The Button Down Blog

Matt Resurfaces Ever So Briefly

Matt Algren — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:17:39 +0000

Wow, it’s been well over a month since I posted a new entry here. Sorry about that. I have a feeling that updates here will be sparse for the foreseeable future. Politics has taken a necessary front seat in my blogging endeavors. If you’re interested in reading my yammering on about that, please go over [...]

It’s A Wonderful Life

Matt Algren — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:21:05 +0000

I finally saw It’s A Wonderful Life last week. I opted out years ago in protest of Ted Turner’s colorized version, and then it just annoyed me when it was on 24 hours a day throughout December in the 1990s. By the time that ended, not having seen it had become a test of wills; [...]

New Andrew Peterson Album Another Must Have

Matt Algren — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:42:06 +0000

I’ve been a pretty big fan of Andrew Peterson for awhile now, previously commenting here on his book. But it’s his day job as a singer/songwriter that originally pulled me in. The honesty in his lyrics is such a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill bad Christianity-and-water soft rock that radio stations like K-LOVE play. [...]

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Matt Algren — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:31:49 +0000

An Alfred Hitchcock film today, this one a remake of a film he’d made 22 years earlier. The Man Who Knew Too Much stars Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day, in a rare dramatic role. They are Ben and Jo McKenna, on vacation with their son in Morocco in the 1950s. After a series of seemingly [...]

Neil Patrick Harris Still Dreamy and Awesome

Matt Algren — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:47:29 +0000

Remember back in June when I talked about how remarkably awesome Neil Patrick Harris is? Remember Dr. Horrible, the internet sensation starring Neil Patrick Harris? Ooh, and what about the 75% real / 25% scary-put-on internet crush that I have on him? Yeah, well he’s still great. So great, in fact, that Entertainment Weekly just put [...]

2008 Presidential Election in Two Images

Matt Algren — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:32:19 +0000

I’m biased, but I think these images capture the essence of the candidates pretty well: Bonus Image:

An Open Letter To Matt’s Alarm Clock

Matt Algren — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:14:26 +0000

Dear Matt’s Alarm Clock, We haven’t known each other long, you and I. Just this summer I noticed that my old alarm clock was losing a few minutes a week and since it was a good ten years or so old, I figured it was time for a new one. I found you and fell instantly [...]

Scary Roller Coaster Is Scary

Matt Algren — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:10:28 +0000

I posted last September about a trip to King’s Island (an amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio), and included a picture of me scared out of my wits on a children’s roller coaster. It’s a trip my sisters and I take our nephews on every year. Our oldest sister had to leave with her son home [...]

LG Dare Completes Matt’s Life

Matt Algren — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:13:18 +0000

Okay, maybe that’s overstating it a little bit, but I’ve had my LG Dare 1 for a couple months now, and I’m still digging it. Overall, the design is well executed with the necessary buttons placed intuitively. From what I understand the Dare is a bit thicker than the iPhone, but that’s not a major concern [...]

An Open Letter to Freezer Cake Sales Giant Sara Lee

Matt Algren — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:26:42 +0000

Dear Freezer Cake Sales Giant Sara Lee, It’s not often that I write to companies that sell freezer cakes, but I was at the grocer’s last week and saw something in the freezer section that I almost couldn’t believe. I’m talking, of course, about your Sara Lee Cheesecake Bites. I just stood there for a moment, standing [...]

The Third Man

Matt Algren — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:38:53 +0000

I hadn’t even heard of The Third Man until Netflix told me I’d like it. I decided to give it a shot. I mean, it’s got Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten from Citizen Kane, and the reviews are pretty darn positive, so there must be something to it. Fortunately for Netflix (we’re still on the outs [...]

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Matt Algren — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:06:56 +0000

With apologies, this is easily the shortest review I’ve written. It’s just that I don’t have much to say about this one. I saw The Treasure of the Sierra Madre last weekend. I was mostly unimpressed by the experience. I’m not sure if I was just in the wrong mood, but I felt like it was [...]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Matt Algren — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:59:23 +0000

Warning: This review contains a major spoiler, so if you don’t want to know what happens in the last ten minutes turns out, turn back now. I actually enjoyed The Heart is a Lonely Hunter for most of the movie. It had the right mix of quirky and earnest to suit my tastes. It’s the story [...]

…you might be a redneck.

