July was a busy month, and I really didn’t make time for a lot of movie watching.  Even the ones I wanted to see in theaters I ended up missing.  I ended up only seeing a bare handful of movies, though at least three of them are widely regarded as classic movies.  My only trip to the cinema was to see Ant-Man, which was definitely worth seeing, even if it wasn’t the best movie of the summer.  I have some high hopes for next month’s cinema viewing.  I want and expect Mission Impossible Rogue Nation to be great, as well as The Man from UNCLE.  I will be seeing Fantastic 4, though I am still unsure of how that one looks.  I really, really want to see a good version of that superhero family, as well as Dr. Doom, but most of what I saw early suggested that this would not be it.  There might be another or two that tempt me, but I’m not too sure.

Movies

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – I think I might have had this on the list before.  It is completely delightful.  Bill and Ted are great characters, and their adventures through time never stop being fun.  ****

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey – With the sequel to Excellent Adventure, B&T went really weird. This movie is strange.  They die; get stuck in hell and heaven while evil robot versions of themselves try to ruin their lives.  It still mostly captures the magic of the first film, though it is occasionally a little more mean spirited.  I would call it one of the great comedy sequels.  *****

Rocky – I had meant to watch Rocky 4, my 4th of July ritual, but I couldn’t find my DVD, so I watched the first one instead.  It remains one of my absolute favorite films. *****

The Great Escape – Another classic that I just happened to watch in July.  It might be a little too long, running nearly 3 hours, but that doesn’t stop it from being completely amazing.  Really, that is a nit picking complaint.   Steve McQueen is the coolest guy ever.  *****

Ant-Man – review here ***1/2

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – yup, I still love it.  I hope Ritchie still has it with The Man from UNCLE next month. *****

The Big Lebowski – I don’t think this is my favorite Coen Brother’s movie, but I couldn’t resist the chance to show it someone who hadn’t seen it before. I think people know what this is and why it is great.  They are right, it is. *****

TV Shows

Magnum, PI – Goodbye, greatest show of the 80’s. I hope you come back to Netflix soon, so I can finish up the last couple of seasons.  

Psych – Aside from being one of my favorite shows, this is also the show I use to fall asleep. Not because it is boring, but because it is comfortable.  It is so easy to just watch, especially as reruns.