Continuing this perfectly selfish indulgence, I'm writing part 2 while my all-time favorite movie plays in the background (Bruce Cabot is my hero). And I've already had a hiccup with part one. The James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only came out in 1981, and would probably take over the number one spot over Blow Out and Raiders of the Lost Ark. But that's what makes lists like this fun. The debate, and the wracking of the brains to figure out where your mind is currently at. But without further ado...
1998 - The Last Days of Disco (Smart people talking about smart things, even if they aren't doing the smartest things. Chloe Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale absolutely kill it as roommates who are really only friends of convenience.)
1999 - Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut (A Tom Cruise double feature. I still remember one day when I had the TV on in the morning, and Magnolia was on. I watched about 20 minutes before I had to go to work, but when I got home that night, I watched the last two and a half hours, because I still couldn't get it out of my head even though I had seen it numerous times before.)
2000 - Requiem For a Dream (The greatest anti-drug movie you'll ever see. Horrific, terrifying, stunning, and tragic. An incredibly hard film to watch, but gripping in every way.)
2001 - Mulholland Dr., Ghost World, Amelie (Mulholland Dr. is like a masters thesis in surrealism and Naomi Watts gives the performance of the decade. Ghost World is one of the very best comic book movies ever made. And Amelie is just both a glorious piece of filmmaking and one of the happiest movies ever made.)
2002 - Punch Drunk Love (I honestly wish Adam Sandler made more movies like this. And the music is just amazing.)
2003 - Elephant, Kill Bill Part 1, The Matrix Reloaded, Mystic River, Love Actually (Five movies! C'mon, make up your mind! Elephant is about a day where a school shooting is about to occur. Super slow, but absolutely deliberate and riveting. Kill Bill Part1 is like the filmic equivalent of an adrenaline shot to the heart. The Matrix Reloaded had to be on here. There is no movie I saw more during the first run in the theater. In my own mind it makes perfect sense, and has some of the most staggering action scenes ever. Mystic River is so sad and tragic. The performances enhance an already stellar story. And Love Actually... well, I feel there are all sorts of love puns I could use. Suffice to say, I really do love it.
2004 - The Incredibles
2005 - King Kong, Batman Begins (Peter Jackson's remake of Kong is long, self-indulgent, and has a miscast Jack Black. But it's probably the closest approximation of the movie I would have made, and I love it because of that. Batman Begins is my favorite Batman movie. I never get tired of it, because I think it's perfectly constructed.
2006 - The Departed, Casino Royale, The Prestige (Martin Scorsese has really just been on fire with his last fifteen years worth of movies. Whenever I need a two and a half hour pick-me-up, Casino Royale is where I turn. And The Prestige is so wonderfully twisty.)
2007 - There Will be Blood (I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!)
2008 - Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda (I refuse to justify either one of these two masterpieces.)
2009 - Funny People (Another Adam Sandler flick? Yeah, this movie balanced comedy and drama perfectly for me.)
2010 - Exit Through the Gift Shop, Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Exit makes me question reality and look at art in ways that challenge me, and I appreciate it all the more for that. Scott Pilgrim takes everything I love and squishes it into this perfect little movie.)
2011 - Warrior (Even knowing where the movie was going, I was still on the edge of my seat. Repeat viewings have never diminished my love for this film.)
2012 - Moonrise Kingdom (Not my favorite Wes Anderson movie, but it's still great, and it beat out everything else that year.)
2013 - The Way, Way Back - Sam Rockwell is so good, and Steve Carell is so bad (their characters, anyway). I really can't recommend this more highly.
2014 - Under the Skin, Whiplash (Under the Skin is the creepy, slow-paced, sci fi flick that has Scarlett Johannson as an alien(?). Not for all tastes by any means, but I find it fascinating. And Whiplash's thoughts on motivation and artistic skill still resonate.)
2015 - Ex Machina (Oh, how I love that ending.
2016 - Hell or High Water (Yes, Jeff Bridges does nothing new, but he's still good. But it's the idea that all the characters' motivations, both right and wrong, are both right and wrong, elevates this for me.
Ahhh. That was fun. I want to rewatch a lot of these now.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Day 1944 - My favorite movies from the year I was born until now. (Part 1)
So there was a little thing going around Facebook where people would start at the year they were born and list their favorite movie in each of those years. Apparently the rule was one movie per year. But it also looked like people would break that rule when it suited them (like I'm going to do). It also appeared that people put down the movies with no explanation, either. I like doing all that writing, so, when appropriate, I'm going to have little commentaries sprinkled throughout. I spent a stupid amount of time doing research for this, so I might as well put in the extra effort.
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - Charley Varrick (I've seen it one time only, but this tight, funny, and mean thriller with Walter Matthau has never left my brain. Still one of the best endings I've ever seen.)
1974 - The Conversation (On almost every list I've seen, The Godfather Part 2 gets put on here. While I do, indeed, love The Godfather Part 2, Francis Ford Coppola's other movie is one of my all-time favorites.)
1975 - Jaws (duh)
1976 - Taxi Driver
1977 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind/Star Wars (The first tie. Star Wars is the easy pick for most people, and I really do love it just as much as everyone else. But Close Encounters is just as magical. If Spielberg had never made Jaws, this would be my favorite film of his.)
1978 - Halloween ("You can't kill the Boogie Man.")
1979 - Apocalypse Now (not the Redux version, the original.)
1980 - Dressed to Kill/The Empire Strikes Back/The Stunt Man (Three way tie! Each one of these movies affects me on very deep levels.)
1981 - Blowout/Raiders of the Lost Ark (In any other year, either one would be my top movie. In 1981 however, they get to be tied.)
1982 - Tootsie (So much funnier and heartfelt than you think it could ever be.
1983 - The Right Stuff
1984 - The Natural/Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom/Sixteen Candles (Another three-way tie. There's a few of us who recognize that Raiders is the better movie, and we still don't care. I like Temple of Doom. The Natural is my favorite baseball movie. As for Sixteen Candles - casual racism and sexism aside, I really, really like it. So there.)
1985 -Purple Rose of Cairo/Pee Wee's Big Adventure (Behind Chaplin's City Lights, The Purple Rose of Cairo is the most touching, funny, tragic movie I've ever seen. And on the other end of the spectrum, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is flat-out one of the funniest movies ever made.)
1986 - F/X (I make no bones about how much I love this movie.)
1987 - Robocop ("I'd buy that for a dollar!")
1988 - My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece is just a joy to experience.)
1989 - Field of Dreams (The Little Mermaid and The Killer both gave this a run for the money, but it moves me too much to even make it a contest.)
1990 - Dances With Wolves (The First movie I ever saw three times in the theater. I still love it.)
1991 - Silence of the Lambs/Barton Fink (If we're going to be honest, Silence of the Lambs beats out the Coen Brothers' Barton Fink by a hair, but Barton Fink is in my top 10 favorite movies of all-time a few spots behind Lambs, so that has to count for something, right?)
1992 - Hero/Hard Boiled - Hero affected me more than a lot of other people. But I love it just the same. And Hard-Boiled is just an action masterpiece.
1993 - True Romance/The Piano/The Fugitive/Short Cuts (True Romance is cool personified, The Piano blindsided me with how good it was, The Fugitive actually made TV show reboots a good idea, and Short Cuts is just a Robert Altman multi-character, multi-story piece of art.)
1994 - Pulp Fiction/Serial Mom (Serial Mom? Really? Yes, indeed. At the time it was made, it was about five minutes ahead of it's time. Now it almost seems quaint. What should have been a John Waters spoof, ends up being creepily on the nose.
1995 - Beyond the Clouds (One of Michaelangelo Antonioni's final films, this one just carries me in every time.)
1996 - Beautiful Girls (so great.)
1997 - Titanic (yeah, that's right.)
Part 2 in a day or so.
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - Charley Varrick (I've seen it one time only, but this tight, funny, and mean thriller with Walter Matthau has never left my brain. Still one of the best endings I've ever seen.)
1974 - The Conversation (On almost every list I've seen, The Godfather Part 2 gets put on here. While I do, indeed, love The Godfather Part 2, Francis Ford Coppola's other movie is one of my all-time favorites.)
1975 - Jaws (duh)
1976 - Taxi Driver
1977 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind/Star Wars (The first tie. Star Wars is the easy pick for most people, and I really do love it just as much as everyone else. But Close Encounters is just as magical. If Spielberg had never made Jaws, this would be my favorite film of his.)
1978 - Halloween ("You can't kill the Boogie Man.")
1979 - Apocalypse Now (not the Redux version, the original.)
1980 - Dressed to Kill/The Empire Strikes Back/The Stunt Man (Three way tie! Each one of these movies affects me on very deep levels.)
1981 - Blowout/Raiders of the Lost Ark (In any other year, either one would be my top movie. In 1981 however, they get to be tied.)
1982 - Tootsie (So much funnier and heartfelt than you think it could ever be.
1983 - The Right Stuff
1984 - The Natural/Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom/Sixteen Candles (Another three-way tie. There's a few of us who recognize that Raiders is the better movie, and we still don't care. I like Temple of Doom. The Natural is my favorite baseball movie. As for Sixteen Candles - casual racism and sexism aside, I really, really like it. So there.)
