Last year, I came up with the idea to watch a movie every single day this. Some days I did not want to
watch a movie, some days I was really excited to watch one. When it comes down to it I am really glad that
I was able to keep this going. Even after 50 days I was surprised I made this far, then I hit 100 days, than 175 days, then finally 300 days. When I hit 300 Days I new I was close to finishing what I had started. I have seen some great movies, some good ones and some really bad ones, and then the ones that should
have never seen the light of day. Through it all I had some friends say they were surprised that I had made it as far as I did, or would suggest movies to me that sadly I did not get a chance to watch but I will soon. To all my friends and family that supported me in my quest to watch this many movies I thank you. I think without you and possibly me not being so lazy at times I would have never finished this. within a few days or when I find time too or possibly when I feel like it, I will post a list of the 10 Worst Films I watched, The 10 Best Films I watched and Top Foreign Films, that I saw this year. So once again THANK YOU SO MUCH! and I already have an Idea of what I want to do next year. So when I actually know what I want to do I will let you all know.
Starring- Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Common, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Carla Gugino, Zac Efron, Hecto Elizondo, Cary Elwes, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, John Lithgow, Ludacris, Alyssa Milano, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Paulson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tul Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
Run Time- 1 hr 57 min.
Critics Review- "How is it possible to assemble more than two dozen stars in a movie and find nothing interesting for any of them to do?"- Roger Ebert "Chicago Sun-Times"
Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 7% Audience- 46%
Out of a possible 5 stars- 1 star
My Review-
Why did i chose this has my final movie of the year? I'm starting to think may I would watch a cliche movie to go with this list, maybe two, because I also was going to watch Leap Year earlier this year as well, but I decided not too, which I think was a good idea. When it comes to this kinds of movies you cannot have as many actors as there were in the movie, some are really big actors others are okay actors, but nonetheless it will be hard to split all the different story-lines with all of them, and that was one of the flaws with this movie. Well one of the many flaws. out of all the actors and story-lines in the film there was probably only one I actually liked, maybe two while all others just fell by the wayside and I thought should have not been in there. That story-line was between Efron, and Pfeiffer, which my opinion should have been more focused on out of the whole movie. Also REALLY Sarah Jessica Parker as someone's love interest?? how does that work? I think I am already talking to much about this movie. I think it was just made because Valentine's Day was a hit and they thought they could make it work again, but I heard that movie sucked and this one did as well.
Writer(s)- Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan; Based on "James Bond" By Ian Fleming
Starring- Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw,Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Judi Dench
Run Time- 2 hr. 25 min.
Critics Review- "Skyfall does not reach the emotional depths of 2006's Casino Royale, but it features jaw-dropping cinematography and set design, and some of the most exciting action scenes of the entire series."- Eric Melin "Scene-Stealers.com"
In his third time around as Bond, Daniel Craig does a way better job this time around than he did in Quantum of Solace which has to be out of the three he has done so far my least favorite. However this time with Skyfall I believe like a lot of other people, that this may be the best James Bond movie ever made during its 50 year period. It may be the best of the series, because of many things; some being the story line was really good, some one from M's past to haunt her and make her pay for her past sins, is a good way to send Bond back into the field. It has a badass villain played by Javier Bardem and we all remember how he was the last time he played the bad guy, he was just playing creepy, here he was just cool and smooth. His role as Raoul Javier, has got to be the best Bond villain ever as well, maybe topping the villain from Casino Royale, who I thought was pretty badass. One thing I also think works for all the Bond movies is the theme song to go with it and I think this time around Adele's song called "Skyfall" was SO much better than Jack White and Alicia Keys them for the last movie, this one seemed to go with the movie a lot more, and I am or listening to it as I right this review (dont judge me). This movie also had some really great scenery and like the critic above said the cinematography was just down right awesome, with some shots being really great then the last shot or topping other amazing shots as the movie progressed. What also made this Bond better than others, was that he was a broken Bond, he was not his normal self for some parts of the movie and it took him a while to get back in the feel of the work he was doing, this was something we did not normally see in previous Bond films. I think that different side of Bond made him a little more vulnerable as a character even though he has lost all emotional feelings for people. Also really enjoyed how they reintroduced Q in the film even though he had a small part, it seemed like besides M he was the only other person who would get tired of Bond's shit and kind of put him in his place. I was really surprised to see Albert Finney in the movie, it was sort of weird to see him in the movie, but he was a good character and was able to put a fight in the film as well by helping Bond. What also I liked about this one which made it way better than Quantum of Solace, was that the action scenes were just so damn amazing and well shot and were also really memorable than past Bond films, and I do not think or they possibly will top them in the next Bond films. One thing that kind of sucked is that this was Judi Dench's last time playing M and the role has been taken up by Ralph Fiennes, even though I do like him as an actor, I think and hope he will do a great job in the next film. I am looking for to seeing Daniel Craig as Bond for the next two films and see who they chose next I do hope it is who they have in mind, and if they chose who they say they want, and I thin Idris Elba will do a really great job. I can see this movie getting nominated for Best Cinematography, and hopefully a few others, since it deserves those nominations.
