Movie 236/1001 ~ Beverly Hills Cop

This is a 1984 movie starring Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. The movie is about Axel Foley, a street-wise cop from Detroit, who travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his best friend. I enjoyed watching the movie but it clearly has little value beyond a not unpleasant way to pass time. How much can I really say about a movie when my favourite parts of it were the theme song and a man with the first name Judge?

**

Movie 235/1001 ~ Open City

Open City is a neorealist film made in Italy during 1945. The film follows the stories of one of the leader's of the resistance trying to evade fascist capture and a priest who is helping the resistance. The movie is quite engaging and I found that the time flew by while I watched it. The movie combines everything that I like about neorealism and adds an interesting plot, intriguing characters and a the correct amount of melodrama and suspense. The film itself rose from the rubble just months ofter the war was finished and enabled the actors to be truly compelling. This film is worth watching.

****1/2

Movie 234/1001 ~ The Rules of the Game

This classic 1939 film by Renoir is considered one of the greatest movies ever made. This film is about upper-class French society before World War II. The movie is centered around a pilot who returns from a trip across the Atlantic to discover that Christine, his lover, has married another man. Christine and her husband invite many people to their country home, including the pilot and the husband's mistress. Various romantic intrigues ensue. The film requires that the viewer pay attention. There is a great deal of dialogue and it can be difficult to follow the plot. The film makes great use of deep focus. This technique has allowed Orson Welles to gain fame, but he was probably inspired by Renoir. In this film, the actors in the background or foreground will subtly advance other plot points while the main action occurs. The film is a great inspiration to many film directors, notably Robert Altman. His film Gosford Park is clearly an homage of sorts to The Rules of the Game. Altman has stated that "The Rules of the Game has taught me the rules of the game."

****

Movie 233/1001 ~ Ghostbusters

This 1984 classic stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis as three out of work parapsychologists who decide to try and make a living as a ghost removal service. This comedy is considered one of the best comedies over made. The film features an excellent and popular theme song, numerous quotable lines, and an excellent cast. I enjoyed this movie, but by no means is this one of my favourite comedies.

***1/2

Fun Fact: There is some dispute over how many of Bill Murray's lines were scripted. Some claim the he hardly improvised at all and others claim that he improvised so much dialogue that he deserves a writing credit.

Movie 232/1001 ~ Deliverance

Made in 1972, this film is the tale of four men who decide to go on a canoe trip in the Georgia backcountry before they build a dam and destroy the river. The film stars Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. What begins as a peaceful trip is soon ruined by a memorable scene in which two hillbillies accost and rape one of the members of the group at gunpoint. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this movie as much as I was disturbed by it. The movie is well acted and is well shot, but it is difficult to declare this movie among my favourites. The main theme of the movie is a song titled Dueling Banjos which won a Grammy and is very recognizable. This film is also notable for none of the actors being insured in order to conserve, despite the numerous stunts the actors performed the movie. Notably, Voight scales a cliff and Reynolds broke his coccyx during a river sequence. Reference to this fact is made early in the film when Reynolds declares that he has never been insured.

***1/2

Movie 231/1001 ~ Spirited Away

Filmed in 2001, Spirited Away is a classic animated film directed by Hayao Mayazaki. Spirited Away won best animated feature in the 2002 Oscars ceremony. The film follows the young Chihiro, a little girl, who is moving with her parents. When her dad takes an ill-advised shortcut, they end up finding themselves at an abandoned amusement park, and the parents find a lot of food, whish they consume. The little girl explores the area and meets a boy who tells her that she must leave immediately before nightfall. When she gets back she finds that her parents have turned into pigs, there are spirits everywhere and she is starting to disappear. Like most anime follows the general reasoning and logic is sometimes hard to follow, but the movie is still fairly coherent. Additionally, the film has several scenes and characters which are simply too cute and interesting that they will certainly improve the rest of the movie for any viewer.

***1/2

Movie 230/1001 ~ Chinatown

Whew, it's been a little while since I saw this film but I liked what I saw. Chinatown was filmed in 1974 by Roman Polanski. It starred Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. The story revolves around private detective who is hired to investigate the chief engineer of the city's water department but the case turns sinister. The three main actors are amazing in this movie and it is one of the best detective stories that I have ever seen.

Fun Fact: J.J. Gittes (Nicholson) is in every single scene of the movie.

****1/2