1985 -Purple Rose of Cairo/Pee Wee's Big Adventure (Behind Chaplin's City Lights, The Purple Rose of Cairo is the most touching, funny, tragic movie I've ever seen. And on the other end of the spectrum, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is flat-out one of the funniest movies ever made.)
1986 - F/X (I make no bones about how much I love this movie.)
1987 - Robocop ("I'd buy that for a dollar!")
1988 - My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece is just a joy to experience.)
1989 - Field of Dreams (The Little Mermaid and The Killer both gave this a run for the money, but it moves me too much to even make it a contest.)
1990 - Dances With Wolves (The First movie I ever saw three times in the theater. I still love it.)
1991 - Silence of the Lambs/Barton Fink (If we're going to be honest, Silence of the Lambs beats out the Coen Brothers' Barton Fink by a hair, but Barton Fink is in my top 10 favorite movies of all-time a few spots behind Lambs, so that has to count for something, right?)
1992 - Hero/Hard Boiled - Hero affected me more than a lot of other people. But I love it just the same. And Hard-Boiled is just an action masterpiece.
1993 - True Romance/The Piano/The Fugitive/Short Cuts (True Romance is cool personified, The Piano blindsided me with how good it was, The Fugitive actually made TV show reboots a good idea, and Short Cuts is just a Robert Altman multi-character, multi-story piece of art.)
1994 - Pulp Fiction/Serial Mom (Serial Mom? Really? Yes, indeed. At the time it was made, it was about five minutes ahead of it's time. Now it almost seems quaint. What should have been a John Waters spoof, ends up being creepily on the nose.
1995 - Beyond the Clouds (One of Michaelangelo Antonioni's final films, this one just carries me in every time.)
1996 - Beautiful Girls (so great.)
1997 - Titanic (yeah, that's right.)
Part 2 in a day or so.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Day 1882 - Have you ever been a movie theater when the film broke?
Ahh, the good old days when the film would break in the movie theater. It happens way less often now with all the digital projection. However, I've had some issues with that, too. But the two stories I have today deal with the film breaking in the theater.
The first one that made an impact was Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, You know, the notorious NC-17 flick that is still considered either one of the worst movies ever made or a cult classic (or both). I went with my buddy Bob to the theater opening weekend at Great Northern. We knew, going into it, that we were potentially in for a train wreck. But we weren't fully prepared for the cinematic carnage that awaited us. It was beyond awful. Actors that I currently liked made me question my previous thoughts based on their performances in this film. Even the mere sight of naked boobs could not cheer me up, as Showgirls might be one of the least titillating movies that has ever graced the screen. And there was no escape. I never leave the theater once the movie starts, and this would be no exception.
But then, miracle of miracles, the film broke halfway through. And the group of 30 to 60 people in the theater collectively cheered! Never has a film-going crowd ever been as happy to see a movie break. There was talk that a monkey might show up later in the movie, but even the thought of a (possible) future monkey wasn't enough to make us want that movie to start again. We got our free passes for a future movie and left the theater happy in the thought that we just dodged a bullet. And, no, I still have never watched the rest of the movie. I don't need to.
The second movie that had a dramatic break in it was the Mel Gibson revenge flick, Payback. Based off the Richard Stark novel, The Hunter, Mel Gibson plays a thief who is doubled-crossed, shot a bunch of times, and left for dead. When he recovers, he works his way up the ladder of mob bosses simply looking for the money that was stolen from him. So much death and destruction could have been avoided had anyone sucked up their pride and just given him the money. But that never happens. At one point Gibson's character (Porter) has been captured and is being tortured. And his torture consists of getting his toes smashed in with a hammer. It's an incredibly tense scene made even moreso by the fact that the film broke just as the hammer was coming down for the second time. The entire audience let out a collective gasp. It was a mixture of both astonishment and relief. We had just been given a moment to catch our breath as the people in the booth worked to fix the film. When the film restarted, it took place about a minute after the hammer, so we didn't know how he got out of his predicament, but we were still in. After the film was over, my buddies and I discussed the break, and we all agreed that if the film had to break, it broke at the exact right time.
Having something go wrong with the film is one of the worst things that can happen at a theater. But sometimes, just sometimes, it enhances the experience.
The first one that made an impact was Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, You know, the notorious NC-17 flick that is still considered either one of the worst movies ever made or a cult classic (or both). I went with my buddy Bob to the theater opening weekend at Great Northern. We knew, going into it, that we were potentially in for a train wreck. But we weren't fully prepared for the cinematic carnage that awaited us. It was beyond awful. Actors that I currently liked made me question my previous thoughts based on their performances in this film. Even the mere sight of naked boobs could not cheer me up, as Showgirls might be one of the least titillating movies that has ever graced the screen. And there was no escape. I never leave the theater once the movie starts, and this would be no exception.
But then, miracle of miracles, the film broke halfway through. And the group of 30 to 60 people in the theater collectively cheered! Never has a film-going crowd ever been as happy to see a movie break. There was talk that a monkey might show up later in the movie, but even the thought of a (possible) future monkey wasn't enough to make us want that movie to start again. We got our free passes for a future movie and left the theater happy in the thought that we just dodged a bullet. And, no, I still have never watched the rest of the movie. I don't need to.
The second movie that had a dramatic break in it was the Mel Gibson revenge flick, Payback. Based off the Richard Stark novel, The Hunter, Mel Gibson plays a thief who is doubled-crossed, shot a bunch of times, and left for dead. When he recovers, he works his way up the ladder of mob bosses simply looking for the money that was stolen from him. So much death and destruction could have been avoided had anyone sucked up their pride and just given him the money. But that never happens. At one point Gibson's character (Porter) has been captured and is being tortured. And his torture consists of getting his toes smashed in with a hammer. It's an incredibly tense scene made even moreso by the fact that the film broke just as the hammer was coming down for the second time. The entire audience let out a collective gasp. It was a mixture of both astonishment and relief. We had just been given a moment to catch our breath as the people in the booth worked to fix the film. When the film restarted, it took place about a minute after the hammer, so we didn't know how he got out of his predicament, but we were still in. After the film was over, my buddies and I discussed the break, and we all agreed that if the film had to break, it broke at the exact right time.
Having something go wrong with the film is one of the worst things that can happen at a theater. But sometimes, just sometimes, it enhances the experience.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Day 1863 - Movie Memories - The Naked Gun:From the Files of Police Squad
It's a new year. And because I always say that I'm going to write more often, I figure that an easy way for me to do that is to write a little more often about what I know. And what I know is how movies affect me. For certain ones, I have full-fledged experiences with them. So, as a bit of an experiment, every once in a while (or maybe even more than that), I'm going to highlight some of those movies with my stories surrounding them. Occasionally I may even throw in some TV shows or books, depending on the inspiration.
So, to start off this little segment, I'm going to write about The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. The very first time I saw the movie was when my Aunt Genie got the family tickets to see a sneak preview of it. At the time, she knew somebody who worked at Paramount, and she would sometimes get preview passes to certain movies. The Naked Gun was one of those movies. And I was 16 years old when I saw it. The perfect age. The absurdist humor from the guys that made Airplane! was right in my wheelhouse. I remember laughing from beginning to end.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I was in college. At Ohio University there was never any way to watch regular television unless you watched the main TV down in the lobby or you lived off campus and had cable. So I had to resort to videotapes if I wanted to watch anything. I watched a lot of different movies in my four years at college, but I also watched a tape that had The Naked Gun on it more than probably any sane person. It was my version of video comfort food. And it wasn't that I watched bits and pieces of it. Oh, no. I would watch the whole movie. And I watched it so much, that when I finally saw a version of it that they played on TV, I was able to pick out all the parts that they added for the network showing (and there were a lot). And that wasn't the only movie on that tape. It also had a film called Streets and Heathers on there as well. They were watched just as often, and Streets will get one of these posts one day. But what made that tape so watchable, besides all three being great(ish) movies, was that each movie felt different, so I could get a different experience out of each movie when I would watch that tape in full. Sometimes I miss the days when I could waste a day just watching movies. It was a time in my life when I could do that and not have to really worry about the world. Not that I worry much now, but it was just different. And I'm hard pressed to find anything that I think is as funny now, as The Naked Gun was back then.
And I'm not even going to bring up the OJ Simpson factor.
So, to start off this little segment, I'm going to write about The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. The very first time I saw the movie was when my Aunt Genie got the family tickets to see a sneak preview of it. At the time, she knew somebody who worked at Paramount, and she would sometimes get preview passes to certain movies. The Naked Gun was one of those movies. And I was 16 years old when I saw it. The perfect age. The absurdist humor from the guys that made Airplane! was right in my wheelhouse. I remember laughing from beginning to end.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I was in college. At Ohio University there was never any way to watch regular television unless you watched the main TV down in the lobby or you lived off campus and had cable. So I had to resort to videotapes if I wanted to watch anything. I watched a lot of different movies in my four years at college, but I also watched a tape that had The Naked Gun on it more than probably any sane person. It was my version of video comfort food. And it wasn't that I watched bits and pieces of it. Oh, no. I would watch the whole movie. And I watched it so much, that when I finally saw a version of it that they played on TV, I was able to pick out all the parts that they added for the network showing (and there were a lot). And that wasn't the only movie on that tape. It also had a film called Streets and Heathers on there as well. They were watched just as often, and Streets will get one of these posts one day. But what made that tape so watchable, besides all three being great(ish) movies, was that each movie felt different, so I could get a different experience out of each movie when I would watch that tape in full. Sometimes I miss the days when I could waste a day just watching movies. It was a time in my life when I could do that and not have to really worry about the world. Not that I worry much now, but it was just different. And I'm hard pressed to find anything that I think is as funny now, as The Naked Gun was back then.
