He Saw / She Saw: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Sue:

I figured this would be a cute, feel good movie with Jim Carrey and was not disappointed. He played a divorced dad, with two children, who inherited a penguin from his deceased father (and then wound up with 5 more).  Silly antics and over all theme that family is more important than work.  Some scenes were not realistic but overall a cute family film.

Bruce:

I was hoping for some light hearted slap-stick entertainment from Mr. Rubberface himself.  Sadly, what I ended up watching was another retread of Hollywood's obsession with re-uniting the broken family through some cute plot twist.  It gets tiring after a while.  There were some key scenes that were apparently cut from this Blu-Ray presentation which made it even more confusing to watch at the end.  The best part of this film was the CGI penguins. 

He Saw / She Saw: Full Metal Jacket

Sue:

This 1987 war film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick.  Based on the novel called The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford.  I thought this was a great movie! The story begins with a platoon of US Marines at boot camp, under the profane, power-saw guidance of drill instructor Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey, a real-life drill instructor whose performance is one of the most terrifyingly realistic on record). Part two takes place in Nam, as seen through the eyes of the now thoroughly indoctrinated marines.  I would recommend this movie highly.

Bruce:

As a Kubrick fan, I had seen this film a long time ago and mostly recalled R. Lee Ermey stellar performance as the Drill Sargent.  On this second viewing, I wasn't so much impressed with the visuals of the film (which are stunning), but the character development and life lessons that Kubrick was trying to get across.  If you haven't seen it in a while, it might not be the film you remember.  I highly recommend it. 

He Saw / She Saw: Downton Abbey (The Movie)

Sue:

Having watched the series, I was excited to see this movie.  It did not disappoint and I absolutely love watching Maggie Smith playing the part of wise grandmother.  I loved it when she said, “I never argue, I explain.”  For those who have not seen the series it may be difficult at times to follow, but overall, was happy to see almost all the original characters from the TV series.

Bruce:

I don't recall how, but we got sucked into this series back in the day when it was still running on PBS.  I gotta admit, it made me feel homie.  Sort of like an upper crust version of Friends with the Sopranos thrown in .  So, when they all came back in a movie (and I found it in the bargain bin at Safeway - impulse buy!) Sue and I were punching up the microwave popcorn and kicking back the recliners.  It does not disappoint, hitting all the right notes and making you feel satisfied in the end, sort of like eating cotton candy.  (but really GOOD cotton candy)

He Saw / She Saw: The Best of Mission Impossible - The Seal

Sue:

The Seal" is one of those Mission:Impossible episodes that involves a cat named Rusty who helps to retrieve the national treasure (a jade seal) of an Asian country.  Whomever trained Rusty the cat deserves some kind of an award - he does make it look like he understands verbal commands from Barney.  I learned were as many as twelve different cats used during the filming, and each one with a different talent.   Typical Mission Impossible...good dialogue and kept your interest throughout!

Bruce:

A reminder of how good this show used to be compared to the current crop of Tom Cruise films.  Here it is more about suspense, trickery and a plot that you often can't figure out until the end.  What made this enjoyable is the use of 'high technology' back in the day to pull off their missions.  In this episode, they use a punched Hollerith computer card to introduce a virus into a computer, which then starts spitting out Hollerith cards like a machine gun.....the HORROR!

He Saw / She Saw: Endless Night

Sue:

It was my night to choose what we should watch and I picked this out as it was based on an Agatha Christie novel.  For me, there were probably too many twists and turns.  I honestly did not like it.  Reading about it after the fact helped make the movie make more sense, but still...I would not recommend it

Bruce:

This looked good based on the liner notes.  The notes were wrong.  While one of the latter films scored by Bernard Herrmann, it has his unique stylized score, but that is about it.  Filmed in the art noveau style of the early 1970s, the plot is hard to follow and the characters seem to wander aimlessly.  When the ending finally rolls around, there is a big disappointment.  

He Saw / She Saw - The Thriller Collection / Masquarade

Sue:

"Masquerade" first aired on network TV on October 30, 1961 -- the 43rd episode of the "Thriller" series.

Tom Poston and Elizabeth Montgomery play a young married couple that takes refuge from a storm in an old mansion (the PSYCHO house). John Carradine plays his creepy role as the head of the family that could be vampires, cannibals or just plain murderers.   

The episode was more amusing rather than scary, and the twist ending will either bring a smile or a groan to the viewer.  I was not impressed

Bruce:

Back in the day, you had 'The Twilight Zone', 'The Outer Limits' and this show.  While the other two had either great writing or pushed the bounds of television horror, this one just has Boris Karloff.  

