Brodie's Film Blog is just that. A film Blog run by me, Brodie. I talk about film, TV and occasionally music. I post reviews, lists, and essays. Anything film related. That's all I got.
Meh... it's the catchiest title I could think of at 5 am.
Anywho, as some of you may have heard two months ago, not only did Peter Jackson, writer/director/producer of the massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, settle his dispute with New Line Cinema concerning unpaid royalties, but New Line and MGM reached an agreement over the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's Rings companion novel, The Hobbit. Unfortunately for us, visionary Jackson will not be helming the duo of films (yes, they're splitting it into two films) set for release in 2010 and 2011, pending resolution of the writer's strike.
Jackson has already been committed to direct an adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestseller The Lovely Bones, and to co-direct Tintin, with none-other than Mr. Steven Spielberg, both set for a 2009 release. Jackson will remain on board as producer and possibly a write.
So who is directing? Well, luckily for everyone who cares (and I'm guessing it's a lot of you), Mexican visual master Guillermo del Toro has been signed to cast, according to early reports. The director, who has masterfully brought us Hellboy (get the headline now?) and the wonderously beautiful El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth), will helm both installments of the Rings prequel films, set to be shot simultaneously.
No word on who will be cast in key roles, though I'm guessing Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis will return as Gandalf, Elrond and Gollum, respectively. And knowing del Toro... Ron Perlman as Bilbo.
Oh, and now for something completely different.
And what the hell... a while back I decided why not figure who is best represented in my DVD collection. Which actor/actress/director had the most films in my collection. It was hard to determine these stats, for various reasons, but I stuck to the following rules.
For Boxed sets (trilogies and the like), each individual title will count, rather than Star Wars trilogy only counting as one mark for Harrison Ford.
For TV Shows, each individual season counts, as it is part of one title. So I have 5 seasons of 24 on DVD, that's 5 marks for Keifer Sutherland. It would not go by episode, then it would be like... 120 for Sutherland.
Cameos count. Cate Blanchett's cameo in Hott Fuzz counts as a mark toward her. These sort of things got harder when it was ensemble casts, but I tried to do my best with counting them all.
Those are the basic rules.
Top 5 Actors in my DVD collection (which currently stands at a count of 478) 1) Matt Damon - 15 2) Bruce Willis - 14 3) Brad Pitt - 13 * George Clooney -13 5) Al Pacino - 12 * Tom Cruise - 12
Top 5 Actresses 1) Cate Blanchett - 8 2) Kirsten Dunst - 7 3) Elizabeth Banks - 6 * Joan Allen - 6 * Keira Knightly - 6
Top 5 Directors 1) Steven Spielberg - 9 2) Oliver Stone - 7 3) Kevin Smith - 6 * Quentin Tarantino - 6 5) Robert Rodriguez - 5 * Sidney Lumet - 5 * Robert Zemeckis - 5 * Brian De Palma - 5 * Stephen Soderbergh - 5
It should be noted that some of those two come with the multiple films, same role, particularly Matt Damon, who has 6 films populated solely by the Bourne and Ocean's franchises.
Let it also be noted that while Spielberg may have 9 in my collection... Sofia Coppola could technically be considered the most prolific, as I own 100% of her films (which does stand at 3). Though of Tarantino's films that are strictly Tarantino (not counting Four Rooms which he co-directed with 3 others), I do own all of his films.
I'm excited to see you. I had a long weekend, but it is time to get back into the movie dealy.
Let's jump right in.
I only have a mini-review for you. Why? Well... quite frankly... Rambo just doesn't warrant a full review.
Rambo
3 Stars
I went into this movie with very low expectations. While most recharges of long forgotten 80's franchises have actually done quite well (Freddy vs. Jason, Rocky, Live Free or Die Hard) and impressed the heck out of me, Rambo was one franchise I felt didn't really need a revamp, and wasn't particularly excited to see.
So when my expectations are that low, I wasn't at all surprised when they were met. I was, however, surprised when the flick exceeded them. As a child of the golden age of action, where gratuitous violence and gore reigned supreme, I was pleased that this is a return to form for the now distinctly divided genre. On one end is the dopey, outlandish plot, star driven flick (anything with Vin Diesel), on the other, high brow, character driven, concept action (The Bourne series).
But Rambo is not so much an homage, as it is a memorial to the quality action flicks of the 80's. The villain is that of unimaginable evil (East-Asian warlord). The hero is as mythic as he is brutally compassionate (it's an oxymoron, I know, but it makes sense). The female lead/quasi-love interest is the traditional damsel in distress. And the supporting cast is made up of a rogue's gallery of caricatures and archetypes.
The action, once it starts, is non-stop, with some goofy blood effects, but lots of them. It really could have gone the political route, as it is set during a civil war, but it leaves the politics out, and just goes for the jugular. Literally. John Rambo rips a guy's jugular out of his throat.
At this point, I'm just waiting for the next logical film from Sylvester Stallone: either Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot: Part II or Rocky vs. Rambo.
This ends the review portion of our broadcast.
Now, as an entertainment reporter, and admitted cinephile (it doesn't mean what you think it means you perv), who also happens to have high-speed internet access, I stay pretty up to date with films in production. Sure the occasional one slips through the cracks, but usually I'm pretty up to date on this shit. I've been following the casting of Star Trek since it was announced, and there were rumours of Matt Damon or Nathan Fillion in the role of James T. Kirk (Fillion would have been awesome, but too reminiscent of Cpt. Reynolds).
I've followed movies from production all the way to much delayed release.
But I keep update through various websites. I pretty much live on Apple Trailers, Yahoo! Movies and of course, my homepage, the IMDb. I peruse the myspace from time to time to see what they've got going on over there, hit up studio sites for their in production calenders, and I use other sites.
But this is all to keep me updated on films coming out. I generally have a running list of what's coming this year (I even have a short list of the major 2009 releases I want to see), just so I know what I want to see, and to keep track of production and release dates.
To help pass the savings on to you, every few months I'll post the ones I've got dog-earred. Obviously January has past, but here's a short list for February, March and April.
