Continuing on from yesterday's blog (and this will be updated on a daily basis), I can add 2 more films to my list, leaving me just 986 films to watch...
From the 1st January until the 5th January, the following films have been viewed:
Kingpin
The Money Pit
Coming to America
Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny
Apollo 18
Cedar Rapids
Blades of Glory
The Animal
Under Siege
Stir Crazy
Scream 4
House on Haunted Hill
I can now add the following to this list:
5th January 2012 - ERASER
Arnie is back in one of his most underrated box office successes (& yes, this did do very well at the cinema), where he plays John Kruger (tho the credits of the film only confirm his name as Eraser) who handles entrants in the Witness Protection Program by "erasing" their past life.
Its thanks to films like this that game creators have decided to include movie moments in their games. Ever played Saints Row the Third? Wonder where the beginning of jumping out of an aeroplane only to have the aeroplane try to plow you out of the sky? Thats thanks to Eraser, as the exact same thing happens here. Granted, there is no alligator wrestling in the game, but I havent unlocked it all as yet, so I wont put it past them.
If you switch your brain off this will be a very enjoyable film - lots of car chases, explosions & deaths. Plus its Arnie, although there are no one-liners in it. But for bad italian stereotypes please watch this film!
5th January 2012 - HOSTEL: PART III
I saw someone's status a week ago mentioning Hostel 3. I thought, surely not. How wrong was I. In fact, this is a direct-to-DVD offering that, dare I say, is actually better than Hostel 2. Granted, theres not as much torture stuff in it, but if you want to see a man get his face cut and peeled off whilst still alive then this is the film for you.
Granted, it still involves a lot of people that you dont care about getting killed. Except now its set in America. A plus point is the abundance of boobs in it. The negative point? A crap ending. Watch this if you want to see a man with a gimpy leg get shot by crossbows. Thats what we all want out of a film right?
Anyhoo, thats a grand total of 14 films so far this year. Tonights line-up includes Scott Pilgrim vs the World & Real Steel (amongst others). Keep your eyes peeled for more updates over the next 360 days!
Friday, 6 January 2012
Thursday, 5 January 2012
2012 1000 Film Challenge - Day 4
Continuing on from yesterdays blog, I can confirm that my film viewing has hit double figures! In just 5 days I have watched 12 different films. Here is the recap of what I watched prior to the 4th January:
Kingpin
The Money Pit
Coming to America
Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny
Apollo 18
Cedar Rapids
Blades of Glory
The Animal
Under Siege
4th January 2012 - STIR CRAZY
I hadn't watched this film for about 10-15 years, but I remembered this being pure hilarity. I originally watched this after seeing See No Evil, Hear No Evil. I appreciated the humour from Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor (lets face it, he was hilarious in most roles, especially Superman 3) & was expecting to be crying out loud with laughter.
Unfortunately, aside from a few funny moments, there really is nothing laugh-out-loud left in this film. A good start seems to be let down by the escape plot ending, which is a good ending (don't get me wrong), but it seems the funny stuff stopped about halfway through the film. Still worth watching, and I had wanted to watch this film for a while before I realised I didn't own it. Oh well, maybe I will re-appreciate this in a few years?
4th January 2012 - SCRE4M (AKA SCREAM 4)
Those that know me know I likes my horror films, and - being a Wes Craven fan - I loved it when he re-wrote the slasher genre with the initial Scream films. Scream 2 is also in my top 10 films of all time, & to me that was the end of the series (Scream 3 was wank).
I watched Scre4m (dyslexics must love this film) at the cinema early last year & wasn't sure what to expect after that steaming turd of a 3rd film. I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, I guessed the killers early on (they are so obvious, even moreso than the 2nd Scream), but I was actually under the impression that Sidney Prescott may die.
It was a good film that made me realise 2 things: 1) this may have been the last Scream film ever, & 2) having sex with someone dressed as ghostface could still be considered fashionable, if not a little creepy.
4th January 2012 - HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
This was the remake with a very hammed up Geoffrey Rush trying to be Vincent Price. To be fair it was a lot of silly people I dont care about running around getting killed. It did have a good soundtrack but probably the worst monster in movie history - its just black gooey stuff. Lame ending. This movie could have been good, but that just sucked balls. It made me hate my fellow man for a short period of time, until I realised its only a movie, and that there are a lot more evil things out there. Like the Twilight films.
So, 4 days in & 12 films watched. That leaves 988 left to go...what to watch tonight? Suggestions welcomed (dependant on whether I own the films or not).
The only thing left to say is, please check out my friend Myles's Blog at (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmegamyles.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F01%2Fmovie-challenge.html%3Fspref%3Dfb&h=KAQE-c2ZNAQH5mgEbh_C5xGsb1mX_TV7zaeZWvFVgpj9iYQ) as he was the one who set down the challenge!
Kingpin
The Money Pit
Coming to America
Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny
Apollo 18
Cedar Rapids
Blades of Glory
The Animal
Under Siege
4th January 2012 - STIR CRAZY
I hadn't watched this film for about 10-15 years, but I remembered this being pure hilarity. I originally watched this after seeing See No Evil, Hear No Evil. I appreciated the humour from Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor (lets face it, he was hilarious in most roles, especially Superman 3) & was expecting to be crying out loud with laughter.
Unfortunately, aside from a few funny moments, there really is nothing laugh-out-loud left in this film. A good start seems to be let down by the escape plot ending, which is a good ending (don't get me wrong), but it seems the funny stuff stopped about halfway through the film. Still worth watching, and I had wanted to watch this film for a while before I realised I didn't own it. Oh well, maybe I will re-appreciate this in a few years?
4th January 2012 - SCRE4M (AKA SCREAM 4)
Those that know me know I likes my horror films, and - being a Wes Craven fan - I loved it when he re-wrote the slasher genre with the initial Scream films. Scream 2 is also in my top 10 films of all time, & to me that was the end of the series (Scream 3 was wank).
