making a film about the subject.  Moreover, to have the husband be a black man was truly nothing short of a suicidal mission.  While times might have been changing, I do not believe the country was at a place of complete acceptance.  Thus, it was quite wise to have the main characters be played by the Hollywood heavyweights.  Poitier, along with Tracy and Hepburn, were essential to putting this movie at the forefront of the cinematic world.  All three were Academy Award winners and the public would not be able to doubt their acting abilities in the film.  It truly was an amazing performance by the entire cast.

4.  To Sir, With Love (1967)

Another classic Poitier film.  The thing that impressed me the most with Poitier's role in this film was his immaculate demeanor, which I do not believe was a stretch from the actual demeanor of Poitier himself.  Needless to say, many schools would benefit from having a strong and nurturing instructor like Poitier's character.

3.  Separate But Equal (1990)

This story is one of triumph and great hope.  It's one that all should know, as it was one of the most pivotal moments in U.S. history.  Poitier truly embodied the essence of U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, in his role in this film.  I'm not sure how many actors could have pulled off such an important character, but I'm glad that Poitier decided to accept this one.

2.  In the Heat of the Night (1967)

It's truly amazing that one film could result in so many wonderful things.  As you can see from the trailer, Poitier's  character was one that challenged the notion that black men were incapable of being in positions of authority.  Not only did his character challenge the societal structure of the time, his character also demonstrated the intelligence and professionalism that all real men have.

I believe the audience witnessed the mentality of Poitier's character during the infamous slap scene. This particular scene reminded me of a story line in many books and films about black people overcoming moments of racism.  In immediately returning the slap, Poitier's character represented an attitude that he as going defend himself against everyone, that he was not going to submit to the social ideals of the time and that he was not someone to take as a joke.  The attitudes of the other three men in the room during this scene, demonstrated that they too understood exactly who Mr. Tibbs (Poitier's character) was and that they were not going to be able to tie him into their expectations.

The Best Scene

Ray Charles - In the Heat of the Night

1.  A Raisin In the Sun (1961)

What a classic?  Both the original play and the many theatrical adaptions that have followed are nothing short of spectacular.  I've had the pleasure reading the play in undergrad courses, attending various theatrical productions and watching the two film versions several times.  I am elated each and every time I read or I see this story.  Hansberry touched on many of the important issues facing black people during the era in which the play was written.  Moreover, having actors like Poitier, Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee (another favorite), only served to lift this film into a realm of pure greatness.  This film and story will always be a classic!

Top Gun (1986)

Title:  Top Gun (1986)
Run Time:  110 minutes
Cast:  Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Clarence Gilyard, Jr., Whip Hubley, James Tolkan, Meg Ryan and Adrian Pasdar
Writer:  Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.
Director:  Tony Scott

Everything I heard about this film prior to watching it, turned out to be grossly exaggerated. I learned that the things we think are great when we're kids, probably aren't that great later on in life.  The majority of the people I talked to about this movie were colleagues within my age category.  Most of them spoke about how cool they thought the film was when they were younger. A  few were able to admit that viewing it now, as an adult, the film lacked a lot of substance. Interestingly enough, they still considered it to be a great American classic.  How disappointed they all were to hear that I did not like this film.

Just when I thought I was alone in my disdain for Top Gun, I discovered there was actually a contingent of viewers that also disliked the film.  Similarly to myself, they're reason for disliking the film centered around the incredibly shallow storyline, the unbelievably bad acting and the lack of overall entertainment.  This not to suggest that the film did not have it's entertainment moments, for sure it did.  There were even three moments during the film when I really wanted to like it.  The first was the entire bar joining in with Maverick to sing "You've Lost that Lovin Feeling," when he met Charlotte Blackwood.  The second was when Goose died.  The third was during the final dogfight scene.  In this particular scene, you wanted Maverick to succeed and of course he did.  However, after the fight is over, you're hit with what it probably the cheesiest movie line from the 80's, if not of all time ("You can be my wingman anytime").  It's those types of moments that made this film not a great one for me.

