Library Project: September 22 - 28

Another week, another set of movies in my DVD library that I've worked my way through. Here's what I watched this week:

September 22: Anna Christie (1930) - Garbo Talks! But, unfortunately, she does it in this aggressively uncinematic film that feels stuck somewhere between film and play, and silent and sound. As usual, Garbo is a fascinating onscreen presence, but the film itself is far from a "must see."

Friday's Top 5... Time Travel Movies

#5: Peggy Sue Got Married
Kathleen Turner stars as Peggy Sue, who goes to her 25th high school reunion and instead ends up transported back to high school. Turner earned an Oscar nomination for her performance and co-star Nicolas Cage earned a few raised eyebrows by basing his character's voice on Pokey from The Gumby Show.

Review: The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

* * *Director: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison

Horror is an interesting genre because it is so often dismissed by people as a "lesser" art form and yet films in the horror genre are amongst the most analyzed and debated ever made. The Cabin in the Woods is both a horror film in its own right and an extended analysis of the genre as a whole - as well as an analysis of viewership of the genre. Guided by the hand of Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods is a sharp, self-referential film - although, perhaps, not quite as clever as it thinks it is.

Review: Trouble with the Curve (2012)

* * *Director: Robert Lorenz
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake

When a film is described as a "feel good movie," that's usually shorthand for a blandly entertaining piece of work that goes so far out of its way to be inoffensive and unchallenging that it is consumed and then instantly forgotten. This isn't necessarily fair, which is why I'm loath to use the term to describe Trouble with the Curve, even though I can't think of a term that's more appropriate. The film, the debut feature of Clint Eastwood's long time Assistant Director Robert Lorenz, is certainly far from a masterpiece, but it's the kind of solidly crafted, smoothly moving film that doesn't often get its due these days. It may not aim very high, but it hits every target it aims for, and does so in a charming and effective way.

Library Project: September 15 - 21

It happens, right? You spend years amassing your home video collection and, inevitably, you end up with a couple of movies that you don't watch for years. Going through my collection recently I discovered movies I forgot I owned (and a couple to maybe be embarrassed about owning), and movies I love that for whatever reason I haven't watched in at least five years. In light of that I've decided to work my way through my library one movie at a time (though, sadly, I have to exclude all the films I still have on VHS, as I no longer have a functioning VHS player), in alphabetical order since I'm just that OCD, and track my progress. Here's what I watched this week: