Oscar Winners

Brodie Fanns!

FINAL RESULTS ARE IN!

Tonight... going on right now, I am bringing my blogs (blogspot, myspace and broadcasteverywhere) to you live. With live updates.

Why? It's Oscar night, that's why. It's my Super Bowl. I locked in my predictions yesterday, and today, I will be bringing you live updates on winners. If my prediction matches the winner, the entry will be listed in green. If not, then the entry will be in red, with the winner in green next to it.

First up for the night... WHY IS MILEY GORRAM CYRUS BEING INTERVIEWED FOR THE PRE-CEREMONY BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL?! That's the burning question of the interview.

Best Picture- No Country For Old Men
Best Director- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Actor- Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Actress- Julie Christie for Away From Her (Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose)
Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem for No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actress- Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone (Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton)
Best Original Screenplay- Diablo Cody for Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Animated Feature- Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film- Die Falscher from Austria
Best Documentary Feature- Sicko (Taxi to the Dark Side)
Best Documentary Short- Salim Baba (Freeheld)
Best Short Film Animated-Peter and the Wolf
Best Short Film Live-Action- The Mozart of Pickpockets
Best Cinematography- The Assassination of Jesse James... (There Will Be Blood)
Best Editing- No Country For Old Menm (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Art Direction- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Costume Design- Across The Universe (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Best Make-Up- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (La Vie en Rose)
Best Original Score- 3:10 to Yuma (Atonement)
Best Original Song- "Falling Slowly" from Once
Best Sound Mixing- Transformers (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Sound Editing- Transformers (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Visual Effects- Transformers (The Golden Compass)


Peace out fanns!

-Brodie Mann

Oscar Predictions

Brodie Fanns!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

No, not Christmas again. I'm talking Oscar season! The Super Bowl for movie fans. And thankfully the writer's strike is over, so it will go on, with Jon Stewart at the helm. If you remember, I was a big fan of his when he first did it 2 years ago (though I am still pushing for Conan to host... OH! Bring the Conan/Stewart/Colbert feud to the Oscars!)

So... like I always do, every year... Oscar Picks!

Click here for a full list of nominees.
Click here to fill out your own ballot!

Best Picture- No Country For Old Men
Best Director- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Actor- Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Actress- Julie Christie for Away From Her
Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem for No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actress- Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Best Original Screenplay- Diablo Cody for Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Animated Feature- Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film- Die Falscher from Austria
Best Documentary Feature- Sicko
Best Documentary Short- Salim Baba
Best Short Film Animated-Peter and the Wolf
Best Short Film Live-Action- The Mozart of Pickpockets
Best Cinematography- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Best Editing- No Country For Old Men
Best Art Direction- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Costume Design- Across The Universe
Best Make-Up- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Best Original Score- 3:10 to Yuma
Best Original Song- "Falling Slowly" from Once
Best Sound Mixing- Transformers
Best Sound Editing- Transformers
Best Visual Effects- Transformers


Keep in mind that for some of those, I was working on speculation, as I only had buzz to go on. But it's hard to see all those flicks up here in the MQT.

Watch the Oscars tomorrow night on ABC!

Peace out fanns!

-Brodie Mann

DEATH!

In case anyone out there cares, and has been living underneath a rock for the past two days, Toshiba has officially announced that they are discontinuing production on all HD-DVD players and other related media. What does this mean? In the great HD format war, Sony's Blu-ray has emerged victorious. And all that money you spent on HD DVD, well, you're gonna have to spend it again on Blu-Ray. Read the full article here.

What does this really mean for all you HD-DVD fans out there? Well, technically nothing really. After March there will be no more new releases in HD-DVD, so you will have to go Blu-Ray, and will have to get those players. But your HD-DVD player will still work, as will the discs you purchased. So you don't need to go out and re-stock your HD movie collection right away.

This is good news for people like me. Where... once you look past the fact that I have absolutely no money to spend on a proper HD set up, let alone maintain the HD lifestyle, once you're past that major obstacle... my primary reason for buying into HD movies yet is because I wanted to see a victor in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray format war. Otherwise it would have been a waste for me to go with the losing format. So now that Blu-Ray is the winner, I can go back to not affording it.

Jumper

Jumper

2 Stars

Ah, the sturdy piece of wood that is Hayden Christensen. Sure, a sturdy piece of wood is good for building a boat. Or a treehouse. But for acting? Not so much. I'm not saying it would have been a better film without him. But it's a start.

Jumper is the story of a young man, David, who discovers he has the super-human ability to teleport from one location to another. But instead of using it to save the world, a la Spider-Man, he decides to go for personal gain, teleporting into banks and what not, just so he can get some money. There's even a scene where he's watching the news, and there are people stranded in a flood, who he could totally save with his ability, but doesn't. Damn. What a self serving jackass, as the script wants us to believe. Then we get to the action. There's an ancient brotherhood led by a silver coiffed Samuel L. Jackson who is trying his hardest to both keep the jumpers at bay, and go 2 minutes without saying "motherfucker." And David is just trying to woo an old schoolmate, who by the way, has been under the impression that David's been dead for the past 8 years, along with anyone else who ever knew him. The film quickly devolves into an exercise in flashy special effects and even flashier location shooting. Which I will give to director Doug Liman as being pretty cool.

I always kick it off with the acting, so here goes. Samuel L. Jackson is good, as usual. When is he not. I have a theory, that he is the black Christopher Walken. The movie could be absolute shit, but he'll still be "OK" in it. As is mostly the case with this one. He seems to walk through the role as if it's just a paycheck to him, which is entirely likely. Diane Lane has become less hit and more miss recently, and this is no exception. And of course the two leads. Christensen. And Rachel Bilson. The only person I can think of with the exact same lack of charisma as Christensen. Put the two together and you get... well.. Jumper.

What happened to David Goyer? He did Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, all of the Blade movies, and coming up he's got The Flash and Magneto. So promising was his writing career. Then he turns out this P.O.S. that is an hour and a half of plot holes and missed opportunities. And that could be due to Liman not able to work the sci-fi angle. But come on. There could have been great fight scenes. Don't get me wrong, the ones they had were fantastic. But... there could have been more.

