Doug's Perspective on Entertainment

A heads up to anyone who reads my blog. After some thought and a lot of help from Caleb I now have a new blog alongside his own. Aside from the new location I'm not really changing anything. You can expect pretty much the same thing I've done here. The new address is www.bullshish.com/doug so make sure to head over there and bookmark it.

I watched more movies in the last week than what I have listed here, but they were best picture nominees and I'm saving those for when I cover them in my weekly oscar post. it's not like there is much to choose from right now anyways seeing how we're between the summer blockbuster and oscar release phases.

Love Actually (2003) *****

I've been meaning to watch this for quite awhile now. I've heard many good things about it from Caleb and Jess so I really should've gotten to it a long time ago. Now that I've seen it I understand the praise. It's one of the most heartwarming and charming romantic comedies that I've ever seen. The cast (which features pretty much every British actor you could think of) is brilliant and the writing is smart and sophisticated. Quite a few films over the last few years have tried this style of storytelling where a bunch of small storylines intersect and come together in the end, and this is the only one that has succeeded at pulling me in. Sure, there are times when it's obviously not realistic, but in this genre I think that can be forgiven. Also, I have to say how much I loved Colin Firth's story in this. It was easily my favorite of the love stories and it had me grinning ear to ear.

Requiem for a Dream (2000) *****

This is easily one of the best films I've seen this year. The story is moving and heartbreaking, the performances are amazing (especially Ellen Burstyn), and the filmmaking is feels unique and fresh despite the movie being 8 years old. In a similar way to American History X, it's a difficult film to watch but it is so well made and informative that I consider it a must see. Also, I don't see why it got an NC-17 rating. In my opinion there is no comparison between this film and something like Hostel that got an R. Just another example of the MPAA being uptight.

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (2008) ***

I'm sure someone reading this will poke fun at me at some point, but I'll be honest, I read a review of the Blu-ray disc and was curious about the 3D high definition presentation that this movie has going on. I realize how sad it is that I watched this, but hey, I like new technology and since I had a free rental coupon I decided to see what it was like. And it ended up being pretty cool...for 30 minutes or so. There are moments where it looks like you're actually in the concert, but that cool factor wears off quickly. Especially given that it's not full color and it starts to hurt the eyes. The concert itself is well shot and presented, but considering I don't care for Hannah Montana whatsoever I didn't appreciate the film as a whole. Also, the fanatical kids at this concert scare me. I totally expect an all-out war between these kids and the Jesus Camp kids.

A Knight's Tale (2001) ***

While it's not exactly a good movie, I find A Knight's Tale has enough charm and fun to recommend it. There are some pretty generic jokes and cliches in the story, but I like the way it mixes pop culture with the time period of the film. Heath Ledger is really good in the lead role. Seeing the movie again after his unfortunate death makes it easy to see how much potential he had as an actor. Average movie, but entertaining.
 

Theater

Babylon AD <-- My pick of the week
Disaster Movie
Traitor
College

DVD

Chicago 10
Made of Honor
Redbelt <-- My pick of the week
What Happens in Vegas
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Games

Disgaea 3 - PS3
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 - PS3/360/Wii/PS2/PSP
Vampire Rain: Altered Species - PS3
Tales of Vesperia - 360 <-- My pick of the week
Mario Super Sluggers - Wii
N+ - DS/PSP
From the Abyss - DS
Digimon World Championship - DS
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness - DS
Time Hollow - DS
STALKER: Clear Sky - PC
Prison Tycoon 4 - PC
FlatOut: HeadOn - PC
GTR Evolution - PC
The Sims 2: Apartment Life - PC

Entertainment Weekly has an interesting list of 25 movies that could use sequels. I'm going to critique that list. Here's the link to the list if you want to read their thoughts. http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20220709,00.html

The Usual Suspects - I'm not a big fan of this crime mystery. Aside from Kevin Spacey's brilliant performance and the shock ending I don't see why its such a beloved film. There is some potential for a sequel, but I wouldn't care if it happened.

Top Gun - Haven't seen it yet.

