MTTD: The Other Guys

Will Ferrell is back in what looks to be another funny Adam McKay film, The Other Guys. I don’t know how I feel about John C. Reilly being M.I.A in this Ferrell Flick. It is nice to see that Mark Wahlberg has realized his acting belongs in comedies not dramas (The Happening may have had something to do with that).

MTTD: Get Him To The Greek

I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so hopefully this spin-off about rock star Aldous Snow is almost as good.

Top 10: Film Soundtracks

When I’m watching a film, the music in it can be as important than many other aspects of the movie. A bad plot point can definitely be saved by the right music track sometimes.

Obviously everybody has a different opinion about what music they love. I listen to everything from rock to hip hop to opera, but classic rock is by far my favorite genre of music. I based my list on the place of music with certain scenes in the film and the overall soundtrack. This list was extremely difficult to formulate and I could easily interchange the films on the list into different spots.

10. Requiem for a Dream (2000)- Darren Aronofsky’s eerie and depressing film about heroin addicts uses basically one song during the entire film, “Lux Aeterna,” composed by Clint Mansell. The song is incredible and haunting, and is the perfect match for the tone of this movie. The song became so popular that it has been used in multiple other films and television programs.

9. Watchmen (2009)- Watchmen does a great job pairing songs perfectly with scenes. A great example is the scene when Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) have a pretty graphic sex scene in a odd looking aircraft to the great song, “Hallelujiah,” by Leonard Cohen. My favorite scene (below), by far, is the intro set to “The Times They Are A Changin’,” by Bob Dylan.

8. The Girl Next Door (2004)- This film has a surprisingly awesome soundtrack. Everything from classics like “Under Pressure,” by Queen & David Bowie and “Baba O’Riley,” by The Who to 90′s alternative rock hits such as  “Lucky Man,” by The Verve and “Take a Picture,” by Filter. Throughout the movie there are tons of classic rock and alternative rock hits, placed perfectly in scenes.

7. Blow (2001)- I don’t care what most critics say, Blow is a great film. It also happens to have an incredible soundtrack. Some soundtrack highlights feature Rolling Stones, Cream, Bob Dylan and of course “Blinded By The Light,” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.

6. The Departed (2006)- The first of the Martin Scorsese film on the list. Scorsese is a master of creating soundtracks to his movies. The Departed features The Rolling Stones (a staple of any Scorsese film), Dropkick Murphys, and a Roger Waters only version of “Comfortably Numb.”

5. Almost Famous (2000)- This is the film that made me want to be a journalist for Rolling Stone when I was 12. A movie about a young music journalist profiling a rock band in the 1970′s doesn’t disappoint at all with the soundtrack. Some of my favorite songs from Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, Lynard Skynard, Deep Purple, Elton John are in this film and this list goes on. Below is one of my favorite scenes of the movie.

4. Casino (1995)- My 2nd Scorsese film of the list. It’s simple why I love this soundtrack, many Rolling Stones songs, and a lot of old crooner and great 50′s songs. Along with some old Italian songs added in there. Hard not love this soundtrack.

3. Goodfellas (1990)- My last Scorsese film of the list and the one with the best soundtrack. He uses a multitude of classic rock songs, including the Rolling Stones of course, and also Cream, George Harrison and Donovan among the others. Alot of great songs from the 50′s and 60′s are also included in the Goodfellas soundtrack. My favorite scene is when they show all the people Deniro’s character  just had “whacked” to the tune of the piano ending of Clapton’s “Layla.”

2. Pirate Radio (2009)- The soundtrack featured during this film made me really like this movie. If I didn’t like the music, I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed the movie as much as I did. Cream, Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimmi Hendrix, David Bowie, Jeff Beck, The Kinks, The Moody Blues, some of the best of 60′s and 70′s rock.

1. Dazed and Confused (1993)- As you can tell, I really love movie soundtracks that feature classic rock. Dazed and Confused is a classic teen movie about 70′s youth, kind of a early 90′s made Superbad featuring kid during the 70′s. This movie is a classic and features an incredible soundtrack, just check out the link to see the tons of great music featured in this film.

Honorable Mentions:Easy Rider (1969), The Hangover (2009), Invincible (2006), American Psycho (2000), Across The Universe (2007)

Review: Invictus

Clint Eastwood is quickly establishing himself as one of the best directors in the history of film. His latest film, Invictus, follows the story about how new President Nelson Mandela and the “Springboks,” South Africa’s national Rugby team, united a country that was previously divided by Apartheid during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

One of the main highlights of the film is the performance by Morgan Freeman, who plays Nelson Mandela. Besides the Freeman’s resemblance to Mandela, which is extremely close, he portrayed Mandela perfectly. As always, Matt Damon did a great job as the captain of the rugby team, Francois. But Freeman is the one who might get a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role.