Writer(s)- Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese; Based on the Book By- Nicholas Pileggi
Starring- Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, Don Rickles, James Woods, Kevin Pollak
Run Time- 2 hr. 59 min.
Critics Review- "Martin Scorsese's intimate epic about money, sex and brute force is a grandly conceived study of what happens to goodfellas from the mean streets when they outstrip their wildest dreams and achieve the pinnacle of wealth and power."- Todd McCarthy "Variety"
Another Scorsese film to scratch off my list, that only leaves a couple more and I have to watch that he has directed, and out of the ones I have seen so far, this one has to be the most violent one I have seen. I did like how it was based on a true story, like one of his other previous films which was Goodfellas also both starring De Niro and Pesci, however in this movie the roles were vastly different and a little more interesting even though Goodfellas is one of my favorite gangster films. This movie was mostly about greed and what it can do to people if it takes them to far, and it really works since its set in Vegas and also based on real people, so it was sort of sad to see their rise only lead to their massive downfall even though it was their own damn fault. I have never really liked Sharon Stone as an actress, especially in this movie, I found her very annoying and just wanted to her go away or be done with, which later on actually happens. I did however like Joe Pesci as always, I like seeing him doing movies like this and comedy, even though he scares me in these kind roles since he is so damn ruthless and mean. I think I liked him more in this film than I did in Goodfellas he was able to be more ruthless in this one since he was mostly on his on as an almost mob boss. It seems like when De Niro and Scorsese work together its movie gold, I may have said that before but I do not really care, I think it is amazing when certain actors and directors always work together. Even though movie was quite long, I liked the detail that was put into the film, especially from all three actors coming in to narrate their scenes or parts of their lives from time to time. I think the story liked I liked the most was De Niro's since he went from nothing to something, and then back to nothing and all because he got greedy, while everyone else probably got what they deserved even though it was very brutal and sort of sad, it was good see that De Niro's character actually made it out and was able to something that would not get him in much trouble. I am surprised that Scorsese has only one Best Director once, when its films like this one and others that should have won him those times as well, especially with this film. Other than some flaws here and there this is still a very good movie, and every Scorsese fan or who wants to start watching his films, this should be near the top; along with Gangs of New York, The Departed, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.
Starring- Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, Michael Parks, Don Johnson, Jonah Hill
Run Time- 2 hr. 45 min.
Critics Review- "Quentin Tarantino has made a spaghetti western and cross-pollinated it with a blaxploitation picture, but it's fully formed, unapologetic and easily the best popcorn flicks of the year."- Tom Charity "CNN.com"
Every time I hear that Quentin Tarantino is coming out with a new film, I get really excited. That was the same when I heard Django Unchained announced, and I was starting to wonder who would play him. I thought it would be Michael K. Williams, because it seemed like he would do a great job in a Tarantino film. However when I heard Jamie Foxx was announced to play him I will admit I was a little skeptical about this, that was until I saw the first trailer. Seems like Tarantino never fails to surprise me in his films and entertain an audience, same goes for this film. This may be my new favorite movie from him and it is also his first "western" film, I liked how he is starting to mix up genre's and time periods for his movie and sort of changing things about or he will address the things that have not been addressed before, such as slavery in this film. There is one scene in the film that involves Jonah Hill and what looks to be the start of The KKK, and it was possibly the funniest scene in the whole entire movie or just one of the highlights of the film and I liked how he added that more comedy into the drama in this one than in his last film Inglorious Basterds. The whole movie is about slavery and about a former slave Django (Foxx) wanting to save his wife Broomhilda (Washington) from slavery, who is owned by the ruthless Calvin Candie, who is played wonderfully by Leonardo DiCaprio in his first role as a villain. DiCaprio plays a wonderful villain and I believe he should take up more roles when he is that bad guy and not the good guy, I think it makes him a better actor or any actor for that matter that can play the villain from time to time. In this movie going from villain to good guy, Christoph Waltz was just plain awesome as Dr. King Schultz who was helping Django rescue Broomhilda. It is at Candie's plantation "Candie Land" where we meet Stephen, Calvin's trusty servant played by the very funny Samuel L. Jackson, and where the most the last half of the movie takes place. This where at Candie Land, even though its short the shootout was so badass and I wish it was a little longer. I agree with my friend Gil who saw the movie the only thing wrong with the movie was the void left in the movie and that was that Sally Menke was not the editor for this one, she sadly passed away in 2010. She had edited all of his movies, so it was different to see a new editor. There was some controversy surrounding the movie, and that was the excessive use of the "N" word, even though it was a slave movie, people want it not be a movie, and if it was not in it, then it would have not shown what slavery was like and that it was more than likely used that much back then, so I do not see why people would get mad. Other than that I really loved this new film Tarantino, now I cannot wait to see what he does next. The most badass western I have seen in a long time, and from reading about to seeing the trailers the movie did not disappoint me, and I hope whoever sees it, that it does not disappoint them.
