Holy crap! Sucker Punch was absolutely phenomenal. Awesome, awesome movie. Surpassed my every expectation, and then some. Zack Snyder, you, sir, have completely outdone yourself this time.
The movie is played through the perspective of different characters, who each see the world in a different light. Everything about the way they view the world changes once we're in their perspective, such as the way people talk and dress. It's a neat way of telling this story about a bunch of over-imaginative girls stuck in a loony bin as they try desperately to find a way to escape. And when all is said and done, everything wraps up nice and tightly for an extremely satisfying conclusion.
For anybody that has an imagination with a tendency to run wild, you will definitely appreciate what this movie has in store for you. I find the film's theme of escaping through fantasy to be very relatable. The imagery is like something pulled straight out of my own head. This is Snyder's first non-adapted work, and he uses all of the techniques he's learned and mastered over his film making career thus far, combining them together to make his masterpiece. So, if you're not a fan of Snyder's style, then you probably won't like this one too much. However, if like me you enjoyed his previous works, such as 300 and Watchmen, then this movie was made just for you.
One of the big complaints about Snyder's style is his over-use of slow motion. And yes, there are a few scenes of slow motion, including one entire action scene shot entirely in slow-mo. But unlike some films, such as last year's Resident Evil: Afterlife, where the over-use leaves you bored and rolling your eyes, Snyder manages to keep things intense and engaging all throughout these scenes.
It's not just the visuals, but the musical cues as well. Many scenes feel like you're watching a music video. The various re-worked classic tracks are beautifully performed, and add so much to the action on the screen.
I loved pretty much everything about this movie. It's brilliant, the visuals are out of this world, the accompanying music is outstanding, and the ladies are jaw droppingly gorgeous. And lets face it, who doesn't love watching a bunch of beautiful women kicking all kinds of ass?
I don't hand out numerical scores too often these days, but I'd have no problems giving this film an easy 10/10. This is one of the best movies I've seen in some time, by a director who's quickly rising up the ranks among my absolute favorites of recent times.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
My Chemical Romance
When talking about My Chemical Romance, I should probably start with the beginning. I was introduced to them through the song "I'm Not Okay", and I instantly wrote them off as just another worthless emo band. But then I heard their next single, "Helena", and I was swayed to change my mind about this band entirely.
I love this song. And I love the music video, which is, to this day, the very best music video I've ever seen. Not just for this band, I mean ever. It floored me when I first saw it, and it continues to floor me whenever I rewatch it today. I loved the song so much that, despite hating their previous single, I went out and bought the album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge soon after.
Three Cheers is an almost perfect album, with "I'm Not Okay", ironically enough, being the only song holding it back from absolute perfection. And even then, over the years, even that song has somewhat grown on me, though I do still tend to skip it from time to time. But my god, everything else on this album is just brilliant. It's a modern day rock album unlike any other. Each and every song is like a drug, addicting in their own ways. So much so that, as I admitted to my brother upon graduating, this album helped get me through boot camp, despite not actually being able to literally listen to it. All of the songs were etched into my brain, and there was rarely a night when these songs weren't blaring in my head, keeping me awake as I stood my post on firewatch.
It was also the military that introduced me to MCR's earlier works. A buddy of mine let me borrow their first CD, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. You can see where their sound for the Three Cheers album started here, though there's more of a grunginess to it's overall production. I like the album, though there are a few songs, particularly in the second half, which are a bit dull, a trait that would rear its head in one of their later albums.
But the boring songs are completely offset by some of the most powerful music I have ever heard. None more so than "Skylines and Turnstiles". Going back to My Chemical Romance's origins, the band's frontman, Gerard Way, was originally going to be a cartoonist, and even had something lined up with Cartoon Network at one time. But then 9/11 happened and changed all of that. Impacted by the travesty, he decided to take a different rout with his life, which ultimately lead to the formation of the band My Chemical Romance. The reason I mention all of this is because the song "Skylines and Turnstiles" is based on the events that happened during 9/11. And you can just feel the raw, overwhelming power that this song emotes. Even if this were the only good song on it, the album would still be entirely worth it just for that one song, that's how good it is.
As I said before, you can hear the natural progression from Bullets to Three Cheers. And that natural progression is always at hand from one album to the next. But the thing about these guys is that they're not always just churning out the same thing over and over again like some bands do. This band completely revamps their style and completely redefines themselves as a band over and over again, all while still managing to remain true to their roots. And in doing so, each new album has its very own original identity. And that originality never rings truer than with their third album, The Black Parade.
Essentially a concept album, The Black Parade tries out a variety of different sounds. Some of them work better than others, though none of them are particularly bad. And through each song is a new piece to a bigger story at hand here about a dying cancer patient. In many ways this album feels like it's tailor made to be a musical, and that never feels more true than once you have a listen to the live version, The Black Parade is Dead!.
As good as these guys are in the studio, they may very well be even better live. And unlike most bands who perform live, their songs don't just sound like live versions of what you hear on the CD. My assessment that they revamp their music carries over onto the stage as well, as they manage to breath an entirely new life into all of their songs. Yes, they're essentially the same songs, but they're performed in such a way that they become their own entity altogether. For instance, listening to the studio version of "Welcome to the Black Parade" versus the live version sounds like listening to two entirely different songs. They're both fantastic, and the lyrics and music are all the same. But the live performance manages to bring this song, and all their others, to life in a such a way that I can't even really find the right words to explain.
Their latest album is Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It takes off of one of the many established sounds produced in The Black Parade, most notably from the song "Famous Last Words", and pretty much runs with it. It's not the sound I would have preferred, though they manage to make it work to some brilliant effects. This is the album I alluded to before when I said that, like the first, it has a tendency to be bland at parts. There are also pointless skit tracks throughout that really kill the momentum of this album, one of which randomly includes the American national anthem, which just feels really out of place. But also similar to the first album, there are some extremely powerful songs at play here. "Bulletproof Heart" and "The Only Hope for Me Is You" both manage to rise high above the rest as the stand outs on this album, and express a similar emotional energy found in "Skylines and Turnstiles".
Overall, this band has become one of, if not my absolute favorite bands of all time. All of their albums are good, and one is the closest to being perfect that I've probably ever heard. They're a fun, energetic, and powerful band, one that deserves a lot more recognition than they currently receive. I do think that the thing that hurts this band the most is the "emo" label they've been stuck with, but I personally don't think that this label is an accurate fit. It all started at the beginning with their first big single, "I'm Not Okay", which also just so happens to be their only real "emo" song. Perhaps it's just an example of a bad first impression, which I can totally relate to. After all, my first impression of this band wasn't a good one, either. But I couldn't be happier to have given this band a much deserved second chance, because otherwise I would have missed out on some of the best music in this day and age.
