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.
Writer(s)- Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling, Frank Capra; Based on the Book "The Greatest Gift" By Philip Van Doren Stern
Starring- James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Todd Kerns, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen
Run Time- 2 hr. 10 min.
Critics Review- "Combine the characters, the story, the message, and the acting, and it's easy to see why It's a Wonderful Life isn't just a holiday favorite, but a great movie by almost any standards."- James Berardinelli "ReelViews"
This is one of those films that you have to watch, because it is so damn good. Even though it is a bit lengthy, it is beautifully made and the meaning behind the film is in it from start to finish and I can see why it has become an instant classic throughout the years. I have seen a few movies from James Stewart, but this one has to go to the top of the list. I never really knew what this movie was about, apart from the clips and homages I have seen or heard from it particular with The Killers Christmas song "Boots" which has a sound clip from a pivotal part of the movie and now I can see why they put it into a song. When it comes to movies about Christmas or near Christmas this one has to top them all since it can be more meaningful since it has to do with family, and what happens to a man if he is about to lose everything because of one man. Stewart's character George Bailey cares more about everyone than himself and its like this throughout the whole entire movie, until the last 30 minutes. The last 30 minutes of the movie is the most powerful for the character of George Bailey, having to see what life would be like without him, made an impact, that for once he was not thinking about anybody but himself, and it changed him.That is what made the movie so great and could not have been done by anyone else but James Stewart, he can play the person who will care about everyone but himself and having to learn all that again and pull it off was really great to see on screen. This movie has held up after all these years and I believe will still hold up for years to come especially for the right message and it is told to George by his guardian angel Clarence, well two quotes actually "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?' and "Remember no man is a failure who has friends."
Starring- Roberto Benigni, Steven Wright, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Jack White, Meg White, Cate Blanchett, Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan RZA, GZA, Bill Murray, William Rice
Run Time- 1 hr. 36 min.
Critics Review- "A hit-or-miss movie."- Eleanor Ringel Gillespie "Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
Even though this was a film of short stories and the only thing connecting them was that they were either drinking coffee/tea or smoking or not smoking cigarettes it was very boring, I actually fell asleep twice watching it and had to go back to see what I missed. I think the only two segments I liked in the movie were Somewhere in California which had Iggy Pop and Tom Waits in it talking in a dinner about how they quit drinking and smoke while having an extremely awkward conversation about music and their lives at the time. The other one I found really good was another one called Cousins? that had Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan who could be potentially cousins and how Coogan is more recognizably than Molina which made for awkward moment which lead to another. Out of all eleven segments only 2 stood out which is not a good think, I did find the one with Bill Murray interesting but other than that it was not good as the other two. I think I chose the wrong Jim Jarmusch movie to watch for the first time on my list, I should have chosen another more well known movie from him. I though this movie was really boring and do not recommend watching it, unless movies that have some connection like this one will suit what you like than watch it, other than that just skip it.
Starring- Ed Wolf, Paul Boneberg, Daniel Goldstein, Guy Clark, Eileen Glutzer
Run Time- 1 hr 27 min.
Critics Review- "The most gripping war movie you'll ever see this year, We Were Here tells first-hand the story of how AIDS attacked San Francisco, killing more than 15,000. Whole peer groups were happy, healthy, and then dead in months."- Stephen Cole "Globe and Mail"
This has to be one of the most moving documentaries I have seen on this list, it also sort of reminded me of the film And the Band Played On. What made this documentary so moving is that they interviewed people who lived through AIDS in San Francisco, who lost friends, many of them and still found the time to help out others and open business to help people who were HIV positive or had AIDS. It was hard to watch at times upon hearing the men and women talk about their experiences and having to remember the people they lost is a hard think to do. I have learned about AIDS and HIV in the past from various movies, and in school, but to hear it first hand from people that were is just heartbreaking. It is amazing how the people in the documentary were able to do so much, even when some them were losing friends or found themselves HIV positive. What I also found interesting is that one of them worked with Harvey Milk, even before he was running for mayor of San Francisco and to see that even before the virus broke out they were trying to make a difference was really interesting. There is not much I want to give away about this, because I would like everyone to watch this, since it is very interesting to watch especially from first hand accounts. I suggest that this should be seen by everyone, and see how good this documentary is, and how it shows up something that we have never seen before from that time when HIV and AIDS took the lives of friends and loved ones of the people above.