Matt Algren — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:30:16 +0000

I was driving home from church yesterday and saw the strangest thing. I just had to capture the moment for posterity. You can’t tell from this angle, but the toilet wasn’t exactly in “mint condition”, if you know what I mean.

Hello, Dolly!

Matt Algren — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:26:16 +0000

I’ve wanted to see this film ever since I saw WALL•E in the theater. Several of the songs from Hello, Dolly! are used in that one, and I was curious to see the source material. I saw it as a stage production, but that was 20 years ago in high school1, so it was fun [...]

Blog Neglect

Matt Algren — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:02:48 +0000

I’ve been neglecting the Button Down Blog for the last couple weeks. It’s a combination of things, really. For one, I’ve been getting my other blog up and running. It focuses on religion, politics, and being a big ‘mo. If you’re interested in my perspective on those things, you should check it out. Also, it’s been [...]

Gone Baby Gone

Matt Algren — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:31:22 +0000

I was a bit skeptical last year when people started raving about Ben Affleck’s first directorial work. I’m not exactly in the “HE SUX!” camp, but he doesn’t exactly have the most distinguished record in front of the camera. But with Gone Baby Gone he more than got himself out of the doghouse. Gone Baby Gone [...]

We’ve moved! Again!

Matt Algren — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:45:53 +0000

The Button Down Blog has moved, and hopefully you didn’t even notice! Say what you will about the political junk behind the scenes at WordPress, but moving the blog from one domain to another was almost painless. If I were keeping the old domain forever it would’ve taken about ten seconds to make the change. [...]

An Open Letter to Matt’s Minister

Matt Algren — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:12:47 +0000

Dear Matt’s Minister, Last week I watched with interest as a new bishop was elected for our jurisdiction. (Church politics have become so interesting to me. Just understanding the inner workings of the conference system of the United Methodist Church is a challenge.) Judging from the vote counts throughout the two days, it’s petty clear that the [...]

Dr. Horrible: Peace (Not Literally)

Matt Algren — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:26:14 +0000

Gladiator

Matt Algren — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:36:47 +0000

A quickie today. I saw the much lauded film Gladiator a few weeks ago, and I’ve been putting off reviewing it because honestly, I don’t have that much to say about it. I went in with (somewhat) high expectations, what with it being the Oscar darling of 2000, but I have to admit that I [...]

Independence Day

Matt Algren — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:41:45 +0000

A bit late for the July 4th celebration (totally Netflix’s fault), I finally saw the film Independence Day. This is one of those popcorn movies that I don’t generally like all that much, but I figured I’d give it a shot and I’m glad I did. There’s plenty wrong with the movie, but there’s plenty [...]

WALL•E: Believe the Buzz

Matt Algren — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:11:52 +0000

I rarely see a movie in the theater. Now that DVDs are released so soon after the film’s premiere, I have even less reason to go spend $20 at a theater. But when I saw the first ad for WALL•E, I knew this was one I’d have to see on the big screen. So after [...]

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Matt Algren — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:41:29 +0000

I mentioned phenomenal singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson last week, and I still heartily recommend his music. But today I look at another project of Peterson’s, his new fantasy children’s/young adult novel On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. (Click this link for an excerpt provided by the publisher.) Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby are three [...]

An Open Letter to AMERICA’S Neil Patrick Harris

Matt Algren — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:14:59 +0000

Dear TV’s AMERICA’S Neil Patrick Harris, First of all, I love your work, though I realize as I type this that I’ve never seen How I Met Your Mother. One of the downfalls of not having cable/satellite, you know. I’m putting it on the top of my Netflix queue, I swear! Anyway, I saw this awesome ad [...]

Ben Shive Album Released; Title Explained Repeatedly

Matt Algren — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:19:50 +0000

Ever been excited about an album release and have your expectations exceeded? It’s rare, but that’s what happened this week when Ben Shive, the newest member of The Square Peg Alliance, released his first solo album, The Ill-Tempered Klavier. I’d heard of Ben Shive before, first as a lyricist with the song Canaan Bound, from Andrew [...]

Transformers

Matt Algren — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:01:26 +0000

Let’s just get it out of the way: Transformers is the worst piece of crap movie I’ve seen in a very long time. There are so many problems that I don’t know where to begin. Okay, let’s start with this. You could lop off the first hour of the movie and you’d lose next to nothing. [...]

The Philadelphia Story

Matt Algren — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:09:14 +0000

Today we look back to 1940’s The Philadelphia Story. Starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart, this film is a slam dunk. It has a little bit of everything and blends it all into a rare gem of a film. The story revolves around heiress Tracy Lord (Hepburn) and her wedding to a self-made millionaire [...]