February:
In Bruges Starring: Colin Farrel, Brenden Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes; Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh. View Trailer Here. February 8th
Charlie Bartlett Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey, Jr. and Hope Davis; Written by Gustin Nash; Directed by Jon Poll. View Trailer Here.February 22nd
March
The Bank Job Starring: Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows; Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais; Directed by Roger Donaldson. View Trailer Here. March 7th
21 Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne and Jim Sturgess; Written by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb; Directed by Robert Luketic. View Trailer Here. March 28th
April
Forgetting Sarah Marshall Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill; Written by Jason Segel; Directed by Nicholas Stoller. View Trailer Here. April 18th
That's a brief look into what's coming up this spring.
Never fear, last week was not the last you had heard from the list. This week is. I'm doing the post-game this week. A few stats and figures.
The list was originally about 400 long, in it's first inception during the summer of '04 I believe. In those four years it's been altered many a time, obviously. The original list was not a ranked list, it was just a list. After about six months, I decided it should be ranked. The first top 10 resembled the current one, though it included the 1931 Dracula. After a while, I deemed it unnecessary to have two films in the top 10 that were essentially different, yet near identical, versions of the same story, with Nosferatu also being based on the story of Dracula. Yes, they are technically two wildly separate and different films, but I couldn't justify both of them being in the top 10. So I went with my favourite of the two, Nosferatu, and the rest is history.
To make it easier on me, I cut 200 films out of the list. And that original list is now lost in memory, as I don't have a back up anywhere. So there it sat. 200 films, the top 20 had since been ranked, and I was making process. Then about... mid last year, I decided "Hey, I'm writing in a blog now, I should do my top 100." So I sliced another hundred out of the list. The original is on this computer still. Then I ranked the back 50. And that brings us to today. The list has been published. Go us!
Just today, I sat down and took a long hard look at the list. I am happy with the list. That doesn't mean it won't change in the future. I still haven't decided if I want any 2007 flicks in the list, (Zodiac, No Country for Old Men and Sunshine are strong contenders). And there are plenty of classics I have yet to see.
It was criminal that I didn't have any foreign, non-english films on the list, so I may add in a few of those. Don't know why I would forget them in the first place.
And who knows... someone may come out with a flick in the future that just blows me away. Cloverfield was amazing. Not Top 100 amazing... but damn close.
Just so you know...
an * denotes inclusion of trilogies
The actors with the most films on the list: Al Pacino and Harrison Ford* with 4 each. Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey, Michael J. Fox*, Christopher Lloyd* and Elliot Gould with 3 each.
The actresses with the most films on the list: Uma Thurman, Cate Blanchett* and Lea Thompson* with 3 each. Diane Keaton, Julia Roberts and Carrie Anne Moss with 2 each.
The directors with the most films on the list: Quentin Tarantino, Frank Capra, Sidney Lumet and Stanley Kubrick with 4 each. Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson* and Robert Zemeckis* with 3 each.
Alright peeps... that's alls I gots for you now.
Next week... keep an eye out for reviews for Rambo, a somewhat similar data list, and a top 10 list from someone who isn't me.
But before I start, you led a good life, Heath. It took me while to warm up to you, and I'm going to miss what you could have given us in the future. You had an immense and dynamic talent that was just starting to show. But your swan song looks phenomenal. To you, Joker/Skip/Ennis/Casanova/Patrick/Heath Ledger, I raise my glass.
<.moment of silence><./moment>
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
3.5 Stars
Sweeney Todd is a conundrum of a movie. And sad as it is to say, I have to use a Simon Cowell quote on this one: “Yeah it was good, but so what?” Tim Burton, you’re a one trick pony whose trick is getting very old.
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) was a happily married man with a beautiful baby daughter and a nice little barber shop. Until the jealous Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) decides he should have Barker’s wife for himself, and forces Barker into exile. Sixteen years later, Barker, now calling himself Sweeney Todd, returns from Australia, only to learn that his wife is dead and his daughter now the charge of Turpin. Todd and his meat pie shop running land-lady Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) hatch a plan to lure Turpin to the new barber shop on the second floor of the pie shop, where they will kill and cook him for her pies. Subplot being that the sailor Todd sailed with from Australia, a young man named Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower) has fallen instantly and madly in love with Johanna (Jayne Weisner), who just so happens to be Turpin’s charge, a.k.a. Barker’s daughter. What a small world we live in. Even smaller by 18th century standards. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, it’s a bloody musical. Literally, bloody. One of the goriest musicals I’ve ever seen.
Here’s the thing. Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) has always been a master of the visually beautiful, yet mostly macabre comedies. Sweeny Todd is definitely the perfect fit for Tim. But there in lies the problem. That’s pretty much all he can do. The man has no range. While one could argue, that he’s found his voice, there are plenty of directors out there who have found their voice. And their voice isn’t as mono-tonal as the love child of Steven Wright and Ben Stein.Spielberg is one. While there are certain thematic elements that remain constant in his films, his “trademarks” if you will, I ask you, would you guess that E.T. and Saving Private Ryan were made by the same person?
That’s because he has range.He can explore his own boundaries as a film maker. Burton pretty much refuses to move outside his comfort zone. So while he is a decent and competent director, he isn’t that dynamic. It brings me back to my first point… It was good, but so what? It’s the same thing we’ve been seeing from him for the past twenty years.
Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), on the other hand, continues to explore his bounds as an actor. It was his first singing role and he nailed it with perfection. I had my doubts, not that I didn’t think Depp could do it, it’s just, he’s never struck me as a singer. There were times when his vocal characterization of Todd was very reminiscent of Cpt. Jack Sparrow. Though I suppose when you play characters of the same era and similar geographic backgrounds, that’s bound to happen.
Where would this film be without the outstanding supporting cast? I don’t know, but probably with less stars in this review and even less awards. Bonham Carter (Fight Club) was fantastic as the daft Mrs. Lovett, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolutely fantastic performance of young newcomer Ed Sanders (literally nothing, this was his first film) as the orphan Toby, who was a hawker for Sacha Baron Cohen’s (Borat) Adolfo Pirelli wonderful hair growth elixir, and became a worker in the meat pie shop. He was fantastic, holding his on against both Cohen and Depp, two of the finest actors in today’s market.
While this film was entertaining, and gloriously gory, I fail to find the true ingenuity in seeing the same thing over and over. My plea to Tim Burton: there’s this thing called the box, and there’s a big wide world of filmmaking outside of it… check it out sometime.
CNN is reporting that actor Heath Ledger, star of Brokeback Mountain, Lords of Dogtown, 10 Things I Hate About You and the upcoming The Dark Knight was found dead at 3:30 today in his New York City apartment.
