The Conversation

NetFlix: Gene Hackman set the standard for 1970s film acting with his portrayal of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert obsessed with his privacy. A past mistake -- and the fear that he may repeat it -- haunts Caul. The Conversation benefits from tremendous supporting performances (especially that of the late, great John Cazale), excellent use of San Francisco locales and Walter Murch's sound editing.

Hmm...This was an OK movie. Reminded me of streets of San Francisco with Karl Malden, a hit TV show in the 70's. It was Coppola written and directed, so that certainly has some bearing and weight. I did enjoy the time (and effort) the director and story line took to develop. As the observer, I got a clear sense of why the protagonist did what they did and why. That simple fact seems missing in so many feature films these days.

Eddie Izzard: Definite Article

Recorded on Dec. 16, 1995, during the last night of his sold-out 12-week run at London's Shaftsbury Theatre, Eddie Izzard's Definite Article show demonstrates the sometimes-controversial comedian's unique talent for improvisation, as well as his wry wit and humor. Izzard covers such topics as the Crusades, mad European cows, sharks, the Death Star canteen and more.

I'm a pretty big Izzard fan. His mannerisms are unique, and his Brit based comedy certainly is different and refreshing. However this stage show wasn't one of my favorites. Being nearly 12 years old I'm gonna caulk it up to growing pains. Not sure how long he did stand up prior to this show, but looking and reviewing most of his more recent material, this doens't stand out.

Eddie Izzard: Unrepeatable

Recorded at London's Albery Theater in 1994, this sold-out show was part of a limited seven-week run of Eddie Izzard's celebrated stand-up routine. A completely new collection of skits, imitations and free-form rants, this side-splitting performance from the award-winning transvestite comedian (which was originally aired on British television) covers a wide range of topics at a pace brisk enough to keep even the quickest viewers on their toes.

Dunno, but I think Izzard really worked on his material and his craft as a result of this 2 year period between the previous show and this one. I'm giving it another star.

Long Way Round

A sort of The Motorcycle Diaries for the Hollywood set, this documentary miniseries chronicles the cross-continental adventures of actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they set out on their BMW bikes to travel round the world. Embarking from London and arriving 115 exhausting days later in New York, the duo tackles 20,000 miles of tough terrain, explores offbeat destinations and takes in colorful local culture.

I found this to be one of the most facinating docu-dramas I've ever seen. I think this is for several reasons.
1. We've seen and know Ewan McGregor. His "familiarity" helps us as an audience. Plus, he's Obe-Won for fuck's sake.
2. They took a long time to tell the story. I think this is what, we miss with many many movies today. How can you really tell a story, develop a story, build a story with 80-90 minutes of film time?
3. We all subscribe to the great "adventure." All are snowflakes and really reflective of personality but we all want to discover more about our lives, our friends, our selves.

Highest rating on this one......

Home Fries

Dorian (Luke Wilson) and Angus (Jake Busey) try to "scare the devil" out their stepfather by chasing him with a helicopter -- but in an unplanned accident, it kills him. To make matters worse, the old man has been having an affair with Sally (Drew Barrymore), a young employee at the local Burger-Matic who's now pregnant and searching for a substitute father for her child. Things really get complicated when she thinks Dorian could be the one.

We'd seen this several years ago, but I'm a complete space cadet and forgot and added it to the list. I suspect this was before I started blogging my movie reviews.

This wasn't a bad movie....Kinda bizzare and unique in it's story line. The director Dean Parisot has directed Northern Exposure and Monk, but TV series which are good and poor respectively. He also directed Galaxy Quest, which wasn't really terriffic, but not the worst Sci-Fi I'd ever seen. Once again, middle of the road on this one, 3 stars.

Feeling Minnesota

NetFlix: Steven Baigelman makes his directing debut with this offbeat lovers-on-the-run yarn set in the rural Midwest. Drifter Jjaks Clayton (Keanu Reeves) returns home for the wedding of his brother Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio) to a woman(Cameron Diaz), who's only marrying him to pay off her debt to a gangster (Delroy Lindo). When Jjaks and the bride-to-be escape the nuptials together, Sam plans his revenge. Tuesday Weld appears as the boys' mother.

I'm going high on this quirkly little flick. The director has done nothine else and frankly this may be his one hit wonder, but a cute and quirky movie.

Clay Pigeons

Death seems to follow Clay Birdwell (Joaquin Phoenix), a small-town Montanan who tries to end an affair with a woman (Georgina Cates) after her husband -- his best friend -- commits suicide. But when fast-talking serial killer Lester Long (Vince Vaughn) forges a friendship against Clay's will, the death toll climbs even higher. Now, a feisty FBI agent (Janeane Garofalo) has Clay in her sights as the prime suspect.

I'm going 4 stars on this movie. I found Vince Vaughn to be quite good in this role and frankly it would seem to be a stretch for him as he's always plays the screw off role in most movies I've seen. Anyway, interesting story line, good plot, funky twists, mildly bizzaro humor. Good movie all in all.