Starring- Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood, Melissa Leo, Kelly, Reilly, Brian Geraghty
Run Time- 2 hr. 18 min.
Critics Review- "A story about the question of redemption--not just whether the protagonist-in-crisis can be redeemed, but whether we want him to be redeemed, at least in the manner that is mot likely to result in true justice."- James Kendrick "Q Network Film Desk"
This movie is not what you expect you would be by just looking at the trailer. Just by looking at this trailer you would think it would be about why the plane failed and how it had to be landed, with the other story line about Denzel's character being a drinker. It's that among part of it, but mainly dealing with alcoholism and trying to be redeemable after events such as the one that took place in the film. While the film is some what like what you would see the trailer, it did not give away what it was really about, and that was a good thing. By seeing that the film was really about, we see a different side to Denzel's acting and some thing you may not have seen him do before. The film also has really good actors in it to help move the story in different directions, one actor who was the highlight of the movie was none other than John Goodman, who must have been in the movie all of 10 minutes and he made his scenes the best part of the whole movie. When you get to see what the movie is really about it is up to whoever is watching to see how Denzel's character ends up, regardless if he saved a lot of people(mentioned in the trailer). Even though parts of the movie were unpredictable or predictable it was still pretty enjoyable watch, even though the highlight of the movie was him flying the plane upside down. Do not get me wrong, this was an enjoyable movie, I just thought at times Denzel was really good and than at other times he was not that great. He almost gives an Oscar worthy performance in this film, but in reality he has done a lot better in other films than he did in this one. I would still recommend people to watch this movie, for there is one thing I really loved about the movie and that was the music. The music was used really well in the film most of it coming from The Rolling Stones, but the music was cut so well with the scenes and fit perfectly with what was going on in specific scenes that it had me in awh at times. So yes if you want to see a possibly great movie in the near future from Zemeicks then this is it, and plus it has John Goodman and Denzel (even though its not quite his best work). By the end of the film it is up to the viewer to see, if the main character has learned his lesson or if he was redeemed himself.
Starring- Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart, Dan O'Herlihy, Norman Snow
Run Time- 1 hr. 40 min.
Critics Review- "This is all pretty lame material. The Last Starfighter is a well-made movie. The special effect are competent. The acting is good...but the final spark was missing, the final burst of inspiration that might have pulled all these concepts and inspirations and retreads together into a good movie."- Roger Ebert "Chicago Sun-Times"
I kind of do not know where to start with this movie, it seemed like it would be a good movie, but it was just okay. I found myself bored for a majority of the movie. It seemed like it would be a cool concept if Tron had not been released already, it seemed like they wanted to make this movie since Tron was a big success. they thought this one would be too, but I think that Tron is WAY better than this movie. I do agree with Ebert, the special effects were okay for the time it was released, and that was about it. The ending was really cheesy and seemed like that would not really happen. I was kind of glad when the movie was over since one of the best characters in the movie was the beta robot pretending to be the main character and his interaction with his little brother. Other than that it was hard to pay attention to the movie.
Written By- Kay Cannon; Based on the Book By- Mickey Rapkin
Starring- Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Adam DeVine, Alexis Knapp, Ben Platt, Elizabeh Banks
Run Time- 1 hr. 52 min.