I watched Scre4m (dyslexics must love this film) at the cinema early last year & wasn't sure what to expect after that steaming turd of a 3rd film. I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, I guessed the killers early on (they are so obvious, even moreso than the 2nd Scream), but I was actually under the impression that Sidney Prescott may die.
It was a good film that made me realise 2 things: 1) this may have been the last Scream film ever, & 2) having sex with someone dressed as ghostface could still be considered fashionable, if not a little creepy.
4th January 2012 - HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
This was the remake with a very hammed up Geoffrey Rush trying to be Vincent Price. To be fair it was a lot of silly people I dont care about running around getting killed. It did have a good soundtrack but probably the worst monster in movie history - its just black gooey stuff. Lame ending. This movie could have been good, but that just sucked balls. It made me hate my fellow man for a short period of time, until I realised its only a movie, and that there are a lot more evil things out there. Like the Twilight films.
So, 4 days in & 12 films watched. That leaves 988 left to go...what to watch tonight? Suggestions welcomed (dependant on whether I own the films or not).
The only thing left to say is, please check out my friend Myles's Blog at (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmegamyles.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F01%2Fmovie-challenge.html%3Fspref%3Dfb&h=KAQE-c2ZNAQH5mgEbh_C5xGsb1mX_TV7zaeZWvFVgpj9iYQ) as he was the one who set down the challenge!
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
2012 1000 Film Challenge - Days 1, 2 and 3
For those that aren't in the know, I have decided to challenge myself to watch a grand total of 1000 films in 2012. These can include films I have seen previously in my life, as well as brand new movies. I also aim to blog about the films I watch.
As its the 4th January now, I can blog about the films watched from the 1st to the 4th January 2012...so here goes!
1st January 2012 - KINGPIN
What better way to start my year off than watching this slice of comedy gold! WHO YOU CALLING A PSYCHO? One of the best lines in film history, and one that me & my friends still do on the odd occasion (usually after drinking). Woody Harrellson is awesome as Abu Hamza, whilst Randy Quaid plays a naive Amish man better than Harrison Ford ever could. Vanessa Angels boobs seem to be made out of jelly, but I did enjoy her wearing very little. Best part of this film? Bill Murrays hairline!
I loves a bit of gross out comedy, so watching Woody drink bull spunk was great, plus how can you be upset when the last line of the film is goodbye whore? Pure genius - shame the Farrelly Brothers went on to make Stuck On You...
1st January 2012 - THE MONEY PIT
I remember LMFAO to this film when it was released. Sure, its aged a bit but Tom Hanks still shows that he can look stupid & make silly noises in order to get cheap laughs. Shelley Long may have been good in Cheers but in this film her haircut angers me, yet I would still have sex with her...I'm a sick man, I know! This film was great for 2 scenes - the falling off the roof & the getting stuck in the floor scene. Both involve Hanks being the same character he's played for the past 20 years, so its good that he wasnt typecast after this. Is Shelley Long still alive? Does anyone have her number?
1st January 2012 - COMING TO AMERICA
This was coming to the tail-end of when Eddie Murphy was funny. As is usually the case with his films in the early-mid 90s, he tended to play numerous comedic roles in the same film. Most of which were not funny. Though I do have to say that he played an elderly hassidic white jew quite convincingly. This hear-warming tale of a rich man who pretends to be poor in order to marry a local girl (who, unlike the bride he has picked for him) won't obey his every command. Sex and Sandwiches on tap, or intelligence and conversation? Hmmm, tough choice, but I prefer Chicken & spicy mexican rice in my sandwiches love!
I especially loved how Eddie & Arsenio Hall actually blacked up more to play the barbers. Is that reverse racism? I dont know...Best acting in this film tho has to go to Cuba Gooding Jr, who lights up the screen with his first role as Barber Shop Customer. My how his career has fallen since this acting gig. Ever since Trading Places Eddie Murphy has fallen down shit creek. I only thank god I don't own the Adventures of Pluto Nash, as I never want to watch that drivel again.
Also, having James Earl Jones in this film deliver a Darth Vader line from Return of the Jedi? Genius writing. That made this film for me...
1st January 2012 - TENACIOUS D: THE PICK OF DESTINY
I'm not gonna lie, I loves the D! So watching them on the big screen had to be required. You know what tho, I'm not much of a fan of this film, I prefer the soundtrack. Maybe I'm growing up but I no longer find Jack Blacks over-the-top acting style that funny these days, and in this he is playing himself but on more drugs than usual. Best moment? The Satan rock-off. Best character? Definitely Tim Robbins. If you havent seen this, then give it a whirl, but only if you know the D.
2nd January 2012 - APOLLO 18
I wanted to catch this at the cinema, as this looked very good in the trailer. So I tentatively got round to watching it in the comfort of my own home. As is the case with these sort of films (see the Paranormal Activity series, as well as Insidious) the build up is very good but let down by the ending. I liked the premises that the Apollo 18 landing was cancelled but actually went through, yet we never knew it. Shame that the evil entity was nothing more than (SPOILER ALERT) rocks that hold crabs. Another good preise, another crap ending. When will Hollywood ever learn?
2nd January 2012 - CEDAR RAPIDS
I had trouble getting hold of this film - I wanted to see it upon its release but, as it wasnt a blockbuster movie none of my local cinemas would show it. I'm gonna get this out there now - I'm a big Ed Helms fan. I loved his stuff on the Office, as well as the Hangover films. Any cameo he has in a film (see Harold & Kumar EFGB & Walk Hard) is played so over the top you can't help but laugh. Add in John C Reilly to this film & you are laughing! A weird conference centre bonding weekend turns into a crack smoking, prostitute hugging weekend of debauchery. Not over the top funny but definitely chuckle funny. Plus, although Sigourney Weaver looks old, she still knows what to do in the bedroom...as does Anne Heche who gave up eating beef to move back in with sausage - yes, that last comment was referring to fanny & cock!
