Movies you saw in Febuary 2016

The Usual Suspects (1995) pretty good "neo-noir" crime-mystery with a VERY "tricky" plot with a LOT of "twists" in it. excellent cast including Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Spacey and the late Pete Postlethwaite. pretty fast paced and had good action in spots although more a mystery than a "slam-ban" style action movie. I though it was excellent and did NOT get bored at all during it's 1 hour 45 minute run time. I could watch it again just to see IF I missed something. plays again on Encore Monday Febuary 8th @ 7:05pm & 19:05pm pacific time. I rate it    of four

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) this Jack Nicholson "tour de force" (Oscar for Best Actor) is one of only three movies to ever win all the five major Oscars in the same season after It Happened One Night in 1934 and followed by The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. outstanding supporting cast including Louise Fletcher (Oscar for Best Actress), Brad Dourif (Oscar nomination Best Supporting Actor), Christopher Lloyd, Sydney Lassick, the late Vincent Schiavelli and Danny DeVito (in an early film role for him). it is a "must see" for  Nicholson fans OR anyone who enjoys good drama. plays on HBO-Signature channel Wednesday February 3rd @ 11:05pm  and again Monday February 8th @ 9:55pm all times pacific. obviously I rate it of four

it is "Oscar Week" on the HD Net Movie channel with some excellent offerings that do NOT play too often. I like HD Net because they almost always show their movies in the original theater format rather than "skinny scoping" them (all start times pacific)

Friday February 5th
12:30pm / Out of Africa (1985) WON Best Picture. nominated Best Actress (Meryl Streep) and Best Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer)
3:15pm / Driving Miss Daisy (1989) WON Best Picture & Best Actress (the late Jessica Tandy) nominated Best Actor (Morgan Freeman) and Best Supporting Actor (Dan Aykroyd)

Saturday February 6th
8:30am / Bonnie and Clyde (1967) WON Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) nominated Best Picture, Best Actor (Warren Beatty), Best Actress (Faye Dunaway) and Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman & Michael J. Pollard)

Tuesday February 9th "Daniel Day-Lewis day"
2:40pm / In the Name of the Father (1993) nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actor (the late Pete Postlethwaite) and Best Supporting Actress (Emma Thompson)
5:00pm / There Will Be Blood (2007) WON Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) nominated Best Picture

ENJOY

Thanks for sharing Rink.  I always wanted to catch "There Will be Blood"

somewhat disappointed in HBO's presentation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo''s Nest. looked like they took a TV "skinny scope" 2X3 cut and tried to make it look HD. the Turner Classic Movies "full screen" I have on my DVR MUCH better

Enemy at the Gates (2001) excellent WWII era movie about The Battle fof Stalingrad with emphsis on the "sniper duel" between Russian Vasily Zaytsev and German Major Erwin Konig (a fictional name for the  the head of the Berlin Sniper School sent to find an kill Zaytsev BUT who the real Vasily instead killed).

excellent cast with Jude Law as Vasily Zaytsev, Rachel Weisz as his love interest and fellow sniper the fictional Tania Chernova (based on real female sniper Zaytsev trained), Joseph Fiennes as Political Commisar Danilov (who also loves Tania), Ed Harris as the fictional Major Erwin Konig. the late Bob Hoskins as Nikita Khrushchev (who was Stalin's "trouble shooter" in Stalingrad during the battle), Ron Perlman as Koulikov (Zaytsev's early sniping partner and mentor) and young Gabriel Thomson as Sasha Filippov (who was a actual teenage spy for the Red Army during the battle).

I thought it was VERY well acted by all involved and the battle scenes, esp early on, are VERY intense. the "sniper duel" produces some really good suspense. worth a look IF you are into war movies. plays again on Cinemax channels Saturday February 6th, Tuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th. I rate it    of four

Something the Lord Made (2004) excellent made for TV true drama about black janitor turned laboratory technician Vivien Thomas's work with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "blue baby" doctor who pioneered modern heart surgery in the 1930's and 40's. despite the racism of the 1930's Nashville, Thomas's techniques and innovative surgical equipment make him indispensable to Blalock and the story of how even racist white medical people come to respect him I find very inspiring . I think this movie should be shown in every inner city high school. I'm sure Spike Lee would just HATE it because Thomas just works within the system and eventually is a great success.

