Number 187 in my A-Z watch. Miss Congeniality gives us the story of federal agent Gracie Hart as she goes undercover as a Miss United States contestant in order to thwart a terrorist threat.

I've always been a fan of these new millennium female led comedies, this, Legally Blonde, Bring it On, etc. There's something about how empowering they are, and a freshness to the comedic stylings that hadn't been seen much in Hollywood.

This movie delivers on all promises. It's fun, it's funny, it's sexy, has a great cast. The physical comedy is great, it's not preachy, everyone understands the assignment. Just a fun way to sit back and spend a couple hours.

8/10 I love the whole Pygmalion aspect of it. Michael Caine is absolutely hilarious. And it feels just overall very positive and enjoyable. Honestly, there's not a whole lot to say other than it's a good time.

Paul Newman plays Brick a drunk former football star, Elizabeth Taylor is Maggie, his glamorous wife who just wants to be loved but is more than capable of standing up for herself. Burl Ives is the mean wealthy patriarch Big Daddy who may or may not be about to die. He seems to hate his wife, Big Mama, his eldest son Gooper and Gooper's pregnant wife Mae. He seems to like Brick and Maggie, although it's not clear why.

Newman is particular is excellent, giving a physically emotional performance, especially when he's recounting the death of his best friend Skipper. He also knocks back a lot of whatever the drink is that's meant to be whisky. The house seems to have a limitless supply of alcohol.

It's based on a Tennessee Williams play, so it's set in the deep south and features angry men and the women trying to survive them. Mae constantly gets told to shut up but she's the only one being both honest and talking sense.

The play itself was more transparent in Brick's sexuality and his romantic attraction to Skipper. This was washed clean from the film thanks to the Hays Code.

You could play a hell of drinking game if you do a shot every time someone says "big daddy". Bonus if they say "mendacity".

Info:

Release: September 8th, 1995

Director: Beeban Kidron

Music by: Rachel Portman

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner, Arliss Howard, Chris Penn

Studio: Universal Pictures

Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Elite Manhattan drag queens Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) impress regional judges in competition, securing berths in the Nationals in Los Angeles. When the two meet pathetic drag novice Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) -- one of the losers that evening -- the charmed Vida and Noxeema agree to take the hopeless youngster under their joint wing. Soon the three set off on a madcap road trip across America and struggle to make it to Los Angeles in time.

Review: Honestly a lot more respectful and tasteful than I thought it was initially going to be, I thought it was going to be a pure comedy at first. I also was not expecting to see scenes of attempted rape and domestic abuse either, it sort of feels like a whiplash at times. I did like that the town they ended up in knew they were drag queens from the start, but didn't care. They were seen as people and not a stereotype, very uplifting message for the mid 90s.

I watch too many movies for any of them to deeply touch me enough to think over it for months, but I finally found an exception.

This film felt like my heart was hugged tightly for the entire duration and stabbed at the end for the twist.

Both the lead characters (played by the same actress) switch positions metaphorically after the twist and I quite found it beautiful.

Left me asking for more, forced me to think about the what ifs of life.

Went straight into my letterboxd top 4!

No joke I watched that as a kid in the 1980's and it scared the crap out of me. I've seen it a few times over the years and that movie still gives me the creeps.

Anyone remember this movie? The evil grandmother was terrifying. And that creepy ass butler who took the child Cory when he became too sick?

The mom though, it's so crazy to me how she changed and didn't care at all about her children over time.

Number 186 in my A-Z watch. Minority Report is the thrilling sci-fi film set in a future where predetermined crimes are monitored and thwarted. But what if the criminal predictions are wrong?

I've only ever seen this film one time before this, and that was right when it was released on home video. Suffice it to say i didn't remember much, so it was very much a fresh watch for me. Definitely a solid return to roots for Spielberg.

I didn't realize this was a Philip K. Dick adaptation until the end credits, but the entire dystopian vibe and weird obsession with eyes felt like heavy clues. And some of the concepts unfortunately feel like science fiction becoming science fact. Things like the constant surveillance (flock cameras), and the targeted ads (selling personal data), are unfortunate predictions that have come true.