3rd January 2012 - BLADES OF GLORY
Will Ferrell beats John Heder in hamming it up by playing a sex addict figure skater (where does he come up with these ideas?). Its a Will Ferrell comedy so you're guaranteed funny moments left right & centre, plus Jenna Fischer is in it & she is hot! Whats funnier than watching one man getting kicked in the groin? Two men getting kicked in the groin. This film has that, and thats why I enjoy it. Seriously, Will Ferrell is a comedy genius.
3rd January 2012 - THE ANIMAL
Forgive me, please. Yes its Rob Schneider in a film without Adam Sandler (that isn't Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo), & yes it is a bit crap. But this film does have its moments. Namely hearing the words Thats a Huge Bitch right at the start of the film. That kept me going until seeing Rob get kicked in the crotch by a goat. That got me through the remaining part of the film. I give props to Norm MacDonald though, for claiming he wouldnt want to be part of a mob that kills a black guy. When THATS what you're going for in films, you know a little part of you may have died inside...
3rd January 2012 - UNDER SIEGE
This film reminded me of Christmas - not because it plays any part of the holiday season, just because my Uncle Andrew wants his son Max to have a job that involves him being an ex Navy Seal cook for the Royal Merchant Navy that is also a forensic scientist, but can only handle drownings, who has a witty catchphrase (you just been drowned). I hadnt laughed so hard in ages. In essence, this is a film about an ex Navy Seal cook who kills terrorists who've taken over his ship. I dont know about you, but without a witty catchphrase I prefer my Uncles version of events...
More to come tomorrow peeps, as I update the 2012 1000 Film Challenge yet again!
Monday, 12 December 2011
My favourite films of 2011
I know that this year isn't yet over, and with 2-3 weeks left of the year to release a few new films this may change, but I decided to put together a list of the films released in 2011 that I had the pleasure of watching.
I have watched a total of 30 films released this year, and so begins my rundown from 30 - 21:
30. Hobo With a Shotgun
29. The Rite
28. Sucker Punch
27. Your Highness
26. Gnomeo & Juliet
25. Thor
24. Battle: Los Angeles
23. Insidious
22. Drive Angry
21. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
So we start off with Rutger Hauer murdering some crazies hamming it on screen. Why? Cos he wants a fricking lawnmower, thats why! What a homeless man would do with it (its not a sit-down & drive one) is beyond me, but tons of exploitative blood, guts & gore make for a good independent film. Plus Rutger Hauer is off his trolley!
We move on to the Rite, a film I found quite boring, but I like exorcism/possession films, so I stuck with it. It goes ahead of Hobo just because of the storyline. Sucker Punch, to some people, was an awesome film. I found it quite annoying but ladies with guns & minimal clothing keep it in there. Your Highness was a film full of cock & ball jokes, hence why I like it. Shit plot means it gets a lower place than it could have. Gnomeo & Juliet was a good little animation film for which the flamingo story almost made me shed a tear.
Thor was, in my opinion, an average comic book story. This could have been better than mediocre, but we will see what the Avengers brings us... Battle: Los Angeles was a rip-roaring ride that only failed to achieve a higher position due to way too much USA patrionism! It was cheesy and shmaltzy, and so Pro-USA that I felt I should be taking the pledge of allegiance. Insidious could have been better - a fantastic first half was let down by the 2nd half of the film, hence its position in my list.
Drive Angry started off well, explosions, limbs being torn off, & Nicolas Cage hamming it up. Unfortunately, it tailed off later on & lost my interest. Then to Transformers 3 - well, it was better than the 2nd film (which deserves to be forgotten) and was the only one to actually have a good story, but its letdown was the numerous explosions that werent needed. Someone please take Michael Bay off this series now!
20. Scream 4
19. Conan the Barbarian
18. The Thing (Prequel)
17. Paranormal Activity 3
16. The Green Hornet
15. Super 8
14. Green Lantern
13. Bad Teacher
12. Paul
11. The Hangover Part II
Scream 4 misses out on the top 10 due to predictability (aka me working the killers out within 30 minutes), but it gets no lower as its the Scream series which I love. Conan the Barbarian was full of hack & slash moments, and may have got higher if I had ever seen the originals, but commend it for the numerous topless wenches in it, as well as Ron Fucking Perlman.
The Thing Prequel was an entertaining film, that answered a lot of the questions raised in John Carpenters Thing, but it lacked the suspense of the original, and the CGI work was crap compared to the original. Still worth a watch though, but not worth a higher position. Paranormal Activity 3 was actually suprisingly good, with a few good ghostly moments (much better than the 2nd one) but let down by a crap ending. Hopefully this will be the end of it, but no doubt they will find enough of a story for Paranormal Activity 4...
The Green Hornet was Seth Rogens chance to shine & was enjoyable but the story wasn't great & what was the point of Cameron Diaz? Seth Rogen is a comedy genius so he gets away with it, but no higher position for the film... Super 8 had the potential to be amazing, and it was except for the ending which was Spielberg shmaltz at its finest, and was very predictable. How about an alien movie without a happy ending for once in a while? Green Lantern was a comic book film that actually reminded me of a comic book. Plus Ryan Reynolds is fricking funny. Shame it seemed to just start then end, and with bad press it looks likely that a sequel wont be made, which is a shame!
Bad Teacher is not like Bad Santa, but it does feature Cameron Diaz in minimal clothing after a boob job. I was put off by Justin Timberlake dry-humping her leg tho. Not a bad film but very similar to a film called Mr Woodcock (which starred Billy Bob Thornton, who was Bad Santa). Paul, on the other hand, was an exceptionally good film with a good story & good comedy, and narrowly missed out on a top 10 spot, mainly due to the Hangover Part II which I enjoyed immensely, although it was basically the first film set elsewhere. I ummed-and-ahhed about putting this in the top 10, but in the end a spot outside it just makes sense (at least to me).
