My Favorite Movies

Die Hard is the gold standard to which all other action films will forever be compared. A perfect film in virtually every aspect, from John McTiernan's direction, to Jan DeBont's cinematography, to Michael Kamen's score, to every actor's performance across the board: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald Veljohnson, ...and especially Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber.

This film was the turning point in modern action films - the moment when they moved from the unstoppable one-man army of Rambo, Commando, Predator, Cobra, etc, and introduced the more realistic everyman action hero - a normal guy forced to act in an extreme situation. Often imitated (to varying degrees of success) with the "Die Hard on a _____" formula, that only speaks to not only the quality of the film itself, but its impact on the genre.

Bruce Willis' career skyrocketed after this, and while he's never quite made anything that's lived up to this first film, I have greatly enjoyed all the Die Hard sequels.

Today I decided to grant a couple flicks the extra half-star to bring them to 5's. I always hesitate to grant a perfect rating right away, but if I'm still as high on them after some time and subsequent viewings, they get the bump. One of those flicks was Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

A perfect blend of action and comedy, it's exciting, fun, and original. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, not only in terms of attraction, but also in their comedic moments and banter. Roles like these are why both are on my list of favorite actors.

...and for those of you turned off from this movie by all the off-screen publicity and scandal, or the tabloid overexposure of the stars - put that aside and just watch the film on its own merits. It's a blast, and had me smiling from beginning to end.

It truly is just the first half of one long movie (continued in At World's End, so it's dificult to "rank" it in relation to the other two. Depp is as great as ever, Bloom and Knightley hold their own as well as last time, and the supporting cast is excellent. I loved Jack Davenport in this film, with a new take on Norrington, and Naomie Harris brings an intriguing new character to life in Tia Dalma. I found the late-movie 3-way swordfight to be probably my favorite part, mill wheel and all. If there was anything in this film I liked least, it was definitely Davy Jones and his whole gang. I think the whole "absorbing" sea life and such is just pretty pointless and goofy, and made for some dumb looking characters and bad CGI (though most of the FX in the flick were seamless and amazing). I know Jones was kind of the main point of the film and the primary villain, but I would've liked him better if he were just a regular pirate, sans octopus head and crab claw. This didn't ruin the movie for me or anything, but was easily my least favorite part.



There are more than a few comparisons to be made to the original Star Wars films and even Raiders of the Lost Ark, but those have been more than sufficiently documented elsewhere. I'll just say I have no problem with them, as this trilogy is shaping up to be plenty worthy of a place alongside those.

I had a bad feeling about this...

The reviews going in were overwhelmingly negative. The movie started, and it just felt odd to see the WB logo instead of 20th Century Fox. Then the strange altered Star Wars main title theme. Then in place of the traditional opening crawl of text, we get a visual synopsis of what's going on, complete with a voiceover straight out of WWII newsreels. But then the strangest thing happened: I absolutely LOVED this movie!

This is the movie the first two prequels should have been. It's exciting, fast-paced, and feels perfectly in line with the spirit and fun of the original trilogy. I have to wonder if George Lucas was far more hands-off on this and let others have the majority of the control over writing, directing, etc., because it's a massive improvement over Lucas' recent efforts.

The animation itself is excellent. It's obviously going for a more stylistic look rather than trying for photorealism or Pixar-style perfection, and while I was wary at first (the faces and eyes for some reason remind me of Team America), I ended up really liking the style.

The musical score is done by Kevin Kiner, with only minimal use of the original themes by John Williams, and it is extraordinary. It sounds like a combination of Williams and Hans Zimmer, and to me that's like having a symphony jointly composed by Mozart and Beethoven. I actually stopped on the way home (at 11pm) to pick up the soundtrack. I can't even remember the last CD I bought, much less felt the need to get ASAP.

I am absolutely baffled by the negative reviews this film is getting. I honestly don't know what flaws people are finding with it. Are they just jaded fans who feel betrayed by the prequel trilogy? I'm hearing people say this is the last straw - the nail in the coffin that's making them finally close the door on Star Wars for good. They say it doesn't even "feel" like Star Wars. Did we see the same movie? I could not feel more differently. After the prequels, though having their moments, tarnished the saga and even somewhat diminished my devotion for the originals, Clone Wars has completely restored my faith and excitement in the series. If they can keep this up, we're in for a long run of great stories.