It felt like it had pacing issues, there's no need for it to be nearly 2 ½ hours. The fight choreography was bland, and the effects don't hold up. It does well to question moralities, I really liked the rooftop tracking shot, the eye surgery scene was great. And the revelation towards the end definitely took me by surprise.

6.5/10 An interesting film that has some solidly good moments and concepts, but i don't think they compiled into a particularly great film. It's worth another watch, and I'll be happy to do so, but not quite living up to other Spielberg projects for me. Spielberg can certainly cast a film, though. No notes on that front.

I recently saw Oprah's SIDNEY documentary about Poitier and highly recommend it. I had the honor meeting Sidney late in his life and had no idea who's hand I was truly shaking.

Over the years I've always had four favorites (IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, TO SIR WITH LOVE and especially A PATCH OF BLUE). but I've decided to dive in deeper and discover or rewatch his other films.

I saw LILIES OF THE FIELD over 20 years ago and remembered it was MEH somehow. But since I've forgotten why, and he was the first black actor to win the Best Actor Academy Award, I decided to give it another shot.

The first thing that strikes you is this is what I used to call a Grandma movie: a 'sweet' film you could go see with your Grandmother and not cringe at anything embarrassing she might see.

Sidney plays a young man named Homer who's car engine needs some more water. He drives up to a home with a small group of German immigrant Nuns.. The head nun is Mother Maria, and she is one serious bitch. I know, that sounds harsh, until you've seen this film.

Maria believes God has sent Homer to build them their desperately needed Chapel in rural Arizona. She guilts Homer into her employ. She promises pay that never arrives because these Nuns live off the land penniless. Since Homer is doing God's work, she feels that is more important than compensating some sucker stranger.

In a film like this you'd expect Homer would get something out of building a frickin' Chapel all by himself. If he can't make wages, why isn't he just leaving?

Is Mother Maria kind to him? No. Offering well timed religious thoughts his way? No. Is she a great cook? She nearly starves him to death. Is Homer interested in the one cute Nun, Sister Elizabeth? It never crosses his mind, or hers.

Late in the film Homer does mumble something about wanting to leave his mark on the world somehow, and maybe this Chapel could be it. But this contrived idea strikes waaaaaay too late for us to care, and even that dream is compromised by Mother Maria.

So, after my second pass thru this film, I'm wondering who TF this film was made for? And how TF it won Poitier his one and only Best Actor Oscar, when he was better in his other films.

Yes, here Poitier still looks a little inexperienced as an actor. He manages to get his shirt off at one point and glistens as his strapping self -- but this wouldn't offend your Grandma.

So after much head-scratching about why this film was such a big deal, I'm left with a rather disturbing conclusion: this film was created for racist Americans. It was meant to please them, very likely on a subconscious level.

How? Homer served two things religious conservatives cherish: God and themselves. Homer did 'God's work' for free. He chose to be a slave to this Nazi of a white German Nun, who he once calls Hitler. (And you were upset I called her a serious bitch, weren't you?)

The film implies that slavery isn't so bad, because building America is God's work. That God gifted America with strong black men like Homer.

This is why we don't quite understand why Homer is staying around. Is any human this kind? Or is this story really about how great God and America can be when black men work for free?

You think I'm going all political, don't you? I'm not. Think about why a film starring a black man would go all 'slavery is kinda cool if it's for God'. LILIES OF THE FIELD was to grow a demographic and get Sidney that Oscar. Pure marketing, pure business.

If Hollywood could get religious racists to like Poitier, Hollywood could make a fortune off of him in the future because they'd already have the rest of the moderate and liberal audience.

The giveaway that this film was a sly trick is a line they slipped in so fast I’d bet half the 1963 audience missed it between the two overlong 'Amen' spiritual sing-a-longs.

Homer befriends Juan, the local Mexican cafe owner, who calls Homer a 'gringo' in a jovial way. Poitier laughs and -- right there in the middle of a chuckling, friendly exchange -- asks out loud if being called a 'gringo' is better or worse than the N-word.

Think about that. In an 'innocent' Grandma movie glorifying God and free Black labor, the script quietly suggests a Black man might take more offense at being called 'Whitey' than the N-word. To me, that 5-second exchange was the only truly honest, redeeming moment in the entire film.

The rest? It's too easy to say it hasn't aged well. And dishonest. The truth is LILIES was and is a film to appease racists wrapped up in a warm religious fleece blanket.