There could have been more exploration into the "Jumpers" vs. "Paladins" (shadowy Sam Jackson organization) struggle. Especially considering how HUGE of a plot point it really is. There could have been more exploration into the whole David being dead thing. I mean... they watch him fall through the ice at the age of 14-ish, he teleports out, never to be seen again. He comes back 8 years later and people treat him as if he just got home from college. What the hell? It makes little to no sense.

The whole thing should have been longer. Should have been more in depth. Should have been better.

Though I will give them credit for doing some fantastic special effects work. The teleporting was magnificent, and they kept the practical science behind it pretty accurate. The replacement of the displaced matter when a Jumper leaves an area was accurate. The comparable velocity law was accurate. Basically it was as scientifically accurate as you would expect a sci-fi flick about young adults who can create tiny black holes at will and travel anywhere in the world through them, to be.

And as Liman demonstrated in The Bourne Identity, he has a knack for doing impressive location shooting. He gets some damn fine shots of Rome, Giza, London, Tokyo and Prague. But I could watch the Travel Channel, and get the same thing. Only no Hayden Christensen. So it's better.

2 Stars go to this, but only because I'm feeling generous on President's day, and I enjoyed the special effects. If we get a competent filmmaker behind the wheel, who knows what those effects can do.

Later Brodie Fanns!

-Brodie Mann

A very special Valentine's Day Gift for you

Brodie Fanns!

As if all those clips weren't enough this morning, I come bearing a very special gift.

The brand spankin' new teaser-trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

February 14th is now officially the best day of the year, 2008. Sorry, second best behind February 13th. Best day ever honours has to go to Strike Resolution Day.

Anywho... trailer... CHECK IT!

Valentines Day!

Brodie Fanns!

I love you all. Not like that. Well... maybe you like that. You know who you are. Call me. Yeah.....

Anyway. I realize I kinda fucked myself by posting my top 5 romance flicks a few weeks ago. I should have held onto it for today.

Now I've got nothing to post, really.

Well... not a list per se... how about a collection of films about romance, love, relationships, that weren't on that original list, but I enjoyed anyway.

First up...
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
I think it's a funny take on the fractured marriage story.


Romeo + Juliet
It's Dicaprio before his talent really matured, but I like it.


Out of Sight
Off-beat sure, but just about the only film featuring Jennifer Lopez I can watch.


Lost in Translation


And finally... Closer.

Fool's Gold and Other assortedness

Brodie Fanns!

I've got a review and other stuff for you. Let's get started, shall we?

Fool's Gold

1 star

What do you get when you take the mediocre Indiana Jones rip-off, Sahara, remove the sexy latina and Steve Zahn, and put the adorably perky Kate Hudson in their place? Well, you get solid gold shit. But no shortage of a shirtless Matthew McConaughey

Ben and Tess Finnegan (McConaughey and Hudson) are a bickering, brink of divorce couple that also has a passion for treasure salvaging. Then, amidst their divorce, Ben, who never quite grew up, found some clues indicating the location of a nearly 300 year old buried treasure. With the financial assistance of Tess' new employer, Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland in a take off of the Hilton family, I suppose), they are able to start searching for the wreckage off a small Caribbean island. They only have to contend with Ben's former investor, a deranged rapper who owns the island in question.

And then McConaughey takes his shirt off for a while.

I give it points for being a romantic comedy tangled with an adventure yarn, but that's just a thin connection at best, as it contains not even the tiniest of fractions of thrills and excitement in other modern adventure flicks of it's kind. Including National Treasure and the aforementioned Sahara.

I blame it on the lack of any real personae or charisma between the two leads. Separately, they have those things. But together... I don't know, they were just vapid and hollow characters leading vapid and hollow lives. I didn't care one way or another if they got the gold and got back together in the end. Spoiler alert. Everything you think happens in this movie, does happen. It's almost like this could have been reworked as an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond and no one would have noticed. Except for the distinct lack of shirt removal thank god.

The jokes fell flat. Everybody's talents were wasted on this film. Hudson and McConaughy both showed so much promise in Almost Famous and Dazed and Confused, respectively. But neither seem to have really caught on as far as actual talent goes. Maybe they should stick to artsy 70's nostalgia flicks with kick ass soundtracks. That's what they should do next. Maybe play Cher and Duane Allman.

Am I being fair to this film? Probably not. I don't know. I rated Rambo a little higher because it delivered what it promised. But Fool's Gold... it's one thing to go into a movie with low expectations and have them exceeded. But it's another to go in with low expectations and not even have them met.

Expect to see this in a few years with "Three Chances to Watch" on TBS or something.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Roy Scheider: 1932-2008. RIP

The star of Jaws and All That Jazz passed away on Saturday of multiple myeoma, a form of bone cancer. He was just 75 years old.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Actually, that's about it for now.

Writer's Strike is over!

Brodie Fanns!

Let me be the first to give you the best news I could ever give in my years, past, present and future, as an entertainment reporter.

THE WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER!!!!!

At least according to an article posted over on cnbc.com. Read the full article here.

Jackass deluxe Michael Eisner has spoken to the press about the conclusion of the strike (started on Nov. 5), saying that the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative agreement, set for final approval on Saturday. This will end the now 14 week, 4 day strike which has had a strangle hold on American film and television productions, and all but canceled several major awards shows.

I must quote Jon Stewart (update, if you will) on how the strike has impacted TV and Film, particularly late night comedy shows. This was said upon his return to the air on Jan. 7th: "We have been off the air for 8 weeks. And the last time the late night shows went off the air for an extended period of time, was after 9/11. And that was for only a week. So by my math, the writer's strike is 8 times worse than 9/11."

Obviously there's a hint of sarcasm in there.

For those of you who don't know what the strike was all about, let me try to explain it as best as I can.

The last time the writer's contracts were negotiated, was in 2005. And this left out residuals of internet presentations, be it downloads or streaming on the site, as this was a brand new technology no one had really taken advantage of yet. So now, cut to 2007, you can download a plethora of shows on iTunes, and all the major networks put full episodes of their shows online. The writers are not seeing any of the money. None of it.

Now, as an aspiring writer, I sympathize. If people were making money off of something I wrote, I'd want some of that two. But here's the thing of it all. The money, the profits, that the producers and network heads are seeing, is a monetarily insignificant amount. To slice that up into even smaller chunks, would make the whole process cost-ineffective.