I liked the Clone Wars (non-CG) cartoons that aired on Cartoon Network, but they absolutely pale in comparison to this new project. I cannot wait for the series to begin. This level of story, animation, action and fun on a weekly basis? I've never been so excited for a TV series.

Iron Man. Who'd have thought?

Quite simply one of the best superhero flicks ever made, and a strong contender for the top spot. I honestly don't know if I can pinpoint a single flaw in the film, except that I wish it was even longer. Not only does it succeed as a comic book adaptation, it succeeds as just a great movie. Probably the most enjoyable flick I've seen in a good two years or more.
So how did this movie get it right when so many others get it all wrong? It certainly isn't just the character. Iron Man is a second-tier Marvel character that never really caught my eye much or gained the general public's love. I believe it was two factors: casting and respect for the material.

First and foremost, I can't imagine anyone but Robert Downey Jr. playing this role. He owns it so completely and is such a perfect fit that I have to wonder how much of the script was completely re-written for him or was improvised. His brand of humor and wit, along with his great range as an actor allow him to convey the whole arc of Tony Stark's story, and to make it entertaining every step of the way. I am especially impressed at the studio's decision to *gasp* actually cast an appropriate actor over 40 years old, rather than change him to a 20-something pretty-boy just to bring in the teen box office.

While so many other comic book flicks treat their material (and audiences) condescendingly, or just as a silly story that can be used to show off cool effects or action scenes, Iron Man instead respects that it can be just as good or respectable as any other film. Nothing is over-the-top or forced. The story is much more grounded in reality than most superhero genre films - There are no "superpowers", just technological genius and talent. It's taken to extreme degrees, for sure, but never feels far-fetched or silly. The film also shows you can include comedy without it being blatant comic relief, full of forced silliness and one-liners. No the laughter here is genuine, and lots of it. I laughed more in this film than I have in any actual comedy film in a long time.

Recent superhero flicks like Batman Begins and Superman Returns were well made, exciting, and dramatic, but lacked the fun factor. The overall tone of those films is so dour that repeated viewings are a bit of a chore. Then others like the Fantastic Four came out and went in the too far in the other direction, being cheesy and dumb. Iron Man got back to the tone of the first two Superman films and found the perfect balance of drama and comedy.

I could go on about every aspect of the film - the supporting players, score, effects... but I'll just say it all clicked. The rest of the summer's flicks are going to have a lot to live up to. I suspect this is the movie people will go back and see again and again, as other summer fare fades away. Just plain fun.

Let's get this out of the way right off the top: Heath Ledger is nothing short of amazing in this film. Heath Ledger's Joker makes Jack Nicholson's Joker look like Cesar Romero's Joker. Less cartoony and far more menacing, this Joker actually feels dangerous. Every moment he's onscreen your eyes are simply glued there, just soaking in this iconic performance. His look, his mannerisms, his voice... they all come together to make the perfect Joker, and probably the best villain ever seen onscreen in a superhero movie... or any movie, for that matter. It's really quite a shame Ledger passed away, as I would love to have seen him portray that character again and again.

Does the rest of the movie match this level of excellence? Well, not entirely...
It's got plenty of action, just enough humor, and a good script for the most part, but there are a couple minor things that bothered me slightly:

If they have to recast Rachel Dawes, fine, but Maggie Gyllenhal is a big step down; Bale's gruff "Batman" voice still sounds a little over-the-top and almost humorous at times; and the movie takes a few unnecessary turns, especially towards the end. Much off this is due to the involvement of "Two-Face." This film didn't need a second villain. His time onscreen does nothing but make the audience wish they'd hurry up and get back to the real villain. I've never cared for the character, and I suppose it's good they didn't wait to try to use him as the sole foe in a future film, but he simply didn't do anything for me.
Aside from those aspects, however, it's difficult to find much to criticize in this movie.