Critics Review- "Hugely enjoyable comedy that hits all the right notes, thanks to a razor-sharp script , impressively staged musical numbers and a pair of brilliant comic performances from Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson."- Matthew Turner "ViewLondon"
First off I knew by watching the trailer for this movie it would be funny, but I did not know it be as funny as it was. It seems sometimes that most movies like this are made just because of the show Glee, but this was made off a back based off just what happens behind the scenes at competitions for this one, and just off that came a really funny movie. This movie was almost like a band of misfits trying to make it and they had the right people to pull it off led by Anna Kendrick and a very funny Rebel Wilson, Wilson basically made the movie very funny along with everyone else but she stood out the most. However there was one person who I never really heard of that made some of the scenes she was in awkward yet funny, because she was so quiet, and that was Hana Mae Lee, who made her character Lily surprising when we found out what she actually did in the movie on the side. The song choices for the movie were really good instead of using past songs they used songs that were smash hits today, and even though I do not like some of them they are better as cover songs. I love how there were some movie references even though it was a really small amount it made the movie even better. There were also just some small scenes with some actors that made some bit parts very funny and made some scenes hard to forget. Even though the movie started off really slow and was only funny here and there once it hit what the movie was really about it did not slow down. The movie also had some really memorable lines that are hard to forget. The thing that made this movie very good was that it was surprising to see some actors that I knew of and never knowing that they could sing until this movie came out. I can see why this movie was a surprise hit, and it deserves to be, because it sneaks up on you and you don't see it coming and how funny it was going to be until half way through the movie. If you're looking for a movie that is a surprise hit this is a movie for you and well if you like movies that also have singing in them.
Writer(s)- Donn Pearce, Frank Pierson; Based on the Book of the same name By- Donn Pearce
Starring- Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Strother Martin
Run Time- 2 hr. 7 min.
Critics Review- "A caustically witty look at the American South and its still-surviving chain gangs, with Newman in fine sardonic form as the boss-baiter who refuses to submit and becomes a hero to his fellow-prisoners."- Tom Milne "Time Out"
I have always liked Paul Newman as an actor, out of the movies I have seen with him and here is no different. Newman was cool as fuck in this movie, well his nickname was Cool Hand Luke, because he was. The time that this movie was set was when chain gangs still existed and how you would have to get accepted by the prisoners get respect, and he did just that by being cool and sort of being himself. I was surprised at how many actors I knew of were in this movie, well it was like 3 actors, but it was still cool; Dennis Hopper, even though his part was small along with Harry Dean Stanton, and George Kennedy who won a well deserved Academy Award for this film as sort of the main one in chain gang who took Luke as his own and followed anything that he did. I like when the author's of books will write or contribute to the screenplay if his/her book is being made into a movie, so nothing important will be taken away from the book and it will be kept in tact. I was kind of surprised that Newman did not win an Oscar for this film since he owned every scene that he was in and it is never surprising on how well he does in a film, especially with one as important as this one. I think this movie was important because it was on of those films where one person did not listen to as what they called was the "establishment" or the one who was in charge and gave hope for everyone else, seeing that they could be an inspiration without knowing it. The main theme for the movie was also really good, it was nice and subtle because it was not overwhelming and it only came in when it was needed and seemed like it perfectly fit the movie. I would have liked if they showed Strother Martin's character "The Captain" a lot more, since he was like the warden of the prison he was not used a lot, when I thought they could have had a lot of him throughout the film dealing with Paul Newman's Luke. Seeing how this movie is in the National Film Registry for preservation this a movie not to be missed and should be seen to see why it was chosen for preservation and why when the film came out it was so important, I really liked it and hope if who ever watches it does as well.
Starring- James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen
Run Time 1 hr. 37 min.
