Dead Silence

There are few films that affect me the way that a particular film does. I refuse to watch it alone and especially not in the dark. It is the only film that features moments that truly frighten me and that film is Dead Silence. Yes, not exactly the film that would be expected but nonetheless, I find it's terror to be unequivocal. Even films widely known for terrifying their audiences such as The Exorcist and A Nightmare on Elm Street, do very little for me. I suppose everyone has their kryptonite and mine is James Wans' underrated film post-Saw.

Yes, this is from the creators of the Saw franchise, which for many has grown into a stale and tired series once considered fresh and original. James Wan (the films director) made the smart decision of not continuing with the franchise after the first one and he went to go do something completely different from the grisly metallic nature of the Saw universe. That next film was Dead Silence.

Wan brings with him a visual flare which is unseen in most horror films. His use of angles and transitions add to the movie and are as much a part of the storytelling as the visual on display. One particularly impressive aspect is his use of lighting. He uses the mantra of "less is more" to fill out a pivotal role in the movie: Darkness. What is and isn't there can make or break a film. Showing too much makes the film too predictable and showing too little makes it confusing. A balance must be stricken in a way that builds tension and uses the visuals to it's advantage.

It is precisely Wan's style and use of lighting which makes the film's main villain, Mary Shaw, more than just your average ghost. Her movements resemble that of an old 30's era ghost, with her floating along the floor in an extremely creepy fashion. Her features protrude in a way that brings about a skeletal figure when lit properly. All of these combine together to create a truly creepy character and one that you'll be imagining is there in the dark afterwards.

Much like the filmmaker's freshman debut, their sophomore effort brings with it a twist which comes as if from nowhere. But what truly makes it an impressive twist is that it has been subtly imbedded in the proceeding 90 minutes. There's little things that go completely unnoticed upon first watch. With spoilers following, I'd recommend staying away with you haven't given the film a watch. It's ending, while not the best twist in film history, is entertaining and really makes you think about everything you have previously seen.

Mary Shaw living through the dolls seems like a twist that is all too obvious. So when it happens, it leaves you more with a feeling of the filmmaker's laziness than the high point of an awesome twist. That's when the real twist is revealed and it shows just how alone the lead truly has been. Most of the people he is in contact with throughout the film is dead, being controlled by Mary Shaw. The few real people he talks to throughout the duration are a detective who thinks he murdered his wife, and an old man which fills him in on the horror of the puppeteer.

With this recommendation also comes a warning, this film may not have the same effect on you which left me with such high regard for the film. The circumstances for my first viewing were perfect and have left me with a good impression of the film. You may not feel the same way and may end up disliking it like a large portion of the population. But please, do yourself a favor and watch the theatrical version. It takes out some of the silly stuff (What's with Mary Shaw's crazy tongue) which plagued the unrated version.

The Thirty-First of October...

Today, October 31st marks almost 3 and a half years since I've seen the full theatrical version of Grindhouse. Ever since opening weekend, the film hasn't been available for home viewing unless seen separately or through a video on demand service. But after the release of the Grindhouse Double Feature Blu Ray earlier this month, I can finally delve back into the world how Tarantino and Rodriguez originally intended.

The second half of Death Proof, now cleaned up and without the scratches/burns which plagued the rest of the film (in a good way of course) looks about as gorgeous as you can get in HD. The colors are all extremely vibrant, with Tarantino's tremendous eye truly showing through in spades.

I woke up and started my day by putting on a classic: My Bloody Valentine. No, not the over the top remake with the overused 3D gimmick, the Canadian original which oozes with atmosphere. It's truly one of the best slashers that exists and with good reason: It's feels fresh and new while still adhering to all of the genre staples. Sure, some character make poor decisions, and their reactions result in the death of either another or themselves, but it's done in a way which doesn't distract from the realism set forth.

And when I say realism, I don't mean Saving Private Ryan D-Day scene. This is filled with goofy blood effects, and some cheesy moments but it all works to benefit the film. I find myself connecting with the characters even given their limited screen time. I'm not sure whether it's because the actors play well together or if I'm just blinded by nostalgia but one thing is for sure: It makes for some entertaining screen time.

