I really enjoy watching films, not only because I just enjoy films in general, but I also appreciate them from a structural perspective. When I watch films, I break them down and analyze the story, the characters, the setting, and how well everything works (sometimes consciously, always subconsciously). And this was another solid year for me of film-watching. I saw 47 films that were released this year (despite my giving up the ghost of my MoviePass, RIP), and as I did last year, I want to list them all here, from my least favorite to my favorite, because it sounds like a fun and interesting thing to do.
I'll offer the same not on my ranking system that I did last year: I generally considered typical qualities of each film--mainly the writing, directing, acting, and story--and, for the most part, this list adheres to those criteria. But after everything was said and done, especially when some films were too close to call, the ultimate decision factor basically became "how much would I want to see this film a second (or third, or fourth) time?" Put another way, how much did I genuinely enjoy the experience? While receiving high marks in my typical criteria usually translates to me enjoying a film, there are other factors (genre, music, relevance, and yeah, sure, my mood, etc.) that contribute as well. So, while this list is definitive for me, and I welcome anyone's comments and dissensions, don't you dare tell me I'm wrong. This is my list. If you want a definitive list, go make your own, yo.
That being said, let's get to it!
47. The Commuter
This reminded me of some movie I saw in the 2000's with Dennis Quaid where he protected the President of the United States and it was generally very lame and cheesy. Except this one was worse. It also reminded me to a lesser extent of The Taking of Pelham 123 and Source Code, but much, much worse. That's about all I remember about the film, and I guess that's all I have to say on this one.
46. 15:17 To Paris
There were about, I don't know, ten minutes of this film that were pretty awesome and worth watching. Those ten minutes are intense and fascinating, and I appreciated seeing the action of what took place on the screen. Other than those 10 minutes, however, the film was kind of a dumpster fire. The excessive backstory felt awkwardly crammed into the film so it could be shown on the big screen.
45. The Cloverfield Paradox (Netflix)
This is the first of a group of original Netflix titles I'm including on my list. I'm a fan of the original Cloverfield film, and I loved 10 Cloverfield Lane. This entry into the series/Cloververse/whatever we're calling it, however, was terrible. Convoluted everything. A mess.
44. The Death Cure
Meh.
43. TAU (Netflix)
My hopes, while not high for this film, at least wanted something interesting as it involves AI and that's something I've been studying extensively, lately. It disappointed not only on the AI front, however (the use of AI was pretty boring imo), but on just about every other front as well.
42. A Wrinkle in Time
How they bungled this film up so badly, I don't know. It had a great cast, and great source material. Shrug.
41. The Princess Switch (Netflix)
The first in a triplet of Netflix Christmas Romcoms I watched with Rachel, and the least interesting by far.
40. Christmas Inheritance (Netflix)
The second of the Netflix Christmas triplet, and while it was slightly less forgettable than The Princess Switch, it was still pretty meh. Best things about it were Plop from the later seasons of The Office and Clarke from the awesome TV series The 100 playing the leads.
39. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
I don't know what's worse, this film or Jurassic Park 3.
38. Rampage
The return of Plop! Not outright irritating to watch, but it wasn't that great, either. It did have Duane Johnson in it, though, which is always a plus. This is the point in my list where films go from outright bad to tolerable and generally entertaining.
37. The Holiday Calendar (Netflix)
The best of the Netflix Christmas triplet. It has Kat Graham in it, who I think is awesome, and overall the premise and storytelling were pretty decent compared to the other two.
36. Upgrade
Another AI flick, but another one that missed the mark in making AI really interesting onscreen, imo. It was vaguely interesting and had some great action sequences, though.
35. I Feel Pretty
First of all, Amy Schumer is great. Second of all, I really liked the premise of the film. Thirdly, and a strong however: the execution fell flat for me.
34. Robin Hood
I wanted to like this movie a lot more than I liked it, if that makes sense. The action was pretty solid, but the story was lackluster, and the characters not very interesting. It made a half-hearted attempt at sort of a contemporary take on medieval culture, but failed pretty miserably there, too. A Knight's Tale is the gold standard where that is concerned, and I wish it had taken more cues from that film than from, say, King Arthur from last year.
33. The First Purge
The Purge series. Hmmm. I don't have very many opinions on it, which is pretty telling, I think. This might be the best film of the series? Unfortunately, I don't think that's saying much.
32. The Spy Who Dumped Me
A fairly funny film! Mila Kunis is decent here. Kate McKinnon is awesome.
31. Pacific Rim: Uprising
Unfortunately this film seemed to lose all of the charm and outrageousness that made the first one so awesome, but kept all of the cheese. A solid cast, and decent action sequences, but not much more than that.
30. Set It Up (Netflix)
A surprisingly decent rom-com from Netflix. Awesome cast. I'd say this is where films on the list start trending more good than bad, or merely average.
29. Game Night
Genuinely funny, and well-told at that.
28. Ocean's 8
Not as good as I wanted it to be, but still pretty good all the same.
27. Tomb Raider
Admittedly higher on my list than it probably deserves, and all because of Alicia Vikander. Absolutely better than the Angelina Jolie adaptations of the video game, but not nearly as good as the video game reboot on which it's based.
26. Solo: A Star Wars Story*
I didn't think this was as bad as some people said it was. I also didn't think it was as good as other people said it was. Better than The Last Jedi. Not nearly as good as Rogue One.
25. Ant Man and the Wasp
I think the best thing the Ant-Man films have going for them in Michael Peña, but they have some other solid qualities, too. This superhero flick was both funny and fun, and tied in Infinity War reasonably well, too.
24. Molly's Game
This was...good. I'm not sure I remember much about it other than that? I think it had Idris Elba, and that gives it +100,000,000 points on my movie scale, which puts it right about here.
23. The Ritual (Netflix)
A decent horror flick. Fantastic creature design.
22. Tag
I'm not sure why I placed Game Night up there and Tag down here, because thinking of them both now, they seem pretty similar. Both very funny, and both strong stories. I think the difference might have been characterization, which gave Tag a few extra points.
21. The Incredibles 2
A solid sequel, and I think just as good as the original.
20. Mission Impossible: Fallout
So I didn't think this was nearly as good as the critics seemed to think, or a lot of people I know. But it was good.
19. Bird Box (Netflix)
A decent adaptation, but I absolutely preferred the book. I do wonder whether much of the tension was taken out of it for me because I read the book, or because the film just wasn't as tense as I wanted it to be.
18. Hereditary
Yet another film that wasn't quite as good as the critics claimed, in my opinion. But this was a very good horror film. Reminiscent of Kubrick's The Shining in the sense of unease and overwhelming dread it built, agonizingly slowly.
17. Bohemian Rhapsody
I mean, Rami Malik was amazing, here, and it was awesome to see Queen's journey and music on the screen. There were some flaws--some more significant than others--but overall it was pretty great.
16. To All The Boys I've Loved Before (Netflix)
Awesome. Funny. Well-told. Great characters. One of the top three rom-coms I saw last year, and I can't wait for the sequel.
15. Red Sparrow
This was...good? I mean, I think Jennifer Lawrence was pretty good in it? And it was a decent story with decent twists? But the truth is, as I'm thinking about it, I'm second-guessing why I placed it so high (but too lazy to place it somewhere else). I think I wanted it to be more like Atomic Blonde, but it ended up being more like...um...I don't know, something more boring than that.
14. Love, Simon
Second favorite rom-com of the 2018. I loved this film.
13. I, Tonya
A great character piece, and Margot Robbie hits it out of the park. This actually made me sympathize with Tonya Harding--something I would've thought almost impossible prior to seeing the film.
12. Outlaw King (Netflix)
Everything Braveheart wanted to be and more. An awesome period flick about a part of English/Scottish history that isn't nearly represented enough.
11. Unsane
So creepy. And well-told, too, with a phenomenal central character brought to life by Claire Foy.
10. Deadpool 2
Deadpool returns with his atypical quips, fourth-wall breakage, and some awesome action sequences. I loved the new mutants introduced in this one. A solid superhero film, and perhaps even better than the first installment.
9. Disobedience
Achingly good story. A slow-burning look into the romantic relationship between two women in a very conservative society. I really enjoyed this fim.
8. Black Panther
This film was just plain awesome. Incredible cast, Michael B. Jordan perhaps even a head above the others.
7. Avengers: Infinity War
I think Black Panther is probably a better film than Infinity War in just about every way, but for me IW squeaks one slot above BP because of the scope, because of Thanos, and because of the audacity of that ending.
6. A Simple Favor
I loved this film. I might not be as technically good as some of the other films at the top of my list, but I loved the comedy-noir cocktail. And, of course, Anna Kendrick.
5. Annihilation
I'm a sucker for sweeping sci-fi epics, and...well...this is a sweeping, sci-fi epic. It is certainly flawed, but I love the ambiguity, the visuals, and the creepiness of it.
4. Crazy Rich Asians
This film surprised me. Awesome characterization brought to life by a phenomenal cast, a well-told story, and just a lot of fun. My favorite rom-com of the year.
3. A Star is Born
Lady Gaga blew me away. Bradley Cooper did an amazing job as an actor, and an even better job as a director. But honestly this film, while very good, would probably be further down my list if it weren't for the sequence leading up to and including where Ally and Jack first sing together on stage. That sequence was so good.
2. Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
The huge surprise film of the year, for me. I loved it. Great characters, great story, great theme. Uses the animation medium perfectly. I love that the film was animated, and it was absolutely a better film for that (and if you were disappointed it was animated, I feel sad for your understanding of storytelling).
1. A Quiet Place
I personally wouldn't qualify this as horror, but it was an awesome, innovative thriller that kept me tense and wondering what would happen through 90% of the film. I was scared and tense in ways I never thought a film would make me scared and tense. I loved the creature design and general premise of the film (honestly, if this hadn't come out, I think Bird Box would have been higher on my list; while the films are certainly different, A Quiet Place did everything Bird Box was trying to do, but better). Acting was amazing. What can I say? My favorite film of the year.
I'm Christopher Husberg, fantasy author (of the Chaos Queen Series), desultory blogger, and zombie apologist. Also Buffy fanatic. Ballroom danced a bit. Etc.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Monday, January 07, 2019
Thursday, November 29, 2018
RIP MoviePass
This is old news for me, but I wanted to say that I cancelled my MoviePass back in September. It was a bittersweet day: bitter because at one point in time MoviePass had been such a delightful, awesome product for me, and it no longer was that delightful, awesome product; and sweet, because dealing with the MoviePass company, app, and CEO had become increasingly difficult and annoying, and the idea of just dropping it sounded wonderful.