Critics Review- "With a clever script that successfully updates many Christmas myths and dialogue that crackles with sophisticated wit, this movie offers with kind of pre-holiday experience that parents and children alike will appreciate."- James Beradinelli "ReelViews"
At first I never really wanted to watch this movie, finally a gingerbread man and gingerbread house making party with friends I saw it, and I actually liked it. This movie was really funny, and seems like it is destined to become a Christmas classic. The reason why I say this is because all the characters are smartly written and the actors they chose to voice the characters were the right choices, especially Hugh Laurie as the oldest son of Santa and the voice of the Grand-Santa who was played by the always awesome Bill Nighy, who was the best thing about the movie and made it even funnier that it already was for an animated children's film. I was really surprised on how funny it was and what worked and at times what did no work, the part I really liked was how the reindeer kept disappearing and how everytime they wanted to go somewhere they ended up in the wrong place and thousands of films from where they actually needed to be. There are some animated Christmas films, that have to be really good in order for me to really like them, and now this can be one of them. There were some parts that were so funny just off of one my friends reactions and that made that scene extremely funny, since it came out nowhere. I love how every animated movie for that is for Christmas have their different take on Santa, especially this once since Santa's sleigh was a freaking ship called the S-1 and it was freaking awesome. Since it was a different take on Santa I liked how it was like a family business and being Santa got passed down each generation, to the next one in line. That was a really good concept for this type of Christmas film and now I have no idea why I did not want to watch it at first when I actually really enjoyed it. This is a recommended Christmas film if you have never seen it before. Another thing I liked is how they had the great great grandchildren of the original eight reindeer, which was really cool, and once again it was funny how they kept losing them throughout the night. Since it is Christmas time, check out this movie for your holiday list.
Starring- Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina, Annette Benning, Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, Elliot Gould
Run Time- 1 hr. 43 min.
Critics Review- "A beguiling romantic fantasy about the creative process and its potential to quite literally take on a life of its own, Ruby Sparks performs an imaginative high-wire act with finesse and charm."- Todd McCarthy "Hollywood Reporter"
This is a movie about what would happen if something you wrote came true, or in this case came to life. We all have a wild imagination, and in this film, Calvin's wild imagination of the perfect girl comes to life in with the main character Ruby, played by Zoe Kazan, who also wrote the film. I believe this is the first film that Kazan has written and its written well, I would also like to know did she write the main character Calvin with her boyfriend Paul Dano in mind, because this is one of the only other movies I liked him besides his role in There Will Be Blood, and Little Miss Sunshine; which is also directed by the same pair who directed this movie. This movie was casted well, even though some people had a smart part I enjoyed their role in the film such as Steve Coogan, Annette Benning and Antonio Banderas. I thought the older brother played by Chris Messina as a good choice, I think he does indie films well instead of big budgets ones, and with a character and film like this one he goes so well with it. I believe Messina is an underrated actor and hopefully soon he will start to get noticed more. I really liked the concept of the movie, when I first saw the trailer, because it was something I had never really scene in this way, I have in other movies, but they were mostly dramas or a horror movie, but not in a romantic comedy. I Think since because Dano and Kazan are dating, it was one of the reasons they had great chemistry on screen, they worked perfectly well together. I really liked how it showed how relationships work but in a different way, anything he wrote about her on his type writer, it happened to her or she ended up doing it. The climax of the movie is in the last 10 minutes which was one of the highlights of the movie. it was a great mixture of the right amount of comedy and emotion. I think the comedy worked really well when Dano and Messina were on screen interacting or when Dano first found what was going on. This one of the many Indie films that I enjoyed watching and glad I got to review it for my list this year.