To quote jackass deluxe Michael Eisner from a Nov. 7th Fox News interview, "For a writer to give up today's money for a nonexistent piece of the future -- they should [strike] in three years, shouldn't be doing it now -- they are misguided." He goes on to say, "They don't know what to give. ... Digital will eventually be the dominant medium for distribution but not yet."

So why did they strike if there's no money to be had? Producers and studio heads are stupid and kept going on and on about how digital presentation is doing so well. But really it wasn't.

The studios are like that jerk at the bar who goes on and on about how great he is at such and such sport or whatever, and the writers are the quiet guy in the corner (not nerdy quiet, I'm talking Wolverine quiet), who calls him out on it and wins.

Alls I know is, thank god TV will be back. Though who knows how the networks are going to structure their seasons, since most shows are only halfway through with no new episodes to air, and it'll take some time for production to get rolling again.

But the most important thing... strike is over. Maybe my writer's block I've been having will finally clear up.

Strange Wilderness

Brodie Fanns!

New review for your reading pleasure. I don't know what's in store for the blog-o-dome this week. But, you'll know it when I post it.

Strange Wilderness

2.5 stars

Could we really expect the latest offering from the guys who brought us Grandma’s Boy to be a masterpiece? No. But was it funny as hell? Yes. And no.

Faced with struggling ratings and competition from a hipper, more knowledgeable show, the cast and crew of the long running Strange Wilderness, a wee hours of the morning nature documentary show, make one last ditch effort to save their beloved TV program, started by star Peter Gaulke’s father. They embark on an international road trip to hunt Bigfoot, who has been found in Ecuador of all places.

The cast is anchored by Steve Zahn, and he slips perfectly into a role he probably would have done about 10 years ago, but at this point he seems out of place in this stoner/slacker flick. Happy Madison Production regulars Peter Dante and Alan Covert are right at home playing character-types that have brought them a huge cult fan base throughout the years in just about every Adam Sandler flick ever made. While comedic child prodigies Justin Long and Jonah Hill seem to be wasting their talents on a film that is far beneath their talents they have previously demonstrated in Accepted and Super Bad respectively.

I don’t think it’s really fair to fault the cast for the film being unfunny. Because in all actuality, the scenes in the film are not unfunny. But this is where the age old maxim about a film’s director comes into play. The saying goes that a film really has three directors: the writer, the director and the editor. And if you want to get really technical, you could add the cinematographer into the mix, but we’ll just stick with these three. Writer Peter Gaulke (yes, he named the main character after himself) has had moderate success with some of the most mediocre to awful comedies of the past 10 years (Me, Myself and Irene, Say It Isn’t So), while director Fred Wolf (former head writer/cast member of SNL) is marking his feature film debut. But I think the problems of this film lie with the third director. The editor, Tom Costain.

Like I said, it wasn’t an unfunny film. The scenes individually were hilarious. It’s a very quotable film. And the actors did some damn funny work, including the intentionally unintentionally funny Robert Patrick (T2: Judgement Day) and the always good for a laugh Joe Don Baker (Mitchell). Yet while the cast is a weird amalgamation of the Happy Madison, Judd Apatow and Broken Lizard (Kevin Heffernan) camps, which should lead to great comedy, it falls apart in the editing.

It feels like term paper written over a Red Bull and Hot Pocket fueled all-nighter. It’s convoluted, hastily put together, rushed and sometimes makes little sense. It’s like Wolf filmed a very funny movie, then Costain put it on his shelf, sat down with his bong for about a month, then realized it had to be shipped to theatres in week, and spent all night cutting the thing from memory. There were times when I was left wondering if it was a joke they were playing on us. Like they had cut the real movie, then decided to make a second version of the same movie, only using all the deleted scenes and blooper reels.

And it’s sad, because Grandma’s Boy was such a great cult classic. Luckily, most of the negative backlash will be going to Happy Madison, while Apatow’s crew and Broken Lizard should escape relatively unscathed.

Couldn't End it there. Just couldn't

Brodie Fanns!

Well, I loved doing my Top 100 of all time so much, that I asked around to various people I know what their top 10's were. Because I know the burning questions on all of your minds is "What kinds of films do the people Brodie associates with like?"

Well, until I run out of lists, I'll let you know.

I asked family and friends to send me their lists with optional commentary, and I would provide YouTube videos for them. If the film appeared on my list somewhere, and a YouTube video was already posted, there won't be one on their list, just for practicality's sake.

But the first list is my esteemed cousin, Elizabeth Fredericks. She and I share similar tastes, which is always fun. We can compare notes, and inform each other on classics, current releases and upcoming flicks. She introduced me to Brick, which became one of my favourite movies of the past few years.

So here's her list, in no particular order-

Top 10 Movies EVAR

Casablanca -
It's a bit trite to have Casablanca on a top 10 list, and even worse to lead off with it, but in truth, I do watch this movie at least two or three times a year, making it the cinematic equivalent of a favorite sweater: I am unashamed of how comfortable I feel when all wrapped up in it. I know the pacing feels incredibly slow to a modern audience at times, but this is a movie that you can inhabit, not just watch, and the writing is crisp and precise. **NOTE: Video has been posted on this film at least twice before. So there.**

The Third Man -
I really like Orson Welles and I really like Graham Greene and so naturally I adored this movie. The setting is post-WWII Vienna, and Joseph Cotten plays the American naif who ventures into the morass of post-war devastation only to discover a mystery surrounding the apparent death of the friend who invited him. The cinematography is simply gorgeous, and Welles' famous "cuckoo clock" speech evocatively and unnervingly sums up the uneasy grey morality of the place and time.



Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is undeniably brilliant, but this was the first film of his that seemed to have an emotional core underneath the narrative acrobatics. Kate Winslet was her typical brilliant self, and Jim Carrey surprised me for how much he disappeared into his role. Add in the very fine supporting cast and there's not much to dislike. **NOTE: Video has been posted on this film.***

Bon Voyage -
Obligatory foreign film? Maaaaybe...but it is a favorite of mine. I saw this the day after seeing the visually stunning but utterly depressing Korean film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, and it was the perfect antidote. It's a bit of a melodrama, a bit of a farce, a bit of a thriller, all taking place in France during World War II. Put a lovelorn writer and the self-absorbed actress he's mooning over in with a professor and his lab assistant trying to smuggle heavy water to England and a charming thief and let the magic unfold. It's just a deeply pleasing film.



