100 Favourite, Part IV: 31-40

Oh noes Brodie Fanns!

It's another installment of my top 100 list. Why is that "oh noes?" Because the more entries I post, the closer I get to the end.

And while I combed and laboured over my list for many years now (about 3, by my count), and I am ashamed to admit this. I left one off the list. It's one of my absolute favourite films from recent years because it's so real, and visceral, and has some of the finest dialog I've ever heard. And I can't believe I forgot it. So I guess this becomes a top 101 Favourite, with the inclusion of this film. The film is Closer from 2004, starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. I'll explain why I like later. But know that it throws stuff of, but I wanted to keep you abreast of the situation.

So here it is... 31-41:

41) Trainspotting
Such an intense look into the world of heroin addiction. It really is one of the more powerful, and likewise comedic, looks into drug culture, and that it takes place in Scotland of all places makes it even better. Because if I were to name 10 countries to set a powerful drug movie in, Scotland would be way down at like, number 180 or something. Danny Boyle makes his mark as a visionary filmmaker, and we get or first real glimpse at Ewan McGregor's talent.



40) Back to the Future Trilogy
I had to put this one on there as a franchise, because they are all co-dependent on each other. Robert Zemeckis wove such an intricate plot that he needed three movies to tell it. Each one can stand alone, and, yes the first is the strongest and the second is the weakest. But to get the full experience, to truly enjoy it, one must see the whole trilogy. Your brain will melt afterwards, but it's worth it. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd both cemented their place in pop culture history with this set of films.



39) Se7en
What is so great about Se7en? Isn't it basically a two and a half hour C.S.I.? Kinda, yeah. But it's so much more. The brutality of John's murders. The acting prowess of a still relatively green Brad Pitt. Morgan Freeman still in the early days of being "Morgan Freeman". The twisted vision of David Fincher. Fincher was like, Tim Burton, only not on acid. He was dark, but completely serious, with a hint o' dementia. To this day this movie gives me the willies, because John Doe is such an eerie villain.



38) Mystic River
Clint Eastwood is a hit or miss director. This is one of the few that hit. Eastwood took Brian Helgeland's script adapted from Dennis Lehane's novel of the same name, and created a moody think piece. He was able to reach down inside each and every one of his actors and pull just some amazing performances. From the three leads (Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins) on down to Tom Guiry and Marcia Gay Harden. It was like this mutual agreement from all involved to give the best performances of their careers, and they all delivered. And Eastwood did some things as a director we hadn't really seen him, or most in mainstream cinema, do before, but I applaud him for being gutsier than he had been in the past. It's too bad he carbon copied it for his subsequent effort.



37) Reservoir Dogs
Brutal, witty, sharp, funny, intelligent and groundbreaking. With Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino basically revolutionized American independent AND mainstream cinema, making way for crowds of imitators, but never any duplicators. The story itself is such an interesting one to begin with, but then he twists it on it's head and ushers in a new era of the auteur. And where would it be without the conflicted Tim Roth, the fatherly Harvey Keitel or the downright insane Michael Madsen? No where. That's where.



36) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
This, much like the aforementioned Back to the Future is presented here as it's entire trilogy. To get the full impact of any of the films, you must watch them all. Peter Jackson pulled out all the stops to adapt the most beloved fantasy book series in the world (screw you, Harry Potter) to produce a mostly faithful and eloquently beautiful film series that still has me gasping in amazement to this day. It's the perfect way to spend a day, watching all three beautiful films right in a row.



35) American Beauty
1999 was the year of suburban, white collar rebellion. From The Matrix to Office Space to Fight Club, all represented repressed aggression, resentment and disdain for the average middle-class life presented. But none explored the personal aspect more so than American Beauty. The change Kevin Spacey endures throughout the film, both professionally and personally, is the personification of what every bored business man wants to do. And the thematic occurrances of beauty ranging from flowers, to the perfect home, to the perfect body accentuate the drudgery of every day life, in it's demand for normalcy, and ones desire to escape it.



34) Closer
It's the most honest look at modern relationships I have ever seen. It's the anti-Love Actually. It's the anti-Julia Roberts movie. And guess what... it starred Julia Roberts. In general, romantic movies and movies about love tend to focus on the subject matter with Disney coated glasses. Everything's all lovey dovey, they end up together in the end where they're passionately in love and nothing could seperate them. Closer looks at the real aspects. The internal and external conflicts, the lying, the cheating, the arguing, the ugliness of love. Clive Owen and Natalie Portman were nominated for Oscars for their work in this film, and just watch it, you'll see why. It's not for the easily offended though. It's the most sexually graphic mainstream film to not show any sex or nudity what-so-ever. Wrap your head around that concept.



33) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
I've been ranting and raving about this movie for the past year and a half, because it is quite honestly, that damn good. I never grow tired of it. It's a knowing satire of the classic noir flicks, but never descends to sophomoric parody. It knows all the rules of the genre, follows them, but breaks them at the same time. This movie marked the return of Robert Downey, Jr. It was Val Kilmer's statement that he hadn't gone anywhere. And it was Shane Black's proclamation that he wasn't just a guns and muscles actioner.



32) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Clooney was already a well established and respected actor by the time he tried his hand at directing. And he actually showed some serious talent behind the camera. He constructs such a wacky world for the possibly factual true life of television producer/supposed CIA spook Chuck Barris, including near parody, archetypal characters. It's such a fun ride in the mold of the classic spy films of the 60's. It's fun to know that some of the more complex camera shots are done using old school trickery, rather than new school effec



31) Taxi Driver
Together, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro created one of the most intriguing characters in film history. Travis Bickle is one of the more cynical, depraved and disillusioned men in the world and he's driven to the brink by his sheer misanthropy. De Niro recedes into the character creating a personality no one had seen before on film, but shares the spotlight with his comparably fascinating co-stars. A very young Jodie Foster and an early Harvey Keitel both serve as a springboard for Bickle's final descent, and it's a story that will shake you in it's contradictory violent innocence.



So there you have it folks... 31-41. Sorry for the late arrival of Closer, I know that throws things off, but what the hey, who doesn't love a little spontaneity?

Catch you all next week with some reviews, lists, commentary and whatever the hell ever I want.

Bong hits 4 Jesus!

-Brodie Mann

Top Holiday Flicks... Twisted Edition

Hey Brodie Fanns,

I know, I know. I posted a Holiday Film list a while back. Well. That was the legit list.

This is the twisted list. Holiday films that just aren't quite Holiday Films.

So now, my Top 5 Twisted Holiday Films:

5) Kiss Saves Santa

This movie... doesn't even exist. I was deeply saddened when I found this out. In the Family Guy Christmas episode, this is Peter's beloved Christmas movie, and all he wants to do is watch it, but keeps getting interrupted. When I first saw the episode, I thought it was a real flick. It was only later I found out it wasn't. That does not rock. The concept is just too crazy to not exist. In my opinion. But to tide us all over, someone on the YouTube has graciously pieced together the clips we saw of this fictional film, as long as you don't mind an incredibly annoying production tag at the start.