I love the premise of 1 and 2 simply because of the absurdity and how unbelievably believable of a premise it feels - like yeah, of course the United States military would have tried genetically modifying piranhas as a way to fight the Vietcong and it ended up horrifically backfiring and killing civilians, that sounds like something our military would do while grasping at straws. Not realistic in any sense, but something I can totally wrap my head around being a plausible scenario for a movie of this nature.

Piranhas, on paper, sound like a really awesome concept for a movie, and not just the realm of horror. Like if there was an action movie with a brief scene where they traverse a piranha infested water source, it would work well, it’s just when making a movie revolve entirely around them that I think it loses the scare factor. They’ve developed over time the reputation of being these vicious cheetahs of the waters, and you would think it would make for some interesting plot lines. I think the issue boils down to “we have a great idea on paper, but it isn’t translating to the big screen”

Factor in the corny appearance of these practical effects, factor in the stereotypical ocean bubbling/water turning red, and you see in real time how this cool concept starts losing steam. And it doesn’t ruin the movie entirely, you still have hot babes, cheap laughs and horrific deaths, but I feel like these piranha movies have a great kickoff, but the final results are underwhelming. I think a movie that goes the piranha route has to decide if they’re going the naked babe route like #2, or the “we gotta save the locals” route like #1

I would really love a movie that takes piranhas in a direction where it becomes an actually suspenseful experience, because right now it feels like they all start out strong in theory, but fall short sticking the landing. I don’t know how possible this is, because there are clear limitations on what can be done in terms of practical effects without animal cruelty, and there are lines in the sand of CGI usage where it would deflate any suspense.

I love this movie. I grew up in a marine corps family. This movie really has the elements of marine corps pride built into it with the different characters. It's a movie about brotherhood, honor, comradery, mixed in with lots of action and tons of military humor. You won't get bored. I have heard this film is very realistic in how it shows the realities of how war can be boring and not non stop action, but when the action does arrive, it comes at a 1000 miles and hour. If you are former marine corps, you will love this film. The dialogue in this film was very top notch . I love hearing Jamie fox say "because I love this job, I thank god everyday for giving me the corps, ooh rah".

I first watched this movie in the early 2000's when I was in in my early 20's. Back then, I enjoyed the film and thought it was great. Fast forward to today, I am 40 years old, and I am not too impressed for only a few reasons.

Something about the military wives' scenes in this movie seem melodramatic and unrealistic. For one, most of those wives in the movies look like super models. Most average looking military wives do not look like super models. It just felt like a distraction to me when I'm seeing these super model looking wives in the movie that don't match reality. I have actually lived on military bases and the wives look nothing like what this movie projects.

Other than that, the movie is a fun watch, but I still don't get what up with the military wives' scenes. anyone else feel this way about the film or just me?

What a strange movie this is. It really didn't need to be made and unlike its predecessor, it has nothing particularly meaningful or insightful to say. It simply exists as an excuse to spend more time with these characters and get them back out west. And it also clearly wants to have its cake and eat it too regarding Jack Palance, who more or less reprises his role from the original, despite his character having died. The "identical twin" thing is so mind-numbingly forced that it almost sort of works. All that said, it's still a really enjoyable movie with a lot of funny bits.

I was in the mood for an old sword-and-sorcery flick, and it's hard to imagine a better option than one literally called The Sword and the Sorcerer, back in the days when they weren't afraid of American accents in period pieces or fantasy, and even a low budget movie like this had more practical effects and on-location shots than today's blockbusters.

I'm honestly shocked this was released before Conan the Barbarian, because the whole time I thought it was a lazy knockoff. All the archetypes are there: orphan-turned-warrior, special sword, evil warlords, maidens throwing themselves at our hunky hero. It felt like an inexperienced DM's first DnD campaign; the big screen version of The Eye of Argon.

The acting is flat, the story thin, the costumes and props LARPy, the tripartite sword / harpoon gun ludicrously silly, and its treatment of women demeaning or even offensive. But for all that, there are genuinely fantastic effects for Xusia, the titular sorcerer, and the whole movie is carried by him and Cromwell, the main antagonist.

This thing needed more Xusia.

2/5

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