I struggled greatly with the rating for this one, as without The Joker, the rest would only have made for another above-average film like Batman Begins. But Ledger's Joker is undeniably the star of this show, and based on that performance alone, I spot it the higher rating. Forget The Dark Knight - they should just call this The Joker. Ledger simply OWNS this film.

(on a related note, check out THIS LiveJournal entry)

Animation, especially computer-animation, has found its success largely through making things talk that normally don't - animals, toys, cars, etc. So it's ironic to find that one of Wall-E's greatest strengths is that is practically a silent movie.

There are sound effects and (very) limited dialogue, of course, but this very well could have been a silent movie, and you wouldn't have missed a thing. Wall-E is like a Charlie Chaplin movie brought into the 21st... well, actually, 28th century. It has a definite Chaplin "Little Tramp" feel to it.

What sound it does have is extraordinary. The score is probably the best of the year, though I swear I heard music cues from all kinds of other films, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to composer Thomas Newman's own American Beauty and Meet Joe Black. Ben Burtt, Lucasfilm soundman extraordinaire, crafts the beautiful sounds that carry the film, so it's fitting that Burtt also gets to provide the voice of Wall-E himself. It's often easy to overlook the contribution and the pure beauty of the sound, as well as the outstanding animation. We've come to just expect greatness from Pixar, plus it's so perfect, you just don't even notice the technical stuff.

At its heart, though, in spite of its technical achievements, this is a love story - THE love story of the year. Wall-E is simply a thing of beauty.

A movie needs four things to really feel like a true Die Hard movie: Bruce Willis as John McClane, Michael Kamen's musical score, Jan DeBont's cinematography, and a memorable villain.

Live Free or Die Hard has only one of those four things.

...yet despite that fact, I was surprised to find that it is not only a good flick, but probably the best Die Hard movie since the first. Bruce is back in full force as McClane. Marco Beltrami did a phenomenal job of imitating Kamen's scores, even using some of the same themes and musical cues from previous films. This goes a long way toward creating the atmosphere of a Die Hard film. The cinematography seemed a little more modern and slick than previous installments, but they were very smart in avoiding a lot of the modern trends that would have really taken away from the film: Slo-mo is used very sparingly, and the more frenetic action scenes aren't all just quick-cut, shaky-cam, over-edited messes.

This leaves us with the villain situation. Timothy Olyphant is a good actor who can really steal a scene in the right role. But here he is only given a couple of really meaty moments to shine, and comparing him to classic villainous actors like Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons is just unfair. So while he does a fine job, his character is not particularly memorable. The rest of the villains are filled out with the usual generic henchman, with the exception of a kung-fu right-hand woman and an overly-acrobatic top thug straight out of a Bond film.

Justin Long has always been a fun, underrated actor in my opinion, but again I was worried he'd come across as a lame comic relief sidekick. Yes, he provides a lot of the laughs for the movie, but he is able to do it in a way that seems natural for his character, and it never seems forced.

I was extremely worried going into this film and had kept my expectations down accordingly. It's always nice to have high hopes for a film and have that film match your expectations, but to go in and be SO pleasantly surprised is a great feeling. I was grinning though half the movie just because I was so thrilled it was living up to the Die Hard name. The action is exciting and even if they went over-the-top in a couple sequences (the F-35 scene is quite far-fetched and feels like it belongs more in a True Lies movie), it never takes you out of the movie. It's just a great action flick and probably ranks second in the franchise only to the original in my opinion.

EDIT: Upon second (and third and fourth and 25th) viewing, I found it even more enjoyable and determined my comments were a bit too harsh. I still stand by my criticisms, but most of them, especially the running time and pacing, didn't distract me nearly as much as the first time around.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Somebody asked me for a one-word review of Pirates 3. The problem is, I can't really do that. Because if I absolutely had to, that word would be "bloated." But accurate as it is, it's way too negative. I liked the movie - I really did; and I think I'll like it even more upon a second viewing, when I can better digest and follow everything. There are some amazing sequences in it, and a lot of very creative ideas and writing - not to mention the perfect ensemble cast continues to put in remarkable performances.

