50. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Leonard Maltin’s Rating :

Should be :

IMDB Rating : 7.3

Rotten Tomatoes Rating : 89%

Rotten Tomatoes Synopsis : New York City lawyer Vinny Gambini ventures into the deep South with his loud-mouthed, big-haired girlfriend in tow to free his cousin Bill and Bill’s friend after they are mistakenly accused of murdering a convenience-store clerk. Unfortunately, Vinny passed the bar (after 6 failed attempts!) only a few weeks before, and has never even seen the inside of a courtroom. But no Gambini has lost an argument yet..

Leonard says in his review : “Very likeable (if much too lackadaisical) comedy .. But there’s no reason for this simple comedy to take so long to get where it’s going.”

Mr. Maltin thought the movie was too long. He must have had a couple of reviews to do that day, because I enjoyed every minute of this little comedy.
It was a lot of fun watching the interplay between Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci) and Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) as they traded barbs back and forth. I also thought the writing was really good.

“Perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?”
“‘Cause Chevy didn’t make a 327 in ’55. The 327 didn’t come out til ’62. And it wasn’t offered in the Bellaire with the 4-barrel carburetor til ’64. However, in 1964 the correct ignition timing would be 4 degrees before top dead center.”

I’m really surprised Leonard didn’t rate this good, clean comedy higher. So much of the humor that is aimed at teenagers these days is junk relying on vulgarity and gross-out humor.
My Cousin Vinny is a really good movie, well worth seeing by everyone.

49. Broken Flowers (2005)

Leonard Maltin’s Rating :

Should be :

IMDB Rating : 7.3

Rotten Tomatoes Rating : 87%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus : Bill Murray’s subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch’s minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy.

Leonard says in his review : “Intriguing but not satisfying.”

I guess Mr. Maltin wanted to know what was really going on, but Jim Jarmusch is a director who gives you more questions than answers.
I don’t know if there is anyone better than Bill Murray at playing deadpan humor.
The movie is definitely intriguing but I thought it was very entertaining as well. It’s a movie that gets more enjoyable with each viewing. A must see for those who want to see what Jarmusch is all about.

47. Sin City (2005)

Leonard Maltin’s Rating :

Should be :

IMDB Rating : 8.3

Rotten Tomatoes Rating : 78%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus : Visually groundbreaking and terrifically violent.

Leonard says in his review : “Stylish, audacious, but completely artificial; the initial excitement of watching these images soon dies off but the film refuses to do the same. Miller fans and adolescent boys will probably rate this much higher.”

The acting in this film was really good. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Elba, Elijah Wood all shined in this comic book adaption.
Roger Ebert said in his 4 star review : “If film noir was not a genre, but a hard man on mean streets with a lost lovely in his heart and a gat in his gut, his nightmares would look like Sin City.”
Roger must be a Frank Miller fan, because he liked it even more than I did, and neither of us are adolescents.
Dark, creepy, disturbing , strange and fascinating. Not for all tastes, but very well done.