Children of Heaven

Matt Algren — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:30:07 +0000

This gem of an independent film has me completely under its spell. From Iranian director Majid Majidi, Children of Heaven (Bacheha-Ye aseman) is about a boy’s dilemma when he loses his sister’s only pair of shoes. It’s a simple story, but Ali’s problem is played with such delicacy and honesty that we are pulled into [...]

Galaxy Quest

Matt Algren — Tue, 27 May 2008 05:00:58 +0000

Not being a big Tim Allen fan, I skipped over Galaxy Quest when it hit theaters in 1999. I didn’t give it a second thought until someone whose taste I generally trust started raving about the film a few weeks ago. With great trepidation I put it on my Netflix queue (currently coming in at [...]

Spamalot: The Review That Goes Like This

Matt Algren — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:11:05 +0000

Spamalot came to town a few weeks ago, so I went with a few friends. We had a lot of fun, and I returned with the following thoughts: $85 is way too much for a ticket in the BACK ROW. I was directly in front of the sound guy, and he got paid to be there. The [...]

An Open Letter to That One Cashier Who Always Calls Me Honey

Matt Algren — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:42:03 +0000

Dear That One Cashier Who Always Calls Me Honey, Please stop it. Same goes for Sweetie, Darlin’, and Baby. I’m not asking you to call me Sir or anything, but you’re being a bit familiar, don’t you think? Let me be blunt: This isn’t [cref 142 Al's Diner], and you ain’t Flo. It wouldn’t bother me as [...]

American Born Chinese

Matt Algren — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:32:34 +0000

It’s Children’s Book Week! To celebrate, I’m reviewing American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. It’s more correctly in the age group of “Young People” literature, but it’s my blog and I make the rules. So there. Note: Click on the images for (slightly) larger versions. For bigger versions still, go buy the book. American Born [...]

Anchors Aweigh

Matt Algren — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:45:00 +0000

I sat down to watch Anchors Aweigh last Saturday, forgetting that I have to be in just the right frame of mind to watch a musical. There’s a really specific kind of suspension of disbelief that goes along with a musical and if I have trouble with that, the whole experience falls apart. Anchors Aweigh is [...]

Matt Joins 21st Century; Buys iPod

Matt Algren — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:51:53 +0000

Well, it finally happened. My last CD player gave up the ghost in late March. Rather than buying a new CD player, I decided to bite the bullet and get an actual iPod. Ladies and gentlemen…it is awesome. I decided to go with the iPod Nano (4 gig, 3rd generation) because a) it was cheaper and [...]

Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond

Matt Algren — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:02:42 +0000

Generally speaking, Ohio sucks for artsy stuff. Every once in a while, though, we get something good. This would be one of those times. From May 10th through August 3rd, The Ohio State University Wexner Center for the Arts will be hosting a major exhibition of Jeff Smith’s work AND work that influenced Smith. The exhibition [...]

3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Matt Algren — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:30:24 +0000

Site note: Click the images for super-wide full-size 2.35:1 versions! I’ve been hearing good things about 3:10 To Yuma since it came out last year, so when Dan from Truth on Cinema said last week that he was getting ready to watch a film I’d just reviewed, I decided to return the favor and move Yuma [...]

Silly Signs for Download

Matt Algren — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:42:24 +0000

I’ve been trying to figure out how to lighten the mood after yesterday’s post, and I realized that only one thing can stand next to Godliness. Cleanliness! Duh! Some time ago Ed Cunard (who never updates his blog anymore) sent me this picture of a sign he saw in a public restroom. Some public official had [...]

United Methodist Church Shames God

Matt Algren — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:22:24 +0000

I don’t generally talk about religion or my personal life here on the blog. In fact, I work pretty hard to keep it light and fluffy. This post will be a break in that policy. If you’re looking for humor or a (hopefully) good film review, I recommend you come back tomorrow. I break this [...]

Citizen Kane

Matt Algren — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:57:31 +0000

A note before we start: More than with recently reviewed films, I feel I must point out that all of the pictures within this and most posts since mid-March link to larger images showing the entire screenshot. Usually (but not always) I just shrink the 1.85:1 image to a smaller version, but a different aspect [...]

