Showing posts with label Inception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inception. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
My official Best List of 2010 (six months late)
If you want to see the list I've made for my Top 10 list for 2010, here it is.
Apparently I felt like that list meant I've seen less movies than I had this year. The reason is because I'd had final exams at school and that delayed my time to watch the movies I'm interested in or like to see. And also because most of the films released last year was already released in Australia this year. So here's my official Best/Worst list of 2010 counting the five best and the five very worst films.
Honourable mentions/ #6 movies
Greenberg, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The King's Speech, Green Zone, Animal Kingdom, The Fighter, Toy Story 3 (it's not the best Pixar has to offer us but its tolerable), The Town, Black Swan
2010 Watchlist
Easy A, Get Him To The Greek, Exit Through The Gift Shop, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I Love You Phillip Morris, Blue Valentine
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Kick Ass
It was a hard spot for me to decide. It was either Kick Ass or Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Scott Pilgrim was a visual wonderland hooking you into a the experience of comic books, indie music, 8 bit videogaming and clever pop culture references. Kick Ass gets 5th spot not because it doesn't have the distinct look of Scott Pilgrim, but because it's bloody hiliarious. Kick Ass is the story of a teenage comic book reader transforming himself into a DIY superhero whose only powers are wielding batons. But he'd faced deadly consequences and meets a daddy-daughter duo also a superhero vigilante and are better than him. What makes Kick Ass works is that this brings all of the great super films and mixed it with violent satire that's refreshing. With Aaron Johnson being this Peter Parker knockoff you should applaud, Chloe Moretz steals the show playing Hit-Girl a girl who takes an appetite for destruction for justice, you'll laugh until the film literally hurts. Moretz is a revelation and should be lauded for taking risks here, not panned because she's eleven. It's a graphic novel adaptation that should be graphic for the faint-hearted, but at the same time, poignant at heart.
4. Winter's Bone
Many films are known for their subject matter just before and after they're nominated for bazillions of Oscars. Brokeback Mountain (a movie about a gay romance), Slumdog Millionaire (Indian guy on Millionaire), The Hurt Locker (movie about the Iraq War) and now we have The Social Network, a movie about Facebook. As much as people would assume that a Facebook movie is lame or boring, apparently it knocked the hell out of every professional critic. The subject matter doesn't deal with Facebook. More so, it matters on the human relationships regarding ordinary people who helped defined our time.
The Social Network focuses on Mark Zuckerberg, after being dumped by his girlfriend and from forming a revenge blog, decides to build Facebook, an online social network he thinks would refreshes the entire "social experience"to a new level. Since the inception of Facebook, he is brought to lawsuits and a loss of friendship with Eduardo Saverin.
Here's proof that the summer of 2010 was not a bummer. Inception is a blockbuster that shows its artistic value over its need to make profit. Inception is almost every reason you go to movies for a good time. It's entertaining, make you think and believe you're in something that has never been seen before. It adds new meaning of science fiction. Enough said, if you want more click here
Apparently I felt like that list meant I've seen less movies than I had this year. The reason is because I'd had final exams at school and that delayed my time to watch the movies I'm interested in or like to see. And also because most of the films released last year was already released in Australia this year. So here's my official Best/Worst list of 2010 counting the five best and the five very worst films.
Honourable mentions/ #6 movies
Greenberg, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The King's Speech, Green Zone, Animal Kingdom, The Fighter, Toy Story 3 (it's not the best Pixar has to offer us but its tolerable), The Town, Black Swan
2010 Watchlist
Easy A, Get Him To The Greek, Exit Through The Gift Shop, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I Love You Phillip Morris, Blue Valentine
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Kick Ass
It was a hard spot for me to decide. It was either Kick Ass or Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Scott Pilgrim was a visual wonderland hooking you into a the experience of comic books, indie music, 8 bit videogaming and clever pop culture references. Kick Ass gets 5th spot not because it doesn't have the distinct look of Scott Pilgrim, but because it's bloody hiliarious. Kick Ass is the story of a teenage comic book reader transforming himself into a DIY superhero whose only powers are wielding batons. But he'd faced deadly consequences and meets a daddy-daughter duo also a superhero vigilante and are better than him. What makes Kick Ass works is that this brings all of the great super films and mixed it with violent satire that's refreshing. With Aaron Johnson being this Peter Parker knockoff you should applaud, Chloe Moretz steals the show playing Hit-Girl a girl who takes an appetite for destruction for justice, you'll laugh until the film literally hurts. Moretz is a revelation and should be lauded for taking risks here, not panned because she's eleven. It's a graphic novel adaptation that should be graphic for the faint-hearted, but at the same time, poignant at heart.
4. Winter's Bone
Just a few days ago, I decided to pick this film up so I can finish all of the Best Picture nominees. Winter's Bone may be an average arthouse film that is only seen by few people, but for every film lover or person who loves critically acclaimed films, it's a must see.
A tale of a young girl named Ree Dolly living in the Ozarks who's looking after her younger siblings because her mother is catatonic and her father's a methhead. When Ree discovers her dad hadn't shown up to his trial, she decides to search for him. During her journey she encounters ghastly people who brings mysteries surrounding her Dad including her uncle Teardrop and during that she face certain consequences from these people.
This film is beautifully tragic and it's visually gritty considering the environment of the Ozarks malnourished with poverty and underground drug labs. Well-directed by Debra Granik who brings the importance of the themes of determination, poverty and family into this quiet yet richly detailed crime thriller. Winter's Bone is then lifted up by Jennifer Lawrence's powerful performance as the heroine of the story and more put forward is John Hawkes' fierce uncle.