In continuing my tradition of watching favorite horror films of mine, I decided to next throw in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. In what I would consider to be one of my all time favorite films, Kubrick puts a world on display that I can't help but be mesmerized by. The lush landscapes and eyepopping visuals always leave me craving more. His perfection is more than apparent with nary a poor performance. Nicholson takes a turn which is one for the ages, his subtleties to be studied for the rest of filmdom.

Unsettling moments truly find a way to connect with the audience without feeling cheap and unnecessary. The most fascinating aspect is that the scariest moments shown are those when Nicholson is truly going mad and snapping. It's the human side which makes it terrifying, not the supernatural elements. This is one of the many reasons why I prefer the movie over the book, which I find delves a little too into the supernatural and doesn't focus as well on the characters. Kubrick, being the master that he is, strikes a balance between the two, creating an extremely atmospheric and well fleshed horror tale, which is be considered as one of the best ever.

Next up brought brought about a film which I consider to be the best horror film of the decade: The Descent. From both a filmmaking and entertainment standpoint the film delivers on so many levels, which allows it to be enjoyed even upon many repeated viewings. Even after seeing the film well over a dozen times I still find something new with each viewing. Whether it's the subtle nods to Sarah's ever growing madness or the blink and you'll miss it appearances by the "Crawlers" early in the film, it brings with it a fresh and entertaining take on a tired genre.

The title of The Descent is really what I appreciate and consider to be one of the most appropriate titles for a film ever, mainly because of it's mainly translations. It can be seen as the obvious descent into the endless cave full of monster's where sure death awaits. Then it can be viewed as the descent into madness which the lead character Sarah takes throughout the duration of the film. This more resembles my own approach with the title as I feel that is more of what the film is about. The other part of the film is more of a subplot.

Another aspect of the film which I really enjoy is the lighting. Neil Marshall shows exactly the right amount on screen. The rest of the world is shrouded in darkness and it adds to the scary factor in many ways. While the film does suffer from a few "jump scares", this doesn't deter from the greatness that is presented in the 100 minute runtime. They are usually done tastefully and don't come across as cheap, which tends to be a factor which plagues so many current horror films.

All of the females give performances which really breath life into the characters and make them more than just cannon fodder. You really feel for them and think that these women could be friends in real life. This chemistry make the third act of the film even more powerful and each death hits a chord. This is a highly praised attribute of the film as it does what so many other films fail to do in developing many dimensional characters in a limited run time.

As has been tradition for me since the Sixth Grade, I ended my night with a beloved, and appropriately themed film: Halloween. John Carpenter's masterpiece has become a staple of Halloween ever since I held my first Halloween Party back in middle school. I try to only revisit the classic on Halloween but I usually can't resist the temptation and end up watching it several times throughout the year. No matter what though, I always make sure to pop it in on the last of the October.

While it's all been said before about Carpenter's classic, I feel the need to reiterate it's greatness. The cinematography is unparalleled when compared to almost any other horror film. This level of care and dedication just wasn't often seen in a genre considered to be cheap and lazy. But Halloween changed that in so many ways bringing forth a great unique style and oozing with atmosphere. The use of light can be felt influencing previously mentioned films even.

The legend known as Michael Myers may have gotten a tad out of hand in the years that followed 1978, but the original still kept with it an insane, unadulterated form of evil, unyet spoiled by sequeltitis and too much background. This Michael Myers was terrifying and brought forth an unstoppable killing machine who sticks to the shadows, still occasionally teasing his prey.

As this night draws to a close, I look back on it not regretting a single part. I may have spent it indoors watching a bunch of horror films when I could have been out socializing, but I found myself still enjoying it immensely. Those days are often preferred compared to the craziness of the rest of my weekend. So even though I may not be out asking strangers for candy while dressed up in a ghoulish costume, I still made my Halloween self-memorable and will probably continue by trend of watching more horror films.

So as this month draws to a close, I say thank you October for getting me in the mood for the season and raising my interest in horror films back to what it once was. I regained that spark which I thought was long lost and has truly proven to me that nothing is truly lost forever, it sometimes just takes a little time for it to pop back up.

Happy Halloween

Inception

Usually when I do a review of a current film and I think highly of it, I'll discuss it's placement on my list of favorite films of the year. However, when it comes to Christopher Nolan's latest venture into originality, I'll discuss it's placement as one of my favorite films of all time. Yeah, it's that good. Hold on to your seat belts folks, your mind is about to be blown.