And I'm not even going to bring up the OJ Simpson factor.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Day 1847 - Rogue One
Rogue One
Or as many people are going to call it - Star Wars: Episode 3.5. It's pretty great. But before I talk about about it, I really want to stress that I'm going to be as spoiler-free as possible. There's a lot of fun stuff in this movie, and I really want people to experience that for themselves.
Okay, down to brass tacks. This movie takes places right before Episode 4, and it details how the Rebels ended up with the plans to the Death Star. What's that, you say? You haven't watched any of the previous Star Wars movies, and everything I've just written is just nonsense. Well, let's amend that.
The movie starts off with Mads Mikkelsen playing a farmer (Galen Urso), who's visited by representatives of the Empire. They want him to work on a weapon of mass destruction for them. Apparently he's a super-smart scientist, and has been in hiding. He sends his family off to safety, so the Empire can't use them as leverage against him. It doesn't go well. Fast-forward 15 years, and Galen's daughter, Jyn (as played by Felicity Jones), is forcibly recruited by the Rebels to find her father, and get information on the Death Star (that weapon of mass destruction). All of this leads her to become inspiration for a small group of followers who believe in her mission to help fight the tyranny of the Empire. And here's where the movie really shines.
Earlier in the year, there was a forgettable remake of The Magnificent Seven. This movie appropriates a lot of the same plot, but it does so in a way that succeeds where the Seven remake failed. It introduces characters slowly and deliberately. Each character becomes fully formed throughout the film (even the main bad guy). You have Jyn, who is on a quest to follow in her father's footsteps, but also trying to find him, so she can get some much needed closure. Then there's Diego Luna's Cassian - a daring rebel fighter who still has moments of humanity, even amidst the terrible decisions he has to make. And I can't forget about the reprogrammed Imperial Droid K-2SO. In, what could have been a very dark and dour film, K-2SO provides the much needed comic relief. And it all stems from his character. It's never forced, and that's an accomplishment. Riz Ahmed does a great job of taking what could have been a throwaway role of defecting Imperial pilot Bohdi Rook, and turning him into a character that you have real empathy for. And finally, there's the fantastic duo of Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang, as they portray a blind man (Jedi?), and his best friend/protector. This magnificent six are given so much room to grow as characters, that when all the action really starts to come, we have become fully invested in them.
And that action. For me, the last forty minutes were so involving and breathtaking, that I barely breathed. We all know what's going to happen. But we don't know how. I still remember watching Return of the Jedi and being stunned by all the space ships doing battle. This movie takes all of that and leaves it in the dust. When a squadron of tie fighters fly out of a hanger, you can do nothing but be both amazed and terrified for the Rebels that have to face them.
This reminds me of an older style of movie, because of all the emphasis on the characters. And also, because of its reliance on practical effects. Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of digital effects (especially during scenes that I don't want to talk about), but when the movie creates alien creatures that are people in costume, it just feels comforting. And it makes things seem more real. Like real characters are sacrificing themselves for the greater good.
So, yeah, I liked it. It has heart, great characterization, and treats aplenty for those of you who have actually seen any of the six movies that have come before. It's worth avoiding the spoilers and seeing it as soon as possible.
***1/2 (maybe even ****)
Or as many people are going to call it - Star Wars: Episode 3.5. It's pretty great. But before I talk about about it, I really want to stress that I'm going to be as spoiler-free as possible. There's a lot of fun stuff in this movie, and I really want people to experience that for themselves.
Okay, down to brass tacks. This movie takes places right before Episode 4, and it details how the Rebels ended up with the plans to the Death Star. What's that, you say? You haven't watched any of the previous Star Wars movies, and everything I've just written is just nonsense. Well, let's amend that.
The movie starts off with Mads Mikkelsen playing a farmer (Galen Urso), who's visited by representatives of the Empire. They want him to work on a weapon of mass destruction for them. Apparently he's a super-smart scientist, and has been in hiding. He sends his family off to safety, so the Empire can't use them as leverage against him. It doesn't go well. Fast-forward 15 years, and Galen's daughter, Jyn (as played by Felicity Jones), is forcibly recruited by the Rebels to find her father, and get information on the Death Star (that weapon of mass destruction). All of this leads her to become inspiration for a small group of followers who believe in her mission to help fight the tyranny of the Empire. And here's where the movie really shines.
Earlier in the year, there was a forgettable remake of The Magnificent Seven. This movie appropriates a lot of the same plot, but it does so in a way that succeeds where the Seven remake failed. It introduces characters slowly and deliberately. Each character becomes fully formed throughout the film (even the main bad guy). You have Jyn, who is on a quest to follow in her father's footsteps, but also trying to find him, so she can get some much needed closure. Then there's Diego Luna's Cassian - a daring rebel fighter who still has moments of humanity, even amidst the terrible decisions he has to make. And I can't forget about the reprogrammed Imperial Droid K-2SO. In, what could have been a very dark and dour film, K-2SO provides the much needed comic relief. And it all stems from his character. It's never forced, and that's an accomplishment. Riz Ahmed does a great job of taking what could have been a throwaway role of defecting Imperial pilot Bohdi Rook, and turning him into a character that you have real empathy for. And finally, there's the fantastic duo of Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang, as they portray a blind man (Jedi?), and his best friend/protector. This magnificent six are given so much room to grow as characters, that when all the action really starts to come, we have become fully invested in them.
And that action. For me, the last forty minutes were so involving and breathtaking, that I barely breathed. We all know what's going to happen. But we don't know how. I still remember watching Return of the Jedi and being stunned by all the space ships doing battle. This movie takes all of that and leaves it in the dust. When a squadron of tie fighters fly out of a hanger, you can do nothing but be both amazed and terrified for the Rebels that have to face them.
This reminds me of an older style of movie, because of all the emphasis on the characters. And also, because of its reliance on practical effects. Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of digital effects (especially during scenes that I don't want to talk about), but when the movie creates alien creatures that are people in costume, it just feels comforting. And it makes things seem more real. Like real characters are sacrificing themselves for the greater good.
So, yeah, I liked it. It has heart, great characterization, and treats aplenty for those of you who have actually seen any of the six movies that have come before. It's worth avoiding the spoilers and seeing it as soon as possible.
***1/2 (maybe even ****)
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Day 1837 - Recent Movie Roundup
So... It's been a little more than a month since I last wrote something. And that last thing was on the election and its results. I had more people read that piece than anything I've written since I started this second go around as The Critic Wannabe. Let me tell you, that gives one pause. I hate politics and the strife that it brings, but let me tell you, there was a tiny part of me that wanted to continue in that same vein. Thankfully, like gas, it passed. Instead, you get my thoughts on some of the movies I saw in the last month or so. It's not going to crush in the views, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
The Handmaiden - Chan-wook Park directed Oldboy. If you've seen that movie, you know that he's a director who likes to push the audience's buttons. For good or bad, he wants to get a reaction out of you. The Handmaiden is no different. That being said, for its three act Rashoman-like structure, The Handmaiden tells a story that is twisty, sensual, violent, gorgeous, and one of the best things I've seen this year. Enough time has gone on, that I'm able to think about the "twists" and recognize them as legitimate storytelling devices. The story follows four people - Count Fujiwara, a swindler who hires a thief, Sook Hee, to be his accomplice as he tries to marry Lady Hideko before her Uncle Kouzuki can do so.
Act one is all about the set-up, as we meet all the players, and we have a pretty basic understanding of what each of them want. Act two goes back, and shows all sorts of scenes from different points of view, as well as additional scenes that reveal more about the characters. And act three ties it all together as different players realize that they're being played be the others.
This is sometimes not an easy movie to watch. Uncle Kouzuki is a reprehensible man, and only in the second and third acts do we really see the depths that he exists in. Sook Hee has never known anything other than being a thief, so any change from that routine is a completely new experience, and we see her transformation over the course of the film, and it's astonishing.
Again, this is a movie that's not for the casual viewer. I'm happy I got to see it in the theater, because when that happens, you can't be distracted by outside forces. You're forced to either engage (which I gladly did), or not. It seems that every scene is there to either be beautiful or move the story along (and sometimes both). Simply great.