3. 127 Hours
127 Hours brings in the greatest depth of a normal person I've ever seen. It's a kinetic and visual experience from Danny Boyle that is also beautifully edited. 127 Hours is the story of survival, a matter of life and death for real life adventurer Aron Ralston. As you should know, it's the biographical story of the guy while being stuck on a rock. It's James Franco bravuva and sensational performance that has me convinced it's one of the best performances I've ever seen in a film. He's brings a variety of emotions from cheerful to lonely. The climax (which should be obvious) brings tension that's gripping and determined. For those who assume this film is just seeing a guy cuts his arm off, please look at it further. It's a life story.
2. The Social Network
Many films are known for their subject matter just before and after they're nominated for bazillions of Oscars. Brokeback Mountain (a movie about a gay romance), Slumdog Millionaire (Indian guy on Millionaire), The Hurt Locker (movie about the Iraq War) and now we have The Social Network, a movie about Facebook. As much as people would assume that a Facebook movie is lame or boring, apparently it knocked the hell out of every professional critic. The subject matter doesn't deal with Facebook. More so, it matters on the human relationships regarding ordinary people who helped defined our time.
The Social Network focuses on Mark Zuckerberg, after being dumped by his girlfriend and from forming a revenge blog, decides to build Facebook, an online social network he thinks would refreshes the entire "social experience"to a new level. Since the inception of Facebook, he is brought to lawsuits and a loss of friendship with Eduardo Saverin.
The Social Network is a simple story of friendship, loyalty and betrayal according to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Through Sorkin's stylish, witty screenplay, David Fincher's cold yet visceral direction and Trent Reznor's mesmerising score, these aspects manage to pull you in and for the better, make this film work to a higher level. Kudos to Jesse Eisenberg who plays the ironic characterization of Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield as the possibly flawless Eduardo Saverin who get screwed the most. It should've been Best Picture at the Oscars, but sooner or later, it will be a classic.
1. Inception
Friday, May 6, 2011
The 2010 Theatre 3000 Awards
Welcome to the Theatre 3000 Awards. I want to respond to all of the vague, snobby and shitless award shows with these mothaf**kers (sic.). They're not the most prestigious awards by any means from an internet blog which has only 13 followers, but it's what I will say is that this represents the best movies of the past year and a half in my opinion and to all the following people who hand out awards only for star power, because you're too lazy to vote or you don't give a shit about movies, this is what you should see. (People's Choice Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars and MTV Movie Awards)
Like the Razzies and you should know about them as well, this is satire to all the awards that host for crap, hand out crap, and use red carpets to distract us from crap. Most of the nominations are satire. Each category will have two winners
So here are the nominees.
1st Most Overrated Film... by Audiences
Best Soundtrack
Like the Razzies and you should know about them as well, this is satire to all the awards that host for crap, hand out crap, and use red carpets to distract us from crap. Most of the nominations are satire. Each category will have two winners
- My vote
- Your vote
So here are the nominees.
1st Most Overrated Film... by Audiences
- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (RT Audience: 74%)
- Iron Man 2 (RT Audience: 80%)
- True Grit (RT Audience: 86%)
- Alice In Wonderland (RT Audience: 72%)
- Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (RT Audience: 87%)
Most Overrated Film... by Critics
- True Grit
- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
- Iron Man 2
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King's Speech
Best Film-Wrecking Moment (MTV Satire)
- A character screws up pronouncing Aang - The Last Airbender
- The ending in - The Tourist
- The moment where a movie is announced it'll be shot in 3D - every movie made in 3D
- The word 'Focker' in every line of dialogue - Little Fockers
- When the whole movie turns into a fantasy flick about stalking - When In Rome
Worst nominations in an award show
- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - almost every nomination (People's Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards)
- The Tourist - Best Film: Musical Comedy, Best Actor: Musical or Comedy, Best Actress: Musical or Comedy (Golden Globes)
- Burlesque -Best Film: Musical Comedy (Golden Globes)
Worst Snubs in an awards show
- Christopher Nolan - Inception, Best Director (Academy Awards)
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Best Film, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Fight (MTV Movie Awards, Golden Globes, Academy Awards)
- Andrew Garfield - The Social Network, Best Supporting Actor (Academy Awards)
Shyamalan-Bay Award for Worst Film
- The Tourist
- The Last Airbender
- Grown Ups
- Cop Out
- Sex And The City 2
- Vampires Suck
- When In Rome
Most Underrated Film
- Kick-Ass
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- Greenberg
- Easy A
- Animal Kingdom
Best Soundtrack
- Black Swan - Clint Mansell
- Inception - Hans Zimmer
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Nigel Godrich, various artists
- The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- Tron: Legacy - Daft Punk
Best Cinematography
- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- Inception
- The Social Network
- True Grit
Best Production Design/Art Direction
- 127 Hours
- Alice In Wonderland
- Inception
- The Social Network
- Tron: Legacy
Best Editing
- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- Inception
- Kick-Ass
- The Social Network
Best Visual Effects
- Inception
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- Tron: Legacy
Best Screenplay
- 127 Hours - Simon Beaufoy
- Inception - Christopher Nolan
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Edgar Wright
- Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt
- The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Hero of the Year
- Christopher Nolan
- James Franco
- Roger Ebert
- Aaron Sorkin
- Natalie Portman
Villain of the Year
- Jason Friedberg + Aaron Seltzer
- Will Smith's kids
- Harvey Weinstein
- Miley Cyrus
- M Night Shymalan
Best Scene-Stealer
- Justin Timberlake - The Social Network
- Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
- Chloe Moretz - Kick-Ass
- Tom Hardy - Inception
- Rock - 127 Hours
- Kieran Culkin - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- Christian Bale - The Fighter
Most Breakthrough Performance
- Hailee Stenfeld - True Grit
- Chloe Moretz - Kick-Ass
- Tom Hardy - Inception
- Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
- Greta Girwig - Greenberg
Best Supporting Actor
- Geoffery Rush - The King's Speech
- Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
- Jeremy Renner - The Town
- Rock - 127 Hours
- Christian Bale - The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress
- Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
- Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom
- Chloe Moretz - Kick-Ass
- Mila Kunis - Black Swan
- Marion Cottilard - Inception
Best Movie Moment
- Mark Zuckerberg's comeback towards the Winklevosses - The Social Network
- Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis makes out - Black Swan
- Gravity Fight Scene - Inception
- Scott Pilgrim vs. Deadly Evel Exes - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- The climax - Toy Story 3
- James Franco cuts off his arm - 127 Hours
Best Actress
- Natalie Portman - Black Swan
- Ellen Page - Inception
- Jennifer Lawrence -Winter's Bone
- Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
Best Actor
- Colin Firth - The King's Speech
- James Franco - 127 Hours
- Jesse Einseberg - The Social Network
- Leonardo Dicaprio - Inception
- Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Stanley Kubrick Award for Best Director
- Darren Arronofsky - Black Swan
- Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
- David Fincher - The Social Network
- Christopher Nolan - Inception
- Edgar Wright - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Best Picture
- 127 Hours
- Animal Kingdom
- Black Swan
- Greenberg
- Inception
- The King's Speech
- Kick-Ass
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- The Social Network
- Toy Story 3
Please vote at the comments section below. The results will be handed out after the MTV Movie Awards
Monday, February 28, 2011
My Reaction to the 83rd Academy Awards
OK. The Oscars are over. After that, you should get a life.And I was divided. Really divided.