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Matt Algren — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:11:57 +0000

I love SpongeBob. I really, really do. Like, a lot. So much so that I’ve added his name to my spell check dictionary. So much so that I have a Patrick coffee mug that I bought for double retail at King’s Island last year, and I don’t even drink coffee. So it was with great hesitation [...]

Juno

Matt Algren — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:13:54 +0000

Lots of buzz in the last year for this film. Juno is the story of a 16-year-old girl (Juno) and the effect her pregnancy has on her life. We get to know Juno’s family, friends, and the couple who will adopt her baby. With an armful of glowing reviews and award nominations, Juno went into my [...]

An Open Letter to Christian Radio Station K-LOVE

Matt Algren — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:23:53 +0000

Dear Christian Radio Station K-LOVE, So I was helping clean up after my church’s Good Friday service and somebody put K-LOVE on the sound system. I don’t generally listen to your station, mostly because the song list isn’t quite to my taste, but you know, whatever. Around 8:30 or so, your DJ person came in from a [...]

The Neverending Story

Matt Algren — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:13:59 +0000

Fair warning: This will be a rough review. All I ask is that you at least read the last sentence before you start sending me hate mail. The Neverending Story SUCKS. It’s the suckiest suck that ever sucked. There are just so many problems and unanswered questions that I don’t know where to begin. Let’s start [...]

Seven Years in Tibet

Matt Algren — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:16:17 +0000

Seven Years in Tibet is one of those films that I kind of knew I’d enjoy but just never got around to watching. There are a couple of reasons, chief among them being the running time. Clocking in at two hours 16 minutes, it’s a pretty hefty commitment and there always seemed to be something [...]

An Open Letter to the Makers of Charmin® Toilet Tissue

Matt Algren — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:01:28 +0000

Dear Makers of Charmin® toilet tissue, I would like to begin by thanking you for your continued efforts to improve Charmin® toilet tissue. Having been a long time user of toilet tissue, I can honestly say that no toilet tissue “does the job” like Charmin® toilet tissue. That said, I must confess confusion with recent marketing literature [...]

Across The Tracks

Matt Algren — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:39:52 +0000

I found Across the Tracks for $3 at a used DVD store. Clearly this couldn’t be a good movie, because it was, you know, on sale for three bucks. But I like Rick Schroder and I like Brad Pitt, and crappy 90s movies are fun to watch sometimes, so I figured I may as well [...]

Who am I? Why am I here?

Matt Algren — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:59:22 +0000

I’m not sure why I’m writing this blog anymore. Nobody’s really reading it, and Google hates me for some reason, so I’m not getting the hits from there. I suppose I’ll keep plugging for awhile, but really, what’s the point?

Superbad

Matt Algren — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:43:09 +0000

I’m not exactly a prude, you know. I like a bawdy joke as much as the next guy, and swearing in a movie doesn’t really scare me off. I’m certainly not one of those “You say the F-word too much” people. The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Clerks, Space Balls, the Naked Gun flicks, they’re all fairly high [...]

To Kill A Mockingbird (film)

Matt Algren — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:42:29 +0000

Adapting a book into a film is a tricky business. Stray too far from the source material and you have readers coming at you with torches and pitchforks. Stay too true to the text and you risk having a bad movie; not everything translates, after all. But trying to have it both ways is by [...]

Five Steps to Lower Gas Prices! This really works!!!!!!

Matt Algren — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:10:01 +0000

Ah, Spring. The time when the snow melts, the robin returns, the days grow longer, and the grass grows green once again. And right on schedule, emails have been circulating about how to force gas prices down. For the last couple years, the outcry has come in the form of not buying gas on a specified [...]

To Kill A Mockingbird (novel)

Matt Algren — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:24:25 +0000

A few weeks ago, I read Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. I was so impressed that I immediately started going back and re-reading passages. What an amazing book. I’ve started and restarted this post several times, and it keeps ending up like a ninth grade book report. So in the interest of not writing said [...]

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Matt Algren — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:48:06 +0000

Let’s talk about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. (It’s a long title, but that’s okay. It’s appropriate.) I had high hopes for it when I first saw the posters and online clips, and it turns out to be one darn good film. Usually I follow that up with something negative, but [...]

To Be or Not To Be (1942)

Matt Algren — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:27:02 +0000

Here’s an odd little movie. To call it a dark comedy is a bit of an understatement. To Be Or Not To Be starts with Jack Benny playing a Nazi officer getting information from a young boy and getting a visit from Adolf Hitler. Thankfully, there’s a quick reveal and it turns out that he’s [...]

