OSBTSF TUES ED. SUMMER OF 101 MOVIES. 1-14

Hello friends and film addicts,

I declared the Summer of 2011 to be my "Summer of 101 Movies!". It wass my goal to watch 101 movies I have never seen or finished by the end of the summer. I decided to put myself through this rigorous challenge after an argument I had with my friend, Zach Stanifer, over the fact that I want to write movie scripts but have missed out on alot of classics and blockbusters over the years. It was in that moment that I decided to challenge myself to expand my pallet and discover what the big screen could do for me through DVDS, Bluray and instant Netflix!

 Here goes my first blurb bomb!

 Quick note on my rating system?
*/5. So Bad Its Good- If I give a movie a "*," that means a special little turd. Its a movie that is so bad that its hilarious (even if the directors didn't mean to make it that way). These movies are great for sharing with friends and tearing it apart. Ex. The Room, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation, Mac and Me.

 1/5 Kill It With Fire, If I give a film a rating of "1" it means the movie isn't just bad. It is barely a movie or so offensive that to even uses a single sensory organ to witness it would be an insult to the heavens. If I give a movie a 1, avoid it at all costs. The film is pure garbage. Kill it with fire. Ex.  Shrek The Third, Punisher: Warzone, 10,000 B.C. 

2/5. Bad, A movie that lands itself in the bad category means that, while a failure, is not a complete failure. The movie might have some entertainment value, like a good character/scene, but as a whole it fails or is offensive. Ex. Wolverine Origins, Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, Hancock.

3/5. Okay, The movie was neither bad nor great. Its probably worth at least once viewing and maybe more if it really catches your fancy. This is probably the easiest rating to give a movie. ex. Night at the Museum, Simpsons Movie, Prince of Persia.

4/5. Great, These are the movie I recommend you check out at least once before you die or it you're just bored. These are the movies that really deserve attention and help elevate film as art and entertainment. ex. Iron Man, How to Train Your Dragon, The 40-Year Old Virgin.

5/5. Favorite, These movies are instant classics....or at least in my book. I reserve 5/5s for movies that I HAVE to own and watch and share with everyone. At some point this year, I'll probably make a list for my top 100 films. Wink. ex. Big Trouble in Little China, Brazil, The Royal Tenenbaums.

1. Dead Alive 4/5. This was the first movie I was challenged to watch, courtesy of Zach Stanifer, and it was a good one to start with. I'm not a huge fan of the horror genre. A horror movie either needs to be scary or funny. Most are boring or gore(AKA snore) fests (ex. Saw franchise, Eli Roth, etc.). Luckily, Dead Alive was a little New Zealand picture directed by Peter Jackson, and much like his version of King Kong, Dead Alive has an evil monkey and an evil island.

A bizarre twist on the zombie genre, this movie is, if anything, extremely original. I was very impressed with the mix of slapstick humor and grotesque, practical special effects. I also liked the stories and the characters. This movie doesn't have the best acting and sometimes airs on the gorey side but its all played for laughs. I recommend this to any horror fan to introducing me to my favorite zombie fighting weapon...The Gas-Push Lawnmower

2. Megamind 4/5. I love animated movies but I am usually weary about Dreamworks. In a world with Pixar, its hard being Pepsi Cola. While, every Pixar movie is a fantastic family film (excluding Cars), Dreamworks regurgitates sequel after sequel and expects us to take it down the old throat hole and the dance. Rant Over. This movie is good.

The story is a play on the old hero creating the villain, villain creating the hero theme with a lot of cute gags along the way. This is definitely a family film appropriate for all ages. Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, David Cross and Brad Pitt all give us great performances and bring the movie to life.

In conclusion, its no Incredibles, but it's definitely on par with the last Dreamworks film, How to Train Your Dragon. It also manages toe to toe with supervillain movie, Despicable Me. Now if only they could avoid the unnecessary dance/party number at the end of every movies...I would be ready to say they can play with the big boys.

3. Highlander 4/5. Gonna keep this one short. The Highlander is a classic and the themes created in the film and its tv series play a big part in my own writing. The movie slows down in a few parts but in general it is a great 80's classic complete with commie hunters, claymores and Queen.

I think I'll have to watch this again sometime later this year and give it a full review. All I can say is if you like Sean Connery, immortal universe princes, sword fights ending with lightning than get with the Quickening and rent Highlander.

4. Summer Wars 5/5. Between the visual cornucopia presented in the 3D online world of OZ, the beautifully drawn castle in the Ueda countryside and the drama/comedy/romance of a awkward stranger thrust into the political workings of a girl's family and the greater world, this film is a modern classic.

