Opening This Week (23 – 29 May, 2011)

Well, unsurprisingly Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides took home the box office booty this weekend with an impressive $90.1 million dollars. However, it doesn’t really end up a winner in comparison to other films in the Top Ten. First, the last installment of the series, At World’s End, raked in $113 million in its first weekend, and while that may not seem like a lot, if inflation was accounted for, that would be around $130 million today. So, the series is losing popularity in that regard, possibly because the reviews for this film were less than stellar (37% on RT). Bridesmaids, the second place finisher only brought in $21 million this weekend, which while not a stellar number, was only a 20% drop from its opening weekend, which is impressive for a comedy of its caliber. Fast Five finished in third with $10.6 million, continuing its strong run. If you recall, Fast Five opened last month with around $86 million in its first weekend, which while $4 million lower than On Stranger Tides,  wasn’t in 3D and sold more total tickets.

Anyway, all that was to say that while $90 million is a hefty chunk of change, in a lot of ways it was a disappointment. Here’s what we got on tap this week:

The Hangover Part II

Rated: R

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha

Director: Todd Phillips

Synopsis from IMDB: Right after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Stu’s plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Pac mentioned in his Most Anticipated Summer Movies article that he and I were having a debate about whether or not this would be any good. Obviously, neither of us have seen it and it was all speculation, but our point of contention came from a Cracked.com article that compared the trailer for the first film and the trailer seen above. The article points out that they are almost exactly the same trailer, the jokes are just tweaked ever so slightly. While it is always good to have some sort of familiarity in a sequel, I really hope that the jokes don’t seem tired, and that having The Wolfpack back together feels like a fresh experience. Since you may notice that it didn’t make my Most Anticipated Summer Movies, my guess is that it will be the former.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Rated: PG

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Synopsis from IMDB: Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I was not that impressed with the first Kung Fu Panda. It did have great animation, but the jokes seemed stale and relied too heavily on sight gags rather than a witty script. From watching the trailer for this film, I kind of get the same impression. A lot of people liked the first one, so if you did, this might be a good comedy alternative to the vulgarity in The Hangover Part II. Between Hangover and Kung Fu Panda 2, I am sure that Pirates will sink pretty significantly this weekend at the box office.

Limited Releases

The Tree of Life

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Fiona Shaw

Director: Terrence Malick

Synopsis from IMDB: The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The Tree of Life just won the coveted Palme d’Or Award (top prize) at the Cannes Film Festival, but people’s enjoyment of this film will probably have to do with expectations. From what I’ve read, if you’re expecting a linear story, you will be disappointed, because Malick apparently took a very nebulous approach to this film, relying heavily on abstract visuals to convey the emotions in the dialogue. Obviously, critics seem to love this movie (89% on RT), and it was #3 on my Summer’s Most Anticipated List, but again, I would put out the disclaimer that this probably won’t be a movie that is going to provide a thrill a minute. Instead, it will probably be a film you have to appreciate as a whole when it is finished.

We Are the Night

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Karoline Herfurth, Nina Hoss, Jennifer Ulrich

Director: Dennis Gansel

Synopsis from RT: Dennis Gansel, responsible for the hit The Wave, explores nighttime in Berlin to find a sect of seductive lady vampires that hide out in the city’s alternative clubs and enjoy the luxury and pleasures their attained immortality provides them. A stylized vision of female vampirism, closer to films like The Hunger or the TV series True Blood than to Twilight, We Are the Night differs from other films present this year in Sitges because it gives the myth an image of sensuality, charisma and attraction, playing especially on fascination for the night. A fascination that Gansel uses almost paroxysmally to exploit the German capital’s nighttime atmospheres.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I watched the trailer for The Wave, mentioned in the synopsis above and thought it looked pretty ambitious. Now, it looks like the director is trying to take that gritty style and convert it into the increasingly popular and annoying vampire genre. While the visual style certainly has flair, it doesn’t look like it will amount to much. Reviews on IMDB are lukewarm, and the one on RT is negative. This film is probably a Netflix viewing, but I won’t put it on there. However, I immediately added The Wave.

Opening This Week (16 – 22 May, 2011)

After a brief hiatus, I am back to wield the keyboard and discuss my thoughts and predictions about the movies opening this week. Last weekend, Thor continued to hold the #1 position in the box office, but took an almost 50% cut in returns ($34.5 million) and was tailed by the newest chick-centric comedy Bridesmaids ($24.5 million). Priest, the other new wide release last weekend underwhelmed, even with the inflated returns for 3D, debuting at #4 with $14.5 million, which was right behind Fast Five in its third week of release. However, their looms a Hollywood cash cow on the horizon, which will most likely sink all competition this week:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz

Director: Rob Marshall

Synopsis from IMDB: Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I remember watching the first film in this series and thinking it was a swashbuckling trip through pirate lore, but once Hollywood realized that they had the start of a successful franchise, it seemed like they ripped the heart out of the movie.

I imagine the ceremony looked like this.

The last two installments were CGI fueled over-cooked versions that only maintained a small bit of the life and promise that was exuded at the start. This latest trailer seems like Jack Sparrow will continue to be overused and run into the ground. I am already kind of sick of watching him during the trailer. I like Geoffrey Rush’s character better at this point and am interested to see what Ian McShane does as Blackbeard. Also, Penelope Cruz’s accent is irresistible. The early reviews are mixed (currently 42% on RT). Most, even the good reviews, seem to echo my predictions for it, that Disney put too much emphasis on Captain Jack and CGI. Regardless, people will show up in droves for this one and make Disney a pretty penny.

Midnight in Paris

Rated: R

Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen

Director: Woody Allen

Synopsis from IMDB: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: With Woody Allen, you are never quite sure what you’re going to get, but this trailer brought a very similar feel to 2007’s Vicky Christina Barcelona, which is a good thing. I like the way Allen studies the ins and outs and misconceptions in relationships, and it looks like he will continue to do that with this film. It is receiving very positive reviews as well (81% on RT), and it looks like this will be the best film to come out this weekend.

Limited Releases

Bloodworth

Rated: R

Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer, Hilary Duff, Reece Thompson

Director: Shane Dax Taylor

Synopsis from IMDB: E.F. Bloodworth has returned to his home – a forgotten corner of Tennessee – after forty years of roaming. The wife he walked out on has withered and faded, his three sons are grown and angry. Warren is a womanizing alcoholic, Boyd is driven by jealousy to hunt down his wife and her lover, and Brady puts hexes on his enemies from his mamma’s porch. Only Fleming, the old man’s grandson, treats him with the respect his age commands, and sees past all the hatred to realize the way it can poison a man’s soul. It is ultimately the love of Raven Lee, a sloe-eyed beauty from another town, that gives Fleming the courage to reject this family curse.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The marketing campaign behind this is clear….”Remember Crazy Heart? Yeah? Well, it’s like that, in case you missed it…or want to watch it again.” Even the poster is almost exactly the same, the songs are written by the same guy. I just don’t know how I feel about another Crazy Heart. With only one “Rotten” review to go off of, it is hard to determine where this will land, but I am guessing its critical success will be more like Country Strong (22% on RT), rather than Crazy Heart.

Louder Than A Bomb

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Nova Venerable, Alicia Davis, Rocco Bulmer

Director: Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel

Synopsis from IMDB: By turns hopeful and heartbreaking, Louder Than a Bomb follows the fortunes of four Chicago-area high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the world’s largest youth slam.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: This documentary has stormed just about every film festival with great success and currently has 100% on RT. While this isn’t something you would rush to the theater for, it certainly looks well worth tracking down on Netflix. Based on the reviews and all the acclaim it received so far, I am guessing we’ll be hearing about this one come awards season next year.

New to Blu-Ray/DVD this Week (March 22, 2011)

The Tourist

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Paul Bettany

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Synopsis from IMDB:  Revolves around Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  It is kind of baffling how this film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture in the Comedy/Musical genre considering that it isn’t really either a comedy or a musical.  However, in terms of entertainment value, The Tourist could have done a lot worse.  Carried by the stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, this film is an interesting heist mystery with all the standard cliches in place.  The two leads have good chemistry and the backdrop of Italy looks fantastic on-screen, but there isn’t much substance behind this film.  Good for an entertaining 103 minutes if you’re willing to check your brain at the door.

Yogi Bear

Rated: PG

Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake and Anna Faris

Director: Eric Brevig

Synopsis from IMDB: A documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear, his sidekick Boo-Boo, and Ranger Smith.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  Ushered in by the likes of Garfield and Alvin & the Chipmunks, Yogi Bear attempts to bring the nostalgia of our favorite childhood cartoons to the big screen.  I skipped this in theaters expecting more of the same with cheap slapstick jokes for the kids, sexual innuendo for the adults, and probably a song and dance for good measure.  However, I’ve heard that Yogi Bear stacks up a little better as a complete film compared to some of the aforementioned predecessors so if you’re having a family movie night, this may be the perfect rental for this week.