No one quite knows what to expect when first going into the film Inception. It's mysterious plot is one that's hard to grasp without the proper medium, such as the film opposed to just the promotional pieces. So it seems as though practically everyone is blown away by it no matter what age. It's ambiguous ending and genius storytelling is unrivaled and one that will be studied for years and years.

Nolan has one of the most creative minds in Hollywood and consistently puts out fantastic pieces of fiction. From Memento up to Inception, Nolan takes originality in storytelling to a whole new level. The idea of going inside people's dreams to reveal their secrets is a superior level of crazy. Then the concept of inserting an idea into the persons subconscious is storytelling at it's finest.

But it's not only storytelling that Inception does best, it's incredible visuals give way to some groundbreaking work by the effects team. Everything is done practically and the film benefits from it. CGI would have ruined it and it wouldn't have worked. The scenes with Zero Gravity are extremely impressive and the best the effect has ever looked on film.

I'm also a huge fan of the overall look of Nolan's films. Watch his filmography and you'll see a very distinct set of colors and angles that he favors. His style is unique and tends to be rather mesmerizing which is good considering the topic at hand. His visual flare lends itself to the aesthetic of feeling like a dream, which is a hard feat to accomplish in and of itself.

One aspect which would have caused the film to fail if not properly executed is the editing and how well it can connect with the audience. Tell too much then you'll lose people in detail, tell too little and you'll lose people from confusion. Inception strikes the right balance and explains everything in a clear and precise fashion. I feel confident in understanding the film in it's entirety.

In order to execute an understandable story even with it's unconventional structure, Nolan needed some great key players and he got that and more. Leonardo DiCaprio is the best he's ever been (which is saying a lot considering his past roles) and brings the audience into the world with just the right amount of charm and intrigue. Ellen Page is great as always and she didn't overstay her welcome. One of my favorite current actors happens to be Joseph Gordon Levitt and his character is involved in one of the coolest scenes of the year, if not of all time: the Hallway Scene. It's a true test of one's physicality and endurance and he pulls it off to perfection.

One person who, while only a side character, is very intriguing and his charisma is palpable. The role of the "James Bond" type character lies in Eames, a part perfected by Tom Hardy. I can't wait to see what else Hardy does in the future because he made one fan from this film. Can't wait to go back and watch him in Bronson. One minor complaint is the casting of Ken Watanabe. I like him as an actor but there were several times where I had difficulty understanding what Watanabe said and I feel like, with a plot like this where every minuscule piece of information is vital, any risk of inaudible speech should be avoided at all cost.

As for the ending, and trust me this will be spoilerific, I am of the belief that the totem wobbles (which is clearly shown in the movie) and that it will fall over. In order to go the more ambiguous route it cuts to black. When watching the movie again, I noticed that the totem never wobbles in the dream. It never even waivers. It is always perfect. And it is in fact, not perfect in the real world. So I believe that Cobb is in reality and has made it back to his kids.

As of this day Inception has been out less than two months and is still only available in the theaters. I have seen it 4 times and hope to see it at least once more before it ends it's theatrical run. I'm not one to see a movie more than once in the theater (unless I like it then I'll likely see it twice) but I just can't get enough of Inception world. Much like those in the movie, where the dreamers just can't get enough and it's truly the only way that they can dream, Inception is my dream and the only way to get more is keep going back for more.

10/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Once in a great while will a movie have me smiling to myself in the theater. It’ll happen occasionally but not to anything concrete. I was smiling throughout Inception, but come on, that film was absolute perfection. There is no “getting better” than that film. However, one film that I would say holds up as far as smiles go, Scott Pilgrim takes the cake. I was smiling throughout the duration of the film and for all the right reasons.

First off the story: Scott Pilgrim must defeat Ramona Flowers’ Seven Evil Ex’s in order to date her. Sounds awesome right? The story is just ludicrous enough that you know before the film even begins that this movie is not going to take itself seriously and you’re just in for a good time, and that’s exactly what happened.

The casting is absolutely perfect as well. Michael Cera is the best he’s been since Arrested Development, and trust me, that was a while ago. He plays it a little differently and it’s not as “Michael Cera-ey” as his other roles thankfully. That whole schtick got tiresome fast. Mary Elizabeth Winstead does fine in the role (though I wish her character had a little more depth but I understand why she was shown in a widely appealing nature). Kieran Culkin also does a great job as Scotts gay roommate. Some of the funniest moments in the movie come from him.

