Welcome to a very special episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Today's review is The Tourist. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Christopher McQuarrie & Julian Fellowes.
100th review countdown....#100
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.
Runtime: 103 min
Cast
Johnny Depp - Frank Tupelo
Angelina Jolie - Elise Clifton-Ward
Paul Bettany - Inspector John Acheson
Timothy Dalton - Chief Inspector Jones
Steven Berkoff - Reginald Shaw
Rufus Sewell - The Englishman
Movies and magic tricks have a lot in common. Their purpose is to amaze, defy belief and most importantly entertain. Every once in a while, a movie will employ magic's greatest attribute to achieve it's desired effect. That attribute is misdirection. Without misdirection, a magic trick is doomed to fail. This film executes it's form of misdirection masterfully. There's just 1 tiny problem.
The Tourist tries to convince you it doesn't SUCK!
IT FAILED!
Elise Ward boards a train bound for Venice where she enlists Frank Tupelo as a useful idiot to help her elude the law and the mob to rendezvous with a very mysterious accomplice who has made off with an obscene amount of money.
This movie disappoints on so many levels. Let's break down the 3 key components that led to it's majestic failure. We begin with the life of every film.
1) Story - The story is so empty and flat that I didn't wish for more plot development (which it desperately needed). I wished for the end credits. The film begins by trying to introduce a feeling of stealth and the life of the covert. It took about 1 1/2 minutes for them to screw that up. Next up we have the blatant disregard for character development. The principles in this film just walk around doing their thing and we just accept who they are by osmosis. I know I've gone on rants in the past about exposition. If this movie used exposition you know what you would have had?
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION!
Since that wasn't the case here, the powers that be chose to just drib and drab information about the main characters. Highlighted during scenes with a line here and a line there. You're then expected to and move on.
The biggest flaw of the story dealt with the misdirection I mentioned earlier. To compensate for the awfully executed plot, several M. Night Scam-a-lan moments were employed. This was clearly part of the narrative from the beginning except.
I SAW THEM COMING FROM A MILE AWAY!
Worse yet, they didn't help the story. A great plot twist enhances a film. It takes it to another level. Especially when you are looking one way for 2 hours them POW! the rug gets pulled from your feet and your floored with this moment of HOLY S#!T!
Here are 2 great examples of what I'm talking about.
Verbal Kint is really Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects. For the entire length of that movie you believe that Verbal is the man he says he is. It's not until those last few frames when you see his crippling limp magically transform into a brisk walk down the street do you know you were hoodwinked.
Dr. Malcolm Crowe is actually a ghost in The Sixth Sense. As much as I hate to give him credit. Scam-a-lan pulled this one off really well. Anyone who tells you they knew that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time the 1st time they saw that movie is a flat out liar.
These are plot twists that not only change your viewpoint of the character. They change your viewpoint of the film as a whole. When done properly, it's a device that can make a movie magical and memorable. Done poorly and it feels like a cop out and lazy. In it's attempt to be it's own super mystery, The Tourist succeeded in creating one really big mystery.
Why in the world did it take 3 people to write this sophomoric attempt at a movie mystery/thriller?
The other 2 components of this film's failure actually go hand in hand so I will combine them.
The cast though stout in name recognition was just deplorable. The performances by and by were trite and very pretentious. It wreaked of paycheck acting. Angelina Jolie fires through her poorly written dialogue with as much emotion and enthusiasm as I have watching NY Giants football. Johnny Depp wasn't as bad. He wasn't good either. His character required some stupidity/naivety which is OK. What eventually happened is he became an annoyance. You're supposed to care about these characters and instead you are wishing them harm. Not a good outcome. Finally with the bad guy Shaw. The "script" if you can call it that addresses this guy as a pretty ruthless man with no scruples whatsoever. So how does this movie establish his black hole of a conscience? He chokes one of his henchman to death with a tailor's measuring tape.
Really? A tailor's measuring tape? Wow! that was brutal man.
The best part about that was before he does this, he pontificates on how he's hired men to do the killing for him so he no longer has to. Just another "get out of jail free card" from the script instead of really showing us a real bad ass villain.
This is a byproduct of the director. Which is by leaps and bounds the biggest disappointment of them all. This is von Donnersmark's first crack at Hollywood but it's not his first feature film. He was the director of the 2006 film The Lives of Others which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. If you haven't seen it, I strongly urge you do. That was a fine piece of storytelling. Which is why I'm baffled beyond belief that from that film he came up with this for an encore. There were so many basic boo boo's with his direction here that it's pointless for me to go over them.
There's nothing more to say here.
On the 5 star scale. The Tourist gets the goose egg 0 stars. With a "Save The Loot" recommendation.
I avoided this film for a reason. It's a shame that I was proven right. I just wished that my 100th film wasn't such a stinker. That's the gamble I take with every movie I go see. The good news is that soon it will be out of the theater and you won't have to worry about spending your $$$ on it.
The other bright side is that I now have a front runner for Worst Film of 2011.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is Season of The Witch.