The King's Speech won four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor (it almost got the Big Five - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Director). I congratulate them with their win. It is a perfect prediction for this years Oscars because as I said in the Best Picture blog, the Academy loves a feel-good movie even if my wishes wasn't fulfilled. SO anyway congratulations to them. Even if it meant that a Hollywood movie had not won that category for four years.
I was really happy that Inception had got the most Oscars with four for Visual Effects, Cinematography, Sound Editing and Mixing. Most of the technical awards. And The Social Network got three Oscars - Best Editing, Best Original Score for Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. And even though it didn't win any important category, Inception and The Social Network will be remembered as two of the greatest movies made in this century.
And I was also pleased that Natalie Portman won the only Oscar for Black Swan. Black Swan is a dark movie and even it is so conflicted, Portman deserved it. Everybody's a winner (except for 127 Hours, that's a shame)
Insert rant:
But the entire show is so EXCRUCIATING. Anne Hathaway and James Franco may be the youngest hosts to ever host an Oscar show, but they are the worst Oscar hosts ever!! It makes David Letterman hosting feel like Billy Crystal, it makes Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin look like Cheech & Chong.
I have completely lost faith with Hathaway and I don't know if playing Catwoman in the next Batman movie was the right choice by Christopher Nolan. Seriously James Franco cross dress as Marilyn Monroe while Hathaway makes fun of Australians. That is such a dick move. It reminds me of two guys sitting next to each other at a bar. One's drunk and the other remains sober. Hathaway acts drunk while Franco seems like he came out from Alcoholic Anomynous. That is such a dick move.
More than so, this is what I've been expecting from these two actors who have never experienced any hosting duties. They honestly could not take this seriously together and the chemistry is entirely charmless. Seriously the jokes are unfunny, the lines are unplayful and this is the moment I've been waiting for... Hathaway changing her wardrobe for EIGHT FUCKING TIMES! Hathaway bringing in a choir from the movie Waiting For Superman is somewhat a hush compensation for us if we don't enjoy until the very end. Watching Hathaway and Franco hosting the 83rd Academy Awards is like watching The Last Airbender where it doesn't have an ending and until its 127 minute there's a twist (M Night Shyalaman joke put here) but there's still no ending. Now I'm wishing Kanye would come in and interrupt them. It's also like watching The Tourist again and again.
I honestly don't get why the Academy is so obsessed with kids my age. I mean did the whole Academy go into a midlife crisis? Did they want them to grab ratings? Did the Academy want to trick them into seeing the hottest girl and guy in Hollywood hosting the biggest event of their lives? They're trying to grab a younger audience and that plan had epicly failed. Unfortunately no one 16 years younger or older to 25 is interested in good movies. Because they don't know what the fuck is a good movie. They're still playing their Call Of Duty: Black Ops, still watching the same Adam Sandler movie or Twilight movie and they will never watch classic movies like 2001: A Space Oddysey or Goodfellas.
They could've chose a comedian instead. None of them are comedians and the Academy would've gave Stephen Colbert or even Conan o Brien the rights to host it.
But the best thing about the show is a montage of The Social Network, Twilight, Toy Story 3 and Harry Potter mashuped to deliver a hilarious autotune
So my verdict is this: Everyone's a winner, but they wasted their time to the most hollow show on Earth
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Road To The "Oscar"
OK. There will be 5 sleeps until the Oscars is held and I believe that in some ways, the Academy tries to get the attention of minors or trying to gather a youthful audience to watch the Oscars after school. They chose Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts because they're young and more well known to many young ones. Then they nominate Toy Story 3, Inception for Best Picture some movies that everyone would enjoy. Would teens watch the annual show?
But we're not talking about why young people should care about the Oscars. (they don't watch good movies at times anyway). the title Road to The "Oscar" refers to the one and only Oscar category I care about (hence the quotation marks of the word Oscar and how the word is not in plural form): The Academy Award For Best Picture.
In my opinion, doubling the nominees to 10 seems to be a good move. The move was based on what movies everybody liked (the people and the critics). Ever since 2005, there have been nominees which the majority of people have never heard about but the critics loved. In 2005, the Oscars back then was the lowest rated Oscars in television because nobody have heard about movies such as Capote, Crash (the Best Pic winner), Good Night and Good Luck which was directed by George Clooney and Munich which was an unknown piece from Steven Spielberg. It was the same as for 2007 where There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men and Michael Clayton was never well known to a lot of people. But the next year, the Best Picture category had everyone's nerves. There was disappointment to many people that The Dark Knight and WALL-E wasn't nominated for Best Picture accusing the Academy of snubbing these two movies (all poppy) saying they were deserving. So it was a great move that last year the nominees were 10 because it shows a range of movies that many audiences enjoy. From science fiction like Avatar, District 9 to darling indies like Precious and The Hurt Locker.
