Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer

Released: February 4 1994

• Director: Nick Broomfield
• Leading characters: Aileen Wuornos - herself, Arlene Pralle - herself, Nick Broomfield - himself, Steve Glazer - himself
• Documentary
• Rated R for for language and sexual references
• #852 on list

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield explores the troubled life and deadly end of female killer Aileen Wuornos. Filmed after Wuornos was imprisoned but before she was put to death, the documentary highlights the media blitz surrounding her case, culminating in interviews with Wuornos as well as her lawyer, her lover and her adoptive mother. * taken from Netflix

How do you review a documentary? You really cant since it's actual facts so I'll just describe Aileen's life and my feelings while watching the movie.

Aileen, also known as Lee, is said the be the first woman serial killer but really she's the first on record to kill by gun. Most women serial killers kill with poison (read this about one of the women who found poison as her method of choice) .
Lee had a hard life from the start, she was born to a mother who married at 15, divorced two years later and two months before Lee was born.
Lee never knew her father, he was a child molester and in prison at the time she was born and committed suicide when she was 13. When she was 4 her mother abandoned her and her brother, leaving then with her maternal grandparents who legally adopted them 2 months after her mother left.

Early on in her life Lee starting engaging in sexual acts with multiple partners, including her own brother. She became pregnant at 13, she claimed she was raped by an unknown man. She gave the boy up for adoption right after he was born.
Her grandmother died of liver failer when she was 15 and her grandfather kicked her out of his house. She then began supporting herself as a prostitute.

Throughout her life she was committing crimes and getting arrested. Just a small example of what she's done: She hit a 70-year-old man with his own cane, throwing a cue call at a bar tender's head, committed armed robbery, forged checks, and committed grand theft auto.

She was charged for murdering 7 men between 1989 to 1990. She claimed it was self defense but with her dark past I'm thinking she really did it.
While in prison Arlene Pralle, a born again christian, sprung up a friendship and then adopted the 31 year old. She said that she wanted her to be apart of her family and really cared for her but really I think she was in it for the money since the press were all over Lee's story. Arlene said that she wouldn't interview with Nick, the director, unless he pay her, her lawyer and Lee $10,000.
Steve the lawyer was just as shady. It would be a cold day in Hell before I let him be my lawyer. The first time we meet him in the movie he's sitting next to a creepy dummy that he made since he has imaginary friends, makes perfect sense doesn't it?
He's a failed musician and every chance he got he'd sing on camera, he never really cared how Lee was feeling, he just wanted to make sure he got his chunk of the money.

Arlene and Steve convinced Lee to confess to the murders to clear her soul for God. Lee did so thinking that if she did it wouldn't give the press any fuel for their movie wanting fires. It didn't matter since a movie was in the works anyway. Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story was put out in 1992.
The film ends with an interview with Lee trying to convince Nick to find the cops who were turning over their stories for movie rights. Nick later says that the cops Lee wanted him to see wont meet with him but they were all suspended from the force.

Curious to see what happened to Lee after the film I googled her story.  She petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for the right to fire her legal counsel and stop her appeals. She said, "I killed those men, robbed them as cold as ice. And I'd do it again, too. There's no chance in keeping me alive or anything, because I'd kill again. I have hate crawling through my system...I am so sick of hearing this 'she's crazy' stuff. I've been evaluated so many times. I'm competent, sane, and I'm trying to tell the truth. I'm one who seriously hates human life and would kill again." * wikipedia
In her last interview with Nick she claimed that her mind was being controlled by "sonic pressure" to make her seem crazy and said her coming death would be like being taken away be angels on a space ship.
Her last statement before her Lethal Injection on October 9 2002 was, "Yes, I would just like to say I'm sailing with the rock, and I'll be back, like Independence Day with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I'll be back, I'll be back." * wikipedia

There are a few books and movies out about Lee's life with the newest being the 2003 Movie Monster with Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci.

For review purposes I'd give the documentary 3 out of 5 star.

