Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Date watched: November 23

Review: Shadow of a Doubt, is without a doubt another classic Hitchcock movie. With top notch performances from Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Even better than that were the persona of the characters they portrayed. Charlie was the leader of the family, young and innocent, and very confused. Uncle Charlie is a stylish and menacing sociopath. They were just fun to watch. The movie has some flaws that hurt it some though. The mother of Charlie and brother of Uncle Charlie was quite annoying. Just about every second she was on screen talking was mind numbing. Charlie's father and his friend Herbie Hawkins banter about how they would kill each other was just pure brilliance! And of course a very harrowing climax.

Rating: 8.9/10.0

Casino Royale (2006)

Date watched: November 17

Review: James Bond is back in action, and has a new attitude. Or what I should really say, is he has a new attitude compared to his predeecessor Pierce Brosnan. Daniel Craig brings back the darkness of James Bond that Timothy Dalton brought to the role. He executes the role with near perfection. Casino Royale attempts to stay true to the original 1953 book by Ian Fleming, when it eventually gets to those parts that is, and does well until some of the ending scenes. While the movie was still a little too much of an action flick, it tuned the action down some, and is a big step up from Die Another Day. It will definitely be interesting to see where Craig takes this franchise. The villains and Bond girls that are an essential part of the Bond franchise are superb in this flick. Some of the action scenes are a little unbelievable, but that's ok, it's just a movie. At least there are no computer generated scenes that are very unnatural. The series is back, and waiting for the next movie seems like waiting for the next millennium to come around.

Rating: 9.1/10.0

Rope (1948)

Date watched: November 12

Review: Alfred Hitchcock consistantly messes with his viewers. Rope is no different. The start of the movie starts with a murder, and the murderers aren't hidden from the viewer. Throughout the whole movie the viewer knows, while the people surrounding these murderers do not have a clue. James Stewart pulls off another extravagant performance in his first Hitchcock movie of his career. His character is one of many that have their own uniqueness that makes this movie all the more impressive. With a wide cast of characters and many moments of suspense, this makes for one of the best films of the 1940's.

Rating: 9.5/10.0

The Birds (1963)

Date watched: November 11

Review: Bodega Bay, Bodega Bay, Bodega Bay! Remind me to never go there if I happen to be in California. Alfred Hitchcock, the theatrical master of suspense, is just like the literary master of suspense, Dean Koontz, he never disappoints. This movie ranks up there with his best movies such as Vertigo and The Lady Vanishes. It has what those two movies have, believable characters, enjoyable dialogue, and tension that rips you out of your seat and makes you want to look away from the screen, though you just have to keep watching, because if you don't, something may go terribly wrong. Tippi Hedren did a great job with her innocent victim role as Melanie Daniels, while Rod Taylor did a swell job not letting her steal the movie. This macabre movie is masterful, and with the last twenty minutes of the movie, turn on the lights, and watch out for The Birds!

Rating: 9.3/10.0

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Date watched: November 11

Review: The Man Who Knew Too Much came in the middle of Alfred Hitchcock's career, and that's about where it lands in ranking of his movies. The movie had supreme acting by James Stewart and Doris Day, while the rest of the cast did excellent as well. While the plot was mysterious and the characters smoking, the suspense was toned down for this movie. The movie goes by quickly for a two hour movie, but it is not because of a fast moving plot, but of a smooth moving one. The plot was simple enough so that the viewer doesn't have to pay too much attention, and still understand all the details. The most important part of the movie is the look into the world of a family who is put into an abnormal situation, and what that family will do to stay together. Hitchcock knows how to create an atmosphere for the actors of the movie to perform at their peak.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Date watched: November 10

Review: Expecting Borat to have anti-Semitism and rated R Napoleon Dynamite humor, I was surpised to get the opposite out of this film. I'm glad that the movie exposed the ridiculousness of racism, and I'm sure this movie will be misunderstood by thousands. The movie did have some completely outrageous and disgusting moments. What made up for this was the completely unexpected. The movie gives you humor from the most random directions, unlike the usual comedy movies of the last few years, which just inserts all the vulgarity and slapstick in hopes to make a few bucks rather than a few good laughs.

Rating: 8.3/10.0