10. Bridesmaids
09. Hall Pass
08. The Adjustment Bureau
07. Grave Encounters
06. Horrible Bosses
05. Limitless
04. Source Code
Bridesmaids was hilarious & proved to be the same sort of comedy as the Hangover Part II, but as it was fresh it just sneaked ahead of it and made the top 10. Kristen Wiig showed she can handle the lead in comedies after Paul, so more like this please! Hall Pass was one of those films where I thought I wouldnt enjoy it (slow start syndrome) but it was actually fricking funny, albeit with too much sausage on show. Well worth a watch, and Jenna Fischer is hotttttttt!
The Adjustment Bureau was an excellent thinker that I thought would be boring when I started watching it. It starts off as a political thriller but becomes this tale of fate & destiny where you can move between places with just the opening of a door. Missed out on the top 5 by just a smidgen tho, everything in the top 10 is close... Grave Encounters was a film that I wanted to see as soon as I saw the trailer - this has it all, scares, creepiness & some comedy, with the effects being amazing. It was let down by a less-than-stellar ending, but a good horror nonetheless, as well as being a satire on reality ghosthunt shows.
Horrible Bosses has many a star turn in it - Justin Bateman, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell & Jennifer Aniston are all amazing in it, its funny as fuck & Jennifer looks amazing when she wears next to nothing, despite her left boob being saggier than her right one (keep an eye out for it, you will see it). Limitless was a fantastic story & I loved how the book was brought to screen. What I would do for one of those pills...Bradley Cooper shows that he can actually do more than comedy, and this film is well worth a watch! Source Ode was also fantastic, maybe cos I grew up watching Quantum Leap. This sci-fi tale of body-swapping & bomb-hunting was fantastic, but what do you expect from the director that brought us Moon. David Bowies son knows his stuff!
03. The Inbetweeners Movie
02. Captain American: The First Avenger
01. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
So, top 3 time, and the Inbetweeners Movie gets things going, with a good mix of gross-out and laugh out loud comedy. I will miss the show but I loved the way they ended the Inbetweeners world. I will be watching this tonight, as well as trying to bust out the dancing as often as possible...
Captain America was the quintissential superhero movie - the CGI in making Chris Evans weedy was amazing, and the story & geek out moments were fantastic! This was the first superhero movie I've seen in many years that had me hooked from beginning to end.
Finally, ny favourite film of the year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I didn't want to see this when the trailers came out, but I caved in and watched it at the cinema. Am I glad I did! It was an amazing film that answered so many questions & wasnt over the top as well. Andy Serkis does chimps proud with his take as Ceasar, and James Franco & John Lithgow give amazing performances. Its a shame that a Brit has to be the bad guy, but we do make good villains, so in the scheme of things its not that big a thing. Am looking forward to the sequel (I hear its been green-lighted) & can only hope that it improves upon this fantastic (and tear-jerking) film!
There were a number of films released in 2011 that I haven't had the chance to see as yet (though I do own some of these) that I may watch, so I can't comment on these quite yet, but they will be hard put to beat Rise of the Planet of the Apes as my favourite film of the year:
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
The Adventures of Tintin
Attack the Block
Cowboys & Aliens
The Dilemma
Drive
Fast Five
Fright Night (Remake)
Hanna
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hop
Johnny English Reborn
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Muppets
Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides
Real Steel
Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows
The Smurfs
Unknown
X-Men: First Class
I have watched a total of 30 films released this year, and so begins my rundown from 30 - 21:
30. Hobo With a Shotgun
29. The Rite
28. Sucker Punch
27. Your Highness
26. Gnomeo & Juliet
25. Thor
24. Battle: Los Angeles
23. Insidious
22. Drive Angry
21. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
So we start off with Rutger Hauer murdering some crazies hamming it on screen. Why? Cos he wants a fricking lawnmower, thats why! What a homeless man would do with it (its not a sit-down & drive one) is beyond me, but tons of exploitative blood, guts & gore make for a good independent film. Plus Rutger Hauer is off his trolley!
We move on to the Rite, a film I found quite boring, but I like exorcism/possession films, so I stuck with it. It goes ahead of Hobo just because of the storyline. Sucker Punch, to some people, was an awesome film. I found it quite annoying but ladies with guns & minimal clothing keep it in there. Your Highness was a film full of cock & ball jokes, hence why I like it. Shit plot means it gets a lower place than it could have. Gnomeo & Juliet was a good little animation film for which the flamingo story almost made me shed a tear.
Thor was, in my opinion, an average comic book story. This could have been better than mediocre, but we will see what the Avengers brings us... Battle: Los Angeles was a rip-roaring ride that only failed to achieve a higher position due to way too much USA patrionism! It was cheesy and shmaltzy, and so Pro-USA that I felt I should be taking the pledge of allegiance. Insidious could have been better - a fantastic first half was let down by the 2nd half of the film, hence its position in my list.
Drive Angry started off well, explosions, limbs being torn off, & Nicolas Cage hamming it up. Unfortunately, it tailed off later on & lost my interest. Then to Transformers 3 - well, it was better than the 2nd film (which deserves to be forgotten) and was the only one to actually have a good story, but its letdown was the numerous explosions that werent needed. Someone please take Michael Bay off this series now!
20. Scream 4
19. Conan the Barbarian
18. The Thing (Prequel)
17. Paranormal Activity 3
16. The Green Hornet
15. Super 8
14. Green Lantern
13. Bad Teacher
12. Paul
11. The Hangover Part II
Scream 4 misses out on the top 10 due to predictability (aka me working the killers out within 30 minutes), but it gets no lower as its the Scream series which I love. Conan the Barbarian was full of hack & slash moments, and may have got higher if I had ever seen the originals, but commend it for the numerous topless wenches in it, as well as Ron Fucking Perlman.