I can't explain why but the more and more I see the trailer, the more I'm intrigued. I'm going to take a shot and see what happens. There's a good chance I'll have a new leader for Worst of 2011 but you never know. Stranger things have happened at the movies.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
The Top 10 Worst Films of 2010
Welcome to a special episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
I hope you all enjoyed my entertaining and possibly controversial Top 10 Best Films of 2010. It's now time to give you my Top 10 Worst Films of 2010.
This list was much easier to put together.
10) The Wolfman. Directed by Joe Johnston. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker & David Self. Based on the 1941 screenplay written by Chris Siodmak.
5 star score - 2 stars. Recommendation - "Netflix It."
The prospects for this film being good weren't strong early on. Several issues sent the project into movie purgatory more commonly known as developmental hell. Script re-writes, casting changes and a director replacement ran rampant throughout the process. That always spells trouble in tinseltown. The end result was a jumbled mess of a movie. The only aspect that kept this from being a complete disaster was the stellar makeup work of Rick Baker. Combined with impressive special effects during the transformation scenes, it was the only watchable parts of this very disappointing remake of a classic horror film.
9) Due Date. Directed by Todd Phillips. Written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel & Todd Phillips. Screen story by Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland
5 star score - 1 star. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
Due Date was quite simply a failed attempt to ride the momentum of The Hangover. You have a recycled character (Galifanakis) playing opposite an uptight jerk (Downey Jr.) in a Road Trip meets The Odd Couple presentation. No good. You don't care about Downey's character at all. In fact you root for him to miss his baby's birth because he's such an ass. The laughs are sparse and at times non existent. Just a bad film that displays with pride it's convolution.
8) Robin Hood. Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Brian Helgeland. Story by Brian Helgeland, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.
5 star score - .5 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
It's amazing how hard it's been for Hollywood to tell and re-tell this classic legend. So instead of giving us more of the same, Scott Free (Ridley and Tony's production company) decided to tell us an origin story. That's great except. Nobody cares about how Robin Hood became Robin Hood. We want to see him shoot his arrows at bad guys, save the Maid Marion and defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham. OK. Fine. If you insist on telling us about the origin of Robin Hood, the story should at least be entertaining. Which it certainly was NOT! Oh Ridley. What have you done? I guess everyone's entitled to an off day.
7) Cop Out. Directed by Kevin Smith. Written by Robb & Mark Cullen.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
Kevin Smith is as black and white that you can get in the movie biz. You either love him or hate him. I myself am a big Kevin Smith fan. His brand of comedy is an acquired taste. His trademarks over writing and being very pretentious with his dialogue. He gets away with it because the characters that utter his multi syllabic monologue's occasionally throw a 1 liner or 2 that get big laughs. This keeps the "on the fence" audience still on board the ride. A lot of this comes from the fact that every film he's directed came from scripts he's written. Until now. Hey Kev. Don't do that again.
6) Chloe. Directed by Atom Egoyan. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson. Based on the motion picture Nathalie written by Anne Fontaine.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
This was my first reader request since I started this review column. It will be my last. The story is so all over the place. The premise is as absurd as the characters expressions during the revelations of infidelity. The twists are see through and quite old for a film of this beaten up genre. There is no redeeming quality to this film in any way shape or from.
5) The Losers. Directed by Sylvain White. Written by Peter Berg & James Vanderbilt. Based on the graphic novel The Losers written by Andy Diggle.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
What do you get when you combine a group of idiots who don't know how to read a comic book? This movie. Moving on.
4) The Last Airbender. Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender created by Michael Dante DiMartino &
Bryan Konietzko.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
What do you get when you combine an egotistical, holier than thou, malcontent director with a popular kids cartoon. This move. The Last Airbender was proof that Scam-a-lan's magic is gone. He replaced it with an insatiable desire to put his name on every frame he shoots. I mean literally put his name on it. When was the last time you saw a Scam-a-lan film that didn't have "Written, Produced and Directed by" on the screen after you see a trailer or TV commercial. Your name is already out and now it's stands for the wrong reasons. Get off your high horse dude and make a damn MOVIE!
3) The Warrior's Way. Written and Directed by Sngmoo Lee.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
I know I rated this film as The Worst of 2010. But after careful deliberation I came to the decision that this movie though not good by any means isn't the absolute worst of the year. The main reason is quite simply this movie just flat out was meant to be bad. There's no way anyone can tell me that the producers of this film expected great things from this mess of Wu Shu and the Wild West.
2) Skyline. Directed by Colin Strause & Greg Strause A.K.A The Brothers Struase. Written by Joshua Cordes & Liam O'Donnell.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
This one was a stinker from the opening credits. Then for a fleeting second I began to feel a sense of movie history. It looked like Skyline was going to break a very used up mold for this genre of alien invasion movies. Instead I was treated to not only a cowardly attempt to end the film. The last 5 minutes was 10 times absurd as the rest of the film. I never walked out of a movie angrier this year than after leaving this one.