So I did. (And, fortunately, had no trouble cancelling my subscription, as many other people reported.)
For the most part, I'm happy about that decision. I certainly miss seeing so many movies, but because of the new (and constantly changing and unclear) rules of MoviePass--and the fact that I've been finishing books, having babies (erm, have I not mentioned that yet? It's a thing. I'll tell you more about it later.), etc.--I wouldn't have seen that many movies, at least through MoviePass, recently anyway.
If you're unfamiliar with some of the craziness surrounding MoviePass, check out this timeline.
And, while I'm sure the video below is not literally accurate, it certainly captures the emotional essence of the MoviePass struggle.
Sigh. Sweet MoviePass, you were fun while you lasted. And while you were sane.
So I did. (And, fortunately, had no trouble cancelling my subscription, as many other people reported.)
For the most part, I'm happy about that decision. I certainly miss seeing so many movies, but because of the new (and constantly changing and unclear) rules of MoviePass--and the fact that I've been finishing books, having babies (erm, have I not mentioned that yet? It's a thing. I'll tell you more about it later.), etc.--I wouldn't have seen that many movies, at least through MoviePass, recently anyway.
If you're unfamiliar with some of the craziness surrounding MoviePass, check out this timeline.
And, while I'm sure the video below is not literally accurate, it certainly captures the emotional essence of the MoviePass struggle.
Sigh. Sweet MoviePass, you were fun while you lasted. And while you were sane.
Friday, April 06, 2018
In Which I Gush About A QUIET PLACE
O
M
G
It's been a long time since I've bothered blogging about a film I enjoyed, but I can't help myself with this one.
Generally speaking, I like the thriller and horror genres. I'm a fan. The best films of those respective bunches usually manage to elicit a visceral response from me with one, maybe two scenes. Recent films that managed to do this for me include Get Out, It, Wind River (with one very intense sequence towards the end), It Comes at Night, mother!, and Unsane. Again, each of those got to me with one, maybe two scenes, perhaps with an entire sequence.
Let me be real with you: A Quiet Place had me on the edge of my seat, my stomach in knots and chest constricted, for about 90% of the film.
Some light spoilers follow.
Part of this, I'm sure, stems from the fact that I have a young daughter and a pregnant wife. I could relate to the family on the screen very closely. Even more than that, however, the terror generated in the film felt new, innovative, and centered around character.
This was a quality film, ya'll. Easily the best I've seen all year, and I've seen a fair share already. Let me just bullet-list some of my personal highlights:
- Acting was superb, all around. I sometimes find it hard to take John Krasinski too seriously because of how long he spent as "Office Jim," but I saw none of that here. Emily Blunt is great in just about everything, but she was truly phenomenal here. Even the young actors knocked it out of the park. I'm not sure if the fact that there wasn't much spoken dialog helped or made that more difficult, but either way I'm astounded.
- As a general rule, the more intimate a horror film, the better it tends to be. A Quiet Place was incredibly intimate. Each character was individually motivated and developed, but they also meshed together incredibly well. Again, kudos to the cast.
- Creature design. Yikes. Creeeeepy, and very well-designed. I love seeing interesting, new creatures. When I first got a full (brief) look at one of the monsters, I thought it felt a little demogorgon-esque, but the more I saw of the creatures the more interesting, unique, and terrifying they became.
- Tension. I've already mentioned this, but the whole premise of the film (the monsters are attracted to noise of any kind) began as interesting, and progressed to downright gut-wrenching. Each situation built on what we knew of character and setting. IT WAS SO INTENSE.
- Storytelling. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it was far from a weak point of the film. It was a solidly told story, with great character development.
- John Krasinski's direction. Wow. Dude has chops. The direction here magnified the tension, as it does in all good horror. Just. Wow.
Let me come down from my high for a moment, because the film wasn't perfect. I have two minor critiques: (1) I'm slightly skeptical that the method the family discovers to fight the monsters wasn't tried much earlier by people who would have expertise on the subject, and (2) I'm slightly annoyed said solution wasn't integrated just a bit earlier. But, seriously, those are incredibly minor critiques. Let me say again: best film I've seen this year (so far), easily.
I'm still reeling. Go see A Quiet Place as soon as you get a chance.
Monday, February 05, 2018
2017 Films
So! Between the various streaming services I subscribe to, online rentals, airplane movies, and most significantly the fact that partway through the year I purchased a MoviePass (still have it, and I'm loving it), turns out I saw quite a few movies last year. Partway through the process I got to ranking them, and I figured I'd share my list, just for fun.
A note on my ranking system: I generally considered typical qualities of each film--mainly the writing, directing, acting, and story--and, for the most part, this list adheres to those criteria. But after everything was said and done, especially when some films were too close to call, the ultimate decision factor basically became "how much would I want to see this film a second (or third, or fourth) time?" Put another way, how much did I genuinely enjoy the experience? While receiving high marks in my typical criteria usually translates to me enjoying a film, there are other factors (genre, music, relevance, and yeah, sure, my mood, etc.) that contribute as well. So, while this list is definitive for me, and I welcome anyone's comments and dissensions, don't you dare tell me I'm wrong. This is my list. If you want a definitive list, go make your own, yo.
I'll start with the worst and make my way to the best, because drama.
45. Ghost in the Shell
I wanted to like this movie, which maybe is why I hated it so much. I'm not familiar with the source material at all, which likely contributes to how much I didn't like it. But yikes.
44. The Circle
I only rate this one better than Ghost in the Shell because (1) I had no expectations, and (2) Emma Watson.
43. Geostorm
I'm a sucker for disaster movies, but not even the genre saved this one. It was bad.
42. The Dark Tower
I really wanted to like this one, because (1) Stephen King--I mean, I'm a big fan, and this is his epic fantasy series which is the genre we share, so yeah, but also (2) Idris Elba, who is perhaps my favorite actor in this day and age, and to a lesser extent (3) Matthew McConnaughey (WOW is that difficult to spell). Elba made it palatable, barely, but otherwise this was an abysmal film.
41. Split
I don't know what is going on with M. Night Shyamalan, but ever since his initial wave of decent films (The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable) it always seems like he's trying either too hard or not at all. This one was the former.
40. The Mountain Between Us
I found the writing particularly uninteresting in this film, mainly--once again, despite the presence of Idris Elba. Dude needs to get into some better movies! (Actually I saw him in Molly's Game earlier this year and not only was that a decent film overall, but Elba was pretty good in it, too.)
39. The Foreigner
It was cool to see Jackie Chan on the big screen--it had been a while for me. Other than that, however, this one was pretty forgettable.
38. My Little Pony
Saw this one with my two-year-old daughter, and it easily had more story than every film above it on my list, and probably a lot of films below it, too. In short, it was pretty decent. The only reason it ranks so low on my list is that it just isn't my particular taste.
37. Flatliners
I like Nina Dobrev. I really like Ellen Page. Neither could really help this film. Flatliners had some semi-decent scary moments, but that was about all it had going for it. Very little in the plot and character department.
36. Kong: Skull Island
This is probably the first movie on the list where the enjoyment factor (barely) outweighed whatever negatives it brought to the table. I thought it was fun. Not much beyond that, but it was fun.
35. F8 of the Furious
Meh. Another day, another F&F film. Needed more Dwayne Johnson (doesn't everything?).
34. Justice League
Yikes. My expectations were high (for a DC film, which is to say I hoped it would be coherent), especially after Wonder Woman (which you will find much MUCH later on my list), and, what can I say, I was disappointed. Steppenwolf was the biggest problem with the film. Ezra Miller's the Flash was maybe the best part of it. The schism between Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's visions was painfully obvious. It was rough, and probably deserves to be lower on my list, but, well, Ezra Miller/Gal Godot I guess?
33. King Arthur
This one almost certainly belongs lower on my list, but hey, I just really enjoyed it. It's my genre, first of all (or at least it is sometimes, it sort of wishy-washes its way around a few different sub-genres but whatever), so I sort of felt like I had a stake in the game, and it did have a number of cool elements. Acting, writing, and general story were whatever, though, to be honest.
32. Alien Covenant
Thinking back on it I honestly cannot even tell the difference between this and Prometheus in my head, other than that Prometheus had more of the big Engineer dudes. I think? I don't even know. I find the character of David tedious, too. It did have some good action sequences, however, and it was pretty cool to see some legit xenomorphs in action with modern effects.
31. The Void
A decent attempt at a modern Lovecraftian tale, but the Lovecraftian aspects were really all it had going for it. It didn't have much to say, which disappointed me (and I find one of the more compelling aspects of Lovecraftian stuff--even if the thing a work is trying to say is that it's pointless to say anything, if you catch my drift--but none of that here).
30. Murder on the Orient Express
I enjoyed this film. A bit lacking in story and character, but the acting and visuals really engaged me.
29. Beauty and the Beast
Again, because I'm a fan of Emma Watson, I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. It was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure why I'd ever go back and watch this over the original animated Disney version. (Particular disappointment: the grandeur of Belle singing "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere" was completely lost in this version.)
28. Baby Driver
Such a fun movie. Good acting, great action sequences, good writing. But, to paraphrase a friend, it was utterly inconsequential. I haven't thought of it once since seeing it except when I've seen it on this list in passing, as I compare it to other films. I didn't find anything of lasting value in it, and that's why it's relatively low on the list. That said, while Kong marked the point in the list where enjoyability started to outweigh bad qualities, Baby Driver I think marks the point where I think pretty much everything from here on out is a strong, and (usually--see mother!) enjoyable film.
27. Life
Combine slightly better versions of Alien Covenant and The Void, and you get Life. I really enjoyed this one, especially the surprising-but-inevitably ending.
26. mother!
Thought-provoking, disturbing, horrifying, and super-weird. I don't know what else to say about it. Though it is sort of in the middle of my list, which means I thought it was an okay film, I would only recommend it to a select few people. You probably aren't one of them, so don't bother.
25. Ingrid Goes West
A quiet, under-the-radar film, but a decent take on social media. Sort of a mild, movie-length version of a Black Mirror episode. Solid performances from Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen.
24. Happy Death Day
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite films, and I have a special place in my heart for movies the take that trope and run with it (particularly Edge of Tomorrow, and ARQ, just off the top of my head). Happy Death Day does a surprisingly decent job with that trope, too. Not a perfect film, but I found it very enjoyable.