Brandon Routh also gave a surprising performance. He did a great job in Superman Returns but he hasn’t done much else since and what he’s been in hasn’t been noteworthy. Good to see he’s finally utilizing his talent. Chris Evans also plays the douchebag movie star roll to a T. I was quite impressed with that and liked to see how much fun he was having in the role. Was refreshing. Then of course, Jason Shwartzman as the main baddie of the film Gydeon. He was great as usual and had some awesome lines. I love his “Heeeeyy buddy.”

Onto the man that this film would not have been the same without: Edgar Wright. I will now go blindly into any Edgar Wright film. He has joined the elite ranks of Brad Bird, David Fincher, and James Cameron. Truly one of the greatest filmmakers working today and he proves it with this film. His style and cutting ability is one in a million. He has some of the greatest scene transitions I’ve ever seen on film. And that may not sound like a lot but it completely affects the flow of the film as a whole. Terrible editing can ruin another wise great movie, and this is the case of the editing being absolute perfection.

This also contains one of my favorite moments in a movie for the year. The first being the opening title sequence which stands above many others like it. The start of it with “We are Sex Bob-omb!” and the pullback into an infinite room. Another favorite of mine was the fade to black and white while Todd is telekinetically lifting Scott up. It is truly a mesmerizing shot and one that all cinematographers should study for years to come. And before I forget, the 8 bit Universal Opening Title is one of the most clever things I've seen in a movie in years.

Being an editor, I notice things that most others wouldn’t when watching your average film. I notice the cuts, how long a shot lasts, if it all goes together smoothly. I have an editors mind and it can never be turned off unless the movie is perfect or damn near close to it. Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum where the movie is great and it is improved by my editors mind. Scott Pilgrim would fall into the latter category. The editing in this film is unrivaled. Transitions occur seamlessly and no shot overstays it’s welcome.

With Scott Pilgrim, you get all that you could ask for and more. The general consensus from movie fans is that it’s great but just couldn’t find an audience, and sadly I agree. If only the marketing had been better then maybe this would have been one of the bigger hits of the summer, but alas it’s considered a dud. Regardless, in the movie fans eyes, this is one of the best films of not only the summer but of the year. Edgar Wright, I bow down to you.

9.5/10

Under Great White Northern Lights

It's 1:34 am as I write this sentence. The White Stripes newest CD "Under Great White Northern Lights" came out 1 hour and 34 minutes ago and as of this moment I am halfway through it. Being the huge White Stripes fan that I am (they are my favorite band after all) I can say that it is every bit as good as I had anticipated. The energy put out by Jack can be felt immediately and it doesn't let up. I keep finding myself mouthing the words and bobbing my head during pretty much every song, which isn't odd for me when I listen to WS, however it is odd being that it's the first time I'm experiencing the CD and usually I like to take it in. Not this time though. It's too damn good.

All of their classic songs are here and Jack puts his unique style on each one, making it different from any other recording available for them. His improv is great to listen to and makes it the overall experience that much better. Every song has so much raw passion that it's hard to not be completely absorbed when listening.

I purchased this on iTunes so I haven't had the joy of seeing the dvd yet but I can only imagine how good it is. I'm hoping to make the leap at some point and pick it up on Blu Ray. I'd highly recommend it to any WS fan or just fan of music in general. This finds itself next to "Nirvana Live at Reading" as one of my favorite Live CD's of all time. Now I just hope this alludes to a WS CD with new material and a tour. Then I'll be an even happier camper!

Also, I finished the CD while writing this review.

Favorite films of 09...

Rather than write a massive post describing why for each of these choices, I'm just going to put the list there and let it speak for itself.

Best

1. 1. Avatar

   2. District 9

   3. Inglourious Basterds

   4. 500 Days of Summer

   5. Fantastic Mr. Fox

   6. Up In The Air

   7. The Hurt Locker

   8. A Serious Man

   9. Up

   10. Invictus

   11. Trick R Treat

   12. Zombieland

   13. I Love You, Man

   14. Star Trek

   15. The Hangover

   16. Carriers

   17. World’s Greatest Dad

   18. Funny People

   19. Terminator: Salvation

   20. Adventureland

   21. Crazy Heart

   22. Where the Wild Things Are

   23. An Education

   24. The Men Who Stare At Goats

   25. Saw VI

   
   