How Do You Know

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson

Director: James L. Brooks

Synopsis from IMDB: After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  This week’s romantic comedy release is How Do You Know.  The stars of this film make it somewhat attractive as a DVD/Blu-Ray rental but it is sure to be more of the same when it comes to the standard rom-com formula.  Maybe James L. Brooks (writer/director) can breathe some fresh air into this film especially since he has a handful of very capable actors on his hands.  However, with a rating of 30% from Rotten Tomatoes I’m not getting my hopes up.

Skyline

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Eric Balfour, Donald Faison and Scottie Thompson

Director: Colin Strause, Greg Strause

Synopsis from IMDB: Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  “The early bird gets the worm” and “Good things come to those who wait” are conflicting expressions, but the latter applies here if you decided to skip Skyline and wait for Battle: Los Angeles.  Skyline may capitalize in home video revenue, though, with it’s release not being too far removed from the theatrical release of Battle: LA.  Though critically the lesser film, there may still be some value in seeing this on Blu-Ray as the special effects make this film at least worthy of a viewing.

Top 15 Alien Invasion Movies

To celebrate the release of Battle: Los Angeles releasing in theaters today, we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best alien invasion movies ever released.  Ranging from horror to action to even comedy, these fifteen films (we couldn’t limit it to just 10) represent the best that hollywood has to offer when it comes to alien invasion.

15. Signs (2002)

Kicking things off on this list is M. Night Shyamalan’s last halfway decent film. Certainly not any great achievement in film, or the alien invasion genre, but it was effective and better than a lot of other efforts. What was different about this film than others on this list, is that it brought a sense of claustrophobia to the alien invasion, making the characters’ world smaller and smaller until it seems like there is no way out. Most invasion flicks try to show devastation on a massive scale, but Shyamalan smartly sticks to making this a very character driven story and pulls it off for the most part.

By character driven, I mean it drove its lead actors to eventually go insane.

14. The Faculty (1998)

Mixing alien invasion with 1990’s teen slasher, The Faculty is a very underrated and often overlooked movie when talking about the teen slasher.  Written by Kevin Williamson (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer) and directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk ’til Dawn, Sin City), The Faculty is a well written and well-directed horror film with a unique and entertaining concept, Despite the genre and the incredibly cliche movie poster.

This film’s story is enhanced by a cast littered with current future stars of its time including: Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Salma Hayek, Famke Jannsen, Christopher McDonald, Usher Raymond, Jon Stewart, and Elijah Wood.  As an added bonus for those of you watching the film as a repeated viewing; see how many Terminator franchise references you can pick up on, there are quite a few.

Pictured: Dr. Edward Furlong

13. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Sci-fi seems to work best when it fights the system. While this film is not very subtle about it, in the 1950’s it took a lot of grit to criticize society. In 1951, The Day the Earth Stood Still brought a new tent pole for the science fiction genre, even if now its special effects look like they would be fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Subtlety wasn't invented until the 1960s

To me, this was like the Citizen Kane of science fiction, great in its time, changing the genre forever, but it still has its flaws in story and acting. The updated version fails to have the effect that the original did, even with spectacular special effects, because its overt environmental message is no longer considered cool or subversive; all the guts that made the first one so great were removed.

12. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

B-movie entertainment at its best, Killer Klowns… is a 1988 horror film that follows a town as they are being invaded by aliens disguised as clowns.  This film never deviates from its identity and is humorous and entertaining the entire way through.  Killer Klowns from Outer Space has develop a cult following over the past 20+ years and rightfully so.  Despite being a product of the 1980s and having a paltry 2 million dollar budget, the film has more camp in its story than it does in effects, and the costumes are actually quite terrifying, especially if you are afraid of clowns.

Good luck sleeping tonight

11. War of the Worlds (2005)

This version of the classic H.G. Wells story made the list because even if there is almost no depth to it, Stephen Spielberg sure knows how to make an exciting film. Sure, Tom Cruise is not convincing as a guy that works on the docks.

Hey guys, after we are done this back breaking work maybe we could head down to the local bar establishment and get some glasses of beer.

Ok, Dakota Fanning is annoying as hell and I would have been content to watch the aliens eviscerate her into an ashy mist, but man this movie looks cool. While normally excessive use of special effects means that something gets lost in the story, Spielberg still was able to make the story cohesive, even if it wasn’t anything spectacular.

10. Monsters (2010)

The alien invasion in Monsters is more of just a backdrop for the rest of the film.  The aliens are barely seen on-screen and are nothing more than a device that drives the plot.  This film focuses almost solely on its two main characters and their relationship as they travel through an infected zone in Mexico back to the United States.  The success of this film is driven by the two lead actors and the chemistry they have as their on-screen relationship develops.  A disappointment if you are expecting an epic invasion piece or a horror film as the title may suggest; but the cinematography and delivery of this film’s story is incredibly impressive considering the paltry budget that constrained it.

(If you want more on Monsters, check out the Weekend Film Recommendation from March 4, 2011.)

9. War of the Worlds (1953)

War of the Worlds banked a lot of its success off the popular trend of alien films in the 1950’s. What makes it better than the other films in that era is that it really tried to set itself apart from the others by breaking away from the stereotypes (i.e. saucer shaped UFOs and garishly clad aliens) to really bring a sinister new look to the alien invasion film.

Well...sinister for 1953.

The film, for as good as they could in 1953, really developed one of the first epic-scale productions of its time. Writer and Director, Barre Lyndon and Byron Haskin, took some creative liberties with the story, but they made sure they were good ones, which only added to the mystique of this famous story.

8. District 9 (2009)

While there is some debate as to whether this truly is an “alien invasion” film, you can make arguments on either side, but there are enough elements to include it in this list. Completed on a very modest budget, Neill Blomkamp burst onto the cinema industry with a sci-fi masterpiece. His special effects were superb for such a low-budget and gave the film a very real feel. Plus, as mentioned earlier, it used the sci-fi genre as a platform for a subversive message, just subtly enough that it didn’t get in the way of the story. Blomkamp also benefitted from a great performance by Sharlto Copley as the protagonist and all those elements combined to garner a Best Picture nomination in 2010.

7. Mars Attacks (1996)

One of the two pure comedy/satires on this list, taste dictates which of the two is more deserving of the higher ranking.  Less popular and far less acclaimed (51% on Rotten Tomatoes as opposed to 91%), Mars Attacks is the sleeper of the two.  Tim Burton’s most underappreciated work, probably because it doesn’t look at all like a Tim Burton movie, this film is laugh out loud funny all the way through.  Aside from Tim Burton, Mars Attacks features an incredible ensemble cast featuring:  Glenn Close, Annette Benning, Pierce Brosnan, Danny Devito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Tom Jones (yes that Tom Jones), Jim Brown (yes that Jim Brown), Natalie Portman, Pam Grier, Ray J (yes that Ray J), Christina Applegate, Lukas Haas, Jack Black, and Jack Nicholson.

And possibly an uncredited Johnny Depp

6. Men in Black (1997)

Men in Black parodied a lot of the films already mentioned in this list and featured the great comedic chemistry of loudmouth Will Smith and deadpan Tommy Lee Jones. The film was a box office and critical success, spawning a disastrous sequel and another sequel coming soon. What it lacks in suspense, it makes up for with witty one liners and delightful sight gags, and it still manages to pay homage to some of the sci-fi greats. The gadgets and special effects used were pretty cool as well and made for several toys that every kid wanted for Christmas.

5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The 1978 remake of the 1956 classic, this version updates the classic with more chilling suspense and a stellar cast.  Donald Sutherland is the headliner here but there are plenty of other names and faces you might recognize including Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, Veronica Cartwright, and Robert Duvall in an uncredited role.  Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a chilling horror film about alien pods invading and taking over the human race creating drones devoid of emotion.  Not only known for its horror and unforgettable closing sequence, …Body Snatchers provides both humor and satire giving the film added depth.

4. Independence Day (1996)

This has become the film that immediately comes to mind when someone thinks of an alien invasion film. Utter devastation, iconic and ominous imagery, cheesy one liners and speeches that will be parodied for years to come.

Bill Pullman, the most inspiring and reckless president of all time.

While by no means a “great” film, it encompasses all the elements people look for when they go to a summer blockbuster. Roland Emerich somehow knew how to make everything work and use static characters in a good way to create a film that is just plain fun.

3. Superman II (1980)

Superman II may seem out-of-place on this list, but it certainly is worthy of ranking #3 among the best alien invasion movies of all time.  The follow-up to Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie, this film follows Clark Kent/Superman as he grapples with his immortality and falling in love for Lois Lane.  Meanwhile, three Kryptonian villains led by General Zod (the alien invaders) escape from the Phantom Zone and come to Earth looking both to rule and to destroy Kal-El.

Featuring Christopher Reeve as Superman, Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, and Terence Stamp as General Zod, Superman II is considered by many to be the best superhero movie ever made and the best film Richard Donner never made.  The Richard Lester credited theatrical version is the easiest to find and is a good film, but Superman II really belongs to Richard Donner and Mario Puzo.  If you can track down the Richard Donner cut released to DVD in 2006.