1) Legion. Directed by Scott Stewart. Written by Scott Stewart & Peter Schink.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
I just finished saying that Skyline pissed me off more than any other film this year. So why is this #1? The answer is simple. I knew Skyline was going to be stupid going into it. I still went to see it anyway thinking "what the hell." Legion hustled me. It looked really cool and turned out being really, really REALLY BAD! The premise was simple yet interesting. The problems that happened here were the writers came up with the main idea and that's it. There was no intent to fill in the gaps that were bleeding this film dry. Lazy writing, poor performances and dreadful plot holes just make this film by leaps and bounds the Worst Film of 2010. What's even more impressive is that this is the first film I saw in 2010. It led wire to wire. That's really something. That no other film was bad enough to make a run at the belt. There were a couple of challengers but when a movie gives you the appearance of entertainment and provides unintentional laughter then you got a winner hands down.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is my 100th review.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
I hope you all enjoyed my entertaining and possibly controversial Top 10 Best Films of 2010. It's now time to give you my Top 10 Worst Films of 2010.
This list was much easier to put together.
10) The Wolfman. Directed by Joe Johnston. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker & David Self. Based on the 1941 screenplay written by Chris Siodmak.
5 star score - 2 stars. Recommendation - "Netflix It."
The prospects for this film being good weren't strong early on. Several issues sent the project into movie purgatory more commonly known as developmental hell. Script re-writes, casting changes and a director replacement ran rampant throughout the process. That always spells trouble in tinseltown. The end result was a jumbled mess of a movie. The only aspect that kept this from being a complete disaster was the stellar makeup work of Rick Baker. Combined with impressive special effects during the transformation scenes, it was the only watchable parts of this very disappointing remake of a classic horror film.
9) Due Date. Directed by Todd Phillips. Written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel & Todd Phillips. Screen story by Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland
5 star score - 1 star. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
Due Date was quite simply a failed attempt to ride the momentum of The Hangover. You have a recycled character (Galifanakis) playing opposite an uptight jerk (Downey Jr.) in a Road Trip meets The Odd Couple presentation. No good. You don't care about Downey's character at all. In fact you root for him to miss his baby's birth because he's such an ass. The laughs are sparse and at times non existent. Just a bad film that displays with pride it's convolution.
8) Robin Hood. Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Brian Helgeland. Story by Brian Helgeland, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.
5 star score - .5 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
It's amazing how hard it's been for Hollywood to tell and re-tell this classic legend. So instead of giving us more of the same, Scott Free (Ridley and Tony's production company) decided to tell us an origin story. That's great except. Nobody cares about how Robin Hood became Robin Hood. We want to see him shoot his arrows at bad guys, save the Maid Marion and defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham. OK. Fine. If you insist on telling us about the origin of Robin Hood, the story should at least be entertaining. Which it certainly was NOT! Oh Ridley. What have you done? I guess everyone's entitled to an off day.
7) Cop Out. Directed by Kevin Smith. Written by Robb & Mark Cullen.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
Kevin Smith is as black and white that you can get in the movie biz. You either love him or hate him. I myself am a big Kevin Smith fan. His brand of comedy is an acquired taste. His trademarks over writing and being very pretentious with his dialogue. He gets away with it because the characters that utter his multi syllabic monologue's occasionally throw a 1 liner or 2 that get big laughs. This keeps the "on the fence" audience still on board the ride. A lot of this comes from the fact that every film he's directed came from scripts he's written. Until now. Hey Kev. Don't do that again.
6) Chloe. Directed by Atom Egoyan. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson. Based on the motion picture Nathalie written by Anne Fontaine.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
This was my first reader request since I started this review column. It will be my last. The story is so all over the place. The premise is as absurd as the characters expressions during the revelations of infidelity. The twists are see through and quite old for a film of this beaten up genre. There is no redeeming quality to this film in any way shape or from.
5) The Losers. Directed by Sylvain White. Written by Peter Berg & James Vanderbilt. Based on the graphic novel The Losers written by Andy Diggle.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "Save The Loot."
What do you get when you combine a group of idiots who don't know how to read a comic book? This movie. Moving on.
4) The Last Airbender. Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender created by Michael Dante DiMartino &
Bryan Konietzko.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
What do you get when you combine an egotistical, holier than thou, malcontent director with a popular kids cartoon. This move. The Last Airbender was proof that Scam-a-lan's magic is gone. He replaced it with an insatiable desire to put his name on every frame he shoots. I mean literally put his name on it. When was the last time you saw a Scam-a-lan film that didn't have "Written, Produced and Directed by" on the screen after you see a trailer or TV commercial. Your name is already out and now it's stands for the wrong reasons. Get off your high horse dude and make a damn MOVIE!
3) The Warrior's Way. Written and Directed by Sngmoo Lee.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
I know I rated this film as The Worst of 2010. But after careful deliberation I came to the decision that this movie though not good by any means isn't the absolute worst of the year. The main reason is quite simply this movie just flat out was meant to be bad. There's no way anyone can tell me that the producers of this film expected great things from this mess of Wu Shu and the Wild West.
