GBGoodies 2015 Movie Logbook

You probably haven't heard of some of these movies because I look for movies that I haven't heard of, that star actors that I like, hoping to find a hidden gem.

How many movies do you watch a week?

Marvin's Room (1996) - This is another movie that I found while flipping channels. It's an early Leonardo DiCaprio movie that I had heard about, but I never got around to seeing it until now.

This movie is a wonderful tearjerker about a woman who finds out that she needs a bone marrow transplant, so she reaches out to her sister, who she hasn't spoken to for about 20 years. This movie has some very touching scenes as we watch the two sisters reconnect. The ending is good, but it kind of feels like the movie should have been a little bit longer.

Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep both give great performances as two very different sisters, and Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as Streep's angry son. He shows why he became the star that he is today. Robert De Niro also does a nice job as Keaton's doctor, a role that's a nice change of pace from his normal tough guy roles.

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I usually watch between 2 and 5 movies a day, but some of them are re-watches and/or guilty pleasure movies, so I usually watch those movies while I'm working on the computer.

Wow.

The Ipcress File (1965) - This is another movie that I watched for the upcoming 1960s movie list. Michael Caine's movies seem to range from being very good to very bad, so I'm never quite sure what to expect from a movie starring Michael Caine, but this one was pretty good.

This is an interesting spy thriller about a British spy who investigates the kidnapping and brainwashing of a top scientist. It's a bit different than the James Bond spy thrillers because this has a lot less action than the Bond movies, but the story has much more substance. The movie has some interesting twists, and a good, suspenseful ending.

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Who Was That Lady (1960) - I watched this movie for the upcoming 1960s movie list. I'm a fan of both Tony Curtis and Dean Martin, so a comedy movie starring both of these great actors sounded like my kind of movie.

This is a very funny movie about two guys who pretend to be FBI agents after Curtis' wife, (Janet Leigh), catches him kissing another women. Unfortunately, she can't keep quiet about her husband's secret, and the situation gets even more complicated when the FBI, the CIA, and the Russians hear about them.

Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh are great together, and Dean Martin steals the movie as Curtis' scheming friend. James Whitmore is also terrific as the real FBI agent who investigates their crazy scheme.

The story is kind of crazy and far-fetched, but if you give it a chance, it's a very funny movie with a very funny ending.

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My 2015 Movie Logbook:

January 2015 Movies
February 2015 Movies
March 2015 Movies (Scroll Down)
April 2015 Movies
May 2015 Movies
June 2015 Movies
July 2015 Movies
August 2015 Movies
September 2015 Movies


March 2015 Movies:
132) March 1st: City of Fear (1959)
133) March 1st: I Deal in Danger (1966)
134) March 1st: Not with My Wife, You Don't (1966)
135) March 2nd: In the Shadows (2001)
136) March 2nd: Marvin's Room (1996)
137) March 3rd: The Ipcress File (1965)
138) March 3rd: Who Was That Lady (1960)
139) March 4th: Vertigo (1958)
140) March 4th: Rebecca (1940)
141) March 5th: A Thousand Clowns (1965)
142) March 5th: The Subject Was Roses (1968)
143) March 6th: The Jazz Singer (1980)
144) March 6th: Schindler's List (1993)
145) March 7th: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
146) March 7th: Hit By Lightning (2014)
147) March 8th: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
148) March 8th: Star Wars (1977)
149) March 9th: The Words (2012)
150) March 9th: The Descendants (2011)
151) March 10th: Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
152) March 10th: Living in a Big Way (1947)
153) March 11th: Predestination (2014)
154) March 11th: Interstellar (2014)
155) March 12th: Into the Woods (2014)
156) March 12th: The Last Five Years (2014)
157) March 12th: The Best of Me (2014)
158) March 13th: Friday the Thirteenth (1933)
159) March 13th: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
169) March 14th: My Darling Clementine (1946)
170) March 14th: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
171) March 14th: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
172) March 15th: Dominick and Eugene (1988)
173) March 15th: Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
174) March 16th: The April Fools (1969)
175) March 16th: Penelope (1966)
176) March 17th: Shrink (2009)
177) March 17th: Saboteur (1942)
178) March 18th: Clerks (1994)
179) March 18th: Clerks II (2006)
180) March 19th: The Producers (1967)
181) March 19th: The Producers (2005)
182) March 20th: Finian's Rainbow (1968)
183) March 20th: Hello Dolly! (1969)
184) March 20th: The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
185) March 21st: Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
186) March 21st: Extraordinary Measures (2010)
187) March 22nd: Time After Time (1979)
188) March 22nd: The Odd Couple (1968)
189) March 22nd: The Fortune Cookie (1966)
190) March 23rd: Cool Hand Luke (1967)
191) March 23rd: The Wrong Box (1966)
192) March 24th: Hawaii (1966)
193) March 24th: Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
194) March 25th: Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)
195) March 25th: Take the Money and Run (1969)
196) March 26th: The Happy Thieves (1961)
197) March 26th: The Jokers (1967)
198) March 27th: Legally Blonde (2001)
199) March 28th: The Lake House (2006)
200) March 28th: While You Were Sleeping (1995)
201) March 29th: Meet John Doe (1941)
202) March 29th: The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
203) March 30th: Song of the Sea (2014)
204) March 30th: The Boxtrolls (2014)
205) March 30th: Big Eyes (2014)
206) March 31st: Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)
207) March 31st: Advance to the Rear (1964)
208) March 31st: A Ticklish Affair (1963)

