There are some tough weeks and this is one of them since I usually don’t change my mind once I see a movie. I might like it even more than the first time or it confirms that I really did dislike the movie but rarely do I change my mind. To choose 3 movies that fit the theme is frustrating me so it will be interesting to see what the others have chosen over at Wandering Through The Shelves.
Let’s see....
1. THE FRENCH CONNECTION-1971
I saw this film when I was a kid and I didn’t really care for it that much. I found it boring and confusing and didn’t revisit the film until 2 months ago. I have changed my mind because I saw the film when I was 12 which is not the best age to see this film. The film stars Gene Hackman as an unlikeable cop who, along with his partner, played by Roy Scheider, investigate a crime organization bringing heroin into the U.S. from Europe. When I saw it this time, I found it gritty, well acted and quite the thrill especially that high speed chase through New York City. It's based on a true story.
2. HOME ALONE-1990
I had no desire to see this flick when it came out since I couldn’t stand Macaulay Culkin so when I saw parts of this film, I rolled my eyes and gave it 0 chance. Years rolled by and from reading other people’s blogs about this movie, I decided to give it a try...this past December, and was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it especially the bumbling thieves played by the wonderful Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. We know the story...a family decides to go South for Christmas and, in all the confusion, the little brat, I mean Culkin, is left behind. The thieves think they have it made but don’t realize they are up against this kid. It is funny and sweet and obviously, the people who made the film loved the Warner Bros. cartoons. I'm still not a huge fan of this kid who is a grown up weirdo now.
3. FORREST GUMP-1994
I saw this film when it came out and raised my eyes up to the ceiling thinking it was overdone in praise by the critics and people..I still do. How it won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Actor over The great, "Shawshank Redemption", I’ll never know but it did. Tom Hanks plays a simple minded dolt who follows his mom’s stupid, “life is like a box of chocolates”, quote for his own life and we follow as he go to Vietnam, starts up a shrimp boat business and becomes a millionaire only to run around the country and other such feats. Since that initial mind numbing watch, I didn’t watch it for a long time until I was sick and decided to watch it when it was on TV. I actually found it sweet and well acted with quite a good screenplay that brought depth to this numbnut. I still don’t think it should have won as much as it did but it is a feel good movie.
Any movie you saw again that changed your mind about it?
"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
Again this week I can tell you that I've seen all three. I saw The French Connection when it was released in theaters. I enjoyed the action, suspense and the iconic car chase scene as Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo attempted to bust up an international drug smuggling operation. Hackman was also great in The Conversation, and my favorite film of Roy Scheider is All That Jazz. (Yes - a musical!!!)
I don't like movies with kids making faces. I don't think I watched Home Alone all the way to the end. Forrest Gump is one of Mrs. Shady's favorite films because Hanks is one of her favorite actors. I watched Gump with her twice and once was enough.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB!
I still have to see All That Jazz...believe it or not and I’m surprised you like it so it really makes me want to see this all the more, I have seen The Conversation which is quite good even though it has that 70’s ending. Home Alone is a film that is one of the last ones I would watch at Christmas even though I like it better than the first time. Forrest is a movie I don’t mind now but I can’t wait a few years before seeing it again.
Deletei am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
Deleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
Shady nailed it with the shrimp! Bittersweet film but I thought it was Oscar-worthy.
ReplyDeleteBeen racking my brain and I can't think of any film I watched a second time and liked more. Liked a lot less - plenty of those!
Yes I meant to mention about the shrimp which is true. Well, you can choose films you dislike the second time watching it
DeleteForrest Gump is definitely on my top ten Hated movies list. My son was watching it on the TV once and I had to leave the room. Once was more than enough.
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed Home Alone. Seen it countless times, including this Christmas with Charlie.
Really enjoyed the French Connection when it came out, but do not think I ever saw it again.
If I hated a movie, there is no chance I would repeat the experience. Although I remember commenting awhile back that I walked out on Jeremiah Johnson, so maybe I should give it another try.
Hahahaaa...love your Gump reaction. I can wait a couple of years..or more, before seeing Home Alone again. I love Jeremiah Johnson.
DeleteI've seen all three of your picks this week! They're all fin films. I watched French Connection for a Blind Spot and I don't remember much of it now outside of the ending. It didn't stick with me.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite of the 3 actually. I love the car chase where they did not have a permit for this and Hackman did some of his own driving.
DeleteIsn't it funny how some films you can watch 100 times and love and some films you see once and that is enough. Whether you like them or now. I liked all of these movies time one but can't say I want to see any of them again. Maybe it is time for a second look to see what my opinion is of them. Happy Thursday. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the movies and to try to remember them is hard
DeleteI’m so glad glad you gave Home Alone a chance and I’m even more glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDeleteI did even though it’s still not my favourite of the holiday movies by far but I enjoyed it
DeleteI love Forrest Gump. I think Hanks nailed the part.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably the only person in the world that didn't like Field of Dreams the first time I saw it. Definitely changed my mind;)
Field of Dreams is one of my brother’s favourite movies
DeleteYou are NOT going to believe this Birgit. I have seen TWO, yes TWO of these films. Never saw nor even heard of French Connection before, but the other two I have seen. Once was enough for both these, since I'm also not a fan of Culkin and I reviewed Gump last week and couldn't even remember it that well. All I remember is that he did a lot of running in the film. Even though I like Hanks, it was not the kind of movie I would ever want to see again. I'm not into sappy.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I LOVE your reviews.