4) Bad Santa
It was on the old list, but it makes this list two. It's on the old list, because it has all the classic elements of a holiday movie. The themes of family/friends, togetherness, redemption, all that sentimental hogwash. But for this list. It has the most instances of the word "fuck" ever for a Christmas movie, at 147. Which in itself is an impressive number for the word fuck, but in a Christmas movie? Damn.



3) Nightmare Before Christmas
Such a beautifully made film that has unfortunately been taken over by overweight, emo/faux-goth, teenage girls who think Hot Topic is the best shop in the mall. It's great in it's completely twisted take on the holiday season. The best part is you can watch it from mid-October to the end of December, because it applies to both Halloween and Christmas.



2) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A fun filled neo-noir thriller isn't exactly what leaps to mind when thinking of holiday films. But the talents of the recently recharged Robert Downey, Jr., the beautiful Michelle Monaghan and the quirky Val Kilmer in one of his finest performances propell this film into delightful viewing. I just love it. It's hard picking just one scene to show.



1) Die Hard
Do you even have to ask? I can't find a YouTube video, but I found this one.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanza and New Year.

Merry Christmas!

Brodie Fanns!

I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas. You all mean so much to me. I hope your Holiday season is wonderful, and that the new year brings great things for you and yours. And for me, too.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Brodie Mann

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

4 Stars

The makers of the *insert genre name here* Movie franchise need to take a cue from Judd Apatow and crew on how to make a good parody. When making a parody, you don’t make exaggerated versions of pre-existing characters and exaggerate the situations to sophomoric proportions. You create your own characters, which are exaggerated companions to who they are parodying. And that’s why Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story works.

Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) is the biggest country/rock star to come out of the 50’s, and Walk Hard documents his rise and fall, and then phoenix like re-emergence from the ashes. Cox battles the hazards of fame, drug addiction and multiple wives to become a music legend.

Walk Hard primarily satirizes Johnny Cash’s Walk the Line and Ray Charles’ Ray, but pulls material from all sorts of films to create a larger than life music star who suffers all the cliché trappings of rock superstardom. It serves as a throw back to the Mel Brooks films of the 60’s and 70’s, and the Zucker/Abrams flicks of the 80’s, where it serves as a knowing parody, but never gives a wink and a nod to the audience. The film is presented as a goofy account of a fictional man’s real life. Think Forrest Gump, only written by, well, Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), the man who’s name is practically required on all comedies if it wants to do well at the box office.

The production would be nothing without Reilly’s (Chicago, Talladega Nights) chops as an actor, singer and as an all around performer. He’s able to play a simple man who makes it big and lives his life in almost ignorant bliss. There’s a sweet charm to his portrayal, and of anyone else in the Apatow cast of characters, I don’t think anyone could have captured the character quite as well as Reilly.

Reilly also has an amazing supporting cast to boost the films comic credentials. Justin Long, Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Jason Schwartzman come together to play The Beatles (George, Paul, John and Ringo, respectively) providing for one of the more hilarious scenes in the movie as Cox is going on a journey of self discovery. Jenna Fischer (The Office) as longtime love interest Darleen Madison provides some good laughs and a good break from the male dominated comedy.

There were times when it felt like they were reaching for jokes, providing us with some groan worthy moments. And certain spots make it feel like an over-blown Saturday Night Live skit, but it then it circles back around and gets funny again.

I’m looking forward to the next Apatow project, and whatever he and his entourage have in store for us.

100 Favourite, Part III, 50-41

Aloha Brodie Fanns,

The time has come, as a sea mammal once said, to speak of my top 50 favourite films I've already counted down 51-100. You can read into my back log of entries to check it out so far.

But I've come to the top of my list. My 50 favourite films of all time. I'd like to stress that this is my "Favourite List" not my "Best Ever Made List." While I do think that all these films are quality films, I in no way mean to imply that they are the best achievements ever in the art of cinema. These just happen to be the ones I like the most, for various reasons.

And now... the list, now with commentary AND clips! If you have trouble viewing the embedded video, just click the YouTube box, and it will take you to the YouTube page of said video.

50) Young Frankenstein
This was the first classic Mel Brooks flick I saw and I was just blown away. As a long time fan of the Frankenstein story (I read the novel in 2nd grade), I sat mesmerized by the comedic skewering of such a beloved story. Gene Wilder is such an engaging actor with an amazingly dry delivery that he pulls you into the character. And you have to admire Brooks' attention to detail. He had all the set pieces from the original 1931 Frankenstein shipped to the shooting location for use, even giving the owner and designer credit.



49) The Big Lebowski
What can be said about the seminal Coen brothers flick that hasn't already been said. Instead of the normal hilarity that ensues after a case of mistaken identity, this is a much darker, more hilarious form of hilarity which ensues. And in retrospect, it just wouldn't have worked had anyone of the cast not been in it. It's the mark of a great film when the cast makes the characters their own, where no one else can touch it. Big props to Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and the entire cast.



48) Bonnie and Clyde
Warren Beatty laid it all out for us when he very plainly says "This here's Miss Bonnie Parker, and I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks." It's a caper flick. It's an action flick. But above all else... it's a love story? Not exactly the most normal of couplings, but what a great combination. They were a depression era Romeo and Juliet. The highlight of the film is at the end in a flurry of violence that was years ahead of its time, and set the precedent for "going out with a bang" (see also: Sonny Corleone in The Godfather).

WARNING: This is the ending of the movie, if you haven't seen it, and don't want to know what happens, then don't hit play.



47) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
You may have noticed that I counted the original Star Wars trilogy as one entry, and that will come up again in the future. But for Indiana Jones, I felt that Temple of Doom wasn't strong enough to warrant inclusion of the whole trilogy, so I went with my favourite. The banter between Ford and Connery is priceless, and Spielberg really gave a strong showing of the roots of the character. And the film itself was an adventure.



46) The Breakfast Club
It's one of the finest teen films of all time for the pure and simple fact that it shows us the student archetypes presented to us in countless teen flicks both before and after the film was made, but deconstructs them and presents them in a fashion which had yet to be seen in the genre. John Hughes defied the genre he created and made a compelling character study into the mind of the high school student. Highlighted by great performances from the entire cast. Including Coach Bombay. And I challenge anyone to not do the triumphant fist pump whenever "(Don't You) Forget About Me" by The Simple Minds plays.



45) Office Space
I view it as one of the more socially relevant films of the 90's, it came along at the height of the internet boom, and many post-grads were stuck working in offices, much like in Office Space. It spoke to a generation who were bored with the monotony of the cubicle life, and personified their frustration with working a job that limited creativity. It did in 1999 what Network did in 1976, and it was an excellent comedic companion to 1999's equally relevant Fight Club.