This year the Best Picture nominees involves a cyber-Kane, a stuttering King, a dream weaver, a lesbian couple, a batshit ballerina, some dude who cuts his arm off and a cowboy movie. I forgot to mention a crack boxer, toys and a hillbillie family with true grit.
127 Hours - that movie featuring the greatest amputation scene
Plot:
The true story of an extreme sports enthusiast whose arm got trapped between the rock. During his time with the boulder, he goes back to memories filled with every emotion from the varied spectrum and hallucinates of his peers and family.
What I Think Of The Movie:
I may be exagerrating, but 127 Hours is the best contemporary film of this modern millenium with a flawless performance from James Franco. It's Man Vs. Wild meets Hitchcock.
Chance of Winning Best Picture:
Despite the fact that Danny Boyle previously directed Slumdog Millionaire, this movie will not likely win Best Picture. It's risk taking at any standards but it won't appeal the Academy though. Won't likely to win any Oscars, but my wish is it should win Best Editing.
Black Swan - Ballerinas must seek group therapy
Plot:
Natalie Portman is a ballerina who seeks perfection so badly that she pressures herself way too much.
What I Think:
Black Swan is a movie that wants to find itself through sexual and literally reflective motifs. It is a rollercoaster ride by Darren Aronofsky whose character study brings Natalie Portman to a tour-de-force performance. Everything looks esquisite especially the choreography.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Even if it won three Best Picture awards from three Critics Groups and a nod for Arronofsky for directing it, soon it won't win Best Picture. But hey. It'll definitely brings home Best Actress for Natalie Portman.
The Fighter - Boxer with seven troll sisters
Plot:
Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is the brother of Micky Ward whose a boxer. Well, unsuccessful. And Ward cannot continue not only because he cannot box properly, but because Dicky end up in prison but because his mother would not let him and also his seven ugly sisters.
What I Think:
The Fighter is just some ordinary boxing movie. Every movie is the same except for Million Dollar Baby. However The Fighter is just formulaic and cliche with the same plot, but I still think the performances save this film.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
It is nominated for many Best Pics, but it wouldn't win. At least they'll get Supporting honours.
Inception - The Dream Weaver
Plot:
An extractor whose still in grief for the death of his wife. But he makes one last task by planting an idea into someone's deepest dreams.
What I Think:
Inception is a multi-layered thriller with a science fiction premise. It's beyond speculative fiction cementing Christopher Nolan's reputation as its greatest filmmaker working right now.
Chance OF Winning Best Picture:
Nolan was responsible for bringing 10 nominees. The Academy already responded with that, they don't need to respond by giving it Best Picture. It's already an awesome movie. You don't need to win Best Pic if this movie was perfect. It should win most of the technical categories, but it should win Best Original Screenplay.
The Kids Are Alright - Married... With children... and we're gay.
Plot:
A lesbian couple has two kids. the kids find their sperm donor who had made them and the wives are shocked to find out.
What I Think:
The Kids Are Alright is pretty overrated. Ever since Brokeback Mountain, it seems that the academy is so obssessed with films about gays.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Fortunately for The Kids Are Alright it won the Golden Globe For Best Picture - Musical Or Comedy (even though it was the only legit film for that category). But it will never win the category, but I'm predicting that the biggest shock of the Oscars would be Annette Bening winning Best Actress over Portman. It may win Best Original Screenplay because it's an indie flick with 'values'
The King's Speech - The King who.. simply couldn't speak
Plot:
King George VI can't deliver a speech. He then bond with a speech therapist so he can speak again during times of war and troubles
What I Think:
The King's Speech is a delightful film that has a fascinating problem of an iconic king. But the whole movie is entirely predictable but is lifted up by the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffery Rush.
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
The King's Speech could win Best Picture not because it is supported by the Weinsteins but because the Academy enjoy a feel-good movie even if it was predictable. If it doesn't win, it will certainly go away with a Best Actor prize for Colin Firth and possibly a Best Original Screenplay.
The Social Network - Cyber-Kane
Plot:
Basically the foundings of Facebook responsible by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg who's portrayed as this cold-hearted genius betraying his friends and peers to make this website.
What I Think:
An impreccable direction from David Fincher, a quick witted script by Aaron Sorkin and a remarkable cast featuring Jesse Einseberg and Andrew Garfield shows that this is the best film made by Hollywood for 2010. It is not a movie about Facebook, it's a dark and realistic look of how we find connections online
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
Sweeping almost all of the critics awards there is including a Golden Globe, this may not win Best Picture because the Academy voters may be left cold with this one. At least they're a sure shot for winning Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay
Toy Story 3 - the third plot of plastics
Plot:
The third instalment of the incredible trilogy, Andy's going to college and don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately he unintendedly left them in a trash bag so the toys enter a daycare disguised as a dungeon.
What I Think:
It is perfect, but it doesn't mean it's flawless. Sometimes the movie feels so familiar with the previous movies way better than this one. At least Toy Story was fun and emotional
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
They're certainly a full shot for Best Animated Feature, but will never win the top prize. At least it was nominated for the top category, grossed a billion dollars and is a great movie from Pixar
True Grit - Coens' 'greatest' film
Plot:
14 year old Mattie Ross asks a drunk US Marshal to help find her father's killers.
What I Think:
Well apparently I find this overrated. The Coens may have recaptured the Western and Hailee Steinfeld steals the show, but apparently I don't think the performances of the whole cast (exception of Steinfeld) never worked for me. And the ending is questionable, but still it's a good movie.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
The last Western to win was Unforgiven in 1991. However True Grit got too many noms and should get one Oscar, at least. Anyway, it won't win Best Picture even though the Academy enjoys remakes.