Doctor Strange - Ah, the new Marvel movie. Like the previous Marvel movies, it's simply a good time. Is it slightly derivative (egotistic know-it-all has it all stripped away and has to rebuild from the ground up - check)? Sure. But it's all in the casting and execution, and this movie has that in spades. The movie is a fun time (love the cloak of levitation/magic carpet), but where it really succeeds is in creating another pocket in the Marvel Film Universe, and showing us where it fits into the larger picture. And it does it pretty effortlessly. It rests pretty squarely in the middle of the Marvel Films, and that's really all we want, isn't it?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The J.K. Rowling-penned screenplay that sets up the magical world pre-Harry Potter is a solid flick. It takes a little time getting a move on, but when it does, it really starts to work. My problem with the movie, and I couldn't put my finger on it until I read author Carrie Vaughn's review of it, is exactly what she said - the movie is about the wrong person. Instead of concentrating on Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander (the wizard), the movie would have been better served if it had focused on Dan Fogler's Jacob Kowalski (the human). That would have brought a whole different viewpoint to the film, and might have made it a touch more magical (excuse the pun). (Carrie's pretty great - read her blog here... https://carriev.wordpress.com/ ) And I never believed that I would ever want more of Dan Fogler in anything. It might be a Christmas miracle. I still don't care for Katherine Watterson as an actress, but that's my own personal bias (she plays the by the book, eventual love interest to Newt). And I still enjoyed the film, but I could have watched another hour of Jacob and Alison Sudol's Queenie (the mind-reading sister of Katherine Watterson's character) and been fine. They were completely charming. In a wizarding duel between this and Doctor Strange, Strange takes this one down easily, but they're playing to different crowds.
Arrival - Been wanting to see a great sci-fi movie recently? Here you go. Aliens come to Earth, and here in America linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is teamed up with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), as they try to communicate with the aliens. It's a complicated process, but they seem to be getting it. But, while America is cautiously being open about some of the things they've learned, other countries are getting scared and war against the aliens is being planned. This is a very personal story told on a very large scale, and it posits some very deep ideas about time, honor, and what we do with the information we have (on both a small scale and a large one). I liked it, and I like talking about the story that it's based on (Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang), and how and why they differ. If you've seen the movie, I think it's worth it to either read the story it's based on, or see what the major change was. I think it enhances the experience.
Edge of Seventeen - I thought this was pretty great. But I'm getting tired, and running out of adjectives. Great acting, real heart, embarrassing texts, awkward situations all highlight this very smart film. Exactly what I was hoping for when I saw it.
There you go.
The Handmaiden - Chan-wook Park directed Oldboy. If you've seen that movie, you know that he's a director who likes to push the audience's buttons. For good or bad, he wants to get a reaction out of you. The Handmaiden is no different. That being said, for its three act Rashoman-like structure, The Handmaiden tells a story that is twisty, sensual, violent, gorgeous, and one of the best things I've seen this year. Enough time has gone on, that I'm able to think about the "twists" and recognize them as legitimate storytelling devices. The story follows four people - Count Fujiwara, a swindler who hires a thief, Sook Hee, to be his accomplice as he tries to marry Lady Hideko before her Uncle Kouzuki can do so.
Act one is all about the set-up, as we meet all the players, and we have a pretty basic understanding of what each of them want. Act two goes back, and shows all sorts of scenes from different points of view, as well as additional scenes that reveal more about the characters. And act three ties it all together as different players realize that they're being played be the others.
This is sometimes not an easy movie to watch. Uncle Kouzuki is a reprehensible man, and only in the second and third acts do we really see the depths that he exists in. Sook Hee has never known anything other than being a thief, so any change from that routine is a completely new experience, and we see her transformation over the course of the film, and it's astonishing.
Again, this is a movie that's not for the casual viewer. I'm happy I got to see it in the theater, because when that happens, you can't be distracted by outside forces. You're forced to either engage (which I gladly did), or not. It seems that every scene is there to either be beautiful or move the story along (and sometimes both). Simply great.
Doctor Strange - Ah, the new Marvel movie. Like the previous Marvel movies, it's simply a good time. Is it slightly derivative (egotistic know-it-all has it all stripped away and has to rebuild from the ground up - check)? Sure. But it's all in the casting and execution, and this movie has that in spades. The movie is a fun time (love the cloak of levitation/magic carpet), but where it really succeeds is in creating another pocket in the Marvel Film Universe, and showing us where it fits into the larger picture. And it does it pretty effortlessly. It rests pretty squarely in the middle of the Marvel Films, and that's really all we want, isn't it?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The J.K. Rowling-penned screenplay that sets up the magical world pre-Harry Potter is a solid flick. It takes a little time getting a move on, but when it does, it really starts to work. My problem with the movie, and I couldn't put my finger on it until I read author Carrie Vaughn's review of it, is exactly what she said - the movie is about the wrong person. Instead of concentrating on Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander (the wizard), the movie would have been better served if it had focused on Dan Fogler's Jacob Kowalski (the human). That would have brought a whole different viewpoint to the film, and might have made it a touch more magical (excuse the pun). (Carrie's pretty great - read her blog here... https://carriev.wordpress.com/ ) And I never believed that I would ever want more of Dan Fogler in anything. It might be a Christmas miracle. I still don't care for Katherine Watterson as an actress, but that's my own personal bias (she plays the by the book, eventual love interest to Newt). And I still enjoyed the film, but I could have watched another hour of Jacob and Alison Sudol's Queenie (the mind-reading sister of Katherine Watterson's character) and been fine. They were completely charming. In a wizarding duel between this and Doctor Strange, Strange takes this one down easily, but they're playing to different crowds.
Arrival - Been wanting to see a great sci-fi movie recently? Here you go. Aliens come to Earth, and here in America linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is teamed up with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), as they try to communicate with the aliens. It's a complicated process, but they seem to be getting it. But, while America is cautiously being open about some of the things they've learned, other countries are getting scared and war against the aliens is being planned. This is a very personal story told on a very large scale, and it posits some very deep ideas about time, honor, and what we do with the information we have (on both a small scale and a large one). I liked it, and I like talking about the story that it's based on (Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang), and how and why they differ. If you've seen the movie, I think it's worth it to either read the story it's based on, or see what the major change was. I think it enhances the experience.
Edge of Seventeen - I thought this was pretty great. But I'm getting tired, and running out of adjectives. Great acting, real heart, embarrassing texts, awkward situations all highlight this very smart film. Exactly what I was hoping for when I saw it.
There you go.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Day 1593 - "Movie Freak" and why I have to keep writing
I've been writing movie reviews ever since The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (***1/2) came out. There have been times when I was prolific (college and MySpace) and times when I have been less so (post-college and Facebook-era). But the need to write about what I've seen and tell others whether I thought it was good or bad has consistently been strong.
In the last few months there have been a things that have brought my inner critic into much sharper focus. The Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself was one of those. Two friends, separately, have given me a ton of advice and encouragement, and that really re-energized me. But I also just read Owen Gleiberman's autobiography Movie Freak, and that really crystallized a lot of things for me.
While there were a number of movies that Gleiberman talks about where we couldn't be on the more opposite end of the spectrum, based on his upbringing and worldview, I understand where he's coming from (even if I don't agree with him.). My own upbringing has definitely influenced my own tastes. My parents both love movies, especially old ones. So I spent a lot of time in the early days of videotape watching movies starring Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, and Bette Davis. And of course, there were Saturday afternoons with Superhost, Cleveland's own movie host who showed all the classic Universal and Hammer horror films. In college, I had fellow resident assistant Zach, who was a horror film freak and he passed on movies that he thought I should see - good, bad, or interesting. Post-college I had, and still have, the Cleveland Cinematheque. Every weekend there is like a mini film festival. It also helped that I read about movies non-stop. All those monster movies? I would read about how they made them, what their influences were, and their sequels. If I liked a director or movie I would read all about them. And I read a lot (a lot!) of film criticism simply so I could know what was supposed to be good. I may not have always agreed with the popular opinion, but at least I knew what was being discussed.
The lesson I really came away from his book with was this - write what you really feel. Don't compromise. If you don't like a movie, don't temper that dislike. If you like a movie, try and express why that is. I immerse myself in so many reviews and other people's thoughts that I sometimes let that influence my own opinions. Usually it's on movies that I have mixed feelings on. When I have a strong opinion, it's hard to get me to change my mind (I still don't like Vertigo or Skyfall regardless of how great people say they are), but on something recent, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I can find my initial thoughts being tempered by the people who legitimately love it, even if they can't express why that's so.
If Gleiberman's book taught me anything, it's to be proud of what I think about a movie. Certainly there will be times when my initial thoughts might be wrong, or outside influences will affect my initial thoughts. Grandma's Boy and Crank would be two of those movies that immediately come to mind. I initially disliked both those movies the first time I saw them, and I changed my opinion on them because when I first saw them, I saw them by myself. The second time I watched them, I watched them with a group of people. There really is nothing like the communal reaction to a movie to change your thoughts about its entertainment value.
So, I have been writing more often. I've got a review of American Ultra (the Jesse Eisenberg/Kristen Stewart stoner assassin movie) halfway written, and I really liked this movie. It bombed horribly at the box office and that made me sad. As I rewatched it, I still liked it, but I was tempering myself because so many people seemed down on it. But I know the joy and surprise of my initial reaction was the right reaction. I just need to see if I can capture that in words. But I'm enjoying writing again. Would I appreciate an audience? Of course. But for those of you who do read this, I really do thank you. I've been writing in a vacuum for most of my life, and I'll keep doing it. But it's definitely nice to know, for myself, that I should keep doing this.