The movie had the feeling of a South African and rugby version of Miracle, which is another film I love. Rugby is a sport I don’t know much about, but the film did a good job drawing in your interest to the rough sport and teaching you how it is played as the movie rolls along.

But Invictus was about much more than just the sport of rugby, it was mostly about the struggle to bring a nation together that was ripped apart by the travesty of Apartheid for so many decades. The drama of how Mandela tries to figure out how to accomplish this task is as riveting as the scenes of the South African Rugby team trying to find their way and be competitive for the World Cup.

I give Invictus an 8.5 out of 10.

So when is the next Rugby World Cup? I think I’ll be watching

My Top 10 Films of the 00′s

With the 00′s coming to an end, I think it’s good to reflect on some of the best films that came out this decade. I feel it was a good decade for film, the best since the 70′s. Below is my personal top 10 list from the 00′s, it will certainly differ from many critic’s lists, but these are the ones I enjoyed most and that’s what film is all about. Wasn’t easy to narrow down my original list of 26, but here it is:

1. Gladiator (2000)- I don’t think anybody can say anything negative about this film. It has everything, action, drama, Rome, and incestuous lust, what’s there not be entertained by? The Academy got it right by awarding “Gladiator” Best Picture. Almost makes up for “Shakespeare In Love” winning over “Saving Private Ryan” two years prior, almost.

2. The Departed (2006)- The film that finally gave Martin Scorsese his Oscar. Who cares that this was a remake of a Japanese film that came out 4 years before? Not me. This film is one of the best works of Scorsese. Like Gladiator, this film has everything. Incredible casting too.

3. City of God (2002)- The DVD is labeled as “The best film you’ve never seen,” and it’s a real shame if you have never seen this film. Based on the true story about the gangs and violence in the slums of Rio, this flick is truly extraordinary. The movie is in Portuguese, but the film is so good you’ll barley notice your reading subtitles.

4. The Pianist (2002)- The best and most haunting portrayal of the holocaust I’ve seen yet on the silver screen. The scene when Nazis bust into a dining room of Jewish people eating and kill them, is one of the most disturbing scenes and it sticks in your mind. If there was a best actor of the decade award, Adrien Brody deserves it.

5. 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)- Definitely the funniest of the comedies that came out this decade. A special props to “Old School” for really making the rated-R comedy popular this decade. So many memorable lines from this movie, I can still watch this over and over again.

6. The Hangover (2009)- I love this movie. The entire film is comedic genius. Alan Garner (Zack Galifianakis) might be my favorite mentally disturbed character in comedic history (slightly beating out Brick from “Anchorman”). If my future wife divorces me for naming our first-born son “Carlos,” this film will be why.

7. Gangs of New York (2002)- A truly great and underrated Scorsese film in my book. A very entertaining and violent film about how New York was in the 1800′s, which was never really shown before in cinema. Plus, has there ever been a better villain than “Bill The Butcher?”

8. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)- The best film for movie night with a girl in my estimation. It appeals to both genders and has a very interesting plot. My favorite Jim Carey movie ever and Kate Winslet is awesome in it too. Plus, this is a romantic movie that won’t make you (guys) feel as if your brain is melting.

9. Training Day (2001)- Easily one of the coolest movies ever. Denzel Washington makes this film so entertaining and a little scared thinking that there may cops out there like him. This film also introduced us to Eva Mendes, need I say more?

10. Taken (2008)- Yes, this is a basically mindless action film, so what? It is probably the best action film since “Die Hard.” The action is constant and awesome, Liam Neeson makes you believe you should never fuck with him. The “I have a special set of skills,” line he uses on the phone with the kidnappers is as classic as Dirty Harry’s, “Do you feel lucky?” line.

My favorite films from the years not listed above:

2003: Old School

2007: Knocked Up

Honorable Mentions: Anchorman (2004), American Psycho (2000), Downfall (2004), Inglorious Basterds (2009), Almost Famous (2000)

Review: Pirate Radio

Without a doubt, Pirate Radio has the best soundtrack to any movie ever made. What else can you expect from a movie about rock music from the 60′s, the best era for music ever, in my opinion.

Pirate Radio, or The Boat That Rocked as it is known outside the US, is about a ship of rogue djs and crew members in the 1960′s who play rock music on a ship because the United Kingdom’s regular airwaves refuse to play their greatest product, rock & roll. The government of course hates the crew of Radio Rock and try to eliminate their pirate broadcast. The film focuses on the lives of the crew members, especially a teenager named Carl (Tom Sturridge), who’s mother sent him to be with his godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy) aboard the ship

The wide range of wacky characters is one thing I loved of the film. I like a broad range of characters in a comedy like Pirate Radio and I think it worked very well. Philip Seymour Hoffman who plays American DJ, The Count, did a great job as usual. Bill Nighy also did a great job as, Quentin, the head of Radio Rock.