The Thing Prequel was an entertaining film, that answered a lot of the questions raised in John Carpenters Thing, but it lacked the suspense of the original, and the CGI work was crap compared to the original. Still worth a watch though, but not worth a higher position. Paranormal Activity 3 was actually suprisingly good, with a few good ghostly moments (much better than the 2nd one) but let down by a crap ending. Hopefully this will be the end of it, but no doubt they will find enough of a story for Paranormal Activity 4...
The Green Hornet was Seth Rogens chance to shine & was enjoyable but the story wasn't great & what was the point of Cameron Diaz? Seth Rogen is a comedy genius so he gets away with it, but no higher position for the film... Super 8 had the potential to be amazing, and it was except for the ending which was Spielberg shmaltz at its finest, and was very predictable. How about an alien movie without a happy ending for once in a while? Green Lantern was a comic book film that actually reminded me of a comic book. Plus Ryan Reynolds is fricking funny. Shame it seemed to just start then end, and with bad press it looks likely that a sequel wont be made, which is a shame!
Bad Teacher is not like Bad Santa, but it does feature Cameron Diaz in minimal clothing after a boob job. I was put off by Justin Timberlake dry-humping her leg tho. Not a bad film but very similar to a film called Mr Woodcock (which starred Billy Bob Thornton, who was Bad Santa). Paul, on the other hand, was an exceptionally good film with a good story & good comedy, and narrowly missed out on a top 10 spot, mainly due to the Hangover Part II which I enjoyed immensely, although it was basically the first film set elsewhere. I ummed-and-ahhed about putting this in the top 10, but in the end a spot outside it just makes sense (at least to me).
10. Bridesmaids
09. Hall Pass
08. The Adjustment Bureau
07. Grave Encounters
06. Horrible Bosses
05. Limitless
04. Source Code
Bridesmaids was hilarious & proved to be the same sort of comedy as the Hangover Part II, but as it was fresh it just sneaked ahead of it and made the top 10. Kristen Wiig showed she can handle the lead in comedies after Paul, so more like this please! Hall Pass was one of those films where I thought I wouldnt enjoy it (slow start syndrome) but it was actually fricking funny, albeit with too much sausage on show. Well worth a watch, and Jenna Fischer is hotttttttt!
The Adjustment Bureau was an excellent thinker that I thought would be boring when I started watching it. It starts off as a political thriller but becomes this tale of fate & destiny where you can move between places with just the opening of a door. Missed out on the top 5 by just a smidgen tho, everything in the top 10 is close... Grave Encounters was a film that I wanted to see as soon as I saw the trailer - this has it all, scares, creepiness & some comedy, with the effects being amazing. It was let down by a less-than-stellar ending, but a good horror nonetheless, as well as being a satire on reality ghosthunt shows.
Horrible Bosses has many a star turn in it - Justin Bateman, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell & Jennifer Aniston are all amazing in it, its funny as fuck & Jennifer looks amazing when she wears next to nothing, despite her left boob being saggier than her right one (keep an eye out for it, you will see it). Limitless was a fantastic story & I loved how the book was brought to screen. What I would do for one of those pills...Bradley Cooper shows that he can actually do more than comedy, and this film is well worth a watch! Source Ode was also fantastic, maybe cos I grew up watching Quantum Leap. This sci-fi tale of body-swapping & bomb-hunting was fantastic, but what do you expect from the director that brought us Moon. David Bowies son knows his stuff!
03. The Inbetweeners Movie
02. Captain American: The First Avenger
01. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
So, top 3 time, and the Inbetweeners Movie gets things going, with a good mix of gross-out and laugh out loud comedy. I will miss the show but I loved the way they ended the Inbetweeners world. I will be watching this tonight, as well as trying to bust out the dancing as often as possible...
Captain America was the quintissential superhero movie - the CGI in making Chris Evans weedy was amazing, and the story & geek out moments were fantastic! This was the first superhero movie I've seen in many years that had me hooked from beginning to end.
Finally, ny favourite film of the year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I didn't want to see this when the trailers came out, but I caved in and watched it at the cinema. Am I glad I did! It was an amazing film that answered so many questions & wasnt over the top as well. Andy Serkis does chimps proud with his take as Ceasar, and James Franco & John Lithgow give amazing performances. Its a shame that a Brit has to be the bad guy, but we do make good villains, so in the scheme of things its not that big a thing. Am looking forward to the sequel (I hear its been green-lighted) & can only hope that it improves upon this fantastic (and tear-jerking) film!
There were a number of films released in 2011 that I haven't had the chance to see as yet (though I do own some of these) that I may watch, so I can't comment on these quite yet, but they will be hard put to beat Rise of the Planet of the Apes as my favourite film of the year:
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
The Adventures of Tintin
Attack the Block
Cowboys & Aliens
The Dilemma
Drive
Fast Five
Fright Night (Remake)
Hanna
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hop
Johnny English Reborn
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Muppets
Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides
Real Steel
Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows
The Smurfs
Unknown
X-Men: First Class
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Christmas and the music associated to it
Its been a few weeks since I last blogged about anything, so I feel its high time to get back on the blogging horse and entertain the "masses" (by that, I mean the 2 or 3 people that read this blog). My choice of topic today? Christmas.
Now, I like this time of year. The dark evenings highlight the Christmas lights well, and I enjoy the practice of giving gifts (I think its more fun than getting anything, as I can pretty much buy anything I need these days). I know its more for the kids, but do you know the one thing that really grinds my gears? The lack of recent (and good) christmas songs.
