Movies I've been wasting time watching

Instead of doing anything really productive, I've been watching a lot of movies during the last few weeks. You would think I would have the time for more posts. Here is a list of the last dozen or so movies that I have watched and some brief thoughts on them, roughly in order from first to last. Remember - the ratings only reflect how I personally feel about the movie, not necessarily how anyone else might rate them or how good they actually are.

• V for Vendetta - I watched this one before the end of the last school term. There had been numerous mentions of it in my English class because of the dystopian world that it portrays. This was a decent movie but I wasn't enamored by it like some of my classmates seemed to be. I've probably gotten too old to feel very passionate about a movie like this. It has Natalie Portman in it, who I usually like, but I wasn't all that impressed by her in this role. Don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad movie and it can prompt important thoughts and discussion. It just didn't present anything new to me personally and it seemed a little too fairy tale like. I did like seeing the use of the Guy Fawkes mask that the meta-group Anonymous started using after this movie. Apparently the original graphic novel series was much better and a lot more complex. I have not yet read any of them although I would like to now. 8/10
• Meerkat Manor -  This is not a film. This is a series that was on Animal Planet from 2005 to 2008. It is a combination of a documentary with dramatic narration about a family of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert. The show came out of a long term study done by Cambridge University. It is a really interesting show and the individual meerkats have definite personalities and distinct relationships with the other members. An interesting look into the lives of a mammal I knew nothing about. I watch 4 or 5 episodes a week and still have two more from the first season to go. 8.5/10
•  Bringing Up Baby - I kept seeing this movie in "best of" lists and have been wanting to watch it. I told some friends about it and we finally watched it together. I wasn't sure what to expect and that's what I got. This film is considered a "screwball comedy". I guess that's as good a general description as any. It was directed by Howard Hawks and starred Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. I like a lot of the work of all three of these. Katherine Hepburn was unbelievable. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near this crazy woman. This was a quirky and kind of strange movie that I liked a lot because it was so quirky and strange, especially for a 1938 comedy. 8/10
• The Watchmen - I had never read the popular graphic novel series that this movie was based on so I had no preconceptions about it. I thought it was a fun twist on the superhero genre and am always a sucker for alternate history stories. Because I wasn't familiar with the story, the end had a twist that I hadn't expected. I like the dark atmosphere, similar to Batman, Bladerunner, or Brazil. I would watch it again. And now I want to read the graphic novels. 8.5/10
• Huckleberry Finn -  This Mark Twain classic has even more film versions than Tom Sawyer. This one was made in1939, was filmed in black and white, and starred Mickey Rooney as Huck Finn. Much tamer than the book, but still a fun adaptation. 8.5/10
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - In Technicolor! This Twain story is timeless. This 1938 adaptation (and the book) will never get old. 9/10
• Inception - There has been a lot of hype around this movie and it is being rated very high on "best of" lists. I was skeptical, but wanted to see it because it sounded intriguing. There were some interesting ideas about dreams presented, but it found some of the story a little hard to swallow. A suspension of disbelief is definitely required to watch this film. I don't dislike Leonardo DiCaprio (I liked him in Romeo and Juliet), but I was unimpressed with this wooden acting. The climax of the movie was exciting but seemed inevitable and predictable. There was a subplot twist that left you guessing at the end that helped the end of the movie to be more satisfying. This movie was fun to watch, but didn't live up to the hype for me. 8.5/10
• Treasure Island - Another classic story that still holds up well for me. There have been dozens of remakes of this on film and TV, including one with the Muppets). I chose the1950 Disney version (their first live action film), although it is a toss-up for me on whether I like this one the best or the 1934 version with Jackie Cooper. How can you not like a classic pirate story like this? 9/10
• Greenlit - A recent independent documentary. Very short at less than an hour. An interesting and important subject which will probably not be promoted much by Hollywood. That's because it's about all of the waste and pollution that making movies cause. The movie being made that it examines is trying to be "green" but can't even adapt to simple measures like recycling, sorting garbage, or using reusable water bottles. A sad commentary on the hypocrisies of many Hollywood actors. 7.9/10
• Primer -I think that I really like this film. But I need to watch it again at least one more time before I completely understand what is going on. It can be a little difficult to follow. It is about the accidental discovery of time travel. The movie was made in 2004 for only $7000 by a mathematician/engineer and made just under $425K. On it's opening weekend it made $28K at four theaters. At one point 31 different theaters were showing it. This means no one saw it. A conservative estimate is 71,000 people.  Don't let that discourage you. Let the dense technical language and dialogue and the heavy use of actual physics do that. If you can get past all of that deliberate confusion and can follow along with what's going on, it is a really good story. An interesting new take on time travel movies. 9/10
• The World According to Monsanto - Another one of those documentaries on a subject that everyone should be a lot more informed about than they are. It can be angering, frustrating, and depressing to watch films like this. And they aren't exactly exciting or fun to watch. But if you care about knowing the truth instead of just keeping your head in the sand and believing the lies and propaganda of powerful corporations you should watch this and similar ones. Stay away from conspiracy movies and any show that has anyone in it that has been on the Art Bell show. Exercise your critical thinking skills. 8/10
• Machete -Yeah! Super fun movie. Lots of fake over-the-top acting, violence, and special effects. Yet it all manages to work perfectly. Great casting too. Republicans and Tea Partiers have described this movie as a how-to for illegal Mexicans instructing them on how to take over the US. That's almost as funny as this movie. Many people will hate this movie because it shows just how stupid they are. Many others will love it because it shows how stupid those other people are. And its funny. 9/10
• Swiss Family Robinson - This is the 1960 Disney version. I really liked this movie a lot when I was a little kid. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up very well for me as an adult and I had a hard time getting through it. Too idealistic or something. For example, it was cute when the youngest son kept getting pet animals from the deserted tropical island, but they were all way to tame to begin with. And what a place! Ostriches, elephants, tigers, hyenas, zebras, monkeys, etc. Where were they? The fight between the dogs and the tiger was...interesting. I wonder if they could get away with that now. I think I would still love this movie if I was 10. I would like to watch 1940 RKO version to compare the two. 7.5/10
•  Scrooged - A Christmas Story came in a close second but Erik, Mary Kate, and I ended up watching this one Christmas afternoon. Carol Kane's performance of the Ghost of Christmas Present was by far the best part of the movie. A classic story but not Bill Murray's best performance. 7.5/10
• Rushmore - After watching Scrooged we were talking about other Bill Murray movies and decided to watch this one. I guess this film got some good reviews. It was a somewhat interesting story and a little different, but I didn't really care that much for it. 6.5/10