Independence Day - Do we really want a sequel to this barely above average sci-fi film? Aside from James Cameron's Alien and Terminator films, sci-fi sequels rarely live up to the originals.

True Lies - I could see it working, but they'd have to get Arnold back into the movie industry.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Haven't seen it yet.

The Incredibles - Yes please. This is pretty much set up for a sequel at some point. I just wish they were working on this now instead of Cars 2.

The Silence of the Lambs - We've had enough crappy sequels to this. Unless Jonathan Demme and Jodie Foster come back on I'm not interested.

Casablanca - What a stupid choice. I don't want one of my favorite movies spoiled by a sequel 60 years later.

Before Sunset - Haven't seen it yet, but from what I hear this set of movies already has a cool premise.

Witness - A sequel would be cool if done right.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Haven't seen it yet. It's based on a tv show so it should be easy to do though.

Wall Street - Why not? Michael Douglas could use a boost to his career and it'd be nice to see him in this role again.

Eastern Promises - I don't think the director is the kind of guy to do sequels, but I could see it working.

The Goonies - Grown up Sean Astin and Josh Brolin searching for pirate gold? YES!

The Good Shepherd - I don't think the first film did very well, so even if DeNiro had envisioned a trilogy I doubt it'll happen.

Out of Sight - Haven't seen it yet.

Bull Durham - It's about baseball, so all they have to do is show their careers 20 years later.

Midnight Run - Never even heard of it.

The Truman Show - A sequel would be awesome, but only if they bring back the director,writer, and stars.

History of the World Part I - Haven't seen it. Judging from the title it would make sense.

The Big Lebowski - Any reason to bring back "the dude" sounds good to me. But I doubt the Coen's will ever do a sequel.

Master & Commander - I was bored enough seeing this the once. I don't need another 3 hour movie showing boats trying to outflank each other.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - It seems that there is already a series of books, so if they brought back Ang Lee to direct I'd be game.

Wedding Crashers - Never saw it. Honestly I don't care.

The Simpsons Movie - Just like South Park, it's based on a tv show so it should be easy to do.

A few movies I think could use sequels:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Unlike everyone else I actually really enjoyed the new installment of Indiana Jones. I'm up for some more.

28 Weeks Later - Because 28 Months Later makes perfect sense to me.

Leon: The Professional - Natalie Portman has already said she has no plans to do a sequel, but I can still dream.

Let me explain the reason for keeping things simple with this entry. I know I haven't been posting as much as I should be this last week or so. My wrist injury has been flaring up lately and it's really hard for me to feel compelled to type anything up. Because of that I decided just to make a simple list with pics. Hopefully I can rest my arms over the weekend and be able to go back to the usual set-up next week. In the meantime, here are the next five movies on my list.

40. – Heat – Michael Mann – 1995

 

39. – Toy Story – John Lasseter – 1995

 

38. – The Incredibles – Brad Bird – 2004

 

37. – Unforgiven – Clint Eastwood – 1992

 

36. – Once – John Carney – 2007

This is the first installment of my weekly Oscar column. I'll be watching every best picture nomination and I'll decide on the order that I would put them in from best to worst. I'll likely change things as I go, but for now this is the format I'll be using. Feel free to disagree with my opinions.

2007 Nominees:

No Country for Old Men

Wins: Picture, Sup Actor - Javier Bardem, Director, Adapted Screenplay
Noms: Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Sound Editing


There Will Be Blood

Wins: Actor, Cinematography
Noms: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Editing, Sound Editing


Atonement

Wins: Music
Noms: Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Sup Actress - Saoirse Ronan, Costume Design, Cinematography, Art Direction


Michael Clayton

Wins: Sup Actress - Tilda Swinton
Noms: Picture, Director, Music, Actor - George Clooney, Sup. Actor - Tom Wilkinson, Original Screenplay


Juno

Wins: Original Screenplay
Noms: Picture, Actress - Ellen Page, Director


My take:

2007 was a spectacular year for movies and there's only one nominated film that I have problems with. My choice for best picture is a close toss up between There Will Be Blood and No Country with the former winning out in the end. There Will Be Blood just felt like a fresh movie as far as story and directing goes. It reminds me of the classics from the old days of Hollywood. I know some people will disagree though because of the slow pacing and long running time.