In the last few months there have been a things that have brought my inner critic into much sharper focus. The Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself was one of those. Two friends, separately, have given me a ton of advice and encouragement, and that really re-energized me. But I also just read Owen Gleiberman's autobiography Movie Freak, and that really crystallized a lot of things for me.
While there were a number of movies that Gleiberman talks about where we couldn't be on the more opposite end of the spectrum, based on his upbringing and worldview, I understand where he's coming from (even if I don't agree with him.). My own upbringing has definitely influenced my own tastes. My parents both love movies, especially old ones. So I spent a lot of time in the early days of videotape watching movies starring Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, and Bette Davis. And of course, there were Saturday afternoons with Superhost, Cleveland's own movie host who showed all the classic Universal and Hammer horror films. In college, I had fellow resident assistant Zach, who was a horror film freak and he passed on movies that he thought I should see - good, bad, or interesting. Post-college I had, and still have, the Cleveland Cinematheque. Every weekend there is like a mini film festival. It also helped that I read about movies non-stop. All those monster movies? I would read about how they made them, what their influences were, and their sequels. If I liked a director or movie I would read all about them. And I read a lot (a lot!) of film criticism simply so I could know what was supposed to be good. I may not have always agreed with the popular opinion, but at least I knew what was being discussed.
The lesson I really came away from his book with was this - write what you really feel. Don't compromise. If you don't like a movie, don't temper that dislike. If you like a movie, try and express why that is. I immerse myself in so many reviews and other people's thoughts that I sometimes let that influence my own opinions. Usually it's on movies that I have mixed feelings on. When I have a strong opinion, it's hard to get me to change my mind (I still don't like Vertigo or Skyfall regardless of how great people say they are), but on something recent, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I can find my initial thoughts being tempered by the people who legitimately love it, even if they can't express why that's so.
If Gleiberman's book taught me anything, it's to be proud of what I think about a movie. Certainly there will be times when my initial thoughts might be wrong, or outside influences will affect my initial thoughts. Grandma's Boy and Crank would be two of those movies that immediately come to mind. I initially disliked both those movies the first time I saw them, and I changed my opinion on them because when I first saw them, I saw them by myself. The second time I watched them, I watched them with a group of people. There really is nothing like the communal reaction to a movie to change your thoughts about its entertainment value.
So, I have been writing more often. I've got a review of American Ultra (the Jesse Eisenberg/Kristen Stewart stoner assassin movie) halfway written, and I really liked this movie. It bombed horribly at the box office and that made me sad. As I rewatched it, I still liked it, but I was tempering myself because so many people seemed down on it. But I know the joy and surprise of my initial reaction was the right reaction. I just need to see if I can capture that in words. But I'm enjoying writing again. Would I appreciate an audience? Of course. But for those of you who do read this, I really do thank you. I've been writing in a vacuum for most of my life, and I'll keep doing it. But it's definitely nice to know, for myself, that I should keep doing this.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Day 1494 - Movie Roundup of 2015
2015 was another year where my movie intake decreased. I only watched 138 movies this year. Yes, yes, I realize that there are a number of people who don't even come close to that total, but for myself it was on the low end. However, that being said, I think it actually proves the quality of television this last year, because I watched a bunch of TV. Stupid TV.
And, just like last year, there are movies that haven't been released in Cleveland yet, so this list will morph and shape over the next month. For instance, I saw Whiplash in 2015. As a 2014 release, it moves into my #2 spot in my favorites of 2014. It's amazing.
But without further ado, here's my list of my favorite movies of last year.
1. Ex Machina - Oscar Isaac builds a robot, Domhnall Gleeson questions it to see if it has real artificial intelligence, and Alicia Vikander crushes it as the robot. No movie made me think about it as much as this one did this year. And, like the best movies, it rewards multiple viewings. That ending is perfect.
2. The Hateful Eight - With the exception of Jackie Brown (which I don't like), I don't think any Tarantino movie has been as divisive as this one. I personally love it. It's brutal, profane, violent, and a whole lot smarter than a lot of people seem to be giving it credit for. And that name in the opening credits (but not in the poster) - classic! Whether it was worth the 70mm presentation will be decided when I see it again in a regular theater.
3. Steve Jobs - Michael Fassbender made a believer out of me. His performance as the title character is riveting, and makes you care about a man who is nearly impossible to care for. Warts and all, Steve Jobs, the man and the movie demand your attention.
4. Mad Max: Fury Road - Oh how I love cars chasing each other and things blowing up.
5. What We do in the Shadows - The funniest movie I saw this year. A houseful of vampires have to deal with the mundane aspects of life (somebody has to do the chores) all in front of a documentary crew. Petyr, the Nosferatu-looking vampire is a complete hoot. And who doesn't love Stu?
6. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - Man, I'm a sucker for these movies. I love the characters, I like the stunts, I try not to think about the mission too much. Entertainment for entertainment's sake.
7. Room - A young woman raises her son in a tiny little room. What he doesn't know is just about everything, since he's never been outside of it. Until one glorious day. This is less of entertainment than it is a brilliantly acted take on how one can survive such a situation, and how one could possibly deal with the after-effects of said situation. Jacob Tremblay, as that little kid, is astonishing.
8. The Big Short - How a group of wall street guys bet against the housing industry a few years before it collapsed. They saw the signs, and the movie explains it to you in layman's terms. Even so, it's some complicated stuff. But the actors (especially Steve Carell) keep you invested (pun intended).
9. Brooklyn - Saoirse Ronan is an Irish immigrant who comes to Brooklyn and eventually finds a fella. When she has to go back to Ireland for a time, things get complicated. As a viewer, my emotions were all over the map, but the last 15 minutes or so made it for me. Not splashy, just good.
10. The Walk - If I hadn't seen this in 3D, I don't know if it would have been as good. But since I did, I thought it was amazing. No, I haven't seen Man on Wire, and that may have influenced me as well. But watching Joesph Gordon-Levitt's Philippe Petit make that walk between the two towers was one of the most breathtaking things I've seen this year.
11. The Martian - I've got the book ready to read this year. However, having not read it, I really dug the movie. Who doesn't love a good Robinson Crusoe on Mars story? And the fact that there was a minimum amount of dumb in the movie made me happy.
12. SPECTRE - No, it's not the best Bond movie ever made, but I still like it tons more than Skyfall (of which my opinions are quite clear). It's overlong and has some stupid plot points, but it still felt like a Bond movie to me. And I love me some Bond movies (except Skyfall).
13. Ant-Man - What could have been just a bit too much is just handled deftly enough. Funny when it needs to be, dramatic when it demands it, and, yeah, worth it just for that first post-credits sequence.
14. The Final Girls - Yeah, here's the one you've never heard of. A girl and her friends are somehow transported into a schlocky horror film. However, that girl's deceased mom is one of the actresses in that movie. Very meta, sometimes absolutely hilarious (the song Lollipop will bring a smile to your face every time you hear it after this), and has more heart than you could possibly expect from a movie like this. The only reason this went straight to video is because the marketers had no idea what to do with it (I'm convinced). I knew I'd love it when I saw the trailer and it didn't disappoint.
15. Trainwreck - Forget the love story between Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. That's conventional stuff. The real stuff is the triangle between Schumer's character, her dad, and her sister. The family drama is so, so strong and moving, that I wouldn't have minded if the movie had just dealt with them. Alas, we also get the weak romantic story. Not Schumer or Hader's fault - they both do well, it's just that the other stuff is so good.
16. The Babadook - Scary little movie on its own, but even better when you read peoples' theories on what they think it was about. Scared me more than It Follows, which I liked, but didn't love as much as many others.
17. Furious Seven - Not as joyously insane as the previous two installments, but Paul Walker's final ride ended on a perfect touching note. You could tell there were certain things that the filmmakers probably wanted to do, but Walker's death prevented it.
18. Dope - From the opening credits which give the different definitions of the title word (all of which are in play), I was in. A nerdy high school senior gets embroiled in things way above his head, and it's funny, crazy, and frightening (in a real-life sort of way). Sure the ending is a touch of a cop out, but the rest of the movie is solid.
19. Sicario - This got a lot of play from a lot of critics. If you look at it from the point of view that the very capable Emily Blunt's character is in things way, way over her head, then the movie works just fine. But if you were looking for her to kick major butt, then you're going to be disappointed. But Benicio Del Toro - oooh, he's cold-blooded.
20. The Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - This one is the gimme of the year. I saw the trailer, and all I did was hope that it lived up to it. I thought it did. If you're going to make an extreme movie, then please go all out. This movie did just that. It wants to make you laugh and sometimes wince and sometimes groan, and it succeeded at all three.
And, yes, there is one major (major!) film that I saw this year that didn't make my top 20. I liked Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and I'm sure I'll see it a number of times. That being said, there are just some insurmountable things that are in the movie that I can't get behind. I still like it, but yeah, Scout's Guide gets a place in my top 20, and The Force Awakens doesn't.
And, just like last year, there are movies that haven't been released in Cleveland yet, so this list will morph and shape over the next month. For instance, I saw Whiplash in 2015. As a 2014 release, it moves into my #2 spot in my favorites of 2014. It's amazing.
But without further ado, here's my list of my favorite movies of last year.