Written By- Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book of the same name
Starring- Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Emma Watson, Maw Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd, Joan Cusack
Run Time- 1 hr. 42 min
Critics Review- "Spikier than the average coming-of-age movie, this astute comedy-drama is packed with memorable characters and resonant situations. It's also strikingly intelligent, refusing to accept Hollywood's fake moralizing. And even better, it's funny and sexy."- Rich Cline "Contactmusic.com"
This one movie as soon as I saw the trailer, I wanted to see the movie; because of the actors and because the movie seemed like it could be the first movie that took high school seriously and did not try to drama it up big time, it felt genuine and the characters felt real. I kind of regret not reading the book, I think if I had read it before hand I would have enjoyed the movie a lot more than I already did. I really like how the main character was writing letters to an unknown person about his life and how his first year of high school was going, for me it seemed like he was either writing to the reader (if you read the book), or to the viewer of the movie (if you only watched the movie). Either way Chbosky did a wonderful job, I think this is the first time that I have seen or heard of an author of a book adapting his own book into a screenplay and directing the movie which made it even better for those who ave read the book. I think it was as soon as the movie started I was pulled in and Logan Lerman as the main character of the movie had me the whole way through and I was really into his character and everyone he interacted with. Even if they were not in the movie a lot they made a really great impact such as Paul Rudd as the English teacher, and Charlie's parents played by McDermott and Walsh, even though they were in the movie for all of like 15 minutes they seemed like the right choice, I really liked Ezra Miller's character it is VASTLY different from the previous movie I watched with him which was We Need to Talk About Kevin, which frankly he creeped me out in that movie, in this one I really liked him and I really liked his story line of the movie, and thought it was good that it was essential to the story told from Charlie's perspective. What I also really liked is that how a lot of people can most likely relate to the movie or the book since we have all had our ups and downs and in high school, and this gave a real look at it with glamorizing like most movies about high school do. I really suggest this movie for everyone it has a mixture of both comedy, drama and in away you sort of relive what you went through in high school if you are able to relate to it. The music was also really great in the movie and went well with it, even though it was weird they had never heard of Bowie. Aside from some things here and there I did not like, I really really liked this movie.
Starring- Robery De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Ted Levine, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Natalie Portman, Hank Azaria, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, William Fichnter, Jeremy Piven. Wes Studi,
Run Time- 2 hr. 46 min.
Critics Review- "Michael Mann and a superlative cast have taken a classic heist movie rife with familiar genre elements and turned it into a sleek, accomplished piece of work, meticulously controlled and completely involving."- Kenneth Turan "Los Angeles Times"
After prolonging from watching this movie and having finally watch the whole thing, I rather liked it, it was just too damn long. This movie clocks in just a few minutes short of 3 hours, when I think it could have been at least 20-30 minutes shorter and it still would have been a great movie. Aside from that I liked the movie, and this the first time I have seen De Niro and Pacino in the same film acting together from across a diner table and it was pretty damn awesome to see these two awesome actors acting off of each other, seems like they were trying to out do one another but it was tie in my opinion. It was Pacino who at times does not hasn't sold me on a movie lately since he has been doing horrible ones that made this movie for me as the cop chasing De Niro, he owned all of his scenes expect when he was on screen with De Niro, like I said before that may have been a tie. One of the highlights of the movie was the shootout that took place in the middle of the film, which as to be the best one I have seen in a long time, and it was awesome, loud, fast and just awesome. When it came to the different story lines for most of the characters I thought they could have gone into De Niro's a little more since it was shown like 2 or 3 times throughout the film. I also liked how each character got the right amount of screen time if they were the main part of the movie, and others if they were not really essential to the story got the right amount as well. One thing I was really surprised at about this movie was that Natalie Portman was in the film, I think this was her second movie after The Professional and for only being in two movies at the time she had done a really good job of picking what she wanted to do. Other than the movie being way to long I enjoyed it and would watch it over again, if I had the time and patience. This is also possibly one of the best Michael Mann films I have seen next to Miami Vice and that is one of my favorite films from him. I love films like this especially if its in Los Angeles where it can be seen from all sides of the city, and I need to watch more movies where Los Angeles is shown more and more.
Writer(s)- Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toror; Based on the Book By- J.R.R. Tolkien
Starring- Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis
Run Time- 2 hr. 46 min.