I originally thought to write this blog as I was compiling a list of my personal top 10 best My Chemical Romance songs. I didn't arrange them in order from best to worst, but rather, in my preferred listening order. And looking at some of the song titles, it's almost refreshing how, especially in their in their earlier works, they didn't just name their songs based on the lyrics in the chorus. Just another little thing that I've grown to love about the band. So if you really want an idea of what it is about this band that makes me love them so much, then have a listen to some of these brilliant songs.
"Welcome to the Black Parade" - The Black Parade
"Helena" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"House of Wolves" - The Black Parade
"You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"Bulletproof Heart" - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
"Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
"Dead!" - The Black Parade
"Thank You for the Venom" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"Skylines and Turnstiles" - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
"The Only Hope for Me Is You" - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
I love this song. And I love the music video, which is, to this day, the very best music video I've ever seen. Not just for this band, I mean ever. It floored me when I first saw it, and it continues to floor me whenever I rewatch it today. I loved the song so much that, despite hating their previous single, I went out and bought the album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge soon after.
Three Cheers is an almost perfect album, with "I'm Not Okay", ironically enough, being the only song holding it back from absolute perfection. And even then, over the years, even that song has somewhat grown on me, though I do still tend to skip it from time to time. But my god, everything else on this album is just brilliant. It's a modern day rock album unlike any other. Each and every song is like a drug, addicting in their own ways. So much so that, as I admitted to my brother upon graduating, this album helped get me through boot camp, despite not actually being able to literally listen to it. All of the songs were etched into my brain, and there was rarely a night when these songs weren't blaring in my head, keeping me awake as I stood my post on firewatch.
It was also the military that introduced me to MCR's earlier works. A buddy of mine let me borrow their first CD, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. You can see where their sound for the Three Cheers album started here, though there's more of a grunginess to it's overall production. I like the album, though there are a few songs, particularly in the second half, which are a bit dull, a trait that would rear its head in one of their later albums.
But the boring songs are completely offset by some of the most powerful music I have ever heard. None more so than "Skylines and Turnstiles". Going back to My Chemical Romance's origins, the band's frontman, Gerard Way, was originally going to be a cartoonist, and even had something lined up with Cartoon Network at one time. But then 9/11 happened and changed all of that. Impacted by the travesty, he decided to take a different rout with his life, which ultimately lead to the formation of the band My Chemical Romance. The reason I mention all of this is because the song "Skylines and Turnstiles" is based on the events that happened during 9/11. And you can just feel the raw, overwhelming power that this song emotes. Even if this were the only good song on it, the album would still be entirely worth it just for that one song, that's how good it is.
As I said before, you can hear the natural progression from Bullets to Three Cheers. And that natural progression is always at hand from one album to the next. But the thing about these guys is that they're not always just churning out the same thing over and over again like some bands do. This band completely revamps their style and completely redefines themselves as a band over and over again, all while still managing to remain true to their roots. And in doing so, each new album has its very own original identity. And that originality never rings truer than with their third album, The Black Parade.
Essentially a concept album, The Black Parade tries out a variety of different sounds. Some of them work better than others, though none of them are particularly bad. And through each song is a new piece to a bigger story at hand here about a dying cancer patient. In many ways this album feels like it's tailor made to be a musical, and that never feels more true than once you have a listen to the live version, The Black Parade is Dead!.
As good as these guys are in the studio, they may very well be even better live. And unlike most bands who perform live, their songs don't just sound like live versions of what you hear on the CD. My assessment that they revamp their music carries over onto the stage as well, as they manage to breath an entirely new life into all of their songs. Yes, they're essentially the same songs, but they're performed in such a way that they become their own entity altogether. For instance, listening to the studio version of "Welcome to the Black Parade" versus the live version sounds like listening to two entirely different songs. They're both fantastic, and the lyrics and music are all the same. But the live performance manages to bring this song, and all their others, to life in a such a way that I can't even really find the right words to explain.
Their latest album is Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It takes off of one of the many established sounds produced in The Black Parade, most notably from the song "Famous Last Words", and pretty much runs with it. It's not the sound I would have preferred, though they manage to make it work to some brilliant effects. This is the album I alluded to before when I said that, like the first, it has a tendency to be bland at parts. There are also pointless skit tracks throughout that really kill the momentum of this album, one of which randomly includes the American national anthem, which just feels really out of place. But also similar to the first album, there are some extremely powerful songs at play here. "Bulletproof Heart" and "The Only Hope for Me Is You" both manage to rise high above the rest as the stand outs on this album, and express a similar emotional energy found in "Skylines and Turnstiles".
Overall, this band has become one of, if not my absolute favorite bands of all time. All of their albums are good, and one is the closest to being perfect that I've probably ever heard. They're a fun, energetic, and powerful band, one that deserves a lot more recognition than they currently receive. I do think that the thing that hurts this band the most is the "emo" label they've been stuck with, but I personally don't think that this label is an accurate fit. It all started at the beginning with their first big single, "I'm Not Okay", which also just so happens to be their only real "emo" song. Perhaps it's just an example of a bad first impression, which I can totally relate to. After all, my first impression of this band wasn't a good one, either. But I couldn't be happier to have given this band a much deserved second chance, because otherwise I would have missed out on some of the best music in this day and age.
I originally thought to write this blog as I was compiling a list of my personal top 10 best My Chemical Romance songs. I didn't arrange them in order from best to worst, but rather, in my preferred listening order. And looking at some of the song titles, it's almost refreshing how, especially in their in their earlier works, they didn't just name their songs based on the lyrics in the chorus. Just another little thing that I've grown to love about the band. So if you really want an idea of what it is about this band that makes me love them so much, then have a listen to some of these brilliant songs.
"Welcome to the Black Parade" - The Black Parade
"Helena" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"House of Wolves" - The Black Parade
"You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"Bulletproof Heart" - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
"Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
"Dead!" - The Black Parade
"Thank You for the Venom" - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"Skylines and Turnstiles" - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
"The Only Hope for Me Is You" - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Monday, March 14, 2011
How DARE You Like That Movie!!
It's not easy being a fan of "bad movies".
I've run into this situation a countless number of times. Either myself, or somebody else, mentions the fact that they happen to enjoy a movie which is generally seen as being "bad". This is then followed by somebody else coming up behind them and verbally attacking that person for expressing his opinions. For instance, most recently online, I witness someone mention that they're a fan of Star Wars: Episode II. Some self-righteous prick decided to respond to this person, saying that their opinion on film as a whole has now been invalidated since, as a result of enjoying this generally poorly received movie, they clearly don't know what they're talking about.
This infuriates me, and while I wasn't personally involved in that particular exchange, I have been on the receiving end of it more times than I'd like to admit. And it's not just anonymous faces on the internet who are doing this. I've had this happen in real life, too, which leads to a very uncomfortable situation where I'm suddenly forced to defend my personal tastes.