   Worst:

   1. Halloween 2

   2. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

   3. Drag Me To Hell

   4. Transformers 2

   5. Sherlock Holmes

   6. Watchmen

   7. Sorority Row

   Best Performance by an Actor

   · Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

   · Sam Worthington – Avatar

   · George Clooney – Up in the Air/Fantastic Mr Fox

   · Joseph Gordon Levitt – 500 Days of Summer

   · Brad Pitt – Inglourious Basterds

   · Chris Pine – Star Trek/Carriers

   · Sharlto Copely – District 9

   · Matt Damon – Invictus

   · Morgan Freeman – Invictus

   Best Performance by an Actress

   · Zoe Saldana – Avatar

   · Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air

   · Carey Mulligan – An Education

   · Vera Farmiga – Up In the Air

   Biggest Surprises

   · Avatar

   · District 9

   · Fantastic Mr Fox

   · Trick R Treat

   · Saw VI

   · Carriers

   Biggest Disappointments

   · The Lovely Bones

   · Where The Wild Things Are

   · Sherlock Holmes

   · Drag Me To Hell

Bout to get gay with some Rasslin

Okay so I'm letting the cat out of the bag: Yes, I watch wrestling. Yes, that stupid stuff you flip through and go "So stupid" then promptly switch back to reality TV. I used to watch it when I was younger (during the "Attitude Era") and loved it then. Of course, back then I thought it was real and had no idea this was all just "entertainment". I, like many others, thought that it was real. Of course, if I were to just use common sense I would have realized that there's no way it could be real. The way that finishers can in some instances knock people out for minutes, and then other times it'll just take them out for a few seconds. Oh how naive I was.

Onto my main point, few months back (October I believe) I started watching the WWE again. Also, it's very odd to say that since I was so used to the WWF. Anyway, back to the point, I started watching this again mainly due to the fact that I watched some youtube videos for Jeff Hardy (one of my favorite wrestlers). After I had watched pretty much all I could on him I moved onto some other favorites such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, HBK, and Bret 'The Hitman' Hart. I believe that one weekend while my roommate was gone I watched about 20 hours worth of wrestling related video. I even read the wikipedia pages, finding out what has happened over the years. That was it, I was hooked. I made a decision I never thought I would make again: I will watch current WWE events.

At this point, I figured I'd just watch an episode, see how bad it is nowadays, then move on. Only I saw that many of my favorites were still around (HBK, Taker, HHH) and that some of the Wrestler's I wasn't so familiar with (Morrison, Mysterio, Bourne) were pretty great high fliers. I had seen some little snippets of the current "Main Eventers" previous to coming back to it (Cena, Orton, Batista) but didn't know much about them. So over the next few weeks I was able to catch up on everything that was going on, who's who and so on. Oddly enough...I liked it. The stupid storylines were still there (anything Diva related) but some was pretty good (Batista vs. Mysterio). It all just works for what it is: entertainment.

Watching wrestling now and watching wrestling back 15 years ago, for me at least, are two very different experiences. The main difference being that I used to believe that this was all real. Obviously that makes the whole experience completely different. Instead of going into a match thinking "Oh I like him better, I hope he wins!" I go "Well they'll let him win so that this will set up perfectly for the PPV" or something to that liking. It's also pretty funny to notice all the overacting that goes on whether it's them trying to sell a finisher or just during one of their promo's. This brings me to something else: one little technical difference between the two eras, again for me, is all the terms. Stuff such as Promo's, Kayfabe, Face, and Heel meant absolutely nothing to me nowadays. I knew about two things: wrestling and the stuff that caused them to wrestle.

Rather than making this a separate post I'll just throw this in here since it's all related. One thing I noticed was that I quite enjoyed many of the wrestler's around nowadays so I figured I'd throw around some of my opinions on them.

Randy Orton - Probably my favorite out of all the "Main Eventers" and definitely one of my favorites on the entire roster. His storylines aren't very layered but he makes for a great heel (even though the crowd loves him). His finisher is pretty cool and he always seems like a huge threat whenever he's out there. The veracity of his moves make him intriguing. Wasn't a huge fan of all this Legacy bullshit going on. Can't believe that's been going on for so long. Glad to see them leaving that behind. Also, his entrance music is awesome and I always have it stuck in my head.