44) Dog Day Afternoon
On one explosive day in New York, Al Pacino gives one of his finest performances as a frustrated bank robber. Sidney Lumet shows us why he's one of the finest directors ever, with a career that has spanned 6 decades. And look for a career making performance from Chris Sarandon, in his feature film debut.



43) Network
Vented the frustration of the American public with commercialization, industrialization and corporatization of... damn near everything. And you know what, it's another of Lumet's films (his third on the list, the first being Serpico at number 55). There wasn't a cast member out of place or a line of dialog missing. It all surmounts to one of the more perfect films of the late 70's, and it's a tragedy that it lost the Best Picture Oscar to... Rocky? Yeah, Rocky.



42) L.A. Confidential
Neo-noir done in a classic noir style. So what kind of noir is it? The good kind. Brian de Palma continued his streak of reinventing one of the more riveting genres in film, and gave little knowns like Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce some break-through performances, while breathing life into the dwindling careers of Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger (who would win an Oscar for her perfomance). It's a taught thriller that has more twists and turns than a Six Flags roller coaster.



41) King Kong
The original is still the gold standard for epic movie making. I watch this movie and still, to this day, 74 years later, say "Look what we can do. Look what we can accomplish." Still impressive by today's standards, even more so when you consider the technology of 1933. I can't help but be impressed. It's the precursor to so many movies, and broke new ground for technology. Gotta give it up for the great ape!



NEXT WEEK...... 31-40, Some movie reviews, and hey, why not a supplemental list?

Ledger vs. Nicholson: Who is a better Joker?

I’m going to forgo my usual stock trailer entry where I just present it for your viewing pleasure. I’m also going to forgo a supplemental Top 5 list for now (I’ll do that tomorrow). What I am going to do is do a commentary/preview. Yes, a preview. I’m not going to review a film. I’m going to preview a film. And not just preview it. But put it in a historical perspective, and get a bunch of people pissed at me.

I’m going to incur the wrath of many a movie fan with the following proclamation, but it’s something I feel very strongly about. Even though the release date for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is still around 8 months away, and I have yet to see the actual film and have only seen the trailer (see trailer at the end of the post), Heath Ledger is a better Joker than Jack Nicholson.

What?! BLASPHEMOR! HERECY! HOW DARE YOU! You, sir, are a liar and a braggart! Apparently my reading audience is comprised mostly of villagers from an early 19^th century horror novel. Anyway, I’ll say it again for those of you who don’t really believe I said what I just said. HEATH LEDGER IS A BETTER JOKER THAN JACK NICHOLSON!

Why would I say something like that? Especially a full eight months before I’ll be able to see his full actual performance? Well there are many reasons why. And I do intend to explain myself. Trust me, I’m not all talk on this one. I can back it up.

1) The actor is not bigger than the character.

This is the primary reason (hence it’s number). When Batman came out in 1989, he was JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON! He still is. But he was then. Biggest goddamn star in the world. And the way it worked, the movie needed Jack more than Jack needed the movie. And he came in, and was Jack Nicholson. He wasn’t the Joker. He was Jack. It seemed like they had based the character on Jack. Someone explain the difference between the following four characters to me: Randle P. McMurphy, Jack Torrence, Jack Napier/Joker and Frank Costello. The only difference is that when it comes to mainstream pop-culture, The Joker was a pre-existing, long standing character. Sure McMurphy and Torrence existed in novels, and Costello based on an actual guy, but they weren’t part of pop culture till the films came out.

But the Joker has been around for, at the time Batman came out, 50 years. He had a few incarnations in comic books, and on TV by both Ceasar Romero on the live action series in the 60’s and Lennie Weinrib in the 70’s animated series. So he was a long established character for comic book nerds (it’s ok, I’m one of you) and mainstream fans a like. Then JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON comes in. And he’s bigger than god at this point. Meaning he’s also bigger than the character. So Jack’s not going to come in and find the nuance of Jack Napier/The Joker. He’s gonna do whatever the fuck he wants to do. And that’s exactly what he does. He comes into the production, that Tim Burton and Michael Keaton seem pretty jazzed about, and says “So what’s this, a movie about a flying rat? As long as I can watch the Laker game I’ll stand wherever the hell you want me to stand.” It shows in his performance that this is just a paycheck to him. And of course, because he’s JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON he gets one of the most lucrative upfront deals ever brokered. So there it is. Jack is bigger than an iconic character, and it shows, and the audience suffers. Because all we get is Jack Nicolson, sorry, JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON playing JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON, while wearing a funny suit with goofy make-up on.

Fast forward to 16 years later. Batman Begins gets made by Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale and Gary Oldman, two actors widely regarded as the finest of the era, are portraying Batman and Lt. Gordon. Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson and Ken Watanabe were tapped to play the villains. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer and Linus Roache rounded out the supporting cast. Oh… and Katie Holmes was in it too. But that’s 10 Oscar nominations with three wins. You’ve got a cast of consummate professionals, particularly in Bale and Oldman who are known for just burying themselves in their characters.

So what does Nolan do for the sequel? Gets that cast back (this time with a real actress for Rachel Dawes, thank you Maggie Gyllenhaal), and adds two equally fine actors to round out the sequel cast. You get Aaron Eckhart who gave one of the more brilliant performances of 2005 in Thank For Smoking as Harvey Dent. And he gets Heath Ledger. “Who? The kid from A Knight’s Tale? Heath Ledger? That gay cowboy?” Yes the very same. Because believe it or not, Heath Ledger has blossomed into one of my favourite contemporary actors. Really, it’s been since Lords of Dogtown that I finally began to take notice of his talent, as I had initially written him off as a pretty-boy pin-up actor. Then he does Brokeback Mountain, which despite my misgivings with the film (standard love-story hampered by bland filmmaking), still has stand-out performances from all involved, but particularly Ledger.

But Ledger is still Ledger. He’s not HEATH FUCKIN’ LEDGER. He’s just Heath Ledger. But The Joker is THE FUCKIN’ JOKER! Ever since about 2:30am on June 15^th, 2005, people have been wondering who is going to play the Joker in the sequel. And then they announced it. Heath Ledger. And at the time, I think I was the only one I knew that really defended the choice. Because I had recently come around to him as an actor, and I had seen what he was capable of. In one year he was four wildly different characters with Skip Engblom (Lords of Dogtown), Jacob Grimm (The Brothers Grimm), Ennis del Mar (Brokeback Mountain) and Casanova (Casanova). I had seen what he could do, and thought he could bring something to the character.

Now that I’ve seen the trailer, and seen him in action, based on a two minute clip, he’s definitely the right choice for the role. Can anyone watch that and tell me that they’re seeing Heath Ledger in that. Is that Heath Ledger playing Heath Ledger with a funny suit and goofy make-up? Or is it Heath Ledger playing The Joker? I think it’s the latter, as opposed to the former. Now go back, watch JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON as the Joker, and try and tell me that it’s not just Jack playing Jack with a funny suit and goofy make-up.