The Superman movie Richard Lester actually directed

2. Predator (1987)

The predator is an alien invader/warrior inhabiting the Central American jungle, that is until Arnold comes along.  Almost 25 years after this movie was released, the predator is now a staple in American pop-culture with the film spawning 4 franchise sequels (Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator, AVP: Requiem, and Predators).  None of those films come close to the original that blends both action/adventure with horror and suspense to create one of the best alien invasion movies ever.  Arnold delivers better in this film than any other mainly because he doesn’t ham it up with one-liners or cheap jokes, and an identifiable supporting cast including Carl Weathers (Rocky) and Jesse Ventura rounds out the action mix.

1. The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter is horror genius and this film is one of his best, and coincidentally tops the list of best alien invasion films. It does not accomplish this through devastating large cities or cool technology, it does it through disturbing make up and sheer cut-the-tension-with-a-knife paranoia. While this was not the original, but a remake, it certainly took the premise and ran with it. He combines the elements of sci-fi and horror so effectively that it leaves the viewer in awe. The ending, which I will not spoil, still leaves the audience left with the feeling of dread hanging over their heads and weighing heavy upon them. If you haven’t seen it is definitely worth a viewing…or two.

More than half of these movies are currently available on Netflix Instant (click on each title to add to your instant queue):

• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• Monsters
• District 9
• Mars Attacks
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• Superman II (theatrical version)
• The Thing
• Bonus: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Pac’s 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2011

It is finally 2011, and now that we’ve looked back on the films that made up 2010 it is time to look forward to those that will be hitting theaters in 2011.  Earlier today, Chris outlined his most anticipated films of 2011 and I planned on bringing mine to the site tomorrow.  However, because of the diversity between our lists, I have decided to drop the curtain on my rankings today.  So without further ado, here are my 10 most anticipated films of 2011 (with a few honorable mentions).

10. Your Highness

Release Date: April 8, 2011

Starring: Natalie Portman, Danny McBride, James Franco, Zooey Deschanel

Synopsis from IMDB:  When Prince Fabious’s bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her… accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  The last two directorial works from David Gordon Green have been pretty damn funny (East Bound and Down, Pineapple Express) so I think there is a pretty good shot at least one of his films in 2011 is a hit.  Considering the other film on his slate is The Sitter (“homage” to Adventures in Babysitting), I’ll put my money on this one.  James Franco and Danny McBride have proven their comedic worth and Natalie Portman is at the peak of her popularity, if nothing else we’ll get a few good laughs and some on-screen eye candy.

9.  The Rite

Release Date: 28 January, 2011

Starring: Anthony Hopkins

Director: Mikael Hafstrom

Synopsis from IMDB: An American priest travels to Italy to study at an exorcism school.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  I think that Anthony Hopkins making The Wolfman may be beneficial to this film because it could lower the expectations a little bit.  This is the last we’ll see of Hopkins before Thor this summer so hopefully he can help his box office draw a little for that film as well.  I’m a sucker for religious horror and even though the exorcism theme has become a little trite, hopefully The Rite can bring it a fresh perspective.

8. The Hangover Part II

Release Date: May 26, 2011

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms

Director: Todd Phillips

Synopsis from IMDB: N/A

Trailer: No Trailer Available

Pac’s Take: Arguably the funniest movie from 2009 returns for a sequel; and while the details have been behind the project have been very hush-hush, I think this is a good thing.  A good portion of the humor behind this film is the shock-value it produces and, unless the trailer reveals too much, there should be plenty of it in the sequel.  I am also a strong supporter of the replacement of Mel Gibson with Liam Neeson and the rumored presidential cameo should also be quite hilarious.

7. Fright Night

Release Date: August 19, 2011

Starrring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant

Director: Craig Gillespie

Synopsis from IMDB:  A remake of the comedy-horror picture about a teenager who discovers his new next-door neighbor is a vampire.

Trailer: Trailer from 1985 original

Pac’s Take:  This will probably be the worst film to come out on this list, but sometimes I can be a sucker for remakes from my childhood.  Fright Night was a fantastic movie in the eighties and they have a pretty solid cast in place, though I’m not the biggest fan of Ferrell I think he can do well in this role.  The original was rated R and had some pretty mature themes so I hope they don’t water it down to draw in a larger demographic, I won’t get my hopes up though.

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Release Date: 15 July, 2011

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes

Director: David Yates

Synopsis from IMDB: The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemorts final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  The 2nd of two films that Chris and I both have on our lists, and I don’t have it as highly ranked as he does.  Though I am very excited to see this, I just recently got into the Harry Potter series and saw it for more than just a film adaptation of a popular children’s saga.  I’m sure this film will deliver and be one of the highest grossing efforts this year, the others on this list just appeal to me a bit more.

5.  The Thing

Release Date: October 14, 2011

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eric Christian Olsen and Joel Edgerton

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Synopsis from IMDB: At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson. While Dr. Halvorson keeps to his research, Kate partners with Sam Carter, a helicopter pilot, to pursue the alien life form.

Trailer: 1982 Trailer

Pac’s Take:  This film falls into the same realm as Fright Night, a new take on an old classic that is very much up in the air in terms of its quality.  While Fright Night is a direct remake of the original, The Thing is a prequel to the 1982 horror thriller from John Carpenter (Halloween),  and in a lot of circles is considered the greatest horror movie ever made.  The Thing (2011) doesn’t boast the cast that Fright Night does, nor does it have a director with any recognizable films under his belt so my expectations are a little low.  But hey, John Carpenter’s The Thing was a remake of a ’50s film so why can’t this prequel follow in its success?

4. The Rum Diary

Release Date: 2011 (exact date unknown)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Giovanni Ribisi

Director: Bruce Robinson

Plot Synopsis from IMDB: Paul Kemp is a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean. Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.

Trailer: No Trailer Available

Pac’s Take:  Remember the last movie adapted from a Hunter S. Thompson book that starred Johnny Depp?  I’m still not convinced that this film will actually come out in 2011 since I’ve been hearing rumors about this film’s release about as long as I’ve heard about Sin City 2.  However, the film is now in post-production and another film long in limbo (The Tree of Life) is hitting theaters in 2011, so here’s to hoping that this film appears in cinemas as well.

3.  Scream 4

Release Date: April 15, 2011

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette

Director: Wes Craven

Plot Synopsis from IMDB: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: After sitting through My Soul to Take last year I became a little wary about how Scream 4 will turn out, but I am confident that Wes Craven will treat his crown jewel with a little more respect than he did that film.  Not to mention he has Kevin Williamson returning to write and a pretty stellar cast to work with.  In my first post on this site I named the original Scream number 3 on my top ten horror movies of all time so I hold this franchise pretty close to my heart.  I hope the fourth installment can jump-start a new trilogy as good as its predecessor.

2.  Captain America: The First Avenger

Release Date: July 22, 2011

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Joe Johnston

Plot Synopsis from IMDB: After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

Trailer: Trailer Not Available

Pac’s Take: It may be hard for studios to find a weekend in 2011 or 2012 to fit in the release of their superhero movie without having to compete with another.  After a slow year for these films in 2010, the next two years will be delivering the masked men in droves (The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Thor, X-Men: First Class, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, The Avengers).  While the two DC films coming out in 2012 definitely top my list, the hero I’m most excited about on-screen for 2011 is Captain America.  This film’s noirish look is exactly what I was hoping to see when news of this film was first released, and they even cast the perfect villain (Hugo Weaving as Red Skull).  While Thor looks more like a bridge to The Avengers, I think Captain America will stand strongly on its own.

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Release Date: December 21, 2011

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Stellan Skarsgård

Director: David Fincher

Plot Synopsis from IMDB: A journalist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing — or dead — for forty years by a young female hacker.

Trailer: No Trailer Available

Pac’s Take: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of a trilogy of films to be made in Denmark based of the books of Stieg Larsson.  In 2011 they will be brought to America in the form of an adaptation of the first installment by none other than David Fincher.  So far in his career, David Fincher can do no wrong;  my least favorite Fincher film is Panic Room and I even catch myself watching that every time I see it on cable.  Last year’s The Social Network is an Academy Award nominee shoe-in for Best Picture and with the success this film had overseas it is sure to be a hit here.  Also, after Niels Arden Oplev, director of the foreign version, heavily criticised the remake (see my reaction here), I can’t wait to see this film gross substantially higher numbers and critical acclaim.  My only reservation is the titular character will be played by Rooney Mara, we saw her in A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Social Network this past year and she has yet to impress me; hopefully she can wow me in December.

Honorable Mentions:  The Green Hornet, Sucker Punch, X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, Cowboys and Aliens

Pac’s Best/Worst Films of 2010

Yesterday Chris posted his best and worst films of 2010, I decided to give you a day to mull it over, argue amongst friends, leave comments, and/or whatever it is you do.  Today I give you my list of the ten best and ten worst movies of 2010.  Keep in mind, as with Chris’s lists, that these are only the films that I have seen.  We are just fans like you and have to seek out our own means of viewing these films so it was impossible to see every film we would have liked to in 2010 (as well as those we’re forced to or stumble into).  As a bonus though, I’ve included the ten films I wish I would have seen in 2010 both because some of my films overlap Chris’s and I wanted to add something more and because I don’t want anyone saying “how could you have put (blank) over (blank)?” when I didn’t see (blank).