2) Skyline. Directed by Colin Strause & Greg Strause A.K.A The Brothers Struase. Written by Joshua Cordes & Liam O'Donnell.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
This one was a stinker from the opening credits. Then for a fleeting second I began to feel a sense of movie history. It looked like Skyline was going to break a very used up mold for this genre of alien invasion movies. Instead I was treated to not only a cowardly attempt to end the film. The last 5 minutes was 10 times absurd as the rest of the film. I never walked out of a movie angrier this year than after leaving this one.
1) Legion. Directed by Scott Stewart. Written by Scott Stewart & Peter Schink.
5 star score - 0 stars. Recommendation - "For The Love Of God Stay Home."
I just finished saying that Skyline pissed me off more than any other film this year. So why is this #1? The answer is simple. I knew Skyline was going to be stupid going into it. I still went to see it anyway thinking "what the hell." Legion hustled me. It looked really cool and turned out being really, really REALLY BAD! The premise was simple yet interesting. The problems that happened here were the writers came up with the main idea and that's it. There was no intent to fill in the gaps that were bleeding this film dry. Lazy writing, poor performances and dreadful plot holes just make this film by leaps and bounds the Worst Film of 2010. What's even more impressive is that this is the first film I saw in 2010. It led wire to wire. That's really something. That no other film was bad enough to make a run at the belt. There were a couple of challengers but when a movie gives you the appearance of entertainment and provides unintentional laughter then you got a winner hands down.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is my 100th review.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
The Top 10 Best Films of 2010
Welcome to a special episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Before I present you all with my groundbreaking 100th review (which I know you are all dying to read) I decided to once again give you my Top 10 films of 2010.
Here is the breakdown of my year at the movies.
Total number of films seen - 49 Just 1 film short of my goal. You can't imagine how much that hurts.
Average film score - 3 stars
This was a very very tough list to make. 2010 was a pretty good year when it came to entertaining pictures. So to ease my frustration I cheated. I decided to give you an honorable mention list before I dig into my final Top 10.
Here they are in no particular order.
Brooklyn's Finest
Green Zone
Dreamworks: How To Train Your Dragon
Iron Man II
The A-Team
Despicable Me
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
The American
Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Waiting For Superman
Hereafter
Now let's take a look at the films that made my cut for the Best of 2010.
10) The Town. Directed by Ben Affleck. Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard. Based on the book "Prince of Thieves" written by Chuck Hogan.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny."
This film is another winner for Ben Affleck "The Director" if you please. He takes you on a gritty tour of one of the toughest areas of Massachusetts. The Town showcases the city and neighborhood as a living, breathing character to compliment the amazing actually living cast. The performances from everyone here are so good that you can't choose one better than the other. I defy you to try. The action is first rate from the bank heists to the major Heat style shoot out at the end. Oh yeah there was a pretty damn good story here to.
9) The Kids Are All Right. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko. Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Go See It"
This one snuck up on me. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see such a great piece of storytelling. This movie has heart, realism and a thought provoking mojo. The cast is superb here. Every character has their place and the harmony between everyone is just fun to watch. The unfortunate thing about this movie is how poorly it was marketed. In attempt to get butts in the seats it was spun as a comedy. It's nothing of the sort. There are some light and funny moments but by no means is this movie a comedy. Regardless, if you did see it then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it then shame on you and put this on on your Netflix ASAP.
8) The Fighter. Directed by David O. Russell. Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamsay & Eric Johnson. Screen Story by Paul Tamsay, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington.
5 star score - 4.5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
Christian Bale. Nuff said.
7) The Social Network. Directed by David Fincher. Written by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the book "The Accidental Millionaires." Written by Ben Mezrich.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
It's a very rare feat when a screenplay is the real star of a movie. That is the case here. Aaron Sorkin's wizardry of wordplay infuses an energy and life into an already talented cast. You combine that with David Fincher's direction and uncanny ability to pace and time a scene to it's very pitch point. You've got a no doubt Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations.
6) Toy Story 3. Directed by Lee Unkrich. Written by Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
How do you top one of cinema's greatest animated films? You make a sequel that's better than the first one. How you top two of cinema's greatest animated films? You make a third one that's better than both it's predecessor's combined. That may sound crazy but I don't see any other way to place how GREAT this film was. Pixar is known for cranking out amazing adventures time and time again. It's twice as amazing when they take you back to an adventure you experienced 2 times before and have that experience exceed any and every expectation.
After reading that, you must be wondering what in the world made the top 5. Here we go.
5) True Grit. Written and Directed by Ethan & Joel Coen. Based on the novel True Grit. Written by Charles Portis
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
Three Oscar worthy performances
+
An Oscar worthy screenplay
+
2 Oscar worthy master film makers = One hell of a movie.
Need I say more? I think not.
4) 127 Hours. Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy. Based on the book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" Written by Aron Ralston.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
You could almost apply the exact same formula I used for True Grit here. The equation is practically identical. You have an Oscar winning director guiding a Golden Globe winning and soon to be Oscar nominated actor. Performing off an Oscar worthy screenplay. The major difference here is this movie is as real as real life gets. To be glued to a screen for 2 hours watching a man trapped in a canyon without falling into the depths of boredom is a remarkable piece of film making.