Hot Fuzz -
This should be fresh enough in everyone's mind to require little explanation. A roommate of mine rhetorically asked, "Who wouldn't like Hot Fuzz?" We agreed the only answer was "people with no joy in their souls." Whereas the climactic shoot-out in Mr and Mrs Smith caused the whole film to go off the rails, the climactic shoot-out in Hot Fuzz fits seamlessly with all that comes before it and, furthermore, contains some of the most giggle-worthy moments in the whole film. It's wickedly funny, and you only feel a little bad for laughing so hard at an old lady getting kicked in the face.



Robin Hood (Disney Animated) -
Personally, I think every top 10 list needs to contain a childhood favorite, and this was one of mine. My brother and I practically wore out our videotape of this film when we were children, and really, this stuff is the golden age of Disney animation, with fantastic voice talent like Andy Devine and Phil Harris. I can't ever stop loving this movie.



Brick -
Not nearly enough people saw this film during its very brief theatrical release in 2006, but it earned that Sundance award for Originality of Vision fairly. I've got a soft spot for film noir and hardboiled detective stories, and Rian Johnson's transfer of those tropes, archetypes, and distinctive lingo to a modern Southern California high school was daring and captivating. It's not so perfect that you can't see the seams, but it's quite polished for a $500,000 production.



Serenity -
I didn't jump on to the Browncoat bandwagon until more than a year after the original series was canceled, but it was soon enough to breathlessly anticipate the movie and drag my family along to it. My dad went in with zero expectations and came out musing that he preferred it to Revenge of the Sith. (Controversy, ignite!) As with Brick, Serenity contained its own unique reimagining of a largely-abandoned genre, this time the western, and also had its own very special brand of dialogue and vocabulary. It's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever had the pleasure of watching, and the film fairly earns all the laughter and heartstring-tugging that it aims for. And oh, such quotable lines.



It's a Wonderful Life -
A professor of mine once said that to brand Frank Capra's films as sentimental is to do them something of an injustice, for Capra almost unfailingly acknowledges the misery that life can contain before unleashing his feel-good sentiment upon you. The time he invests in making you both love and pity George Bailey deserves the film's happy ending. It's charming but never precious, and captures Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart at their prettiest and most engaging. **NOTE: Video has previously been posted.**

Wait Until Dark -
I know I'm not the only person who mistakenly thought at one point this was a Hitchcock film, which should indicate something about the tense, claustrophobic setting that director Terence Young creates in this thriller. It's tough to go wrong with Audrey Hepburn starring, and the final confrontation between her blind character and Alan Arkin's creepy villain is pure suspense movie perfection.



Runners-up: Lord of the Rings, North by Northwest, The Big Sleep, Singin' in the Rain, The Bourne Trilogy, Chinatown, The Incredibles, Infernal Affairs, Beauty and the Beast (Disney), You Can't Take It With You.

Tops in DVD's + Hellboy comes to the shire.

Meh... it's the catchiest title I could think of at 5 am.

Anywho, as some of you may have heard two months ago, not only did Peter Jackson, writer/director/producer of the massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, settle his dispute with New Line Cinema concerning unpaid royalties, but New Line and MGM reached an agreement over the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's Rings companion novel, The Hobbit. Unfortunately for us, visionary Jackson will not be helming the duo of films (yes, they're splitting it into two films) set for release in 2010 and 2011, pending resolution of the writer's strike.

Jackson has already been committed to direct an adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestseller The Lovely Bones, and to co-direct Tintin, with none-other than Mr. Steven Spielberg, both set for a 2009 release. Jackson will remain on board as producer and possibly a write.

So who is directing? Well, luckily for everyone who cares (and I'm guessing it's a lot of you), Mexican visual master Guillermo del Toro has been signed to cast, according to early reports. The director, who has masterfully brought us Hellboy (get the headline now?) and the wonderously beautiful El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth), will helm both installments of the Rings prequel films, set to be shot simultaneously.

No word on who will be cast in key roles, though I'm guessing Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis will return as Gandalf, Elrond and Gollum, respectively. And knowing del Toro... Ron Perlman as Bilbo.

Oh, and now for something completely different.

And what the hell... a while back I decided why not figure who is best represented in my DVD collection. Which actor/actress/director had the most films in my collection. It was hard to determine these stats, for various reasons, but I stuck to the following rules.

For Boxed sets (trilogies and the like), each individual title will count, rather than Star Wars trilogy only counting as one mark for Harrison Ford.

For TV Shows, each individual season counts, as it is part of one title. So I have 5 seasons of 24 on DVD, that's 5 marks for Keifer Sutherland. It would not go by episode, then it would be like... 120 for Sutherland.

Cameos count. Cate Blanchett's cameo in Hott Fuzz counts as a mark toward her. These sort of things got harder when it was ensemble casts, but I tried to do my best with counting them all.

Those are the basic rules.

Top 5 Actors in my DVD collection (which currently stands at a count of 478)
1) Matt Damon - 15
2) Bruce Willis - 14
3) Brad Pitt - 13
* George Clooney -13
5) Al Pacino - 12
* Tom Cruise - 12

Top 5 Actresses
1) Cate Blanchett - 8
2) Kirsten Dunst - 7
3) Elizabeth Banks - 6
* Joan Allen - 6
* Keira Knightly - 6

Top 5 Directors
1) Steven Spielberg - 9
2) Oliver Stone - 7
3) Kevin Smith - 6
* Quentin Tarantino - 6
5) Robert Rodriguez - 5
* Sidney Lumet - 5
* Robert Zemeckis - 5
* Brian De Palma - 5
* Stephen Soderbergh - 5

It should be noted that some of those two come with the multiple films, same role, particularly Matt Damon, who has 6 films populated solely by the Bourne and Ocean's franchises.

Let it also be noted that while Spielberg may have 9 in my collection... Sofia Coppola could technically be considered the most prolific, as I own 100% of her films (which does stand at 3). Though of Tarantino's films that are strictly Tarantino (not counting Four Rooms which he co-directed with 3 others), I do own all of his films.

