Milk (2008)

 Genre: Biographical
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin 

Running Time: 128 minutes

 

This film tells the story of gay rights activist and first openly gay man elected to public office in California, Harvey Milk, from his failed attempts to get elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, to his successful election and to his assassination.

Sean Penn carried this film with such an amazing acting job in the lead role. He was so awesome that he made you forget the actor at work. He brought Milk back to life. The supporting cast was also good, and so was the directing work done by Van Sant. Overall, a great film.

Rating: «««««

EuroTrip (2004)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Cast: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg 

Running Time: 92 minutes

 

After getting dumped by his unfaithful girlfriend following high school graduation, Scott Thomas travels across Europe with three of his friends hoping to reach his pen pal from Berlin after realizing she was a beautiful woman, and not a guy as he originally thought.

This is your typical sex comedy that became a trend at one time. Lots of pointless nudity and crude humor. This movie is a little better than most of its kind, though, thanks to decent acting and some good jokes. Fun and entertaining, albeit very stupid.

Rating: «««

Batman Begins (2005)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman 

Running Time: 140 minutes

 

After finding his calling as the dark knight, Batman must spring into action to stop Ra’s al Ghul and Scarecrow from punishing Gotham City by plunging it into chaos by spreading a gas over the city.

This film puts a lot of effort into telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne/Batman, from the killing of his parents to him becoming the masked superhero. As such, it takes a while before it gets into gear. Though that part feels a little long, it is indeed well done.

Christian Bale was a great choice to play Batman. He fits well with the contemporary darkness of this reboot. In this first episode of the reboot, Bale is supported with a loaded cast, with such names as Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman. Not sure about the choice of Katie Holmes, but that would be fixed later in the franchise.

This movie marks a nice change in the Batman franchise, with a move from the cartoonish stylings of Tim Burton to a darker and more realistic approach. Kudos to Christopher Nolan and co. for that.

Rating: ««««

 

Psycho (1960)

Genre: Thriller / Horror
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh
Running Time: 109 minutes

 

Marion Crane is an on-the-run real estate secretary who stole some money from her boss and then left town to go join a married man with whom she is having an affair. Because of the heavy rain, she stops for the night at the Bates Motel, where the proprietor, Norman Bates, ends up killing her and disposing of the body. Marion’s sister, the man with whom Marion was having a tryst and a private detective go on the hunt to find her.

This is classic Alfred Hitchcock film. It was clearly made on a low budget, but it is so well done, nonetheless. Hitchcock was great at creating an atmosphere, and the actors and actresses he chose for the roles were really good too. I love these old movies, especially when, like this one, they are ahead of their time.

Rating: «««««

P!nk: All I Know So Far (2021)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Michael Gracey
Cast: P!nk, Carey Hart, Willow Sage Hart 

Running Time: 99 minutes

 

This documentary follows singer P!nk behind-the-scenes as she travels around Europe for a leg of her 2019 Beautiful Trauma world tour. We get a privileged look at how, on a daily basis, she balances her musical career and her family life with her husband Carey Hart and her two young children.

This is a very interesting documentary. P!nk is clearly a hard worker, and this film shows just how much energy she puts into keeping things going. It was a lot of fun to watch, and it was also cool to see some of her performances. I always liked P!nk.

Rating: ««««

 

Iris (2001)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Cast: Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville 

Running Time: 90 minutes

 

This biographical film covers the life of novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with husband John Bailey. The movie goes back and forth between the time when Iris Murdoch was up-and-coming and her relationship with Bailey was starting and that period later in life when she battled Alzheimer’s Disease.

This was a brilliant film. It touched me deeply. The story of a strong mind being overtaken in later life by such an awful disease is quite sad. The going back and forth in time was seamless. They found the right actors to play the young and old Murdoch and Bailey. Solid performances all around. The movie itself felt a little short and condensed, but, overall, it is a great work of art.

Rating: ««««

Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits (2019)

 Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Brian Klein
Cast: Jimmy Carr 

Running Time: 58 minutes

 

Jimmy Carr’s humor is not for the faints of heart or the sensitive souls. No topic whatsoever is off limits. The only thing stopping Carr from being among my absolute favorite comics is that, in his shows, there usually is not much structure. It is hard to describe exactly what he talked about, as it is just a free-floating barrage of jokes on an array of controversial topics. It is the case here again with this TV special. That being said, I still enjoy it. It is a great way, for me anyways, to release some stress by laughing at a bunch of “inappropriate jokes” about sensitive issues. Loads of fun for a twisted guy such as myself.

Rating: ««««