Critics Review- "Regardless of the frames, dimensions, or goggles used to conjure it, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is an incredible ride and a triumphant return to Middle Earth."- Mark Ellis "Schmoes Know"
I do not even know where to begin with this movie, but I am glad to return to Middle Earth after nearly 10 years since watching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and I must say it was good to see new faces and returning faces. I saw The Hobbit in the High Frame Rate, and let me tell you one thing. There is a HUGE difference in the HFR 3D and it was well worth the money to watch at 48 fps, I could tell the difference right away and how most people could not tell the difference beats me. This is the first movie in a new trilogy from the J.R.R Tolkien book, and all three films are going to be directed by Peter Jackson, who helmed the original 3 Lord of the Rings films, and even though I read the book a long time ago and have to re-read it again I would love to see what he does for the rest of the films. Though some of the actors I have never heard of before this film I think they did a really awesome job. When it came to the scene where they all sang the Misty Mountains song I got chills, the dwarves were so badass in the film and all of them are so likeable but hard to remember since most of their names rhyme with the next one, then there is Martin Freeman taking up the role of Bilbo Baggins, taking over for Ian Holm, and Freeman did a really really great job as Bilbo and how he used to be before he came into possession of the ring. The whole time I had huge smile on my face since I loved The Lord of the Rings films it was really great to see The Hobbit finally come to the big screen and hearing the music again and the really great fight scenes were just awesome and the 48fps just made the movie even way better and yes I know I said it before but it is just so awesome, and let me say this, the movie is all about the beards, they were so badass and I think I could make it has a dwarf in Middle Earth. The scenery was just so amazing again and the wide sweeping shots and how the fight scenes were filmed was just so awesome, I cannot wait for the next two films to be released. Since this is the story that set motion for the Lord of the Rings we would meet the one and only Gollum again and returning was the ever talented Andy Serkis who basically stole the last half of the movie well the scenes that he was in he stole, it was just cool to see him again. I cannot see why this does not have a higher rating on rotten tomatoes when it deserves a better score than it received I think its mostly due to the complaints about the frame and how long it was, but both were just fine for me. This movie should be seen by all fans of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and even if you have not seen those previous films, I think watching all the production blogs for this film made me anticipate and want to watch the movie even more, and it was nice since they did not spoil to much when they were released. I believe you will still enjoy this one. If you want to see it I would suggest the HFR 3D, but you do not want to see it like that it is still a great movie either way. This one movie I would watch again in theaters, and I think I am so, I'm happy with that.
Writer(s)- Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones
Starring- Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Run Time- 1 hr. 28 min.
Critics Review- "It's still one of the funniest, silliest and all-out strangest films you'll ever see. Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time."- Jason Zingale "Bullz-Eye.com"
Now that I have finally finished this movie, I loved it. This may be my favorite film from by far from Monty Python and I think I have watched all of them except for one on this list, any who this one is my favorite one. I think one thing I really loved was the opening title sequence with the subtitles that made no sense what so ever, and than the explanation behind why they were bad, after seeing that I could tell this was going to be an awesome movie, aside from the bits and bits I had seen from time to time already. Even though the movie was made in the mid seventies the jokes still hold up and it is pretty funny and very quotable, its movies like this that are really awesome. I also liked how at times the movies was animated during certain scenes, and or during the hunt for the grail it showed everyone's journey as they would try to find it. I could and possibly will watch this movie over and over again, because it has some of the funniest people that I can still recognize today; Eric Idle and John Cleese, I would have to say like always were my favorite parts of this movie and the the other films that they did. This is also one of those movies that I do not know why it took me so long to finish watching when it is a classic and I should have seen it a long time ago, but never got around to it until now. I wish Monty Python would come out with another movie, even though they are all are old now it would be cool to see if they can top this one or any of the other films that they made. This movie was just to damn awesome, the one liners, the funny scenarios, logic that made no sense and the abrupt ending made the whole movie really lovable
Starring- William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Darlanne Fluegel, Debra Feuer, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell
Run Time- 1 hr. 55 min.