stars Mos Def as Vivien Thomas and Alan Rickman as Dr. Alfred Blalock. won the Emmy for Best Made for TV Movie. plays again on HBO Sunday February 7th @ 2:00pm & 5:00pm (pacific times) (Ya I know, Super Bowl so record it). I rate it     of four I find the acting SO good and the story SO inspirational i can watch it again and again. is very much a "breakout" tour de force roll for Mos Def

I'm Not Rappaport (1996) very funny "dark comedy" about two old NYC geezers, one a white j*ew and one black "gaming" the social welfare system. sounds dull and stupid BUT the interaction between Walter Matthau as Nat (the old j*ew) and Ossie Davis as Midge (the old black guy) is hilarious as is their relationships with younger relatives trying to control lives and nasty baztards trying to take advantage of them. plays on the Encore-Black channel again Saturday febuary 6th @ 5:40am & 7:00pm (pacific times). I rate it    of four

Lucy (2014) crime-action movie with a "super hero" sci-fi twist. stars Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, French actor Amr Waked and Korean actor Choi Min-sik. basic plot is a young woman Lucy (Johansson) is forced to be a "drug mule" for an Asian drug lord (Choi Min-sik). the drug pouch she has sewn into her abdomen leaks and the massive dose of the drug gives her psychokinetic abilities (think the character "Carrie" on steroids) and she and a French narcotics detective (Waked) go after the drug ring.

VERY under-rated movie. pretty much non-stop action with excellent chase scenes, fights and "oodles of ordnance". the CGI, esp at the end, is excellent. runs a short 90 minutes and I was completely entertained.  Johansson as a "kick-azz" female super hero is way cool. plays again on Cinemax channels Saturday february 6th, Sunday the 7th, Tuesday the 9th and Wednesday the 10th. I rate it    of four. VERY under-rated movie

Tomorrowland (2015) Disney sci-fi action-adventure staring George Clooney. OK mystery with excellent CGI and some decent action BUT a somewhat convoluted plot that gets rather "slow" in spots. I think designed as a "kid's adventure" BUT would probably go over their heads. glad I did NOT use a PPV certificate on it last month. plays again on Starz channels Tuesday February 9th, Thursday the 11th, Friday the 12th, Sunday the 14th and Monday the 15th. rate it   of four

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) inspired by the "Aubrey-Maturin" series of British Navy themed novels set in the Napoleonic Wars by Patrick O'Brian. they are a modern version of the C S Forester 12-book "Horatio Hornblower" series I was hooked on as a kid. stars Russell Crowe as Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and Paul Bettany as ship's surgeon Dr. Stephen Maturin with James D'Arcy as Aubrey's "number one" First Lieutenant  Thomas Pullings. the lads who play the Midshipman are all compelling characters esp Max Benitz Calamy and Max Pirkis as Blakeney who both show great bravery in battle. I am easily hooked by a good Naval "yarn" and this move has excellent action and a rather suspenseful plot as "Lucky Jack" tries to figure a way to defeat a superior French Man of War off the west coast of South America. plays again on HD Net Movies channel Friday February 12th @ 7:00pm and Saturday February 13th 5:20am all times pacific. it is a movie I can NOT pass up whenever it is on and rate it of four

awesome movies

thank you. nice to know at least ONE person on Covers appreciates the reviews. feel free to add and movies YOU find interesting

Focus (2015) "scam artist" crime mystery-thriller staring Will Smith and the lovely Margot Robbie. pretty fast paced with a LOT of "twists" in the plot. in fact, half way thru the movie it makes a 90 degree turn from scaming a billionaire Asian gambler to a formula one racing sting? even with the somewhat convoluted plot I found in entertaining and has a real "surprise ending". no real "slow" spots in it's 100 minute run time. plays again on HBO-Z channels Thursday February 11th, HBO East & West channels Sunday the 14th and HBO-Signature Tuesday the 16th. I rate it   of four