No Country for Old Men was nearly as good. I didn't have a problem with the ending like a lot of people. It was weird how it abruptly ended, but I don't see why every movie has to end with a happy conclusion. The rest of the movie was so well done that I'm not going to let that change my thoughts on the overall film.

Atonement and Michael Clayton are both great films as well. Atonement is a beautiful shot and acted period film, and Michael Clayton is one of the best political thrillers since the classics from the 70s.

The only movie of the five nominated that I have any issues with is Juno. I just can't get past the stupid dialogue and I didn't find it funny at all. I do like the second half of the film and I think Ellen Page gives a moving performance (as well as Jennifer Garner). But I don't think it's best picture material. Personally I would've put Once in place of Juno, but I know Once isn't an Oscar style film and it makes sense for Juno to get the nod since it was a big hit.

My order of preference:

1. There Will Be Blood - what I'd rate it: *****
2. No Country for Old Men *****
3. Atonement *****
4. Michael Clayton *****
5. Juno ****

Movies that deserved best picture noms:

Once
Into the Wild
Gone Baby Gone

Worst snub of 2007: Angelina Jolie not getting a best actress nod for A Mighty Heart. Did they really need to give Cate Blanchett another nod for a role she already got nominated for.

I just found this fan-made poster for the next Batman movie and just had to share it. I think this thing rivals most posters from studios. They should give this guy a job or something.

This week looks pretty weak all around. A couple of decent dvd releases though.

Theater

Death Race
The House Bunny
The Longshots
The Rocker
Cthulhu
Hamlet 2
I Served the King of England

DVD

Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds
Recount
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day <-- My pick of the week
The Life Before Her Eyes
Prom Night
Street Kings
Quid Pro Quo
Deal

Videogames

Too Human - 360
Smash Court Tennis 3 - 360
Commando Steel Disaster - DS
Two Worlds - PC
Dracula 3 - PC

Starting next week I'll be doing a weekly Oscar focused entry where I discuss my thoughts on best picture nominees from each year. I don't feel like working on it quite yet, so today I composed some predictions of what I think will (and what I want to) get nominated for this year. Maybe it's stupid to make predictions this early when I haven't seen half of the movies, but I don't care. All the oscar bloggers are going crazy with this stuff already so why not. Anyways, here it is.

Best Picture

The Dark Knight
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
The Changeling

Director

Baz Luhrmann - Australia
Christopher Nolan - Dark Knight
Clint Eastwood - The Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ridley Scott - Body of Lies

Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Hugh Jackman - Australia
Viggo Mortensen - The Road
Benicio Del Toro - Che
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Actress

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Anne Hatheway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - The Changeling
Nicole Kidman - Australia
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger - Dark Knight
Liev Schreiber - Defiance
Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Road
Robert Downey Jr. - The Soloist
Aaron Eckhart - Dark Knight

Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Cate Blanchett - Curious Case
Amy Adams - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading

Original Screenplay

Wall-E
Synecdoche, New York
Burn After Reading
Australia
In Bruges

Adapted Screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
The Road
Dark Knight
Defiance

Animated Film

Wall-E
Kung Fu Panda
Ponyo on a Cliff

Film Editing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Australia
Body of Lies
The Dark Knight
The Road

Art Direction

Australia
Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
The Duchess

Cinematography

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Australia
The Changeling
Defiance
Appaloosa

Costume Design

Australia
Revolutionary Road
The Duchess
The Reader
Hellboy 2

Makeup

The Reader
Benjamin Button
Dark Knight

Original Score

Thomas Newman - Wall-E
Thomas Newman - Revolutionary Road
Alexandre Desplat - Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Hirschfelder - Australia
Defiance - James Newton Howard

Original Song

Dracula's Lament - Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Down to Earth - Wall-E
The Call - Prince Caspian

Sound Editing

Iron Man
Dark Knight
Australia
Quantum of Solace
Wall-E

Sound Mixing

Iron Man
Wall-E
Indiana Jones
Quantum of Solace
Dark Knight

Visual Effects

Indiana Jones
Speed Racer
Iron Man

Documentary Feature

Polanksi: Wanted and Desired
American Teen
Encounters at the End of the World
Man on Wire

I got to watch quite a few movies this week, quite a few of which are newer films. Only thing I have to note is that I decided to watch the Karate Kid films since I missed them as a kid. I watched the first two this week and I should see the third one sometime in the next few days.