1. Ex Machina - Oscar Isaac builds a robot, Domhnall Gleeson questions it to see if it has real artificial intelligence, and Alicia Vikander crushes it as the robot. No movie made me think about it as much as this one did this year. And, like the best movies, it rewards multiple viewings. That ending is perfect.
2. The Hateful Eight - With the exception of Jackie Brown (which I don't like), I don't think any Tarantino movie has been as divisive as this one. I personally love it. It's brutal, profane, violent, and a whole lot smarter than a lot of people seem to be giving it credit for. And that name in the opening credits (but not in the poster) - classic! Whether it was worth the 70mm presentation will be decided when I see it again in a regular theater.
3. Steve Jobs - Michael Fassbender made a believer out of me. His performance as the title character is riveting, and makes you care about a man who is nearly impossible to care for. Warts and all, Steve Jobs, the man and the movie demand your attention.
4. Mad Max: Fury Road - Oh how I love cars chasing each other and things blowing up.
5. What We do in the Shadows - The funniest movie I saw this year. A houseful of vampires have to deal with the mundane aspects of life (somebody has to do the chores) all in front of a documentary crew. Petyr, the Nosferatu-looking vampire is a complete hoot. And who doesn't love Stu?
6. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - Man, I'm a sucker for these movies. I love the characters, I like the stunts, I try not to think about the mission too much. Entertainment for entertainment's sake.
7. Room - A young woman raises her son in a tiny little room. What he doesn't know is just about everything, since he's never been outside of it. Until one glorious day. This is less of entertainment than it is a brilliantly acted take on how one can survive such a situation, and how one could possibly deal with the after-effects of said situation. Jacob Tremblay, as that little kid, is astonishing.
8. The Big Short - How a group of wall street guys bet against the housing industry a few years before it collapsed. They saw the signs, and the movie explains it to you in layman's terms. Even so, it's some complicated stuff. But the actors (especially Steve Carell) keep you invested (pun intended).
9. Brooklyn - Saoirse Ronan is an Irish immigrant who comes to Brooklyn and eventually finds a fella. When she has to go back to Ireland for a time, things get complicated. As a viewer, my emotions were all over the map, but the last 15 minutes or so made it for me. Not splashy, just good.
10. The Walk - If I hadn't seen this in 3D, I don't know if it would have been as good. But since I did, I thought it was amazing. No, I haven't seen Man on Wire, and that may have influenced me as well. But watching Joesph Gordon-Levitt's Philippe Petit make that walk between the two towers was one of the most breathtaking things I've seen this year.
11. The Martian - I've got the book ready to read this year. However, having not read it, I really dug the movie. Who doesn't love a good Robinson Crusoe on Mars story? And the fact that there was a minimum amount of dumb in the movie made me happy.
12. SPECTRE - No, it's not the best Bond movie ever made, but I still like it tons more than Skyfall (of which my opinions are quite clear). It's overlong and has some stupid plot points, but it still felt like a Bond movie to me. And I love me some Bond movies (except Skyfall).
13. Ant-Man - What could have been just a bit too much is just handled deftly enough. Funny when it needs to be, dramatic when it demands it, and, yeah, worth it just for that first post-credits sequence.
14. The Final Girls - Yeah, here's the one you've never heard of. A girl and her friends are somehow transported into a schlocky horror film. However, that girl's deceased mom is one of the actresses in that movie. Very meta, sometimes absolutely hilarious (the song Lollipop will bring a smile to your face every time you hear it after this), and has more heart than you could possibly expect from a movie like this. The only reason this went straight to video is because the marketers had no idea what to do with it (I'm convinced). I knew I'd love it when I saw the trailer and it didn't disappoint.
15. Trainwreck - Forget the love story between Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. That's conventional stuff. The real stuff is the triangle between Schumer's character, her dad, and her sister. The family drama is so, so strong and moving, that I wouldn't have minded if the movie had just dealt with them. Alas, we also get the weak romantic story. Not Schumer or Hader's fault - they both do well, it's just that the other stuff is so good.
16. The Babadook - Scary little movie on its own, but even better when you read peoples' theories on what they think it was about. Scared me more than It Follows, which I liked, but didn't love as much as many others.
17. Furious Seven - Not as joyously insane as the previous two installments, but Paul Walker's final ride ended on a perfect touching note. You could tell there were certain things that the filmmakers probably wanted to do, but Walker's death prevented it.
18. Dope - From the opening credits which give the different definitions of the title word (all of which are in play), I was in. A nerdy high school senior gets embroiled in things way above his head, and it's funny, crazy, and frightening (in a real-life sort of way). Sure the ending is a touch of a cop out, but the rest of the movie is solid.
19. Sicario - This got a lot of play from a lot of critics. If you look at it from the point of view that the very capable Emily Blunt's character is in things way, way over her head, then the movie works just fine. But if you were looking for her to kick major butt, then you're going to be disappointed. But Benicio Del Toro - oooh, he's cold-blooded.
20. The Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - This one is the gimme of the year. I saw the trailer, and all I did was hope that it lived up to it. I thought it did. If you're going to make an extreme movie, then please go all out. This movie did just that. It wants to make you laugh and sometimes wince and sometimes groan, and it succeeded at all three.
And, yes, there is one major (major!) film that I saw this year that didn't make my top 20. I liked Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and I'm sure I'll see it a number of times. That being said, there are just some insurmountable things that are in the movie that I can't get behind. I still like it, but yeah, Scout's Guide gets a place in my top 20, and The Force Awakens doesn't.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Day 1237 - What movies have I watched more than 10 times?
There was a thing going around Facebook this week - Name a movie you've watched over 5 times that you're still entertained by. I thought 5 was a low number (heck, I've watched Vertigo and Skyfall at least 3 times apiece and I don't even like them), so I've opted to go with the number 10. Now, be aware that some of the movies I list on here might not meet these rigid restrictions (I think I've seen Lawrence of Arabia 8 times, but 7 of those times were in the theater, so I'm rounding up), but in other cases, I'm pretty sure I've seen King Kong and Jaws well over 20 times each. It all balances out.
So, I've broken these movies up into little categories of my own design -
My favorites:
King Kong
Jaws
Silence of the Lambs
North by Northwest
These four movies represent numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 on my all-time favorites list. Number 3 is Taxi Driver, and while I love it, it doesn't lend itself to multiple viewings. It's just too bleak. The other four, however... I never get bored of them.
The trilogies:
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Do I need to explain why these six movies are eminently watchable? No making fun of the Ewoks or Kate Capshaw here.
The Bond Movies
Dr. No
Goldfinger
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Live and Let Die
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
The Living Daylights
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
I've seen them all multiple times, but these 10 are far and away the ones I've seen the most. I'm tempted to drop Diamonds are Forever in the mix as well, because I know I've watched that one a bunch, too.
The tape:
The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad
Heathers
Streets
I had one videotape in college that had these three movies on it, and I watched the whole tape a lot! The Naked Gun satisfied my craving for absurdist comedies, Heathers filled my need for snark, and Streets reminded me that even if you had the tiniest of budgets and a purely b-level script you could still make gritty magic.
The tape part 2:
Robocop
Monty Python The Meaning of Life
Two of the most extreme and eye-opening films I have ever seen. I never get bored watching them. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"
The animated movies:
A Bug's Life
Finding Nemo
Kung Fu Panda
Because of Dennis Leary, Ellen Degeneres, and Dustin Hoffman respectively.
The Martial Arts flicks:
Drunken Master 2
Police Story
Jackie Chan's First Strike
The Deadliest Art: The Best of the Martial Arts Movies
I can watch Jackie Chan a lot and never, ever be bored. And The Deadliest Art introduced me to his compatriot Sammo Hung, for which I'll be forever grateful.
The Cusacks:
Better Off Dead
The Sure Thing
Sixteen Candles
Yeah, I know John Cusack is only in a little bit of Sixteen Candles, but it fit my category, so in it stays. These three movies are my version of comfort food.
The classics:
The Wizard of Oz
Rear Window
Stalag 17
Charade
Lawrence of Arabia
If you've never seen any of these, well shame on you.
Comedy classics:
Hold That Ghost
Monkey Business
Way Out West
Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy all represent!
Action classics:
Die Hard
Die Hard 2
Speed
Dirty Harry
Yes, I like watching Die Hard 2 just as much as I like watching the first one. Even William Sadler, who played the bad guy in part 2 thought that was weird.
Sports flicks:
Tin Cup
The Natural
Those are my two go-to sports flicks. I have never been bored watching them.
The videotapes:
Watch It
Get Crazy
Virgin High
Hot Under the Collar
Four movies that have never made the transition to DVD (sadly). I have copies of them on VHS and am happy to have them. Watch It is one of the best movies you've never heard of. Get Crazy has Malcolm McDowell, Lou Reed, Daniel Stern, Ed Begley Jr and others in a madcap musical comedy. Virgin High and Hot Under the Collar are two b-movies from director/actor Richard Gabai. They make me laugh.
The 90's nostalgia:
Clerks
Mallrats
Pulp Fiction
True Romance
Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino are my heroes.
3 more:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Murder by Death
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
If Spielberg had never made Jaws, he would still be one of my favorite directors because of Close Encounters. Murder By Death has my favorite Peter Sellers role. And while I love everyone in Mad, Mad... Jonathan Winters is by far my favorite.