3) Black Swan. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Written by Mark Heyman & Andres Heinz & John J. McLaughlin. Screen Story by Andres Heinz.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
I know what you must thinking. Why is this #3 when it only got 4 stars? A valid question. I juggled with this one for a while. And after looking back I realized that there's so much more to this film that goes way beyond the score. There is so much emotion and realism in a story that plays with your head at every possible turn. As you watch it you begin to question your own sanity rather than Nina's. You can't make up your mind about what's going on with her. This happens despite the fact that you are shown in black and white what's going on yet you still have that little shred of doubt. Marvelous film making and storytelling.
2) The King's Speech. Directed by Tom Hooper. Written by David Seidler.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
It's hard to come up with things to say about this film that I didn't already say in my review. The common thread with all of these films on my list is that they possess a stellar cast that bring exquisite performances to the table. The King's Speech might just have the 2 best performances of the year. Geoffrey Rush brings his status quo talent to the forefront. While Colin Firth continues to bring a skill set that is very underrated. This man can flat out act and it's time for him to be recognized for the talent that he is and has.
And now without further adieu. I give you my #1 film of 2010.
1) Inception. Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
You're not dreaming, pun intended.
This is my no holds barred choice for Best Film of 2010. It's very common in tinseltown for a director to follow a major blockbuster film with a smaller endeavor. It gives he or she a chance to unwind from the pressure of the public and studio to deliver. Christopher Nolan doesn't do that. He follows his ambitious take on the Batman saga with a film that comes with a concept that defines the word ambition to the very letter. Inception in my opinion was a greater achievement than Avatar by leaps and bounds and here's why.
Inception is grounded in reality in terms of it's film making. As bold as Nolan was with the technology he used for the movie. He used it as a tool to serve the story, rather than replace the story as Avatar so cleverly and blatantly pulled off. Nolan was able to blend his uncanny imagination and make it practical instead of digital. He doesn't subscribe to the S.O.S method (you should know what that means by now) and I applaud that to no end. Let's not forget that the man can write with the best of them. He's got this game locked down to a science and right now there isn't anyone better.
In terms of the actual film, Inception changed the game when it comes to storytelling, special effects and ensemble casts. There's so much talent present here that it borders close to overload. From Leo to Ellen Page to Ken Watanabe to Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and of course Michael Caine. The list goes on and on. Then you pack that talent with one of cinema's most confusingly simple storyline and there you have it.
Inception was by far the most debated movie of the year. Stemming mostly from that final shot of the spinning top (Leo made it back to the real world people. Accept it). This was the water cooler talk for several months during it's release. That to me was a tell tale sign that this movie was more than just 2 hours of entertainment. It was an experience. An experience that I will enjoy many many times over in the comfort of my couch on glorious high definition.
Thank you Blu-Ray. Better yet, thank you Christopher Nolan.
There you have it folks. That's my Top 10 of 2010. Let the debate begin.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is my Top 10 Worst of 2010. To be followed by the eagerly awaited 100th review.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
Before I present you all with my groundbreaking 100th review (which I know you are all dying to read) I decided to once again give you my Top 10 films of 2010.
Here is the breakdown of my year at the movies.
Total number of films seen - 49 Just 1 film short of my goal. You can't imagine how much that hurts.
Average film score - 3 stars
This was a very very tough list to make. 2010 was a pretty good year when it came to entertaining pictures. So to ease my frustration I cheated. I decided to give you an honorable mention list before I dig into my final Top 10.
Here they are in no particular order.
Brooklyn's Finest
Green Zone
Dreamworks: How To Train Your Dragon
Iron Man II
The A-Team
Despicable Me
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
The American
Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Waiting For Superman
Hereafter
Now let's take a look at the films that made my cut for the Best of 2010.
10) The Town. Directed by Ben Affleck. Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard. Based on the book "Prince of Thieves" written by Chuck Hogan.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny."
This film is another winner for Ben Affleck "The Director" if you please. He takes you on a gritty tour of one of the toughest areas of Massachusetts. The Town showcases the city and neighborhood as a living, breathing character to compliment the amazing actually living cast. The performances from everyone here are so good that you can't choose one better than the other. I defy you to try. The action is first rate from the bank heists to the major Heat style shoot out at the end. Oh yeah there was a pretty damn good story here to.
9) The Kids Are All Right. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko. Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Go See It"
This one snuck up on me. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see such a great piece of storytelling. This movie has heart, realism and a thought provoking mojo. The cast is superb here. Every character has their place and the harmony between everyone is just fun to watch. The unfortunate thing about this movie is how poorly it was marketed. In attempt to get butts in the seats it was spun as a comedy. It's nothing of the sort. There are some light and funny moments but by no means is this movie a comedy. Regardless, if you did see it then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it then shame on you and put this on on your Netflix ASAP.