Spider-Man 3 and the Star Wars prequels are some of my favorite movies in recent times. All of these movies receive, in my opinion, an unwarranted amount of hatred on by a very vocal portion of society. And I have had the fact that I like these films thrown in my face by these people on many occasions. If I'm not a fan of a movie getting good reviews, "Yeah, but you liked Spider-Man 3, so your opinion doesn't matter." Or if I happen to kinda like a film that's getting panned, and try to defend its good points in a debate, "Aren't you the guy who listed Tron: Legacy as his second best film of the year? Yeah, that shows what you know."
But why does one's appreciation of "bad movies" even play a role in determining how informed someone is on the subject at hand? Why is it that people who can see good in places where others see nothing but bad are looked down on? From my perspective, I think it shows that people like myself are, perhaps, maybe a little more open-minded than those who blindly shun what society has deemed "bad". We don't allow society to dictate our opinions for us. We have a mind of our own, and we embrace it.
The way I see it, being a fan of film doesn't just mean enjoying what you're supposed to enjoy, while scoffing at what you're supposed to scoff at. It means being able to find a true, genuine enjoyment in a wide variety of films, and to be able to enjoy a movie for what it is. Some movies aren't meant to be "good". That doesn't necessarily make them unenjoyable, or dare I say, "bad".
And just because we enjoy those "bad movies", that doesn't mean we don't like the good ones, too. We most certainly do, and by accepting movies for what they are, both the "good" and the "bad", we are presented with a wide spectrum of films to enjoy at our disposal. But that's not to say that I enjoy all films. I have several films I don't like, some considered good, some considered bad. The thing is, though, I attack the films themselves. I don't have a problem with an individual who enjoys those films, and I won't shun someone for expressing those views.
I guess I never understood the reasoning behind attacking the movie-goer for his opinions, rather than just the movie itself. If you don't like that particular movie, that's fine. But why think lower of me because of a difference in taste? Don't attack me for being a fan of it. Attacking the movie itself will do just fine. Why can't we just agree to disagree and leave the personal attacks out of it?
I've run into this situation a countless number of times. Either myself, or somebody else, mentions the fact that they happen to enjoy a movie which is generally seen as being "bad". This is then followed by somebody else coming up behind them and verbally attacking that person for expressing his opinions. For instance, most recently online, I witness someone mention that they're a fan of Star Wars: Episode II. Some self-righteous prick decided to respond to this person, saying that their opinion on film as a whole has now been invalidated since, as a result of enjoying this generally poorly received movie, they clearly don't know what they're talking about.
This infuriates me, and while I wasn't personally involved in that particular exchange, I have been on the receiving end of it more times than I'd like to admit. And it's not just anonymous faces on the internet who are doing this. I've had this happen in real life, too, which leads to a very uncomfortable situation where I'm suddenly forced to defend my personal tastes.
Spider-Man 3 and the Star Wars prequels are some of my favorite movies in recent times. All of these movies receive, in my opinion, an unwarranted amount of hatred on by a very vocal portion of society. And I have had the fact that I like these films thrown in my face by these people on many occasions. If I'm not a fan of a movie getting good reviews, "Yeah, but you liked Spider-Man 3, so your opinion doesn't matter." Or if I happen to kinda like a film that's getting panned, and try to defend its good points in a debate, "Aren't you the guy who listed Tron: Legacy as his second best film of the year? Yeah, that shows what you know."
But why does one's appreciation of "bad movies" even play a role in determining how informed someone is on the subject at hand? Why is it that people who can see good in places where others see nothing but bad are looked down on? From my perspective, I think it shows that people like myself are, perhaps, maybe a little more open-minded than those who blindly shun what society has deemed "bad". We don't allow society to dictate our opinions for us. We have a mind of our own, and we embrace it.
The way I see it, being a fan of film doesn't just mean enjoying what you're supposed to enjoy, while scoffing at what you're supposed to scoff at. It means being able to find a true, genuine enjoyment in a wide variety of films, and to be able to enjoy a movie for what it is. Some movies aren't meant to be "good". That doesn't necessarily make them unenjoyable, or dare I say, "bad".
And just because we enjoy those "bad movies", that doesn't mean we don't like the good ones, too. We most certainly do, and by accepting movies for what they are, both the "good" and the "bad", we are presented with a wide spectrum of films to enjoy at our disposal. But that's not to say that I enjoy all films. I have several films I don't like, some considered good, some considered bad. The thing is, though, I attack the films themselves. I don't have a problem with an individual who enjoys those films, and I won't shun someone for expressing those views.
I guess I never understood the reasoning behind attacking the movie-goer for his opinions, rather than just the movie itself. If you don't like that particular movie, that's fine. But why think lower of me because of a difference in taste? Don't attack me for being a fan of it. Attacking the movie itself will do just fine. Why can't we just agree to disagree and leave the personal attacks out of it?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Cut It Out: The Green Hornet and Battle: Los Angeles
I recently watched two movies which were good, but not as good as they could have been had they undergone some proper editing. The two movies that I'll be talking about today, as you could probably tell from the title, are The Green Hornet and Battle: Los Angeles. Now, I don't go into movies trying to pick things out that are wrong with them. But when something does go wrong, it tends to stick out like a sore thumb.
First, lets start with The Green Hornet. Hidden underneath this jumbled mess of film, there's actually a decent movie here. Sadly, as it is, this movie is riddled with scene after scene that either overstay their welcome or should have been cut altogether. There's dialogue-heavy scenes that just go nowhere, such as James Franco's cameo near the beginning of the movie. Yeah, it was neat, in a geeky sort of way, seeing the Green Goblin make an appearance in The Green Hornet, but this scene does little to actually add anything to the movie. Franco's lines start out funnily enough, but as he continues to go on and on and on, the comedy quickly runs thin, and I'm left anxiously waiting for them to just get to the point already.
There's also a number of action scenes that overrun their course and just become tiresome. For example, there's a scene where our two main characters engage in a brawl throughout a house. It starts off entertaining enough, and actually has somewhat of a comedic aspect to it. But then the brawl just kind of goes on and on and on. And just when you think it's about to end, it doesn't. Nope, it still goes on and on and on, and by the time it's finally over, you'll be feeling exhausted.
But scenes that run longer than necessary aren't the worst offenders in this movie. Nope, it gets worse. There's an entire sequence near the end of the movie which is completely out of place, and it takes you completely out of the film (you know, where this scene belongs). It's a sequence where our main character plays out the entire story up to this point through his head, narrating it all the way. It's an offensive scene that slaps the audience in the face with its redundancy, and assumes that everyone watching is a complete and total idiot who hasn't been paying any attention at all. The only purpose this serves is to waste even more time than have already been wasted up to this point. It's also filmed in an entirely different, almost psychedelic, style from the rest of the movie, which makes it stand out even more. They try to play off this scene as an excuse to show us how slow and dumb our main character is. The thing is, for anyone actually paying even the slightest bit of attention, we already got that part earlier on in the movie.