Critics Review- "The film isn't just about cops and robbers, but about two systems of doing business, and how one of the systems finds a way to change itself in order to defeat the other."- Roger Ebert "Chicago Sun-Times"
This movie was recommended to be by someone who listens to Yeah, Its that Bad and I would liked to thank them, even though I do not know their name. This was one great movie about old fashioned cops and robbers and I love seeing Dafoe has the villain in films, because it is what he does best. This movie had everything that the 80s cops movies had; great music, cool villains and cops that did not care about getting in trouble. These are the types of cops movies that I miss, and hope wish more would be made, like this or some what similar, the music was random, and the violence it was just awesome, even though at times it was a tad bit too slow and the main character ended up dying and the lame one lived sucked monkey nuts. I think I could live with that, that was the only gripe I had with the movie seeing William Petersen die, after he was the badass in the movie was just plain wrong. Only thing I really liked in the movie was the car chase that was like 5 minutes but seemed a lot longer, every possibly the highlight of the film and them driving on the wrong side of the freeway was just plain awesome, I still find it hard to believe this is the same director that did The Exorcist which is like one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and he made this which could be the best cop movie of the mid-eighties after Lethal Weapon. I suggest that people watch this if they loved cop movies from the 80s, cheesy 80s music and frankly Willem Dafoe since he is a cool villain in this movie even though his part is not too big but also not to small. Even though there were some parts that could have been done better I still liked it.
I had kept hearing this was a good movie from all of my friends and now that I have finally watched it, I loved it. I really like all forms of animation especially when it is hand drawn animation like this one, and I can see how much hard work goes into it, and that's what makes movies like this one classics. What also really liked about the movie was the voice choices even if they were not in it for that long, such as Phil Hartman as the air conditioner which was pretty awesome, but my favorite had to be the radio and the lamp, especially the radio since it was voiced by the very talented Jon Lovitz. I also liked how at times it was a musical but not to much of one, they only used the musical numbers when it was need and not thrown all over the place like some animated movies nowadays. All the characters were lovable and I really liked that about this movie, except for the new products that wanted to stop them, I was like those jackass products being so mean because they were jealous. I could see the work of John Lassesster in this since he would go on to Pixar, but also worked on this film, and I could see hints of Toy Story being developed for later on. This review would be a lot longer, but I am watching Doctor Who and I'm almost done with Series 4, so This is what I thought about this movie, I loved it, the characters were awesome and I would love to watch it again, but first I have to watch the sequels later on during the week or possibly next week. So check this movie out if you have never seen it, you will love it if you love animated films.
Written By- Alex Garland; Based on the book By- Kazuo Ishiguro
Starring- Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightly
Run Time- 1 hr. 36 min.
Critics Review- "Lovely and melancholy, poignant and chilling, Never Let Me Go is an old school sci-fi dystopia with lovely, wistful performances that never quite overcome the fatalism that hangs over the whole affair."- Roger Moore "Orlando Sentinel"
This was a different take on the sci-fi genre in my opinion, in a way it did not feel like one, but the storyline at the same it made it one, if you know what I mean or I'm trying to say. With having said that this is a depressing movie, right from when we find out these people exist until the very end of it. I liked how it did not feel like a sci-fi and how I think it was an alternate universe for all the people, since not all of them were made to be that way. I also believe that is was a slow a film on purpose, because if it was at a fast paced it would not have been as meaningful as it was or made an impact, now I have never read the book by Kazuo Ishiguro, even though I have read from numerous places that it is a really great book that I now would like to read sometime in the near future. The acting was really great in the movie especially from Mulligan and Garfield, I can see him winning a Oscar with in the next couple years if he keeps doing great movies like this one, aside from The Amazing Spider-Man which was a really good film too he just needs to pick more movies where he can really show his acting chops. I think the scene that was really heartbreaking and I do not want to spoil anything, but it involves a scene with Garfield and Mulligan towards the end of the film and it such an intense scene between those two, and I think this movie went unnoticed which kind of sucks. This a movie that should not be missed by from any lover of sci-fi films or if you just like movies with type of premise. So go and watch it next time you have the time or are looking for something to watch.