8) The Fighter. Directed by David O. Russell. Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamsay & Eric Johnson. Screen Story by Paul Tamsay, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington.
5 star score - 4.5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
Christian Bale. Nuff said.
7) The Social Network. Directed by David Fincher. Written by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the book "The Accidental Millionaires." Written by Ben Mezrich.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
It's a very rare feat when a screenplay is the real star of a movie. That is the case here. Aaron Sorkin's wizardry of wordplay infuses an energy and life into an already talented cast. You combine that with David Fincher's direction and uncanny ability to pace and time a scene to it's very pitch point. You've got a no doubt Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations.
6) Toy Story 3. Directed by Lee Unkrich. Written by Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
How do you top one of cinema's greatest animated films? You make a sequel that's better than the first one. How you top two of cinema's greatest animated films? You make a third one that's better than both it's predecessor's combined. That may sound crazy but I don't see any other way to place how GREAT this film was. Pixar is known for cranking out amazing adventures time and time again. It's twice as amazing when they take you back to an adventure you experienced 2 times before and have that experience exceed any and every expectation.
After reading that, you must be wondering what in the world made the top 5. Here we go.
5) True Grit. Written and Directed by Ethan & Joel Coen. Based on the novel True Grit. Written by Charles Portis
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
Three Oscar worthy performances
+
An Oscar worthy screenplay
+
2 Oscar worthy master film makers = One hell of a movie.
Need I say more? I think not.
4) 127 Hours. Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy. Based on the book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" Written by Aron Ralston.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
You could almost apply the exact same formula I used for True Grit here. The equation is practically identical. You have an Oscar winning director guiding a Golden Globe winning and soon to be Oscar nominated actor. Performing off an Oscar worthy screenplay. The major difference here is this movie is as real as real life gets. To be glued to a screen for 2 hours watching a man trapped in a canyon without falling into the depths of boredom is a remarkable piece of film making.
3) Black Swan. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Written by Mark Heyman & Andres Heinz & John J. McLaughlin. Screen Story by Andres Heinz.
5 star score - 4 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
I know what you must thinking. Why is this #3 when it only got 4 stars? A valid question. I juggled with this one for a while. And after looking back I realized that there's so much more to this film that goes way beyond the score. There is so much emotion and realism in a story that plays with your head at every possible turn. As you watch it you begin to question your own sanity rather than Nina's. You can't make up your mind about what's going on with her. This happens despite the fact that you are shown in black and white what's going on yet you still have that little shred of doubt. Marvelous film making and storytelling.
2) The King's Speech. Directed by Tom Hooper. Written by David Seidler.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
It's hard to come up with things to say about this film that I didn't already say in my review. The common thread with all of these films on my list is that they possess a stellar cast that bring exquisite performances to the table. The King's Speech might just have the 2 best performances of the year. Geoffrey Rush brings his status quo talent to the forefront. While Colin Firth continues to bring a skill set that is very underrated. This man can flat out act and it's time for him to be recognized for the talent that he is and has.
And now without further adieu. I give you my #1 film of 2010.
1) Inception. Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan.
5 star score - 5 stars. Recommendation - "Worth Every Penny"
You're not dreaming, pun intended.
This is my no holds barred choice for Best Film of 2010. It's very common in tinseltown for a director to follow a major blockbuster film with a smaller endeavor. It gives he or she a chance to unwind from the pressure of the public and studio to deliver. Christopher Nolan doesn't do that. He follows his ambitious take on the Batman saga with a film that comes with a concept that defines the word ambition to the very letter. Inception in my opinion was a greater achievement than Avatar by leaps and bounds and here's why.
Inception is grounded in reality in terms of it's film making. As bold as Nolan was with the technology he used for the movie. He used it as a tool to serve the story, rather than replace the story as Avatar so cleverly and blatantly pulled off. Nolan was able to blend his uncanny imagination and make it practical instead of digital. He doesn't subscribe to the S.O.S method (you should know what that means by now) and I applaud that to no end. Let's not forget that the man can write with the best of them. He's got this game locked down to a science and right now there isn't anyone better.
In terms of the actual film, Inception changed the game when it comes to storytelling, special effects and ensemble casts. There's so much talent present here that it borders close to overload. From Leo to Ellen Page to Ken Watanabe to Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and of course Michael Caine. The list goes on and on. Then you pack that talent with one of cinema's most confusingly simple storyline and there you have it.
Inception was by far the most debated movie of the year. Stemming mostly from that final shot of the spinning top (Leo made it back to the real world people. Accept it). This was the water cooler talk for several months during it's release. That to me was a tell tale sign that this movie was more than just 2 hours of entertainment. It was an experience. An experience that I will enjoy many many times over in the comfort of my couch on glorious high definition.
Thank you Blu-Ray. Better yet, thank you Christopher Nolan.
There you have it folks. That's my Top 10 of 2010. Let the debate begin.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is my Top 10 Worst of 2010. To be followed by the eagerly awaited 100th review.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
The King's Speech
Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Today's review is The King's Speech. Directed by Tom Hooper. Written by David Seidler.