It's almost as if they were trying to make this movie longer on purpose. But had they just trimmed some of the scenes down, yeah, it would have made the movie a little shorter. But it would have made it a helluva lot stronger, too. Like I said before, though, there actually is a good movie hidden underneath all of that rubbish. Some of the action scenes are actually done well, and the movie can even be really funny at times, too. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie, but I wouldn't completely dismiss it, either. I've read that they had a number of issues producing this film, and it shows. But as much time as they may have spent fixing things up, it clearly wasn't enough.
Now, the next movie I want to talk about doesn't have nearly the number of problems as The Green Hornet, though the problems it does have are similar. Battle: Los Angeles is actually a good movie. In fact, while I know it's early, I'd be willing to call it the best movie this year so far, if not for one major, major problem. And that problem is the beginning.
The first 15-20 minutes of this film are just horrible. They introduce us to our main characters, just hours before the alien invasion begins. This is all pretty much standard stuff, but what sucks is the way in which these opening scenes are filmed. It's as if someone handed a camera to some newbie who wanted to try out all of the different camera options while filming. The shots are wobbly, with random zoom-ins and extreme close-ups on faces throughout.
To clarify, this handheld style of filming can work, assuming the film is supposed to be shot from this perspective, ala The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. But here, it's clear that our characters aren't involved in any sort of documentary type feature, so the fact that it's filmed in this amateurish style hurts it a great deal. It quickly becomes nauseating the watch, and I actually considered just walking out of the theater right then and there. No way was I about to sit through two hours of this horrible, unprofessional style of filming.
It's a good thing I decided to stay, because once our introductions are over, the film is actually really good. It's pretty much non-stop action from this point on, and the movie excels in this respect. And finally seeing an alien invasion film from a military perspective is really refreshing. It's just a shame that it has that horrible opening scene holding this movie back so much. They should have gone one of two routs there. Either completely re-shoot the scenes properly, or completely scrap the opening entirely. Hell, that may not have been a bad idea, cutting out the whole opening scene. Most of what we learn about our characters in the opening is played out through the rest of the movie anyways, and it's brought up in a way that honestly wouldn't leave us feeling lost or confused.
As it is, I would recommend Battle: Los Angeles if you like a good action movie, and are looking for a fresh take on the classic alien invasion film. However, it's the first time I would actually recommend that you show up to the theater a little late.
It's a wonder how some of these scenes made it to the final cut in both of these movies. They're obviously not the only films I've seen with this issue, though they're the two most recent examples, and I happened to catch them both relatively close to one another. If they had someone else take a look at it and slice off a minute here, a minute there, or in some cases, entire scenes, then the final products would be so much stronger.
Watching these movies was almost like watching an "extended" DVD version of a film, where they include the scenes that were cut from the theatrical version. When you watch the additional scenes, you can always tell why they were cut, and the same holds true for these two movies. The difference is, their additional scenes were left in the final movie, and the quality of both films suffers for it. It's a shame, and it's frustrating, but it is what it is.
First, lets start with The Green Hornet. Hidden underneath this jumbled mess of film, there's actually a decent movie here. Sadly, as it is, this movie is riddled with scene after scene that either overstay their welcome or should have been cut altogether. There's dialogue-heavy scenes that just go nowhere, such as James Franco's cameo near the beginning of the movie. Yeah, it was neat, in a geeky sort of way, seeing the Green Goblin make an appearance in The Green Hornet, but this scene does little to actually add anything to the movie. Franco's lines start out funnily enough, but as he continues to go on and on and on, the comedy quickly runs thin, and I'm left anxiously waiting for them to just get to the point already.
There's also a number of action scenes that overrun their course and just become tiresome. For example, there's a scene where our two main characters engage in a brawl throughout a house. It starts off entertaining enough, and actually has somewhat of a comedic aspect to it. But then the brawl just kind of goes on and on and on. And just when you think it's about to end, it doesn't. Nope, it still goes on and on and on, and by the time it's finally over, you'll be feeling exhausted.
But scenes that run longer than necessary aren't the worst offenders in this movie. Nope, it gets worse. There's an entire sequence near the end of the movie which is completely out of place, and it takes you completely out of the film (you know, where this scene belongs). It's a sequence where our main character plays out the entire story up to this point through his head, narrating it all the way. It's an offensive scene that slaps the audience in the face with its redundancy, and assumes that everyone watching is a complete and total idiot who hasn't been paying any attention at all. The only purpose this serves is to waste even more time than have already been wasted up to this point. It's also filmed in an entirely different, almost psychedelic, style from the rest of the movie, which makes it stand out even more. They try to play off this scene as an excuse to show us how slow and dumb our main character is. The thing is, for anyone actually paying even the slightest bit of attention, we already got that part earlier on in the movie.
It's almost as if they were trying to make this movie longer on purpose. But had they just trimmed some of the scenes down, yeah, it would have made the movie a little shorter. But it would have made it a helluva lot stronger, too. Like I said before, though, there actually is a good movie hidden underneath all of that rubbish. Some of the action scenes are actually done well, and the movie can even be really funny at times, too. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie, but I wouldn't completely dismiss it, either. I've read that they had a number of issues producing this film, and it shows. But as much time as they may have spent fixing things up, it clearly wasn't enough.
Now, the next movie I want to talk about doesn't have nearly the number of problems as The Green Hornet, though the problems it does have are similar. Battle: Los Angeles is actually a good movie. In fact, while I know it's early, I'd be willing to call it the best movie this year so far, if not for one major, major problem. And that problem is the beginning.
The first 15-20 minutes of this film are just horrible. They introduce us to our main characters, just hours before the alien invasion begins. This is all pretty much standard stuff, but what sucks is the way in which these opening scenes are filmed. It's as if someone handed a camera to some newbie who wanted to try out all of the different camera options while filming. The shots are wobbly, with random zoom-ins and extreme close-ups on faces throughout.
To clarify, this handheld style of filming can work, assuming the film is supposed to be shot from this perspective, ala The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. But here, it's clear that our characters aren't involved in any sort of documentary type feature, so the fact that it's filmed in this amateurish style hurts it a great deal. It quickly becomes nauseating the watch, and I actually considered just walking out of the theater right then and there. No way was I about to sit through two hours of this horrible, unprofessional style of filming.
It's a good thing I decided to stay, because once our introductions are over, the film is actually really good. It's pretty much non-stop action from this point on, and the movie excels in this respect. And finally seeing an alien invasion film from a military perspective is really refreshing. It's just a shame that it has that horrible opening scene holding this movie back so much. They should have gone one of two routs there. Either completely re-shoot the scenes properly, or completely scrap the opening entirely. Hell, that may not have been a bad idea, cutting out the whole opening scene. Most of what we learn about our characters in the opening is played out through the rest of the movie anyways, and it's brought up in a way that honestly wouldn't leave us feeling lost or confused.
As it is, I would recommend Battle: Los Angeles if you like a good action movie, and are looking for a fresh take on the classic alien invasion film. However, it's the first time I would actually recommend that you show up to the theater a little late.