It truly is a loss for the acting community, as Ledger was just coming into his own as one of the more talented, versatile, dynamic and fearless actors of his generation.
New review, and since it's Cloverfield, and since J.J. Abrams gave us the teaser at the start of the movie, I AM posting the teaser for Star Trek at the end. So here it is!
Cloverfield
5 Stars
The first film of the year worth seeing, and goddamn is it worth seeing. Featuring a cast of young actors of no particular importance, and directed by Matt Reeves, who’s been making a name for himself directing TV shows for the past 14 years, this J.J. Abrams produced monster movie is the stuff horror junkies and film nerds salivate over. Luckily for you, I’m somewhat both.
Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) just took a high level corporate position in Japan, so his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), best friend Hud (T.J. Miller) and Jason’s girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) throw him a going away party, with Hud filming it all for posterity. Through both the on camera interviews Hud performs, and cut-aways to what was previously on the tape, we find out that there is complicated history between Rob and Beth (Odette Yustman).Then the power starts to flicker and the building quakes. The party guests head up to the roof to check things out, and notice explosions off in the New York City skylline.They head down to the street, and that’s when they figure out what’s going on. A monster is attacking New York City. What ensues is a panic enduced thrill ride that is as entertaining as it is gripping.
A cast of mostly unknowns was the best route to go for Abrams (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) and crew to go, as anybody registering any amount of star power would have seriously detracted from the film. I mean, the most recognizable face for the mainstream movie-going public is Lizzy Caplan as Marlena, and she was was Janis Ian in Mean Girls. As previously stated, the lack of highly recognizable faces made for a more engrossing film experience.We were able to believe that these were actual people in this actual situation. Granted as believable as a monster who lay dormant in the northern Atlantic for 1000’s of years waking up and attacking a major metropolitan city can be. But they put me there.
The biggest asset this film had going for it was the handheld camera direction. It obviously is drawing comparison to 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, but the comparisons end at character P.O.V. direction. Where Blair Witch Project was presented as a documentary, viewing the action from a third person perspective, in Cloverfield, we’re given the first person perspective. Hud is filming the party which leads us to the attack. We’re given the obvious yet necessary explanitory exchange where Rob asks if he’s still filming, to which Hud responds, “Yeah, people are gonna want to know, how it all went down.” It’s a blatent deus ex machina, but without it we’re left wondering why these 20-somethings are still filming.
But that device of presenting in first person is precisely what makes this such an effective thriller. We’re experiencing exactly what the characters are, and subsequently can sympathize. We’re given fleeting hints at the monster throughout the film, sort of a Jaws-ian move to not reveal the monster till the third act, which heightens the suspense throughout the film, and adds to the shock, awe and horror of the revelation towards the end.
And the end. The end is one of the more satisfying endings I’ve ever seen. I promise not to reveal the end, but rest assured, it does not disappoint. It is precisely how they should have ended it.
Abrams and crew created the perfect monster/horror flick to kick off 2008, and if this is any indication of what he can do, I can wait till he closes out the year with Star Trek.
Here's the teaser:
Before I get to that, if you're wondering about the cast:
Kirk- Chris Pine (Smokin' Aces) Spock- Zachary Quinto (Heroes) Scotty- Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) Sulu- John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) Uhura- Zoe Saldana (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) McCoy- Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings) Chekov- Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog) Pike- Bruce Greenwood (National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets) Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, Leonard Nimoy and Jennifer Morrison also star.
And a-now, the end is near. And so I face, the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
Had throw a little Sinatra in there. It's the last of the list. I'm done after this. It's over. Game over, man. Game over. Not totally. Just for this mini-series of lists. I'll still have reviews and lists and essays coming at you on a regular basis.
BUT THIS IS IT MAN! The Top 10! My Brett Favre list. Last week was Aaron Rodgers. Now it's the big cheese.
I'm not gonna get all flowery with the intro. I'm cuttin' to the damn chase. So drum roll please...
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada It would be cool if I had video of Letterman doing this. dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada!
10) The Shawshank Redemption What a powerhouse this was. Both Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were hitting their stride. Frank Darabont took a Stephen King novella of not particular grandeur and made it an epic character piece. This is the Morgan Freeman that I like, and remember. It was him narrating before it was a cliche for him to narrate. And Robbins, well I like him because he is a consummate professional. There's really two movies here. One about Robbins' Andy, and one about Freeman's Red. Both are exceptional, and both work together to make one of the finest damn movies this world has ever seen. It's too bad that it lost the '94 Best Picture Oscar to... Forrest Gump? Don't get me wrong, Forrest Gump, good movie. But over Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption AND Quiz Show? That was 1976 all over again when All The President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver all lost to... Rocky?! This film has stood the test of time, despite being given basically free reign over TNT's airwaves for the past 14 years. I can sit down and watch it and be just as moved as I was the first time. Standing Ovation!a (there's gonna be 9 more.)
9) Jaws Hands down one of the scariest films ever made. Spielberg exploded onto the scene, combining new school film-making with old school story telling. It's the first of the $100 million blockbusters, and launched a new era in film making, but it pays a wonderful homage to Hitchcockian suspense building. We never see the shark till, well, the clip that I show (thank fucking christ I found that precise clip). The cast, Spielberg, John Williams, hell even the shark, all cemented their places in pop culture history with this film. It's terrifying, it's beautiful, it's mesmerizing- it's an original. Standing Ovation!
8) Rear Window And this is what I was talking about. Hitchcockian suspense. At it's finest. Not known for cutting corners, Hitchcock was meticulous. So meticulous, in fact, that that entire city block those apartments sit on was built on a sound stage. So precise, that to add to the suspense, we only got to see that what Jimmy Stewart's L.B. Jefferies sees. Especially the beautiful Grace Kelly. Way to go Jimmy. It's very niiice. It's a taught thriller that builds tension through seclusion, isolation and imagination- yours and his. Rear Window is one of the most fascinating films ever made, I could literally watch it over and over. But I don't. I don't have that kind of free time. Standing Ovation!
7) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Graunes The scariest film ever made. F.W. Murnau is a visual master who set the stage for future greats like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero and John Carpenter. Looking at it from today's perspective, you can watch this film, and see the future of horror, indeed the future of cinema in this film. It's a beautiful piece of work. that can't be denied. Max Schreck's characterization of the frighteningly daft vampire Nosferatu is the stuff nightmares are made of. Standing Ovation!
