Recycled Flicks

From watching movies on Blockbuster’s version of Netflicks here are the latest movies we watched (psst! it seems there was another one, but I can’t remember what it was):


GONE BABY GONE. The movie was based on the Dennis Lehane novel about two Boston area detectives. It was adopted and the screenplay was partly written by Ben Affleck and also directed it. And, it starred his kid brother Casey Affleck along with Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman. It mostly takes place in the old run-down neighborhoods in Boston, - if you saw the movie MYSTIC RIVER, you know what I mean.

Everybody but Morgan Freeman had a thick Boston accent so a lot of the dialog got by us. It is about a kidnapping of a little girl from a white-trashy girl. Near the end, the movie has a couple of unexpected twists. They were not new twists, there are other movies with the same twists.

Like I said, a lot of the dialog got by me because of the Boston accents, but a couple of expressions I could understand, I guess because the sentences or expressions were constantly repeated throughout the movie: “Fuck you!”. “Up your ass!”, and “Kill my ass!”… some statements are just too universal to be limited to any one region.

Casey Affleck’s character had to face the age-old dilemma should he do what in the long run is right or go by what is the law.

I thought Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan did excellent acting in it. Morgan Freeman did too – but he wasn’t in it that much – he just showed up on pay days.


LIONS FOR LAMBS. The Lions are the strong fighting men who give their life without questioning their leaders their motives for getting the in the mess they are in, and the Lambs are the leaders – thinking they are too good to fight and has the Lions do the fighting for them.

It takes place during the recent conflict in Afghanistan. The movie was directed by Robert Redford. I got the idea that at the same time there are three conversations going on at the same moment in time. A college professor with a rebellious but intelligent student in the prof’s office; a reporter and a hawk U.S. Senator; and two young U.S. soldiers fighting for their lives on a snow covered mountain surrounded by the enemy.

The professor (Robert Redford) is trying to reason with a student to do something that will make a difference – he sensed the kid is anti-establishment anyway, and intelligent – he would be a great person to get some anti-war things going.

On Capital Hill there is a little roster of a man, a U.S. Senator, proud and a braggart being an expert politician , with presidential ambitions, and in a way orchestrating the war. He is granting a reporter (Meryl Streep) the joy of interviewing him and is giving her an exclusive. In the interview she asks him why wasn’t he over their fighting and you can tell he was insulted, he let her know he was the first in his class at West Point and said something to the effect that he had made great accomplishments and why "hold that against him" - which I interpreted that to say that he was saying that only low achievers end up fighting and facing the enemy - which just isn't true.

And, in the middle of the night on a snow cap mountain in Afghanistan are fighting – because that is how you defend your country, but were they just pawns?

Good movie. It was depressingly good.



WALK HARD, THE DEWEY COX STORY. It starred John C. Reilly who was sort of a reincarnate of Elvis, The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan and others…. He did the same things they did, but was part of the each their type of music and movements. It was very funny. I cracked up laughing several times, which says a lot. Well actually instead of saying a lot it cackles a lot.

It is kind of a musical Forrest Gump. It was funny and great… it was one of those movies where the creators knew no limits of their creative licenses. And it had a good beat throughout it.

It was my kind of movie. Well, one of my kinds, anyway.