It's a wonder how some of these scenes made it to the final cut in both of these movies. They're obviously not the only films I've seen with this issue, though they're the two most recent examples, and I happened to catch them both relatively close to one another. If they had someone else take a look at it and slice off a minute here, a minute there, or in some cases, entire scenes, then the final products would be so much stronger.
Watching these movies was almost like watching an "extended" DVD version of a film, where they include the scenes that were cut from the theatrical version. When you watch the additional scenes, you can always tell why they were cut, and the same holds true for these two movies. The difference is, their additional scenes were left in the final movie, and the quality of both films suffers for it. It's a shame, and it's frustrating, but it is what it is.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Batman: The Original Series
I recently rewatched the original series of Batman movies. The general consensus on these films is that the Tim Burton films, Batman and Batman Returns, are the superior movies, while the Joel Schumacher films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, are among the worst films ever made. I've disagreed with this train of thought for some time now, but after finally getting around to rewatching these movies again, I'd like to go a little more in depth with my reasonings.
The big thing that has irked me for some time is the avid hatred the Schumacher films receive. Batman & Robin especially. The first time I saw this movie appear in some magazine's "worst movies of all time" list at the #1 spot I was genuinely confused. That was several years ago, and since then, this movie has been bashed and torn to pieces by haters all over the internet. But the thing is, it's not a bad movie. I thought that then, and I still think it now.
Yeah, the Schumacher films are really campy. The villains are over the top, the set pieces are oftentimes absurd, and the script has a tendency to be really goofy. But do these aspects make them bad movies? Lets look at the Burton films, which are still to this day highly praised. The tone in those two is much darker, more gritty. These movies aren't as out in the open with their silliness as the Schumacher films, but there's still plenty to be had in them, such as Bruce Wayne sleeping upside down like a real bat, for instance.
The original Batman in particular has one major flaw holding it back. The entire Vicki Vale plot is just horribly written. So Bruce has one date with this woman, and suddenly Alfred spends the entire rest of the movie urging Bruce to completely trust her and let her in on his secret. And he almost does just this, and after only one date! When Alfred nonchalantly invites her into the batcave, I couldn't help but facepalm. Really? Really?!
And why is everyone even after this woman anyways? Even The Joker conveniently has a thing for her. This entire nonsensical plot line just about ruins the whole movie for me. And the funny thing is, before rewatching this movie, I didn't even remember anything of it! Most of the love interest sub-plots in the Batman movies are pretty horribly written, and the fact that Batman & Robin all but completely removes this element works in its favor.
And then we get to Batman Returns. This one often gets praised as the best of the original series. I feel it is by far the worst. Mr. Freeze was not the worst handled character in the series. That distinction belongs to none other than The Penguin. And I don't blame Danny DeVito for this, he did the best he could with the crap he was working with. But this movie was in desperate need of an entire overhaul, and every single aspect of his character needed to be redone, because Tim Burton's "vision" for The Penguin is a complete abomination. This movie was just overly disgusting for the sake of being gross, and it felt like Burton was going out of his way trying to make it as dark as possible, for no real logical reason. Hell, after this movie, I'm glad they took the franchise away from him. He just lost all direction with this series and apparently became full of himself after the first, producing the lousiest excuse of a Batman flick in the process.
As for the best in the series, I used to think it was the original, but now I'm leaning towards Batman Forever. Yeah, Two-Face and The Riddler are both extremely silly, but it's something I grew to love as the film goes on. This is just a really fun movie when those two are on. The love interest, while at times a groaner, isn't nearly as in-your-face and obnoxious as the first film. And the Batman/Bruce Wayne moments are much better handled than the prior films. Yeah, in some ways it does sort of feel like retreading old ground, but given the introduction of Robin and his origins, it fits. And Val Kilmer is definitely the best Batman of the original series. It's a shame he didn't show up for the finale, as George Clooney is the worst.
Getting back to Batman & Robin, I've often said that the story is essentially exactly the same as Batman Forever. Just replace Two-Face and Riddler with Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, and do the same for Robin and Bat Girl. But I still don't understand why this movie gets hated on as much as it does. It's not a great movie, but it's hardly one of the worst films of all time. Like Forever, it's just really campy, really silly, and a whole lotta fun. It's not super dark and gritty and serious, but it never pretends to be, either. It's well aware that it's just a fun, goofy action flick.
So there's my thoughts on the original Batman series. The general opinion is that the Burton films are the stronger movies, but I'd honestly lean more towards the Schumacher films. They're highly underrated, and their goofy nature has helped them age a lot better than Burton's movies. Now, note that none of these films holds a candle to Nolan's movies, which aren't just great Batman movies, or even great superhero movies, but are what I'd consider to be all around great movies in general. And I refrained from comparisons between the old and new series just because they're quite frankly unfair. Nolan's blows the originals out of the water in every single way, shape, and form imaginable. But while the originals aren't exactly great, there's still a whole lotta fun to be had with them. It may have sounded like I really hated the original Batman, but I don't. It's a good, fun film, despite its flaws, just like the Schumacher movies.
The big thing that has irked me for some time is the avid hatred the Schumacher films receive. Batman & Robin especially. The first time I saw this movie appear in some magazine's "worst movies of all time" list at the #1 spot I was genuinely confused. That was several years ago, and since then, this movie has been bashed and torn to pieces by haters all over the internet. But the thing is, it's not a bad movie. I thought that then, and I still think it now.
Yeah, the Schumacher films are really campy. The villains are over the top, the set pieces are oftentimes absurd, and the script has a tendency to be really goofy. But do these aspects make them bad movies? Lets look at the Burton films, which are still to this day highly praised. The tone in those two is much darker, more gritty. These movies aren't as out in the open with their silliness as the Schumacher films, but there's still plenty to be had in them, such as Bruce Wayne sleeping upside down like a real bat, for instance.
The original Batman in particular has one major flaw holding it back. The entire Vicki Vale plot is just horribly written. So Bruce has one date with this woman, and suddenly Alfred spends the entire rest of the movie urging Bruce to completely trust her and let her in on his secret. And he almost does just this, and after only one date! When Alfred nonchalantly invites her into the batcave, I couldn't help but facepalm. Really? Really?!
And why is everyone even after this woman anyways? Even The Joker conveniently has a thing for her. This entire nonsensical plot line just about ruins the whole movie for me. And the funny thing is, before rewatching this movie, I didn't even remember anything of it! Most of the love interest sub-plots in the Batman movies are pretty horribly written, and the fact that Batman & Robin all but completely removes this element works in its favor.
And then we get to Batman Returns. This one often gets praised as the best of the original series. I feel it is by far the worst. Mr. Freeze was not the worst handled character in the series. That distinction belongs to none other than The Penguin. And I don't blame Danny DeVito for this, he did the best he could with the crap he was working with. But this movie was in desperate need of an entire overhaul, and every single aspect of his character needed to be redone, because Tim Burton's "vision" for The Penguin is a complete abomination. This movie was just overly disgusting for the sake of being gross, and it felt like Burton was going out of his way trying to make it as dark as possible, for no real logical reason. Hell, after this movie, I'm glad they took the franchise away from him. He just lost all direction with this series and apparently became full of himself after the first, producing the lousiest excuse of a Batman flick in the process.