6) The Godfather: Part II Al Pacino. Robert De Niro. Robert Duvall. Diane Keaton. Lee Strasberg. Cameos by Marlon Brando and James Caan. The talent alone is enough to make any cine-phile cream their jeans, but Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's adaptation of Puzo's novel is really where it's at. The novel was so hugely massive that they had to split it up into two films. A bulk of the story is in the first one, but the rest and more was put into The Godfather II. We get a compelling look into the parallels and the stark differences between Michael and Vito's respective rises to power. It's an amazing film that everyone needs to view at least once in their life. Standing Ovation!
5) Donnie Darko It's completely twisted, completely complicated, but ultimately the one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Richard Kelly rules all with his debut feature film that put Jake Gyllenhaal on the map. It delves into the interesting psychosis of a young man facing the ultimate decision of sacrifice and redemption. Not to mention the added bonus of a completely intricate time travel sub-plot. It'll take a few viewings for it to fully sink in... but once it does, it'll blow your mind. Standing Ovation!
SPOILER ALERT! So... it is the end scene, but I don't think you really can get spoiled because you need to see the whole film... plus it doesn't really give anything away.
4) Sin City Robert Rodriguez essentially created a beautiful new era of film making when he shot his all digital opus Sin City. Taking everything Lucas had been doing for the past 10 years, and then actually doing it with style and talent, Rodriguez is able to elicit some stand-out performances from actors who are performing in front of mostly green screen sets, and without the actors they're in the scene with. That's right. There's a scene between Marv (Mickey Rourke) and Nancy (Jessica Alba), and the two characters do appear on screen together, but it was originally shot with just Alba, then shot again with just Rourke. It's seamless, you can't tell. It was modern-noir at it's best, and gloriously gory. Standing Ovation!
3) It's A Wonderful Life And it's a wonderful film, too. Every great filmmaker has that one film which defines their career, and this is Frank Capra's. He's done a multitude of great films, but this is HIS. My biggest interest in films in general comes from the development of characters. And George Baily is one of the most fascinating, relatable characters ever put to film. High ideals mixed with personal obligations, everybody has at some point felt like George. They sacrifice and sacrifice and ask "where's mine?" when they're tired of the sacrifice. It's an inspirational film, that isn't so much a holiday film, just a film that takes place during the holidays. Jimmy Stewart was at the top of his game, and the film is only enhanced by the supporting cast also at the top of their game. From Donna Reed to Lionel Barrymore to Henry Travers, all were never better. Standing Ovation!
2) Pulp Fiction Ever since I saw Pulp Fiction when I was, maybe 14, I knew that this was the film to like. There is something about it. The retro 70's feel of the film, the hip dialog, the plentiful but just this side of gratuitous violence, the unconventional story telling. It's all perfectly put together with fantastic performances from Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel and Eric Stoltz. Tarantino made his statement with Reservoir Dogs, but it's Pulp Fiction that's his landmark. His peak. Not to say everything since has been shit. It's all been great. But it will be hard for him to top Pulp Fiction.
1) The Godfather It's number one. With a bullet. It, to me, is the perfect film. It doesn't suffer the trappings of many longer films, and that is pacing problems. Francis Ford Coppola perfectly laid out the most epic of crime sagas with the most fantastic of casts. There's multiple stories being told, but Coppola never overextends the bounds of the film. It's about the family, and that's what we're told. Only towards the end does it shift focus to the main thrust of the franchise- Al Pacino's Michael Corleone. Powerful, gut-wrenching, emotional, violent and moody, it's the perfect film. Everybody needs to see it. Now. Right now. Go. Now. Rent it. Standing Ovation!
So that's it. That's my top 10. Of all time. EVAR!
Sorry it's late, I've had an interesting weekend. This week I'll have a post-game wrap up of the list, and a few reviews (FINALLY Sweeny Todd and also Cloverfield. Little forecast on that, it's the best film of '08, not saying much at this point, but I predict it staying near the top all year)
Have a good Sunday! Go Pack Go. Tom Brady's a douche bag.
As many of you very well know, we're in the final week of my epic-miniseries chronicling my Top 100 Favourite Films of all time.
And because of the holiday season and other stuff that popped up, I have a few of those Top 5 supplemental lists still laying around, waiting to be posted. So to speed things up, I'm posting 2 lists in one today. Awesome for you, right?
Right.
Here we go
Top 5 Action Films
5) The Matrix It became the gold standard for parody, but take yourself back to when it first came out. This flick was fuckin' mind-blowing. I remember watching it for the first time and being left speechless. Who knew, that a guns/kung fu movie, could be that damn smart and intricate and philosophical? It's surprisingly deep for an action flick, and has unfortunately been parodied and copied so many times that it became a cliche. But you have to take yourself back to when it first came out. Before the subsequent hype. That's the Matrix I remember, and love.
4) Heat Featuring the legendary first meeting of Pacino and De Niro on screen (this is the first film where they actually share a scene), this is one of the finest crafted films of the 90's. Michael Mann has a knack for making action important and compelling, rather than "Hey, let's just blow shit up for 2 hours and call it a day." He also has interesting plots, instead of ridiculous ones. And the actors he scores... damn! First Pacino and De Niro, then Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, William Fichtner and Dennis Haysbert. DAMN!
3) The Great Escape As if it didn't already register a 10 on the cool meter for Steve McQueen alone, they had to add James Garner, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. This clip here is more than enough proof of it's bad ass-itude.
2) Terminator 2: Judgment Day One of the few sequels that is vastly superior to it's original. James Cameron was really coming into his own as an edgier, darker version of Spielberg (this is pre-Titanic). It had been 7 years since the first one, so Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger (seriously, try spelling that without looking it up) each had time to mature, cash in on the fame from the first one and hone their craft. And it was just this perfect film. It was one of the first to mesh old school film-making and the new school technology. I have the 2.5 hour extended cut, and every minute of it is riveting. It's a fantastic film.
1) Die Hard I've already posted plenty about this flick. Go back to my 11-20 list, or my Holiday list, twisted edition. But I will give you this very funny Die Hard parody from the hilarious and criminally underrated Ben Stiller Show.