Winter's Bone - Ozarks may rest in pieces
Plot:
A family from the Ozarks is living under poverty and the daughter (Jennifer Lawrence) goes finding her father who escaped bail and is hunting the family.
What i think:
Honestly I don't have anything about Winter's Bone because I haven't seen it. But it was a critics darling and unfortunately many people were bored by it. This is the only film nobody's ever heard about unless you've went to Sundance.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
To be honest, there's a 1 in 10 chance of winning. But to be fair, this may be a shocker if it wins because it was considered 'unforgettable' by the critics. Expect a Crash-styled upset.
My Pics:
The 'Best' Best Picture Nominees:
1. 127 Hours (10.0)
2. The Social Network (9.6)
3. Inception (9.5)
4. Black Swan (9.4)
5. Toy Story and The King's Speech (tie) (7.8)
7. True Grit (6.4)
I haven't seen The Fighter, The Kids Are Alright and Winter's Bone but I stand corrected by my opinions (except for the latter)
Who Will Win:
It will be a neck-and-neck race between The King's Speech and The Social Network. The King's Speech may get the top prize. it was given every top honour from the Guilds, the public enjoyed it, the critics enjoyed it. Everybody enjoyed it. The Social Network is a critics' darling and to my understanding it was a cold portrayal of Mark zuckerberg, one of the most powerful men in the world who founded Facebook only his character matches the website's irony.
Who Should Win:
The Social Network. It is a modern day look of the insecurities of this generation
OK. I'm done. But I'm not watching the Oscars. I'll catch it up in the news of who won and who lost.
But we're not talking about why young people should care about the Oscars. (they don't watch good movies at times anyway). the title Road to The "Oscar" refers to the one and only Oscar category I care about (hence the quotation marks of the word Oscar and how the word is not in plural form): The Academy Award For Best Picture.
In my opinion, doubling the nominees to 10 seems to be a good move. The move was based on what movies everybody liked (the people and the critics). Ever since 2005, there have been nominees which the majority of people have never heard about but the critics loved. In 2005, the Oscars back then was the lowest rated Oscars in television because nobody have heard about movies such as Capote, Crash (the Best Pic winner), Good Night and Good Luck which was directed by George Clooney and Munich which was an unknown piece from Steven Spielberg. It was the same as for 2007 where There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men and Michael Clayton was never well known to a lot of people. But the next year, the Best Picture category had everyone's nerves. There was disappointment to many people that The Dark Knight and WALL-E wasn't nominated for Best Picture accusing the Academy of snubbing these two movies (all poppy) saying they were deserving. So it was a great move that last year the nominees were 10 because it shows a range of movies that many audiences enjoy. From science fiction like Avatar, District 9 to darling indies like Precious and The Hurt Locker.
This year the Best Picture nominees involves a cyber-Kane, a stuttering King, a dream weaver, a lesbian couple, a batshit ballerina, some dude who cuts his arm off and a cowboy movie. I forgot to mention a crack boxer, toys and a hillbillie family with true grit.
127 Hours - that movie featuring the greatest amputation scene
Plot:
The true story of an extreme sports enthusiast whose arm got trapped between the rock. During his time with the boulder, he goes back to memories filled with every emotion from the varied spectrum and hallucinates of his peers and family.
What I Think Of The Movie:
I may be exagerrating, but 127 Hours is the best contemporary film of this modern millenium with a flawless performance from James Franco. It's Man Vs. Wild meets Hitchcock.
Chance of Winning Best Picture:
Despite the fact that Danny Boyle previously directed Slumdog Millionaire, this movie will not likely win Best Picture. It's risk taking at any standards but it won't appeal the Academy though. Won't likely to win any Oscars, but my wish is it should win Best Editing.
Black Swan - Ballerinas must seek group therapy
Plot:
Natalie Portman is a ballerina who seeks perfection so badly that she pressures herself way too much.
What I Think:
Black Swan is a movie that wants to find itself through sexual and literally reflective motifs. It is a rollercoaster ride by Darren Aronofsky whose character study brings Natalie Portman to a tour-de-force performance. Everything looks esquisite especially the choreography.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Even if it won three Best Picture awards from three Critics Groups and a nod for Arronofsky for directing it, soon it won't win Best Picture. But hey. It'll definitely brings home Best Actress for Natalie Portman.
The Fighter - Boxer with seven troll sisters
Plot:
Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is the brother of Micky Ward whose a boxer. Well, unsuccessful. And Ward cannot continue not only because he cannot box properly, but because Dicky end up in prison but because his mother would not let him and also his seven ugly sisters.
What I Think:
The Fighter is just some ordinary boxing movie. Every movie is the same except for Million Dollar Baby. However The Fighter is just formulaic and cliche with the same plot, but I still think the performances save this film.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
It is nominated for many Best Pics, but it wouldn't win. At least they'll get Supporting honours.
Inception - The Dream Weaver
Plot:
An extractor whose still in grief for the death of his wife. But he makes one last task by planting an idea into someone's deepest dreams.
What I Think:
Inception is a multi-layered thriller with a science fiction premise. It's beyond speculative fiction cementing Christopher Nolan's reputation as its greatest filmmaker working right now.
Chance OF Winning Best Picture:
Nolan was responsible for bringing 10 nominees. The Academy already responded with that, they don't need to respond by giving it Best Picture. It's already an awesome movie. You don't need to win Best Pic if this movie was perfect. It should win most of the technical categories, but it should win Best Original Screenplay.
The Kids Are Alright - Married... With children... and we're gay.
Plot:
A lesbian couple has two kids. the kids find their sperm donor who had made them and the wives are shocked to find out.