As for the best in the series, I used to think it was the original, but now I'm leaning towards Batman Forever. Yeah, Two-Face and The Riddler are both extremely silly, but it's something I grew to love as the film goes on. This is just a really fun movie when those two are on. The love interest, while at times a groaner, isn't nearly as in-your-face and obnoxious as the first film. And the Batman/Bruce Wayne moments are much better handled than the prior films. Yeah, in some ways it does sort of feel like retreading old ground, but given the introduction of Robin and his origins, it fits. And Val Kilmer is definitely the best Batman of the original series. It's a shame he didn't show up for the finale, as George Clooney is the worst.
Getting back to Batman & Robin, I've often said that the story is essentially exactly the same as Batman Forever. Just replace Two-Face and Riddler with Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, and do the same for Robin and Bat Girl. But I still don't understand why this movie gets hated on as much as it does. It's not a great movie, but it's hardly one of the worst films of all time. Like Forever, it's just really campy, really silly, and a whole lotta fun. It's not super dark and gritty and serious, but it never pretends to be, either. It's well aware that it's just a fun, goofy action flick.
So there's my thoughts on the original Batman series. The general opinion is that the Burton films are the stronger movies, but I'd honestly lean more towards the Schumacher films. They're highly underrated, and their goofy nature has helped them age a lot better than Burton's movies. Now, note that none of these films holds a candle to Nolan's movies, which aren't just great Batman movies, or even great superhero movies, but are what I'd consider to be all around great movies in general. And I refrained from comparisons between the old and new series just because they're quite frankly unfair. Nolan's blows the originals out of the water in every single way, shape, and form imaginable. But while the originals aren't exactly great, there's still a whole lotta fun to be had with them. It may have sounded like I really hated the original Batman, but I don't. It's a good, fun film, despite its flaws, just like the Schumacher movies.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Worst Movies of 2010
And now that I've covered the best of the year, lets take a moment to look at the worst the year had to offer. Some dishonorable mentions go out to Due Date and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Those movies sucked, but as bad as they were, five movies managed to somehow be even worse.
#5:
Machete
I can't remember the last time a movie has slid down my list so quickly. I came out of the theater thinking it was okay. But time has not been kind to this one. The more I think about it, the more I've grown to hate it.
It doesn't really know what it wants to be. It's a very goofy, over the top action flick. But then it starts to take itself too seriously with the story, leading to a mash-up that just doesn't work at all. None of the characters are likable, a lot of the jokes fall flat, and only a handful of action scenes are even mildly entertaining.
Bottom line, this movie worked better as a fake trailer than an actual movie, and it probably should have stayed that way.
#4:
Clash of the Titans
This movie was just dull. I can't even really think of much else to say about it, it was just dull. The only scene I enjoyed lasted for a mere moment, and was a nod to the original Clash of the Titans. While they're gathering materials for their quest, one of the guys picks up the owl from the original. Someone questions what it is, only to be told to leave it behind. Too bad they left it, that owl took part in the only entertaining scene in the whole dull movie.
#3:
Iron Man 2
So much for that roll you were on, Robert Downey. Both Due Date and Iron Man 2 were total stinkers. This movie just tried way to hard to recapture what made the first movie so great, only to fail miserably in every attempt. It wasn't charming, it wasn't witty, and it was oftentimes obnoxious to even watch.
The banter between Pepper and Tony was annoying. The drunken fight between Iron Man and War Machine was annoying. And I couldn't understand one single word that Mickey Rourke said, but I'm sure it was annoying, too.
The lack of quality in this film has me worried for the upcoming Avengers series of movies, but hopefully they'll learn from the countless number of errors made here and they'll be able to shape up in time for the big collaboration.
#2:
Catfish
Yeah, I bet most people haven't even heard of this one. I only found out about it based on a trailer I happened to catch online. The trailer was really intriguing, and built the movie up to be a Blair Witch style horror film for the internet age.
This is just a case of false advertisement, however. There's no horror movie to be found here. Or, well, much of any movie, really. It starts off interesting enough, as a guy meets a girl online and they communicate over a period of time. They form a sort of long distance relationship, even though they've never met each other before. But the guy soon catches the girl in a series of lies, and decides to investigate by showing up to her house unannounced.
Then when he meets the girl, who is in fact not who she said she was, that's sort of it. And the movie just drags on and on from that point, with nothing of worth really happening. So much build up, all leading into to a whole lotta nothing. What a disappointment.
#1:
The Last Airbender
Again, no surprise here. I've already torn this movie apart in a previous post, so there's not much else I can say without retreading old ground. But I do just want to emphasize the amount of potential this film had to be great, and the amount of potential this series still has to be a successful film franchise. Just give it to a competent director is all that I ask, one who'll actually treat the source material with the respect that it deserves.
So there it is, folks. My very best and very worst movies of the year 2010. I hope you enjoyed it, and look out for more potential movie reviews from yours truly in the coming year. With movies like Cowboys and Aliens and Sucker Punch on the horizon, 2011 looks to be another good year in film.
#5:
Machete
I can't remember the last time a movie has slid down my list so quickly. I came out of the theater thinking it was okay. But time has not been kind to this one. The more I think about it, the more I've grown to hate it.
It doesn't really know what it wants to be. It's a very goofy, over the top action flick. But then it starts to take itself too seriously with the story, leading to a mash-up that just doesn't work at all. None of the characters are likable, a lot of the jokes fall flat, and only a handful of action scenes are even mildly entertaining.
Bottom line, this movie worked better as a fake trailer than an actual movie, and it probably should have stayed that way.
#4:
Clash of the Titans
This movie was just dull. I can't even really think of much else to say about it, it was just dull. The only scene I enjoyed lasted for a mere moment, and was a nod to the original Clash of the Titans. While they're gathering materials for their quest, one of the guys picks up the owl from the original. Someone questions what it is, only to be told to leave it behind. Too bad they left it, that owl took part in the only entertaining scene in the whole dull movie.
#3:
Iron Man 2
So much for that roll you were on, Robert Downey. Both Due Date and Iron Man 2 were total stinkers. This movie just tried way to hard to recapture what made the first movie so great, only to fail miserably in every attempt. It wasn't charming, it wasn't witty, and it was oftentimes obnoxious to even watch.
The banter between Pepper and Tony was annoying. The drunken fight between Iron Man and War Machine was annoying. And I couldn't understand one single word that Mickey Rourke said, but I'm sure it was annoying, too.
The lack of quality in this film has me worried for the upcoming Avengers series of movies, but hopefully they'll learn from the countless number of errors made here and they'll be able to shape up in time for the big collaboration.
#2:
Catfish
Yeah, I bet most people haven't even heard of this one. I only found out about it based on a trailer I happened to catch online. The trailer was really intriguing, and built the movie up to be a Blair Witch style horror film for the internet age.
