back to the future part 3

the oft forgotten gem of the series, this one is every bit as good as the second one.  it doesn't have as much bombast as the previous film, but it is the logical conclusion to doc brown's story.  i love me a western movie, and if you can mix that in with a time travel movie?  count me in!

back to the future part 2

another great film that is constantly referenced in pop culture.  who hasn't said 'i want a hoverboard!' before?  its so ingrained into our culture that it has passed into legend at this point.  the future stuff is so fun and optimistic that you can't help but love it.  the film goes to some really dark places as well and at times gets too convoluted for its own good, but its still a lot of fun.  there are parts that suffer from 'middle film' syndrome, as can often be the case in trilogys, but its still a blast to watch.

back to the future

a fantastic movie.  not much more to say about it than that!  i am always a sucker for a time travel movie, and maybe that can be directly traced back to this film.  i have seen this one so many times i can't even count, and its one that i could pop in any time and gladly watch it start to finish and love every minute.  at this point the film isn't really a movie anymore, its a legend- a foundation of pop culture, like star wars.

the net

for some reason i remember this movie being really good. now, for the life of me, i cant remember why... i think that when the movie came out the whole internet thing was so new that they could do whatever they wanted with it and we would believe it.  now though, we know what the internet is and everything that happens in this movie is so ridiculous that it looses all credibility.  this might as well be considered a sci-fi film...

capote

i understand that this is an amazingly accurate portrayal by phillip seymore hoffman, he so perfectly captured truman capote, but it still didn't make it a good movie.  capote was a larger than life character, but i just wasn't interested in his life or his story.  i can understand why others may like it, but i didn't.

happy feet

this one came out at the height of 'penguin fever' back in 2006.  i didn't watch it then and have since caught up with it.  it's pretty terrible.  the penguins are cute enough but the story is kinda lame and they add in this whole plot about the environment that just throws the whole thing off.  why are humans in this movie?  no thanks.

confidence

a pretty run-of-the-mill con man movie that's kind of fun but pretty basic.  its got a great cast and has some nice turns that you don't see coming.  this one was playing at sundance the year that i was able to attend.  i didn't see it there so i wanted to catch up with it since then.

inception

a very clever original film by christopher nolan, this one looks at dreams and the different layers of consciousness.  it turns these abstract ideas into a mind-bendy action film.  with a great cast and amazing action, the fact that it doesn't really make much sense goes without notice (you know, until you take some time and think about it) until well after the credits roll.  at times trippy, and other times moving, this is one that will be a crowd favorite for a long time.

the a-team

i really enjoyed the original a-team tv show, it was predictable and cheesy, but it was still a lot of fun! (granted, it was a poor man's macgyver, but they can't all be perfect, right?)  the cast of the film really elevates this one to be a lot of fun, each character does their part and had a few moments in the film to shine, just like the tv show.  the action is really over the top but in a silly and fun way.  the film takes itself just serious enough but know when to let loose and have silly moments as well.  the stand outs for me were liam neeson as hannibal and definitely sharlto copley as murdock!

the sting II

i've seen the original 'sting' film many times over, so i thought i'd give this one a try.  this was made back when there weren't very many sequels being put out, but the first film was such a runaway success that they couldn't help themselves!  none of the original characters are here, the only hold over from the first one, and its only tie to that film other than its name, is the fantastic ragtime music.  though the acting is over the top, and the story is pretty flimsy, they do still tap into the fun heist feeling of the original.  now, i will certainly admit that my enjoyment of this film may have been entirely based on how much fun that soundtrack is, but i think that's the main draw of the movie in the first place...

turbulence

i remember seeing this one in the theater when it first came out.  it is a pretty standard by the numbers 90's thriller.  there is a killer who the police are trying to catch and he takes over the airplane he's on and all hell breaks loose.  it wasn't very good then, and it did not get better with time.

land of the lost

i have no nastalgia for this series, it was on before my time.  for me, watching different characters or elements pop up from the original show meant absolutely nothing to me.  the only draw to the movie that i had was that this was the new will ferrell movie.  the movie itself is certainly not good and continually gets bogged down in how big its trying to be.  the budget and scope for this film is way off- if this had been just a little comedy with the same intentionally hockey effects of the show it could have been charming and played up the silliness, but instead we get this unnecessary effects heavy action film that looses all its humor.  very disappointing.

