The Simpsons Movie

1. Irony
1. The town of Springfield was trapped like rats, except rats couldn't be trapped that easily (they're trapped more like carrots).
2. Ned Flanders: Thank you, Lord, for this bountiful...
   Ned Flanders: [screams]
   Ned Flanders: PENIS!
   Rob and Todd Flanders: [devoutly] ... bountiful penis.
   Todd Flanders: Amen
3. Homer: Hey, those idiots don't even know where we live.
4. Russ Cargill: Of course I have. You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring. No one listens to you!
5. Girl on Phone: You hang up first.
   Boy on Phone: No, you hang up first.
   Girl: Okay.
   [hangs up]
   Boy: What the-? She hung up on me!
2. Puns
1. Swartzeneggar: I came here to lead not to read.
2. Dome Sweet Dome
3. Nome Sweet Nome
4. Montgomery Burns: Smithers... I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it, it might cheer me up to watch.
5. Comic Book Guy: I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books... and now there's only time to say... LIFE WELL SPENT!
6. EPA Official: S-sir, I'm afraid you've gone mad with power...
3. Parody
1. The Green Day boat sank like the Titanic.
2. Lisa made a presentation similar to An Inconvenient Truth.
3. Barney Gumble: "Honey, I'm home."
4. If you can find a greasier sandwich, you're in Mexico!
5. Bart (as he wears bra as Mickey Mouse ears): I'm the mascot of an evil corporation!
4. Satire
1. Homer: "We have a great life here in Alaska, and we're never going back to America again!"
2. Pres. Swartzeneggar never read any of orders.
3. Nobody knows what the EPA is.
4. The gov't finally found a criminal that they are looking for
5. The gov't is listening to all phone calls and conversations
6. "Finally, a white man is in control"

Top 10 Favorite Movies:

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Lion King (1992)
3. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
4. The Great Dictator (1940)
5. The Secret of Nimh (1982)
6. Brazil (1985)
7. Star Wars:  A New Hope (1977)
8. Indiana Jones: And the Last Crusade (1989)
9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
10. Plague Dogs (1982)

PHS Paradiso

2012 Senior Hallway

Kim (Who always helped me when I needed it)

Mrs. Janet Turgeon

My Sable (The only way to work)



Citizen Kane

 

(*********)* I give it 9 broken snow globes out of 10

“Rosebud”, this one word kept me captivated the whole movie and I kept asking myself, “What does that mean”. If one is not a fan of black and white movies or of boring, yet complex and interesting, stories I suggest that one should not continue with this review. This is definitely a movie I would like to watch again.I did very much enjoy this movie and I would hope to see it again. My intention is to understand the mind of Kane in a way that would get across to someone that was confused while watching this movie.

Orson Welles stars in the 1941 classic drama Citizen Kane along with:

·Joseph Cotton as Jedediah Leland

·Dorothy Comingore as Susan Alexander Kane

·Everett Sloane as Mr. Bernstein

·Ray Collins as Jim W. Gettys

·George Coulouri as Walter Parks Thatcher

·Agnes Moorehead as Mary Kane

·Paul Stewart as Raymond

·Ruth Warrick as Emily Monroe Norton Kane

·William Alland as Jerry Thompson

·Etc.

The movie starts off with the death of Charles Foster Kane, an extremely wealthy media proprietor, as he utters his dying words “Rosebud…” and drops a snow globe he’s been holding. The newsreel reporter Jerry Thompson is sent to uncover the meaning behind Kane’s cryptic, last word. The whole movie is through the telling of various friends and associates flashbacks, going from his ex-wife Ms. Alexander to Jedediah Leland, his best friend. Kane is revealed to have been torn from his family at a young age and spend much of his adult life tearing apart the wealth and possessions of his new guardian, Walter Parks Thatcher (George Coulouris). I won’t go any further into the story, in fear of spoiling the ending or key plot points; but, I would like to give my own opinion of this movie.