This is just a case of false advertisement, however. There's no horror movie to be found here. Or, well, much of any movie, really. It starts off interesting enough, as a guy meets a girl online and they communicate over a period of time. They form a sort of long distance relationship, even though they've never met each other before. But the guy soon catches the girl in a series of lies, and decides to investigate by showing up to her house unannounced.
Then when he meets the girl, who is in fact not who she said she was, that's sort of it. And the movie just drags on and on from that point, with nothing of worth really happening. So much build up, all leading into to a whole lotta nothing. What a disappointment.
#1:
The Last Airbender
Again, no surprise here. I've already torn this movie apart in a previous post, so there's not much else I can say without retreading old ground. But I do just want to emphasize the amount of potential this film had to be great, and the amount of potential this series still has to be a successful film franchise. Just give it to a competent director is all that I ask, one who'll actually treat the source material with the respect that it deserves.
So there it is, folks. My very best and very worst movies of the year 2010. I hope you enjoyed it, and look out for more potential movie reviews from yours truly in the coming year. With movies like Cowboys and Aliens and Sucker Punch on the horizon, 2011 looks to be another good year in film.
The Best Movies of 2010
Well, it's that time of year again. Time for my rundown of the past year in movies. I made it out to a lot of films this year. Some were bad, but most of them were good. Now, I've compiled my lists of the year's best and worst, though I did want to do something a little different.
While I loved a good many movies that came out this year, there were four that managed to stand out for me above and beyond all the rest. As I've been compiling this list throughout the year, only four films have stuck with me at the top as the absolute best. Only four films really shined as irreplaceable on the list. And I really just want to focus on those four films here. But first, for those curious, here's what my top 10 movies of the year leading up to those four looks like:
10. Kick-Ass
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
8. The Social Network
7. Black Swan
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
5. Tangled
I'd also like to give some honorable nods to The Fighter, Toy Story 3, and The Expendables. All were great films in their own right, even if they didn't manage to make it into my final list. Now then, onto the good stuff.
#4:
The Ghost Writer
I went into this film based on a vague interest after seeing only a single commercial randomly on TV. The premise was interesting enough, a ghost writer, played by Ewan McGregor, takes up the task of writing the memoirs for the British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan. He takes on this job after his predecessor on the project died from a supposed accident. And as The Ghost dives deeper into the story of Lang's life, what he discovers puts his own life in danger.
It's a thrilling film that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. This movie intrigued me from the opening scene of an unmanned car parked aboard a ship, and it left me as compelled as our main character to unravel the mysteries that presented themselves.
Ewan McGregor is great as The Ghost (his character is never actually named). He's a witty, almost charming character. Though his wit oftentimes comes across as rude, even when he doesn't intend to be. He's also very curious, always questioning even the little things that are going on around him.
We see as he struggles with himself to stay out of trouble, but his curiosity always manages to get the better of him. From the very beginning when he takes on the job, and all the way to the end as he puts the pieces together, he's constantly being talked into situations, even by his own self, only to regret his decisions after the fact.
He's a very interesting character to follow along, as is the story he uncovers. And it all leads to an ending sequence that frankly no words could ever do proper justice. It's one of the freshest finales to a film that I've seen in years, and one that just has to be seen.
#3:
Let Me In
I've already spoken a bit about this film in a previous post, mainly comparing it the original film it's based on, Let the Right One In. As I said there, this remake has surpassed the original in every way imaginable, and stands on it's own as a completely engrossing, supremely satisfying experience.
What I really want to talk about here though is Chloe Moretz. She just sort of came out of nowhere this year. She started the year strong, playing Hit-Girl in the movie Kick-Ass. She was a foul mouthed 12 year old killing machine, and though she'd rather play with knives than Barbie dolls, there was still a hint of a girly girl at heart. She was tremendous in this role, and her superb acting streak continued in Let Me In.
Here, she plays Abby, a manipulative vampire girl. She's been around for ages, though she's been stuck in the body of a 12 year old the whole time. She appears to be innocent enough during her initial encounters with her next door neighbor, Owen. But as their relationship develops, we learn of a darker, more brutal side to Abby.
Like in her previous film outing, Chloe Moretz plays this role to perfection. I have no issues saying that she has been by far the best actress this year. I can't remember the last time I was this impressed with a new actor, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her career after such a strong breakout year.
#2:
Tron: Legacy
About a year ago, I first saw the teaser for the new Tron movie. I was left unimpressed, and not looking forward to this film. But as the year wore on, and more and more was revealed, I eventually became drawn to it. And let me tell you right now, this movie ROCKS!
It's a visual feast for the eyes, with a booming score by Daft Punk that'll still be playing in your head well after you've left the theater. Now this movie's been getting a lot of mixed reactions, with only the two things I just mentioned receiving any real praise. But I enjoyed the hell out of it. Everything about it. The beautiful visuals, the music, the story, the acting, Olivia Wilde, everything.
You can go in without having seen the original Tron, though there's some nice little nods here for those who have. The story really captivated me, even if it is fairly simple. We follow Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedlund, as he finds his way into the computer world known as The Grid in order to find his long lost father, Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges.
What he finds is a strange world, dark yet vibrant with it's neon lights. The “games” are an absolute pleasure to watch, and the cheering crowd adds a nice gladiator feel to them, fitting considering the stakes that are at hand. All of the action scenes are a real joy to watch. And the aforementioned soundtrack only adds to the intensity.
The acting is all fine, particularly considering that most of the characters are playing computer programs. But even the human characters do a good job. In fact, it's some of the more human scenes that stand out for me in this movie. I loved Sam describing the sun to Quorra, and I was smiling during the whole dinner conversation between father and son.
And Jeff Bridges does great here, doing double duty as both hero and villain. But I don't care what anyone says, his CGI face on Clu, as well as the younger Kevin, looked fine. There was only a single scene near the end of the film where it clearly stood out as being CGI.
It's an extremely fun movie, one that I enjoyed more than I ever would have imagined. But unlike my previous mentions in this list, the issue with this film isn't the lack of people seeing it, but rather the fact that many who've seen it have failed to see the greatness the lies within, shrugging it off as just a stupid, if pretty, movie. I found it to be so much more than that, though.
Oh, and I want my own downloadable Olivia Wilde please.
#1:
Inception
No surprise here, really. Inception is without a doubt the best movie I've seen, not only this year, but in the past several. There's not much that I can say that hasn't already been said, which is partly why I hadn't bothered to write up my own review of it before now. It's clever, ambitious, and inspired.
One of the things I constantly hear about this film is that it's also confusing, but I really don't find that to be the case here at all. The movie goes out of it's way to explain everything that's going on, and the story is honestly really straight forward. In fact, the only thing I found confusing was how so many people were somehow confused by this movie.
But that issue aside, as I've said before, the movie is very clever in the way it portrays the ways the human mind works in the dreaming state. It allows for a world of possibilities to be explored, and explore them it does with some of the most jaw dropping imagery you can imagine.