What I Think:
The Kids Are Alright is pretty overrated. Ever since Brokeback Mountain, it seems that the academy is so obssessed with films about gays.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Fortunately for The Kids Are Alright it won the Golden Globe For Best Picture - Musical Or Comedy (even though it was the only legit film for that category). But it will never win the category, but I'm predicting that the biggest shock of the Oscars would be Annette Bening winning Best Actress over Portman. It may win Best Original Screenplay because it's an indie flick with 'values'
The King's Speech - The King who.. simply couldn't speak
Plot:
King George VI can't deliver a speech. He then bond with a speech therapist so he can speak again during times of war and troubles
What I Think:
The King's Speech is a delightful film that has a fascinating problem of an iconic king. But the whole movie is entirely predictable but is lifted up by the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffery Rush.
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
The King's Speech could win Best Picture not because it is supported by the Weinsteins but because the Academy enjoy a feel-good movie even if it was predictable. If it doesn't win, it will certainly go away with a Best Actor prize for Colin Firth and possibly a Best Original Screenplay.
Plot:
Basically the foundings of Facebook responsible by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg who's portrayed as this cold-hearted genius betraying his friends and peers to make this website.
What I Think:
An impreccable direction from David Fincher, a quick witted script by Aaron Sorkin and a remarkable cast featuring Jesse Einseberg and Andrew Garfield shows that this is the best film made by Hollywood for 2010. It is not a movie about Facebook, it's a dark and realistic look of how we find connections online
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
Sweeping almost all of the critics awards there is including a Golden Globe, this may not win Best Picture because the Academy voters may be left cold with this one. At least they're a sure shot for winning Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay
Toy Story 3 - the third plot of plastics
Plot:
The third instalment of the incredible trilogy, Andy's going to college and don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately he unintendedly left them in a trash bag so the toys enter a daycare disguised as a dungeon.
What I Think:
It is perfect, but it doesn't mean it's flawless. Sometimes the movie feels so familiar with the previous movies way better than this one. At least Toy Story was fun and emotional
Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
They're certainly a full shot for Best Animated Feature, but will never win the top prize. At least it was nominated for the top category, grossed a billion dollars and is a great movie from Pixar
True Grit - Coens' 'greatest' film
Plot:
14 year old Mattie Ross asks a drunk US Marshal to help find her father's killers.
What I Think:
Well apparently I find this overrated. The Coens may have recaptured the Western and Hailee Steinfeld steals the show, but apparently I don't think the performances of the whole cast (exception of Steinfeld) never worked for me. And the ending is questionable, but still it's a good movie.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
The last Western to win was Unforgiven in 1991. However True Grit got too many noms and should get one Oscar, at least. Anyway, it won't win Best Picture even though the Academy enjoys remakes.
Winter's Bone - Ozarks may rest in pieces
Plot:
A family from the Ozarks is living under poverty and the daughter (Jennifer Lawrence) goes finding her father who escaped bail and is hunting the family.
What i think:
Honestly I don't have anything about Winter's Bone because I haven't seen it. But it was a critics darling and unfortunately many people were bored by it. This is the only film nobody's ever heard about unless you've went to Sundance.
Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
To be honest, there's a 1 in 10 chance of winning. But to be fair, this may be a shocker if it wins because it was considered 'unforgettable' by the critics. Expect a Crash-styled upset.
My Pics:
The 'Best' Best Picture Nominees:
1. 127 Hours (10.0)
2. The Social Network (9.6)
3. Inception (9.5)
4. Black Swan (9.4)
5. Toy Story and The King's Speech (tie) (7.8)
7. True Grit (6.4)
I haven't seen The Fighter, The Kids Are Alright and Winter's Bone but I stand corrected by my opinions (except for the latter)
Who Will Win:
It will be a neck-and-neck race between The King's Speech and The Social Network. The King's Speech may get the top prize. it was given every top honour from the Guilds, the public enjoyed it, the critics enjoyed it. Everybody enjoyed it. The Social Network is a critics' darling and to my understanding it was a cold portrayal of Mark zuckerberg, one of the most powerful men in the world who founded Facebook only his character matches the website's irony.
Who Should Win:
The Social Network. It is a modern day look of the insecurities of this generation
OK. I'm done. But I'm not watching the Oscars. I'll catch it up in the news of who won and who lost.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Inception (revised)
A+ (10.0)I have been reviewing movies and when I think about film, it is a form of art. And I have done that for almost nine months. And it was hard to look at the film for what it's worth.
One thing that gets me interested in that movie while watching is if it was based on the value it should give to audiences or if there's something that's has some interesting quality to that movie. The majority of movies I see everyday is based on the second option since I choose what I wanted to see very closely and wisely.
Inception is a huge example.
I have to admit that my initial review of this great movie from last year was way too vague and doesn't make any sense. I didn't like the sentence structure and there were numerous errors based on grammar and also because I didn't explain how good the film was properly. If the review was an essay for either high school or uni, I would've been given a zero.
So here's my opinion of this special movie I will enjoy for countless lifetimes.
I won't give out the plot so here's some snippets of it. Leonardo Dicaprio plays an extractor Cobb who goes into a person's dreams and will either do two things: steal secrets from layers of subconsciousness or plant an idea into someone's subconsciousness that the person will keep forever hence changing his life completely. This is called an Inception. Cobb is hired by a Japanese businessman (Ken Watenabe) to perform Inception on his competitor Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and he will hire a crew to do this. Ranging from a point man, forger to an architect. Played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy and Ellen Page respectively.
Inception represents one major reason why I go to movies. Before I was analysing film, I go to movies to be entertained. I was entertained and Inception had given me something to do while watching. To think.
Christopher Nolan had been making this film for almost a decade. Given that there are many science fiction influences towards Inception, influences especially films like 2001: A Space Oddyssey and The Matrix, it has a variety of logic and philosophy that will impact film buffs for years. Nolan had previously bended our minds with his breakout film Memento and Inception have delivered many interpretations since its release.