Starman (1984) sci-fi action-romance staring Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen and Charles Martin Smith with Richard Jaeckel in a supporting roll. basic plot is an E-T (Bridges) lands in Wisconsin and takes over the body of a young woman's (Allen) dead husband. he must get to Arizona's Barringer Crater, in three days or he will die. the resulting journey brings out numerous smaller stories within the picture. this is a personal favorite of mine that I can watch just about anytime it plays. absolutely love the electronic sound track and the E-T trying to learn and understand our culture. I'm usually NOT into sappy "romance" pictures but the growing love between Bridges and Allen is compelling. played on Encore last night and hopefully will repeat on one of their channels soon. I rate it    of four

The Hawk reviewed the new James Bond movie Spectre (2015) back in December. a LOT of reviews said "BEST Bond film EVER". just watched on Dish-TV PPV and it IS excellent but, in my opinion, NOT really up to THAT hype. Bond films are famous for their "slam-bang" opening and the opening action sequence during the Mexico City "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) celebration esp the helicopter scenes, a real fast start BUT just NOT as good as the opening boat chase on the Thames River in London in The World Is Not Enough (1999) with Pierce Brosnan or the Bond skis off a mountain chase scene opening in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) with Roger Moore

it IS excellent Bond however, thoroughly entertaining and fast paced with good supporting cast to Danial Craig's Bond by Christoph Waltz as Bond's arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dave Bautista as Spectre assassin Mr. Hinx and the beautiful Lea Seydoux as Bond's love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann along with reoccurring Bond players Ralph Fiennes as "M", Ben Whishaw as "Q" and lovely Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. some excellent chase scenes but, once again NONE as good as the Tank chase thru St Petersburg, Russia in GoldenEye (1995) OR the boat chase thru the Louisiana bayous in Live and Let Die (1973) with THE best "comic relief" in ANY Bond movie Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper . overall it is definitely worth a PPV and has the standard Bond movie non-stop action BUT just NOT "The Best Ever". I can think of half a dozen Bond films over the years I would rank higher including Danial Craig's first outing as Bond, Casino Royale (2006). I rate it    of four

Street Kings (2008) pretty good crime-action thriller with a LOT of interesting "twists" within the plot staring Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker with Chris Evans, Cedric "The Entertainer" Kyles, Naomie Harris and rappers "Common" and "The Game" in bit parts as two corrupt cops. VERY fast paced pretty much non-stop action with good mystery as to "WHO is corrupt and WHO is NOT" within the LA police department. runs 105 minutes and has NO "filler". I started recording it @ 3:10am am my time just 15 minutes into the show, got completely hooked the first 10 minutes I watched and ended up staying up until it was over. plays again on Action Max Sunday February 14th @ 1:30pm, Cinemax East & West Tuesday the 16th @ 11:20am & 2:20pm and again on Action Max Friday the 19th @ 3:10pm all times pacific. I rate it of four

Article 99 (1992) "dark comedy" drama about a group of doctors working in a VA hospital "gaming the system" to trying get their Vet patients treated. excellent cast with Ray Liotta, Kiefer Sutherland,  Forest Whitaker and J. C. McGinley as the doctors and John Mahoney as the "doctor"/bureaucrat hospital administrator more worried aboput his budget than treating Vets. excellent rolls for the late Eli Wallach as an old WWII era Vet the doctors are trying to keep alive and Keith David as a Vietnam era Vet who is the de facto leader of the patients. I really like this movie and it is another I can watch any time it plays. was on the MGM movies channel and hopefully will play again soon. I rate it    of four

Alien 3 "The Assembly Cut" (2003) is an extended version of the 1992 3rd offering of the Alien series of sci-fi suspense-action movies. It is a significant reworking of the movie, adding and expanding several major plot points and extending the run time by almost 25 minutes. just happened to get into it midway thru and thought "I haven't seen THIS before". kind of like the Apocalypse Now Redux (2001) I suspect the added scenes will really "complete" the movie. plays on Encore-Action again Saturday February 20th @ 5:45am & 9:35pm pacific time. you will know it is the extended version IF the run time is 2 hour 30 minutes rather than the original's 2 hours. I can NOT really rate it yet because I have NOT seen the finished film BUT from what I watched it should be worth a look for Alien franchise fans