A huge criticism of the film was that it was too long. I didn’t think so, I gladly would have watched another hour of the film.  However, I greatly enjoy 60′s rock and a mess of characters. Two hours is needed for the vast number of characters in this movie, but extra time could have been spent on certain characters to develop them more.

My biggest criticism would be that the film did seem jumbled and messy at times. The film could have been tightened up a bit and more polished. Overall, I did enjoy the movie and thought it was funny.

I give Pirate Radio a 7.5. Now, excuse me while I put some Stones records on.

MTTD: Youth In Revolt

Every few days I will have a post called “Movie Trailer of The Day,” where I post a video trailer of an upcoming movie that I think looks interesting. Today’s installment is Michael Cera’s upcoming comedy “Youth in Revolt.”

Review: Paranormal Activity

Two things would have made “Paranormal Activity” a much better horror movie for me. First, if I saw it before or ignored all the hype, which made it really hard for the film to live up to the scariness. Second, watching it in your home at night. It would be much more terrifying being in your home alone than with a 100 or so people in a theatre.

With that said, I believe “Paranormal Activity” to be an incredible horror film and in the top 5 of all-time horror flicks. It was very refreshing to see an effective horror movie without all the show-me gore that rules today’s horror genre.

The plot revolves around a couple Micah Sloat & Katie Featherston (that is their real names too) who decide to record paranormal events in their home. An entity seems to be following Katie around her whole life. As they film, the events get worse and worse.

The slow build up of paranormal events does a lot for this movie. It’s a little too slow in the beginning, but that quickly changes. The “mockumentary” film style really works for this film. That you basically only see this one couple the entire film in a home video setting, plus the fact that the acting is fantastic, you get very connected to the characters and you want them to figure this haunting out.  There was no real script for this film just mostly a script outline, which really help with the realism of the film.

The last 20-30 minutes of the film is where “Paranormal Activity” really sets itself up as one of the best horror flicks of all-time. It’s like watching two cars headed for a head-on collision, you know its only going to get worse. The last scene is classic and makes the movie. I’ve seen many horror movies with some distinct endings, but “Paranormal Activity’s” really disturbed me.

I think a few things could have been done to make this movie almost too horrifying to watch. But, director/writer Oren Peli does an incredible job on such a low budge ($15,000) and with very little effects.

I give “Paranormal Activity” an 8 out of 10. “Paranormal Activity” has given me hope that the horror genre can improve from its current state.

Which Apocalypse Is Better?

I really find it hard to believe that the below clip is really supposed to create excitement. Columbia Pictures released this 5 minute scene/trailer I guess to show how great this apocalyptic blockbuster will be, which I believe it succeeded at re-categorizing “2012″ as a comedy. I was intrigued by 2012 a few months ago. After seeing this clip, I have changed my mind.

This film looks absolutely awful. Hilarious, but mostly just awful. I envision critics will have a field day with this movie when it comes out.

Now, if you want to see an apocalyptic/post apocalyptic flick this fall, “The Road,” seems like a good choice. This film features a family trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world. Charlize Theron and Viggo Mortensen star in this one, so at least you know the acting will be good, unlike the before mentioned film.

Review: Zombieland

Looks like “Shaun of The Dead” has been topped in the “zomedy” category. I loved “Zombieland” and not because it was the funniest or best zombie film, but because it was just a great movie.

For those who are unaware of the plot, it’s pretty straight forward. The movie follows four survivors, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sisters Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone & Abigail Breslin), who cross paths in a world taken over by a zombie apocalypse and try to survive.

The chemistry between Eisenberg and Harrelson, who play polar opposite characters, make the movie. Harrelson is hysterical as the redneck tough guy and Eisenberg is as awkwardly funny as Micheal Cera is in any of his movies. In fact, I believe Cera will now face competition from Eisenberg for the roles of the awkward nerdy high school/college kid. Stone and Breslin also do a great job. “Zombieland” being a zombie apocalypse movie, you basically only see these four interacting during the whole movie and the dialogue is very funny and witty. Casting did a great job with these guys. There is also an awesome and hilarious celebrity cameo, but I won’t ruin it for you guys.

“Zombieland” was highly entertaining and if you liked “Shaun of The Dead,” you’ll love this. Even though the title is “Zombieland,” there is much more to this movie than just Zombies. Though the zombies and violence toward the zombies were really cool. “Zombieland” is just a fun movie.

I give “Zombieland” a 8 out of 10.