Movies you saw in April

let us know what you think thegull

watched L.A. Confidential (1997) last night. for my money one of the BEST acted mystery-crime dramas of all time. very good plot with a lot of "twists" and had very good action scenes. excellent all-star cast most notably Australian actor Guy Pearce and New Zealand actor Russell Crowe who were relatively unknown to Hollywood and American film viewers at the time. also excellent performances by Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, David Strathairn and Danny DeVito. Kim Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and the movie was nominated for Best Picture.

think most have seen it at one time or another but IF not or you want to record/view it plays on Starz channels again Monday April 28th. definite   

One of my fav movies

finally watched the Walt Disney Animation Studios cartoon movie Wreck-It Ralph (2012). was somewhat sceptical because didn't really care for the recent Disney Animation Monsters University (2013), which was NO way as good as the original Monsters, Inc, OR the Sony Pictures Animation Hotel Transylvania which I thought were both tripe. started off pretty slow and almost dumped it BUT when Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) starts going to other games trying to become a hero and he ends up first in the "Hero's Duty" combat game and later in the racing game "Sugar Rush",  the action really picks up. the other main characters of wannabe racer Vanellope von Schweetz aka "Glitch" (voiced by Sarah Silverman) is way cute and has some really funny one liners (what's that? I couldn't hear you. your breath is SO bad it made my ears numb) while King Candy (voiced by Alan Tudyk, who has the almost exact same voice and delivery of the late Ed Winn did as the Mad Hatter in the Disney classic Alice in Wonderland) is way funny in "Sugar Rush". Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun (voiced by Jane Lynch) as commander of the "bug fighters" in "Hero's Duty" is really hot (IF I was an avatar, I would do her).

all in all, after a somewhat slow start the movie really takes off with almost non-stop action, a lot of laughs (and a few scenes that will make you want to cry) and some crazy "plot twists" esp at the end. overall I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it again. DOES have some scenes that might really scare young childern so parents be cautious. plays on Starz-Edge channel again Saturday April 26th. one of the best "Toon Movies" I have seen in quite awhile. I rate it 

can't seem to pass up watching Stand Up Guys (2012) when ever it's on. reviewed back in Febuary BUT thought it worth a mention again I enjoy watching it that much. pretty much unknown and under-rated gangster "buddy comedy" with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin. thought it was VERY funny in spots esp the chase scene with old geezer Arkin showing off his skills as a getaway driver. has a bunch of good oneliners with the BEST being (Pacino) "Well I Guess it's Time to Either Kick Azz or Chew Gum" (Walken) "I'm All Out of Gum". short movie @ 95 minutes with pretty much non stop action. playing again on EPIX 1 Wednesday April 30th @ 6:45 pm and Thursday May 1st @ 8:35 am & 3:20 pm pacific times   

Room 237

Saw it on Netflix, but then tried to watch the shining right after and they did not have it.

I really enjoyed room 237 as the analysis was both interpretive and in actual detail of parts of the movie. Made me realize what a masterpiece the shining movie actually was

watched two Matt Damon movies last night. Elysium (2013) followed by The Rainmaker (1997).

Elysium a better than I expected SciFi action thriller with Damon, Jodie Foster and Alice Braga. South African actor Sharlto Copley a very nasty villain as Kruger as is Foster as the scheming Defense Secretary Delacourt, who is a REALLY "wicked witch" of a woman. also with William Fichtner (played the "mobbed up" investment banker Roger Van Zant in the 1995 crime darma Heat) as John Carlyle, a nasty baztard industrialist. would say definately faster paced and a better plot than the recent Tom Cruise SciFi movie Oblivion (2013). had excellent CGI and pretty much non-sop action with "oodle of ordnance" and "stuff that goes boom". worth watching for SciFi/action fans. plays on Starz channels almost every day the week of Sunday April 27th. I rate it

The Rainmaker (aka John Grisham's The Rainmaker) excellent courtroom drama with Damon, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Jon Voight, Roy Scheider and Mickey Rourke. "suspicions confirmed" on how health insurance companies screw over their customers watching this story. one of Damon's best early movies as a young lawyer Rudy Baylor trying his first case and DeVito is excellent as his street wise paralegal Deck Shifflet. Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor nomination for Voight as the weasel insurance company lawyer Leo Drummond. Grisham's legal dramas are always excellent and this is one of his best. plays again on HD Movies channel again Thursday May 1st and Friday May 2nd. I rate it

any given sunday been on lately, great movie Oliver stone is 

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) 3 short horror stories in the style of the TV series of the same name. first two were pretty good plots form the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Stephen King. the 3rd is pretty transparent in what is going to happen BUT has the VERY luscious Rae Dawn Chong. thought it was pretty entertaining. plays again on Encore-Suspense channel again Friday May 2nd @ 6:00 pm and 9:45 pm pacific time. rate

Angel Heart (1987) pretty good psych-horror mystery with Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro and a VERY tasty Lisa Bonet. some interesting plot twists throughout. I think it is one of Rourke's best. plays on EPIX channels again Thursday May 1st, Sunday May 4th and Wednesday May 7th. I rate it

Pacific Rim (2013) I am sorry to say that I actually wasted a comp PPV certificate on this "Godzilla vs Transformers" bowl of tripe a couple month ago. decent action and CGI BUT the plot is just plain stupid and and acting is crap. plays on HBO channels again Wednesday April 30th and all next week on HBO IF you want to bother. definate

Man of Steel (2013) re-run of the 1978 Superman: The Movie and 1980 Superman II this time with Henry Cavill as Superman instead of the late Christopher Reeve, Russell Crowe as his father Jor-El instead of Marlon Brando and Michael Shannon as General Zod instead of Terence Stamp. NO Lex Luthor in this offering. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane and Laurence Fishburne plays Daily Planet editor Perry White while Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play Superman's Earth Parents Jonathan and Martha Kent.

I am not a big Superman fan BUT this one did have oodles of action (to the point of overkill) with excellent CGI and some neat Krypton alien gear. thought it was actually better than the original Superman or Superman II BUT you still really have to be a fan of Superman stories to get into it. otherwise it is  just one explosion and wrecked plane or building after another and it gets boring. plays on HBO channels again Thursday May 1st, Sunday May 4th, Tuesday May 6th and Wednesday May 7th. for me it was pretty much