Jessie’s Story: Translation Perfection

Matt Algren — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:30:54 +0000

When I reviewed [cref 116 Toy Story 2], I wanted to mention this beautiful song, but there just wasn’t room. I’ve found some interesting clips in my research, and decided it deserved its own post. The song is Jessie’s Story. It’s a marvelously constructed little song called “When She Loved Me” from Randy Newman. Sarah MacLaughlin [...]

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

Matt Algren — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:30:53 +0000

After all the westerns and older classics I’ve been watching lately, I decided it was time to catch a film told from a woman’s point of view. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore seemed to fit the bill pretty well. Starring Ellen Burstyn and directed by Martin Scorsese, the film follows Alice Hyatt as she learns to [...]

Football Fields Are For Band Practice

Matt Algren — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:23:53 +0000

Remember [cref 134 the other day] when I linked to xkcd and said how funny he is? Yeah, I thought he was awesome before, but today… Today he moved to awesome raised to the BILLIONTH DEGREE. My name is Matt. I’m an ex-Marching Band Kid. And that up there? That’s happened to me. Recently.

The Sting

Matt Algren — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:38:50 +0000

You know, The Sting is one of those films that I’ve never given much thought to watching. I always assumed it was a good film, but didn’t feel any motivation to watch it. It came out at an awkward time; when VCRs became popular a decade after the film was released, it was too recent [...]

Book Review: The Arrival

Matt Algren — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:20:24 +0000

I’m not quite sure what to say about Shaun Tan’s The Arrival. It’s an exceptional book, but I have neither the education nor the vocabulary to put it into words. Not that that’s ever stopped me before. Let’s start with a summary. The book follows a man (nameless) as he leaves home to prepare a new [...]

Online Privacy and Us

Matt Algren — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:24:17 +0000

I’ve been meaning to write about the issue of online privacy, but other things keep stopping me from doing it. So in the interest of getting it out there, I’m re-posting a slightly edited comment of mine from August on somebody else’s blog: I think we’re going to have to redefine the word ‘privacy’ in the [...]

Toy Story 2

Matt Algren — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:52 +0000

Generally speaking, I don’t like sequels. Most sequels seem to be made to squeeze another ten bucks out of the movie goer, and that annoys me. So when Toy Story 2 came out in 1999 I stayed clear. I’d liked Toy Story quite a bit and I didn’t want to taint the memory of a [...]

Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)

Matt Algren — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:26:50 +0000

Last December I was looking through the Netflix listings for Christmas movies to add to my queue (214 to go!), and ran across this movie that I’d never heard of. Joyeux Noël was just released in 2005 and the reviews were quite positive, so I figured I’d give it a go. What I got when I [...]

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Matt Algren — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:00:15 +0000

Most of us have an example of a teacher who was more than just an instructor, who went beyond that to become a mentor and once in a great while, a friend. It’s a rare relationship, and the character of one such teacher is explored in 1939’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips. As far as it goes, [...]

Sorry, Wrong Number

Matt Algren — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:11:28 +0000

Since starting this blog I’ve discovered that I love suspense movies. LOVE them. Can’t get enough of them. I’m not sure exactly why I never knew that. Maybe it’s because you don’t see them made that much anymore. I suppose it’s much easier to throw some gore and horror on the screen than to construct [...]

A Christmas Story

Matt Algren — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:00:05 +0000

More so than with any other movie, whenever I tell people I haven’t seen A Christmas Story, their reaction is almost universally “Wha?!? ZOMG WTF YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!” I’m not sure why I never saw it. I just didn’t. I checked with the family to see if maybe they rented it years ago [...]

Reno 911!: Miami

Matt Algren — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:35:43 +0000

A slight break in purpose today. Reno 911!: Miami isn’t important or influential. It’s simply a movie that I was looking forward to, and since I’ve got this blog thing sitting here collecting dust I figure I might as well give my opinion of it. First of all, I love the TV show Reno 911! almost [...]

Old Yeller

Matt Algren — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:05:28 +0000

This is one of the movies I’m almost ashamed of not having seen. I’m not really sure why I never saw it. It’s quite possible that my parents never rented it in the 1980s because of my sister’s averse reaction to Bambi. (She still refuses to rewatch it.) Whatever the reason, it’s 2007 and I’ve [...]

Coming up!