Rambo + Winter/Spring 08 forecast

Brodie Fanns!

I'm excited to see you. I had a long weekend, but it is time to get back into the movie dealy.

Let's jump right in.

I only have a mini-review for you. Why? Well... quite frankly... Rambo just doesn't warrant a full review.

Rambo

3 Stars

I went into this movie with very low expectations. While most recharges of long forgotten 80's franchises have actually done quite well (Freddy vs. Jason, Rocky, Live Free or Die Hard) and impressed the heck out of me, Rambo was one franchise I felt didn't really need a revamp, and wasn't particularly excited to see.

So when my expectations are that low, I wasn't at all surprised when they were met. I was, however, surprised when the flick exceeded them. As a child of the golden age of action, where gratuitous violence and gore reigned supreme, I was pleased that this is a return to form for the now distinctly divided genre. On one end is the dopey, outlandish plot, star driven flick (anything with Vin Diesel), on the other, high brow, character driven, concept action (The Bourne series).

But Rambo is not so much an homage, as it is a memorial to the quality action flicks of the 80's. The villain is that of unimaginable evil (East-Asian warlord). The hero is as mythic as he is brutally compassionate (it's an oxymoron, I know, but it makes sense). The female lead/quasi-love interest is the traditional damsel in distress. And the supporting cast is made up of a rogue's gallery of caricatures and archetypes.

The action, once it starts, is non-stop, with some goofy blood effects, but lots of them. It really could have gone the political route, as it is set during a civil war, but it leaves the politics out, and just goes for the jugular. Literally. John Rambo rips a guy's jugular out of his throat.

At this point, I'm just waiting for the next logical film from Sylvester Stallone: either Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot: Part II or Rocky vs. Rambo.

This ends the review portion of our broadcast.

Now, as an entertainment reporter, and admitted cinephile (it doesn't mean what you think it means you perv), who also happens to have high-speed internet access, I stay pretty up to date with films in production. Sure the occasional one slips through the cracks, but usually I'm pretty up to date on this shit. I've been following the casting of Star Trek since it was announced, and there were rumours of Matt Damon or Nathan Fillion in the role of James T. Kirk (Fillion would have been awesome, but too reminiscent of Cpt. Reynolds).

I've followed movies from production all the way to much delayed release.

But I keep update through various websites. I pretty much live on Apple Trailers, Yahoo! Movies and of course, my homepage, the IMDb. I peruse the myspace from time to time to see what they've got going on over there, hit up studio sites for their in production calenders, and I use other sites.

But this is all to keep me updated on films coming out. I generally have a running list of what's coming this year (I even have a short list of the major 2009 releases I want to see), just so I know what I want to see, and to keep track of production and release dates.

To help pass the savings on to you, every few months I'll post the ones I've got dog-earred. Obviously January has past, but here's a short list for February, March and April.

February:

• In Bruges Starring: Colin Farrel, Brenden Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes; Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh. View Trailer Here. February 8th
• Charlie Bartlett Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey, Jr. and Hope Davis; Written by Gustin Nash; Directed by Jon Poll. View Trailer Here.February 22nd

March

• The Bank Job Starring: Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows; Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais; Directed by Roger Donaldson. View Trailer Here. March 7th
• 21 Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne and Jim Sturgess; Written by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb; Directed by Robert Luketic. View Trailer Here. March 28th

April

• Forgetting Sarah Marshall Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill; Written by Jason Segel; Directed by Nicholas Stoller. View Trailer Here. April 18th

That's a brief look into what's coming up this spring.

Check ya later!

-Brodie Mann

100 Favourites: The Wrap-Up

Brodie Fanns!

Never fear, last week was not the last you had heard from the list. This week is. I'm doing the post-game this week. A few stats and figures.

The list was originally about 400 long, in it's first inception during the summer of '04 I believe. In those four years it's been altered many a time, obviously. The original list was not a ranked list, it was just a list. After about six months, I decided it should be ranked. The first top 10 resembled the current one, though it included the 1931 Dracula. After a while, I deemed it unnecessary to have two films in the top 10 that were essentially different, yet near identical, versions of the same story, with Nosferatu also being based on the story of Dracula. Yes, they are technically two wildly separate and different films, but I couldn't justify both of them being in the top 10. So I went with my favourite of the two, Nosferatu, and the rest is history.

To make it easier on me, I cut 200 films out of the list. And that original list is now lost in memory, as I don't have a back up anywhere. So there it sat. 200 films, the top 20 had since been ranked, and I was making process. Then about... mid last year, I decided "Hey, I'm writing in a blog now, I should do my top 100." So I sliced another hundred out of the list. The original is on this computer still. Then I ranked the back 50. And that brings us to today. The list has been published. Go us!

Just today, I sat down and took a long hard look at the list. I am happy with the list. That doesn't mean it won't change in the future. I still haven't decided if I want any 2007 flicks in the list, (Zodiac, No Country for Old Men and Sunshine are strong contenders). And there are plenty of classics I have yet to see.

It was criminal that I didn't have any foreign, non-english films on the list, so I may add in a few of those. Don't know why I would forget them in the first place.

And who knows... someone may come out with a flick in the future that just blows me away. Cloverfield was amazing. Not Top 100 amazing... but damn close.

Just so you know...

an * denotes inclusion of trilogies

The actors with the most films on the list:
Al Pacino and Harrison Ford* with 4 each. Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey, Michael J. Fox*, Christopher Lloyd* and Elliot Gould with 3 each.

The actresses with the most films on the list:
Uma Thurman, Cate Blanchett* and Lea Thompson* with 3 each. Diane Keaton, Julia Roberts and Carrie Anne Moss with 2 each.

The directors with the most films on the list:
Quentin Tarantino, Frank Capra, Sidney Lumet and Stanley Kubrick with 4 each. Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson* and Robert Zemeckis* with 3 each.

Alright peeps... that's alls I gots for you now.

Next week... keep an eye out for reviews for Rambo, a somewhat similar data list, and a top 10 list from someone who isn't me.

Weird.

Peace!

-Brodie Mann

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Aloha Brodie Fanns!

New review.

But before I start, you led a good life, Heath. It took me while to warm up to you, and I'm going to miss what you could have given us in the future. You had an immense and dynamic talent that was just starting to show. But your swan song looks phenomenal. To you, Joker/Skip/Ennis/Casanova/Patrick/Heath Ledger, I raise my glass.