Red Army (2014) short 84 minute documentary about the Soviet Union's famed Red Army hockey team through the eyes of its players with emphasis on "The Russian Five" and defenseman and Captain Slav Fetisov's fight with the Soviet sport bureaucracy to try and get to play in the NHL. plays again on Starz-Cinema Wednesday February 17th @ 6:30am and Tuesday the 23rd @ 4:30am pacific time. as a hockey fan I found it fascinating and it is interesting from a political point of view for non-fans just to see how the old Soviet sport system operated. I rate it    of four

Definitely going to check out Red Army.  Thanks Rink

Pixels (2015) FUN sci-fi action-comedy. basic plot has extraterrestrials misinterpreting video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war and invading Earth using technology inspired by 1980's games such as Centipede, Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad as the the "Arcaders" who fight the aliens. the beautiful Ashley Benson NOT hard to look at as the arcade game character Lady Lisa come to life.

I found the movie to be fast paced with excellent action and really funny in spots. the CGI is excellent and the Pac-Man chase scene with the streets of NYC as the game board is really well done. like most Sandler movies gets pretty "stupid funny" in spots BUT I enjoyed it and would watch it again. plays all next week on Starz channels starting Saturday Feburary 20th thru Friday the 26th ex for Wednesday. I rate it  of four

The Pianist (2002) historical "Holocaust" themed drama based on the memoirs of Polish-J*ewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman who survived the Warsaw Getto in WWII. "tour de force" for Adrien Brody as Szpilman with an excellent supporting cast. WON the 2003 Oscars for Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor (Brody). was nominated for Best Picture (lost to Chicago). pretty scary and VERY suspenseful movie on a subject that is emotional for many people I found it to be really well acted and entertaining. plays on HD Net movie channel Thursday February 25th @ 9:55am and repeats Friday the 26th @ 5:15am. I rate it   of four

Taken 3 (2014)  Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker

agree 100%. the first two were excellent. the third good BUT just "not as". Liam Neeson @ age 63 and amazing "action" movie star. his most recent Run All Night (2015) with Joel Kinnaman, Common and Ed Harris pretty fast paced too

Pixels wasnt really bad... It wasnt good, but it wasnt as bad as people say

Just saw The Witch.

Ya Adam Sandler movies are usually pretty "brain dead" stupid. BUT this one had pretty fast paced action with excellent CGI and was pretty funny in spots. all the old mid 70's thru early 80's electronic arcade games brought back memories

I guess "Pixels -  it wasnt as bad as people say" may NOT be quite correct

Pixels 2016 "Golden Raspberry" nominations

Worst Picture
Worst Actor: Adam Sandler – The Cobbler and Pixels
Worst Supporting Actor: Kevin James – Pixels
Worst Supporting Actress: Michelle Monaghan – Pixels
Worst Screenplay

Adam Sandler movies just seem to be a "Golden Raspberry" magnet

Pixels 3 of 4? It was a decent movie but I wouldn't give it more than 2 of 4...the story itself was pretty lame...a few funny parts but that's about it

Ya I probably over-rated that one BUT I really enjoyed the old games and thought the Centipede, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong segments were fast paced fun as was the battle in DC leading to the ending. I guess NO Adam Sandler movie should get MORE than a EVER!!!. in fact I just added Pixels to Slobbasaurus's "Really Bad Movies that you Watch" thread

I know I keep going on about this Martin Scorsese directed pretty much unknown Bringing Out the Dead (1999) that I have review the last couple months BUT really good "dark comedy" about a a burned-out Manhattan, NYC paramedic trying to keep his sanity with all the crazy crap that happens every day on the job. last night the first time I saw it from the beginning and was even better than previous viewings as I picked up some new things I missed in the plot. the 1960's-70's music soundtrack is excellent

very well acted by Nicolas Cage as the burned out medic, John Goodman, Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore as his medic co-workers with Patricia Arquette as his love interest and Marc Anthony who is really good as the crazy kid Noel. box office flop BUT critics raved. has a 71% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes and the late Roger Ebert gave it a perfect four-star rating. probably could have been a hit IF the producers had advertised it. plays again on Showtime East & West channels in HD Thursday March 3rd @ 10:00am & 1:00pm pacific time. I rate it and just came a hair from a four. I though it is THAT good