Starring- Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott, Shelley Hack
Run Time- 1 hr. 44 min.
Critics Review- "Misunderstood by critics in 1983, this is one of the most incisive (and scary) movies about desperate desire to achieve fame in American society, and the shallow nature of pop culture; De Niro and Jerry Lewis are terrific."- Emanuel Levy "EmanuelLevy.Com"
This just one of the movies that is about obsessed fans, and what some will do to get fame out of it, even if its for a different reason. De Niro's character just wants to be a famous comedy, not be famous for kidnapping Lewis' character which is different. It seems like a movie like this would have been a bigger hit today, than back in the 80s since it seems people are more obsessed over famous people now than ever. I rarely see De Niro do a comedy, and when he does he is really quite funny, even though this movie is also quite disturbing at the same time. I believe that Scorsese, De Niro, and Lewis were all right for the movie, since Lewis seemed like he was playing an almost movie version of himself dealing with a crazed fan, sort of. What made this movie work was it really seemed like Lewis' character despised De Niro as the movie progressed. I liked when De Niro does comedies such as this one because we get to see a different side to him other than his serious badass side like most of the films that he does, and I know that when he works with Scorsese it will be a great film. It was one of those films that seemed ahead of its times, showing that possibly one day that people will become obsessed with famous people or wanting to become famous, like De Niro's character Rupert wanted to be. I think the only problem I had with it is that I wish they would have used more of Bernhard's character, and showed what happened to Lewis's character at the end of the film. I really liked how they mixed Rupert's imagination with what was really happening, at first you could not tell if it was real or not then we found out that he was actually crazy, well just a wee bit crazy. Out of most of the films that were comedies from De Niro, and its just a few that I have seen this one has to be my favorite, it seems like De Niro can really let himself go in a comedy, such as this one. I decided to chose this one to watch today, because it is on the list of films to watch and also one of the Scorsese films I have not seen until today. So has a Scorsese fan this one is one of my favorites from him, even though they're still quite a few I still need to see from him.
Written By- Steven Zaillian; Based on the Book- Schindler's Ark By- Thomas Keneally
Starring- Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz
Run Time- 3 hr. 14 min.
Critics Review- "Rising brilliantly to the challenge of this material and displaying an electrifying creative intelligence Mr. Spielberg has made sure that neither he nor the Holocaust will ever be though of in the same way again. - Janet Maslin "New York Times"
This is still one Steven Spielberg I was surprised I had not seen yet, even though out of all his films I have seen from this one may not be at the top of my list, I still really liked it and how he had it filmed and how he chose to portray such a terrible time in history. I have a few movies dealing with the Holocaust or the aftermath of it but none of them were as powerful and violent as this one, Spielberg and whoever worked on it with him did not hold back on the movie and that is a good thing for showing something like this to everyone. The movie has many great things about it; from the way that everything was portrayed, the acting, the filming especial the music that was used subtly every now and then. I really liked how it started off with Schindler being a man who only wanted money, turning into a man who saved thousands of Jews, now we may never really know what changed his mind (in the movie it was a little girl in a red coat), but I would really like to know what changed his mind to save all those people from being murdered. Even at over 3 hours a lot was put into the movie, important things, and somewhat not important things which I though was essential to the movie, if it was any shorter it would not have been as great as it was or as powerful when being viewed and after it has been viewed. One actor I was surprised that did not get much recognition for this movie was Sir Ben Kingsley, playing Schindler's accountant who helped save so many people, and with out him would not have been able to do anything. Kingsley played this character really well even though I did not know about the actual person, it seems like Kingsley did a great job doing this person justice. I believe this is when Neeson was at the height of his career, since nowadays he has been doing some crappy movies,. but this one, this movie showed what an amazing actor he can be and at times still can be. Since the movie was in black and white I really liked how the only thing in color was the little girl in the red coat, it was in that moment when for us as an audience and Neeson's character Schindler actually was able to see horror that he was in and how far it was going before that it was just business with the Jews. Even though it is over 3 hours the movie holds your attention for those 3 hours by showing the Nazi's dealing with the Jews, Schindler trying to figure out what to do and different story-lines throughout the movie with the Jews and their aftermath, after everything was over. One thing I really liked about the movie was that at the end of the film they showed the actors with the characters they portrayed while visiting the real life grave of Oskar Schindler, I really like when films do that, for me it brings more to the movie when it does that like with another movie I saw this year Argo. If you have never seen this movie from Spielberg, I suggest that you do. I think no other director would have been able to pull off a movie like except for him.