The Karate Kid (1984) ***

After all the mixed things I've heard about this series over the years I didn't have very high expectations. As far as 80s kids movies go it was surprisingly entertaining. It kinda rips off Rocky with its story of a kid who trains in karate so he can defend himself from bullies and gain respect from his peers. Despite the cliches, it has that fun feeling that a lot of 80s childrens films have. The one thing keeping it from being a good movie in my eyes is the Japanese character. He's just so steriotypical that at times it can be a little too much to take. I'll never understand how the actor got an oscar nom for that role. The Karate Kid isn't without problems, but it kept my interest and was entertaining.

The Karate Kid 2 (1986) *

After the surprisingly entertaining first film, I was hoping the first sequel would be at least as good. Unfortunately It's a bad movie in almost every aspect. Right from the start of the film it seems to forget everything that happened in the first Karate Kid. This is pretty unforgivable when it takes place only 5 minutes later. I know its hard when you can't bring back certain actors, but the least they could do is mention their characters. The story of the film is cliche after cliche, the new characters aren't likable, and the story is a rehash of the first movie. The only thing I liked about this movie is the Japanese setting.

The Apartment (1960) ****

Knowing that this is a comedy I was expecting a lot more laughs. It's incredibly dark and satirical. Very good story and acting, but I wasn't expecting such a dark feel from an old Jack Lemmon film. I see why it's considered a classic though.

Transsiberian (2008) ****

A neat little thriller about a husband and wife traveling on a train through Siberia. It's reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock film, with lots of plot twists and characters with secret agendas. There isn't much to say about it. It's well made but I doubt it'll win any awards or anything. It's enjoyable enough to be seen one time.

Gone With the Wind (1939) ***

This is the first time I've seen this movie in it's entirety. I tried once when I was in college, but the slow pacing and melodramatic acting were just too much to bear. This time around I found it a little easier to watch. The story is well told and the attention to detail is stunning considering when it was made. But I think the movie is showing its age as far as acting goes. I know that most films from that era were filled with melodramatic acting, but there are other films from around the same time that aren't nearly as bad for that. I'll acknowledge that it's a classic film and well made for its time, but I think its grossly overrated.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) ****

I'm recommending this one more for women. It's one of the better romantic comedies that I've seen in the last couple years, but I doubt that many men would like it unless they're a fan of the cast or something. The story takes 20 minutes or so before it picks up, but once it does it turns into an enjoyable screwball comedy with fun performances from Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.

Annie Hall (1977) *****

This is one I've been meaning to watch for a long time now. I know it's considered to be one of the greatest romantic comedies and I've always wondered how good the movie that beat Star Wars for best picture could be. Now that I've seen it I think its one of the best comedies that I've seen. The way Woody Allen treats the audience as a cast member is brilliant and never feels cheap. It feels like you're part of the cast as you follow the characters through life and romance. I also love the performances from Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Keaton is charming and Allen is goofy. Together they make a hilarious pair and keep the movie flowing. I wish all romantic comedies were this sophisticated and fun.

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) ****

This was a strange movie. I didn't see any point to the storyline and it feels like you're watching a real person going through a few days of her life. I'm so confused with my feelings after watching it that I'm not sure what I think of it. I will say this though: Sally Hawkins deserves an oscar nomination for her role as the most obnoxiously happy person in any movie ever. Even when I had no idea what the movie was trying to point out, Sally Hawkins' performance kept me engrossed. Aside from the wonderful acting, I think there are some important things that the movie is trying to say, but I'll have to see it a few more times before I can figure it out.

