Bill and Ted's excellent adventure

I saw this long ago as a child and recently watched it again to show it to a friend.  It's an excellent cinematic indulgence -- simple premise, colorful cast of characters, and fanciful adventure all grounded in the modern (if you consider 1988 modern) suburban experience.  Although I wouldn't call it educational, I would definitely say that before I saw this movie I didn't know who a lot of the historical figures mentioned were.  Their portrayal in the movie has always been the image I conjure whenever they come up in conversation (some memorable ones: Socrates, Billy the kid, Sigmund Freud, Genghis Khan).  

Flags of our fathes

Just saw this movie. It is extremely moving in a "guy movie" kind of way. The premise is that a single photograph of American soliders had a great impact on American support for the war, as well as on the lives of the people who were in the photo. Men from the photo are asked to return home to help raise money for the war.

It explores the idea of why soldiers do not consider themselves heroes, and some insights into the mindset of America during that time period.

Highlights: Soldiers getting their limbs blown off, disintegrated by mortars, firefights, and all the stuff you might expect from a WW II movie. Lots of war scenes juxtaposed with scenes of the battle for public support on the homestead.

Recomendation: Definitely see it if you're a guy. Male viewers will probably appreciate the 'buddy' qualities of the movie, the violence, and the notion of doing something you're not proud of for the sake of duty. Viewers with high sensitivities may be turned off by the battle scenes and/or confused by the lack of emotional displays given the dire nature of the subject matter. If you've ever enjoyed playing a WWII video game (like Call of duty: World at war) you will appreciate this movie.

Introduction

I'm a movie lover who hardly has the time to watch any movies. Back when I had more time, I used to sneak into the cinema and watch film after film all day long. Admittedly, this does not serve the purpose of bolstering the artists or providing them financial support for their work, nor is that the purpose of this blog. This blog is for movie appreciators who are not watching movies for the sake of "art" or other pretentious notions. It is meant to share insights of a utilitarian movie lover with little time on his hands.