Vertigo (1958) - I watched this movie because I missed the commentary here a few days ago, and when I read through it after it was over, I was curious why some of you didn't seem to like this movie as much as you thought you would. I've seen Vertigo before, but not recently. I love Hitchcock movies, and this movie is no exception, but this movie was never one of my favorite Hitchcock movies.

This is a great movie that has mystery, suspense, romance, drama, and more. It has some minor flaws, but nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the movie. The acting is superb, the scenery and the colors are beautiful, and the music is perfect.

However, the movie loses some of its suspense on a re-watch. It has several plot twists that make the movie a little less enjoyable when you know the ending. The first half of the movie still holds up very well, but the second half is hurt by knowing the secrets that are coming up as the movie progresses.

Having said that, this is a great movie, and I still recommend it.

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I attempted to watch Marvin's Room on TV once. I shut it off. Wasn't working for me. Meryl Streep was the problem, I think. Maybe some other time I'll try it again.

Rebecca (1940) - I watched this movie because it's another Hitchcock movie that I haven't seen recently, and I just felt like watching it again after watching Vertigo.

This is a wonderful movie, but it has a different feel than most of Hitchcock's other movies because this movie is more of a romance and a mystery than a suspense thriller. The movie centers around the romance between the second Mrs. de Winter, (Joan Fontaine), whose first name we never learn, and the widower Maxim de Winter, (Laurence Olivier). There's also an underlying mystery about his moodiness about his first wife Rebecca, and the way her memory is preserved by the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, (Judith Anderson).

The movie starts off a little bit slow, but it quickly picks up, and it stays on a steady pace until the end. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine have great chemistry together, and Judith Anderson is excellent as the housekeeper. There's a kind of creepiness to her performance that gives the movie an eery feeling. The music is good, but not great, but it works to give the movie a haunting feeling.

I highly recommend this movie, but don't expect the typical Hitchcock suspense thriller.

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I usually like Meryl Streep, but Marvin's Room was a little bit different than her normal roles because she played more of a lower class character. But I thought Marvin's Room was a great movie, and it was worth watching more for Leonardo DiCaprio than for Meryl Streep. He really shines in this movie.

Watched a few minutes of Rebecca and never got back to it. Gonna makes sure I do this weekend.

A Thousand Clowns (1965) - I watched this movie for the upcoming 1960s movie list, and because it was recommended by Holden Pike.

This is a very good movie, however I noticed that IMDB lists this movie as a comedy, but it seems like more of a light drama than a comedy. It's a very well-written movie about an adult who learns about conformity, and it's also a coming of age story for a young teenager, and it even has some romance when Sandra, a beautiful social worker, (Barbara Harris), enters their lives. It's interesting to watch the changes in the two main characters, Murray (Jason Robards) and his 12-year-old nephew Nick (Barry Gordon), during the course of the movie.

This is a fun movie with some great dialogue. I loved the scenes of Murray and Nick wandering around New York City because they give the movie a nostalgic feeling. Jason Robards and Barbara Harris are great together, but Barry Gordon steals the movie.

This movie is a wonderful hidden gem. Thank You to Holden Pike for recommending this movie.

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The Subject Was Roses (1968) - This is another movie that I watched for the upcoming 1960s movie list, and also because it was recommended by Holden Pike.