What I like about Nolan is that his other gift is to bring a devastating emotion (mostly grief) to the heart of his films. We've seen Guy Pearce playing a widowed amnesiac in Memento, Christian Bale as Batman who is riddled with choice and grief in The Dark Knight, and now to Dicaprio's character Cobb who like Peace and Batman together has dealt to losing his wife (Marion Cottilard) and the decisions he makes with his dream missions. Dicaprio is both charismatic and melodramatic and given how he played the same character in Scorsese's Shutter Island, it is still convincing.
The casting is pretty good. Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page plays people who look's after Cobb's grief. Page plays therapy with Cobb and does a huge role for this movie. But I reckon that the best person out of the lot is Marion Cottilard and Tom Hardy who both play the psychotic wife of Cobb and the person who shapeshifts in a dream. Hardy delivers much of the film's comic relief and such while Cotillard plays the confused wife who becomes Cobb's memory and sabotage his missions. There is also a nice cameo from Michael Caine.
Nolan thinks expansive, from the gravity-defying fight scenes to the quasi-looking art set, it feels like I'm in it.
While Nolan's intention is to play games with the audience, how to understand it does not count on the number of viewings. Given the numerous concepts, it should be based on how much you have paid attention to the whole movie. For some people who haven't seen the movie, you should give this movie a try if you not only wanted to like it but to try and make sense. Those people who did are doing the right thing. But the others who dismiss it because it's hard to understand, you're doing the exact opposite.
Nolan has made an impact to the film industry. He defined the reboot for Batman's Begins, invented odd and exciting story structures and created a perfect impact to everyone watching a thrilling movie that will grab you into the screen
When Inception was first released, it was a summer of films recycled from other source material. Inception would be either be a positive sign for Hollywood showing it's redeeming itself or just an exception to this era's laziness in pop culture.
Nolan join the ranks along with David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Jason Reitman and Darren Arronofsky as our best contemporary filmmakers in this time.
From this point on, Inception will be a classic.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
2010 is the year of the geek
For the past week I have been complaining of how society is becoming tasteless with music and movies. It's not just that. There's reality TV shows like Jersey Shore and please-don't-mention-them the Kardashians and the biggest fad of all time. The Auto Tune.
But not everything's bad about 2010. I watch my best share in movies and music and whoever's following my views here's what good about 2010. It's where the geeks rule. IF you want to rebel against society's taste, you're a geek, if you enjoy video games, science fiction, fantasy or comic books, you're a geek. Well being is a geek is all that good. First of all you get to enjoy your youth if you're a nerd in your late 40s and second of all it breaks out your inner geekiness.
This is how 2010 had made geeks becoming gods.
First of all let's start off with movies. For the past 12 months, movies have evolve around 3D and absolutely the dumbest stuff we have seen on screen. They all have been successful which is why I've been complaining. Where Avatar had just killed the geeks, the geek culture may have come into revival.
My top ten movies involves four movies: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Kick-Ass, Inception and The Social Network. All of these movies have geeks and it's no shame.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World has a really geeky title, but it's full of true geek. Michael Cera is a geek himself playing the title geek falls in love with the girl of her dreams and must defeat seven evil exes in order to keep going out with her. The reason why Scott Pilgrim is so good is because they want to be a geek and chose to do it in a ridiculous and surreal manner. The characters geek, the music geek, and the visuals also belongs to geeks because it combines video games and comic book into screen life. Bursting a douche's head into coins had never felt so exciting
Kick Ass. Awesome title, but geeky. Where a geek dons a superhero with only two baton sticks as his weapons and has his ass kicked. Sure it has an 11 year old swaering and kiling. Sure if Nicolas Cage rips off Adam West. Sure it was a box office bomb since it never got our attention because it was blocked by Tea Party fanatics. But wahtever it is Kick Ass is a total geekfest and it is literally a geek itself when it is bullied by critics for all the sures above.
Inception. It's the year's favourite movie by a geek. There's one obvious trait about geeks. It is smart. And so is this movie which is a geek. Leonardo Dicaprio plays an extractor who thinks like a geek because he is obssessed with dreams. It is most talked about because it is confusing but a geek can quickly figure it out himself. It also has a huge fanbase
The Social Network (probably the best movie of the year) is a movie about a geek who makes the biggest social gathering on the Web called Facebook. Jess Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg who is not only geek, but a genius, punk and billionaire. Zuckerberg has all the common traits of the geek. He rebels against the social world since he's socially inept, obsessed with computers and such. And he's the richest geek alive.
Muse had became the best bands there is in the new millenium. If you want to see a live gig from some random band, buy tickets for Muse because they are the greatest live band of the 21st Century. How is this associated with geeks and 2010. First off their all of their records (Showbiz, Origin Of Symmetry, Absolution, Black Holes And Revelations, The Resistance) is like Edgar Wright (the dude who made Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World). He mashes up genres. If you imagine them composing the score of Scott Pilgrim or Inception you will have classical music meets alternative metal and progressive rock meets RnB. So this has been the geek's music because their lyrics involve science fiction and crazy fantasies.
But not everything's bad about 2010. I watch my best share in movies and music and whoever's following my views here's what good about 2010. It's where the geeks rule. IF you want to rebel against society's taste, you're a geek, if you enjoy video games, science fiction, fantasy or comic books, you're a geek. Well being is a geek is all that good. First of all you get to enjoy your youth if you're a nerd in your late 40s and second of all it breaks out your inner geekiness.
This is how 2010 had made geeks becoming gods.
First of all let's start off with movies. For the past 12 months, movies have evolve around 3D and absolutely the dumbest stuff we have seen on screen. They all have been successful which is why I've been complaining. Where Avatar had just killed the geeks, the geek culture may have come into revival.