23. Atomic Blonde
This one would rate much higher on my list if it weren't for the entire first half. The second half was surprising, brutal, and crazy in all the best ways. The first half wasn't really any of those things (maybe a bit brutal I guess, but that's it). I was one of the folks who was skeptical of the fight scenes in this one based on the trailers, but turns out I really enjoyed them, particularly the ones toward the end. It was exhausting to watch, and I loved it.
22. It Comes at Night
Some great acting and character work here, along with good writing and story development. I...liked the ambiguity, but not as much as I've loved ambiguity in other things. That probably makes no sense to anyone but me, but there it is. It was quite good, but not quite great.
21. The Last Jedi
Yikes. This was maybe the most problematic film for me to place on this list. The first time I saw it, I really enjoyed it, despite some pretty clear flaws--so I couldn't put it too high on my list. The second time I saw it, I hardly enjoyed it at all, despite some of the more interesting parts--so I couldn't put it too low, either. So here it is. Having seen it twice, the aftertaste I feel is mostly just underwhelmed.
20. Spider-Man: Homecoming
A decent superhero movie, and one of the better MCU solo films that has come out in the last few years, in my opinion. Tom Holland is by far the best Spider-man to grace the silver screen.
19. Logan Lucky
Channing Tatum. Daniel Craig. Adam Driver. A heist redneck film that was not only hilarious but had a lot of laughs as well. This film was pretty great.
18. War for the Planet of the Apes
The Planet of the Apes remake in, what, the early 2000's?, was not great. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was mediocre. But Dawn and War have both not only been decent niche sci-fi films, they've been genuinely good films in general. Great writing, great story. Fantastic acting, including some of Andy Serkis' best work. But you don't just get that, you get it with anthropomorphized apes on horses welding machine guns riding through fire. This was an awesome movie.
17. The Big Sick
Just a really solid, well-acted, well-written relationship comedy. A lot of fun.
16. John Wick: Chapter 2
Delightful, over-the-top fight scenes, with compelling character work to boot. I think I liked it even better than the first chapter.
15. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for me. I went into this expecting a pretty mediocre comedy, the best parts of which I assumed I'd already seen in the trailers. I'm happy to report I was wrong. Not only was the film even more hilarious than the trailers intimated, it had its fair share of heart as well. I'm not ashamed to admit I got emotional at some of the ending parts. Also Dwayne Johnson.
14. Only the Brave
I'm still not quite sure where to put this film. So here it is, I guess. Don't get me wrong, it has many good qualities. It certainly tells a compelling story. But man, that ending...unless you're familiar with the real-life events on which the movie is based, it's a real gut-punch. I am glad these stories get to be told.
13. Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan's World War II epic doesn't quite make it into my top three Nolan films, maybe not even into my top five if I'm honest, but even if it's number six, that's still pretty great company, and still a very, very good movie. As good a WWII epic as anything that's been released recently, I suppose.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Not as good as the first one, but still one of the better superhero films out there. And Yondu steals the film, ya'll.
11. Blade Runner 2049
I'll be honest, I didn't love this film as much as a lot of my friends, and a lot of critics, did. That said, it was still a phenomenal movie, and it's evidence that some people in Hollywood are still interested in telling compelling tales. Unfortunately, it's also evidence that audiences aren't necessarily drawn to compelling tales.
10. The Greatest Showman
Here we are, going into the top ten! The Greatest Showman, objectively speaking, should not be this high on my list. Nevertheless, here it is. It didn't matter to me that it was not only wildly historically inaccurate, it was historically absurd. It didn't matter to me that the character development fell flat at times, and that there were some significant plot issues. I'll be honest: the music was too good. The dancing was too fun. The acting was pretty solid. I'd see it again in a heartbeat, and the soundtrack has been playing almost nonstop at our house. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I loved it.
9. Wind River
From what I know of hunting, it's basically a bunch of long, slow waiting periods interspersed with very brief bursts of intense action. I think that describes Wind River to a T. Don't misinterpret me; the long, slow waiting periods in this film were still great stuff; good character development and dialog, good structuring. And the intense sequences...well, they're crazy. It was a great film.
8. The Disaster Artist
Hilarious. Brilliant. Weird. Awesome. Franco bros. Oh hai Mark. Etc.
7. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Compelling story. Fantastic acting. Delightful writing.
6. Lady Bird
Lady Bird sports everything I listed for Three Billboards, plus one thing more: early 2000s high school nostalgia. The country-themed high school dance where they're dancing to Bone Thugs N Harmony was EVERYTHING, ya'll. Everything.
5. IT
After the disaster that was Dark Tower, I was worried for Stephen King flicks in 2017. But IT pulled through. I've never been a huge fan of the original miniseries (other than the Tim Curry factor), so my expectations weren't high going into the remake. But I loved it. IT takes a page (successfully) from Stranger Things by hitting the heart and nostalgia notes hard, but it also manages to be a pretty frightening film in its own right. I cannot wait for part 2.
4. Wonder Woman
What can I say? This film blew me away. Gal Godot is amazing and an incredible Wonder Woman. Honestly, Wonder Woman might actually be a better film than the next two on the list--and really, they're all neck and neck--but I personally enjoyed the following films just slightly more.
3. Thor: Ragnarok
I was actually surprised that three of my top five were superhero films, but when I look at which three films made it, I can't think of them being anywhere else on the list. Ragnarok is easily the most fun I've had watching a superhero film, and that includes both GotG movies, Kick-Ass, Spiderman 2, and everything else I can think of. It was hilarious, it was exciting, it had great action sequences, and it used Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" impeccably well. Also, all hail Taika Waititi!
2. Logan
To be honest, slots 2-4 are almost interchangeable. What puts Logan just a smidge ahead for me is the fact that it offers what no other superhero film has yet dared to offer: an ending. And it's an emotional, satisfying, believable ending at that.
1. Get Out
If you haven't seen Get Out, go see it. It was, definitively, my favorite film of 2017. Thrilling, relevant, hilarious, terrifying. Impeccably (and, often, creepily) acted, deftly written and directed, brilliantly put together. Ya'll. Go see Get Out.
A note on my ranking system: I generally considered typical qualities of each film--mainly the writing, directing, acting, and story--and, for the most part, this list adheres to those criteria. But after everything was said and done, especially when some films were too close to call, the ultimate decision factor basically became "how much would I want to see this film a second (or third, or fourth) time?" Put another way, how much did I genuinely enjoy the experience? While receiving high marks in my typical criteria usually translates to me enjoying a film, there are other factors (genre, music, relevance, and yeah, sure, my mood, etc.) that contribute as well. So, while this list is definitive for me, and I welcome anyone's comments and dissensions, don't you dare tell me I'm wrong. This is my list. If you want a definitive list, go make your own, yo.
I'll start with the worst and make my way to the best, because drama.
45. Ghost in the Shell
I wanted to like this movie, which maybe is why I hated it so much. I'm not familiar with the source material at all, which likely contributes to how much I didn't like it. But yikes.
44. The Circle
I only rate this one better than Ghost in the Shell because (1) I had no expectations, and (2) Emma Watson.
43. Geostorm
I'm a sucker for disaster movies, but not even the genre saved this one. It was bad.
42. The Dark Tower
I really wanted to like this one, because (1) Stephen King--I mean, I'm a big fan, and this is his epic fantasy series which is the genre we share, so yeah, but also (2) Idris Elba, who is perhaps my favorite actor in this day and age, and to a lesser extent (3) Matthew McConnaughey (WOW is that difficult to spell). Elba made it palatable, barely, but otherwise this was an abysmal film.
41. Split
I don't know what is going on with M. Night Shyamalan, but ever since his initial wave of decent films (The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable) it always seems like he's trying either too hard or not at all. This one was the former.
40. The Mountain Between Us
I found the writing particularly uninteresting in this film, mainly--once again, despite the presence of Idris Elba. Dude needs to get into some better movies! (Actually I saw him in Molly's Game earlier this year and not only was that a decent film overall, but Elba was pretty good in it, too.)
39. The Foreigner
It was cool to see Jackie Chan on the big screen--it had been a while for me. Other than that, however, this one was pretty forgettable.
38. My Little Pony
Saw this one with my two-year-old daughter, and it easily had more story than every film above it on my list, and probably a lot of films below it, too. In short, it was pretty decent. The only reason it ranks so low on my list is that it just isn't my particular taste.
37. Flatliners
I like Nina Dobrev. I really like Ellen Page. Neither could really help this film. Flatliners had some semi-decent scary moments, but that was about all it had going for it. Very little in the plot and character department.
36. Kong: Skull Island
This is probably the first movie on the list where the enjoyment factor (barely) outweighed whatever negatives it brought to the table. I thought it was fun. Not much beyond that, but it was fun.
35. F8 of the Furious
Meh. Another day, another F&F film. Needed more Dwayne Johnson (doesn't everything?).
34. Justice League
Yikes. My expectations were high (for a DC film, which is to say I hoped it would be coherent), especially after Wonder Woman (which you will find much MUCH later on my list), and, what can I say, I was disappointed. Steppenwolf was the biggest problem with the film. Ezra Miller's the Flash was maybe the best part of it. The schism between Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's visions was painfully obvious. It was rough, and probably deserves to be lower on my list, but, well, Ezra Miller/Gal Godot I guess?
33. King Arthur
This one almost certainly belongs lower on my list, but hey, I just really enjoyed it. It's my genre, first of all (or at least it is sometimes, it sort of wishy-washes its way around a few different sub-genres but whatever), so I sort of felt like I had a stake in the game, and it did have a number of cool elements. Acting, writing, and general story were whatever, though, to be honest.
32. Alien Covenant
Thinking back on it I honestly cannot even tell the difference between this and Prometheus in my head, other than that Prometheus had more of the big Engineer dudes. I think? I don't even know. I find the character of David tedious, too. It did have some good action sequences, however, and it was pretty cool to see some legit xenomorphs in action with modern effects.
31. The Void
A decent attempt at a modern Lovecraftian tale, but the Lovecraftian aspects were really all it had going for it. It didn't have much to say, which disappointed me (and I find one of the more compelling aspects of Lovecraftian stuff--even if the thing a work is trying to say is that it's pointless to say anything, if you catch my drift--but none of that here).
30. Murder on the Orient Express
I enjoyed this film. A bit lacking in story and character, but the acting and visuals really engaged me.
29. Beauty and the Beast
Again, because I'm a fan of Emma Watson, I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. It was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure why I'd ever go back and watch this over the original animated Disney version. (Particular disappointment: the grandeur of Belle singing "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere" was completely lost in this version.)
28. Baby Driver
Such a fun movie. Good acting, great action sequences, good writing. But, to paraphrase a friend, it was utterly inconsequential. I haven't thought of it once since seeing it except when I've seen it on this list in passing, as I compare it to other films. I didn't find anything of lasting value in it, and that's why it's relatively low on the list. That said, while Kong marked the point in the list where enjoyability started to outweigh bad qualities, Baby Driver I think marks the point where I think pretty much everything from here on out is a strong, and (usually--see mother!) enjoyable film.
27. Life
Combine slightly better versions of Alien Covenant and The Void, and you get Life. I really enjoyed this one, especially the surprising-but-inevitably ending.
26. mother!
Thought-provoking, disturbing, horrifying, and super-weird. I don't know what else to say about it. Though it is sort of in the middle of my list, which means I thought it was an okay film, I would only recommend it to a select few people. You probably aren't one of them, so don't bother.
25. Ingrid Goes West
A quiet, under-the-radar film, but a decent take on social media. Sort of a mild, movie-length version of a Black Mirror episode. Solid performances from Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen.
24. Happy Death Day
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite films, and I have a special place in my heart for movies the take that trope and run with it (particularly Edge of Tomorrow, and ARQ, just off the top of my head). Happy Death Day does a surprisingly decent job with that trope, too. Not a perfect film, but I found it very enjoyable.
23. Atomic Blonde
This one would rate much higher on my list if it weren't for the entire first half. The second half was surprising, brutal, and crazy in all the best ways. The first half wasn't really any of those things (maybe a bit brutal I guess, but that's it). I was one of the folks who was skeptical of the fight scenes in this one based on the trailers, but turns out I really enjoyed them, particularly the ones toward the end. It was exhausting to watch, and I loved it.
22. It Comes at Night
Some great acting and character work here, along with good writing and story development. I...liked the ambiguity, but not as much as I've loved ambiguity in other things. That probably makes no sense to anyone but me, but there it is. It was quite good, but not quite great.
21. The Last Jedi
Yikes. This was maybe the most problematic film for me to place on this list. The first time I saw it, I really enjoyed it, despite some pretty clear flaws--so I couldn't put it too high on my list. The second time I saw it, I hardly enjoyed it at all, despite some of the more interesting parts--so I couldn't put it too low, either. So here it is. Having seen it twice, the aftertaste I feel is mostly just underwhelmed.
20. Spider-Man: Homecoming
A decent superhero movie, and one of the better MCU solo films that has come out in the last few years, in my opinion. Tom Holland is by far the best Spider-man to grace the silver screen.
19. Logan Lucky
Channing Tatum. Daniel Craig. Adam Driver. A heist redneck film that was not only hilarious but had a lot of laughs as well. This film was pretty great.
18. War for the Planet of the Apes
The Planet of the Apes remake in, what, the early 2000's?, was not great. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was mediocre. But Dawn and War have both not only been decent niche sci-fi films, they've been genuinely good films in general. Great writing, great story. Fantastic acting, including some of Andy Serkis' best work. But you don't just get that, you get it with anthropomorphized apes on horses welding machine guns riding through fire. This was an awesome movie.
17. The Big Sick
Just a really solid, well-acted, well-written relationship comedy. A lot of fun.
16. John Wick: Chapter 2
Delightful, over-the-top fight scenes, with compelling character work to boot. I think I liked it even better than the first chapter.
15. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for me. I went into this expecting a pretty mediocre comedy, the best parts of which I assumed I'd already seen in the trailers. I'm happy to report I was wrong. Not only was the film even more hilarious than the trailers intimated, it had its fair share of heart as well. I'm not ashamed to admit I got emotional at some of the ending parts. Also Dwayne Johnson.
14. Only the Brave
I'm still not quite sure where to put this film. So here it is, I guess. Don't get me wrong, it has many good qualities. It certainly tells a compelling story. But man, that ending...unless you're familiar with the real-life events on which the movie is based, it's a real gut-punch. I am glad these stories get to be told.
13. Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan's World War II epic doesn't quite make it into my top three Nolan films, maybe not even into my top five if I'm honest, but even if it's number six, that's still pretty great company, and still a very, very good movie. As good a WWII epic as anything that's been released recently, I suppose.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Not as good as the first one, but still one of the better superhero films out there. And Yondu steals the film, ya'll.
11. Blade Runner 2049
I'll be honest, I didn't love this film as much as a lot of my friends, and a lot of critics, did. That said, it was still a phenomenal movie, and it's evidence that some people in Hollywood are still interested in telling compelling tales. Unfortunately, it's also evidence that audiences aren't necessarily drawn to compelling tales.
10. The Greatest Showman
Here we are, going into the top ten! The Greatest Showman, objectively speaking, should not be this high on my list. Nevertheless, here it is. It didn't matter to me that it was not only wildly historically inaccurate, it was historically absurd. It didn't matter to me that the character development fell flat at times, and that there were some significant plot issues. I'll be honest: the music was too good. The dancing was too fun. The acting was pretty solid. I'd see it again in a heartbeat, and the soundtrack has been playing almost nonstop at our house. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I loved it.
9. Wind River
From what I know of hunting, it's basically a bunch of long, slow waiting periods interspersed with very brief bursts of intense action. I think that describes Wind River to a T. Don't misinterpret me; the long, slow waiting periods in this film were still great stuff; good character development and dialog, good structuring. And the intense sequences...well, they're crazy. It was a great film.
8. The Disaster Artist
Hilarious. Brilliant. Weird. Awesome. Franco bros. Oh hai Mark. Etc.
7. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Compelling story. Fantastic acting. Delightful writing.
6. Lady Bird
Lady Bird sports everything I listed for Three Billboards, plus one thing more: early 2000s high school nostalgia. The country-themed high school dance where they're dancing to Bone Thugs N Harmony was EVERYTHING, ya'll. Everything.
5. IT
After the disaster that was Dark Tower, I was worried for Stephen King flicks in 2017. But IT pulled through. I've never been a huge fan of the original miniseries (other than the Tim Curry factor), so my expectations weren't high going into the remake. But I loved it. IT takes a page (successfully) from Stranger Things by hitting the heart and nostalgia notes hard, but it also manages to be a pretty frightening film in its own right. I cannot wait for part 2.
4. Wonder Woman
What can I say? This film blew me away. Gal Godot is amazing and an incredible Wonder Woman. Honestly, Wonder Woman might actually be a better film than the next two on the list--and really, they're all neck and neck--but I personally enjoyed the following films just slightly more.
3. Thor: Ragnarok
I was actually surprised that three of my top five were superhero films, but when I look at which three films made it, I can't think of them being anywhere else on the list. Ragnarok is easily the most fun I've had watching a superhero film, and that includes both GotG movies, Kick-Ass, Spiderman 2, and everything else I can think of. It was hilarious, it was exciting, it had great action sequences, and it used Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" impeccably well. Also, all hail Taika Waititi!
2. Logan
To be honest, slots 2-4 are almost interchangeable. What puts Logan just a smidge ahead for me is the fact that it offers what no other superhero film has yet dared to offer: an ending. And it's an emotional, satisfying, believable ending at that.
1. Get Out
If you haven't seen Get Out, go see it. It was, definitively, my favorite film of 2017. Thrilling, relevant, hilarious, terrifying. Impeccably (and, often, creepily) acted, deftly written and directed, brilliantly put together. Ya'll. Go see Get Out.
Monday, February 06, 2017
#AuthorLifeMonth Day 6: Fan Art!
Well, I've yet to encounter any fan art for Duskfall or the Chaos Queen Quintet (yet 🤞--consider this an official invitation, folks!). While of course I'd love to see fan art of any kind, I'm totally cool with the fact that I haven't come across any so far. tMy first book only came out, like, seven months ago! And it's the first of five, so...I think I've got time. :-)
If you've ever wondered how I visualize Astrid fight scenes, this trailer will tell you a lot. Goes without saying that I'll definitely be seeing this film when it's released, and I'll let you know at that point whether the projected fight scenes (and the character of X-23 in general) lives up to my expectations.
She's no Astrid, obviously, but she's pretty damn close.
That said, there is something I've been meaning to share with everyone. It's not even close to fan art, but more like a form of wishful thinking on my part. Many people who've messaged me, emailed me, found me on social media or in person and spoken with me about Duskfall have told me that Astrid is their favorite character, and I totally understand why. She's easily the most fun character to write in the book, and she has a special place in my heart. For that reason, I get pretty excited whenever I see similar characters on the big screen. Athena from the Tomorrowland film came pretty close, but there's one that I think comes even closer, and that's (who I assume to be) X-23 from the new Wolverine film Logan. Just check this out:
If you've ever wondered how I visualize Astrid fight scenes, this trailer will tell you a lot. Goes without saying that I'll definitely be seeing this film when it's released, and I'll let you know at that point whether the projected fight scenes (and the character of X-23 in general) lives up to my expectations.
She's no Astrid, obviously, but she's pretty damn close.
Friday, April 10, 2015
#FIF: Joss Whedon
Well, today I’d actually intended to write a post about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I realized I needed some time to put that one together—turns out my feelings about BtVS can’t be fully explained with only a day’s notice. So I’m going to watch a few of my favorite episodes in the coming week, think about it a bit, and probably get that post up next Friday.
But, for today, I’m going to talk about the man behind Buffy—and Angel, and Dr. Horrible, and Firefly, and Serenity, and Cabin in the Woods, and The Avengers films—Joss Whedon.
If you know me, you know I’m a HUGE Joss Whedon fan. Like, enormous. And if you don’t know me, that might as well be one of the first things you find out about me. I’m all about the Whedonesque.
And, for me, it boils down to the fact that Joss Whedon is the type of writer I want to be. He has so many qualities that I want to hone for myself, and he has told story after story that have elicited ALL THE EMOTIONS from me. I could go on and on about why I think Whedon is amazing (musicals!) and his stories are the best thing since the wheel, but I’m going to focus on three or four things just to make this post manageable. So, without further ado, let me tell you about why I’m so freaking obsessed with Joss Whedon.
He’s a Shakespeare for our time.
Joss Whedon is known for his dialog. It’s quirky, quippy, fast-paced and intelligent, but also a bit more down-to-earth than many other dialog methods. He walks that line between “trying too hard to sound exactly like real conversation and sounding ridiculous” and “trying to hard to imitate dialog and sounding stilted” perfectly. Watch anything Joss is involved with and you’ll see (or rather hear) his brilliance with words. Nowhere is this more apparent than in The Avengers, where Whedon’s dialog meets Robert Downey Jr.’s acting, and real magic happens.
He’s also known for making up his own words and linguistic tics. Buffyspeak is totally a thing, a word coined to describe the style of speech within the Buffyverse, steeped in pop-culture idioms and obscure pronoun references, that demonstrates in a wonderful way the quirkiness of teenage/young adult language. And in the Firefly ‘Verse, Joss created a hybrid of English and Chinese that managed to sound wonderfully science-fictiony, westerny, and yet be understandable and relatable all at once.
Joss Whedon is also a master of humor, as stated in his biography by Amy Pascale:
Fox’s Jorge Saralegui compares Joss to a composer in the way that he can balance darkness with humor. ‘That’s really almost kind of like music, it’s a rhythm thing in your head,’ he says. ‘Most writers don’t have that. They’re more like a songwriter that knows how to put together a song: verse, verse, chorus, bridge, whatever. but they don’t hear everything in the way where one thing balances the other—counterpoint, in effect. I think you either hear it or you don’t. Joss is excellent at it.’ - (Joss Whedon: The Biography 186)
A large portion of that humor stems from his dialog. I’ve been saying it for years: Joss Whedon is a modern-day Shakespeare*, chiefly because of his dialog (although I could write an entire series of posts on the Shakespeare-Whedon comparison alone). If he’s remembered for one thing, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s his way with words.
He writes emotional, iconic stories.
From the grand metaphor of “high school as a horror movie” that permeated the early seasons of Buffy (and the smaller, more poignant metaphors that I’ll get to in my later post on BtVS) to his delightful twist on the horror genre with Cabin in the Woods, Joss Whedon’s ability to connect with his audience through emotion is always clear and powerful. He makes the myth accessible. “You can’t write from a political agenda,” Whedon says,
and make stories that are in any way emotional or iconic. You have to write it from a place that’s a little dark, that has to do with passion and lust and things you don’t want to talk about. (Joss Whedon: The Biography 31)
Reading/watching Joss’s work, it becomes clear that he really isn’t afraid to go into the dark, to talk about uncomfortable, strange, awkward, horrible things in his stories.
He has an ability to combine all sorts of storytelling qualities into one wonderful package. His stories can be dark and horrifying, but also laced with humor, with compelling characters that grow and change, and carefully planned plots that twist and turn in all the right ways. I know I’m kind of just fanboying out about him right now, but all this stuff is totes the way it is, or at least it is for me. He’s my kind of storyteller.
Joss writes about loss. (Ha ha.)
You may have seen this floating around the interwebz:
It’s funny, but true. Joss Whedon is known for his tendency to kill off characters, whether in great sweeping heroic sacrifices or tragically sudden and completely-out-of-the-blue death scenes. That’s kind of a trendy thing, these days, as the graphic above suggests, but Joss’s death scenes are worth so much more than shock value.
…Tara’s death—and the deaths of Joyce Summers, Doyle, and quite a few other ill-fated characters over the course of Joss’s writing career—are not merely narrative necessities. They all speak to Joss’s need to ground his tales in truth and human experience….Joss designs each death in the Whedonverse to make viewers feel the despair and ache of loss—because he spent so much time creating an emotional connection that brought them joy and love in the first place. When Joss kills a character, it hurts because it is designed to hurt. (Joss Whedon: The Biography 195)
Some of the most glorious, wonderful deaths I’ve seen in fiction—as well as some of the most horrible and tragic—have taken place in the Whedonverse, but each and every one of them has meaning, and not only to the story. The loss Whedon portrays in his stories has meaning to me, too, and that is a really incredible thing.
He’s a feminist.
So am I, in case you haven’t noticed, so this one has particular meaning to me—namely that it is ok, and actually totally cool, to be a man and a feminist and write proverbial “strong female characters.” It seems that characteristic came chiefly from Joss’s mother, but was supported by just about every woman he’s associated with through life. And, looking at his work, you could take just about any female character and see depth, strength, and quality. (Although some come to mind specifically: Willow, Joyce, Anya, Glory, Faith, Kitty Pryde, Zoe, River, Echo, Black Widow, and—of course—Buffy.)
By the way, if you haven’t seen the following speech, you really should. I’ve posted it on my blog before, and for good reason: it pretty much embodies why I’m trying to write strong, real women characters in my fiction, too.
So, I don’t know, that’s kind of my spiel on Joss Whedon. Like I said, I could go on and on about how freaking awesome he is, but I’ll spare you; I’ve done enough fanboying.**
I’ll fade out with a reading suggestion: one of my favorite Joss Whedon stories is actually a comic, and not of the Buffy/Angel or Firefly continuation (although those are awesome). He did a run on the Astonishing X-Men series some years back, and it’s one of my favorite things. Period. Whedon tells a great story, even with characters who aren’t his own (as has been made abundantly clear with his work on the Avengers sequence). So, if you like comics—or even if you don’t—you should totally check out Whedon’s work there.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch some Buffy, and I think you’ll hear more about that from me next week!
* Which is only one of many reasons why his recent rendition of Much Ado About Nothing is so absolutely fantastic.
** Although I will say, if you ever really want to get on my good side, and Joss Whedon happens to owe you a favor, the best thing in the world you could do is get me some kind of headshot photo of Joss Whedon, signed with something overly motivational, like “Believe in your dreams, Chris! Love, Joss.” Yeah. That would be the best gift I could ever receive.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Nathan Bransford, over at his blog, recently posted his top 100 favorite films of all time, and challenged some of his readers to do the same. So, being that I've been sick lately and don't have the energy to do much other than watch and/or think about films, I've decided to take him up on the challenge.
This was difficult, but not as hard as I thought it would be. My favorite movies are all pretty present in my mind, to my surprise (and thanks to my Facebook page). I did organize the list in a somewhat unconventional way, though. I've divided my list into "tens,"--my first ten being my top 10 favorite movies in no particular order, my second ten being my next ten favorite movies in no particular order, and so forth, if that makes any sense. It's always been very difficult for me to say one specific film is my "favorite of all time," so this felt like a good compromise. I'm sure I've forgotten a few amazing films on here, and I'm sure my tastes will change sooner rather than later, but as of now, this is what I'm thinking. So, here we go:
First Ten:
Black Swan
Warrior
Crash
Casablanca
The Dark Knight
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Godfather
Garden State
Deep Water
No Country for Old Men
Second Ten:
Les Miserables (2012)
Pan's Labyrinth
Zombieland
Amelie
Leon The Professional
Shaun of the Dead
Donnie Darko
Schindler's List
Up in the Air
The Hurt Locker
Third Ten:
Easy A
Gran Torino
The Shawshank Redemption
Moulin Rouge
Rachel Getting Married
Hero
Memento
Citizen Kane
Groundhog Day
The Empire Strikes Back
Fourth Ten:
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Jerry MacGuire
The Godfather Part II
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Lives of Others
The Princess Bride
Primer
The Wrestler
Fifth Ten:
Om Shanti Om
V for Vendetta
District 9
Argo
Fight Club
Fargo
The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
Ingloriouse Basterds
The Departed
Infernal Affairs
Sixth Ten:
(500) Days of Summer
Casino Royale
I Am Legend (Alternate Version)
Dan in Real Life
Pitch Perfect
Say Anything
Atonement
Milk
Dead Poet's Society
Hotel Rwanda
Seventh Ten:
Cloverfield
The Avengers
Singin' in the Rain
The Truman Show
Gone With the Wind
Back to the Future
Star Wars
The Breakfast Club
When Harry Met Sally
Love, Actually
Eighth Ten:
Disney's Hercules
Serenity
Star Trek (2009)
Like Crazy
Requiem for a Dream
About a Boy
Gross Pointe Blank
Spirited Away
Interview With the Vampire
Pride and Prejudice
Ninth Ten:
Mean Girls
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Kill Bill (Vol. 1 & 2)
The Incredibles
The Goodfellas
The Dark Knight Rises
Raiders of the Lost Arc
Forget Paris
The Graduate
Little Women
Tenth Ten:
The Cove
She's All That
The Recruit
Anchorman
Elf
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Return of the Jedi
The Exorcist
Cast Away
A League of Their Own
Feel free to take the challenge yourself! If you do, let me know in the comments below.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Favs of 2012
So I've been meaning to do this the past few years I've had a blog, but my posting has been so sporadic that I've never gotten around to it. I tried to limit these selections to things that were actually published/released in the calendar year of 2012. So, without further ado, I present to you some of my favorite things of 2012:
Movies
The Dark Knight Rises deserves a spot in this list, certainly. Overall I thought the film was quite strong. A bit pretentious, a bit too big for its britches, but Tom Hardy was a brilliant Bane (even if his character's motivations made little to no sense), Anne Hathaway was a more-than-decent Catwoman, and the movie had a relatively positive ending which made my wife happy if nothing else. In my opinion, the previous installment in the trilogy is by far the best of the three, but this one was very good, indeed.
Marvel's The Avengers was the other major superhero film this year, and honestly, I think, although I'm still not entirely sure, I preferred it to DKR, if only slightly. (You can tell how strongly I feel about that.) Partly because I'm an incorrigible Joss Whedon fanboy, partly because...well, actually, the Joss Whedon thing might be the main reason. But really, the dialog of The Avengers was top notch--perfect for Robert Downey Jr.--and it was a well-crafted story. A perfect mix of comedy, action, and drama, as Joss Whedon is prone to produce. I'm very much looking forward to the next installments, assuming they'll also have Joss's hand in them.
Lincoln, and not the Vampire Hunter one. Thank Daniel Day Lewis in an unparalleled performance for this one. The film was interesting, and there was some admirable acting to be had all around, but, wow...Daniel Day Lewis is Lincoln. It seems silly to say that about a historical figure who passed away more than a century ago that no one alive can legitimately recall memories of, but, well...it's true. Give him the Academy Award and get it over with, already.
Pitch Perfect was this year's Easy A (although the jokes weren't ever quite as good, in my opinion), with a sprinkle of Glee on top. In other words, it was easily my favorite comedy of the year. Great arrangements of the music--I really wish Beca's remixes were available on some kind of soundtrack--and great singing. Anna Kendrick really surprised me here, but see more about that below. (Far, far below.) Rebel Wilson also pulled through with a hilarious performance (but, then again, when doesn't she?). And, of course, there was profuse exposure to both vomiting and the "Aca-" prefix. What more could one aca-ask for in a comedy?
But despite all the amazing films I've seen this year, I have to say that Les Misérables takes the cake for overall favorite. For me, this was the best version of the musical I could imagine. Which is strange when, musically, none of the performers produced stand-out versions of their respective songs (with the clear exception of Eponine; Samantha Barkes' version of "On My Own" is by far the best I've ever heard). Some of the singing was, honestly, downright mediocre. But what did absolutely blow me away was the emotion with which the characters performed (thanks in large part to the unique method of filming the musical). The portrayal of the guts of this film is completely unparalleled on stage or otherwise, and for good reason; the stage isn't exactly the best place to get up close and personal with actors and their characters, after all. That said, I tend to value strong characterization over powerful music, which is why this version of the production wins out overall for me, and why I'm pretty sure it's my favorite movie of the year.
Honorable Mention: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was actually a pleasant surprise for me. I have to admit that, at first, I was one of the haters. I mean, come on--three movies? Excessive. But after seeing this first one, I might be a convert, and it comes down to the fact that I am such a fan of Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's universe--I know this is blasphemous, but I'm pretty sure I enjoy it more than the original universe itself--that I'll take any excuse whatsoever to journey back into that world. This movie was just such an excuse, and honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than the source. The creative licenses taken to make the story just a bit darker, to aggrandize the scale of things, was actually spot-on for me. Some great acting here, of course. Martin Freeman was born to play Bilbo Baggins. I'm ecstatic to see more of Benedict Cumberbatch as the Necromancer (and Smaug?). The film was far from perfect, though. Formula-wise, it followed the key plot points of The Fellowship of the Ring a bit too closely. While I enjoyed Thorin as a strong, darker character, he was a bit too Aragorn-like for me. But, generally, a really good film.
Movies I haven't seen yet but might have easily made it on the list: Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, and Cabin in the Woods
TV Shows
30 Rock. I just can't get enough of it. Tina Fey is brilliant and hilarious, and I want to be her when I grow up. Also, this show doesn't seem to have the severe decrease in quality that happens to most sitcoms in later years. 30 Rock is sitcom elite, in the same category as Seinfeld and Arrested Development.
Glee has a spot on this list, of course. I've already written a lot about why I think this show is so great.
Breaking Bad is so dark and disturbing, and I love it. Fantastic acting. I've yet to see anyone chronicle one man's horrific downward spiral so well, in print or on the screen. Except, perhaps, Joe Abecrombie. But more on him later.
I voiced some brief thoughts about The Walking Dead a while ago. And, honestly, my opinion of the show has only gotten higher. It started out cool, but the cool factor was kind of it. The second season was interesting, with some awesome story lines as well as some less-than-awesome ones. But this third season...yeesh. I don't know what they've done over there in that writer's room, but they've gotten it right. Some stuff is still kind of overboard (I think it's difficult not to completely geek out and go overboard when dealing with the zombie apocalypse), but this may very well be my favorite show on television right now.
I was fortunate enough to discover Sherlock (via some vehement recommendations--almost threats, really--from my family) this year. And this may be cheating somewhat, because I'm not sure any new episodes were actually aired in 2012, but who cares. This show is amazing and I love it. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (a dynamic duo, indeed) are masterful in every episode. Andrew Scott is a deliciously horrifying Jim Moriarty. The episodes are smart, funny, and well-written. I absolutely can't wait for the next series in 2013. Rat, wedding, bow...
Books
I've read an uncharacteristically small number of books this year, and an even smaller number of books that were actually published this year, as you may be able to tell by the meager pickings below (a few of which are a bit of a reach, in my opinion, to be placed on a best-of list). Nevertheless, here are the books I most appreciated from 2012. Because I feel a bit sheepish giving books the short end of the stick, I'll post below my favorite selections from 2010* and 2011**.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. John Green, in my opinion, is perhaps the best YA fiction writer around, and The Fault in Our Stars is beautiful. It's about teens with cancer, and it's simultaneously horrifying, touching, depressing, and funny. Well, maybe not simultaneously. It's all of those things at one point or another, how about that. Green excels at snappy, realistic teen dialog, expressing genuine emotions without any feeling of cheesy-ness, and overall telling a great story. This is my favorite book of 2012.
Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. This may be a close second to The Fault in Our Stars. Abercrombie delivers another solid fantasy novel, this time spiked with western gunslinging--er, swordswinging--goodness. I hold fast with my belief that Abercrombie is one of the best fantasy authors writing right now. His character development and portrayal is his strongest point, and the more I read from him, the more I realize how few weak points he actually has. Red Country was awesome. If anything, I would have appreciated something more of a variety of viewpoints in this book, and it went a little long in some areas, but overall was a top-notch book.
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. While I have some serious reservations about Sanderson's The Way of Kings, this next installment in his Mistborn series was one of the best books I've read from him. Sanderson sometimes has a tendency to wax a bit longwinded, WoK being the case in point, but this was an uncharacteristically truncated novel from him that worked out quite well. The Mistborn world is still my favorite creation from Sanderson, and I loved seeing the continuation of it into a (yet another) fantasy western. I'm very interested to see where he takes the rest of this series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall by Joss Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, Georges Jeanty, and Karl Moline. How can I not love the comic book continuation of my favorite television show of all time? Season 8 was good, if slightly outlandish, but this first installment of Season 9 seems to come back to what made Buffy great in the first place: a girl with a calling who doesn't want it, and enemies who want to destroy all that she loves because of it. Also: great dialog, funny one-liners, all the classic characters and then some, and so forth. I'm very excited to see where Season 9 goes from here ("Where do we go...from here?" [little music notes]).
Other Stuff That Was Great in 2012
Red by Taylor Swift - Okay, I'm a Swiftie (is that a thing?). I'll admit, it is weird how much I like Taylor Swift. But hey, even I need some nice, wholesome (or angsty, relationship-heavy) media intake sometimes and Taylor Swift does the trick. And you know what? She's talented. This isn't my favorite album of hers, I don't think, but it is very good. She's yet to disappoint me.
The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - This album renewed my faith in rap music. I've been listening to rap since elementary school, since Bone Thugs N Harmony and Naughty by Nature, and while there are a few interesting rap artists still out there, the majority are auto-tuning songs about drugs, sex, and why they are so much better than all the other rappers out there. Macklemore doesn't rap about that. He raps about consumerism ("Wing$"), Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule ("Ten Thousand Hours"), same-sex marriage ("Same Love"), addiction and recovery ("Starting Over"), and how cool it is to be shopping at a thrift store ("Thrift Shop"). Oh, and Ryan Lewis knows how to drop a sick beat. It's the freshest breath of air from the music industry I've had in some time, and easily my favorite album of the year.
Anna Kendrick continues to impress. She was in Twilight, and that was whatever. But then she was in Up in the Air, and that was really, really good. And then she was in Pitch Perfect, and turns out she can sing, too. Pretty awesome. She's almost ousted Emma Stone as my favorite young actress. Almost. ("Young" actress as opposed to my favorite, er, regular actress, Natalie Portman [yeesh...glad she'll never be reading this], or my favorite actress of all time, Audrey Hepburn).
Anne Hathaway, while not my favorite actress by any stretch, belongs on this list only because there seems to be an unusual number of Hathaway Haters out there. Haters gonna hate, apologists gonna...apologize. That's right, I'm an Anne Apologist (see what I did there? Hathaway Hater...Anne Apologist...yeah...). She was a great Catwoman (one of the best in my memory, although admittedly there's not much competition there), a seriously-blow-my-mind-amazing Fantine (if she doesn't scoop up the Oscar for that one, I'll have an aneurism), and she's been very good in a number of other films as well, Rachel Getting Married being the first that comes to mind. So, please, don't hate. Congratulate.
John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I told my brother-in-law that I watch to Stephen Colbert to laugh, and John Stewart to stay vaguely informed (because, let's face it, regular news programs are just boring--although Anderson Cooper isn't half bad a journalist/reporter/whatever he is, if you ask me). My brother-in-law replied that he also watch to Stephen Colbert to laugh, but he watches John Stewart to get angry. Either way, both statements are pretty accurate. If you watch Colbert, you're going to laugh. And if you watch Stewart, you're going to be vaguely informed, and get angry (although whether it's at Stewart himself or the stories he covers will depend drastically on your personal politics). Anyway, these guys are brilliant, hilarious, and our nation (or, at least, our late-night cable) would be less than it is without them.
Benedict Cumberbatch. Sherlock in Sherlock. The Necromancer, and Smaug, in The Hobbit. The villain in the new Star Trek film (whoever it is...I'm still hoping for Kahn, but let's be realistic). He's bad, he's British, and his baritone voice is a special effect in and of itself. Seriously, just check out the trailer below. It's ridiculous. So, yeah, coolest actor around, basically.
And, well, that's it for me. This was a crazy long post, so if any of you actually made it here, to the end, with me, kudos and congratulations. You are probably my mother. I accept that, and embrace it. Thanks, Mom :-).
* Top 10 Books I read (but were not necessarily published) in 2010:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Best European Fiction 2010 ed. Aleksandar Hemon
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
** Top 10 Books I read (but were not necessarily published) in 2011:
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 by Joss Whedon and various other writers and artists
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka
Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver
The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
Feed by Mira Grant
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Movies
The Dark Knight Rises deserves a spot in this list, certainly. Overall I thought the film was quite strong. A bit pretentious, a bit too big for its britches, but Tom Hardy was a brilliant Bane (even if his character's motivations made little to no sense), Anne Hathaway was a more-than-decent Catwoman, and the movie had a relatively positive ending which made my wife happy if nothing else. In my opinion, the previous installment in the trilogy is by far the best of the three, but this one was very good, indeed.
Marvel's The Avengers was the other major superhero film this year, and honestly, I think, although I'm still not entirely sure, I preferred it to DKR, if only slightly. (You can tell how strongly I feel about that.) Partly because I'm an incorrigible Joss Whedon fanboy, partly because...well, actually, the Joss Whedon thing might be the main reason. But really, the dialog of The Avengers was top notch--perfect for Robert Downey Jr.--and it was a well-crafted story. A perfect mix of comedy, action, and drama, as Joss Whedon is prone to produce. I'm very much looking forward to the next installments, assuming they'll also have Joss's hand in them.
Lincoln, and not the Vampire Hunter one. Thank Daniel Day Lewis in an unparalleled performance for this one. The film was interesting, and there was some admirable acting to be had all around, but, wow...Daniel Day Lewis is Lincoln. It seems silly to say that about a historical figure who passed away more than a century ago that no one alive can legitimately recall memories of, but, well...it's true. Give him the Academy Award and get it over with, already.
Pitch Perfect was this year's Easy A (although the jokes weren't ever quite as good, in my opinion), with a sprinkle of Glee on top. In other words, it was easily my favorite comedy of the year. Great arrangements of the music--I really wish Beca's remixes were available on some kind of soundtrack--and great singing. Anna Kendrick really surprised me here, but see more about that below. (Far, far below.) Rebel Wilson also pulled through with a hilarious performance (but, then again, when doesn't she?). And, of course, there was profuse exposure to both vomiting and the "Aca-" prefix. What more could one aca-ask for in a comedy?
But despite all the amazing films I've seen this year, I have to say that Les Misérables takes the cake for overall favorite. For me, this was the best version of the musical I could imagine. Which is strange when, musically, none of the performers produced stand-out versions of their respective songs (with the clear exception of Eponine; Samantha Barkes' version of "On My Own" is by far the best I've ever heard). Some of the singing was, honestly, downright mediocre. But what did absolutely blow me away was the emotion with which the characters performed (thanks in large part to the unique method of filming the musical). The portrayal of the guts of this film is completely unparalleled on stage or otherwise, and for good reason; the stage isn't exactly the best place to get up close and personal with actors and their characters, after all. That said, I tend to value strong characterization over powerful music, which is why this version of the production wins out overall for me, and why I'm pretty sure it's my favorite movie of the year.Honorable Mention: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was actually a pleasant surprise for me. I have to admit that, at first, I was one of the haters. I mean, come on--three movies? Excessive. But after seeing this first one, I might be a convert, and it comes down to the fact that I am such a fan of Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's universe--I know this is blasphemous, but I'm pretty sure I enjoy it more than the original universe itself--that I'll take any excuse whatsoever to journey back into that world. This movie was just such an excuse, and honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than the source. The creative licenses taken to make the story just a bit darker, to aggrandize the scale of things, was actually spot-on for me. Some great acting here, of course. Martin Freeman was born to play Bilbo Baggins. I'm ecstatic to see more of Benedict Cumberbatch as the Necromancer (and Smaug?). The film was far from perfect, though. Formula-wise, it followed the key plot points of The Fellowship of the Ring a bit too closely. While I enjoyed Thorin as a strong, darker character, he was a bit too Aragorn-like for me. But, generally, a really good film.
Movies I haven't seen yet but might have easily made it on the list: Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, and Cabin in the Woods
TV Shows
30 Rock. I just can't get enough of it. Tina Fey is brilliant and hilarious, and I want to be her when I grow up. Also, this show doesn't seem to have the severe decrease in quality that happens to most sitcoms in later years. 30 Rock is sitcom elite, in the same category as Seinfeld and Arrested Development.
Glee has a spot on this list, of course. I've already written a lot about why I think this show is so great.
Breaking Bad is so dark and disturbing, and I love it. Fantastic acting. I've yet to see anyone chronicle one man's horrific downward spiral so well, in print or on the screen. Except, perhaps, Joe Abecrombie. But more on him later.
I voiced some brief thoughts about The Walking Dead a while ago. And, honestly, my opinion of the show has only gotten higher. It started out cool, but the cool factor was kind of it. The second season was interesting, with some awesome story lines as well as some less-than-awesome ones. But this third season...yeesh. I don't know what they've done over there in that writer's room, but they've gotten it right. Some stuff is still kind of overboard (I think it's difficult not to completely geek out and go overboard when dealing with the zombie apocalypse), but this may very well be my favorite show on television right now.
Books
I've read an uncharacteristically small number of books this year, and an even smaller number of books that were actually published this year, as you may be able to tell by the meager pickings below (a few of which are a bit of a reach, in my opinion, to be placed on a best-of list). Nevertheless, here are the books I most appreciated from 2012. Because I feel a bit sheepish giving books the short end of the stick, I'll post below my favorite selections from 2010* and 2011**.
Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. This may be a close second to The Fault in Our Stars. Abercrombie delivers another solid fantasy novel, this time spiked with western gunslinging--er, swordswinging--goodness. I hold fast with my belief that Abercrombie is one of the best fantasy authors writing right now. His character development and portrayal is his strongest point, and the more I read from him, the more I realize how few weak points he actually has. Red Country was awesome. If anything, I would have appreciated something more of a variety of viewpoints in this book, and it went a little long in some areas, but overall was a top-notch book.
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. While I have some serious reservations about Sanderson's The Way of Kings, this next installment in his Mistborn series was one of the best books I've read from him. Sanderson sometimes has a tendency to wax a bit longwinded, WoK being the case in point, but this was an uncharacteristically truncated novel from him that worked out quite well. The Mistborn world is still my favorite creation from Sanderson, and I loved seeing the continuation of it into a (yet another) fantasy western. I'm very interested to see where he takes the rest of this series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall by Joss Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, Georges Jeanty, and Karl Moline. How can I not love the comic book continuation of my favorite television show of all time? Season 8 was good, if slightly outlandish, but this first installment of Season 9 seems to come back to what made Buffy great in the first place: a girl with a calling who doesn't want it, and enemies who want to destroy all that she loves because of it. Also: great dialog, funny one-liners, all the classic characters and then some, and so forth. I'm very excited to see where Season 9 goes from here ("Where do we go...from here?" [little music notes]).
Other Stuff That Was Great in 2012
Red by Taylor Swift - Okay, I'm a Swiftie (is that a thing?). I'll admit, it is weird how much I like Taylor Swift. But hey, even I need some nice, wholesome (or angsty, relationship-heavy) media intake sometimes and Taylor Swift does the trick. And you know what? She's talented. This isn't my favorite album of hers, I don't think, but it is very good. She's yet to disappoint me.
The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - This album renewed my faith in rap music. I've been listening to rap since elementary school, since Bone Thugs N Harmony and Naughty by Nature, and while there are a few interesting rap artists still out there, the majority are auto-tuning songs about drugs, sex, and why they are so much better than all the other rappers out there. Macklemore doesn't rap about that. He raps about consumerism ("Wing$"), Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule ("Ten Thousand Hours"), same-sex marriage ("Same Love"), addiction and recovery ("Starting Over"), and how cool it is to be shopping at a thrift store ("Thrift Shop"). Oh, and Ryan Lewis knows how to drop a sick beat. It's the freshest breath of air from the music industry I've had in some time, and easily my favorite album of the year.
Anna Kendrick continues to impress. She was in Twilight, and that was whatever. But then she was in Up in the Air, and that was really, really good. And then she was in Pitch Perfect, and turns out she can sing, too. Pretty awesome. She's almost ousted Emma Stone as my favorite young actress. Almost. ("Young" actress as opposed to my favorite, er, regular actress, Natalie Portman [yeesh...glad she'll never be reading this], or my favorite actress of all time, Audrey Hepburn).
Anne Hathaway, while not my favorite actress by any stretch, belongs on this list only because there seems to be an unusual number of Hathaway Haters out there. Haters gonna hate, apologists gonna...apologize. That's right, I'm an Anne Apologist (see what I did there? Hathaway Hater...Anne Apologist...yeah...). She was a great Catwoman (one of the best in my memory, although admittedly there's not much competition there), a seriously-blow-my-mind-amazing Fantine (if she doesn't scoop up the Oscar for that one, I'll have an aneurism), and she's been very good in a number of other films as well, Rachel Getting Married being the first that comes to mind. So, please, don't hate. Congratulate.
John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I told my brother-in-law that I watch to Stephen Colbert to laugh, and John Stewart to stay vaguely informed (because, let's face it, regular news programs are just boring--although Anderson Cooper isn't half bad a journalist/reporter/whatever he is, if you ask me). My brother-in-law replied that he also watch to Stephen Colbert to laugh, but he watches John Stewart to get angry. Either way, both statements are pretty accurate. If you watch Colbert, you're going to laugh. And if you watch Stewart, you're going to be vaguely informed, and get angry (although whether it's at Stewart himself or the stories he covers will depend drastically on your personal politics). Anyway, these guys are brilliant, hilarious, and our nation (or, at least, our late-night cable) would be less than it is without them.
Benedict Cumberbatch. Sherlock in Sherlock. The Necromancer, and Smaug, in The Hobbit. The villain in the new Star Trek film (whoever it is...I'm still hoping for Kahn, but let's be realistic). He's bad, he's British, and his baritone voice is a special effect in and of itself. Seriously, just check out the trailer below. It's ridiculous. So, yeah, coolest actor around, basically.
And, well, that's it for me. This was a crazy long post, so if any of you actually made it here, to the end, with me, kudos and congratulations. You are probably my mother. I accept that, and embrace it. Thanks, Mom :-).
* Top 10 Books I read (but were not necessarily published) in 2010:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Best European Fiction 2010 ed. Aleksandar Hemon
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
** Top 10 Books I read (but were not necessarily published) in 2011:
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 by Joss Whedon and various other writers and artists
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka
Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver
The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
Feed by Mira Grant
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
something awesome with Jane Austen
So, thanks to Mark Charan Newton I came across this:
And, if you're interested, here's the original Fight Club
trailer for comparison--its even more funny after watching both:
And, if you're interested, here's the original Fight Club
trailer for comparison--its even more funny after watching both:Monday, July 26, 2010
dream on
And of course . . .
Inception (SPOILER WARNING--this whole post might be teeming with them!) was a pleasure to watch. It was captivating, thought-provoking, and epic. It had a good storyline, good writing, and some pretty good acting, as well. In fact, some of those things were much better than good, they were great. Fabulous, even. The movie overall was a huge success, as thrilling as it was intriguing.
That being said, I don't think it was perfect. If anything, I think it stopped achingly short of the absolutely INCREDIBLE film it had the potential to be.
But, it was still an awesome film. Here's some reasons why:
So, those were some things I enjoyed in the film, among a great many others that I'm probably forgetting.
Inception (SPOILER WARNING--this whole post might be teeming with them!) was a pleasure to watch. It was captivating, thought-provoking, and epic. It had a good storyline, good writing, and some pretty good acting, as well. In fact, some of those things were much better than good, they were great. Fabulous, even. The movie overall was a huge success, as thrilling as it was intriguing.
That being said, I don't think it was perfect. If anything, I think it stopped achingly short of the absolutely INCREDIBLE film it had the potential to be.