100th review countdown....#99
MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Runtime: 118 min
Cast
Colin Firth - King George VI
Helena Bonham Carter - Queen Elizabeth
Geoffrey Rush - Lionel Logue
Michael Gambon - King George V
Guy Pearce - King Edward VIII
Derek Jacobi - Archbishop Cosmo Lang
Claire Bloom - Queen Mary
Timothy Spall - Winston Churchill
It's amazing how in times of crisis, the sound of someone's voice can be the only source of comfort. Not convinced? Think back to a time where you were at your lowest. So you pick up the phone and call your mom and told her what happened. How fast did you feel better after she said those magic words.
"Don't worry. Everything's going to be OK honey."
Well imagine having to be that same kind of voice to an entire kingdom. While dealing with a crippling speech impediment. This is what King George VI of England was faced with during his unexpected rule as king.
After his brother David = King Edward VIII relinquishes the throne to marry a woman seen unfit to be queen. Albert Frederick Arthur George unexpectedly becomes King of England. The problem with that is he suffers from an uncontrollable stammer that plagues the monarch's confidence and the confidence of the people he's meant to rule. To help with this issue, he seeks the help of speech specialist Lionel Logue. Together, the two very different men set out to achieve the same goal at a time where the country is in severe unrest. As war approaches, the newly crowned king is tasked with making an address over the radio to his people. In the hopes he can inspire confidence in his ability to lead his people in time of war.
This movie teaches you a very important lesson. In times of war, sometimes the most powerful weapon a person can wield is their voice.
As I watched Albert struggle with his speech I felt nothing but compassion for him. You want nothing more than for this man to succeed. You see him fight his stammer which then chips away at his self esteem. Combined with the immeasurable pressure that was put on by his father to "just get over" his disability, it was heartbreaking to see Albert tuck tail.
At the same token, it was a comforting sight to see Lionel refuse to bend with his techniques just because he was treating a member of the monarchy. He showed no quarter to Albert during their sessions. It was the only way to get through. This allowed you to root for Logue to succeed in not just his endeavor with Albert but with everything he set out to achieve in life.
Of course, it's easy to feel this way about these characters when they display amazing ability to illicit said emotions. This comes from two OUTSTANDING performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth has once again put himself in the running for Best Actor for the second year in a row. I think his chances are better here than last year. He gives Albert the mousy quality of someone who feels unfit to rule. Then at the drop of a dime he unleashes a ferocious temper that transforms him into someone qualified to be king. It's those explosions of emotions that make his character so enjoyable. You can identify with him even if you don't suffer from his affliction.
Not to be outdone. Rush shines as Logue. He fights Firth in every frame for the spotlight and it was a fun battle to watch. Rush plays Logue with a dignified eccentricity that's both charming and alarming. He respects the crown but isn't intimidated by it. He realizes that if the King wants to be treated and cured of his stammer, the King must bend to his will. That's a tricky angle to play. Rush needs to impose Logue's expertise in his field but not at the expense of disrespecting the crown. He pulls it off (pardon the pun) regally. Clearly the two of them blended very well on screen and are well deserving of the nominations they are tabbed to receive come Oscar time. The one performance that I really didn't dig was Helena Bonham Carter's as Queen Elizabeth.
Allow me to clarify.
She like everyone else was fantastic. Carter holds herself up quite well with the boys, but for me there wasn't anything that says to me Best Actress nominee. I can't place it. I just didn't see an Oscar worthy performance. I saw a fabulous supporting performance headlined by two superior performances. Maybe that's it. Since Firth and Rush were so dynamic together, Carter gets lost in the momentum. Again, I'm not saying that she was terrible. It's quite the opposite. I think she gets sandwiched in between Firth and Rush who truly steal the show.
The script is well written complete with classic British lingo. The light moments that take place during the therapy sessions are paced so well that they come at you by surprise. This adds even more fire to Firth's and Rush's performances. They go back and forth so well that it really brings out how sharply the dialogue was written. The film gives you that draggy look but I promise you, it doesn't play that way. That's mostly because of the different range of emotions that you experience through the King. He's ashamed of his stammer, then he's afraid of speaking in public, then he's angry. Finally he's terrified of having to make his address to the people announcing England's upcoming war against Hitler. Those different spikes in tone and feel keep you from straying away from what could have been a slow moving film if it wasn't handled properly.
It was.
On the 5 star scale. The King's Speech gets the full house 5 stars. With a tremendous "Worth Every Penny" recommendation.
I really, really enjoyed this film. This one has a great chance of taking Best Picture. In fact I'm real close to making this one my pick for said honor.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is review #100. I want to thank those of you who voted for the 100th film. It was a very close race between 3 films. In the end it came down to 1 teenie tiny vote that broke the tie.
So for my 100th review I will be seeing......
C'mon people. Did you really think I was going to reveal it here? You clearly don't know me. I'm going to keep you in suspense until the review comes out. I might even have a surprise in store.
So until then, enjoy this one and as always.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
Today's review is The King's Speech. Directed by Tom Hooper. Written by David Seidler.