John Cena - Arguably the most popular of all current wrestlers, I can definitely see why. Cena has a charisma that is not matched by any other current wrestler. His promo's are the best out there usually and he stirs up a crowd like no other. Everyone seems much more involved in the match when he's around. His finisher's somewhat lacking. The Attitude Adjustment is definitely his best because it packs the most punch. The 'Five Knuckle Shuffle' is about as lame as the 'People's Elbow', especially since you can see it doesn't even connect to the person half the time, but the "You can't see me!" taunt that always precedes it is quite entertaining and the crowd really gets into it. Another person whose music is pretty kickass.

John Morrison - This is one that I didn't even realize until the Elimination Chamber, which as of this post was about 1 week ago. The only person I can compare him to is early Shawn Michaels. His look definitely resembles that and his high flying capabilities definitely impress. Starship Pain (terrible name, I know) is actually a very cool move that I always enjoy seeing just because it's something I don't think I could ever replicate. I just wish he would drop the fur coat look and make himself look like more of a badass and less of an 80's rockstar.

Chris Jericho - Now this is one that I like more for the man himself and not the character. He appears on several VH1 shows (ie. I Love the 80's) and he is definitely one awesome dude. So that tends to carry into my liking for him in the WWE. He makes for one great heel and does some pretty entertaining promos. Every time "Break the Wall down!" I immediately perk up and know something cool will happen. Some people may not like the Codebreaker, but I enjoy it. Simple yet effective. I remember Walls of Jericho from back when so that's some nice familiarity.

CM Punk - My opinion of Punk started when I found out that Jeff Hardy was no longer affiliated with the WWE and it was Punk who beat him in a career ending match. With Hardy being my favorite Wrestler, I obviously wasn't a fan of him upon finding out that information (though yes, it is all apart of the storyline and Hardy just wanted to leave). But he definitely grew on me. He makes for one fantastic heel. His "Straight Edge" gimmick is the best one out there and always makes for an intriguing watch. His finisher's aren't very memorable, with the "Go To Sleep" looking rather tame compared to most finishers that put the opponent in such a compromising position. Also has pretty damn good entrance music.

Edge - Back when I watched, Edge was teamed up with Christian and they always were feuding with either the Hardy's or the Dudley's, so to see him as a "Main Eventer" is kind of odd for me. It's unfortunate the others haven't achieved the success he has (outside of Jeff Hardy who quite obviously surpasses him). His promo's are some of the best out there and it seems like he's just having a good time which helps to connect with him. His "insane" look is just about as entertaining as it gets.

Kofi Kingston - Not very popular yet but I have a feeling he'll be getting bigger and bigger. His feud with Orton gave him plenty of publicity so hopefully he starts appearing in bigger events. He just has a style that I enjoy quite a bit. He doesn't really have much of a gimmick outside of being himself. He has some great high flying moves as well. Trouble in Paradise isn't quite as cool as some other finishers, but it gets the job done.

I'm not going to take the time to name some of the old wrestlers still around and give them their individual spotlight but Undertaker and HBK are looking old. They need to retire and let the new guys get some attention and vie for the Championships.

Now, people can look down on me all they want for it but I still really enjoy wrestling. Hell, even my dad refuses to admit that I watch it. He's extremely embarrassed by it but what do I care? At least I like it so what does it matter? One thing I have noticed is that I definitely won't be letting someone I just met know that I watch wrestling. There are far too many stereotypes that go along with it so I tend to leave that part out.

Super Crazy High Heart

So today I decided to watch movies all day (much like any day). I feel the need to talk about them because they were both pretty good plus I need to wait 27 more minutes so I can finish watching one of the them on megavideo.

First off, Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges is a very good film that very much reminds be of The Wrestler in it's style. Sure, Aronofsky's film was a masterpiece so that doesn't quite compare to that but it was still very good with a wonderful performance by Bridges which should win him an Academy Award.

Also decided to watch the film Super High Me after several friends told me I should. So I finally sat down and watched it (most of it) and like it quite a bit. I think every lawmaker in the US should see this movie so they can not be so blind to the laws restricting recreational marijuana use. Bunch of idiots.

Maybe I should go do my Play project for theater...maybe...

Wanting to shut brain off = bad idea

My top 25 list for the year is finally starting to come along so it'll be up within a couple of weeks, possibly days. Now, since I've been trying to catch up on all the greats of the year, it can be tiring since most of those are serious dramas. So in order to counter that I've interspersed some 'no brain' movies.