If giving the option to watch this film again, I'd have to emphatically decline, unless I was getting paid for the waste of my time.  My time would have been better spent just taking a nap.  Hopefully, my viewing of this "American classic" will prove useful in future trivia outings.  In the end, this movie is worth 1/5 stars and the D grade I'm giving it.  Granted, I realize that I should probably just look to it for entertainment purposes, but even those moments were minimal.  Without the planes, this movie would have been a complete disaster.  Maybe it will be better if I watch it on mute and just turn on the volume when the planes are playing.

1) Did you like the film?  No
2) Would you watch it again?  No
3) Would you recommend it to others to watch?  Yes
4) Would you add this film to your library?  No
5) If I had free time, would I watch this film?  No

Bonus Question:  Would you immediately watch this film again?  No
Did you understand the film?  Yes
Do you need to watch the film again because you didn't understand it?  No
Do you want to watch the film again to understand it better?  No

Road House (1989)

Title:  Road House (1989)
Run Time:  114 minutes
Cast:  Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott and Marshall Teague
Writer:  David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin
Director:  Rowdy Herrington

This movie came to me as a recommendation from one of my buddies.  I was telling them about another popular 80's movie that I'd watched and they mentioned that this one had to be next.  It was sold to me as not being one of best, but I would beg to differ.  This film caught my attention within the first few minutes and this film kept my interest for the entire duration.  Sure, the storyline was not anything profound, but it was certainly entertaining.

In my opinion, older movies have a way of being good, even when they're really bad, because of the writing and the acting.  To me, the acting was fairly decent in this movie, as it made me enjoy the narrative as I watched it develop on the screen.  Obviously, there were some really great action scenes, with a few comedic spots as well.  Overall, this film would be a solid B or a 4/5 stars in my book.  I think the entertainment and action factors really help in boosting the grade.  Just for reference, you can see the answers to my movie review questions below:

1) Did you like the film?  Yes
2) Would you watch it again?  Yes
3) Would you recommend it to others to watch?  Yes
4) Would you add this film to your library?  Probably Not (No)
5) If I had free time, would I watch this film?  Sure (Yes)

Bonus Questions:  Would you immediately watch this film again?  No
Did you understand the film?  Yes
Do you need to watch the film again because you didn't understand it?  No
Do you want to watch the film again to understand it better?  No

Ghostbusters (1984)

Title:  Ghostbusters (1984)
Run Time:  105 minutes
Cast:  Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson and David Marguiles.
Writers:  Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
Director:  Ivan Reitman

Today, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and I decided to revisit films from my childhood.  I'm an 80's baby and therefore a 90's kid. Many films from these two decades are among some of my favorites.  I was only a one year old when this summer movie was officially released.  I doubt I remember seeing it in theaters.  More likely than not, I probably remember watching this movie because one of my older siblings rented it on vhs from the local video store.  What I do remember watching is the Ghostbusters cartoon series.  I'm pretty sure this is where those strong feelings of nostalgia are coming from.  I can imagine that Saturday morning cartoons were a huge part of every 80's kid childhood, just like they were for myself.  Either way, watching this movie today definitely provided me with some awesome memories and entertainment.  (Now I'm in a 80's mood because I'm already on to the second 80's movie lol)

The scoring today is both shocking, yet completely understandable.  As usual, I considered the following questions after finishing the film: 

1) Did you like the film?  Yes
2) Would you watch it again?  Yes
3) Would you recommend it to others to watch?  Yes
4) Would you add this film to your library?  Yes
5) If I had free time, would I watch this film?  Yes

Bonus Question:  Would you immediately watch this film again?  Yes
Did you understand the film?  Yes
Do you need to watch the film again because you didn't understand it?  No
Do you want to watch the film again to understand it better?  No

Based on those answers, it clear that this is an A+ movie for me.  Without a doubt, it's very easy to give this movie 5/5 stars.  I say it's a bit shocking because I normally don't care for science fiction or fantasy films.  I think this film is able to overcome my general disinterest in the genre because it was well written, highly entertaining and it's from my childhood.  All of these factors contribute to my positive opinion of this film.

I know this is not my music blog, but the theme song from this movie was/is so great that I had to include it with this post.  Maybe I'll explore doing a few posts about movie soundtracks and great songs we remember from them.