And as we dive deeper into the dream world, we're constantly haunted by the ever looming music, which almost acts as the movie's pulse. The booming bass in particular in many ways feels like a character itself, adding an even more epic feel to the movie's already epic scale.
I also want to make mention to the hallway scene. Yeah, that hallway scene. Oh. My. God. No matter how many times I see it, that scene sends chills through my body. It's possibly the most stunning visual I've ever witnessed on film, ever, and is a truly groundbreaking achievement.
The story was fascinating, the visuals were amazing, the score was top notch. What else is there to say? It's the best movie I've seen in years. Chris Nolan has truly outdone himself with this one.
While I loved a good many movies that came out this year, there were four that managed to stand out for me above and beyond all the rest. As I've been compiling this list throughout the year, only four films have stuck with me at the top as the absolute best. Only four films really shined as irreplaceable on the list. And I really just want to focus on those four films here. But first, for those curious, here's what my top 10 movies of the year leading up to those four looks like:
10. Kick-Ass
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
8. The Social Network
7. Black Swan
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
5. Tangled
I'd also like to give some honorable nods to The Fighter, Toy Story 3, and The Expendables. All were great films in their own right, even if they didn't manage to make it into my final list. Now then, onto the good stuff.
#4:
The Ghost Writer
I went into this film based on a vague interest after seeing only a single commercial randomly on TV. The premise was interesting enough, a ghost writer, played by Ewan McGregor, takes up the task of writing the memoirs for the British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan. He takes on this job after his predecessor on the project died from a supposed accident. And as The Ghost dives deeper into the story of Lang's life, what he discovers puts his own life in danger.
It's a thrilling film that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. This movie intrigued me from the opening scene of an unmanned car parked aboard a ship, and it left me as compelled as our main character to unravel the mysteries that presented themselves.
Ewan McGregor is great as The Ghost (his character is never actually named). He's a witty, almost charming character. Though his wit oftentimes comes across as rude, even when he doesn't intend to be. He's also very curious, always questioning even the little things that are going on around him.
We see as he struggles with himself to stay out of trouble, but his curiosity always manages to get the better of him. From the very beginning when he takes on the job, and all the way to the end as he puts the pieces together, he's constantly being talked into situations, even by his own self, only to regret his decisions after the fact.
He's a very interesting character to follow along, as is the story he uncovers. And it all leads to an ending sequence that frankly no words could ever do proper justice. It's one of the freshest finales to a film that I've seen in years, and one that just has to be seen.
#3:
Let Me In
I've already spoken a bit about this film in a previous post, mainly comparing it the original film it's based on, Let the Right One In. As I said there, this remake has surpassed the original in every way imaginable, and stands on it's own as a completely engrossing, supremely satisfying experience.
What I really want to talk about here though is Chloe Moretz. She just sort of came out of nowhere this year. She started the year strong, playing Hit-Girl in the movie Kick-Ass. She was a foul mouthed 12 year old killing machine, and though she'd rather play with knives than Barbie dolls, there was still a hint of a girly girl at heart. She was tremendous in this role, and her superb acting streak continued in Let Me In.
Here, she plays Abby, a manipulative vampire girl. She's been around for ages, though she's been stuck in the body of a 12 year old the whole time. She appears to be innocent enough during her initial encounters with her next door neighbor, Owen. But as their relationship develops, we learn of a darker, more brutal side to Abby.
Like in her previous film outing, Chloe Moretz plays this role to perfection. I have no issues saying that she has been by far the best actress this year. I can't remember the last time I was this impressed with a new actor, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her career after such a strong breakout year.
#2:
Tron: Legacy
About a year ago, I first saw the teaser for the new Tron movie. I was left unimpressed, and not looking forward to this film. But as the year wore on, and more and more was revealed, I eventually became drawn to it. And let me tell you right now, this movie ROCKS!
It's a visual feast for the eyes, with a booming score by Daft Punk that'll still be playing in your head well after you've left the theater. Now this movie's been getting a lot of mixed reactions, with only the two things I just mentioned receiving any real praise. But I enjoyed the hell out of it. Everything about it. The beautiful visuals, the music, the story, the acting, Olivia Wilde, everything.
You can go in without having seen the original Tron, though there's some nice little nods here for those who have. The story really captivated me, even if it is fairly simple. We follow Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedlund, as he finds his way into the computer world known as The Grid in order to find his long lost father, Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges.
What he finds is a strange world, dark yet vibrant with it's neon lights. The “games” are an absolute pleasure to watch, and the cheering crowd adds a nice gladiator feel to them, fitting considering the stakes that are at hand. All of the action scenes are a real joy to watch. And the aforementioned soundtrack only adds to the intensity.
The acting is all fine, particularly considering that most of the characters are playing computer programs. But even the human characters do a good job. In fact, it's some of the more human scenes that stand out for me in this movie. I loved Sam describing the sun to Quorra, and I was smiling during the whole dinner conversation between father and son.
And Jeff Bridges does great here, doing double duty as both hero and villain. But I don't care what anyone says, his CGI face on Clu, as well as the younger Kevin, looked fine. There was only a single scene near the end of the film where it clearly stood out as being CGI.
It's an extremely fun movie, one that I enjoyed more than I ever would have imagined. But unlike my previous mentions in this list, the issue with this film isn't the lack of people seeing it, but rather the fact that many who've seen it have failed to see the greatness the lies within, shrugging it off as just a stupid, if pretty, movie. I found it to be so much more than that, though.
Oh, and I want my own downloadable Olivia Wilde please.
#1:
Inception
No surprise here, really. Inception is without a doubt the best movie I've seen, not only this year, but in the past several. There's not much that I can say that hasn't already been said, which is partly why I hadn't bothered to write up my own review of it before now. It's clever, ambitious, and inspired.
One of the things I constantly hear about this film is that it's also confusing, but I really don't find that to be the case here at all. The movie goes out of it's way to explain everything that's going on, and the story is honestly really straight forward. In fact, the only thing I found confusing was how so many people were somehow confused by this movie.
But that issue aside, as I've said before, the movie is very clever in the way it portrays the ways the human mind works in the dreaming state. It allows for a world of possibilities to be explored, and explore them it does with some of the most jaw dropping imagery you can imagine.
And as we dive deeper into the dream world, we're constantly haunted by the ever looming music, which almost acts as the movie's pulse. The booming bass in particular in many ways feels like a character itself, adding an even more epic feel to the movie's already epic scale.
I also want to make mention to the hallway scene. Yeah, that hallway scene. Oh. My. God. No matter how many times I see it, that scene sends chills through my body. It's possibly the most stunning visual I've ever witnessed on film, ever, and is a truly groundbreaking achievement.
The story was fascinating, the visuals were amazing, the score was top notch. What else is there to say? It's the best movie I've seen in years. Chris Nolan has truly outdone himself with this one.
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