My Top Five Unexpected Tearjerker Moments

Every once in a while, a relatively harmless film has a major moment that packs an emotional punch. It comes at us out of nowhere and makes us take the movie a little more seriously. Some are sad, some are happy. Pull up a box of tissues and get ready to enjoy my top five tearjerker moments. Warning: Spoilers Ahead


5. Life is Beautiful: The 2nd Half

This foreign film starts off as a charmingly inventive romantic comedy, and then turns into a Holocaust drama. The first part is just a set up for how the main character gets his five year old son through the ordeal without him even knowing its going on. I have no set clip for this one so I'll just post the trailer. You should go out and rent this anyways.



4. The Breakfast Club: How The Jock Got Detention

What starts out as a simple case of locker room bullying turns into a tirade about how the character feels about his father. Sadly, I could not find this clip, so go watch the movie if you haven't already!

3. Beauty & The Beast: The Transformation

I watched this movie again for the first time in ages this year when I got the DVD, and this scene blew me away like never before. I guess when I was a kid the full impact of the film didn't quite hit me. I was to young to understand the emotional implications. It also may have had something to do with watching this clip in the special features section first:

2. Toy Story 2: When She Loved Me

Now this one really came out left field. I think this is where Pixar began to reach both kids and adults. You know they've done their job right when you can make a grown-up cry over a toy!

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's: The End

This is a romantic comedy, a genre I usually can't stand. And it wasn't even a sad ending. I don't know why it got to me, but gosh darn it! Maybe it was the music, maybe I just wanted them to find the cat. And yes, the cat really is called Cat.

It's Good To Be Bad: 1st Installment

I'm back again! In this new series, I'll be taking a look at some of my favorite villains in film history. Please don't whine if your fave isn't featured. These are my opinions only.

Margaret White Carrie 1976

Margaret White is just plain awful. When Carrie comes home after getting her first period in the school gym showers, thinking she was bleeding to death, what does Margaret do? Smacks her across the face with a Bible, and drags Carrie by the hair into a "Prayer Closet" telling her to pray for forgiveness for her wickedness (because every woman knows that the menstrual cycle is triggered by sin. NOT!) . This woman is a grade A zealot suffering from religious mania (I will not call her a Christian, her views are cult-ish and insane).When Carrie reveals her telekinetic powers to Mommie Dearest, Margaret believes Carrie is a witch and thinks that it is her Christian duty to kill her. It really gets intense when Carrie comes home after the prom massacre and just wants her mom to comfort her. Its characters like this that make us realize how lucky we are to have our own parents (unless they are just as bad, and I hope for all your sakes that they aren't).

 

Hidden Gems

This is the first of what might become a series on this blog. I will be highlighting films that few people have seen, but really should. This entry is interactive, so please watch the posted trailers before reading my comments on the film.

5. Ed Wood

This is Tim Burton's best film. Although this account of the Worst Director Ever takes a few deviations from reality, it leaves in the more interesting facts, such as his being a transvestite and his service in WWII. And Martin Landau's Oscar winning performance as a washed up Bela Lugosi is one of the best parts of the film. Even if Ed Wood was one of the worst film maker's ever, you've got to admire his determination.

4. The Days of Wine and Roses

I know what you're going to say: "But its in black & white!". Yes it is. I don't know why people let that rule there opinion of a movie. This is a powerful film about how alcohol can tear to people who love each other apart. This is one of Jack Lemmon's best performances. My only problem was that the alcoholic ward scenes seemed over the top and uninformed. Other than that, this is a true treasure of a film.

3. The Elephant Man

You really need to have a box of tissue with you for this one. You will cry. For all his physical deformity, John Merrick was one of the most beautiful human beings who ever lived. John Hurt gives an excellent performance as Merrick and so does Anthony Hopkins as the doctor who tries to help him. This movie show us that there are still good people in this world. Its also currently available on Hulu.com.

2. Jesus Christ Superstar

The last days of Jesus are set to a rock score and told from the point of view of Judas. This film actually made me see Judas in a different light, although I'm sure his motivation in real life was probably a bit different than in the movie. The actors playing Jesus and Judas are a joy to watch and listen to. even if you don't like musicals, you should give this one a try.

1. The Who's Tommy

If you like the album, you'll love the movie! I was pleasantly surprised to see so many well done acting performances by music stars such as Tina Turner as the Acid Queen and Elton John as the Pinball Wizard. Even Roger Daltrey of The Who gives a wonderful performance as the deaf, dumb and blind Tommy. See Hollywood, it can be done! The story is incredibly moving and fun. The film is also a visual treat filled with psychedelic imagery. If you have a free weekend, Tommy would make a great rental.

John Hughes, R.I.P.

Mr. Hughes was one of the few writer/directors who actually understood the teenage characters he wrote. His movies are as funny and relevant as they were when they were first released. There aren't many films you can say that about. Thank you for making us laugh and think.

Alice in Wonderland Touring Exhibit

This exhibit was part of this years Comic-Con. Don't look for it in a town near you, San Diego was it's only US stop. Here are photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/positivespace/sets/72157621729280267/

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie!

"House of Wax" Review

No, this is not the crummy Paris Hilton remake. This is the classic one from 1953. I love waxworks so this movie grabbed my attention. Poor Vincent Price. He is left to burn to death along with his paraffin people by a business partner intent on collecting on the insurance. He resurfaces a few years later, badly disfigured and intent on reopening his wax museum. Bodies go missing fom the morgue. One of the museum's visitors sees a Joan of Arc figure that has a face just like that of her murdered friend. From there the plot thickens. I only had one problem: how could the wax face that covered Price's disfigurment move lke a real face? He was a master sculptor but really! Oh well. They can't all be perfect. Now I want to go to Louis Tussaud's in Grand Prairie again.

Bubbles: O O O 1/2

Nights of Cabiria, House on Haunted Hill

I have figured out a ratings system for my reviews: bubbles instead of stars.

Nights of Cabiria

Ever have one of those days? Well Cabiria has been having one of those lives! She is a hooker looking for love in all the wrong places and suffers betrayal after betrayal at the hands of men who claim the love her. In the end, it is only by losing everything that she regains her purity and respectability. It is one of the all time classic movie endings and I will not give it away here. At times I had difficulty staying focused. I was a little disappointed in the flick.

3 and a half out of 5 bubbles. O O O 1/2

The House on Haunted Hill

Vincent Price makes another appearance in my blog. He and his wife have invited seven guests to spend the night at a haunted mansion and the winner will be given $10,000. His wife has set up this party in order to kill him, but things go horribly wrong. This movie was good, but it did bore me slightly.

Bubbles: O O O (3)