This episode highlights a very young Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) and Tom Poston with a lot of dialog that requires a suspension in belief.  (i.e finding someone dead in the basement and then going to the kitchen to scramble eggs).  

In the end, there is sarcasm and a comedic ending but not much else.  

He Saw / She Saw - They Won't Believe Me

Sue:

Highly recommend this movie made in 1947 staring Robert Young, Rita Johnson, and Susan Haywood.  Interesting plot of a man who married only for money, and keeps cheating on her, and eventually he is accused of murder.  A stellar performance by Robert Young and so many twists which kept you wanting to not hit the pause button!   Watch it...you will be glad you did!

Bruce:

A fascinating sleeper film.  Both Sue and I watched most of this slack-jawed because we couldn't tell what was going to happen next.   The plot really can't be described in simple terms.  It is complex, but what stands out, is that this is a scandalous / daring film done in a much more repressive and button-down society.  In the end it is a morality tale, but you won't see the ending coming. 

He Saw / She Saw - Paths Of Glory

Sue:

A thumbs up for me.  It is a World War I movie where soldiers decide to not attack an enemy position, so their superior officers punish them. The movie is directed and written by Stanley Kubrick so you should definitely watch it if you’re a fan of his movies. Kirk Douglas plays Colonel Dax who is one of the soldiers who refuses to follow orders.  Great acting and dialogue. 

Bruce:

One of the few Kubrick films I have not seen.  I was looking forward to it and it did not disappoint.  This was done earlier in Stanley's career and the pacing isn't perfect and he lingers a bit to long in some scenes, but that is just Kubrick.  A fascinating character study with stunning cinematography. 

He Saw / She Saw - A Star Is Born

Sue:

Definitely not what I expected.  Considering there have been 3 remakes of this movie, I was expecting it to be WOW.  In my opinion, it was not. Some film historians believe that the marriage of Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay was the film's real-life inspiration.  Who knows, but the plot is same as the remakes — country girl (played by Janet Gaynor) goes to city to become an actress, meets an actor she admires played by Fredrick March.  We soon find out he is an alcoholic and the ending is same.  She becomes famous...he dies.  I would not watch this movie again.

Bruce:

Going back through three remakes, this is the original that started it all.  An early O'Selznick film that shows glimpses of grandeur, but also has points that drag on far to long.  Good character development and pacing, however, this is a fair-tale film that is rather fluffy, aimed at farm girls on the Great Plains during the Great Depression. 

He Saw / She Saw - Disclosure

Sue:

I am sure most people in our age group have seen this movie staring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas.   If you have not it is worth watching as they both give great performances,  She is his sexy new boss (and prior ex-girlfriend from many years back).  And she wants him...sexually!  Scenes are pretty graphic and shows how a woman can be domineering and forceful to get what is wanted in a man’s world.  Thumbs up!  

Bruce:

A well done film that oddly pre-dates the #metoo / sexual harassment movement of today.  Only back in the 1990s, it was the woman who is exposed as the predator.  The filmmakers vision of a technology / virtual-reality driven future is both interesting and humorous at the same time. 

He Saw / She Saw - A Boy And His Dog

Sue:

[Sue bailed on this film half way through, she couldn't understand the dialog or the plot of the film]

Bruce:

A cult film that I recall from my youth and I was excited to revisit it once I found it on Laserdisc.  Alas, it does not hold up well.   The audio and production value are not good, making it difficult to follow what is going on.  On my first viewing in 30 years, this comes off as low budget gorilla film-making with an interesting short story, stretched to feature length.  Although, the final scene is precious. 

He Saw / She Saw - The First Deadly Sin

Sue:

Do not waste your time watching this movie, although reading about it after the fact on Wikipedia was more interesting.  This was Frank Sinatra’s last film that he produced and stared. Sinatra played a NYPD detective on the verge of retirement and tracks down a guy who is killing people with an ice axe.   His wife, played by Faye Dunaway, was in a hospital bed the entire show with very little acting on her part.   I would not recommend watching, waste of time.

Bruce:

An incredibly bad film, considering it's pedigree.  In the late 70s, all the aging Hollywood leading men had to jump on the 'Dirty Harry' / 'Bullet' bandwagon and make a bad-ass cop film.  This was Frankie's attempt.  The flow and continuity of the film is way off and the actors are just walking through scenes.  Faye Dunaway's character never leaves her hospital bed, and dies of some unknown illness in the end, with no real contribution to the plot.  