Heath Ledger is not bigger than the character, which makes it easier for him to become the character. And he can do a better job as the character because he can really explore the Joker. Which I think he does.

2) Batman gets top billing

You sure as shit don’t give the villain top billing over the titular hero. But noooooooo, JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON had to be top billing. Above the title on promotions. It was Jack Nicolson in Batman, with Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. Now, I realize he’s JACK FUCKIN’ NICHOLSON, and don’t get me wrong here, I enjoy most of what he does. But, in Batman, shouldn’t the guy actually playing Batman get top billing? In Batman Begins, there were six names above the title, and who was first? Christian Bale. Christian Bale wasn’t the big star he’s become. Outside of certain circles, people were saying “Christian who?” And he’s getting top billing over Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman (the sixth name was Katie Holmes, but I think at this point, anyone could get billing over Katie Holmes). Because for a Batman movie, the guy playing Batman is the most important. Not the ego of the guy playing the villain.

I had another point to go here, but I think that has come out in my previous two. I just want to take this opportunity to say, that while it may seem like it, this is not an “Anti-Nicholson” rant. I’m a fan of his work, and have a good portion of his good movies. But I’m just tired of hearing everybody say “Well, Heath Ledger’s no Jack Nicholson.” Of course he’s not. If Nolan wanted Nicholson, he would have cast Nicholson. He cast Ledger because he wanted to see what Ledger could bring to the character. Nolan’s quoted as to saying “Because he’s fearless,” when asked “Why Heath Ledger?” Ledger beat out the likes of Paul Bettany, Adrien Brody and Sean Penn for the role. I think we all need to end this love affair with the Nicholson take on Joker, as when you really look at it, it’s just Nicholson in a funny suit with goofy make-up. Ledger actually immerses himself in the character. If you didn’t know that it was Ledger, you wouldn’t know it was Ledger.

Anyway, after pissing off so many fans, I present you with the trailer. This copy doesn’t really do it justice, but I can’t really post the HD versions. Go to the Dark Knight video page here, and check the HD versions for both Quicktime and WMP.

I Am Legend

I Am Legend

3.5 Stars

Name two good movies that you never thought would be combined together to form another good movie. How about Cast Away and 28 Days Later? Sounds like a weird amalgamation, right? Well, it is… but thanks to a great story by Richard Matheson and the charismatic action of Will Smith, it works in the new Francis Lawrence flick, I Am Legend.

When a deadly virus wipes out over 90% of the world’s population, sole survivor Robert Neville (Will Smith) lives in the desolate New York trying to find a cure to help the few who survived the virus, but became souless zombies. He lives his life by a strict routine, outside by daybreak, indoors by nightfall, as the zombies have an aversion to UV rays. At mid-day, in accordance with a looped broadcast he sends out over the radio waves, he waits in New York Harbor for any other survivors there may be.

This movie works the same way Cast Away worked. If you’ve got a leading man with enough talent and charisma, he can literally carry a movie. And Will Smith (Independence Day, Ali) has enough charisma and talent to carry two movies. Much of the movie is him interracting with his dog, and the “friends” he’s made up using store mannequins.

I think that Will Smith made this film. There are very few other actors who are fascinating enough to warrant watching just them for two hours. It’s a true credit to his talent that he can carry the film, and I think he did a magnificent job.

Francis Lawrence actually accomplishes what few former music video directors are able to. He’s grown as a film maker since is feature debut with Constantine. And while it’s a step up, there’s still something left to be desired in his sophomore effort. It seemed a bit empty. The special effects were nice to look at, and it’s amazing how they were able to empty out New York City for some of the scenes. But all of Smith’s charisma and wonderous special effects weren’t enough to save it from being an average end of the world disaster flick. It seemed to be in step with 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow instead of 28 Days Later… like it should have been.

It’s definitely warrants a viewing, but for a more insightful look at a post-apocalyptic world, there are better films out there.

100 Favourite... Part II

Well Brodie Fanns, it's time for another installment of my Top 100 Favourite Films of All Time. If you remember last week I started off by counting down 100-76, with The Longest Day kicked off the list at number 100, Blade Runner at 88, and M*A*S*H* rounding out the bottom portion of the list at 76. Earlier this week, the supplemental list was my Top 5 Foreign, Non-English films, with last year's El Laberinto del Fauno from Mexico at number 4, and 1952's Umberto D from Italy taking the top spot.

Now here, I present you with numbers 75-51. Next week we start in with commentary and possible YouTube videos. Keep an eye out this weekend for a review of I Am Legend.

Without further ado...

75) Wayne's World
74) High Fidelity
73) Army of Darkness
72) It Happened One Night
71) The Hustler
70) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
69) The Lion King
68) Leon: The Professional
67) Dirty Harry
66) The Day The Earth Stood Still
65) Cool Hand Luke
64) This Is Spinal Tap...
63) A Clockwork Orange
62) Serenity
61) Ben-Hur
60) Alien
59) Airplane!
58) The Princess Bride
57) Night of the Living Dead
56) The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
55) Serpico
54) The Warriors
53) Fast Times at Ridgemont High
52) The Great Escape
51) Star Wars Epsiodes IV-VI

For the record, Star Wars Episodes IV-VI garner one spot, because I view the original trilogy as a complete viewing experience. All three are parts that make up a whole. Where as say, Alien, which is also part of a series (4, or 6 if you count the Alien vs. Predator flicks), they aren't part of one long story being told. They are individual stories concerning the same characters, but it isn't one long story, like Star Wars is. And if you're wondering why it's just episodes IV-VI, since technically, episodes I-III are part of one big long saga, the answer is quite simple. IV-VI did perfectly fine on their own for 22 years. And let's face it... I-III suck. End of story. No discussion. I-III suck. Including Revenge of the Sith. It may be the prettiest whore in the brothel, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a whore. And let's face it... Lucas is a whore. Those movies weren't made because Lucas was dying to tell more of the story. Lucas was dying to SELL more of the story. Lucas is a whore.

Ok... I'm done pontificating for now.

See you next time Brodie Fanns!

-Brodie Mann

Time for a mini-list

Brodie Fanns!

In conjunction with my 7-part mini-series unveiling my top 100 Favourite Films of All Time, I'm also releasing mini-lists. My top five of a selected genre. And the first thing I noticed when poring over my top 100 list, is that there weren't any non-English films. This isn't to say I don't like non-English films. In fact I own several. And as for Foreign films, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead are all British, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is technically Italian, and The 5th Element and Leon: The Professional are both technically French. And they all appear on the list.

Anyway, I decided to make a special list, just for my favourite foreign, non-English films. And here they are... five through one. These films all prove that there is nothing to fear in subtitles.