Compared to the Network, Tron, the Matrix, etc. for its dealing with the relation between social networking, technology and our generation, this film uses these themes to great effect while refusing to become a nerd-hole. Instead, of the robotic-feel of the original Tron, charming but stiff, Summer Wars managed to remain charming though its human characters.

I recommend this film to any fan of anime.

5. Rent 2/5. I'm afraid this was the first movie of the summer I disliked. The dramatic parts were good. As a musical, I didn't like the songs and found them to be clumped awkwardly together.

The real drawback is when the movie attempted comedy/art and just comes off as annoying. ex. Maureen's show. but that doesn't mean someone couldn't convince me to watch it again but I'm not  doing it alone.


6. Teen Wolf 3/5. Mediocre but harmless. Michael J. Fox is charming as our teenage protagonist but that's kind of the problem. The "teen wolf" premise feels horribly under utilized and instead is used as a metaphor for puberty with a tacked on lesson about popularity. I wanted a mob with pitchforks. Enough said.

7. 7 Samurai 5/5. Let me get what made me give this classic, in my original update, a 4/5, out of the way. This movie is almost 3 and 1/2 hours. An unfortunate side-effect of the time the film was made. Despite its length, any serious film buff should watch this movie at least once, if not twice.

The story is so simple but it has left an undeniable mark on movies, especially Westerns, (despite it being a Japanese movie about samurai). A village is harassed by bandits and a young man who lost his wife suggests they hire samurai to protect them and scare off the bandits. He soon manages to hire 7 samurai for the paltry reward of food and shelter, (which to many arrogant samurai would be an insult), but the samurai who join are either hungry or just honorable. The samurai then work with the villagers before a final showdown with the bandits.

The movie is beautiful, in black and white, but mostly at its core. The lesson I take from the movie? Those who have the power have a duty to help those who have so little.

8. Die Hard 5/5. Bruce Willis. Allan Rickman. Reginald Veljohnson. It is obvious why this movie is not only a classic action movie but one of the best Christmas movies ever made. It teaches the lesson of giving. In this case, Bruce Willis gives the thieving terrorists a fistful of bad ass and a Roy Rogers' "Yippee ki-yay, mother fucker!"

This movie is clever and excited. Bruce Willis gives us an action hero that we can relate to and route for. He is a stubborn New York cop trying to settle things with his wife over the holidays when the building he is in gets hijacked by thugs. Whats a guy to do? Besides, be one of the biggest badasses in movie history.

                                       This movie is a perfect action movie.

9. Full Metal Jacket 5/5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3woEDTUbDYg&feature=player_embedded
A very thought provoking film on the Vietnam war and war, in general. I don't have much to say about it without giving it away. Everything is top notch from the soundtrack to the script to the screams.

10. Big Fan 2/5. I am a big fan of Patton Oswalt. This movie is a very heavy film that tries to be thought provoking but comes off disturbing and upsetting. I expected a little more comedy with my drama and a little more conclusion with my climax. Skip it.

11. Gojira & 12. Godzilla: King of Monsters. 3/5 & 3/5. Both films are better than the average monster flick and have a good message(although a tad bit confused).  King of Monster is actually just an Americanized spin that literally takes the first movie and adds clips of an American 50's cliche smoking/narrating. Gojirra is superior because of its tension and drama. King of Monsters has little tension.

13. Clash of the Titans (2010) 3/5. This film was the definition of a 3/5. It was entertaining but not worth a second look. I was especially pleased with some of the themes about the relation between god and man. The special effects were also pretty good except for when it went into "we're obviously doing this for 3D" bull.

Sam Worthington, once again, made me question why he keeps getting work? Or at least, the kind of work he does. He has no presence or charisma. When you throw him up again Liam Neeson or Ralph Fienes, he pales in comparison to their performances and, rather ironically, comes off as a weak man.

14. Green Hornet 3/5. This film begs to be a 4 but I just can't do it. They really should have called it "Kato in The Green Hornet" as the sidekick tends to steal the show in every scene. Seth Rogan should be commended for his writing in this piece and I am especially proud that he was so willing to write his guy as an egotistical dick that we have to work to like.

The movie is rather forgettable. Lets blame it on Cameron Diaz. What? She is a movie/scene blackhole. She is annoying, wooden and fake.

And that my caped crusaders and corpulent comrades is Week 1.

Feel free to comment about the movies I've reviewed.