45. – There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson – 2007

Everyone should know by now that Daniel Day Lewis gives a stunning performance in There Will Be Blood. His turn as a greedy oilman is among the actors best roles and has seen to be believed. Some people may argue that the film is only good for this reason, but I think the direction and filmmaking by P.T. Anderson is so well crafted that the film will be known as a film classic years from now. It may borrow a lot from classics like Citizen Kane and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but I still consider it a unique film.

44. – Finding Nemo – Andrew Stanton – 2003

Finding Nemo is probably Pixar’s most heartfelt movie. It’s not quite as funny as the other Pixar films, but it makes up for it with a touching story, lovable characters, and some of the most colorful and vibrant animation you’ll ever see. I also have to give mention to Thomas Newman’s wonderful score that is perfect in every situation.

43. – Vertigo – Alfred Hitchcock – 1958

Vertigo ranks among the best of the mystery/thriller genre. The story of mistaken identity and people with obsessions is familiar for fans of Hitchcock, but Vertigo uses these themes more effectively than any of his other films. The story’s twists and turns are expertly crafted and Jimmy Stewart’s performance (arguably the best of his career) is both chilling and relatable.

42. – Bambi – David Hand – 1942

What can be said about Bambi that isn’t already known? It’s one of the greatest films from the early Disney days and is the most emotionally devastating film from the company’s catalog. The animation is still beautiful to this day, and the fact that they got so much story and feeling out of a film with hardly any dialogue is stunning.

41. – L.A. Confidential – Curtis Hanson – 1997

Easily the best movie of 1997 in my eyes (sorry Titanic fans, the Oscars were wrong). Writer/Director Curtis Hanson was able to take James Ellroy's crime novel and create a stunning film noir. The film has a thrilling story full of the plot twists that you'd expect from the genre, and a great ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, and James Cromwell.

Greetings everyone. I just wanted to take some time to discuss a few things.

First of all, I just want to ask everyone who reads this blog to take time once in awhile to share some thoughts on what I say. This isn't meant as an attack on people for not commenting and I'll only bring it up this once. I'm just asking that some of you take the time occasionally to post a comment on my entries. I don't think you have to be a Livejournal member. As far as I know you can post anonymously and just leave your name. So please, I know there are people who read this page. I just want to say that I welcome comments from anyone whether it's to agree or disagree with something I may say. It would be great to see some discussion going. Also, I appreciate those who have already commented. It’s encouraging and fun to read your thoughts. Thanks.

Second, I want to talk a bit about the focus of my movie reviews. As anyone can probably tell by now, I'm focusing on the aspect movies from an entertainment aspect and not on content. I know there is a fine line when it comes to people's views on what is appropriate content for a person to watch and frankly, I don't want to get into that on my blog. Maybe in the future that's something I'll change, but for now when I discuss movies, I'm sticking to discussing their entertainment value.

I do have a couple of things to recommend for people who want to know if the movies that I mention have questionable content. I think the American MPAA ratings for each movie are sometimes debatable in how accurate they are, but I DO think the descriptions do a good job of describing what you can expect to be in the movie. If it says "pervasive language" and "strong sexual content" than it's safe to expect that there will be a barrage of f-words and some sex scenes. I think people tend to forget that these descriptions are on movie posters and cases and I find it surprising how many people mention to me that they walked out of a certain movie because it had unexpected content.

Also, there are three websites that are good if you want to look further into a movie before seeing it. www.screenit.com and www.kids-in-mind.com are both simple and effective sites that rate content on a scale. For something more in-depth there's www.pluggedinonline.com, which can be overly conservative (they'll often list a kiss as sexual content or words like "fart" as foul language), but hey, it's not like you have to agree with their viewpoints and they do an ok job of explaining content in movies. Just be careful because sometimes they include spoilers (although they do have warnings).

So yeah, I guess that’s all I wanted to discuss for now. I’m going to try to keep up a good pace with new entries from now on and I hope you all enjoy reading my thoughts on movies and games.