She Done Him Wrong

She Done Him Wrong

Released: February 9 1933

• Director: Lowell Sherman
• Leading characters: Mae West - Lady Lou, Cary Grant - Captain Cummings, Owen Moore - Chick Clark, Noah Beery - Gus Jordan
•  Classic Comedy
• Not Rated
• #74  on list

Saucy cabaret singer Lady Lou keeps plenty of men entertained but finds protection from a criminal ex-lover in the arms of a young Salvation Army captain. *taken from Netflix

The National Legion of Decency was formed in October of 1933 from the Roman Catholic Church to say what was or wasn't appropriate for motion pictures, this film played a big role for forming this organization. The Legion was much more conservative with ratings than the Production Code (which I have to say is pretty harsh compared to now) with ratings being:

A: Morally unobjectionable

B: Morally objectionable in part
C: Condemned by the Legion of Decency
The A rating was subsequently divided:
A-I: Suitable for all audiences
A-II: Suitable for adults — then, with the introduction of A-III — suitable for adults and adolescents
A-III: Suitable for adults only
A-IV: For adults with reservations
In 1978, the B and C ratings were combined into a new O rating for "morally offensive" films. *taken from Wikipedia
In my opinion the movie really wasn't that racy or bad, but I guess back in the day with its hinting at sex it was very risque.

This movie was only shot in 3 weeks and is the shortest movie, at 66 minutes, to receive an Academy Award nominated for Best Picture. It's the only movie Mae West received an Academy Award Nomination.

The movie's line "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" was voted as the #26 movie quote by the American Film Institute, I love how Mae says the line in the movie. She's really over the top but does it so well that it just seems normal. She was sewn into most of her costumes and I wish it was in color so I could see all the beautiful fabric.

This was my favorite dress she wore, it was very sparkly the sleeves fascinated me. One of the catch phrases of the movie was " Love was only a pastime but diamonds were a career" this dress says just that!

This was Cary Grants break through role and he played it marvelously, you just swooned every time he came on camera.

I give this 3 out of 5 stars

Blackmail

Blackmail

Released: October 6 1929

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Leading characters: Anny Ondra - Alice White, John Longden - Detective Frank Webber, Donald Calthrop - Blackmailer
• Crime/Thriller
• Not Rated
• #44 on list

After killing an artist in self-defense, Alice attempts to cover up her involvement. But with her detective fiancé investigating the case and a ruthless blackmailer harassing her, Alice realizes that getting away with murder won't be easy. *Taken from Netflix

John and I both really liked this movie. It's a black and white and about the first 5 min are silent picture style, but morphs into a talkie. It was Alfred Hitchcock's first venture into making films with sound and I think he did a good job.

Some interesting tidbits on the movie are that much of the film was shot silent style but some scenes were re-shot when sound became available. One problem though was that Anny Ondra (Alice) had a thick German accent and she was suppose to be British in the movie. To solve the problem they had Joan Berry stand just out of shot and read Anny's lines and she mouthed them on camera. This is now acknowledged as the first time an actor's voice was dubbed.

Also Alfred Hitchcock wanted to use the British Museum as his final chase scene but light was so bad it couldn't be filmed there so he used the Schufftan process. This is when still photos are shot of a location then reflected into mirrors with silver of the mirror scraped away where doorways/windows need to be so actors can be filmed like they're in location .

The plot in this movie was very good (Alfred Hitchcock didn't write it though, it was developed from a play) and really pulled you in. You just have to find out if Alice gets caught or not! Some of the acting is a little cheesy but back then if it wasn't full of cheese it wasn't good.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

I love the Lord of the Rings movies and everyone has seen them so no review will be written but there is one thing I need to throw out there.

When they Ents (tree people) are attacking I always play The Trees by RUSH in my head. Perfect fit.
Apparently someone else agrees and put that scene with the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN6Ed8rBthU

Watch. Enjoy. Rock out.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

Released: February 15 1985

• Director: John Hughes
• Leading Characters: Esteves - Andrew Clark, Anthony Michael Hall - Brian Johnson, Judd Nelson - John Bender, Molly Ringwald - Clair Standish, Ally Sheedy - Allison Reynolds
• Dramatic Comedy
• Rated R for launguage, drug use and sexual content (all talking, no doing)
• #720 on list

I'm not sure why this movie is on the list, why it's called The Breakfast Club (I googled it after we watched it and IMDB said  its from the nickname invented by students and staff for detention at New Trier High School, the school attended by the son of one of John Hughes' friends. Thus, those who were sent to detention were designated members of "The Breakfast Club". Lame.)