But like so many sequels, including its predecessor Dead Man's Chest, the movie is a little full of itself. Whereas the first film was just a fun adventure flick which had no expectations, this one is far to aware of its epic status. Every scene is drawn out as if to say "look at this amazing sequence we thought up" and " check out the awesome special effects!" As a result, you have a great 2-hour movie, stretched out over 2 hours and 45 minutes. I don't mind long movies at all, as long as they need to be that long and are not just over-extending scenes unnecessarily.

I also think their efforts at making this an epic story have taken a lot of the heart out of the series. With each movie, more and more of the simple fun disappeared. Yes, there are comedic moments, but overall it's just lost a little something. I really wish they would just make sequels as stand-alone films, a la Indiana Jones, Die Hard, James Bond, etc, instead of trying to create these multi-film stories like Pirates and Matrix. I just think stand-alone stories feel fresher, more fun, and more enjoyable.

So, yes, I do feel "bloated" is a good word to describe the film, but it's still an immensely enjoyable flick, and better than 95% of the films that came out in 2007.

Excellent. Sure, it's melodramatic and full of convenient coincidences, but it's supposed to be. It's a modern fairy tale of sorts. I was worried I wouldn't like it because it was all about the "power of music" and music people tend to be pretentious, but it wasn't. I loved it. And yes, Freddie Highmore continues to make grown-ups cry (damn you, Freddie Highmore!). The one thing the trailers and commercials don't tell you: Robin Williams' character is a complete prick, and pretty much the villain of the movie. (No spoiler there, that becomes evident pretty early on)

Christopher McQuarrie, writer of The Usual Suspects made his directorial debut with this film, and he hit a home run. Sadly, most people never saw it or took notice.



It's a great piece of work. Phillippe and Del Toro shine in the lead roles, supported by stellar turns by Taye Diggs, Nicky Katt, James Caan, and others. The film starts off with a great laugh that sets up the characters perfectly. From there it only gets better, culminating in a masterfully directed old-school gunfight.



McQuarrie recently reunited with Bryan Singer for another film (Valkyrie), and I hope from here he decides to take another shot at directing (IMDb says he's directing something called The Stanford Prison Experiment). Whatever he does, I'll be first in line to check it out.

The best of the "John Hughes" movies (Well, except for Ferris Bueller). Sure - Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candes, etc, are good, but this one just shines above the rest. Less slapsticky, more sincere, and endessly quotable. The characters are more real and identifiable. For me, it's one of those films that perfectly represents a period in my life, and the film is just as good today as it was when I first watched it 20 years ago.

Pretty much everything I hoped it would be. Sweet, touching, and hilarious. It had the same kind of tone as other great ensemble cast films like Indian Summer and Home for the Holidays, and that's a very good thing. It's almost good enough to forgive Steve Carell for making Evan Almighty earlier this year.

One of the best animated films I've seen in a long while. Dreamworks is finally showing it can overcome the mediocrity of movies like Shrek, Bee Movie, and Madagascar, and put out a film that is not only fun, but shows excellence in animation as well. The CG animation is beautiful, and could easily stand up next to Pixar's work, and even the 2-D animated opening was beautifully done. I would've even loved to see them do the whole film in that style.

Plenty of laughs to be had for audiences of any age. A truly enjoyable movie.

Another case of failed marketing. The trailer for this film did nothing to interest me, but I finally saw it based on a glowing recommendation. I'm glad I did.

The film is at times alternately laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly dramatic. Its success hinges greatly on the performance and chemistry of its two leads, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and both do phenomenal jobs (especially Farrell) helped by a witty script by Martin McDonagh. It had a very "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" feel to it.

Colin Farrell's role is an excellent departure from his usual characters, this one odd, hilarious, and almost child-like. I would love to see him (and Brendan Gleeson) score Oscar nominations for their performances in this film... but they won't.

In the wake of Pulp Fiction, many films tried to imitate the style of multiple intertwining storylines, to various degrees of success. Personally, I think this one fared best.

Directed by Doug Liman (Mr & Mrs Smith, Bourne Identity) and filled with entertaining performances by a large cast underrated actors, this is a film that went unnoticed by most people and deserves more attention.

It loses some points for trying a bit too hard at points to be hip and "indie", especially with its whiny soundtrack, but it's a fun movie and perfectly cast from the leads to its smallest supporting roles.