I'm pretty open about the fact that I don't usually enjoy vulgar comedies. I really disliked 40 Year Old Virgin and thought Superbad was "ok" at best. After seeing the previews for Pineapple Express, I thought it looked incredibly funny and decided to give it a chance despite it being a stoner comedy. For some reason I find drug humor to be pretty funny even though I've never taken them or agreed with drug use in general. I guess I just don't take drug use in films seriously. So I went to see the movie this afternoon not really knowing what to expect but determined to at least have a few laughs.

Pineapple Express ended up being exactly what I expected. The first act of the film sets up the story and introduces the two main characters (Seth Rogen as a stoner and James Franco as his drug dealer). Seth Rogen's character witnesses a murder while sitting in his car getting high and things quickly get out of hand as he and James Franco get caught up in a drug war. There probably isn't any point in revealing any more since the story is just a simple diversion to set up laughs.

With the second act, the film delivers non-stop sight gags and hilarity. It's around this time that I realized this movie can't be taken seriously whatsoever. To do so would defeat the entire purpose of watching it. Things happen that are in no way possible in real life and it almost feels like you're watching a modern day take on a Charlie Chaplin movie. This idea really hit home with the final act of the film where things change pace completely with a violent action packed gun battle. With this change in tone I finally started to find myself in a state of disbelief.

Pineapple Express kinda reminds me of Edgar Wright's cop parody Hot Fuzz, which went from being a murder mystery to an all out Die Hard-esque action flick. With that film the first half was slightly more difficult to enjoy, but then it turned into a joyride. Here it is the exact opposite, with the first two-thirds being a laugh-out-loud comedy fest and the final part being a little too much of a change of pace. Still, I think Pineapple Express is the funniest of all the Judd Apatow comedies and it delivered everything that I expected. Just don't expect it to teach you any life lessons.

My score: ****

A few days late with this, but oh well. It's up now and I'll be back to my usual schedule after this week.

Movies I watched:

Vanilla Sky (2001) ****

 

I’ve heard mixed thoughts on this movie from various people over the years, ranging from “it’s awesome” to “its pretentious garbage.” After seeing it for myself I think it’s a very good film with a lot of interesting ideas. It isn’t as good as other movies with weird stories like Being John Malkovich or Adaptation, but the story unfolds in a way that isn’t confusing as long as you stay focused and it kept me entertained. Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz both gave oscar worthy performances but were unfortunately overlooked that year. What keeps the movie from being excellent is an overproduced feeling. I normally think Cameron Crowe is a brilliant filmmaker, but some of the visuals and pacing is a little off here. It’s still a great movie though. It’s definitely not the bad film that critics and people made it out to be.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) ****

As I’ve likely mentioned before, I don’t usually enjoy sexual or crude humor. Surprisingly I actually found Sarah Marshall to be pretty funny and enjoyable. I still didn’t find the cruder jokes very funny, but there are some hilarious scenes throughout the movie that kept me laughing. I found myself getting involved in the story a lot more than I did with Superbad and 40 Year Old Virgin. One final note: After seeing what Jason Segel does with puppets in this movie, I cannot wait to see what he does with the next Muppets movie.

Chicago (2002) ***

I tend to have a love/hate feeling when it comes to musicals. Some like Moulin Rouge and Mary Poppins I absolutely adore, while others I just don’t like at all. Seeing Chicago for the first time, I came away not really liking it a whole lot, but I still thought it was a decent movie. I think the technical side of it is incredible. Great writing, direction, art design and all that stuff, and aside from Renee Zellweger the cast shines in their roles. What I felt was lacking was the songs. They just didn’t stand out to me and considering this is a musical I think having good songs is an important thing. So I liked the movie, but it baffles my mind that it won the best picture award.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994) *****

I’ve never seen many Woody Allen films before, so this was definitely new ground for me. I have to say I’m pretty impressed with this one film and if other Woody Allen movies are this good then I have a lot of catching up to do. It’s a screwball comedy that uses the 1930s era of broadway and the mafia to create some brilliant comedic scenes. The writing (always important in this genre) is perfect and each performance is gold. I found Dianne Wiest’s performance in particular to be fascinating. I now think that its one of the most well deserved Oscar wins.