funny people

a look at the life of a stand-up comedian who got caught up in the trappings of his own popularity as he tries to go back to his roots.  its one of the rare adam sandler movies where he actually tries to act a bit and he does it very well.  my one complaint about the film is that it is trying to tell two different stories: the redemption of a has-been, and the story of a family trying to deal with divorce and remarriage.  i feel it would have been more successful if it had focused on one instead of both.  this is a two and a half hour movie for no good reason!  with a clearer focus it could have been much better.

a cinderella story

this modern retelling of the cinderella story isn't as bad as i thought it would be.  its one of my wife's favorites, so i knew at some point she was going to make me watch it, and i'll be darned if hilary duff isn't charismatic and charming!  the whole thing is kind of dumb and really predictable, but for some reason it still kinda works.  as far as lame teen movies go, this one is pretty good.

enchanted

a very cute play on the disney princess cliche, an animated princess accidentally enters the real world and is confronted by the harsh realities that our world isn't quite as care-free as it was in her imaginary world.  amy adams is fantastic as the naive princess come to life.

dont tell mom the babysitters dead

i remember seeing commercials and previews for this one when it first came out back in the early 90's.  i thought it looked funny but after finally seeing it all these years later i can tell you that i was wrong.  its not funny.

state of play

a political thriller where we follow a journalist who is trying to get the the bottom of the corruption.  pretty by the numbers with little to add.  its a more action packed version of law and order but with journalists instead of lawyers.

baby mama

the story is kinda dumb but amy and tina are funny in it.  not funny enough to lift the material, but still kinda funny.

the rocker

a mediocre romantic comedy with rainn wilson basically playing dwight from the office but instead of being really in to paper he's really in to heavy metal music.

where the heart is

a very simple and predictable romantic comedy that is only lifted to passable because of its likable cast.

alexander revisited

to call this a good movie would be inaccurate.  its an ambitious movie, and sometimes you have to forgive it what it fails at because its trying to do so much.  the story is fascinating and amazing, but the film is neither of those things.

wimbledon

a pretty standard romantic comedy, this one set in the world of professional tennis.  paul bettany is always great, and kirsten dunst is pretty fun here as well.

american splendor

the story of harvey pekar, the creator of an underground comic book called 'american splendor' that is autobiographical, is a very interesting take on the biopic.  in it harvey is played by paul giamatti, but the real harvey shows up in interviews too.  he comments on his own life and even on the film as its going.  its a very chaotic life that harvey lead and his comics show that.  the film does a great job of portraying the mood of the source material.

before sunset

its ten years later and we see where these two have been since that fateful night they spent together wandering the streets talking.  it turns out that they didn't connect one year later as agreed, but now hawke's character is a famous writer who is on a book tour for his new book about that special night.  low and behold, who shows up at one of his book readings?  the very girl who didn't show up when he waited for her on that agreed upon day.  the two of them spend the next couple hours reconnecting before hawke's flight leaves to take him back to his wife and son.  a very interesting look at how life has changed in the past 10 years, looking at some regrets and some choices made and how they have impacted their lives.  a story of plans and life getting in the way, but ultimately its about trying to decide what's most important in life and deciding how to deal with it.  a great film!

beowulf

this is an animated film that exclusively uses motion capture technology to create its visuals.  based on the old poem, its an interesting retelling of the tale with some minor updates courtesy of a screenplay written by neil gaiman.  though it doesn't look that great now, this was cutting edge at the time and blew me away!  and it was even in 3D- a good two years before 'avatar' would popularize it and make it commonplace.  i found this movie to be riveting and very well done.  the grendel was fittingly terrifying, and the stuff about the mother and the cycle that continues was an interesting twist on the source material that it justifies its existence.  the idea of taking the newest technology to one of the oldest stories is an interesting one as well!