What?
She's All That
The Matrix Reloaded
So the final two on my list... yeah. What can I say? I like She's All That and I watch it more than is probably acceptable. And I will defend my love for the second Matrix movie till I pass from this mortal coil. It's not my fault that the third movie is so terrible. I simply want lots and lots of cool action with ideas that make me think (and if any of my theories about what was actually going on in that second Matrix movie had panned out, then people probably would've liked that one, too). I just pretend the third movie never existed and make up my own end to the saga. It's just better that way.
Final tally - 62 movies that I've (probably) seen more than 10 times each. I'm sure there's even more that I've forgotten, but it's a good starter list. A lot of classics that others would have on their own lists aren't here (cough*Ghostbusters*cough), and I understand that. Heck, give me a few years, and I'm sure I could add a few more. Heck, I was just glancing at my collection, and I could probably add Predator and Pump Up the Volume to this list, but maybe I'll just watch them again, instead.
So, I've broken these movies up into little categories of my own design -
My favorites:
King Kong
Jaws
Silence of the Lambs
North by Northwest
These four movies represent numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 on my all-time favorites list. Number 3 is Taxi Driver, and while I love it, it doesn't lend itself to multiple viewings. It's just too bleak. The other four, however... I never get bored of them.
The trilogies:
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Do I need to explain why these six movies are eminently watchable? No making fun of the Ewoks or Kate Capshaw here.
The Bond Movies
Dr. No
Goldfinger
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Live and Let Die
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
The Living Daylights
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
I've seen them all multiple times, but these 10 are far and away the ones I've seen the most. I'm tempted to drop Diamonds are Forever in the mix as well, because I know I've watched that one a bunch, too.
The tape:
The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad
Heathers
Streets
I had one videotape in college that had these three movies on it, and I watched the whole tape a lot! The Naked Gun satisfied my craving for absurdist comedies, Heathers filled my need for snark, and Streets reminded me that even if you had the tiniest of budgets and a purely b-level script you could still make gritty magic.
The tape part 2:
Robocop
Monty Python The Meaning of Life
Two of the most extreme and eye-opening films I have ever seen. I never get bored watching them. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"
The animated movies:
A Bug's Life
Finding Nemo
Kung Fu Panda
Because of Dennis Leary, Ellen Degeneres, and Dustin Hoffman respectively.
The Martial Arts flicks:
Drunken Master 2
Police Story
Jackie Chan's First Strike
The Deadliest Art: The Best of the Martial Arts Movies
I can watch Jackie Chan a lot and never, ever be bored. And The Deadliest Art introduced me to his compatriot Sammo Hung, for which I'll be forever grateful.
The Cusacks:
Better Off Dead
The Sure Thing
Sixteen Candles
Yeah, I know John Cusack is only in a little bit of Sixteen Candles, but it fit my category, so in it stays. These three movies are my version of comfort food.
The classics:
The Wizard of Oz
Rear Window
Stalag 17
Charade
Lawrence of Arabia
If you've never seen any of these, well shame on you.
Comedy classics:
Hold That Ghost
Monkey Business
Way Out West
Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy all represent!
Action classics:
Die Hard
Die Hard 2
Speed
Dirty Harry
Yes, I like watching Die Hard 2 just as much as I like watching the first one. Even William Sadler, who played the bad guy in part 2 thought that was weird.
Sports flicks:
Tin Cup
The Natural
Those are my two go-to sports flicks. I have never been bored watching them.
The videotapes:
Watch It
Get Crazy
Virgin High
Hot Under the Collar
Four movies that have never made the transition to DVD (sadly). I have copies of them on VHS and am happy to have them. Watch It is one of the best movies you've never heard of. Get Crazy has Malcolm McDowell, Lou Reed, Daniel Stern, Ed Begley Jr and others in a madcap musical comedy. Virgin High and Hot Under the Collar are two b-movies from director/actor Richard Gabai. They make me laugh.
The 90's nostalgia:
Clerks
Mallrats
Pulp Fiction
True Romance
Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino are my heroes.
3 more:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Murder by Death
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
If Spielberg had never made Jaws, he would still be one of my favorite directors because of Close Encounters. Murder By Death has my favorite Peter Sellers role. And while I love everyone in Mad, Mad... Jonathan Winters is by far my favorite.
What?
She's All That
The Matrix Reloaded
So the final two on my list... yeah. What can I say? I like She's All That and I watch it more than is probably acceptable. And I will defend my love for the second Matrix movie till I pass from this mortal coil. It's not my fault that the third movie is so terrible. I simply want lots and lots of cool action with ideas that make me think (and if any of my theories about what was actually going on in that second Matrix movie had panned out, then people probably would've liked that one, too). I just pretend the third movie never existed and make up my own end to the saga. It's just better that way.
Final tally - 62 movies that I've (probably) seen more than 10 times each. I'm sure there's even more that I've forgotten, but it's a good starter list. A lot of classics that others would have on their own lists aren't here (cough*Ghostbusters*cough), and I understand that. Heck, give me a few years, and I'm sure I could add a few more. Heck, I was just glancing at my collection, and I could probably add Predator and Pump Up the Volume to this list, but maybe I'll just watch them again, instead.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Day 613 - The Hunt
I'm not exactly sure how to convince anyone to see a Danish film about a teacher accused of sexual impropriety and how that accusation changes his life. It's a tremendous film that makes you constantly think, and, as the person in front of me did, let out a huge sigh of relief when the film was over. You don't realize how much you've been holding your breath until the film actually ends.
Mads Mikkelsen (the bad guy in Casino Royale) plays the teacher in question. When we first see him he's jumping in an ice-cold pond to help a friend out in a variation of a polar bear club. This group of guys have apparently been hanging out for a long time. And that's what the film focuses on - friendships and trust.
As we can all imagine, once an accusation of an adult touching a child makes an appearance, there's no getting away from it. Innocent or not, that stigma stays with you forever. But if you're innocent, what proof do you really have? And who stands by your side in times like this? These are the questions the film asks.
Because the stakes are so high, and there are no real bad guys, everything that plays out is given equal importance. Whether it's a girl asking to walk a dog, or a son casually flirting while buying groceries, each scene is supercharged with tension, because you keep waiting for something else bad to happen.
The acting is uniformly fantastic. The characters are given depth and weight, making you see what everyone is thinking and why. It's a full-on dramatic film that plays out like a thriller. And the ending is truthful, sad, frightening and accurate all at once.
This is not the sort of movie you're watching while eating junk food. It's one you watch with other people, so you can all be melancholy together and talk about the movie afterwards. And because of that, it's hard to sell. I'm not even sure if any of what I wrote is convincing enough to see the film. It may not be a "good" time at the movies, but I was captivated, entertained and moved. Sometimes I want those feelings, too.
****
Mads Mikkelsen (the bad guy in Casino Royale) plays the teacher in question. When we first see him he's jumping in an ice-cold pond to help a friend out in a variation of a polar bear club. This group of guys have apparently been hanging out for a long time. And that's what the film focuses on - friendships and trust.
As we can all imagine, once an accusation of an adult touching a child makes an appearance, there's no getting away from it. Innocent or not, that stigma stays with you forever. But if you're innocent, what proof do you really have? And who stands by your side in times like this? These are the questions the film asks.
Because the stakes are so high, and there are no real bad guys, everything that plays out is given equal importance. Whether it's a girl asking to walk a dog, or a son casually flirting while buying groceries, each scene is supercharged with tension, because you keep waiting for something else bad to happen.
The acting is uniformly fantastic. The characters are given depth and weight, making you see what everyone is thinking and why. It's a full-on dramatic film that plays out like a thriller. And the ending is truthful, sad, frightening and accurate all at once.
This is not the sort of movie you're watching while eating junk food. It's one you watch with other people, so you can all be melancholy together and talk about the movie afterwards. And because of that, it's hard to sell. I'm not even sure if any of what I wrote is convincing enough to see the film. It may not be a "good" time at the movies, but I was captivated, entertained and moved. Sometimes I want those feelings, too.
****
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Day 287 Random stuff
My Neighbor Totoro is one of the happiest and most charming movies I have ever seen. I have seen it twice - each time on the big screen, and I have had the same reaction each time - pure joy. There's no real story or conflict to speak of, it's simply about two sisters (one 10 and one 4) and how they meet some wonderful forest creatures.
And then I followed that up with The Bourne Supremacy. The second film in the Bourne Trilogy ends with a spectacular car chase. After watching it, I thought to myself that every movie that has a car chase in it should do it practically - no CGI. The only exception to that rule is the Fast and Furious series. That fifth film was able to capitalize on the kinetic energy and destruction that CGI is able to portray. But that being said, real cars smashing, speeding, and blowing up is something that I have always appreciated, even in a crummy movie.