The English Patient (1996) *****

I know that this is one of the more controversial best picture winners (it defeated Fargo for that honor), so I made it a point to put it at the top of my list of movies to catch up on. Having finally seen it, I think I see why it won. It’s one of those classic sweeping romance epics that Oscar voters loved in the past. I’m not the biggest fan of those types of movies as I think they tend to drag at times (Lawrence of Arabia almost put me to sleep, a travesty I know), but English Patient was good enough to keep my attention. The story is a little sappy at times, but it’s better than most romance films that I’ve seen and there is good chemistry between Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas. It’s hard to believe the possibility of some of the plot, but it makes for an entertaining story. I think it’s a very good movie, although not as deserving of best picture as other films that came out that year.

The Hours (2002) ****

This was an odd one for me. The quality of the film is undeniable. It has an excellent cast (Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris), solid writing and direction, and high quality art, cinematography and music. I just found the subject matter so depressing that it kept me from getting into the film. Well made, but not for me.

I'll be back to posting new stuff tomorrow. In the meantime here is the list of upcoming releases.

Theater

Tropic Thunder <-- My pick of the week
The Clone Wars
Vicky Cristina Barcelona <-- My other pick of the week
Momma's Man
Henry Poole is Here
Mirrors
Fly Me to the Moon

DVD

Felon
Smart People <-- My pick of the week
The Legend of the Shadowless Sword
Bra Boys
CJ7

Videogames

Madden NFL 09 - PS3,360,PS2,PSP,Wii,DS
Bangai-O Spirits - DS
Sinking Island - PC
Dracula 3 - PC
Space Siege - PC

I'm not going on vacation or anything this summer, but I thought I'd take a break from blogging for a week or so. That way I can rest my arms for awhile. I'll still be watching lots of movies so I should have lots of material when I get back to the blog.

Theater

Pineapple Express - Comedy <-- My pick of the week
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 - Drama
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer - Comedy
Elegy - Drama
Hell Ride - Action/Adventure
Bottle Shock - Comedy
Beer for My Horses - Comedy
What We Do Is Secret - Drama

DVD

Nim's Island - Childrens
The Counterfeiters - Foreign
My Brother is an Only Child - Foreign
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden - Documentary
Choking Man - Drama
Killing of John Lennon - Drama
Miss Conception - Comedy

Videogames

Monster Madness: Grave Danger - PS3
GRID - DS
Beijing Olympics 2008 - PC
Fate: Undiscovered Realms - PC

Things have slowed down this week because of my loss of an income. I'll probably just be watching a lot of movies and reading the same books for awhile.

Movies I watched:

Shine a Light (2008) ***

This is a rock concert movie of The Rolling Stones. I've never really been a fan of the band, so my enjoyment of the movie was probably somewhat restricted. Still, it's an entertaining performance with some intriguing documentary stuff thrown in.

The Band's Visit (2008) *****

A heartwarming foreign film from Israel about an Egyptian police band that accidentally ends up in a small town in Israel. It is probably the best foreign film that I've seen since Pan's Labyrinth. There is a perfect balance between humor and sadness, and the film has a lot of interesting things to say about the differences between Arabs and Israelis.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) ***

Yes, this movie is full of cheesy laughs, bad effects, and numerous plot developments that make no sense. But for anyone who just wants to relax at the movies with some friends and a bag of popcorn, then its still a fun time. Its definitely not worth watching twice, but I liked it for what it was.

The Killing ****

The first of two classic Kubrick films that I saw for the first time this week. The Killing is an entertaining film noir about that follows the events of a group of men pulling a heist at the race tracks. It's pretty simple compared to Kubrick's classics, but I still had a good time.