Matt Algren — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:59:39 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates. Other things have crept in for the last week or two, so I just haven’t had time to sit down and write. I’ll be back next Monday morning with a review of Old Yeller, followed quickly by Reno 911!: Miami and Sorry, Wrong Number. In the next few weeks, [...]

Three Amigos

Matt Algren — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:09:25 +0000

I’ll be honest with you, I was a bit down after I watched all those dramatic films from a few weeks ago. A man can only take so much drama. So when it came time to queue up a new movie, I decided I needed a good old fashioned comedy. Not some romantic comedy date [...]

A Beautiful Mind

Matt Algren — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:41:42 +0000

I’ve been putting this review off for about a month now. When I first watched A Beautiful Mind, I liked it a lot. The story was engaging and moving, and I appreciate the way Ron Howard didn’t go too far into Sappyland. The big reveal (I won’t spoil it) took me by surprise, and that [...]

The Thin Man

Matt Algren — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:15:08 +0000

Cunard! Cunard! He’s our shill! If he won’t lend it, no one will! The Thin Man was a bit of a surprise for me. Made in 1934, the film came only a few years after talkies picked up steam, so it was fun watching director W.S. Van Dyke play with new methods. It was also interesting [...]

Speed

Matt Algren — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:00:47 +0000

I’ve never been one to get excited about action movies. I’m not sure why, but they never did anything for me. (Maybe that’s why I didn’t like Reno 911!: Miami.) So when Speed was released, I was one of the few who wasn’t in a rush to get to the theater. Having now watched [...]

For a Few Dollars More

Matt Algren — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:41:57 +0000

I feel bad for the second movie in a trilogy. It always has a tough go. In the first movie, we get introduced to people and ideas. The director’s style in a specific genre gets shown for the first time. It’s the first time the crew gets to show what they’ve been excited to do. [...]

Singin’ in the Rain

Matt Algren — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:33:07 +0000

(Thanks to puppy-rescuer and all around good guy Ed Cunard for lending me his copy of today’s film.) Singin’ in the Rain. How could I not have seen this movie before? I grew up loving musicals and somehow I didn’t see what is widely regarded as the best musical ever produced. Today, I’m adding my vote [...]

FIRST!

Matt Algren — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:58:20 +0000

I swore to myself when I started this blog that I wouldn’t do this, but as a citizen of the web, I feel it is my duty to bring this to everyone’s attention. I have seen every single one of these comments, and I swear to Gald, if you make one of them here, I [...]

The Iron Giant

Matt Algren — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:28:34 +0000

Last week, some friends were talking online about animated films, and The Iron Giant came up. Most agreed that it’s on the short list of greatest animated films, while one person asked why it was so popular. Quite by coincidence, I had the disc sitting on the DVD player just waiting for me to watch [...]

A Fistful of Dollars

Matt Algren — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:24:24 +0000

A Fistful of Dollars is the first western that I’ve seen in a long time, long enough that I don’t remember the last one I saw. That’s really odd now that I think about it, since they were a particular favorite of my grandfather’s, so I was excited to sit down and watch this film. [...]

Casablanca

Matt Algren — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 19:51:58 +0000

Before we begin, thanks to Ledger Domain’s Ed Cunard for lending me his copy of Casablanca. Just a few more to watch till I get off his shit list. Oh, what a day that will be! Casablanca is an example of what film can do when the people involved want to make a good film. The [...]

Amélie

Matt Algren — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:00:22 +0000

This is Matt. He hates handwritten signs in gas stations, pithy sayings on church marquees, and the small nick in his windshield that is directly in front of his right eye when he is driving. Matt likes removing the UPC sticker from new books, barn swallows that dance around him in the sky while he [...]

Batman Begins

Matt Algren — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:57:36 +0000

Last week I watched Batman Begins. Truth is, I was a little worried about this one. I’m a fan of comic books and while I don’t buy any of DC Comics’ current Batman output, I spent more than a few bucks on them in the late 1990s. Armed with all my geek knowledge and my [...]

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Matt Algren — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:19:17 +0000

This week’s movie is the action flick Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford and a creative team that includes George Lucas and director Stephen Spielberg. With a pedigree like that, this is a surefire hit, right? Add to that the 94% positive review rating at rottentomatoes.com, and you can bet that I was [...]

Rear Window

Matt Algren — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:17:43 +0000

The first film I saw for this little experiment is Rear Window. I debated for awhile whether I should get something a bit further down the list instead of going after the greats, and in the end my curiosity won out. You have no idea how glad I am for that. Rear Window is everything [...]