Top 5 Silent Films
5) The Great Train Robbery You could call me out on this one, as it's not a feature film. But come on. It's essentially the first film. At 12 minutes long, it is THE landmark of cinema. And luckily, I can present the whole thing.
4) Metropolis Set the gold standard for sci-fi for years to come (sad as it is to say, pretty much till George "I'm a whore" Lucas made Star Wars). Fritz Lange gave us a stark, bleak, dystopian vision that went unparalleled until Ridley Scott's opus Blade Runner.
3) The General See, I could put both Chaplin and Keaton on this list, not worry about it, and call it a day. But unfortunately the other 4 entrants meant that I could only put one on, and Keaton's The General is just so damn funny, and so damn good. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp all owe a great deal to Keaton, he created and perfected that physical comedy they have used in their films.
2) Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. The original horror/thriller. Robert Wiene does such an amazing job with tone and pacing. To this day it's an effective film. Anybody who isn't affected by this is missing something in their head.
1) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Graunes The scariest film ever made. F.W. Murnau is a visual master who set the stage for future greats like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero and John Carpenter. Looking at it from today's perspective, you can watch this film, and see the future of horror, indeed the future of cinema in this film. It's a beautiful piece of work. that can't be denied.
Finally, at long last... or after 2 weeks of waiting, at least, here it is. The top 10 films of 2007. I waited long enough for Sweeny Todd. Though knowing my luck, as soon as I post this, I'm going to cruise over to Carmike's website and BAM! it's playing up here. Oh well... if the list needs changing, then I'll change it. But out of the 43 different releases I saw this past year, these 10 are the 10 best, as I saw it. Oh... and I'm all tapped out with synopsis (I think that's the plural) as I'm diverting all that energy to the Top 100 list I'm doing. So you'll have to take my word for it, and settle for the trailer.
10) Gone Baby Gone
9) Charlie Wilson's War
8) Hot Fuzz
7) Juno
6) Knocked Up
5) 3:10 to Yuma
4) 300
3) Planet Terror/Death Proof (Grindhouse)
2) Zodiac
1) No Country for Old Men
There it is. Top 10 of 2007. Go rent/see what you can. If they aren't available in a theatre or rental store near you, then just bide your time, they will be soon.
And so it is, we have approached the Top 20. After this, there's only 10 more films. The TOP 10. The most important 10. My 10 favourite films... OF ALL TIME! But that's next week. THIS week, however, we have the... second place of top 10 lists. The 11-20. If any of the main Top 10 got injured, one from this list would step in. It's my second string Top 10. It's my Aaron Rodgers to the Brett Farve of the Top 10.
So here it is... the Aaron Rodgers list....
20) Fight Club I mentioned this film, if you remember, in conjunction with my number 45 film, Office Space. I said it was a socially relevant film. And I stand by that. It gave a voice to the problem of "You're a white, suburban male, what could you possibly have to be depressed about?" That's what we have. The lack of sympathy. The feeling that no one is there to listen to us when we do have a problem. And this movie exemplified that growing frustration among the white, middle-class. They're only outlet was purposeful and accepted violence amongst themselves. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt cemented themselves as two of the most fascinating actors going into the new millennium with Helena Bonham Carter coming along as a rising star, a fast one at that.
SPOILER ALERT! This clip contains hints and clues at the twist ending. If you are one of the three people in the world who has not seen this flick, and don't want the ending spoiled, don't play the clip.
19) Die Hard If the 80's mainstream cinema is to be remembered for one thing... it's probably John Hughes. But if it's to be remembered for two things, that second one is the golden era of action films. And penultimate action hero/film of all time has to be Bruce Willis' John McClane in Die Hard. More than just your brainless actioner that we had previously seen with Robocop, They Live, First Blood and The Terminator (the second one is where that franchise is at), Willis brings a sense of urgency, heart and humanity to the action hero. He's not this muscle bound war hero, impervious to pain, like others. He's just a guy in a little over his head, trying to save his wife so they can have a good Christmas with the kids. It's gritty, stripped down, raw and visceral, everything that it's predecessors wanted to be, and everything it's followers tried to be. This was the peak of of classic action.
18) Ocean's Eleven Despite being a huge Sinatra fan, I have to place the Clooney remake on the list. Why? It surpasses the original. It's its own movie. And goddamn is it cool. It is the most fun I've had watching a movie, because you can tell onscreen that the actors had fun making the movie. They're love for what they were doing elevated the overall feel of the film. And with the three leads (Clooney, Pitt and Damon) all really hitting their stride with this film, it's a glorious glimpse into what is to come for the next several years. What amazing films those three have done since. The whole cast is spot on perfect, even Julia Roberts, who I've never really been a fan of. It's cool, hip, funny, thrilling... I'm running out of adjectives. It's just... DAMN what a great film. And the music! Oh god the music!
17) Citizen Kane The AFI named it the number 1 best American film ever made. And technically speaking, it most likely is. I think it's wonderfully directed, acted, written, all that. But this is a list of my 100 favourite, not best, so it can't take the number 1 slot. But like I said, everything about this is spot on. And when you consider that Orson Welles was only 25 when he wrote, directed and starred in the grand epic, scoring Oscar nominations for each endeavour. It's the film that overcame all the odds to become considered one of the finest films ever made, and it's just as compelling today as it was 67 years ago.
16) American History X It's one of only two films that I consider a necessary viewing. To a more graphic and disturbing extent than Fight Club, it explores the white man's frustration, and the damage that can do if left unchecked. It's a striking look into the world of racism, but more importantly, it's a story of redemption. Superbly acted by all involved, including stars Edward Norton and Edward Furlong, and supporting players Elliot Gould, Ethan Suplee and Avery Brooks. It's one of the more intense films I've ever seen, and one that certainly should be shown to kids, but must be shown to kids, as it does drive home the point that hate and racism and intolerance is a damaging force in our society.
SPOILER ALERT! This is the end scene from the film. It's the summation, so that's why I chose it, but again, if you have yet to see the film, and don't want it spoiled for you, don't watch the clip.
15) Requiem For A Dream The second of my two "must view" films. What "Scared Straight" did for juvenile delinquents, this film will do for kids and drugs. Seriously, you want your kids to stay away from drugs, any kind, from the Tony Montana/cocaine snorting to the Jessie Spano/pill popping, show them this movie. And they will be terrified of drugs. Darren Aronofsky creates a beautifully disturbing take on the drug culture. Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayanes are all strikingly poignant in their portrayals of different kinds of addicts, and showing the lengths and depths at which they will go to score their next fix. See this movie. Show it to your kids.