Where did we go wrong? If you pick up the numerous Christmas Hits albums released at this time of year, you can guarantee that you'll have the same songs on there (Slade, Shakin Stevens, Roy Wizzard, Band Aid, The Pogues, etc). From 1990 onwards, the highlights of our Christmas songs are East 17 (Stay Another Day), The Spice Girls (2 Become 1), Mr Blobby (Mr Blobby) and Bob the fricking Builder (Can We Fix It).
Do record companies look at the UK and think "They're retards, they'll buy anything!"? I think Christmas 2009 proved them wrong with Killing in the Name of. But as each year comes around, I long for someone to release a truly great Christmas song. Or just re-release Zig & Zags classic Them Girls, Them Girls, They All Love Me. But no more Cliff Richard. Unless its the Living Doll version with the Young Ones.
For reference, my top ten favourite Christmas songs are as follows:
1. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale In New York
2. Queen - Thank God Its Christmas
3. Elton John - Step Into Christmas
4. Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody
5. Band Aid - Do They Know Its Christmas
6. Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
7. Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
8. Mel Smith & Kim Wilde - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
9. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
10. The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)
More blogs to follow!
Now, I like this time of year. The dark evenings highlight the Christmas lights well, and I enjoy the practice of giving gifts (I think its more fun than getting anything, as I can pretty much buy anything I need these days). I know its more for the kids, but do you know the one thing that really grinds my gears? The lack of recent (and good) christmas songs.
Where did we go wrong? If you pick up the numerous Christmas Hits albums released at this time of year, you can guarantee that you'll have the same songs on there (Slade, Shakin Stevens, Roy Wizzard, Band Aid, The Pogues, etc). From 1990 onwards, the highlights of our Christmas songs are East 17 (Stay Another Day), The Spice Girls (2 Become 1), Mr Blobby (Mr Blobby) and Bob the fricking Builder (Can We Fix It).
Do record companies look at the UK and think "They're retards, they'll buy anything!"? I think Christmas 2009 proved them wrong with Killing in the Name of. But as each year comes around, I long for someone to release a truly great Christmas song. Or just re-release Zig & Zags classic Them Girls, Them Girls, They All Love Me. But no more Cliff Richard. Unless its the Living Doll version with the Young Ones.
For reference, my top ten favourite Christmas songs are as follows:
1. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale In New York
2. Queen - Thank God Its Christmas
3. Elton John - Step Into Christmas
4. Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody
5. Band Aid - Do They Know Its Christmas
6. Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
7. Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
8. Mel Smith & Kim Wilde - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
9. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
10. The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)
More blogs to follow!
Monday, 7 November 2011
Insidious...my feelings have changed...
I woke up this morning determined that I would write a blog about the film Insidious. When I watched this at the cinema I was generally unnverved & frightened for 75% of it, to the point that where I obtained a copy of it I could not physically sit down to watch it on my own. However, after sitting down with my housemates on Saturday, I can honestly say that my feelings have changed about this film.
For those that are unclear, Insidious's premise is that of a haunted house tale. This film starts by introducing us to a family of 5 - the mother, father, and 3 kids. However, the film really only focuses on the mother, father and eldest son (Dalton). The other two kids don't really have much of a part to play, although the baby girl is involved in one of the first jump out-of-your seat moments, and the mother and father are quite vapid & don't really warrant me learning their names for the rest of the film...
This family have moved into what I can only believe is a reject for the House film series (the 1st House was epic win while the others fell way way outside of happy-mega-win territory). A dark foreboding house that has no in built lights, as there seems to be lamps everywhere. In such a house, little things start happening - books placed on a shelf one minute are on the floor the next, whilst strange noises are heard in the attic. Upon investigation the mother goes up there to find one of her boxes has been hidden up there, and she breaks a ladder trying to turn on a light.
That evening, little Dalton is playing outside the attic when the door opens & he goes to investigate. However, he falls off the ladder due to his mum breaking it earlier that day. As he lays in pain he hears a noise and turns to see something that causes him to scream (my first thought was Justin Bieber). Cue the parents coming to the rescue. They put him to bed but can't wake him up the next day, as he's fallen into a coma. Then things start getting creepy...
With Dalton being cared for at home, the mother manages to hear a demonic voice on the babys monitor saying I WANT IT louder and louder until the mother goes to investigate. However, there's nothing in the room apart from a crying baby. That evening, the middle child tells his mum he doesn't want to sleep in his room anymore as he doesn't like it when Dalton gets up & walks around at night. A sleepwalking coma patient? Is that a cinema first?
The creepyness gets ramped up a bit more upon the mother finding a bloody clawprint on her sons bed sheet, as well as a face staring over the little baby. As the dad is a complete pussy he refuses to go home at night, but when he does strange things involving door knocking & opening occur, yet he can't believe it is paranormal based. In the end, a dead man comes into the room to attack the mother & they all agree to leave to a new house.
Unfortunately, at the new house strange things also start occurring, such as a dancing child jumping out at the most predictable of times. This then led to the fathers mother turning up to tell us all about her dream, which led to the most jump-out moment of the film. This involved a demon (credited as the Lip-Red Faced Demon, aka Darth Maul) standing right behind the father. This I jumped at in the cinema, despite this having been in the trailer for it.
Cue a paranormal investigation group coming in - namely one smart woman & 2 comedy sidekicks. The woman deduces that Dalton is haunted, as he can astral project & has been kidnapped by Darth Maul. Its about this time that the plot goes downhill, as its as if someone really didn't know how to end it.
Basically, the father was able to Astral Project as a kid, & he had this crazy old woman following him throughout his life to take over his body. His mum stopped this by refusing to take photos of him, and repressing his memory. Now he has to re-learn to astral project & go get his son back. He does this whilst finding some creepy dead people hanging around, and he has to bring his son back to the house & his own body. However, along the way he sees the old woman & he tells her to go away as he's not afraid of her, to which she then disappears...can you see where this may be leading folks?