I want to end on a high note so here are my 10 least favorite films from the past year:

10. Let Me In

Right off the bat I’m going with a film that might make most people discredit the rest of my list, it was included in Chris’s 10 best films and it got great reviews, and there are definitely other films I could have put here instead (see honorable mentions) .  Let Me In was saved by great performances from wonderful young actors (and the always enjoyable Richard Jenkins) but the over-the-top cinematography and slow pace ruined any chance of me enjoying this film.  The film was shot way too tight and I spent more time deciphering what I was seeing on-screen and not enough time immersing myself in the film.  I’m a believer that you need to see a film twice to truly gauge its quality (which I haven’t done yet) but for now it remains on my ten least favorite.

9. Alice In Wonderland

Most all Hollywood couples part ways, so why too can’t the “bromances” between actor and director?  Maybe it is time for Tim Burton to move on from Johnny Depp the same way Scorcese moved on from DeNiro to DiCaprio.  I wasn’t able to see this film in 3D (which I heard was disappointing anyway), but none the less the film boasted some great visuals – and nothing else.  Burton’s story of Alice returning to Wonderland lacked substance and character and attempted to disguise it with the awe of visual appeal.  I wasn’t even able to finish this film (meaning it comes in #9 despite me not seeing the infamous dance sequence), and that almost never happens.

8. Leap Year

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the romantic comedy genre (as evidenced here), but I am always willing to give the newest one a shot given the appropriate company.  While most RomComs have ridiculous premises and over-the-top love stories, Leap Year attempted to top them all with its ridiculous premise about a girl who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Year only to fall in love along the way.  Amy Adams needs to take cues from actresses like Charlize Theron, you have way too much talent to be wasting it on Romantic Comedies.  If I have to see this film once every four years, it’d be too often.

7. Valentine’s Day

When a movie tries to bank off the success of another film in any other method other than a direct sequel (and many times even that doesn’t work), it is almost destined for failure.  Valentine’s Day clearly tried to use the formula of He’s Just Not That Into You, and take it one step further by including a holiday premise sure to draw in couples to the theater.  Unfortunately, they overlooked the one thing about HJNTIY that actually made it an enjoyable film to watch, a good story.  Valentine’s Day just grabbed as many billable actors as possible, cut them their check and let them check out as they filmed this abomination because they knew the names would be enough to turn a profit.  Hopefully when next years sequel, New Year’s Eve comes to theaters we’ll be a little bit wiser (probably not).

6. My Soul to Take

If Chris gives me credit for convincing him to see The Social Network, then I must too take blame for dragging him to this.  While he and most others would rank this higher on their list of least favorite films of 2010, I saw brief glimpses of what makes Wes Craven the premiere name in the horror genre.  The film lacked so many things including: acceptable performances from its young actors, cohesiveness in the story, and any sort of suspense.  However, after some analysis I determined that it wasn’t the story that was lacking but the execution.  Don’t let me forget that this was the worst 3D that I have seen in any film to date.  Maybe this Wes Craven film will be remade in 20 years like all his others, and this one could actually be improved upon.

5. The Killer Inside Me

I first saw the trailer for this film and immediately thought this was going to be the film that makes Casey Affleck a star.  With two very billable leading ladies (Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson) by his side, the director of a Mighty Heart at the reins, and a compelling story based off a well received book, I had such high hopes for this film.  What I got upon viewing was a shock value film disguised as noir with incredibly slow pacing.  Affleck turns out a good performance in this character piece, as does Kate Hudson but they still couldn’t save this film for me.  However, after spending two hours begging for this film to end I was rewarded with a pretty bad-ass ending, or maybe I was just relieved it was over.

4. Salt

I wasn’t expecting much from this film and didn’t see it til recently, so I can’t say that I was disappointed by it.  Still, Salt was easily the worst of a group of espionage films that were released this year.  Competing with the likes of Knight and Day, Killers, and The Tourist, and trying to live up to the quality of the Bourne series, Salt fell short in almost every aspect.  The performances were weak, the story was boring, the reveal was predictable, and the action was cliché.  Angelina Jolie is quickly becoming an actress whose films I try to avoid; and when Tom Cruise backs out for Knight and Day and is replaced by Liv Shreiber, you’re doomed.

Who Cares?

3. Twilight: Eclipse

The only thing that kept this film from landing any higher was that it did at least feature some pretty cool fight sequences as well as the beautiful Eva Green and Anna Kendrick.  Unfortunately, the rest of the film was littered with unbearable performances from its three main stars, a romance that has become so contrite by the third film that I can’t understand how even tweens can bear it anymore, and unneccessary chest bearing for swooning 12 year olds.  It is disappointing that this saga will be remembered in pop-culture as one of the most popular franchises of our generation, hopefully after the fourth installment reaches theaters the vampire craze will subside.

2. Sex and the City 2

I subject my girlfriend to a lot of bad action and horror movies so I only find it fair that sometimes I suck it up and watch a movie like Twilight: Eclipse and Sex and the City 2.  While Twilight: Eclipse at least boasted a cool fight scene, two very attractive supporting actresses, and some resemblance of a plot; Sex and the City 2 had nothing of the sort.  I strongly considered making this the #1 film on this list but decided against it because I hated the next film just a little bit more.  Take four over the hill women who were only mildly attractive in their prime, send them to the middle east to do absolutely nothing, add some obligatory male nudity, and what you get is this garbage.  Screw you HBO, where is my Sopranos movie?

1. The Last Airbender

What can I say about this film that hasn’t already been expressed in numerous blogs, reviews, and hate mail sent to M. Night Shyamalan?  This movie was terrible and I really don’t have anything else to say about it, I didn’t finish it and I have no interest in watching it all the way through because I genuinely don’t care what happens, hell I don’t even know what was happening during the first 2 acts that I did see.  It is a shame that Shyamalan’s name has been drug through the mud so badly after the release of this film because it caused so many people to dismiss Devil, a decent suspense/horror flick.

Honorable Mentions:  The Wolfman, The Losers, R.E.D., Jonah Hex

 

 Here are my favorite films from 2010:

10. The Ghost Writer

Let me hand it to my favorite website and one of the greatest resources on the web for movie news, reviews, and opinions for influencing me to see this movie.  It if it weren’t for a weekend film recommendation on this very site, I may never have seen The Ghost Writer, but I’m sure glad I listen to those guys at Chris Petersen’s Film Blog, they sure are smart.  A political crime thriller from across the pond, The Ghost Writer boasts superior performances from Ewan MacGregor and Pierce Brosnan, a stellar plot that unravels at just the right pace, and one hell of an ending.  You can call Roman Polanski a lot of things, and one of them should be an outstanding director.

9. Kick Ass

Not many films these days can feature Nicolas Cage and still make my top ten, but Kick Ass was able to do just that.  Blending just the right amount of superhero fantasy with the harsh reality of life, this film was a very smart, fun romp through the world of superhero fanboys.  What took this film to the next level though was the excellent cast supported by the aforementioned Cage, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.  But it was the bold decision to cast the little-known Aaron Johnson as Kick Ass that made this movie great.  Could you imagine how much it would have sucked if they went with, oh say…

This Guy

 8.  Unthinkable

Seriously, read this blog every day, these guys know what they are talking about.  Okay, so it was actually me who wrote the weekend film recommendation for Unthinkable this time, but I did it for a reason.  This film gets a bad rap by some because of its controversial subject matter and torture scene, but make no mistake – this is not torture porn.  Everything shown on-screen is deliberate and important to the purpose of the film, the movie is not supposed to gross you out but rather to make you think, and to question your own morality and the morality of the world we live in.  This film is heavy, and it features Samuel L. Jackson in his best performance from at least the past 5 years as well as Michael Sheen in an Oscar worthy performance.  (This film is available instantly on Netflix for those of you interested).

7. The Town

I’ve put my grievances with the ending to rest and have accepted this film for what it is, a very good heist flick.  Ben Affleck continues to show that he knows how to handle a camera and Jeremy Renner is quickly proving to be one of Hollywood’s heavyweights and they both shine in their respective roles in this film.  Some of their talent even rubbed off on the beautiful Blake Lively who did take a cue from Charlize Theron and disguised her beauty to play Affleck’s drugged out ex-girlfriend.  I wish I could have liked this film more than I did but despite its greatness amongst this years class of film, it doesn’t compare to the greats like Heat, Dog Day Afternoon, and Inside Man.

