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.