5) Lola Rennt - Germany

Director Tom Tkywer creates a visual masterpiece in 1998's modern classic. The Bourne Identity's Franke Potente stars as the titular Lola, in a piece that isn't so much about the action, but about how much of a chain reaction each decision we make is. A true representation of the string theory at it's heart, it's as much a scientific film as it is a philosophical film.



4) El Laberinto del Fauno- Spain

Guillermo del Toro is a visual maestro. You can't help but watch one his films and be stunned by the imagery he puts on screen. It's fantastical, yet oddly realistic. Even his comic book films (Blade and Hellboy) have this engrossing visual aspect to them, but his coup de gras was 2006's El Laberinto del Fauno. It's a beautiful historical epic set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War of 1944.



3) Yojimbo- Japan

Some damn fine films in their own right (A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing) are different adaptations of one film, you know you've got one of the best films ever made on your hands. Such is the case with Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Overshadowed by Seven Samurai and Roshomon, Yojimbo features more restraint, both in Kurosawa's directing and Toshiro Mifune's acting. I find it to be the best of the pair's illustrious collaborations.



2) Kanal- Poland

Basically, Adrzej Wajda was Eastern Europe's Hitchcock. Only he was better. As opposed to finding the horror in real life situations, he found the life in horrible situations. It's the most apparent in his seminal 1957 film Kanal. Written by an actual soldier who survived the ordeal, Kanal is about the struggle of Warsaw resistance soldiers struggling to escape Nazi's in Warasaw's sewer system. Wajda builds a sense of despair throughout the film, culminating in one damn fine ending, going where most directors, both then and now, would be afraid to go.



1) Umberto D - Italy

One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, it will bring you to tears. Vittorio de Sica cast non-professional actors to tell the story of Umberto Domenico Ferrari, a retired government worker who can no longer afford to live on his tiny pension. It's a story about isolation and redemption, in a way. Truly one not to be missed, go rent or buy it now.

Go Speed Racer GOOOOOO!

Hey Brodie Fanns,

I've got a few movie trailers for you to check out. The first one is by far the most important, ergo, it's embedded. Plus it's good quality YouTube. The rest are all Quicktime, so it's linked to Apple's page.

Here's Speed Racer:


Jumper
Cloverfield- Really excited about this one.
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
Revolver

100 Favourite... Part I

So... I realize I've been on an unfortunate hiatus. But I'm coming back with a vengeance. Three reviews to come this weekend. But today is part 1 of my long awaited 7 part series of my top 100 Favourite Films of all time.

Now... this list isn't a "Greatest Films" list. It's a "My Favourites" list. I feel I have to make that distinction right away because I acknowledge that there are films I left off the list that are technically better than films I included, or the way the rankings go a technically superior film is ranked lower than another film. For example... I acknowledge that Gone With The Wind is a wonderfully made film in almost every aspect. But it's not really my cup of tea. So it's not on the list. Likewise if I were to look at the sheer mechanics of the two films, Citizen Kane would be higher than Dazed and Confused, but it's not, because there's the emotional and mental connection to Dazed and Confused that I feel weighs heavier on the decision.

There's no way I could do a scientific ranking of all the films ever made, as I simply haven't seen them all. But of the movies that I have seen, the ones presented here are my absolute favourite. It's a combination of personal taste, technical merit and emotional attachment. Part I is 100-76, Part II will be 75-51, and from then on it will be in increments of 10 accompanied by YouTube clips, if a clip can be found. Occasionally I'll post side lists, and at the end, I'll post a summary report, with different stats from the list.

Keep in mind that while certain movies may be down near 100, these are 100 favourites. A quick look at my Flikster app on Facebook shows that I've reviewed or rated 1350 odd movies, I personally own nearly 500 DVD's. I went through over 200 titles before I closed my Netflix account. I see anywhere between 40 and 70 new releases in theatres per year. And I have 3 tiers of movie channels, including their OnDemand services. Suffice it to say, I've seen a lot of movies. And these are all 5 Star flicks. So while it maybe 100, that doesn't mean it isn't damn good.

So here it is... 100-76

100) The Longest Day
99) Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
98) Chinatown
97) Halloween
96) The Dirty Dozen
95) Shaun of the Dead
94) The Terminator 2: Judgment Day
93) Goldfinger
92) 2001: A Space Odyssey
91) Bullitt
90) The Maltese Falcon
89) Superman
88) Blade Runner
87) You Can't Take It With You
86) The Wizard of Oz
85) To Kill a Mocking Bird
84) The Shining
83) Scream
82) Saving Private Ryan
81) Platoon
80) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
79) North By Northwest
78) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
77) The Matrix
76) M*A*S*H*

Interim Return

Tragedy has befallen your beloved Brodie, in the form of a broken computer. How am I supposed to write my reviews, post them, research them, all that computer oriented stuff, without a computer? Well, I can't. It unfortunately went down about 3 weeks ago, and I'll be buying a new one this coming week Hopefully.

In the meantime, let me give you a list...

Top 5 Christmas movies...

1) It's A Wonderful Life



2) Love Actually


3) White Christmas


4) Home Alone


5) Bad Santa

Casting the Lost Movie

As some of you know, I'm a big fan of the television program Lost. I love it, watch it religiously blah blah blah. Recently I began rewatching the first two seasons in prep for the fourth season premiere in February (the third season DVD release is something I'm eagerly awaiting). And with recent news that they are ending it after the 6th season, with the next three seasons being shortened to 16 episode seasons (as opposed to the standard 22 episodes in a season), I got to thinking how they would end it. I was thinking maybe leave the series finale open ended, and then wrap it up with a movie, just to milk it a little longer. It could happen.

And that got me even more curious. What if they made a Lost movie? Well, obviously they'd cast the TV actors, which would make this blog posting absolutely no fun. So, I specified it. What if in the Lost universe, they made a movie about the castaways? A film with in a show. Sort of like in the second two Scream flicks they had the Stab movies where Luke Wilson was Skeet Ulrich. Anyway... Who would play the Lost castaways in the Lost universe story of the castaways.

Now keep in mind, the flashbacks would not come into play. That's something we as an audience are privy to, but not the other castaways, and not the producers of said movie. Plus it's just the story of them on the island, not their lives before it. So the whole, Boone/Shannon thing, they wouldn't know about that. So my casting for those roles isn't that crazy, considering they wouldn't play it like Boone and Shannon we know.

So here it is, my cast list for the Lost movie within the show...

Jack Shepard- Robert Downey, Jr.- He's been experiencing a career renaissance lately, and a good juicy dramatic role would be the perfect role for him to take. Plus he tends to play characters with alcohol problems, what with his personal experiences to draw from.

Kate Austin- Rosario Dawson- Has been a go-to leading lady for former indie directors (Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez and Spike Lee have all used her), and could use this as a springboard into full-time leading lady status. Plus her combination girl next door charm and sexy edge would make her right for Kate, if she can pull off that air of mystery.

James “Sawyer” Ford- Ryan Gosling- After playing mostly good guys, or generally likable characters, he would definitely mix it up by playing an anti-hero.