My Movie List

While writing out my list of favorite movies from the various genres, I thought it would also be a good idea to make a list of all of the movies that I've ever watched.  By no means is this a complete list of every film, but it will be as close as I can possibly get it (just depends on how many movies I can actually remember watching).  I thought about placing the foreign films on a list of its own, but for now I'll just list them here.  Also, I'm going to institute the following key codes:

WA - Means I've watched it before, but I need to watch it again.
?? - Seems like I may have watched or should have watched, but I can't remember for certain.

*For international films, I've tried to list the country that they're from beside them.

12 Years A Slave
17 Again
21 Jumpstreet
40 Year Old Virgin, The (2005)
50 First Dates
101 Dalmatians
300
300:  Rise of an Empire
2001:  A Space Odyssey
10,000 BC

A Bug's Life
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
A Christmas Story
A Madea Christmas
Ace Ventura
Aladdin
Alice in Wonderland
All About the Benjamins
* All the President's Men
Alvin and the Chipminks
American Pie (1999)
American Pie 2 (2001)
American Wedding (2003)
American Reunion (2012)
American Gangster
American Hustle
American Sniper
Anaconda
Anchorman
Anchorman 2
Annie
Antz
Are We Done Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Argo
Avatar
Armageddon
Aura, The (El Aura - Argentina)
Autobiography of Jane Pittman, The

Bad Boys
Bad Boys 2
Bad Grandpa
Bad Santa
Bad Teacher
Bambi
Barbershop
Barbershop 2
Batman
Batman Returns
Be Cool
Beauty and the Beast
Bee Movie
Beethoven
Beethoven's 2nd
Beetlejuice
Beverly Hillbillies, The
Big
Big Mama's House
Big Mama's House 2
Biker Boyz
Billy Madison
Blades of Glory
Blind Side, The
Blue Streak
Bodyguard, The
Body of Lies - WA
Book of Eli, The
Boyz N the Hood
Brave
Breakfast Club, The
Bucket List, The
Bug's Life, A
Bus 174 (Brazil)

Caddyshack
Campaign, The
Captain Phillips
Carandiru (Brazil)
Cars
Casper
Chappie (2015)
Charlie's Angels
Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Cinderella
City of God (Cidade de Deus - Brazil)
City of Men (Cidade dos Homens - Brazil)
Class Act
Clash of the Titans
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2
Clueless
Coach Carter
Coming to America
Coneheads, The
Cop Out (2010)
Coraline
Couples Retreat (2009)
Crooklyn
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The

Diary of A Mad Black Woman
Death at a Funeral
Deliver Us From Eva
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2
Devil Wears Prada, The
Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
Django
Do the Right Thing
Dr. Doolitte
Dr. Doolitte 2
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Dodgeball
Don't Be a Menace to Society While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Driving Miss Daisy
Drumline
Dumb and Dumbmer

Easy A
Edward Scissorhands
Elite Squad, The (Tropa de Elite - Brazil)
Elite Squad 2, The (Tropa de Elite 2 - Brazil)
Emperor's New Groove, The
Equalizer, The
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
E.T. The Extra-Terrestial
Eve's Bayou
Expendables, The
Expendables 2, The
Expendables 3, The

Fantastic 4
Fantastic 4:  Rise of the Silver Surfer
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams
Final Destination (2000)
Finding Nemo
First Sunday
Focus
Footloose
Forrest Gump
Free Willy
Friday
Friday After Next
Fried Green Tomatoes
Friends With Benefits
Fruitvale Station
Fury

Get Him to the Greek
Get Shorty
Get Smart
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Ghost Ship
G.I. Jane
G.I. Joe
Gladiator
Gods Must Be Crazy, The (South Africa)
Godfather, The
Godfather Part II, The
Gomorrah (Gomorra - Italy)
Gone Girl
Great Debaters, The
Green Mile, The
Grown Ups
Grown Ups 2
Gulliver's Travel

Hangover, The
Hangover Part II, The
Hangover Part III, The
Happy Feet
Harlem Nights
Heat
Help, The
Hercrules
Hero, The (Un Heros-Angola)
Hitch
Hocus Pocus
Hollowman
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Home Alone 3
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Honey We Shrunk Ourselves
Honeymooners, The
Hot Tub Time Machine
House Party
House Party 2
How High
How To Train Your Dragon
Hunt for Red October, The