6. Inception

It was very difficult for me not to rank this film higher on my list but when it came down to it, I wasn’t influenced by all the peer pressure and the media touting this movie as the greatest piece of art ever to grace my eyes.  I do however, give this film all the respect it deserves for a great cast (including a breakout performance by Joseph Gordon Levitt), a great story, incredible special effects and cinematography, and a cliff hanger that will live in cinema infamy.  I truly hope this film will do what many speculate it is capable of and bring some big budget originality back to hollywood in the coming years.  Christopher Nolan truly is a master of his craft and one of three directors (including Martin Scorcese and the director of the #2 movie on my list) whose name alone earns the price of admission from my pockets.

5. The Other Guys

Many posts ago, Chris wrote a post compiling a list of movies that he didn’t like until his second viewing, and earlier in this post I wrote that I believe a movie needs to be seen twice to truly gauge its value.  The Other Guys is the poster child for that theory because when I walked out of the theater after seeing this film I actually disliked it.  A second viewing on DVD changed my mind and this film jumped into my top ten about as effortlessly as Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson jumped off that building.  This movie is hilarious from start to finish, mainly because of its satirical premise and its two leading men: Mark Whalberg and Will Ferrell.  The replay value of this movie is very high (I think I’ve seen it 5x now) and its quotability is just as great, it’s the funniest movie to come out this year and I can’t wait to see Whalberg in more comedic roles.

4. I Love You Phillip Morris

When buzz about this movie started making its way around the internet I thought it was a comedy about cigarettes, much like Thank You for Smoking. I didn’t think much of it past the title til I saw the first trailer and laughed a few times, then saw it after having my wisdom teeth pulled ( I was in need of a good laugh ).  This movie was hilarious from start to finish and was (IMO) the best performance of Jim Carrey’s career, even Ewan MacGregor was great in his supporting role as the titular Phillip Morris.  There seems to be some stigma around this movie for its homosexual content; but the film doesn’t exploit the point that the two men are gay, it simply uses it to supplement to outrageous humor.  I would best describe this movie as a gay Catch Me if You Can.

3. Black Swan

If it weren’t for the first act of this film and its camera work I probably would have ranked this movie higher on my list, but if I’m going to chastise Let Me In for its cinematography I have to hold Black Swan accountable as well.  Despite my issue with the way the beginning of the film was shot, this film delivered on many levels, often in ways that Let Me In could not.  The plot that drove the story was incredibly paced with just enough suspense to keep me attentive without driving me as insane as Nina (Natalie Portman) and I sympathised with each of the characters especially Nina and her mother (Barbara Hershey).  The performances by Hershey, Portman, Cassell, Ryder, and even Kunis were top-notch.  Lastly the climax of the film left me both pondering what I just saw as well as begging for more.  Portman deserves an Academy Award for this performance and she has catapulted herself into superstardom (see her upcoming filmography for 2011, she’s busy).

2.  The Social Network

Like I Love You Phillip Morris there was a stigma surrounding The Social Network that watered down some of the anticipation and respect that this film deserved.  However, that stigma was quickly submerged by critical acclaim and box office success after it was released in theaters.  The Social Network is so much more than “The Facebook Movie”, its a courtroom thriller that doesn’t take place in a courtroom, and it’s a character piece on the now infamous creator of one of the most popular websites in the world.  The performances by young stars such as Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, and Armie Hammer (who kind of plays both Winklevoss twins) carry this film and it is only supplemented by David Fincher’s outstanding direction and cinematography.  If I had a vote for Best Picture as part of the Academy, I’d vote for this film.

1. Megamind

While I’ve already established that I think The Social Network deserves the Academy Award for best picture, I don’t think it deserves to top my list of favorite movies from 2010.  We go to the movies for many reasons, but the primary reason I go to the theater is be entertained, and Megamind was the most entertaining movie of the year for me – BY FAR.  It may have been a perfect storm that cast this film into the pole position on this list but I loved every second of it.  The movie had a great story (so what if it was mildly similar to Despicable Me), a fun cast with great chemistry (especially between Ferrell and Cross), excellent cinematography (especially for an animated film), and the best 3D that I have seen in any film to date.  So far twice in this post I have written that I believe you need to see a movie a second time to truly gauge its value, well I’ve seen Megamind once and I may purposefully never see it again.  Seeing this movie in 3D in theaters was such an enjoyable experience that I fear subsequent viewings may only diminish the perception I have of this film.  I hope to someday have the capability of recreating the theatrical experience that was Megamind (anyone wanna buy me a 3D TV? and Bose stereo system?).

Honorable Mention: The Crazies, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Easy A

As a small token of my gratitude for reading through this very long post (even if you skimmed it) and making it this far, here is my top ten movies I wish I had seen in 2010, most of which are new or limited releases:

10. Paper Man
9. Winter’s Bone
8. Monsters
7. Toy Story 3
6. Tron: Legacy
5. 127 Hours
4. The King’s Speech
3. True Grit
2. The Fighter
1. Buried

REVIEW: The Tourist (2010)

Brian Pac Sostak

It seems almost predestined that I end up writing a lackluster and underwhelming review of The Tourist (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), because the film deserves just that.  I had written a complete and well-thought review, providing commentary on the acting, plot, and cinematography.  I compared the film in-depth to two previous films this year, The Killers and Knight and Day; discussed how their plots were similar and how The Tourist was no more exceptional than either.  I questioned The Golden Globes for nominating this film three times in the Musical or Comedy category for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress.  All this then my computer went haywire and I lost all my work.  Perhaps this is what happened when The Tourist was written, only to be replaced with a lackluster and underwhelming script and the faint memory of what once was.

There should never have been any concern from the wife of Johnny Depp about him starring in this film alongside Angelina Jolie; and I’m sure after viewing it, all her worries will be put to rest.  Perhaps it is the director’s fault, the script’s, or the actors’ themselves; but with a movie driven on the chemistry of the two leads, it was disappointing to discover there was none.  It is a shame really because without that chemistry, almost all of the success of the film depends on the plot of the film, a plot as tired as an Angelina Jolie adopting babies joke.

Yawn!

The titular character, Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp) is traveling to Venice via train trying to mend a broken heart.  On the train he encounters Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie), a mysterious woman who wants Frank to accompany her.  Elise is being followed by various groups of men, all looking for her lover – Alexander Pearce.  When Elise kisses Frank in her hotel room, all the voyeurs believe him to be Pearce and begin their pursuit.  This film, like others of its kind, is driven by the mystery that every character is shrouded in some sort of mystery, unfortunately the film took this too much to heart.  The Tourist lacks an identity that could set it apart from other films released this year (The Killers, Knight and Day), undecided as to whether it wanted to be a comedy or an action flick.  The only concrete decision this film really wanted to make was the grand reveal of who is Alexander Pearce, but even that was predictable and rather uneventful.

While watching The Tourist I couldn’t help but wonder if a film like The Third Man would be received with similar displeasure if it were first released today.  In 2010, we as an audience require a little bit more from out mystery pieces than The Tourist was willing to deliver.  If you’re looking for a film to see in theaters while the holidays are still upon us, save this for rental and perhaps try The Fighter, we know that film was at least made with some passion.

Now for my grand reveal, here are my grades:

• Characters: C
• Cinematography: B
• Directing: C
• Plot: C-
• Performances: B
• OVERALL: C+

2011 Golden Globe Nominees Announced

Awards season is about to kick into high gear as the second biggest film award nominations were announced earlier this morning. Here is the full list of nominees for the 2011 Golden Globe Awards:

Best Motion Picture: Drama

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The King’s Speech
• The Social Network

Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Alice in Wonderland
• The Tourist
• The Kids are All Right
• Red
• Burlesque

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture: Drama

• Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
• Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
• James Franco for 127 Hours
• Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine
• Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter

Best Performance by and Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama

• Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice
• Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
• Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone
• Natalie Portman for Black Swan
• Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Johnny Depp for The Tourist
• Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland
• Paul Giamatti for Barney’s Version
• Jake Gyllenhall for Love and Other Drugs
• Kevin Spacey for Casino Jack

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Annette Benning for The Kids are All Right
• Anne Hathaway for Love and Other Drugs
• Angelina Jolie for The Tourist
• Julianne Moore for The Kids are All Right
• Emma Stone for Easy A

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Christian Bale for The Fighter
• Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
• Andrew Garfield for The Social Network
• Jeremy Renner for The Town
• Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Amy Adams for The Fighter
• Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech
• Mila Kunis for The Black Swan
• Melissa Leo for The Fighter
• Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Best Director : Motion Picture

• Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
• David Fincher for The Social Network
• Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech
• Christopher Nolan for Inception
• David O. Russell for The Fighter

Best Screenplay

• 127 Hours- Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
• Inception- Christopher Nolan
• The Kids are All Right- Stuart Blumbert, Lisa Cholodenko
• The King’s Speech- David Seidler
• The Social Network- Aaron Sorkin

Best Original Score: Motion Picture

• 127 Hours- A.R. Rahman
• Alice in Wonderland- Danny Elfman
• Inception- Hans Zimmer
• The King’s Speech- Alexandre Desplat
• The Social Network- Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Original Song: Motion Picture

• Burlesque (“Bound to You”)
• Burlesque (“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”)
• Country Strong (“Coming Home”)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (“There’s a Place for Us”)
• Tangled (“I See the Light”)