Someone asked me today what my favorite genre of film was, and I replied, "Good movies." In the span of a week I have watched Pina, a documentary on modern dance, Compliance, a stressful drama, Killer Joe, a stunning, brutal noir film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which needs no explanation, Remember the Titans, a sports film, Totoro and Bourne. The only thing missing from that group is a comedy. And I do like some good comedies.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain trilogy is a wonderful vampire story. Jaw-unhinging, blood-sucking, worm-infecting vampires make for some incredibly tense reading experiences. The first book does a great job of being tense and suspenseful throughout its entire length, and the third novel does a wonderful job tying up all storylines in a satisfying way. This is a series that I can't wait to see adapted into a film.
Finally, soon all my free time will be taken up by all the new television shows that are starting up this week. Good times, good times.
And then I followed that up with The Bourne Supremacy. The second film in the Bourne Trilogy ends with a spectacular car chase. After watching it, I thought to myself that every movie that has a car chase in it should do it practically - no CGI. The only exception to that rule is the Fast and Furious series. That fifth film was able to capitalize on the kinetic energy and destruction that CGI is able to portray. But that being said, real cars smashing, speeding, and blowing up is something that I have always appreciated, even in a crummy movie.
Someone asked me today what my favorite genre of film was, and I replied, "Good movies." In the span of a week I have watched Pina, a documentary on modern dance, Compliance, a stressful drama, Killer Joe, a stunning, brutal noir film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which needs no explanation, Remember the Titans, a sports film, Totoro and Bourne. The only thing missing from that group is a comedy. And I do like some good comedies.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain trilogy is a wonderful vampire story. Jaw-unhinging, blood-sucking, worm-infecting vampires make for some incredibly tense reading experiences. The first book does a great job of being tense and suspenseful throughout its entire length, and the third novel does a wonderful job tying up all storylines in a satisfying way. This is a series that I can't wait to see adapted into a film.
Finally, soon all my free time will be taken up by all the new television shows that are starting up this week. Good times, good times.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 32 - Hugo
Hugo
Martin Scorsese has been making some great films these last few years, and Hugo is no exception. The story of a young orphan who lives among the clock towers of a train station in 1920's (or 30's) Paris, hooks up with a cute orphan girl, a cantankerous old man, an automaton that needs repairs and a station guard who wants to send him to an orphanage might be too scattered for any other director, but Scorsese manages to have all that plus include an ode to his own love of films and make the film in 3D. And it's great.
I recently wrote about how I want to feel something when I watch a movie, and I've gotta say, that this film moved me in spades. From the shots of us following young Hugo around the catacombs of the train station to the heights of the clock towers, the camera manages to, because of the 3D, make us feel that we're both there, and create a sense of fantasy. I've got to imagine that the movie looks just as magical in 2D, but the immersive nature of 3D makes this journey all the more enjoyable.
The first half of the film sets up the characters and begins the mystery of the automaton. Even the supporting cast has full stories that I found compelling. Maybe because I'm such a softy, but the different love stories that the film follows are all wonderful. From the couples that have to overcome minor difficulties, to those that have a love that lasts forever, the film gives them equal weight, without being overstated.
But the real love that's on display here, is a love of both books and films. Hugo bonded with his father over movies, and Isabelle (with another great performance by Chloe Grace Moretz) has found that books are her gateway into adventure. When the two of them combine, a slice of magic happens. Hugo is able to show her the magic of films, and without books, the central mystery of the film might never have been solved.
Besides the two children (who are completely convincing), the movie also boasts of one of Ben Kingsley's finest performances as Papa Georges. From his steely-eyed glare, to the thawing of his heart to the sadness of his past, he inhabits the character perfectly. Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector is a suitable adversary for Hugo, and when you find out his story, you completely understand why he is the way he is. And Christopher Lee as a bookstore owner? That's a win all day long.
But, really, the main reason the film works as well as it does is the whole idea that history is important. The characters get an education on the early days of cinema, and for many of the moviegoers, it's their education as well. And it's fascinating. There are wonderful recreations of the actual filming of these early films. The joy these characters have for this time is infectious. And none of this is heavy-handed, because the reactions the characters echo the reactions we're experiencing.
It really is an amazing film, and unlike some of the other reviews I've read, I actually like the first half of the film more than the second half. But as a whole it's still one of my favorites of the year. And the music is a standout as well. There really is no reason not to see this film if you like movies. It might love them even more than you.
****
Martin Scorsese has been making some great films these last few years, and Hugo is no exception. The story of a young orphan who lives among the clock towers of a train station in 1920's (or 30's) Paris, hooks up with a cute orphan girl, a cantankerous old man, an automaton that needs repairs and a station guard who wants to send him to an orphanage might be too scattered for any other director, but Scorsese manages to have all that plus include an ode to his own love of films and make the film in 3D. And it's great.
I recently wrote about how I want to feel something when I watch a movie, and I've gotta say, that this film moved me in spades. From the shots of us following young Hugo around the catacombs of the train station to the heights of the clock towers, the camera manages to, because of the 3D, make us feel that we're both there, and create a sense of fantasy. I've got to imagine that the movie looks just as magical in 2D, but the immersive nature of 3D makes this journey all the more enjoyable.
The first half of the film sets up the characters and begins the mystery of the automaton. Even the supporting cast has full stories that I found compelling. Maybe because I'm such a softy, but the different love stories that the film follows are all wonderful. From the couples that have to overcome minor difficulties, to those that have a love that lasts forever, the film gives them equal weight, without being overstated.
But the real love that's on display here, is a love of both books and films. Hugo bonded with his father over movies, and Isabelle (with another great performance by Chloe Grace Moretz) has found that books are her gateway into adventure. When the two of them combine, a slice of magic happens. Hugo is able to show her the magic of films, and without books, the central mystery of the film might never have been solved.
Besides the two children (who are completely convincing), the movie also boasts of one of Ben Kingsley's finest performances as Papa Georges. From his steely-eyed glare, to the thawing of his heart to the sadness of his past, he inhabits the character perfectly. Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector is a suitable adversary for Hugo, and when you find out his story, you completely understand why he is the way he is. And Christopher Lee as a bookstore owner? That's a win all day long.
But, really, the main reason the film works as well as it does is the whole idea that history is important. The characters get an education on the early days of cinema, and for many of the moviegoers, it's their education as well. And it's fascinating. There are wonderful recreations of the actual filming of these early films. The joy these characters have for this time is infectious. And none of this is heavy-handed, because the reactions the characters echo the reactions we're experiencing.
It really is an amazing film, and unlike some of the other reviews I've read, I actually like the first half of the film more than the second half. But as a whole it's still one of my favorites of the year. And the music is a standout as well. There really is no reason not to see this film if you like movies. It might love them even more than you.
****
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Day 4 - The Party Animal
The Party Animal
Pondo Sinatra is a 26 (or 22 depending on what you decide the movie want you to think) virgin, who's going to college to try and get some. Unfortunately for him, the ladies want none of what he's selling. Unfortunately for us, the movie is terrible.
I'm a huge fan of terrible 80's (and 90's) comedies. Most of them can be pretty bad, but I can usually try and see the worthy in a number of them. Whether it's the acting (with sympathetic or funny characters) or the direction (you know, a fantastic visual style that has no place in a movie like the one it's in), I find myself forgiving a lot of the movies faults. But sometimes a movie just fails on all those levels. This is one such film.
First off, the pacing on this film is glacial. At under an hour and 20 minutes, this still was one of the longest-seeming films I've seen in a while. And if you cut out the musical montages you'd have less than half the running time. Now, I realize that this being an 80's film and all, montages aren't merely filler, but essential. However, that doesn't give the filmmakers a license to cobble a pretty weak story around those montages, regardless of the coolness of the music that they got the rights to.
I would usually use this next paragraph to try and tell you some of the more positive aspects of the film, but I don't have much. There's a weird interlude in a sex shop that reminded me of a Kevin Smith film in both the dialogue and the look. But aside from a few random laughs , the film just isn't good. And then there's the whole ending. It's supposed to be one last joke, but it just seems sort of callous, and more of a reminder that the writer probably had no idea of how to end the film.
0 stars
Pondo Sinatra is a 26 (or 22 depending on what you decide the movie want you to think) virgin, who's going to college to try and get some. Unfortunately for him, the ladies want none of what he's selling. Unfortunately for us, the movie is terrible.
I'm a huge fan of terrible 80's (and 90's) comedies. Most of them can be pretty bad, but I can usually try and see the worthy in a number of them. Whether it's the acting (with sympathetic or funny characters) or the direction (you know, a fantastic visual style that has no place in a movie like the one it's in), I find myself forgiving a lot of the movies faults. But sometimes a movie just fails on all those levels. This is one such film.
First off, the pacing on this film is glacial. At under an hour and 20 minutes, this still was one of the longest-seeming films I've seen in a while. And if you cut out the musical montages you'd have less than half the running time. Now, I realize that this being an 80's film and all, montages aren't merely filler, but essential. However, that doesn't give the filmmakers a license to cobble a pretty weak story around those montages, regardless of the coolness of the music that they got the rights to.
I would usually use this next paragraph to try and tell you some of the more positive aspects of the film, but I don't have much. There's a weird interlude in a sex shop that reminded me of a Kevin Smith film in both the dialogue and the look. But aside from a few random laughs , the film just isn't good. And then there's the whole ending. It's supposed to be one last joke, but it just seems sort of callous, and more of a reminder that the writer probably had no idea of how to end the film.
0 stars
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