<.moment of silence><./moment>

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

3.5 Stars

Sweeney Todd is a conundrum of a movie. And sad as it is to say, I have to use a Simon Cowell quote on this one: “Yeah it was good, but so what?” Tim Burton, you’re a one trick pony whose trick is getting very old.

Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) was a happily married man with a beautiful baby daughter and a nice little barber shop. Until the jealous Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) decides he should have Barker’s wife for himself, and forces Barker into exile. Sixteen years later, Barker, now calling himself Sweeney Todd, returns from Australia, only to learn that his wife is dead and his daughter now the charge of Turpin. Todd and his meat pie shop running land-lady Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) hatch a plan to lure Turpin to the new barber shop on the second floor of the pie shop, where they will kill and cook him for her pies. Subplot being that the sailor Todd sailed with from Australia, a young man named Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower) has fallen instantly and madly in love with Johanna (Jayne Weisner), who just so happens to be Turpin’s charge, a.k.a. Barker’s daughter. What a small world we live in. Even smaller by 18^th century standards. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, it’s a bloody musical. Literally, bloody. One of the goriest musicals I’ve ever seen.

Here’s the thing. Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) has always been a master of the visually beautiful, yet mostly macabre comedies. Sweeny Todd is definitely the perfect fit for Tim. But there in lies the problem. That’s pretty much all he can do. The man has no range. While one could argue, that he’s found his voice, there are plenty of directors out there who have found their voice. And their voice isn’t as mono-tonal as the love child of Steven Wright and Ben Stein. Spielberg is one. While there are certain thematic elements that remain constant in his films, his “trademarks” if you will, I ask you, would you guess that E.T. and Saving Private Ryan were made by the same person?

That’s because he has range. He can explore his own boundaries as a film maker. Burton pretty much refuses to move outside his comfort zone. So while he is a decent and competent director, he isn’t that dynamic. It brings me back to my first point… It was good, but so what? It’s the same thing we’ve been seeing from him for the past twenty years.

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), on the other hand, continues to explore his bounds as an actor. It was his first singing role and he nailed it with perfection. I had my doubts, not that I didn’t think Depp could do it, it’s just, he’s never struck me as a singer. There were times when his vocal characterization of Todd was very reminiscent of Cpt. Jack Sparrow. Though I suppose when you play characters of the same era and similar geographic backgrounds, that’s bound to happen.

Where would this film be without the outstanding supporting cast? I don’t know, but probably with less stars in this review and even less awards. Bonham Carter (Fight Club) was fantastic as the daft Mrs. Lovett, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolutely fantastic performance of young newcomer Ed Sanders (literally nothing, this was his first film) as the orphan Toby, who was a hawker for Sacha Baron Cohen’s (Borat) Adolfo Pirelli wonderful hair growth elixir, and became a worker in the meat pie shop. He was fantastic, holding his on against both Cohen and Depp, two of the finest actors in today’s market.

While this film was entertaining, and gloriously gory, I fail to find the true ingenuity in seeing the same thing over and over. My plea to Tim Burton: there’s this thing called the box, and there’s a big wide world of filmmaking outside of it… check it out sometime.

Heath Ledger: 1979-2008

CNN is reporting that actor Heath Ledger, star of Brokeback Mountain, Lords of Dogtown, 10 Things I Hate About You and the upcoming The Dark Knight was found dead at 3:30 today in his New York City apartment.

It truly is a loss for the acting community, as Ledger was just coming into his own as one of the more talented, versatile, dynamic and fearless actors of his generation.

He will be missed.

Heath Ledger- R.I.P 1979-2008

Cloverfield

Brodie Fanns!

New review, and since it's Cloverfield, and since J.J. Abrams gave us the teaser at the start of the movie, I AM posting the teaser for Star Trek at the end. So here it is!

Cloverfield

5 Stars

The first film of the year worth seeing, and goddamn is it worth seeing. Featuring a cast of young actors of no particular importance, and directed by Matt Reeves, who’s been making a name for himself directing TV shows for the past 14 years, this J.J. Abrams produced monster movie is the stuff horror junkies and film nerds salivate over. Luckily for you, I’m somewhat both.

Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) just took a high level corporate position in Japan, so his brother Jason (Mike Vogel), best friend Hud (T.J. Miller) and Jason’s girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) throw him a going away party, with Hud filming it all for posterity. Through both the on camera interviews Hud performs, and cut-aways to what was previously on the tape, we find out that there is complicated history between Rob and Beth (Odette Yustman). Then the power starts to flicker and the building quakes. The party guests head up to the roof to check things out, and notice explosions off in the New York City skylline. They head down to the street, and that’s when they figure out what’s going on. A monster is attacking New York City. What ensues is a panic enduced thrill ride that is as entertaining as it is gripping.

A cast of mostly unknowns was the best route to go for Abrams (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) and crew to go, as anybody registering any amount of star power would have seriously detracted from the film. I mean, the most recognizable face for the mainstream movie-going public is Lizzy Caplan as Marlena, and she was was Janis Ian in Mean Girls. As previously stated, the lack of highly recognizable faces made for a more engrossing film experience. We were able to believe that these were actual people in this actual situation. Granted as believable as a monster who lay dormant in the northern Atlantic for 1000’s of years waking up and attacking a major metropolitan city can be. But they put me there.

The biggest asset this film had going for it was the handheld camera direction. It obviously is drawing comparison to 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, but the comparisons end at character P.O.V. direction. Where Blair Witch Project was presented as a documentary, viewing the action from a third person perspective, in Cloverfield, we’re given the first person perspective. Hud is filming the party which leads us to the attack. We’re given the obvious yet necessary explanitory exchange where Rob asks if he’s still filming, to which Hud responds, “Yeah, people are gonna want to know, how it all went down.” It’s a blatent deus ex machina, but without it we’re left wondering why these 20-somethings are still filming.

But that device of presenting in first person is precisely what makes this such an effective thriller. We’re experiencing exactly what the characters are, and subsequently can sympathize. We’re given fleeting hints at the monster throughout the film, sort of a Jaws-ian move to not reveal the monster till the third act, which heightens the suspense throughout the film, and adds to the shock, awe and horror of the revelation towards the end.