Paths of Glory *****

The other Kubrick film I watched this week. This one is apparently one of his more renowned films as it's ranked quite high on imdb's top 250 films. It has a great plot that follows a battalion of French soldiers during WW1 who retreat in the face of an impossible mission. Like 2001 and A Clockwork Orange, the movie is exquisitely made and has a lot of things in the plot that make you think.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) ****

I was never interested in Brokeback Mountain back when it came out due to all the fuss over the subject matter. I'm trying to go back and see all the best picture nominees that I've missed over the years so I figured I'd try watching it now. I don't agree with the subject matter of the film (I won't get into that here,I'll just say that I skipped some of the sex scenes), but I think the movie did have some interesting points. It really does a great job of showing how there are consequences for our actions as the character's marriages fall apart. I also have to admit that it's a technically great film. Great direction from Ang Lee, Solid performances (especially from Michelle Williams), and beautiful cinematography and music. Now that I've seen the movie, I think the Academy was right in not giving it best picture. It's good, not great, and the subject matter will probably always hold it back depending on the viewer.

My favorite movie of July 2008

I was going to do a review of The Dark Knight, but I think most people have already seen the movie already and I decided to start a monthly write up on my favorite movie of the month. Since Dark Knight is my pick for this month, there really wasn’t a reason to do two write ups on it in one week, so I’ll just share my thoughts here. Actually, this could end up as a review anyways. I’ll stop rambling and just get to it.

The Dark Knight – My score: *****

By now most people have seen the newest entry of the Batman franchise and already know how great it is. So it’s probably not surprising at all to see that it was my favorite movie of the month. Few movie sequels have ever lived up to the hype when they are as anticipated as The Dark Knight was. Yet it has not only managed to do so, but also proves to be a landmark film that paves new ground for the superhero genre. This is a sequel that joins Toy Story 2 and The Godfather Part 2 as follow ups that will be remembered for continuing beloved stories while adding relevant changes. The Dark Knight almost feels like a crime epic and character study rather than a superhero flick.

Of course there is also the amazing performance from Heath Ledger. I’m not sure how much of the praise from media and general public has been because of his unfortunate death. I hope that had he not passed away he would’ve still received the praise for his work here. The way he took inspiration from classic screen villains to create his own vision of the Joker is truly a work of art. One can tell that it’s an oscar worthy performance when an actor can pull off a performance in a PG13 movie that is more chilling and disturbing than stuff usually seen in R rated movies.

I did have a few minor problems with the movie. These are almost nitpicks, but they stand out enough to me that I didn’t feel right giving the movie an A+. The Dark Knight has one of the busiest plots I’ve seen in a movie. Even with a running time well over 2 hours, there is so much going on that I found it distracting at times. Thankfully, the film is so well made that on multiple viewings it begins to make sense. Also, I find it odd that a movie about Batman gives as much screen time to the supporting cast as it does the main character. This actually gives the great cast a chance to shine, as Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine get enough time to develop their characters.

So yeah, those nitpicks don’t really affect the movie. They’re just things that I noticed that most people probably wouldn’t even care about. After seeing the movie three times in the last couple weeks, it is easily the best thing I watched this month. It is one of the best movies of recent years and will undoubtedly be somewhere near the top when I do my best of the year list.

Runner ups: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (theater), The Band's Visit (DVD)

Rushmore - Revenge Sequence

My favorite montage from Wes Anderson's best film. Everything is perfect, from the song choice to the slow motion shots and revenge motif.



Boogie Nights - "The Touch"

Mark Wahlberg is hilarious in this scene as a porn star trying a career in music and performing terribly.



The Sound of Music - Do Re Mi

My favorite song from one of the most famous musicals. I love the way they start with a simple music lesson in a field and as the song builds in tempo they run through more spectacular locations.



Singin' in the Rain - Make Em Laugh

Rather than go with the song everyone knows, I want to point out the spectacular performance by Donald O'Connor in what is one of the best songs in the movie. The physical work he does is some of the most impressive stuff I've seen in a musical.



Toy Story 2 - When She Loved Me

This song was probably the first time that a Pixar movie hit you with a sad moment. Sarah McLachlin's vocals go perfectly with the lyrics and images in the montage.