I Am Legend
Ice Age
Ice Age 2
Identity Thief (2013)
Immortals
Incredible Hulk, The
Incredibles, The
Indiana Jones:  Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones:  Temple of Doom
Iron Lady, The
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
It

J. Edgar
Jack and Jill
Jackie Brown
Jaws
John Wick
Jumanji
Jurassic Park
Juno

Karate Kid
Karate Kid
King Kong
King's Speech, The
Knocked Up
Kung Fu Panda

Lady and the Tramp
Lakeview Terrace
Last Airbender, THe
Last Samurai, The
Legally Blond
Legally Blond 2
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 4
Liar, Liar
Lion King, The
Lion King 2, The
Little Fockers
Little Man
Little Mermaid, The
Longest Yard
Longshots, The
Lottery Ticket
Lucy

Madagascar
Madagascar 2
Madea's Witness Protection
Maid in Manhattan
Mama Flora's Family
Man on Fire
Marley & Me
Mars Attacks
Mask, The
Matrix, The
Matrix Reloaded, The
Meet the Parents
Meet the Fockers
Men In Black
Men In Black II
Mr. Woodcock (2007)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Miss Congeniality
Miss Congeniality 2
Mission:  Impossible
Mission:  Impossible 2
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters University
Mulan
Mummy, The
Mummy Returns, The
Mummy 3, The
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Cousin Vinny
My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Napoleon Dynamite
Nebraska
Neighbors (2014)
Next Friday
Night and Day (2010)
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum:  Battle of the Smithsonian
Nightmare Before Christmas, The
Nutty Professor, The
Nutty Professor 2, The

Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Ocean's Thirteen
Old School
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Original Kings of Comedy, The
Other Guys, The
Over the Edge

Pacifier, The
Paper Chase, The
Pelham
Pelican Brief, The
Percy Jackson & the Olympians:  The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson
Peter Pan
Philadelphia
Pink Panther
Pink Panther 2
Pirates of the Caribbean
Players Club, The
Pocahontas
Polar Express, The
Police Academy
Police Academy
Princess and the Frog, The
Pulp Fiction

Queen

Ratatouille
Real Steel
Red
Red 2
Remember the Titans
Reservoir Dogs
Ride Along
Rio
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
River Runs Through It, A
Road House
Road Trip (2000)
Role Models (2008)
Roll Bounce
Romeo + Juliet(1996)
Roots
Royal Tenenbaums, The
Rugrats, The
Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 3

Salt
Sandlot, The
Saturday Night Fever
Scarface
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
School Daze
Scooby Doo
Scorpion King, The
Scorpion King 2, The
Scream
Scream 2
Serpico
Shark Tale
Sherlock Holmes
She's Gotta Have It
Shrek
Shrek 2
Shrek the Third
Shrek Forever After
Sister Act
Sister Act II
Sleeping Beauty
Sleepless In Seattle
Smurfs, The
Smurfs 2, The
Snow White
Something About Mary
Something New
Sound of Music, The
Space Jam
Spider-man (2002)
State of Play
Steel Magnolias
Step Brothers
Stomp the Yard
Stomp the Yard 2
Stuart Little
Stuart Little 2
Swordfish

Taken
Taken 2 (2010)
Taken 3
Taking of Pelham 123, The
Tammy
Tarzan
Taxi
Taxi Driver
Ted
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Terminal, The
There's Something About Mary
Three Caballeros, The
Tigger Movie, The
Titanic
Time to Kill, A
To Kill A Mockingbird
Top Gun
Tower Heist
Town, The
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
Training Day
Traitor
Transformers
Transformers:  Age of Extinction
Transformers:  Dark of the Moon
Transporter, The
Transporter 2, The
Transporter 3, The
Tropic Thunder
Troy
Twins
Twister

Up

Watch, The
Waterboy, The
Wedding Crashers, The
Wedding Planner, The
Wedding Singer, The
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
White Chicks
Whitehouse Down
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Wizard of Oz, The
Wiz, The
Wolf of Wall Street, The
World War Z

X-Men
X-Men 2
X-Men:  First Class
X-Men:  The Last Stand

Yaaba
Yes Man
You Got Served
You, Me and Dupree

Zoolander