the darjeeling limited

a wes anderson movie about three brothers as they try to deal with life by taking a trip through india.  it is, as you would expect, overly designed production quality and quirky characters dealing with absurd situations but showing a universal truth through it.  you know, like all wes andersons films...  its pretty good, but not one of his best.

before sunrise

i had never seen this one when it first came out, i watched it after the second one was released.  this one started off the relationship between the two characters with ethan hawke as an early 20 something backpacking through europe and having a 12 hour wait until his next train.  he convinces a fellow traveler to stay with him overnight as he waits.  with only the promise of conversation, the two of them wander around the city and share their lives and thoughts with each other until the sun rises.  for the most part this film is pretty good.  there are times where their conversations wander into pretentious and self centered, it actually makes it even more accurate- they all feel like real conversations a college aged kid would have!  over the course of the wandering night, they fall for each other; the two of them agree to meet again one year from this day at the same place and if it is meant to be then they will know.  we are left with that as the two of them catch their connecting trains and say their goodbyes... for now.

moon

a trippy original science fiction story that deals with isolation, identity, and purpose.  sam rockwell is amazing as always.

titus

this is an amazing film.  it is a imagining of the shakespeare classic 'titus andronicus' but with strange and beautiful visuals that include everything from roman buildings to modern day tanks and motorcycles.  very strange.  it is one of shakespeare's darkest plays, and this film does not shy away from that at all.  definitely worth seeking out and watching!

the foot fist way

our first introduction to danny mcbride, he always plays the head strong self obsessed jerk that has now become a staple in so many comedy movies.  he's pretty funny here as the over confident karate instructor.

lord of the rings: return of the king

the finale of the unparalleled lord of the rings trilogy.  one of the most incredible cinematic achievements of our lifetime, that's for sure.  the ending is a big long and drawn out, but after such a fantastic journey, i think they are allowed to take a bit of a victory lap...

lord of the rings: the two towers

another amazing movie that stands head and shoulders above most other sequels.  its a bit misleading to even call the two towers a sequel since it, like the third one as well, were all filmed at the same time.  it is a great middle film and does a marvelous job of continuing the first one and adding layers and characters in an organic way.  i probably consider this one to be the second best of the series, but i think that might be because i thought the first one was so good.  and i love those ents!

lord of the rings: fellowship of the ring

there's not much that i can write about this series that hasn't already been said.  its amazing and created a whole new world that lives and breathes as a wholly realized vision.
so instead of talking about the movie, i thought i'd share a story about the first time i saw it in the theater:  i was living in utah at the time and a few friends and i went to go see it.  one of those friends was lani, a fellow teacher i went to college with.  she clearly didn't know anything about the films but decided to tag along anyway.  as we were leaving the theater after the film two of us were talking and mentioned that we couldn't wait for the next two movies.  lani overheard us and said 'oh, that makes a lot more sense!' she had no idea that it is a trilogy!  she was like 'we were two and a half hours in to the movie and they still hadn't gotten anywhere close to getting rid of that ring!'

away we go

a nice little drama/comedy about a couple that deals with having a child.

kick-ass

a great twist on the superhero movie.  it takes the premise of 'what if a normal kid decided to be a superhero?' and follows it through to an absurd reality.  the different stories following the kid who puts on a costume, the daughter/father relationship that is totally messed up, and the spoiled brat who decides to become a villain, all come together in strange and funny ways.  the climax is ridiculous but fun.

ringers: lord of the fans

a pretty fun look at some of the fans of the lord of the rings films.  there's even a bunch of behind the scenes stuff and talks with the cast of the films.  as a fan of the trilogy i thought it was worth a watch.

meet bill

i honestly don't remember seeing this one.  it must be pretty forgettable...

hot rod

when i first saw the previews and commercials for this one i thought it looked really stupid.  i was right.  but oh what hilarious stupidity it is!  my friend sean finally forced me to watch it.  there is a great scene of andy samberg dancing out his frustrations.  sean told me i had to see it, just that one scene.  so we did.  we then proceeded to watch the rest of the movie, laughing hysterically the whole way through!  i have seen it again since then and its just as funny the second time around.