SPOILER ALERT! Sorry for all the "end scenes", but: a) They're easier to find and b) they're better clips.
14) Clerks. Kevin Smith, along with two other filmmakers who we will see later, are the three reasons that I like film. I credit them with my love film. Sure my parents had me watching old films as a kid, so it's kinda been something I've always been interested in. But after seeing the films of Kevin Smith, I decided that I wanted to make film, my life. In some way, shape or form, cinema was going to be my life. And Clerks started it all. I saw this movie when I was... 13 or 14, and I was blown away that there could be dialog this whip smart, vulgar and all around cool. And what makes it all the better, is that it's Kevin Smith's film. He made it. He got the funding together, cast it, wrote it, shot it, chopped it, what have you, he made it. It is his film. It was my first experience with indie-films. And even though as a kid I was accustomed to high budget, dazzling production value, what blew me away was the simplicity. It was simple, but profoundly amazing. A statement that Smith was here, and he's making films on his terms. I can't think of a better debut film, thank you Kevin Smith.
13) Casablanca As stated earlier this week, it's the perfect love story. You can't get any better. It has all the elements. Handsome man, beautiful woman, heartbreak, alcohol, a piano, Nazis. It's got everything a love story needs. But above all that, it's just a damn fine film. Bogart was at the top of his game at this point and this is just one of many films that go in the pantheon of great Bogey performances. Bergman was as beautiful as ever. And the song. "As Time Goes By". What a great song. It's such a beautiful film. Curl up with your woman and watch this flick.
12) Beauty and the Beast Yeah, I'm a guy, and I put the Disney Beauty and the Beast at number 12 of my top 100 list. Fuck you, it's a great film. This film represents the pinnacle of what can be done with animation. It trumps the 3D computer animation of Pixar and Dreamworks and what not. That's an advancement of technology. It was natural progression. Sure it can animate faster and a better quality, but essentially, last year's Ratatouille isn't a giant leap forward from 1995's Toy Story. But the traditional hand drawn style coupled with computer imaging for 1991's Beauty and the Beast is just beautiful. Couple that with a classic but lovable love story and hilarious secondary characters make for a classic film. This is the best Disney has to offer, and the best animation has to offer. I mean... just look at the grand sweeping camera shots in this sequence. What craftsmanship.
11) Dazed and Confused If you've ever had a conversation with me, you know precisely how much I love this film. Fascinating characters, superb plotline. It is so much more than a teen movie (a genre in which this is the best), more than a coming of age film, it is a film about life. It just happens to center around teens in the late 70's. And was there a better time to grow up? No. I've always felt that I was born about 25 years too late, and this movie exemplifies that. It features a lot of future stars before they were big, and that's when they were good, before their egos outweighed their actual talent (sorry Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck). It is such a fantastic film. Watch it. You'll love it.
One thing people don't realize about your old pal Brodie, is that I have a soft spot. A nice, tender heart. Granted that's encased inside the cold, sarcastic heart of steel everyone knows... but it's still there. And I love a good love story just as much as the next person. So I present you with this... My Top 5 Love Stories (no... Love Story is not on the list)...
5) It Happened One Night In Frank Capra's pitch perfect It Happened One Night, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert (no relation to Stephen) is the first screwball comedy, and one of the top road comedies, but above it all, it's a romance. The mismatched duo on the road, one a spoiled heiress fed up with her silver spoon, the other a dashing out of work reporter, having found the story that may put him on the map. They teach each other about life and love and all that. Sure, 74 years later, it's a cliche. But in 1934, it's brilliant and heartwarming. Look at it in context, and you'll see that it's one of the finest love stories ever told.
4) The Princess Bride This made a previous appearance on my "Top 5 Comedies", but you know what, because of that comedy it also works as a glorious love story. Who knew that such an outrageously hilarious tale could also be one of the most beautiful love stories. And it starred Peter Falk! Not as the love birds, that honour went to Cary Elwes and Robin Wright (before she added the Penn). There's something Disney-esque and romantic to their love, but it calls back to a time when Disney was good. I know the clip I chose is the marriage to the evil prince, but it's such a good scene, and the interspersed scenes of Westley trying to get to his beloved Buttercup, despite the fact that he had just been "nearly dead" earlier that day, is all the proof you need to know the two were meant for each other.
3) Say Anything... Cameron Crowe's directorial debut is a painful reminder of the heartbreak that comes along with true love, but a joyous reminder that if it's meant to be, it will persevere. Thanks to John Cusack's performance as Lloyd Dobbler, the film gave hope and inspiration to "nice guys" everywhere. What clip do you think I chose? The boom-box scene, that's right. Why? It's perfect.
2) Love Actually So, I'm one of the few straight guys I know who actually loves this movie (no pun intended), so I'm in somewhat of a minority here. But, it's such beautiful film because it shows multiple relationships, multiple facets to a relationship, all the bullshit that one goes through for someone they love, it's just magnificent. And it's a Christmas film to boot. This was my favourite story line, between Jamie and Aurelia (Colin Firth and Lucia Moniz). It's a bit choppy, because they cut out scenes involving other characters. But the important part is intact. It's so beautiful that they learned each other's language, and it's even better that they completely butcher it. But you can't help but love it. All the stories are great, but this one is by far the best.
1) Casablanca What can be said about Casablanca in 2008 that hasn't been said in the past 66 years? Nothing really. Tis an beautiful film about love lost and love redeemed. It shows that true love never dies, even if she's with another guy. You see Rick's (Bogart at his finest) torment over having Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman, at HER finest) walk back into his life, giving us the classic line "of all the gin joints in all the world." And is there any more perfect song than "As Time Goes By"? I think not.
Here's Juno. Charlie Wilson's War to follow soon enough.
Juno
4.5 Stars
Drawing some warranted comparisons to June’s Knocked Up in it’s addressing of an unwanted pregnancy, Juno differs in its more delicate handling of the subject matter, and by looking at it through the scope of the woman’s eyes. It’s just as whip-smart funny, but holds off on the vulgar, to create a touching, poignant and often times hilarious take on teenage pregnancy.