John Locke- David Morse- He's intense. And he's got that, wise older man aura about him.

Charlie Pace- Ben Foster- Ben Foster has made a name for himself for picking his scripts and playing unconventional characters, so a drugged out fading rockstar would be right up his alley. Plus he can show off an accent.

Hugo “Hurley” Reyes- Horatio Sanz- Let's face it, he's comic relief. And they'd go with a comic for him.

Sayid Jarrah- Omar Metwally- He's an intense, serious looking actor of Middle Eastern descent, and would be good to play a jaded war vet.

Claire Littleton- Bryce Dallas Howard- You want a young damsel in distress? Look no further than Howard.

Jin Kwon- Daniel Day Kim

Sun Kwon- Yunjin Kim- These two, I just had to go with the actors from the show, because quite frankly it was hard enough to find Korean-American actors who speak fluent Korean when they were casting the show in real life, do you think they're gonna have it any easier in fictional Hollywood that's still somewhat grounded in reality? Of course not. So it makes sense they'd pick two, and it's entirely within the realm of possibility they'd cast these two.

Michael Dawson-Courtney B. Vance- I think he's got the right intensity to him to play the role of a distraught father.

Shannon Rutherford- Maggie Gyllenhaal

Boone Carlyle- Jake Gyllenhaal- Brother/Sister acting duo playing brother/sister on screen. Makes sense. Again, the flashback scenes would not be part of the castaway's movie, so that subplot would not be known to anyone.

Ben Linus- Paul Giamatti- He can do the evil genius.

Mr. Eko- Djimon Hunsou- Do I really need to explain this one? African character, meet African actor.

Desmond Hume- Gerard Butler- It's certainly different than any character he's played in the past. I think Gerard Butler would take it.

Ana-Lucia Cortez- Michelle Rodriguez- Again went with the show's casting on this one, but Michelle Rodriguez has long been Hollywood's go-to tough chick.

Tom Friendly- M.C. Gainey- Again it's the show's actor, but he's such a prolific character actor, and I can't think of anyone else for the role.

Juliet Burke- Sabrina Lloyd- I can't think of a good reason why I went with her. But she just seems to fit, to me anyway.

Danielle Rousseau- Juliette Binoche- Hey, she's French. That's good enough for a casting director.

Why Scrubs Is the best medical show on television

15 Reasons Why Scrubs is the Best Medical Show on Television

These run in no particular order. Just as they came to me. And a few don't have YouTube videos to further exemplify it, mainly because I either couldn't find clips that did the reason justice, or the point is proven in previously shown videos. Either way, there are plenty of clips to keep you folks more than satisfied.

1. Music: This show really was the trend setter for the use of music at the end of the show. By my count, many shows do it, but Scrubs started it. And they do it best because it's not "Hey, cool little song to play out at the end of the episode." They actually make it a part of the show. From JD's fantasies, to the song pics, to the cast performances. Music is just as much a part of the show as the medicine or the gags. They really make it work. What's more is that the cast hand picks the music they use.
   
   

2. Comedy: They do a mixture of all types of comedy on the show. Slapstick, non-sequiters, witty rapport, one-liners, zany characters and clever quips. I don't think I've ever not laughed at an episode of Scrubs. And that's a testament to it's genius, that it's consistent.
   
   

3. Drama: Because it's a medical show, they can really get you in your heart with their drama, sometimes even better than most dramas. It's a comedy show, that isn't afraid to bare it's soul.
   
   
   

4. Comedy/Drama: I know what you're thinking, "He already did comedy and drama, I think he's just beefing up the list." Well, you sir or ma'am, are mistaken. It's how well the mix the seriousness and levity, the sublime and the ridiculous. It's a perfect amalgamation.
   
   
   

5. Guest Stars: I think I'll just list them: Dick Van Dyke, Barry Bostwick, Michael J. Fox, Colin Farrell, Brenden Fraser, Heather Graham, Heather Locklear, Mandy Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Julianna Margulies, Matthew Perry, Michael McDonald, John Ritter, Tom Cavanagh, Markie Post, R. Lee Ermy, Cheryl Hines, Tara Reid, Freddy Rodriguez, D.L. Hughley, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Scott Foley, Keri Russell, Amy Smart, Ryan Reynolds, Eric Bogosian, William Daniels, Clay Aiken, Colin Hay, Cary Brothers, Polyphonic Spree.
   
   
   

6. Dr. Cox: Would not be the same if it wasn't John C. McGinley playing it. He, above anyone else, brings the balance of the aforementioned comedy/drama dynamic. In the same episode he can go off on his funny rants he does so well, but then show some emotion toward someone/thing and this intimidating image of him is shattered by how fragile he is. He's really one of the more interesting characters on television, and McGinley plays him to perfection.
   
   
   

7. Janitor: Neil Flynn has timing. The one undeniable truth about Janitor is that he's not their for so called comedic relief, as the whole show is the comedic relief. But he initially didn't exist in any other capacity than tormenting JD. As the show progressed, so did his character. He's such a curiously strange and mysterious character that even when he's being serious, there's a twinge in the back of your head that thinks he's BS-ing you. And the dead-pan delivery of his lines is just spot on perfect.
   
   
   

8. Medical accuracy: Push thrombolitics. Sounds professional. It isn't. It's medically impossible. It's fake. And the writers know this. They have no less than three doctors on hand as technical supervisors, making sure everything is medically accurate. And many doctors have claimed that Scrubs is the most medically accurate show on television. Back to the whole "push thrombolitics" thing, the writers try to include that whenever they can, just because they know it drives the consultants crazy.
   
   
   

9. Minor characters: In addition to the great lead cast they put together, the show would be nothing without it's minor, re-curring characters. There's Ted, the hospital's sad-sac lawyer, seasoned Nurse Roberts, The Todd, Dr. Doug aka Nervous Guy, Snoop Dogg resident, Dr. Beardface, Lonnie the speed metal freak delivery guy, Rowdy the stuffed dog, Dr. Cox's ex-wife Jordan, hypochondriac Harvey Korman.
   
   
   

10. JD: I couldn't make this list without including JD, because without JD, there would be no Scrubs. He's at times both poignant and irreverent. He's relatable. I liken him/Zach Braff to John Cusack 20 years ago. He's got that everyman charm to him. But where the character really stands out is in his earnest goofiness. At one point Turk tells him that the reason he likes him, is because he isn't afraid to just be himself. And that makes JD all the more likable.
    
    
    

11. Acting: Everything I've mentioned, from the characters to the mixture of comedy/drama, would be nothing without the acting ability of the entire cast. It's a true testament to their ability to handle the multiple styles of comedy, and the heavy drama they throw at you. NO CLIP.