This movie is a powerful drama about a young man, (Martin Sheen), who returns home from the war to find that his parents, (Patricia Neal and Jack Albertson), have drifted apart. This is a very emotional movie as we find out that the husband is cheating on his wife, and the parents and their son seem to argue about everything from religion to what to do about their summer house. The son seems to start out closer to his mother, but he seems to drift more towards his father as the movie goes on.

The majority of the movie takes place with various combinations of these three characters in one room, and there's a lot of anger and yelling, but there are also some touching scenes, like watching the mother and her son dance together. The movie is entirely dialogue-driven, and it never gets boring. All three actors give superb performances.

Thank You to Holden Pike for recommending this great movie.

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The Jazz Singer (1980) - I know that this movie is considered a flop, and Neil Diamond is not a great actor, but I love this movie. I first saw this movie in the theater back in 1980, and at the time, I had never heard of Neil Diamond. My friend chose the movie, and I didn't even want to see it, but by the time the movie was over, I was a fan of Neil Diamond, and my friend and I went directly from the movie theater to Sam Goody to buy some of Neil Diamond's albums.

The story starts out slow, here in New York, but by the time we get to California and hear Jess Robin (Neil Diamond) sing "Love on the Rocks", I was completely hooked. The story gets emotional at times, and there are some fun scenes too. Surprisingly, I thought Laurence Olivier's acting was worse than Neil Diamond's acting, but Lucie Arnaz is fantastic. Neil Diamond's music is wonderful, and it makes the movie worth watching over and over again.

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Schindler's List (1993) - I watched this movie because we were discussing Steven Spielberg's movies in a different thread, and this is one of his movies that I've always wanted to see, but I just never got around to it. This seemed like as good of an excuse as any to see this movie.

This movie was very hard to watch because some scenes are just brutal, but it's an amazing movie, and a very important story that needed to be told. The fact that this movie is based on real events is what makes it so hard to watch. Most violent movies are just made up stories, but this one really happened, and that's what makes this movie so emotional.

I love the way the movie is almost entirely in black and white, with the exception of the opening and closing scenes, and a few small, but important details, such as the little girl's red dress and the orange flame of the candles. The ending of the movie is possibly the most emotional scene ever filmed. This film deserved every award that it won, and it also deserved the awards that it didn't win, especially the awards for the outstanding acting by Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.

I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to sit through this movie again, but I'm glad I watched it this time, and I think everyone should watch this masterpiece.

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Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - This is an interesting movie because it's a romantic comedy, but it's not like most other rom-coms. It centers on a main character who has some mental problems, and he falls in love while finding a way to overcome his issues.

Prior to seeing this movie, I wasn't much of a fan of Bradley Cooper, but he really won me over with his performance in this movie. He does a great job of making the viewer feel what he's going through. Jennifer Lawrence also gives a great performance, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have wonderful chemistry together.

This isn't my favorite rom-com, but it's a very good movie, and I highly recommend it.

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Hit By Lightning (2014) - I had never heard of this movie, but I was reading the upcoming movie listings on Showtime and I saw this listed. The only reason that I watched it was because it stars Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men").

This movie has a rating of 5.0 on IMDB, and it's about right. The movie isn't terrible, but it's not very good either. Jon Cryer basically plays the same type of loser character that he played on "Two and a Half Men", and he's good at that type of character, so he was enjoyable to watch if you like that TV show.

However the movie itself isn't believable at all. It has a lot of the characteristics of a Noir movie, such as the femme fatale, and the plot of her new boyfriend being coerced into killing her husband. Unfortunately it doesn't have the feeling of a Noir movie. It's kind of like a bad comedy spoof of a Noir movie.

Unless you're a big fan of Jon Cryer in "Two and a Half Men", I wouldn't recommend wasting your time with this movie.

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Fiddler on the Roof (1971) - I have a soft spot for this movie because it's the first musical that I can remember seeing when I was a kid. I remember listening to the soundtrack and singing the songs when I was about 5 or 6 years old.

The movie is not really about the fiddler himself. In fact, he's only in the movie for a few very short scenes. The fiddler is just a representation of the difficulty Tevye has trying to hold on to his traditions while the world around him is changing. The movie is about Tevye and his struggles to accept the changing ways when his three eldest daughters go against tradition and get married without using a matchmaker.

I like the first half of the movie more than the second half of the movie. The first half of the movie focuses more on the happy times, while the second half of the movie focuses more on their hardships. Plus, the songs are better in the first half of the movie. But this is a great movie filled with emotion.

Many people were upset that Topol was cast in the lead role instead of Zero Mostel, (who played the lead role on Broadway), but I think he did a fantastic job.

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