And the end. The end is one of the more satisfying endings I’ve ever seen. I promise not to reveal the end, but rest assured, it does not disappoint. It is precisely how they should have ended it.

Abrams and crew created the perfect monster/horror flick to kick off 2008, and if this is any indication of what he can do, I can wait till he closes out the year with Star Trek.

Here's the teaser:

Before I get to that, if you're wondering about the cast:

Kirk- Chris Pine (Smokin' Aces)
Spock- Zachary Quinto (Heroes)
Scotty- Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead)
Sulu- John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle)
Uhura- Zoe Saldana (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
McCoy- Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings)
Chekov- Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog)
Pike- Bruce Greenwood (National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets)
Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, Leonard Nimoy and Jennifer Morrison also star.

100 Favourite, Part VII: 10-1

Brodie Fanns!

And a-now, the end is near. And so I face, the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

Had throw a little Sinatra in there. It's the last of the list. I'm done after this. It's over. Game over, man. Game over. Not totally. Just for this mini-series of lists. I'll still have reviews and lists and essays coming at you on a regular basis.

BUT THIS IS IT MAN! The Top 10! My Brett Favre list. Last week was Aaron Rodgers. Now it's the big cheese.

I'm not gonna get all flowery with the intro. I'm cuttin' to the damn chase. So drum roll please...

dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada
It would be cool if I had video of Letterman doing this.
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada!

10) The Shawshank Redemption
What a powerhouse this was. Both Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were hitting their stride. Frank Darabont took a Stephen King novella of not particular grandeur and made it an epic character piece. This is the Morgan Freeman that I like, and remember. It was him narrating before it was a cliche for him to narrate. And Robbins, well I like him because he is a consummate professional. There's really two movies here. One about Robbins' Andy, and one about Freeman's Red. Both are exceptional, and both work together to make one of the finest damn movies this world has ever seen. It's too bad that it lost the '94 Best Picture Oscar to... Forrest Gump? Don't get me wrong, Forrest Gump, good movie. But over Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption AND Quiz Show? That was 1976 all over again when All The President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver all lost to... Rocky?! This film has stood the test of time, despite being given basically free reign over TNT's airwaves for the past 14 years. I can sit down and watch it and be just as moved as I was the first time. Standing Ovation!a (there's gonna be 9 more.)



9) Jaws
Hands down one of the scariest films ever made. Spielberg exploded onto the scene, combining new school film-making with old school story telling. It's the first of the $100 million blockbusters, and launched a new era in film making, but it pays a wonderful homage to Hitchcockian suspense building. We never see the shark till, well, the clip that I show (thank fucking christ I found that precise clip). The cast, Spielberg, John Williams, hell even the shark, all cemented their places in pop culture history with this film. It's terrifying, it's beautiful, it's mesmerizing- it's an original. Standing Ovation!



8) Rear Window
And this is what I was talking about. Hitchcockian suspense. At it's finest. Not known for cutting corners, Hitchcock was meticulous. So meticulous, in fact, that that entire city block those apartments sit on was built on a sound stage. So precise, that to add to the suspense, we only got to see that what Jimmy Stewart's L.B. Jefferies sees. Especially the beautiful Grace Kelly. Way to go Jimmy. It's very niiice. It's a taught thriller that builds tension through seclusion, isolation and imagination- yours and his. Rear Window is one of the most fascinating films ever made, I could literally watch it over and over. But I don't. I don't have that kind of free time. Standing Ovation!



7) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Graunes
The scariest film ever made. F.W. Murnau is a visual master who set the stage for future greats like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero and John Carpenter. Looking at it from today's perspective, you can watch this film, and see the future of horror, indeed the future of cinema in this film. It's a beautiful piece of work. that can't be denied. Max Schreck's characterization of the frighteningly daft vampire Nosferatu is the stuff nightmares are made of. Standing Ovation!



6) The Godfather: Part II
Al Pacino. Robert De Niro. Robert Duvall. Diane Keaton. Lee Strasberg. Cameos by Marlon Brando and James Caan. The talent alone is enough to make any cine-phile cream their jeans, but Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's adaptation of Puzo's novel is really where it's at. The novel was so hugely massive that they had to split it up into two films. A bulk of the story is in the first one, but the rest and more was put into The Godfather II. We get a compelling look into the parallels and the stark differences between Michael and Vito's respective rises to power. It's an amazing film that everyone needs to view at least once in their life. Standing Ovation!



5) Donnie Darko
It's completely twisted, completely complicated, but ultimately the one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Richard Kelly rules all with his debut feature film that put Jake Gyllenhaal on the map. It delves into the interesting psychosis of a young man facing the ultimate decision of sacrifice and redemption. Not to mention the added bonus of a completely intricate time travel sub-plot. It'll take a few viewings for it to fully sink in... but once it does, it'll blow your mind. Standing Ovation!

SPOILER ALERT! So... it is the end scene, but I don't think you really can get spoiled because you need to see the whole film... plus it doesn't really give anything away.




4) Sin City
Robert Rodriguez essentially created a beautiful new era of film making when he shot his all digital opus Sin City. Taking everything Lucas had been doing for the past 10 years, and then actually doing it with style and talent, Rodriguez is able to elicit some stand-out performances from actors who are performing in front of mostly green screen sets, and without the actors they're in the scene with. That's right. There's a scene between Marv (Mickey Rourke) and Nancy (Jessica Alba), and the two characters do appear on screen together, but it was originally shot with just Alba, then shot again with just Rourke. It's seamless, you can't tell. It was modern-noir at it's best, and gloriously gory. Standing Ovation!




3) It's A Wonderful Life
And it's a wonderful film, too. Every great filmmaker has that one film which defines their career, and this is Frank Capra's. He's done a multitude of great films, but this is HIS. My biggest interest in films in general comes from the development of characters. And George Baily is one of the most fascinating, relatable characters ever put to film. High ideals mixed with personal obligations, everybody has at some point felt like George. They sacrifice and sacrifice and ask "where's mine?" when they're tired of the sacrifice. It's an inspirational film, that isn't so much a holiday film, just a film that takes place during the holidays. Jimmy Stewart was at the top of his game, and the film is only enhanced by the supporting cast also at the top of their game. From Donna Reed to Lionel Barrymore to Henry Travers, all were never better. Standing Ovation!