12. Character development: The characters have grown. Watch an episode from the first season, then watch an episode from the 6th season (or better yet, watch new episodes, Thursdays at 9:30 EST on NBC, and I'm not being paid to say that). The characters have grown/changed and are at where you'd think they'd be at. JD's biggest dilemma isn't medical related anymore, he's now worried about his pregnant girlfriend and his perennial back-burner relationship with Elliot. Turk and Carla have gone from puppy love dating to married with a kid. Cox and Jordan, well, they're Cox and Jordan, but it's undeniable that as they've experienced certain things (an official divorce, two kids, the fact that they're still together) has altered and strengthened their relationship, and as much as they hate each other, they love each other even more now than they did when we first met them. NO CLIP
    

13. Writing Staff: When formulating this list, I spoke with many friends who also enjoyed Scrubs and got their opinion on why it's a great show. And when conversing with my cousins, Elizabeth came up with perhaps the best argument against other shows: algebraic writing. Scrubs lets the characters progress, where-as on Grey's Anatomy and ER the writers want the characters to do something, so they write their scripts to get the characters to do so. Even if it doesn't make sense for the characters to do it. Scrubs lets the characters get to where they need to be. NO CLIP
    

14. Carla/Turk dynamic: I just love their relationship. I want a relationship like theirs. Theirs is one of the best TV relationships I've ever seen. Fuck you Ross and Rachel. That's all I've got.
    
    
    

15. They tell you why: See, here's the thing, it's not enough that they prove they're better than any other medical show on TV, they actually physically tell you they are. This one warrants 2 clips.
    
    FIRST ABOUT HOUSE, M.D.
    
    
    NOW GREY'S ANATOMY
    

Reviews for Gone Baby Gone and Rendition.

Hey Brodie Fanns,

I've got not one, but two reviews for you. It's my October 23rd sales bonanza. Buy one get one free. This week it's Gone Baby Gone and Rendition

Gone Baby Gone

4 Stars

Like most people who follow films, I've been wondering for the past several years when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were going to follow through with that potential they showed with Good Will Hunting. Well, Damon's been enjoying a damn fine acting career, so we'll let that one slide. But Affleck... he's Affleck, so I was beginning to think it was a fluke. And then along comes Gone Baby Gone.

Based on Dennis Lehane's (Mystic River) novel of the same name, Gone Baby Gone stars Casey Affleck (the Ocean's movies, The Last Kiss) as Patrick Kenzie, a private investigator hired to find the kidnapped daughter of an old high school friend. But the many twists and turns of the investigation soon catch up to Kenzie in both his professional life and his personal life.

I've gotta start off with what's good about it, and it's damn near everything. Ben Affleck makes up for his complete lack of charisma and talent in front the camera, by being a genius behind the camera. There's only one way to really shoot a Lehane novel, and that's in the gritty, raw manner in which he wrote it. Ben Affleck took a cue from Clint Eastwood's previous adaptation of a Lehane novel (Mystic River) and didn't get fancy with his camera work, just stuck to the basics, and that's what made it a sight to see. Too often do we get rookie directors wanting to separate from the herd and be known as the “visual virtuoso.” But ultimately it's obvious they're trying too hard and the films look too stylish, without any substance to back it up.

Ben Affleck (I have to say the first name, since there are two Afflecks involved) stuck to the formula that works, yet kept it fresh enough to not be cliché and boring. And in case you're wondering, Good Will Hunting was not a fluke. Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard (debut as a writer) created an interesting world that keeps the viewer guessing to the very end, and takes you to places you didn't think he would.

Ed Harris (The Truman Show, A History Of Violence) gives an engrossing performance as a hard-edged, New Orleans born, but Boston bred Detective Remy Bressant. Harris has always been one of those actors who never seems to escape second lead status (save for a few projects), despite consistently stealing scenes from the lead. It's most likely that he's just that good of a foil for the lead characters. Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Bruce Almighty), who surprisingly doesn't narrate, gives a unique spin on a conflicted police captain. Freeman's always had this regal presence about him, with a goodly nature. To see him play this character who does the unfortunately wrong things for all the right reasons, it's kind of a side step for him from what he's used to, but still lying on the outer edges of his comfort zone, so as not to completely alienate his fan base.

And that brings us to the younger Affleck, Casey. He's shown considerable promise as second, third and depending on the movie, 11^th fiddle to other stars, and I can't tell if he got the lead in this movie on his own merit, or if it was the worst case of nepotism since an Aaron Spelling cast his daughter Tori in Beverly Hills, 90210. He's got talent. I honestly can't think of someone that could have played that character any better, as far as talent, looks, attitude. Unfortunately he's got the stage presence of Hayden Christensen. He needs too loosen up, work with inflection and tone and anything else that goes into making one's voice poly-tonal. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt, since this was his first time carrying a major motion picture, and he had to stand up against some heavy hitters. But my plea to Casey is, loosen up. Don't be your brother.

When it comes down to it, it was a thoroughly enjoyable flick, and entirely compelling. Don't be thrown by Casey's wooden acting. He's just nervous. That's my theory anyway.

Rendition

4 Stars

It's topical, controversial, has some of the top stars of the day including two recent Oscar winners. Must be awards bait. Well, the fish are biting, but not hard for Gavin Hood's new political thriller, Rendition.

After a suicide bombing in the Middle East kills an American CIA agent, Egyptian-American businessman Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is detained while changing flights in D.C. and brought to a secret US prison on foreign soil. Having disappeared mid-flight, Anwar's wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) launches her own investigation into his disappearance, appealing to an old college friend (Peter Sarsgaard) who works for a powerful senator (Alan Arkin). Meanwhile, Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young CIA agent who was at the scene of the bombing, works with Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor), who was the intended target of the bombing, in the interrogation of El-Ibrahimi.

Now as I see it, that's the multiple story lines that were being told, and the only worthwhile ones that needed to be told. Unfortunately, as what usually happens in a multiple plot line drama, one ends up being unnecessary to the main thrust of the film, and that was the sub-plot of Fawal's daughter going missing. It all ties up in the end, but I still didn't end up caring about her character anyway, because even after the end, where there's the big revelation, I still fail to see what she brought to the table. She wasn't even a deus ex machina, or a red herring. She was just there wasting time and space.

But really, what this movie comes down to is the exact same thing we saw last year in Babel and the year before in Syriana. Global politics, all coming together in the end so it all fits together like a puzzle. Granted the connections aren't as grand or subtle or even clever as in Babel or Syriana, which is actually a plus in my book. You know everything is connected from the get-go, and they don't try to blindside you with a “everything is connected” moral at the end of the movie. Except with that goddamn daughter plot, shit! They snuck it in with a silly superfluous plot that sucked anyway. I hate you Gavin Hood, you South African, Totsi directing bastard. And writer Kelley Shane. But he hasn't really done anything else for me to turn into an insult.