100th review countdown....#99
MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Runtime: 118 min
Cast
Colin Firth - King George VI
Helena Bonham Carter - Queen Elizabeth
Geoffrey Rush - Lionel Logue
Michael Gambon - King George V
Guy Pearce - King Edward VIII
Derek Jacobi - Archbishop Cosmo Lang
Claire Bloom - Queen Mary
Timothy Spall - Winston Churchill
It's amazing how in times of crisis, the sound of someone's voice can be the only source of comfort. Not convinced? Think back to a time where you were at your lowest. So you pick up the phone and call your mom and told her what happened. How fast did you feel better after she said those magic words.
"Don't worry. Everything's going to be OK honey."
Well imagine having to be that same kind of voice to an entire kingdom. While dealing with a crippling speech impediment. This is what King George VI of England was faced with during his unexpected rule as king.
After his brother David = King Edward VIII relinquishes the throne to marry a woman seen unfit to be queen. Albert Frederick Arthur George unexpectedly becomes King of England. The problem with that is he suffers from an uncontrollable stammer that plagues the monarch's confidence and the confidence of the people he's meant to rule. To help with this issue, he seeks the help of speech specialist Lionel Logue. Together, the two very different men set out to achieve the same goal at a time where the country is in severe unrest. As war approaches, the newly crowned king is tasked with making an address over the radio to his people. In the hopes he can inspire confidence in his ability to lead his people in time of war.
This movie teaches you a very important lesson. In times of war, sometimes the most powerful weapon a person can wield is their voice.
As I watched Albert struggle with his speech I felt nothing but compassion for him. You want nothing more than for this man to succeed. You see him fight his stammer which then chips away at his self esteem. Combined with the immeasurable pressure that was put on by his father to "just get over" his disability, it was heartbreaking to see Albert tuck tail.
At the same token, it was a comforting sight to see Lionel refuse to bend with his techniques just because he was treating a member of the monarchy. He showed no quarter to Albert during their sessions. It was the only way to get through. This allowed you to root for Logue to succeed in not just his endeavor with Albert but with everything he set out to achieve in life.
Of course, it's easy to feel this way about these characters when they display amazing ability to illicit said emotions. This comes from two OUTSTANDING performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth has once again put himself in the running for Best Actor for the second year in a row. I think his chances are better here than last year. He gives Albert the mousy quality of someone who feels unfit to rule. Then at the drop of a dime he unleashes a ferocious temper that transforms him into someone qualified to be king. It's those explosions of emotions that make his character so enjoyable. You can identify with him even if you don't suffer from his affliction.
Not to be outdone. Rush shines as Logue. He fights Firth in every frame for the spotlight and it was a fun battle to watch. Rush plays Logue with a dignified eccentricity that's both charming and alarming. He respects the crown but isn't intimidated by it. He realizes that if the King wants to be treated and cured of his stammer, the King must bend to his will. That's a tricky angle to play. Rush needs to impose Logue's expertise in his field but not at the expense of disrespecting the crown. He pulls it off (pardon the pun) regally. Clearly the two of them blended very well on screen and are well deserving of the nominations they are tabbed to receive come Oscar time. The one performance that I really didn't dig was Helena Bonham Carter's as Queen Elizabeth.
Allow me to clarify.
She like everyone else was fantastic. Carter holds herself up quite well with the boys, but for me there wasn't anything that says to me Best Actress nominee. I can't place it. I just didn't see an Oscar worthy performance. I saw a fabulous supporting performance headlined by two superior performances. Maybe that's it. Since Firth and Rush were so dynamic together, Carter gets lost in the momentum. Again, I'm not saying that she was terrible. It's quite the opposite. I think she gets sandwiched in between Firth and Rush who truly steal the show.
The script is well written complete with classic British lingo. The light moments that take place during the therapy sessions are paced so well that they come at you by surprise. This adds even more fire to Firth's and Rush's performances. They go back and forth so well that it really brings out how sharply the dialogue was written. The film gives you that draggy look but I promise you, it doesn't play that way. That's mostly because of the different range of emotions that you experience through the King. He's ashamed of his stammer, then he's afraid of speaking in public, then he's angry. Finally he's terrified of having to make his address to the people announcing England's upcoming war against Hitler. Those different spikes in tone and feel keep you from straying away from what could have been a slow moving film if it wasn't handled properly.
It was.
On the 5 star scale. The King's Speech gets the full house 5 stars. With a tremendous "Worth Every Penny" recommendation.
I really, really enjoyed this film. This one has a great chance of taking Best Picture. In fact I'm real close to making this one my pick for said honor.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is review #100. I want to thank those of you who voted for the 100th film. It was a very close race between 3 films. In the end it came down to 1 teenie tiny vote that broke the tie.
So for my 100th review I will be seeing......
C'mon people. Did you really think I was going to reveal it here? You clearly don't know me. I'm going to keep you in suspense until the review comes out. I might even have a surprise in store.
So until then, enjoy this one and as always.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
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