The mind of Kane is very simple in that all he wants is to regain his lost childhood. All of his actions have either been in defiance of those who removed him from his family or in the pursuit of “love on [his] own terms”. Even the statues he collects are incomplete, representing his own incomplete nature and his drive for perfection the way he wants it to be. Kane starts off as an idealistic young man with a set of principles, but quickly abandons them in the pursuit of what he thinks is right, even if others don’t approve.

I would have to recommend to anyone focused on character development or a fan of the mystery/drama genera. I know that I won’t be able to add anything new that hasn’t already been said, so I won’t try. I just wanted to understand Kane and what he was going through. By the end I sympathized withed him and hoped that my life would not be spent lost in a world that I could never find again.

Ben-Hur

I’ll give it 7 white horses out of 10

Memorable Quote: by Quintus Arrius: “Your eyes are full of hate, forty-one. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength.”

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Ben-Hur? Probably not much so I will only give my own opinion and a little of the plot and movie history. Ben-Hur is the 1959 epic Action/Adventure/Drama directed by William Wyler and most notably starring Charlton Heston. It takes place along the same time scale as Jesus Christ (so roughly 1-33 A.D.) and also makes several prominent cameos.

The movie starts off with the birth of Jesus, marking the similarities with Judah’s and Jesus’s lives later on in life. Jesus makes many brief appearances in the film and most of the time it’s just the cast talking about his miracles and powerful message. The movie mostly centers around Judah’s fall from grace as he constantly wants revenge against Messala (his former best friend and governor of Judea [played by Stephen Boyd]) and his later redemption. There is also a secondary plot about his mother and sisters (Miriam and Tirzah [Martha Scott and Cathy O’Donnell, respectively]) getting leprosy, Judah finding out and revealing that he knows their lepers. They are later healed by the blood of Jesus as he “dies” on the cross.

Now, all that’s left is my own opinion. I personally view this movie as an epic drama that can take hold of one at times. I, being an atheist, cannot truly be completely enthralled by the spectacle of the story of Jesus. I can understand the joy, sorrow, weeping, and teachings of the Christ, but I have never been able to fully grasp the fullness of the tale (I can see why the Vatican approved this movie). Overall, I really enjoyed the scale and epic-ness of this film and my favorite parts are the revenge story against Messala, the leprosy, and the awesome chariot race in the Circus Maximus (or what I believe is the Circus Maximus). I would recommend this to any Christian who wants a better understand of the start of their religion and many of the teachings it holds; also, I would recommend anyone else of other faiths and non-faiths to watch it just for the sheer power of this movie.

Psycho

I give this movie 9 stuffed birds out of 10

The 1960 film is a classic in the Horror/Thriller/Mystery genre. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins as Normon Bates (the motel owner), Vera Miles as Lila Crane (the banker on the run), John Gavin as Sam Loomis (Lila's boyfriend), and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane (Lila's Sister). I really enjoyed this film and (thankfully no one told me) the suprise ending. I was genuinely scared of this movie. Not so much from the shower scene or the deaths but more from the psychological aspect. I want to go somewhat into Bates’s psyche and explore around a little.

From the beginning, one gets the feeling that this movie will be about Lila Crane and her escape from the law with the $40,000, but the movie takes a sharp turn as the focus is shifted to the other characters instead. This includes one of the most interesting of them all, Normon Bates. The quote “a boy’s best friend is his mother, never rang more true than with the twist ending with… well, I wouldn’t want to give anything away to any non-Psycho viewers, but one must watch from beginning to end. I really felt for Bates, and I don’t know how many would say that. It seemed to me that his behavior stemmed from a lot of psychological abuse and dependency issues. It’s not so much that he was a bad guy as he was a tragic case of mental breakdown.

I would recommend this movie-just like my Kane review-to any fan of subtlety and suspense. This movie deserves to be among the greats of film classics. i would also like to note that... don't be afraid of black and white films, they are very well done and offer something that color just can't reach.