2) Pulp Fiction
Ever since I saw Pulp Fiction when I was, maybe 14, I knew that this was the film to like. There is something about it. The retro 70's feel of the film, the hip dialog, the plentiful but just this side of gratuitous violence, the unconventional story telling. It's all perfectly put together with fantastic performances from Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel and Eric Stoltz. Tarantino made his statement with Reservoir Dogs, but it's Pulp Fiction that's his landmark. His peak. Not to say everything since has been shit. It's all been great. But it will be hard for him to top Pulp Fiction.



1) The Godfather
It's number one. With a bullet. It, to me, is the perfect film. It doesn't suffer the trappings of many longer films, and that is pacing problems. Francis Ford Coppola perfectly laid out the most epic of crime sagas with the most fantastic of casts. There's multiple stories being told, but Coppola never overextends the bounds of the film. It's about the family, and that's what we're told. Only towards the end does it shift focus to the main thrust of the franchise- Al Pacino's Michael Corleone. Powerful, gut-wrenching, emotional, violent and moody, it's the perfect film. Everybody needs to see it. Now. Right now. Go. Now. Rent it. Standing Ovation!



So that's it. That's my top 10. Of all time. EVAR!

Sorry it's late, I've had an interesting weekend. This week I'll have a post-game wrap up of the list, and a few reviews (FINALLY Sweeny Todd and also Cloverfield. Little forecast on that, it's the best film of '08, not saying much at this point, but I predict it staying near the top all year)

Have a good Sunday! Go Pack Go. Tom Brady's a douche bag.

-Brodie Mann

2x the Brodie! 2x the lists

Brodie Fanns!

As many of you very well know, we're in the final week of my epic-miniseries chronicling my Top 100 Favourite Films of all time.

And because of the holiday season and other stuff that popped up, I have a few of those Top 5 supplemental lists still laying around, waiting to be posted. So to speed things up, I'm posting 2 lists in one today. Awesome for you, right?

Right.

Here we go

Top 5 Action Films

5) The Matrix
It became the gold standard for parody, but take yourself back to when it first came out. This flick was fuckin' mind-blowing. I remember watching it for the first time and being left speechless. Who knew, that a guns/kung fu movie, could be that damn smart and intricate and philosophical? It's surprisingly deep for an action flick, and has unfortunately been parodied and copied so many times that it became a cliche. But you have to take yourself back to when it first came out. Before the subsequent hype. That's the Matrix I remember, and love.



4) Heat
Featuring the legendary first meeting of Pacino and De Niro on screen (this is the first film where they actually share a scene), this is one of the finest crafted films of the 90's. Michael Mann has a knack for making action important and compelling, rather than "Hey, let's just blow shit up for 2 hours and call it a day." He also has interesting plots, instead of ridiculous ones. And the actors he scores... damn! First Pacino and De Niro, then Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, William Fichtner and Dennis Haysbert. DAMN!



3) The Great Escape
As if it didn't already register a 10 on the cool meter for Steve McQueen alone, they had to add James Garner, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. This clip here is more than enough proof of it's bad ass-itude.



2) Terminator 2: Judgment Day
One of the few sequels that is vastly superior to it's original. James Cameron was really coming into his own as an edgier, darker version of Spielberg (this is pre-Titanic). It had been 7 years since the first one, so Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger (seriously, try spelling that without looking it up) each had time to mature, cash in on the fame from the first one and hone their craft. And it was just this perfect film. It was one of the first to mesh old school film-making and the new school technology. I have the 2.5 hour extended cut, and every minute of it is riveting. It's a fantastic film.



1) Die Hard
I've already posted plenty about this flick. Go back to my 11-20 list, or my Holiday list, twisted edition. But I will give you this very funny Die Hard parody from the hilarious and criminally underrated Ben Stiller Show.

Top 5 Silent Films

5) The Great Train Robbery
You could call me out on this one, as it's not a feature film. But come on. It's essentially the first film. At 12 minutes long, it is THE landmark of cinema. And luckily, I can present the whole thing.



4) Metropolis
Set the gold standard for sci-fi for years to come (sad as it is to say, pretty much till George "I'm a whore" Lucas made Star Wars). Fritz Lange gave us a stark, bleak, dystopian vision that went unparalleled until Ridley Scott's opus Blade Runner.



3) The General
See, I could put both Chaplin and Keaton on this list, not worry about it, and call it a day. But unfortunately the other 4 entrants meant that I could only put one on, and Keaton's The General is just so damn funny, and so damn good. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp all owe a great deal to Keaton, he created and perfected that physical comedy they have used in their films.



2) Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.
The original horror/thriller. Robert Wiene does such an amazing job with tone and pacing. To this day it's an effective film. Anybody who isn't affected by this is missing something in their head.



1) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Graunes
The scariest film ever made. F.W. Murnau is a visual master who set the stage for future greats like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero and John Carpenter. Looking at it from today's perspective, you can watch this film, and see the future of horror, indeed the future of cinema in this film. It's a beautiful piece of work. that can't be denied.

Top 10 of 2007!

Brodie Fanns!

Finally, at long last... or after 2 weeks of waiting, at least, here it is. The top 10 films of 2007. I waited long enough for Sweeny Todd. Though knowing my luck, as soon as I post this, I'm going to cruise over to Carmike's website and BAM! it's playing up here. Oh well... if the list needs changing, then I'll change it. But out of the 43 different releases I saw this past year, these 10 are the 10 best, as I saw it. Oh... and I'm all tapped out with synopsis (I think that's the plural) as I'm diverting all that energy to the Top 100 list I'm doing. So you'll have to take my word for it, and settle for the trailer.

10) Gone Baby Gone


9) Charlie Wilson's War


8) Hot Fuzz


7) Juno


6) Knocked Up


5) 3:10 to Yuma


4) 300


3) Planet Terror/Death Proof (Grindhouse)


2) Zodiac


1) No Country for Old Men


There it is. Top 10 of 2007. Go rent/see what you can. If they aren't available in a theatre or rental store near you, then just bide your time, they will be soon.

-Brodie Mann

100 Favourite, Part VI: 20-11

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