I woke up Saturday morning feeling a bit under the weather and it got worse as I got my morning coffee ready. I was back in bed before the coffee was finished and slept until late afternoon. That pretty much killed off my planned errands and chores, setting the stage for lazy weekend. Despite feeling better after the nap I settled in for a weekend in front of the TV to watch movies from my library. “Work” consisted of whatever I could do from my PC on the couch. The movie lineup consisted of:
The Outlaw Josey Wales [1976] (5 stars)
I have a strong bias towards Client Eastwood westerns and recently started watching them over from the beginning, although I watched Josey Wales out of order (based upon release date). The Outlaw Josey Wales has always been one of my favorite movies of all time and I like it more each time I watch it. There’s probably plenty of valid criticism of it as a movie but I get lost in the story and cinematography and don’t notice the negatives.
It’s one of the few movies I double-dipped and recently added the Blu-ray version. The quality was pretty good considering it’s an old movie but I didn’t notice anything new among the extras. I don’t regret buying the Blu-ray version since it’s one of my favorite’s, but otherwise the Blu-ray wasn’t worth the double-dip. The movie itself is five stars in my book.
Joe Kidd [1972] (4 stars)
After Josey Wales I went back on track and watched Joe Kidd. This is an enjoyable movie but my least favorite Eastwood western. With John Sturges as the director I would have expected more. There’s a bit of Eastwood humor and the move is short enough to keep from getting boring but it’s mainly Clint being a bad-ass, Dirty Harry style. Still, it’s a Western with Clint so my bias has me giving it four stars even though most people would probably stretch to give it three.
Leon – The Professional [1994] (5 stars)
Another classic in my book. A great story with engaging characters and lots of action, what more could I ask for? A young Natalie Portman is great as Mathilda and I love it when Gary Oldman plays an unhinged character. He’s probably a little more unhinged than he should be in this one but it just adds to the movie.
There’s plenty of action scenes although they are mostly shooting and go light on special effects. The movie’s carried by the story and the acting although there’s plenty of violence. A five star movie every time I watch it.
Spy Who Came in From the Cold [1965] (5 stars)
Like John le Carre’s books, I have to be in the right frame of mind to watch this movie about spies in the cold war. A movie about the characters and dialog, not much in the way of action. Completely different than the previous movies. A few twists and an unhappy ending, Still, it gets 5 stars when I’m in the mood to watch it, if I’m not in the mood to pay attention I’d probably fall asleep.
Moonraker [1979] (2 stars)
My least favorite James Bond movie. I’ve been watching them in order and have been stuck on this one for awhile, not wanting to watch it but not wanting to skip it. I don’t remember thinking it was all that bad back in ’79 so I guess space and the space shuttle were more interesting back then, a least to a teenager. But it didn’t age well.
Maybe it was because I’d convinced myself it would be a terrible experience watching it again, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I might even give it 2 1/2 or 4 stars. It was gadget filled which helped a bit.
High Plains Drifter [1973] (5 stars)
Another Clint Eastwood western. This one is heavy on the violence and the man with no name (the Stranger) isn’t necessarily the good guy one expects in a classic western. Add to that a bit of the supernatural – is he the dead sheriff or just channeling him? Another 5 star classic in my book.
For Your Eyes Only [1982] (5 stars)
I had to wash Moonraker from my eyes so I ended the weekend with the next James Bond movie – For Your Eyes Only. This was John Glen’s first stint as a James Bond director and one of my favorites with Roger Moore as Bond. While Bond movies aren’t known for realism it was nice to see a more down to earth Bond after the last movie. (Apologies for the pun). Heavy on the action I give this one 5 stars, the only Roger Moore Bond movie to get 5 from me.
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