But, it was still an awesome film. Here's some reasons why:
- It wasn't an action film (per se), and this was a pleasant surprise (although considering the nature of The Dark Knight
, I should have known better). It had action in it, of course, but this action felt needful, and appropriate to the film. (I'll admit I am an occasional fan of inappropriate and unnecessary action, but I don't think it generally contributes to well-crafted and inspiring films.) The main action scene I recall involves Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a crooked and gravity-less hotel hallways, and it was Matrix
-esque in its quirkiness and innovation. Indeed, overall the action was a positive component of the movie, and its relative scarcity certainly helped, ironically, leaving room for the (far more important, in my opinion) intellectual and emotional aspects of the movie.
- The acting. First of all, Leo is turning into a very respectable actor. I was particularly impressed with his role in The Departed
, and I've heard good things about what he did in Blood Diamond
as well (which I have yet to see, although its on my Netflix queue . . .). I thought his acting was worthy in Shutter Island
earlier this year, and his role in Inception as a gritty, mentally unstable widower was in the same tradition and equally profound. Ellen Page did a fantastic job in the film--her gigs in Juno
and Whip It
were cute and well-executed, but she shows herself capable of some real acting in Inception. But, surprisingly, I was most impressed with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance. I think he really stole the thunder from Di Caprio, and I would go so far as to say his role was Oscar-worthy (he's come a long way since the days of 3rd Rock From the Sun). Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Dileep Rao deserve nods for their performances too, and--oh-- Marion Cotillard's performance as Leo's wife was simultaneously heart-wrenching and highly disturbing. In fact, my only qualm with the acting was that Michael Caine wasn't in more scenes (really, can anyone ever get enough Michael Caine?).
- The world-building in Inception was fantastic. Although I didn't find the film as mind-bending as it was advertised, and I anticipated most of the "twists" from early on in the movie (I have a dreadful knack for that), what did blow my mind was the depth of the dream-worlds Christopher Nolan created. Shiny golden props to him for creating such a fascinating world.
- Christopher Nolan himself. With such films as The Dark Knight, The Prestige
, and Memento
under his belt, I expected quite a bit from him with Inception. He delivered.
- Ambiguity. I'm a sucker for ambiguity, and Inception had loads of it. The final scene with the spinning top* quite literally tops the movie off (no pun intended, please). But everything from character motives to in-world rules to the meaning and interpretation of the film itself oozed obscurity, and thats my bag of tricks, baby. It was delightful.
So, those were some things I enjoyed in the film, among a great many others that I'm probably forgetting.Now, why do I think it fell short, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. First of all, it was supposed to be this mind-bending, surprising, innovational film that changed things. Well, it didn't do that for me. As I've already mentioned, the dream world(s) it(them)-self(ves) surprised me, and bent my mind in a few new directions. I appreciated that. But the plot itself, and therefor the film as a whole, did not. It was relatively predictable. The twists were anticipated, if you can call them twists at all. The movie does a lot of make-up work for these shortcomings with its deep and surprising characters and its ambiguity, but the holes are still there (at least for me).
And another reason: I think the movie didn't delve into the Limbo concept as much as it could have. I think it could have taken things a lot further down there, have made the movie even more epic than it was, and it just didn't quite make it there. It is still epic, of course, but it could have been that much deeper. I wish, in a way, the film would have taken its own advice (both in regards to creation and "going deeper").
But, those are minor issues when compared to the whole.
In the end, I thought the film was a blast--and not only a blast, but a quality film too, worthy in just about every respect. I'm already looking forward to Nolan's next venture, and Leo's next role, and Gordon-Levitt's future as an actor--and, of course, anything involving Michael Caine (seriously). I wouldn't even mind a sequel in the Inception world--I think it could be done in good taste, and I'm still itching for the deeper aspects to be plundered.
My Rating: ****** (6/7 stars)
* I'll mention briefly my opinion on the end of the film (and hence this footnote will be SPOILER-ridden). My heart tells me that the top toppled. It fell over, and Leo's character had finally come home in the end. My mind, on the other hand, insists that the top continued indefinitely, and that he was still in a dream, and that his wife had been right all along--in fact, the whole movie itself seemed to be an (failed) attempt at Inception in Leo's own mind. He rejected the inception, and chose to live his own reality. And I think there is actually a lot of evidence that supports this--the whole movie itself, even the supposedly non-dreaming sequences, seemed suspiciously dreamlike (Leo wedging himself through an increasingly narrow space to escape strange pursuers, reminiscent of the security-pursures in Murphy's subconscious, among others). But there is also something to be said on the fact that, in the end, Leo DIDN'T CARE--he set the top spinning, and instead of staring intently to see whether it would fall or continue, he leaves it alone. This signifies enough change in his character that the movie can end with a feeling of accomplishment and contentment, whatever ending one interprets as canonical. Its all about the ambiguities.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Two (very unrelated) reviews
Leon: The Professional
I've been hearing about this movie for some time now, mostly as Natalie Portman's acting debut. I finally watched it the other night, and pleasantly surprised does not do it justice. More like delightedly dumbstruck. Rapturously amazed. Exultantly astounded.
It was a really good movie.
The acting, first of all, was superb. I didn't think Portman would be as believable as she was (her only other young performance I was aware of was in Phantom Menace--not known for its acting by any means), but I was with her every step of the way. Her portrayal of the abused, disillusioned, neglected, infuriating young girl with nothing to live for was touching at times, funny at others, and often surprising.
Jean Reno's performance was impressive as well, both lonely and enigmatic, but it was Gary Oldman's portrayal of the villain that caught me most off-guard. He was terrifying and despicable, and but strangely alluring. I have nothing but respect for Oldman.
The story was surprising as well--when I thought I was in for a long assassin-in-training montage, I got some unexpected character development. When I thought betrayal was imminent, I saw a strange friendship. The ending was somewhat predictable--it is the type of story for which I can only conceive three or four possible endings off the top of my head, all of them very similar--but it was tastefully done and kept me interested in the film and the characters.
Overall, I would highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of any of the three main actors in the film. A very well-done, surprising movie.
My rating: ****** (6/7 stars)
The Next American Essay
Edited by John D'Agata
And, of course, my first official foray into the world/genre of nonfiction.
D'Agata arranged the collection by taking a different essay, from a different American essayist, from every year from 1975-2003. Each year is preceded by a segment of an essay that D'Agata himself wrote, weaving in and out of each author and each year, connecting them all together. Indeed, D'Agata's essay was one of the most compelling components of the compilation--not only was it a great connector between each collected essay, but in and of itself was a thought-provoking and informative piece about the genre of the personal essay.
I've discovered that the personal essay (and nonfiction in general) is really a hit-and-miss category/genre for me. I loved some of the pieces in the collection. Some of my absolute favorites included the prologue by Guy Davenport, "And;" Annie Dillard's "Total Eclipse" from 1982; Eliot Weinberger's "Dream of India" from 1984 (which, incidentally, was the inspiration behind the current nonfiction piece I'm working on regarding perceptions of Mormonism); "Notes Toward a History of Scaffolding" from 1990, by Susan Mitchell; and from 1997 David Foster Wallace's "Ticket to the Fair." Each one of these essays either informed and educated me, mystified me, emotionally provoked me, intrigued me, or all of the above. They were delightful samples of the genre, and pieces that genuinely inspired me to venture my own attempts in the genre.
But there were a few other essays, ones I won't mention by name, that I found boring and overly presumptuous, if not utterly useless. Whether they're more of an acquired taste or the type of essay that I simply will never appreciate remains to be seen as I continue exploring the genre.
I'll return again to D'Agata's own essay (again, without a doubt on an equal level of the favorites I mentioned earlier, and one of the more delightful sections of the compilation). Portions of his last entry I found particularly interesting, especially in light of my current thoughts on nonfiction. To quote D'Agata (p. 435-6):
D'Agata arranged the collection by taking a different essay, from a different American essayist, from every year from 1975-2003. Each year is preceded by a segment of an essay that D'Agata himself wrote, weaving in and out of each author and each year, connecting them all together. Indeed, D'Agata's essay was one of the most compelling components of the compilation--not only was it a great connector between each collected essay, but in and of itself was a thought-provoking and informative piece about the genre of the personal essay.
I've discovered that the personal essay (and nonfiction in general) is really a hit-and-miss category/genre for me. I loved some of the pieces in the collection. Some of my absolute favorites included the prologue by Guy Davenport, "And;" Annie Dillard's "Total Eclipse" from 1982; Eliot Weinberger's "Dream of India" from 1984 (which, incidentally, was the inspiration behind the current nonfiction piece I'm working on regarding perceptions of Mormonism); "Notes Toward a History of Scaffolding" from 1990, by Susan Mitchell; and from 1997 David Foster Wallace's "Ticket to the Fair." Each one of these essays either informed and educated me, mystified me, emotionally provoked me, intrigued me, or all of the above. They were delightful samples of the genre, and pieces that genuinely inspired me to venture my own attempts in the genre.
But there were a few other essays, ones I won't mention by name, that I found boring and overly presumptuous, if not utterly useless. Whether they're more of an acquired taste or the type of essay that I simply will never appreciate remains to be seen as I continue exploring the genre.
I'll return again to D'Agata's own essay (again, without a doubt on an equal level of the favorites I mentioned earlier, and one of the more delightful sections of the compilation). Portions of his last entry I found particularly interesting, especially in light of my current thoughts on nonfiction. To quote D'Agata (p. 435-6):
"Some literature in this genre challenges [the] very presumption of fact."
"What happens when an essayist starts imagining things, making things up, filling in blank spaces, or--worse yet--leaving the blanks blank? What happens when statistics, reportage, and observation in an essay are abandoned for image, emotion, expressive transformation? . . . There are now questions being asked of facts that were never questions before. What, we ask, is a fact these days? What's a lie, for that matter? What constitutes an 'essay,' a 'story,' a 'poem'? What, even, is 'experience'?"
"Facts, in these essays, are not clear-cut things. What is a lyric essay? It's an oxymoron: an essay that's also a lyric; a kind of logic that wants to sing; an argument that has no chance of proving anything."I'm loving (and appreciating, as this volume is the one that made me seriously question my understanding of "nonfiction" in the first place) the blurring of fact--"statistics, reportage, and observation"--and nonfacts--"image, emotion, expressive transformation." That, to me, is one of the most appealing aspects of creative nonfiction. It is nowhere near as confined as I once considered it, and this collection (among other things) has taught me that.
My rating: **** (4/7 stars)
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