It's not that this is a bad film. It's very well written, again, aside from that sub-plot. The acting is good all around. I can't think of a bad performance. Witherspoon, Metwally and Gyllenhaal give the best performances, in my opinion (and we're talking a movie with Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin). Amidst the politics of the flick, they all exude the human side of the issue at hand. And that's torture of innocent people. Witherspoon's the wife just looking for her husband. Metwally as the wrongfully incarcerated and tortured man. Gyllenhaal who goes through an existential quandary following said torture. It shows that it's not just about what is right and wrong according to the law and the constitution. It's about what's wrong according to personal ethics and morals and how you treat a fellow human being.

I got a little lofty and soap box-ish towards the end, and I didn't mean to, but it really humanizes the issue. And there are going to be things flung from either side. Liberals saying conservatives are cowboys who through out the constitution on a whim. Conservatives saying the flick is nothing but liberal propaganda. But it isn't so much of a right vs. left issue. It's not playing the blame game. The point of the movie is that it's happening. There's no denying that. It is happening. And that's where this movie succeeds. It doesn't take a political stance either way. It just wants to say “This is happening, and it's wrong.” All politics aside.

So congratulations Gavin Hood. Well made flick. I applaud you. Just, in the director's cut DVD, get the rid of that damn daughter plot. It sucks. I hate it.

Michael Clayton Review

A review today... but next time... a list. Or an essay. Whichever I finish first.

Michael Clayton

3 Stars

Political intrigue and the personal life of the man at the center of it all drive the George Clooney vehicle Michael Clayton, which is unfortunately dragged by severe plot complications and writing missteps.

Clooney (Syriana, Ocean's 13) stars as the titular character, who is a "fixer" for a prestigious law firm handling a class action law suit against a chemical company who released hazardous weed killers. A fixer is a man who isn't a lawyer or partner in the firm, but handles any problems that come up during the course of a case. Clayton is trying to fix a fellow lawyer's mental breakdown during the middle of proceedings, all the while dealing with his financial woes and issues with his son, who lives with Clayton's ex-wife.

As I saw it, there were three separate stories being told in this film. There was the Erin Brockovich-esque class action lawsuit against a major company. Then the mental breakdown of Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson, Batman Begins) that could damage said proceedings. And then there's the personal life of Clayton.

Which story was the primary focus of the film? Well, all three were. Writer Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) makes his directorial debut with Clayton, and he unfortunately could not find a clear focus for the the film. There was too much story being told. At the end of the movie, I honestly didn't care about the characters and what happened to them, because I didn't know I was supposed to. Gilroy spread the film too thin and the only people who get hurt is the audience.

This isn't to say it's a bad film. Each story stands very well on it's own merits. Personally I think both the lawsuit and Clayton's personal life could have taken a backseat to the Arthur Edens plot line. It would have been a much richer and more interesting film.

And the acting is definitely not to go without notice. Clooney has made it known that he is one of the best actors working today, and his work in films like Clayton only prove this. He's already got the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, this film more than shows that he deserves a Best Lead Actor Oscar. Wilkinson gives a quirky performance as a man at his wit's end with modern society and big conglomerations.

It's one of those movies where I could really take it or leave it. There are aspects that are really good and stand out as strong positives. But the negatives are just too prominent.

Where's your blog been, Brodie? Right here, and it's new!

Brodie Fanns!

So, some of you are probably wondering why I haven't posted a blog or a list in while. Or you're not, cause you don't read my blog. Who knows? But if you do, then you've noticed it's been a while since I've posted a review or a list.

Well, to be honest, there are several reasons. For one there have been weekends where I just haven't seen a movie. Remember, I'm busy with two jobs and since I have to pay for all this out of my pocket, I can't always afford it. But I try. Rest assured by the end of the week I'll post 3 new reviews. I have one written. What the hell, I'll post that one now. (Scroll to the end of the post to read the review of "The Kingdom"

Another reason is, as some of you know, I'm also a writer of scripts. Screenplays, if you will. I'd say "aspiring", but that means I hope to be one some day. And as I'm currently writing one, that is a full 15 pages in, I think I've moved past the "Hope to be one" to just "I am one." I got in a groove with my script, and I've been focusing a lot of energy on that.

I haven't hit a wall with the writing of the script, I'm still going strong. But that being in the zone with it time period has past. I've got the next few scenes that I'm writing mapped out, so to speak, so I know where I'm going. I can return to telling you what films to watch, and what is cool in the top 10.

Just so you know, I am working on a few HUGE posts that are time consuming, just compiling information, stuff for the lists and what not. One is what currently stands as a "Top 13 Reasons Why Scrubs is the Best Medical Show On Television", but that number could change. I'm also working on what I call a "Love Letter to the Movies." It's a mini-auto-biography on why Brodie loves movies so damn much. This fall's must read. Well... it's the must read as far as myspace blogs written by me go.

Anywho, that's just a little update, so you know I'm not dead. And to give you a taste of the upcoming reviews... Yes, it is possible for me to not think a George Clooney film is not the best thing known to man (shocking, isn't it) and gangland flicks starring Marky Mark kinda peaked with The Departed.

Keep it real, homies,

-Brodie Mann

AND NOW... THE KINGDOM

The Kingdom

3 Stars

Movies covering any war are always a touchy subject. But covering a current one is just asking for controversy. Peter Berg tackles current American/Saudi relations in his new thriller The Kingdom, and isn't exactly the political thriller it could have been.

Following a carefully coordinated series of attacks on an American oil company's community in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which left several FBI agents dead, a team of agents is sent to collect evidence and find out who was the mastermind of the attacks. American bureaucracy, Saudi traditions and cultural differences hinder their investigation along the way, but the team stops at nothing to catch the perpetrators of the heinous attacks.

At first glance, it seems like a noble effort on the part of Berg (Friday Night Lights, Very Bad Things) to fuse the action and political thriller genres, and on some levels, it works. It really does. But it's also a deterrent, because by that same merit, it seems doomed to fail. Which makes this film hard to pin down. I honestly can't tell which genre to put it into, and subsequently which one to judge it as. It moves around in both with great ease, but never really breaks the two to be it's own film. It fascinates audiences while confusing them at the same time. Ultimately I have to determine which one is more dominant, and write my review as such. Hopefully I figure it out by the time I'm done writing it.

One must give credit to the cast, Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner play the FBI agents sent to Saudi Arabia, while their Saudi escort, Ashraf Barhom, should get equal attention, as he really pulls the story together for the characters. They could have played it as the atypical Americans vs. Saudis, us vs. them type of mentality, with the rah rah governmental attitude, but they didn't, and it's a true credit to their abilities to not do so with a story such as this, considering the geopolitical climate.

The strongest asset this movie has is it's script. It perfects the balance of a political thriller and action war flick, one too few movies have even attempted. And it packs an emotional punch at the end that the general American audience may not even appreciate, but is full of impact none the less.

Overall, it's definitely worth a look. But would I expect any sort of attention come awards season? Probably not anything outside of technical awards, and even that's stretching it a bit, as that didn't stand out. Though in a year of mostly underwhelming films, even the moderately good stand out as the cream of the crop.