Best Animated Film

• Despicable Me
• Toy Story 3
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Illusionist
• Tangled

Best Foreign Language Film

• Biutiful
• I am Love
• The Concert
• The Edge
• In a Better World

Best Television Series: Drama

• Boardwalk Empire
• Dexter
• The Good Wife
• Mad Men
• The Walking Dead

Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy

• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Big C
• Nurse Jackie
• 30 Rock
• The Big Bang Theory

Best Mini-Series of Motion Picture Made for Television

• Carlos
• The Pacific
• The Pillars of Earth
• Temple Grandin
• You Don’t Know Jack

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Idris Elba for Luther
• Ian McShane for The Pillars of the Earth
• Al Pacino for You Don’t Know Jack
• Dennis Quaid for The Special Relationship
• Edgar Ramirez for Carlos

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television:

• Hayley Atwell for The Pillars of the Earth
• Claire Danes for Temple Grandin
• Judi Dench for Return to Cranford
• Romola Garai for Emma
• Jennifer Love Hewitt for The Client List

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy

• Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock
• Steve Carell for The Office
• Thomas Jane for Hung
• Matthew Morrison for Glee
• Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy

• Toni Collette for United States of Tara
• Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie
• Laura Linney for The Big C
• Tina Fey for 30 Rock
• Lea Michele for Glee

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Drama

• Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire
• Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad
• Michael C. Hall for Dexter
• Jon Hamm for Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie for House M.D.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series: Drama

• Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife
• Elizabeth Moss for Mad Men
• Piper Perabo for Covert Affairs
• Katey Sagal for Sons of Anarchy
• Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role in Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Scott Caan for Hawaii Five-0
• Chris Colfer for Glee
• Chris Noth for The Good Wife
• Eric Stonestreet for Modern Family
• David Strathairn for Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Hope Davis for The Special Relationship
• Jane Lynch for Glee
• Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire
• Julia Stiles for Dexter
• Sofia Vergara for Modern Family

And that’s it! There weren’t too many surprises, except in the Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy category. I can understand Burlesque because it is like the only musical to come out this year, but The Tourist? Granted, I haven’t seen it, but I find it hard to believe that a film that got a 20% from RottenTomatoes.com could end up being nominated for best comedy. And is it a comedy? What about Alice in Wonderland? I thought it was just okay and visually great, but it really fell short as a comedy and it was most definitely not a musical. I also thought the acting nominations in the comedy category tended to stick to known names rather than actually looking for solid comedic performances.

For television, while I am not a fan of the current seasons of the dramas that were nominated (sans Mad Men), they do make sense compared with the competition. I think Mad Men will sweep just about all dramatic categories.

What do you all think? Did they get it right this year or not?

 

News From the Rumor Mill: Sequel Mania

As most of you know, I have a distinct distaste for almost all sequels. There are some, which despite my cynicism, live up to or surpass their predecessors, but  the majority of them t fall short and leave the impressions of the first tainted. Let me run down a list of the sequels that I have recently gotten wind of and then briefly share with you my thoughts on each one.

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 + 6

Disney has grabbed the udders of a cash cow and will milk it for everything its worth. As most of you know, the next installment of this worn out cliché of a franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is due out in May, but now Disney is saying that it is already lined up to do two more installments and film them simultaneously. I don’t know whether Johnny Depp will return to play Jack Sparrow in those two parts of the series, but according to rumor (Perez Hilton), the cast was asked to keep their future schedules open to film them back to back. This can’t be a good idea. The second and third parts of the series got lots of money based on its name, but it was clear that its quality declined with each film. Now, hoping to break away from Orlando Bloom prancing and frolicking around the ships and focus on real pirates, Disney hopes to start fresh.

But, father, I don't want to be a pirate....I just want to..SING!!!

However, I see this rapidly degrading into Land Before Time territory, and in the next five years look for Direct-to-DVD musical installments of the series starring a desperate John Travolta as Jack Sparrows’ uncle.

Wrath of the Titans (Clash of the Titans 2)

Even after this year’s release of Clash of the Titans garnered critical backlash for both its lopsided storytelling and lackluster, post-production 3D, filming for the sequel, Wrath of the Titans, will begin next March. During an interview with the Belfast Telegraph Liam Neeson confirmed this and also had this to say:

“I’ve only read half of the script and there is still some work being done – they’re on script 10 – but I think it’s going to be some kick-ass stuff and a very human story to it.”

RELEASE THE SEQUEL!!!

This does seem a bit more promising because you could make a great epic story out of this idea, which they failed to do with the first one. Hopefully, since Neeson also said that this is “a total revamping”, and that they are spending a lot of time on the script, this will turn out to be a better product than the first. I think this film could be worth checking and out since it can’t be that hard to top the first film.

Dreamworks To Produce Quantity over Quality

With two new likely franchises released in the last three years, Dreamworks is going to make sure that they strike while the iron is hot and plan for multiple sequels for both How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda. Here’s what studio animation chief, Jeffrey Katzenberger said about each series:

“So today I can tell you pretty succinctly where Madagascar goes. Ultimately they will come back to New York, and they will come to terms with that, which they will do in this next chapter. Because of the way that movie concludes there’s probably one more for them. Yeah, there’s probably a fourth there.”

Not only are they going to press on with these sequels, but also with the Madagascar series as well, with the next installment returning the animals to New York.

Dreamworks has produced some of the greatest animated features, but they also produce some of the worst sequels out of the animation studios. The Shrek franchise sputtered and plummeted to complete insignificance at the third installment and they want us to believe that they can keep it together for six installments in an even weaker Kung Fu Panda series?

If they can do it, we can do it.

This is just ridiculous.

James Bond 23 Gets New Director

IndieWire.com reported on Dec 2, that the 23rd installment of the James Bond will be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty). While it is no surprise that there is another Bond movie coming out, but the choice in director seems to be a pleasant surprise. Since Casino Royale there has been a marked effort to make a more gritty and sophisticated Bond and Quantam of Solace was a little bit of a let down in that regard, but Mendes is the right director to bring it back on track. The only problem is that Mendes is not accustomed to the big budget action flick, but I’m sure a director of his caliber can overcome that. Look for the film to come out sometime around Dec 2012 or after.

That’s all I will write about for now. Let me know your thoughts about each of these projects in the comments!

Opening This Week (Dec 6 – 12, 2010)

We are getting closer to the Christmas movie season which usually offers a mix of big budget blockbusters and the final push during awards season. It looks like we already have that mix coming into this week. Here are the wide releases:

Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Rated: PG

Starring: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter

Director: Michael Apted

Synopsis from IMDB: Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I am very fond of the books, but was disappointed in the previous two films. Because of that, I will be skipping this one in the theater and will simply wait for DVD. I am even more hesitant to watch this one because it was my favorite book in the series and I don’t want it tainting my opinion of it. Chances are, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I’ll watch it. But, if the early reviews are any indication, it looks like it will only be mildly entertaining.

The Tourist

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Synopsis from IMDB:  Revolves around Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Besides featuring the coolest name for a director that I have seen, there isn’t much else that I am interested in. It looks like a typical tale of mistaken identity and espionage that will feature “twists” that even a three year old could see coming. I am not a huge fan of Jolie, but I am glad that Johnny Depp is taking a break from playing excessively eccentric-for-the-sake-of-being-eccentric roles, so he can actually show some dramatic depth. If you’re looking for an entertaining and fast-paced film this weekend, this is probably your best bet, but don’t expect much more than that.

The Fighter

Rated: R

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

Director: David O. Russell

Synopsis from IMDB: A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I believe that there will be some Oscars associated with this film, but probably not for Best Picture. I am guessing that most of the awards will be for its acting, but it looks like the story will be a little weak. If they don’t get an award for acting, they need to at least give a donation to Christian Bale to get him to eat again. It looks like him and Desmond Harrington, who plays Quinn on Dexter, went through a program to see who could do the least healthy crash diet. While Bale is a very dedicated method actor, I think sometimes he takes too many roles where he has to lose an excessive amount of weight. All of that aside, I think this will be a decent, but slow-paced film with some great performances.

The Company Men

Rated: R

Starring: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello

Director: John Wells

Synopsis from IMDB: The story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company – and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Based on his recent work, I think Ben Affleck needs to stay behind the camera. While I don’t think he was necessarily bad in The Town, it looks like he is back to the mediocre acting he was doing before. Plus, this looks like a film with an agenda and it will focus more on getting its point across than actual character development or story arc.