So the father & Dalton both wake up in their own bodies, and the smart woman (aka Magda, the one from Something About Mary with the floppy tanned boobies) realises something is up with the fathe, takes his picture & gasps in shock. He then strangles her. As the mother walks back in the room, she finds the camera & looks at it, to see a picture of the old woman. She then turns round & the screen goes black.
As I said, I found this deeply unnerving & frightening when I saw this at the cinema (which, may I add, was packed), and before Saturday I could not bring myself to watch this film alone. I wish I had, as I would have seen that being surrounded by a cinema full of people all sharing in the "terror", as well as experiencing some of the same things at my old house (which was haunted by 2-3 ghosts) added to the fear. When I watched this on Saturday, some parts did creep me out, but never to the same level they had at the cinema.
Therefore, I find this film to be an average haunted house tale. It started off so well but went off the path with the whole astral projection thing, then was ruined by a very predictable ending. I heard that they may well be making a sequel out of this. Please don't. Just make a truly fucking scary haunted house tale that could possibly stand the test of time. It's not a difficult request, and technology these days could help so much. Take Ghostwatch as a test of how creepy things could be (ignore the stupid ending for its over the topness, but it was still creepy watching Michael Parkinson get possessed).
If you like Insidious & find it terrifying then I hope my views don't change your opinion. This is making me look at things differently now - maybe I should re-watch the old horrors that scared me at the cinema? If horror films really aren't that bad when watched with a smaller audience, then maybe comedies aren't that funny when they are watched on their own?
Expect more blogs to come, including another random review for the excellent Devil's Rejects!
For those that are unclear, Insidious's premise is that of a haunted house tale. This film starts by introducing us to a family of 5 - the mother, father, and 3 kids. However, the film really only focuses on the mother, father and eldest son (Dalton). The other two kids don't really have much of a part to play, although the baby girl is involved in one of the first jump out-of-your seat moments, and the mother and father are quite vapid & don't really warrant me learning their names for the rest of the film...
This family have moved into what I can only believe is a reject for the House film series (the 1st House was epic win while the others fell way way outside of happy-mega-win territory). A dark foreboding house that has no in built lights, as there seems to be lamps everywhere. In such a house, little things start happening - books placed on a shelf one minute are on the floor the next, whilst strange noises are heard in the attic. Upon investigation the mother goes up there to find one of her boxes has been hidden up there, and she breaks a ladder trying to turn on a light.
That evening, little Dalton is playing outside the attic when the door opens & he goes to investigate. However, he falls off the ladder due to his mum breaking it earlier that day. As he lays in pain he hears a noise and turns to see something that causes him to scream (my first thought was Justin Bieber). Cue the parents coming to the rescue. They put him to bed but can't wake him up the next day, as he's fallen into a coma. Then things start getting creepy...
With Dalton being cared for at home, the mother manages to hear a demonic voice on the babys monitor saying I WANT IT louder and louder until the mother goes to investigate. However, there's nothing in the room apart from a crying baby. That evening, the middle child tells his mum he doesn't want to sleep in his room anymore as he doesn't like it when Dalton gets up & walks around at night. A sleepwalking coma patient? Is that a cinema first?
The creepyness gets ramped up a bit more upon the mother finding a bloody clawprint on her sons bed sheet, as well as a face staring over the little baby. As the dad is a complete pussy he refuses to go home at night, but when he does strange things involving door knocking & opening occur, yet he can't believe it is paranormal based. In the end, a dead man comes into the room to attack the mother & they all agree to leave to a new house.
Unfortunately, at the new house strange things also start occurring, such as a dancing child jumping out at the most predictable of times. This then led to the fathers mother turning up to tell us all about her dream, which led to the most jump-out moment of the film. This involved a demon (credited as the Lip-Red Faced Demon, aka Darth Maul) standing right behind the father. This I jumped at in the cinema, despite this having been in the trailer for it.
Cue a paranormal investigation group coming in - namely one smart woman & 2 comedy sidekicks. The woman deduces that Dalton is haunted, as he can astral project & has been kidnapped by Darth Maul. Its about this time that the plot goes downhill, as its as if someone really didn't know how to end it.
Basically, the father was able to Astral Project as a kid, & he had this crazy old woman following him throughout his life to take over his body. His mum stopped this by refusing to take photos of him, and repressing his memory. Now he has to re-learn to astral project & go get his son back. He does this whilst finding some creepy dead people hanging around, and he has to bring his son back to the house & his own body. However, along the way he sees the old woman & he tells her to go away as he's not afraid of her, to which she then disappears...can you see where this may be leading folks?
So the father & Dalton both wake up in their own bodies, and the smart woman (aka Magda, the one from Something About Mary with the floppy tanned boobies) realises something is up with the fathe, takes his picture & gasps in shock. He then strangles her. As the mother walks back in the room, she finds the camera & looks at it, to see a picture of the old woman. She then turns round & the screen goes black.
As I said, I found this deeply unnerving & frightening when I saw this at the cinema (which, may I add, was packed), and before Saturday I could not bring myself to watch this film alone. I wish I had, as I would have seen that being surrounded by a cinema full of people all sharing in the "terror", as well as experiencing some of the same things at my old house (which was haunted by 2-3 ghosts) added to the fear. When I watched this on Saturday, some parts did creep me out, but never to the same level they had at the cinema.
Therefore, I find this film to be an average haunted house tale. It started off so well but went off the path with the whole astral projection thing, then was ruined by a very predictable ending. I heard that they may well be making a sequel out of this. Please don't. Just make a truly fucking scary haunted house tale that could possibly stand the test of time. It's not a difficult request, and technology these days could help so much. Take Ghostwatch as a test of how creepy things could be (ignore the stupid ending for its over the topness, but it was still creepy watching Michael Parkinson get possessed).