After a random tryst with her maybe boyfriend (the official status of their relationship isn’t made entirely clear from the get go), 16-year-old Juno (Ellen Page) keeps turning up positive on the three pregnancy tests she commandeers from a local mini-mart. As one can imagine, it’s not exactly the most welcome news for her, her parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) or Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), the aforementioned boyfriend. In fact, the only people who seem to get a kick out of it are her best friend Leah (Olivia Thilby) and the couple who has their hopes set on adopting Juno’s baby, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). Juno just wants to get the thing over with so she can go on with her life. But the bonds she forms with both her parents and the Lorings make the ordeal into something more than she can probably handle.
As Juno, 20-year-old Ellen Page (X-Men: The Last Stand), is able to step away from playing the stereotypical pregnant woman in distress and bring a fascinating third dimension to, and I say this with all due respect Katherine Heigl, as she was very good in her film, a character type who is generally relegated to stereotypes, that of a single, pregnant female. Some of the more die hard of film buffs took notice of young Ellen two years ago in Hard Candy, but with the critical attention she’s getting with this film, and her growing fan base, she should have no trouble making the transition from indie darling to big time leading lady. I would love to see that happen, as she’s a very talented young woman who has a knack for picking good scripts.
To help her bring this script alive, she has an amazing supporting cast, and this film would be lost without them. Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) plays the unsure, nervous boyfriend to perfection and his own “aw shucks” sweetly, naïve personality lends itself to the character just magnificently. Simmons (Spider-Man 1-3, The Closer) finally finds THE role. He’ll always be remembered for his work in the Spider-Man franchise, but this is the role he was meant to play. The only way it would have been a more perfect fit for him is if the film was based on a true story, and he was the actual guy the story was based on.
Director Jason Reitman (son of Ivan Reitman) made an impact with his 2005 feature film debut Thank You for Smoking and continues his impressive declaration that he is his own talent, as opposed to making it big by name dropping his dad. He’s got immeasurable chops and I can’t wait to see his future works, of which there aren’t any currently in the works.
But let’s give credit where credit is due: rookie screenwriter Diablo Cody. She crafted an engrossing tale of teenage angst, minus all the mindless trappings and clichés that accompany your typical 21st century teen angst film. She threw in some fascinating layers to each of the characters, hinting at them through out the script, but never making the mistake of delving too far into them. After all, the movie is called Juno for a reason, it’s about Juno. It’s not about Mike and Vanessa, or Paulie and Leah, or Mac and Bren (Juno’s parents). It’s about Juno, and that’s the thrust, but each character is given a rich and interesting backstory we only get glimpses of. And I want to commend her for exploring the issue of abortion in a very tactful and non-political way. Had she handled the issue wrong, it could have set the wrong tone for the film, but she handled it in a very mature manner.
The only real drawback is the sometimes overtly and overly trite and contrived “hipster” jargon. The dialog approaches near Dawson’s Creek-ian levels of pretentiousness and unbelievability for high school students. Is she hinting that they are smarter than we give them credit for? And if so, why does Leah provide us with one of the more cringe-worthy pieces of dialog in recent cinematic history with “Swear to blog?” Get it? Swear to blog? Blog in place of god. I don’t get it either. I’m five years removed from high school. Is this how they talk now a days? OH! And what the hell is with these indie movies trying to out do each other with finding the most obscure indie artists for the characters to be huge fans of? Fuck you, I know I ended that on a preposition. But let’s face it. Kamya Dawson… sucks.
Aside from those minor annoyances, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this film and its characters.
Bueno news for you all. We're closing in on the Top 20 Films. AND, I have no more last minute additions. So the math all adds up now. Good times had by all.
So here we go... 30-21.
30) 28 Days Later... Danny Boyle fuses the perfect collaboration of horror film and social commentary. But he succeeds where most others have failed. It's relevant, poignant, meaningful and effective. Taking the old standard of the zombie movie, and equating it to modern times in two separate ways. One: by making it a pandemic, which is medically and scientifically possible. (In fact, Read this article for an in-depth analysis of how a zombie invasion could plausibly happen.) Two: Rage. We live in a wound up world, where there's air rage, road rage, phone rage, work rage, everything rage. It's perfect. And the scares are never cheap, and dialog never cheesy. And the climactic scene forces you to come to a disturbing realization. Watch the whole movie to get the full context... but this scene is just beautiful.
29) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Easily one of the most beautiful love stories ever told. It poses the question of fate and how it affects the lives of everyone around you. Yet also addresses the age old question, if you could erase your painful memories, would you? Jim Carrey gives the performance of his career, one that he had been gearing up for since The Truman Show, and is the perfect opposite for Kate Winslet in exceptionally bizarre form. Tom Wilkinson, Marc Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and a post Lord of the Rings Elijah Wood keep us grounded in the real world while we're exploring the inner workings of Carrey's mind. Michel Gondry gives us a visual treat while working from Charlie Kaufman's mind-bending script.
28) Field of Dreams One of a few films to make me cry, Field of Dreams is not just about baseball. It's about that special bond fathers and sons share through baseball. It's about the classic sense of the American Dream, paying homage to a simpler time, back when the American Dream meant something. Kevin Costner before he became the biggest movie star in the world gives a touching performance as a confused man, guided by a mysterious voice in a corn field, just wanting to reconnect with his father, who has unfortunately passed. Scott Ian of metal band Anthrax said it best: "If you don't cry after watching Field of Dreams, then you have ice in your veins."
27) Almost Famous A sweet, endearing, sentimental look at when rock was good: mid-70's. Cameron Crowe's mostly-autobiographical look at a young man's tour with an up and coming rock band as a guest writer for Rolling Stone magazine. Billy Crudup scores as the enigmatic, charismatic frontman of Stillwater, and Kate Hudson makes us wonder, what the hell happened to her as she showed so much promise, but has done nothing but bubbly rom-coms for the past 8 years. Crowe's talent for honest writing shows through in his best script since 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And can this guy put together a soundtrack or what?
26) A Night at The Opera I'm feeling particularly lazy today, so I'll just repost what I said yesterday BUT with a different clip: You can make a case for just about any one of their films. From Duck Soup to Animal Crackers to A Day at the Races, they're all classics. But my personal favourite is A Night at the Opera. It's got classic site gags, amazing physical comedy and some of the best one liners ever put to film. It's classic. I unfortunately have to use the same clip, as the poster of my first choice had his damn YouTube account suspended. Jerk.