First up was Sorority Row. Yes, that dumb movie about a Sorority house getting stalked by a deranged killer with a hint of I Know What You Did Last Summer thrown in for good measure. My main reason for watching this was mainly just in order to see hot girls die in entertaining ways. I'm a horror movie fan so it seems like it should be at least fun in that regard. Boy was I wrong. The kills weren't good, the story was dumber than most and I couldn't believe how bad the acting was at times. It's always a bad sign when a bunch of girls try to fake a death for a "prank."

The girls were hot (could have used some more Audrina Partridge though) but the kills were so dumb I just couldn't get into it. They also made one huge mistake by making the least likable girl the heroine. Hell, even "the Bitch" of the Sorority was more likable than her. I just hoped she would die the entire time. But alas, that did not happen. Also, this film has to have the most random "Twist Ending" I've ever seen. Comes completely out of left field and makes very little sense. It seems like most of the screenplay was written and they went "Okay it can't be her, or her or him. So let's make it this guy that's been in two pages." Just plain lazy writing. Thankfully this film didn't do good in theaters so there's shouldn't be any sequels.

Next up was one godawful film. Just plain terrible. I don't think I can warn you enough as to how terrible this film is. And when you look at it you think "Oh this should be fun. It looks to be a fun party movie." That could not be further from the truth. This is truly a shit fest. And this abomination goes by the name of I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell.

Funny title eh? Yeah you're right, it's not. But the complete douchebag who wrote it thought it was so it's no surprise he's just as idiotic as his title. Let me say this, if you ever have a chance to meet Tucker Max (the film's writer and main character of the story) then please punch him in the face. He deserves it. Never has there been such an asshole to grace this planet. By the end of the film, I just wanted to go beat the shit out of this idiot. Move aside dumbass from Narnia, this is now the most hated movie character I know.

Now there aren't many movies I would say this about but if you like this film you are an idiot. It's plain and simple. There's no way to get around it. You have a terrible sense of humor and need to take a hammer to the head. If this film is "relatable" to you then there's no hope for you. You're about as lost as the lead. How someone can go through all of this and not learn his lesson is beyond me. Stupid film. I hated this piece of garbage and don't feel like writing anymore on it.

Fuck Tucker Max.

And so I'm back...

Wow. My first post in 2.5 years. I had actually created this in order to put my reviews up online. Made it somewhat enjoyable. But then I forgot about it. Completely forgot actually. I had moved onto other things and didn't care for it. Then I decided I wanted to get a blog in order to put my thoughts out there, whether it be movies, music, television, video games or just my random thoughts. So I of course came here. And for some reason, when I tried to register it said I had already registered. That didn't exactly make any sense so I looked it up and low and behold there it was. The blog I had created over two years prior. Then I found the two reviews (and my only posts): Grindhouse and Spiderman 3. They weren't too bad either. So that made me all the more excited.

My plan has been to start this revival up with a bang and do my top films of the year. However, there's been a bit of a problem with that. I can't seem to make the list. It's more difficult than I could have imagined. This year was too great for movies. My entire top ten consists of 9's and 10's (out of 10). Some even roll over into 11-20. So how could I make a top ten list when it wouldn't be representative of the films I loved during 2009. So I settled on a Top 25 list. It's still been rather difficult to put them in a desirable order. I just love the films so equally that it's difficult to discern an exact order. But I've been doing my best.

Another problem with my list is that I want to see as many of what people consider to be the "best movies of the year" so that my list can be as close to complete as possible. So I still have some more to go (such as Precious, Brothers, The Road). Even now I am watching The Men Who Stare At Goats. And this film further solidifies my theory that this may be the best year for movies in years upon years. I can definitely call it the best year of the decade, but I may go even further than that. That's how great this year has been.

So hopefully I can get through the remaining films by this weekend so that I'll have a strong opinion on all of the nominees and whoever wins. Hell, why else would I watch a film like Precious?

One thing I'm also looking to do is a list of my own little awards type thing only with out the award or even a winner. Just some nominees for whoever I feel like gave the best performances, had the best cinematography, etc. So I'll probably put those up as well. Well, my food is about here so I'll wrap this up. Hopefully I can keep up with this and continue writing since I don't really have much of an outlet otherwise.