If you like Insidious & find it terrifying then I hope my views don't change your opinion. This is making me look at things differently now - maybe I should re-watch the old horrors that scared me at the cinema? If horror films really aren't that bad when watched with a smaller audience, then maybe comedies aren't that funny when they are watched on their own?
Expect more blogs to come, including another random review for the excellent Devil's Rejects!
Thursday, 3 November 2011
ROCKY IV - Why I love you
Thanks to an eventful train journey to work today, I had the pleasure of listening to the album "The Rocky Soundtrack", which encompassed a number of musical interludes from the first 5 Rocky films. This got me in the mood to watch what is one of the greatest films ever made (in my opinion, anyways), and what is my most faviourite film of all time: ROCKY IV.
As a kid, in our house it was Star Wars and Rocky that ruled the roost. Me dad got me into the first Rocky films at an early age, so I was on tenterhooks when the 4th Rocky film was released - by that point I had seen the unknown Italian Stallion take Apollo Creed all the way in the seminal Rocky. Then he finally beat Apollo in Rocky 2 to become heavyweight champion of the world, before finding that Mickey had fed him unworthy contenders and was refusing to allow Clubber Lang the chance to take on the champ. There were tears shed when Rocky lost and Mickey passed away, but thanks to the Eye of the Tiger Rocky was back on top!
By the time Rocky IV came out, I was not in a good way. As a kid I suffered from a fair few illnesses, some that put me in hospital. I was on medication for a while until I hit my teens, where a growth spurt and puberty helped me out somewhat (though even now at almost 33 years of age I'm still stuck with the babyface gene). At the time Rocky IV was released at cinemas I was too ill to attend. Thankfully some friends of the family had obtained a pirate copy of the film for me. And so it was that, in January 1986 at the ripe old age of 7 years old, I was huddled up on the sofa under a duvet with a sick bucket (as I couldn't keep anything down at that time - I was proper ill...) and a VHS remote control. Then I pressed PLAY...
As was always the case with Rocky films, the beginning was always the end of the last film. Again I got to see Rocky beat Clubber Lang, then the obligatory freeze frame on him & Apollo having their training match. Then I saw the one thing I always wanted in life...a robot. Not just any robot, but a fricking cool robot that played music through it (just seeing the thing lampooned on Family Guy recently made me realise how much of an impact this robot made on some people). I think I pestered my parents for almost a year to get me one...you can't imagine how dissapointed I was to not see a robot shaped gift at Christmas that year...thankfully that dissappointment went away upon opening the Rocky Sega Master System game and all was good in the world. For anyone that wants to get me a gift, please note that the robot is always on my christmas gift list!
I'd seen images of the "bad guy" in the film in the weeks leading up to the UK release of the film and could not believe the size of him. He wasn't as big as Rocky but he damn sure towered over him! Dolph Lundgren was a newbie to films at that point, but he had the look of a destroyer. I did wonder how Rocky would get the win (as all kids wondered in those days, as we defied disbelief back then), as the silent assassin proved to be a worthwhile opponent without saying anything.
Then came the moment that made me cry (and, if 'm honest) still gets me emotional at times. That was the death of Apollo Creed. Knowing Rocky could have saved him by throwing in the towel, but knowing that Apollo didn't want to lose like that. It was heart-breaking. What gets me everytime is seeing Apollo shake in the middle of the ring. These days they wouldn't let anyone move him, especially if they feared a broken neck could have occurred. But back then things were different I guess.
Rocky decided that he wanted revenge, and wanted to take Ivan Drago on in his homeland of Russia. Cue Adrian telling him he can't win, and Rocky responds the only way he can, by saying that maybe he can't, but if he's prepared to die for the cause, then so is Drago. As Rocky mourned his friend, we were able to see the highs and the lows in a fantastic flashback (Hollywood, take advantage of this) to the tune of No Easy Way Out, by the same guy who wrote the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Robert Tepper of Iron Butterfly). This song still gets me & I do appreciate the Bullet For My Valentine cover, even if it was Bullet For My Valentine playing it.
The story then moves over to Russia (or its substitute, Canada) with Adrian having left him at home. Then we get the first of TWO training montages (of which a mobile phone provider and Family Guy have both lampooned). Hearts On Fire highlights one of these training montages, and it goes to show that Rocky is the underdog with no real training facility, whilst Drago has the best facility & the best steroids known to man, constantly hitting higher & higher pounds per square inch amounts (apparently, he takes his spinach like popeye).
Through 15 rounds, we see the brutal beating that both men take, with Rocky booed throughout (until the latter rounds). Once the tide starts turning, the awesome soundtrack kicks in & Rocky wins with the patented left hook, knocking Drago down for his first professional loss (and probably a career outside of boxing). Cue the sappy annoying you can change ending (though this did get me spurred on as a youngster).
Why do I like this film? It has everything you want out of a movie - heartbreak, comedy, training montages & a fricking robot! I like it because the storyline was apt - east vs west lampooned the cold war between the Russians & the US, which was quite a topic in the mid to late 80s. Seeing Rocky go up against the immovable object was also a plus point, as this was the first challenger you thought actually had a shot. I was attached to this film (which, coincidentally, was the most profitable of all the Rocky films) as a kid, and almost 30 years on I can still watch this and experience the highs and lows.
Last year I had the honour of meeting someone special who understood my passion with Rocky IV (& who provided me with a poster of the Italian Stallion from that film, as well as a signed autographed picture of Apollo Creed & Rocky, signed by Carl Weathers - who I would also go on to meet alongside my someone special). Weirdly enough, she wasn't a Rocky fan, but was a Drago fan, seeing as he was played by one of her crushes in Dolph. Whilst we may not be together, we still share this passion and this film, and I thank god that she enjoys it, and that she understood why I did too. I don't watch this film much now, as I got used to watching it with her, and it just isn't the same these days, but I still love it, and my heart is still on fire. Thank you ROCKY IV, for being everything I ever wanted from a film...
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