Limited Releases

The Tempest

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Jeremy Irons, Djimon Hounsou

Director: Julie Taymor

Synopsis from IMDB: In Shakespeare’s fantastical thriller the magician Prospero orchestrates spirits, monsters, a grief-stricken king, a wise old councillor, two treacherous brothers and a storm at sea into a fantastical conspiracy bringing banishment, sorcery and shipwreck into the lives of two hapless lovers to stir and seal their fate. Here Prospero takes female form as Prospera, giving her journey of vengeance and self-discovery a wholly new resonance. As Prospera breaks her magical staff against an entrancing volcanic landscape at the end of her heroic quest, this poignant story of love and forgiveness translates into a riveting and filmic mystical tale, for our own times.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: At the beginning of the fall movie season, I listed this as an honorable mention for my most anticipated films because Julie Taymor is one of the most visually arresting directors that I have seen. I am hesitantly excited about this one because I am afraid of some liberties she may have taken with Shakespeare’s work, namely, that Prospero is now Prospera. No offense to the great Helen Mirren, but when it comes to Shakespeare, there is very little of the actual text that needs to be changed. Also, at the beginning of the trailer, she looks more like the Great Sorcerer Tim from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, randomly lighting stuff on fire or making an explosion. All that being said, I will probably see this if I get the chance.

You Won’t Miss Me

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Stella Schnabel, Simon O’Connor, Zachary Tucker

Director: Ry Russo-Young

Synopsis from IMDB: A kaleidoscopic film portrait of Shelly Brown, a twenty-three year-old alienated urban misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: This indie film looks like an interesting study in psychology and also looks like it has a little bit more depth than its other SXSW counterpart Tiny Furniture. This should be a good Netflix viewing.

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden

Rated: R

Starring: Jack Huston, Mena Suvari, Caterina Murino

Director: John Irvin

Synopsis from IMDB: A young American writer completes his service in WWI and travels across Europe with his wife and her attractive Italian girlfriend. Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I have to admit that I haven’t read this book, but the film looks beautiful. However, I don’t think the lead actors have the ability to take on this caliber of a film.

Take Two: The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network 

Rated: PG-13 

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones 

Director: David Fincher 

Chris’ Take: 

I did an article at the beginning of September about the five films that I was anticipating the most this fall. The Social Network was not on there. When I was asked why I didn’t have it on there, I said that it looked like a quick way to make money off of the Facebook craze. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, what I saw last night was a thoughtful look at a complex person and the tragic side of the meteoric rise of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. 

The film starts with Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his girlfriend, Erica, at a bar in 2003 as a conversation about exclusive clubs at Harvard leads to Erica breaking up with him. In a drunken stupor he writes a nasty blog about her and simultaneously creates a web page that allows users to vote on whether one girl is more attractive than another. This page, combined with an idea from two twins, Tyler and Cameron Winkelvoss (Armie Hammer), as well as a little financial assistance from Zuckerberg’s best friend and roommate, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) evolves into what eventually becomes Facebook. From there, the film flashes back and forth between two lawsuits happening simultaneously, one from Saverin and one from the Winkelvoss twins, and  the sad story of how the success of  the company and Zuckerberg’s ambition hurt those closest to him while bringing the rest of the world closer to each other. 

 

David Fincher has another incredible directorial success with The Social Network, keeping the audience entertained through what could have been just two hours of drawn out dialogue by ensuring that the appropriate amount of humor and wit maintained a perfect pace. Obviously, without a strong script from Aaron Sorkin this film would  have fallen apart and probably wouldn’t have attracted Fincher’s interest; and Sorkin’s script really was fantastic. 

In my opinion, this was Eisenberg’s best role yet. He usually plays a mumbling and understated loser who is too weak to stand up for himself, and while there are elements of that in this role, he adds a biting tongue and a pompous air that he hadn’t had before. What made his performance amazing was his ability to create minor ways to make the viewer feel sorry for him when he realizes he has done something bad, but can’t figure out the appropriate way to make up for it and gets confused at why people can’t understand his misguided attempts at apology. 

I thought Justin Timberlake might be a hindrance on the film, but he didn’t overdo his role and he played the part Sean Parker really well. Armie Hammer, who played both Winkelvoss twins (sort of) stole some scenes as well. Josh Pence played Tyler Winkelvoss, but Hammer’s face was superimposed over his in post-production, which was really incredible because if I hadn’t known, I wouldn’t have notice at all. 

But will never be as cool as two Arnolds.

Andrew Garfield also did a decent job playing Zuckerberg’s  “just-happy- to-be-involved-but-am-very-naive” best friend. 

While this was definitely a great film, one of the best of the year, I have trouble seeing  it winning a Best Picture award, but it will certainly be nominated. I predict that it will win an award for Best Adapated Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin, and while Fincher will probably at least receive a directorial nomination, he will most likely have to wait again to be recognized by the Academy as one of the greatest directorial minds in the business today. I just hope that when he wins, it is for a film that truly encompasses his genius and that it is not just a bone the Academy throws him, like they did with Martin Scorcese.  

• Characters: A
• Cinematography: A-
• Directing: A
• Performances: A
• Plot: A-
• Overall: A

Pac’s Take:  

David Fincher is one of very few directors in Hollywood whose name is an instant draw for me.  There has not been a single David Fincher feature film that I have seen and not liked (Panic Room being the closest).  So when I first heard there was a movie coming out about Facebook and it was directed by Fincher I naturally thought the streak was over.  

Honestly, how many people reading this review weren’t skeptical; I thought with this movie David Fincher was going to “Johnny Depp” his way out of my instant draw list.  

Seen Above: pulling what I now refer to as a Johnny Depp

 

Add Aaron Sorkin to write and music by Trent Reznor and what you end up getting is the perfect storm to create the perfect Facebook movie.  

Being that the film revolves around Zuckerberg, the movie’s success depends on the performance of its star, Jesse Eisenberg.  I’ll be honest about Eisenberg, I don’t think he’s proven that he can be an A-list actor yet.  I think he is very one-dimensional in all the roles I’ve seen him play and he does not have very much charisma on-screen.  However, if there is one role that he is born to play it is this one.  I don’t know how it happened, but Eisenberg’s portrayal of the Facebook mogul made me hate him and root for him at the same time.  Complimented by a strong, young supporting cast including: Andrew Garfield (the next Spider-man), Justin Timberlake, and Armie Hammer (who played twins with very different personalities wonderfully), The Social Network was one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.  

That'd make a great stage name!

 

The film isn’t perfect, some scenes in the film seems to drag on a little longer than necessary.  Also, while I love Fincher’s films it seems like he was given the cameras used to make Alien 3, didn’t realize there were green/yellow filters on the lens, and has used them for every movie he’s made since.  

Left to Right: Panic Room, Se7en, The Social Network

 

 Here are my overall scores:  

Characters: A-
Cinematography: B+
Direction: A
Performances: A
Plot: A-
Overall: A 

TAKE TWO OVERALL GRADE: A

Top 10 Horror Movies of All Time (5-1)

If you’ve read the first half of this post, welcome back and thanks for reading.  If not, I recommend you check it out as well as the movies on this list; but also thanks for reading.

5.     Paranormal Activity (2007)

 What made it scary good:

I am probably going to be ostricized early on in this post for including this movie in my top five and leaving out some very highly regarded horror movies.  Paranormal Activity seems to be a very polarizing movie, but I’m a strong supporter.

I remember trying to watch the Blair Witch Project in theaters when it was released and then again on DVD and never made it past the first 30 minutes because of how terribly slow and boring the 1^st act was.  At that point I was not convinced the documentary style could work for horror and didn’t see Paranormal Activity until 2009.  Paranormal Activity may not be the seminal work for documentary horror but it is the benchmark for the genre.  It created a great “false documentation” that enhances the fear in a way no other film has, and like The Strangers it does not often rely on jump scares but rather the suspense of the two main characters being stalked by an entity.  See it with others who also are watching for the first time, it’ll definitely enhance the experience.

Why it’s not ranked higher:

The most likeable character in this movie is the entity.  It is completely plausible that the entire time Katie and Micah think a paranormal entity is stalking and harassing them, it is really their neighbors trying to scare them into moving as far away as possible because they simply can’t stand these two anymore.

A less successful attempt at the same idea.

After the first viewing, the scare this movie is able to provide does not stick as well, and one scene in this film is so over the top that it is laugh out loud funny. Paranormal Activity 2 is about to be released, which will likely dilute the credibility this film carried.  Chances are this film is likely to move down the list rather than up it as time passes.  Finally, if you haven’t seen this movie make sure you do not see the Steven Spielberg theatrical ending; look for the online ending instead.  I’m do not want to promote the illegal downloading of movies on this blog but the ending attached to most torrent copies of Paranormal Activity is by far the best.

Also Recommended:

The Ammityville Horror (1979, 2005 remake), The Shining (1980)

 

4.     Carrie (1976)

What made it scary good:

Adapted by the novel written by Stephen King (his first novel) and directed by Brian DePalma (Scarface, The Untouchables); Carrie stars Sissy Spacek in the titular role of a high school girl sheltered and isolated by her fundamentally religious mother (Piper Laurie).  Carrie is picked on incessantly at school and desperately seeks friendship, all the while Carrie is discovering a gift she possesses.  When a prank at the senior prom pushes Carrie to her breaking point, she uses her gift to seek revenge on her fellow students.

A ginger prom queen, what a cruel joke!