rush hour 3

i'm a big fan of jackie chan, but this was not a good movie.  the first one was kind of fun and the second one was really fun but this one doesn't really belong in the same conversation.  this movie came out 6 years after the second one, and that was about 4 years too late.  by the time this one hit the good will from the second one was long since dissipated.  chris tucker's personality and sense of humor had been left behind by then and you could tell jackie wasn't really in to it.  the jokes were stale, having already been done better the first two times around.  the action was still pretty cool because jackie never gives less than his best when it comes to action, but the rest of the film is immediately forgettable.

soldier

this is not a good movie, but i've got a soft spot for original science fiction films.  and kurt russell is always cool.

the last minute

a really crazy film about getting famous and rich but hating what you find when you get to the top.  the film from stephen norrington, the director of blade, is really weird.  we see the main character find success only to realize the dark underbelly of getting what you wish for.  its a dirty film, not in its content but in its look and feel.  norrington does a great job of showing how ugly things can get when there is no accountability or limits put on our worst tendencies.

igby goes down

the story of a rich kid who hates his family and just wants to rebel.  he gets a taste of what its like to be a real person in the city and tries to make sense of it.  kieran culkin does a fantastic job of playing the petulant teen who has to grow up.

one night with the king

a retelling of the story of ruth from the bible.  its incredibly lush and absolutely gorgeous, the acting is good enough and the writing is pretty good for one of these kind of movies too.  i don't know why, but this one really appeals to me, i really loved it in spite of its shortcomings.

stargate sg-1: children of the gods

a reedited and rescored version of the pilot episode of stargate sg-1.  the original was good enough to spawn 10 seasons and two spin off shows, so the little tweaks and fixes they do here only add to the fun.  watching some of the extras included with the dvd explain how it was changed and updated, including a brand new score for the film.  apparently when they first made it they didn't have a budget for a new score so they just edited together bits and pieces of the score from the original film.  i dug i and appreciated the effort put in to make it even better than it was.

walk the line

a really great look at johnny cash, the man behind such amazing songs.  i've never really gotten into his early carreer, arriving late to the johnny cash love.  his last three or four albums are my favorite, with 'the man comes around' being my favorite.  it was cool to see how he got his start and his relationship with his wife.  both phoenix and witherspoon do a good job of portraying the hardships and connections these two have.

star trek

i've been a star trek fan for my whole life.  if forced to chose, i would take 'trek' over 'wars' any day (though 'gate' is my new favorite...).  it's been quite a while since there was a good star trek movie though, so i was really excited about this reboot.  i'm not precious with star trek, especially the original series, so i had no problem with the update.  the fact that they actually included leonard nemoy into this version was just icing in the cake!  over all i enjoyed this movie, it took the usual star trek formula and peppered in a whole lot of action, which i'm not against.  the new cast is terrific and it just felt good to be in this universe again, even if everything and everyone feels quite different.

boondock saints

i discovered this movie quite a few years ago, like most people, on dvd. i had no idea what i was in for, but i figured it was worth a look because sean patrick flanery is in it! (he was young indiana jones years ago). turns out, it is really cool.

the story follows two irish brothers who find themselves in a difficult situation after getting in a bar fight with the russian mob. to defend themselves they end up killing some of the russians. when news spreads of this death, the people who have been under these russian mobsters rule, rejoice. slowly, the two brothers find a place for themselves as vigilanties of justice, getting rid of all the bag guys in their neighborhood.

a fairly simple story, but what makes this one shine is the mix of religious imagery along side the action of the two boys.  since its release it has certainly become a cult film.  its pretty amateurish, but a lot of fun.  an aspect that i like about it is that they guys are not very adapt at what they are doing but yet are still able to have everything fall in to place and come out victorious- underdogs with a lot of luck.

zach and miri make a porno

saw this one with diana.  i usually like kevin smith's movies, but this one was very generic and forgettable.  they tried to be 'edgy' with the subject matter, but kinda failed.  not as funny or clever as i usually expect from smith.

southland tales

this one was really confusing but i kinda liked it.  the rock is always amazing.  the part where they all break out into song reminded me of magnolia, but not nearly as good...  over all, it was more interesting than good.