I’m surprised you saw them even if it is just once
DeleteThere a a couple that immediately come to my mind. After reading rave reviews I went to see Pulp Fiction soon after it came out in theaters. At first I hated it, but I was so confounded about the good reviews and what I had seen that I went back again the following week. That time I guess I got it because I liked it much better that second time and with subsequent viewings.
ReplyDeleteMore recently, a few months ago I watched La La Land and didn't think much of it. Then a couple weeks ago I felt compelled to buy the BluRay disc since I found it at an inexpensive price. I watched it again two nights in a row and loved it this time around.
I know there are more but I cant' think of any other examples at the moment.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I love Pulp Fiction and haven’t seen it for a few years so I should see it again. I watched La La Land and just didn’t care for it. I don’t care if it supposed to be the way the average person would sing, Ryan Gosling sucked at singing.
DeleteI've never seen Forrest Gump. That "box of chocolates" line is incredibly stupid and people quote it like it's the secret of the universe. I like Tom Hanks a lot, and always like his work, but most people loveloveLOVE Tom Hanks... a lot. If I never see this flick, I'll still sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't change my mind about a film. A great film remains that way, as does a stinker. Even if I watch a movie as an adult which I first saw as a child, I may see flaws which I didn't notice at six, or nine, or whatever, but I can still recognize the qualities I originally found charming.
You are right which is why I was really scraping the bottom to come up with 3 movies since I rarely change my mind. The first was because I was too young to understand but the other 2 I took because they went from Hate to being ok.
DeleteI've seen all 3 and enjoyed them. I'm not sure I liked The French Connection's ending too much though. There are some I liked better depending on which edition I watched and some I now hate that I liked as a kid.
ReplyDeleteLove to know which ones you hate now
DeleteI can't remember off hand
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough week
DeleteOnly one of your three is a film I enjoyed-The French Connection. But I still don't love it as much as some do. Gene Hackman is tremendous but that's more or less a given and it does capture the gritty feeling of 70's New York.
ReplyDeleteI just think the whole Home Alone idea is stupid and I despised Forrest Gump and always will.
I couldn't come up with three films that I felt differently about so I'm skipping this week. I did have one-the 60's Far From the Madding Crowd which I found hard to get into the first time but have now seen multiple times and realized it was one of those that required more than one view to appreciate. I love it now but I've used it before.
I haven’t seen Far From the Maddening Crowd yet but one day. Gump is in the don’t mind category but I will turn something else on if I find it interesting. I can’t stand the kid but the 2 thieves were better for me in liking the film but I will watch other Christmas films first before this one
DeleteI've seen all three. Loved the French Connection, thought Home Alone was mostly stupid, but with some funny bits and rolled my eyes repeatedly at Forrest Gump. Gary Sinese as Lieut. Dan is the best thing about that movie. I kept groaning "Oh, come on!" all the way through (especially the scene with John Lennon's "Imagine"). I can't think of any movies that fit this week's description.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this would be a hard one for me, too. I actually saw Home Alone in the theater--it was a family outing, otherwise I probably wouldn't have chosen it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think Forrest Gump might make my list. I recently saw it in a classroom somewhere, and it wasn't as resonant for me now. I thought it was great at first. Now... I don't hate it. But it feels more subversive, somehow. Funnier.
Oh, oh, oh! I know! Ghostbusters!
At the end of the last school year, we had Ghostbusters on for some class. And I was appalled. I saw it originally in the theater and thought it was great. Now? Bill Murray's character is awful. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it again. He was full on harrassing Sigorney Weaver's character, and then she liked him? Ick.
I need to rewatch Home Alone again. It's been years since I last seen this movie.
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Thursday Movie Picks!
Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog
Interesting theme this time, BIRGIT.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....
Like you, my opinions don't change much after I've seen a movie once. If I liked it, I can articulate why I did. And if I didn't like it, I also know why I didn't. And those things don't change with a second viewing.
Therefore, my opinions almost never change *drastically* after a second viewing. But I would say that the second time I watched 'THE BLIND SIDE', I liked it much less than the first time. I started noticing little things that escaped my analysis the first time.
After seeing it for the first time, I instantly proclaimed 'SPELLBOUND' to be my favorite Hitchcock movie. But then seeing it a second time, many years later, I was kind of scratching my head over the initial reaction. I still liked it, but by no means would I put it ahead of 'NORTH BY NORTHWEST', which I had also already seen prior to viewing 'Spellbound' for the first time.
Recently, I have re-watched the original 'ARTHUR' with Dudley Moore a couple times. I always enjoyed that movie, but in 1981, I just thought it was extremely funny. Today, I see a depth in this story that really surprises me. It's rather Shakespearean, with some psychological elements I hadn't noticed when I was younger.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Hi Birgit ... I've never seen Forrest Gump; but absolutely did not/ do not like Home Alone ... while The French Connection was fun at the time. Now Arlee mentioned La La Land - I didn't think much of that; I didn't enjoy "All is True" with Kenneth Branagh as Shakespeare ... Judy Dench is very good in it - but belies the difference in age by an extra 12 years or so ... ie 20 years to the 8 that should separate the happy couple ...
ReplyDeleteCheers and Happy Mother's Day - Hilary
Home Alone - I saw it as a kid and as an adult and still found it a fun movie.
ReplyDeleteForrest Gump - It was ok for me, I don't find it as great as others do.
I liked all three movies you mentioned, and agree that Shawshank was robbed of Oscars due to Forrest Gump. Shawshank was the better film. Your post made me think it is time to watch The English Patient again. I didn't really like it when it came out, but should probably give it another look.
ReplyDeletei am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346