25) Blazing Saddles When asked to play The Waco Kid, John Wayne said this to Mel Brooks: "Naw, I can't do a movie like that but I'll be first in line to see it!" Thankfully he turned it down, because the teaming of Gene Wilder (as The Kid) and Cleavon Little is priceless, and is one of the greatest comedy duos in cinematic history. Meshing the sublime and the ridiculous, mostly ridiculous, Brooks' classic send up of the most beloved genre of the time will keep you laughing from start to finish, and it has great repeatability. DIFFERENT CLIP THAN YESTERDAY!
24) JFK Oliver Stone takes a good, hard look at the JFK assassination and alleged conspiracy through the eyes of the only man ever to bring someone to trial in connection with the assassination, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, grippingly played by Kevin Costner. Stone takes some artistic license, but one must keep in mind that while it heavily relies on facts, it is still a work of fiction. It's one of the more ambitious films ever made, with every detail painstakingly recreated, even if it never showed on screen for more than a matter of seconds. And at 3.5 hours, the director's cut is the version to watch. Good for the politically minded, and the conspiracy enthusiasts in us all. Not to mention the all star cast.
23) Memento Christopher Nolan, is perhaps the most engaging filmmaker of the new millennium. Watch one of his films, be it Memento, The Prestige or Batman Begins. It's hard to describe exactly how it works, as I don't think a word or phrase exists to describe it, but the way he crafts his films, really puts you in with the character. He has this way about him, and I wish there was a simple way to describe it so you could see what I'm trying to say. But in Memento, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has lost his short term memory, and can only remember things for 5-10 minutes at a time, unless he writes it down or takes a picture. What we're given is a gripping, edgy thriller that is told backwards, scene by scene, in 5-10 minute bursts, so we're right there with Leonard, not knowing what comes next. Or, not knowing what just happened. It's confusing, but the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning and if you have the collector's edition DVD, you can actually go through and watch it put into correct chronological order.
22) 12 Angry Men Sidney Lumet (again) directs his masterpiece. It's also his feature film debut. But he comes out in force to make the film that set the standard for all courtroom dramas, and that's a bar that has yet to be topped. He pulls a Hitchcock and shoots the entire thing in the jury room, giving you that added sense of claustrophobia, heightening the tensions among the men, and subsequently the audience. Henry Fonda gives a stand-out performance as the compassionate Juror number 8, standing up to 11 other men and the bull dog of Lee J. Cobb's Juror number 3.
21) All the President's Men The gold standard for political thrillers, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman expertly portray Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they try to uncover the greatest presidential scandal in history. And of course it took Redford and Hoffman to make journalists interesting. It's a fascinating look into history, and it's a wonderfully compelling tale that is honestly the precursor to The X-Files. You want to sit on the edge of your seat with one of the finest films of the 70's? Look no further than All The President's Men.
So that's it.... 30-21. See you next week with 11-20.
Happy New Year to you all, and welcome, to the first official movie blog of 2008. Well, at least the first entry in MY blog. I was going to go with a Top 10 of 2007 list, but that list isn't complete yet. How is the list not complete when we are currently 3 days out of 2007? Well, here's the thing about the theatres up here. If it's an indie flick, it probably won't get released up here until about a month after it gets released everywhere else in the known world. So I was waiting till I got word on Juno and Sweeney Todd before I made my final list. So I'm going to see Juno, I'll finally get to Charlie Wilson's War, and word is still pending on Sweeney Todd. Hopefully by next week I'll have a final list. But rest assured it's a good list. I also want to see No Country For Old Men again. And I'll get a review out for it this time. I didn't get one out last time, because I just plain old forgot and then it left my immediate memory. But it was good.
Anywho... today's post. Top 5 Comedies, a supplemental list to my on going Top 100 Favourites.
5) A Night at the Opera
If you were to make a list of the Top Comedy Films of All Time, and you did NOT include a Marx Brothers film, your list would be incomplete. You can make a case for just about anyone of their films. From Duck Soup to Animal Crackers to A Day at the Races, they're all classics. But my personal favourite is A Night at the Opera. It's got classic site gags, amazing physical comedy (as seen in the clip) and some of the best one liners ever put to film. It's classic.
4) The Princess Bride Such a brilliant lampoon of fairy tale romances. The humour is in it's subtlety. It pulls no punches, yet never reaches for a joke. The film and the actors let the jokes happen naturally, and is a true testament to it's comedic worth. And with a cast that includes Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, Wallace Shawn, Cary Elwes, Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin and Christopher Guest, how could it NOT be funny?
3) Airplane! A comedy of words. Every joke seems like a silly little aside till they get to the pay off. My favourite joke is Striker's drinking problem. It's a film that rewards the audience. If they're patient enough to wait for the laugh, they're going to get a BIG damn laugh. It's a lot of build up to a lot more funny.
2) Shaun of the Dead So... I noticed that this list is parody heavy. But here's the thing about all of these parodies. It takes the genre norms that they're satirizing, and twists them just so to make it funny, and expose the ridiculous cliches of these genres. And this one does the finest job. It completely satirizes the modern crop of zombie movies, while keeping true to the ground-rules set by Zombie-guru George A. Romero. And of course, it's British, and if there's one thing they do right, it's comedy. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost are essentially Britains answer to Judd Apatow, Seth Rogan and... let's say Paul Rudd, and to be quite honest, they're funnier.
1) Young Frankenstein AND Blazing Saddles! I really couldn't decide between these two masterpieces of comedy. They're equally brilliant, Mel Brooks at the height of his career, top of his game. Gives a big middle finger to the PC squad and poses the question... would these films even get made today? The answer, depressingly, is no. They wouldn't. They are so outrageous, so raunchy, so lewd, crude and rude, they would never get made in today's overly-PC world. And that is why they are classics. They not only capture their respected skewered genres, but they're also time capsules of a simpler time. A time when people knew how to be funny. Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder. Madeline Khan. Terri Garr. Cleavon Little. Richard Pryor. Marty Feldman. Peter Boyle. Harvey Korman. Take a bow. You all deserve it. I applaud you.
So here's two clips for you... One for Young Frankenstein. One for Blazing Saddles.
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
So there you go... the 5, or 6 as it were, funniest films ever made.