He Saw / She Saw - The Devil's Advocate

Sue:

Once again Al Pacino giving an outstanding performance.  Plot began rather believable in that a top-notch lawyer, played by Keanu Reeves could win every case, even if it meant not telling the truth.  His wife, played by Charlize Theron and her acting was good.  There were many twists and turns which made it difficult to follow, plus blood and gore.  I think a few episodes could have been left out or shortened, but overall, it is one of those movies I would watch again.

Bruce:

A film that gets better with subsequent viewings.  There are a lot of details that the first time viewer will miss and the dialogue can be complex.  As the Devil, Al Pacino can make you question a lot of things, he is that persuasive.  Along with a fascinating script / plot, the production values here are very high.  Some of the scenes of the New York Skyline and Central Park are not special effects.  It cost a lot of money to shoot this film. 

He Saw / She Saw - Hello Again

Sue:

Fantasy chick flick that was a bit too corny for me.  Wife dies and is resurrected a year later to find her husband married to another woman.  Story goes on how she copes, but was not at all believable.  Few laughs, but would not recommend.

Bruce:

An awful film, but it had one interesting perspective.  This is a 'Touchstone' picture, which means it is Disney.  Touchstone was created to market PG related fair since the Disney standard was strictly "G" rating.  So it is interesting to see a film green lighted that basically has to deal with black magic reincarnation, and in fact, treats it as just another day at the office with a lot of slap stick comedy thrown in.  Watching this film made me feel uncomfortable. 

He Saw / She Saw - Wag the Dog

Sue:

I highly recommend this movie.  You will not be disappointed.  Great cast - Dusty Hoffman at his finest, along with Willie Nelson and Jay Leno.  Sadly, a believable story line that shows how to manipulated the general public.

Bruce:

In these times of domestic and foreign upheaval, I request that everyone watch this film before posting or discussing ANYTHING political.  This film was intended to show farce and satire of the American Political system when it was released.  There is just one slight catch.  In the 10 years since it was released, what was once farce has now become reality.  After watching this film and then turning on the nightly news broadcast...there was no difference. 

He Saw / She Saw - The Departed

Sue:

I know I picked out this movie, but the only reason was because I like Jack Nicholson.  For me, It was too much shoot them up, plots twists and very difficult to follow.  But I enjoyed seeing Jack!

Bruce:

A complex film.  It takes a while to sink in and follow, but as you catch up to the plot it becomes engrossing  However, this fades as the film runs a bit too long and gets a bit far fetched in the end.  The blood bath that occurs at the end of the film is a bit excessive and I could see the final scene coming. 

He Saw / She Saw - Why We Fight

Sue:

This movie was so informative and just confirmed what “informed” people already know.  Our Government is so corrupt and lays it out clearly.  Too bad most of society will keep on believing what they are told by the Government.

Bruce:

A fascinating well done documentary about what President Eisenhower appropriately coined the "Military Industrial Complex".   This is a well balanced film that has some profound insights and behind the scenes views from individuals who have knowledge of the American war machine far beyond the average citizen.  After watching, the viewer walks away with the nagging realization that the United States government has been hijacked by powerful individuals and corporations that only seek self interest and not the common good. 

He Saw / She Saw - The Homesman

Sue:

I want to watch this movie again...I feel like I missed so much.  A spinster (Hylary Swank),  took on the task of trying to transport three women who had experienced mental breakdowns while living in the old West.  So many twists and turns that I did not see coming.  What motivates a person to help others?  Some help for money (Tommy Lee Jones) some because they just do not like seeing others hurt.  And what happens when you do not get what you want?  In the movie you quit trying and hang yourself.  

Bruce:

Not the film you would expect unless you had read the book.  An interesting study of life on the early plains when towns were weeks apart by horse.  Not so much a story arc as it is a long character development with very interesting characters.  While some might find this a rambling film with little direction, it mirrors life, in that you never know what is coming next, and our interactions with those around us have a profound affect on all our futures. 

He Saw / She Saw - P2

Sue:

A good film but I did not find it very realistic.  Its all horror with little plot.  The suspense factor just wasn't there for me. 

Bruce:

A better film than I thought it would be, although I am not really into this genre.  The production value in the film is very high and they do a good job at setting the mood and tone.  However, it did seem a little hard to believe.  It can't be that hard to get out of a parking garage on Christmas Eve. 

He Saw / She Saw - A Million Ways To Die In The West

Sue:

This was an hilarious film.  At first it seems odd, but it turns out to be one vulgar sight gag after another.  I was literally laughing out loud through most of the film. 

Bruce:

Pretty much anything Seth MacFarlane does is genius.  I expected this to be a rather silly film, but found it be absolutely hilarious, especially the unrated version, where profanity was the primary weapon and not guns.