There are a lot of things that separate Carrie from the other movies on this list and make it one of the best horror movies of all time.  Carrie is the monster/killer in this movie but she is also the protagonist.  The audience sympathizes with her character to a point that when the pig’s blood is dropped on her at prom (no spoiler here, it’s on the DVD cover) they’re almost cheering for her to burn the place down.

We don't need no water...

Carrie represents the angst and coming-of-age of the teenage girl.  She is struggling to understand the changes her body is undergoing, she’s desperate to be liked by her peers and by boys, and she is rebelling against her parent(s).  Carrie is a completely relatable character, and possibly the most developed character of any horror movie, ever.

Why it’s not ranked higher:

You could rewrite the last 30 minutes of the script and have a kind of twisted Molly Ringwald movie.  However, this is also what makes the last 30 minutes of Carrie so fun to watch, it’s well worth the wait.  This movie is exceptional and near perfect, it just barely missed my top 3.

The Exorcist (1973), Psycho (1960): The Exorcist is one of the best horror movies ever made and probably cracks most horror fans top 10, top 5, and top 3; just not mine.  It also has some of the same religious and supernatural elements present in Carrie.  Psycho, like Carrie, is an excellent character piece; the protagonist however is not as relatable.

Unless you're this guy

3.      Scream (1996)

What made it scary good:

The 2^nd of the Wes Craven films on this list, Scream is the story of Sidney Prescott (Nev Campbell), a high school girl who is stalked by a killer by the pseudonym “Ghostface” as well as her past. 

Cash Rules Everything Around Me

Craven reinvented the slasher genre with this, his first installment of the Scream trilogy.  Ghostface was a Scooby-doo like villain and part of the fun of this movie is not only the scares and kills but also the whodunit approach that added to the films suspense. 

I always had a thing for ya Sid!

What sets this film apart from many of the other classics in the slasher sub-genre is its satirical portrayal of the horror genre.  Randy’s (Jamie Kennedy) entire existence in the Scream universe is to spit off the rules to surviving a horror movie, and clichés that exist in a typical horror film.  Scream then proceeds to break most of these clichés and rules of the horror movies it pays homage to, a perfect example of this is that the killer actually runs after his victims.  The sequels to this movie are not as impressive as the original but the entire first trilogy (the beginning of the second trilogy, Scre4m, releases in April) maintains the continuity and integrity of the original.

Why it’s not higher:

Scream relies a little too much on the jump scare to terrorize the audiences and while definitely a scary movie is a little more light and fun than the rest of the movies on this list.  Ghostface does not leave the lasting impression of a terrifying iconic horror villain.  Still, #3 aint bad.

Also Recommended:

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Urban Legend (1998):

Riding the revival of the teen slasher flick that Scream produced, both of these movies by far fall short of Craven’s work but both have their redeeming qualities.  Urban Legend provides a solid concept, some good scares, and some solid performances.  While I Know… provides Jennifer Love Hewitt in her prime.

This movie is based on a note I once wrote JLH. The real story ended in a restraining order.

 2.     A Nightmare on Elm Street (1985)

What made it scary good:

Wes Craven’s golden goose, Freddy Krueger is brought to life in A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film about a group of teenagers who live on the titular street and are stalked in their nightmares by a burned and disfigured man named Freddy Krueger.  What the teens soon learn is that if Freddy kills you in your dream, you die in real life.  A Nightmare on Elm Street explores an uncharted territory for horror movies, your nightmares, brings Johnny Depp to the silver screen for the first time, and introduces arguably the most iconic villain of all time.

Seen Above: Not Freddy Krueger

I won’t delve into the coming-of-age metaphors associated with this story because, unlike Carrie, I don’t think they contribute that much to the quality of the film.  What sets this movie apart is the suspense and fear, the groundbreaking special effects (for its time), and of course Freddy Krueger.

Why it’s not higher:

The special effects were groundbreaking for its time, but now they are outdated and at times distracting.  Additionally, A Nightmare on Elm Street touts seven sequels (including Freddy vs. Jason) which have turned Freddy Krueger into a campy and comedic character.  The reboot has tried to bring Freddy back to his roots but has not been received well by audiences.  This wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t know who Freddy Krueger was before watching this movie, but if you don’t know who Freddy Krueger is they probably don’t have televisions on your planet.

Also Recommended:

Friday the 13^th (1980):  I debated with myself for a long time as to whether or not I should include this movie on my list.  Ultimately I couldn’t find a definitive reason not to, but I also couldn’t choose a movie to omit in its place.   Ultimately, this movie is great and spawned one of the most sucessful franchises in horror movie history; but I feel it lacks some depth, so I’m putting it here.

and the #1 movie on my list…

1. Halloween (1978)

I’d like to share a personal story.  When I was growing up a homeowner on my neighboring street dressed up as Michael Myers every year for Halloween and stood at the end of his driveway while the theme music for the movie blared out of his garage.  My little brother was so terrified of this man that not only would he not go to this house for Halloween candy; he wouldn’t even go down that street.  My brother had never even seen a Halloween movie and he was terrified for years whenever he even heard the Halloween theme song.  Michael Myers is pure terror right down to the William Shatner mask.

Saving you money on hotels, flights, and Halloween candy

Once you see Halloween this character becomes even more terrifying.  Michael Myers stalks and kills the teens of this town for no apparent reason, he doesn’t speak and he doesn’t run.  He just finds you, catches you, and kills you.  This movie was made in 21 days for $320,000, grossing $47 million dollars in the box office; it is the gold standard of slasher movies and launched the career of Jamie Lee Curtis as the all time scream queen. 

Halloween has stood the test of time and survived 7 sequels involving Micheal Myers (Halloween 3 does not count).  It has also survived a 2 movie reboot from Rob Zombie that was so bad he turned Michael Myers into Rob Zombie himself.

Rob Zombie or Michael Myers?

Halloween uses everything from jump scares, to suspense, great cinematography, and an excellent score to scare the **** out of first time viewers, and it gets better with each additional viewing.

Why it’s not higher:

Halloween has been on many prestigious “all time” lists and was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural and historical significance.  It has also influenced almost every slasher that followed it and has been mentioned on various “all-time” lists.  However, it has pretty much been snubbed by the AFI, not making its greatest films list, and only being ranked #68 on its 100 Years…100 Thrills list.  Why it’s not higher?  I don’t know.

Also Recommended:

I recommend you see this movie again, and don’t see or forget about the reboot.  And keep checking back for new blog posts on this site.

Honorable Mentions:

Dawn of the Dead (1978, 2004 remake): Why do the zombies go to the mall?  It’s a metaphor, and how much does it still resonate in today’s economy?  The remake is actually a pretty stand up movie as well.

Child’s Play (1988):  You know what’s scary?  A killer ginger doll.

Children of the Corn (1984):  You know what’s scarier?  Killer ginger children.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968):  Almost as terrifying as Roman Polanski’s real life.

The Shining (1980):  Some movies are like people, some shine and some don’t.  This movie shines.

Thank you to everyone who read both parts of this list and I’m sorry if I left off one of your favorite horror movies.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think I missed or what I got right.

~Pac

REVIEW: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010):  ** out of 4 stars

Tim Burton is slowly starting to disappoint me. That is not to say that I do not have the utmost respect for his work, his imagination, and the sense of wonder that he creates within his films, but his latest vision, the re-creation (not a re-make) of Lewis Carrol’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland left a lot to be desired.

I have to give props to Burton for at least trying to make Wonderland his own, by using characters that were not used or not focused on in the novel or focused on in Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), as most of us know, falls down a rabbit hole and ends up in Wonderland where she encounters many surreal characters, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the white rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, Absalom (Alan Rickman), the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). In this re-imagining of the tale, Alice is prophesied to defeat the Red Queen’s champion, The Jabberwocky (the creature from the poem in Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass and voiced by Christopher Lee) and thereby restore order to the world of Wonderland after it has been upheaved by the Red Queen.

After all the hype about Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter character, it was really Helena Bonham Carter that stole the show. Her shrill voice was perfect for yelling, “Off with her head!!!” I think Tim Burton went a little bit overboard with the Mad Hatter, making him look more like a crackhead clown than the character Carrol portrayed in his novel.

Are you sure there is only tea in there?

I know Burton is known for his exaggeration, but that was a little too far. The problem was that he looked crazier than he actually acted. The character itself wasn’t that eccentric and could have easily been played by someone else. Johnny Depp appeared to just be relying on the makeup rather than antics to be the Mad Hatter.

Everything seemed rushed about the movie. I think Burton was perfect to direct the film, but maybe he didn’t have the clout of James Cameron (who will no longer be directing films but heading the BP Oil Spill panel with the imaginary oil-drilling characters from Armageddon) to be able to get that extra amount of budget or time in his film to fully capture his vision.

If Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck were there, the oil spill wouldn't have happened.

The visuals really are amazing and I am sad that I did not get to see it in 3-D, but it didn’t make up for the narrative flaws that the story had. I  hope that Burton can bounce back from this and keep moving because I think as he ages, his films will mature while still being able to keep his vast imagination and I think his best movie still has yet to be made.