[Non_Comformist]

I tried to, as suggested, broaden The Collection this time to include more than recent releases.

Movies rated from 5-1 and must have a minimal rating of 3.0 to make The Collection


Recent DVD's Rated

Spinal Tap. I found this movie to be brilliant. You can see the influence it has had on the British comedy series The Office and the writing has some similarities with Seinfeld.

Rating 3.85


Airheads . “Don’t talk to me about Rock-N-Roll, I’m out there, out in the streets, I’m living it. I AM ROCK-N-ROLL.” Airheads doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not, which is a simplistic yet pleasing comedy. The movie loses steam after the first 30-45 minutes and in the end the characters try to be cool instead of taking the stupid/loser band member theme the whole way.

Rating 2.80

Godfather I . The best movie ever made. I have two dogs, brothers, which I named Sonny & Freido. There is no greater character than Michael Corleone.

Rating 5.0

8 Mile . I was all set to give this movie a 3.0 rating and a spot in The Collection but when I sat down the write out my review the first and only thoughts I had were of its problems. First the good. The battle rap scenes are good and the idea of a movie based on the Detroit underground rap scene is a worthy one. However the script has problems. Instead of dealing more with Rabbit’s (Eminem) family life, it spends time of some philanthropist/Arson night. Instead of building the relationship with his friends, we get some weird romance where he meets her, screws her at work, and then gets pissed when his friend does her. Yet he then sits and calmly has a discussion with her the next day. This after whipping his friend’s ass, which then gets his kicked and nearly killed. I think if 8 mile would have been an independent film made away from Hollywood it would have been much better.

Rating 2.85

Pale Rider . This is the first Clint Eastwood western I had seen and now it will not be my last. An awesome film that leaves you wanting more after watching it.

Rating 4.40

Godfather II Not so much a sequel as a continuation. There is nothing I could write about the first two Godfather movies. If you haven’t see them you need to. If you don’t like The Godfather, you have issues and need to seek therapy ASAP.

Rating 4.99

Hang ‘em High . Good premise but lost halfway through and drug on and on with seemingly 3-4 different stories none of which seemed to go any where. Anticlimactic ending.

Rating 2.3

Ace Ventura Pet Detective . Not as funny as when I first saw it but still plenty of laughs coupled with a fun plot. Note I mistakenly purchased the full screen version. I can't believe they would actually sell and people would buy such a thing. So the actual DVD does not have a spot in the collection but I will get a new widescreen copy ASAP and give it its rightful place.

Rating 3.25

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Another Eastwood western and while not as good as Pale Rider, it was much better than Hang ‘em High. The soundtrack alone was probably good enough to get it into The Collection. I didn’t understand why they called Eastwood, “Blondie” through out. The story was somewhat slow to develop and the film at two and a half hours was probably an hour to long. With great characters, superb acting and a triple threat shoot out ending it well worth it.

Rating 3.0

The Godfather III . I’ve watched this movie a few times now, leaving disappointed after each viewing. Because of that I made the decision to watch Godfather III two days after Godfather I & II, I usually watch it directly after, I wanted to be able to judge it on its own merits, not compared to the older siblings. Let’s face it Godfather III is problematic. The transformation of Michael is too much from when we last saw him having his brother hit. Also Pacino instead of playing the cold and reserved Michael, instead plays himself. The movie also seems obsessed with the name game from parts I &II, relies on too many flash backs, and other references. Yet merely passes over the absence of Tom Hagen, Mike's brother, most trusted friend, and consigliore, with just a he was a good lawyer. Huh? WTF? The movie really missed his presence. Also the casting of Ford Coppola’s daughter as Michael’s daughter was horrendous. She was abysmal.

Yet a funny thing happened on this last viewing. I came to appreciate Godfather III for what it is, instead of hating it for what it wasn’t. Besides the nonsensical incest between cousins , the story ,while hard to follow in parts, is actually pretty good. And the relationship between Pacino and Andy Garcia is great.

In the end I decided The Godfather part III is the Freido of the family, weak and stupid at times, but it has a good heart and most importantly is still a Corelone and still a part of the family.

Rating 3.10

That makes the collection currently as follows
1. Godfather Part I 5.00
2. Godfather Part II 4.99
3. Office Space 4.55
4. Braveheart 4.50
5. Pale Rider 4.40
6. Training Day 4.35
7. Swingers 4.25
8. Die Hard 4.00
9. Spinal Tap 3.85
10. Meet the Parents 3.75
11. Catch Me If You Can 3.60
12. Oceans Eleven 3.45
13. Fog of War 3.30
14. Ace Vnetura Pet Detective 3.25
15. The Godfather Part III 3.10
16. The Recruit 3.05
17. The Good The Bad and The Ugly 3.0

Note: Upon further contemplation and compared to surrounding movies in The Collection, I have reduced my rating on The Recruit by 0.20 points.

Thoughts, Comments on this batch of ratings, The Collection, or more recommendations?

I think its looking much stronger.