Five Chicago high school kids (the athlete, the brain,the criminal, the princess and the basket case )are from different circles and stations in life are forced to spend a Saturday together in detention. The disparate group clashes at first but begin to bond as they reveal their feelings and find a common enemy in their bully principal. *Taken from Netflix

I had really high hopes with the movie since Don't You (Forget About Me) plays during the opening credits, but truthfully I don't get this movie.
I don't feel like it really has a plot and it really bounces from scene to scene (but maybe this is because that's how the kids are passing their time in detention). They took the kids characters to extremes and made them really over the top. Yeah I knew jocks, princesses and weirdos in school but none of them were that intense.

In one scene the kids are sitting in a circle talking about why they're in detention and life in general and it becomes so deep. The jock goes off about how his dad is too hard on him, wanting him to only win (while the camera circles around him really dramatically) and I guess you're suppose to feel bad for him but all I felt was lack of interest.
The nerd then says that he views them as friends now that they've spent all these hours together, really you're friends? All you do is yell at each other, put each other down and fight, do friends really do that?
After the princess Claire's very honest speech that they really cant be friends because of their social standings John blows up at her saying very hurtful things but then she's kissing him a few minutes later, I go around kissing people who call me names to, doesn't everyone?
The best scene is when the kids are hiding John under the desk because he's suppose to be locked up in another room. I was actually mildly entertained, then it ended and the boredom kicked in again.

I read some of the reviews trying to figure out why people are drawn to this movie and while reading I was wondering if they watched a different movie than I did. Don't get my wrong, I usually love 80's movies but this one was just too out there for me. Bad acting, bad script, bad plot, just not my cup of tea.

The music was really good though....

I'd give this 2 out of 5 stars.

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

Released: March 6 1998

• 
  
  
  Director: Joel Coen
• 
  
  
  Leading Characters:
• 
  
  
  Jeff Bridges - Jeffery Lebowski - The Dude
• 
  
  
  John Goodman - Walter Sobchak
• 
  
  
  Comedy
• 
  
  
  Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence
• 
  
  
  #1006 on release year list

Slacker Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) gets involved in a gargantuan mess of events when he's mistaken for another man named Lebowski, whose wife has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. All the while, Dude's friend, Walter (John Goodman), stirs the pot. *taken from Netflix
 
This movie was borrowed to us from a friend. My favorite types of movies to watch are ones that I've never heard of and are just given to me to watch, usually it ends well and I love the movie, this one didn't end that way.
 
I don't even really know what to say about this movie. It was so full of unneeded F words that it was hard to filter through to the story line and figure out what's going on. It was described as a comedy, but we rarely laughed. The funniest scene was where Lebowski is pouring out his friend's ashes over a cliff and they blow back into Water's face. Other than that we sat stone faced on the couch with maybe a little chuckle here and there.
Bridges does do a good job at portraying the lazy bum and he does make it interesting but not enough to really pull us in.
 
It's not a movie I would recommend to anyone but maybe I need to watch it again to actually get it...
 
I give it one out of five stars

Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge!
Release date: June 1 2001

• Director: Baz Luhrmann
• Leading Characters:
• Nicole Kidman - Satine
• Ewan McGregor - Christian
• Musical
• Rated PG13 for sexual content
• #987 on release year list

Christian comes to Paris to become a Bohemian poet but finds himself swept up by some actors to write the musical they want shown at the Moulin Rouge. Christian then finds himself falling in love with the head courtesan, Satine, who someone already has claims on.
Satine is also hiding a deadly secret from everyone  so she can make it as a famous actor.

This is one of my favorite movies and I've own it for many years. The only song that is completely original in the whole movie is "Come What May" (even that wasn't written for this movie) most of the other songs are re-works of famous songs so they really pull you in.

This is a slightly odd movie and the first time I saw it it left me thinking, "huh?". It's all over the place and really quirky but after a few more views I fell in love.
It really isn't a movie for everyone, there are some sex scenes (butts are seen), drugs/alcohol and its set in a whore house after all.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars but I might be bias