Brodie Fanns!
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.
Again, no YouTube, but I'll repost the link to the other video... Click here for Die Hard video.
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.
So there it is... 20-11... see you all next week.
-Brodie Mann
Friday, January 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Top 5 Romances
Brodie Fanns!
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.
There it is. My top 5 love stories. Shed a tear.
- Brodie Mann!
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.
There it is. My top 5 love stories. Shed a tear.
- Brodie Mann!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Juno
Hey Brodie Fanns!
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.
Friday, January 04, 2008
100 Favourite, Part V: 30-21
Brodie Fanns:
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.
-Brodie Mann
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.
-Brodie Mann
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Top 5 Comedies
Brodie Fanns!
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.
Just bust a gut laughing all around.
Happy New Year, Brodie Fanns!
BONG HiTS 4 JESUS!
-Brodie Mann
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.
Just bust a gut laughing all around.
Happy New Year, Brodie Fanns!
BONG HiTS 4 JESUS!
-Brodie Mann
Friday, December 28, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
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.
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
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
Monday, December 24, 2007
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.
Friday, December 21, 2007
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?
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?
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
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 19th 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 15th, 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.
Monday, December 17, 2007
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.
Friday, December 14, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
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
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
Friday, December 07, 2007
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*
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*
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