My top ten movies involves four movies: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Kick-Ass, Inception and The Social Network. All of these movies have geeks and it's no shame.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World has a really geeky title, but it's full of true geek. Michael Cera is a geek himself playing the title geek falls in love with the girl of her dreams and must defeat seven evil exes in order to keep going out with her. The reason why Scott Pilgrim is so good is because they want to be a geek and chose to do it in a ridiculous and surreal manner. The characters geek, the music geek, and the visuals also belongs to geeks because it combines video games and comic book into screen life. Bursting a douche's head into coins had never felt so exciting
Kick Ass. Awesome title, but geeky. Where a geek dons a superhero with only two baton sticks as his weapons and has his ass kicked. Sure it has an 11 year old swaering and kiling. Sure if Nicolas Cage rips off Adam West. Sure it was a box office bomb since it never got our attention because it was blocked by Tea Party fanatics. But wahtever it is Kick Ass is a total geekfest and it is literally a geek itself when it is bullied by critics for all the sures above.
Inception. It's the year's favourite movie by a geek. There's one obvious trait about geeks. It is smart. And so is this movie which is a geek. Leonardo Dicaprio plays an extractor who thinks like a geek because he is obssessed with dreams. It is most talked about because it is confusing but a geek can quickly figure it out himself. It also has a huge fanbase
The Social Network (probably the best movie of the year) is a movie about a geek who makes the biggest social gathering on the Web called Facebook. Jess Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg who is not only geek, but a genius, punk and billionaire. Zuckerberg has all the common traits of the geek. He rebels against the social world since he's socially inept, obsessed with computers and such. And he's the richest geek alive.
It's not just movies that count, it's also the music. Where our radio stations punk'd us with music that is unlistenable, the music that is the listenable is ones the geeks are listening to at the moment.
First of all, Vampire Weekend started off the year with their second album Contra a poppy, catchy, cheery record with a lot of African beats and songs about hipsters and geeks alike like Cousins or Holiday. Indie rock is the new rock where after Nirvana introduced alternative rock with Smell Like Teen Spirit, Vampire Weekend might introduce us about the angst of geeks everywhere about certain traits and other crazy stuff.
If you don't think so, try listening to Arcade Fire one of the biggest bands... literally. Well they're not that big but they have a huge fanbase and that The Surburbs, the band's latest record is both critically acclaimed and a commercial success to the mainstream. Arcade Fire may be this generation's Radiohead. The Suburbs may their OK Computer, where a lot of music geeks called it the greatest album of its time.
Look how big Arcade Fire had become.
Another band with a similar fanbase is a big band called Muse.
Muse had became the best bands there is in the new millenium. If you want to see a live gig from some random band, buy tickets for Muse because they are the greatest live band of the 21st Century. How is this associated with geeks and 2010. First off their all of their records (Showbiz, Origin Of Symmetry, Absolution, Black Holes And Revelations, The Resistance) is like Edgar Wright (the dude who made Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World). He mashes up genres. If you imagine them composing the score of Scott Pilgrim or Inception you will have classical music meets alternative metal and progressive rock meets RnB. So this has been the geek's music because their lyrics involve science fiction and crazy fantasies.Muse may become the Heir for Biggest Band In The World which is currently held by U2 (they still support them in their big tours). Their live performances should be a must see for any fan or any music lover there is.
So there you have it. Geeks rule 2010. If you want to avoid the travesty of our society today, become a geek today
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Teenagers and Movies, Music and Culture (Part II)
Here's a challenge to all people I will target in this posting - if you can write 100 words or of your all time favourite movie whether good or bad and send to me via my email at:
adriannguyen@rocketmail.com
There's no prize, but I want you to complete the challenge so I know you can write review
_______________________________________________________________________________
OK. What is it about this current generation. Generation Y is that generation.
I am quite sure that as you move to different generations they are literally dumb into making choices. Like should you spend on cash when you have $600 in your wallet or you spend by one of your credit cards you should only use for 'emergencies'. The biggest disadvantages on cash is that you'll lose some money you should pay for lunch. The biggest disadvantages with credit cards is that as much as you spend it on expensive items more, it'll expire.
DVDs are quite like $6 to $29. But the average price for a new DVD is about $20 while Blu Rays are worth $30. But there's something that DVDs (or the film industry) need to take a stance on. Movie Piracy.
You know. The people supplying us with discs showing movies currently screening in theatres are Triads. And teenagers are going to the street buying these discs where it only cost $4, but the disc has a low quality in picture, sound, and features. I don't teenagers hold up a majority but we've seen ads where they say piracy is a problem for the film industry. And the people who buy pirated movies simply ignore it.
Well I'm not talking about movie piracy. I'm talking movies here and how this generation treats it like dirt.
Teenagers are going to the movie more than their parents. I mean their parents would adore celebrities like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Aniston, Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp but I and the rest of Y adored people like Robert Pattinson, Megan Fox, Taylor Lautner, or any actress that had posed in a lad's mag before.. These people cannot even act but yet they are in love because they are good looking.
Why are boys drooling at Megan Fox. She's just a sex bomb. Seriously there are actresses that are pretty enough than Fox. What about Zooey Deschanel or Emma Stone. Even Blake Lively or Mila Kunis? Come on. They should be part of your stupid famtasies.
Whatever happened to celebrities who are naturally beautiful today? I mean the only actresses that are naturally hot are Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman.
I given up to the former. Johansson is a no good actress even if her amazing looks could lure both the boys and girls. And the only men she attracts are guys that are older than her. In their 40s? That is not on. Hathaway is literally a white person. She doesn't put on a lot of makeup except for some lipstick and eyelash or plastic surgery and every year she's becoming more gorgeous than ever.
A lot of girls see both Johansson and Hathaway as role models but they have something against Hathaway. They think she look like a rat and is annoying. On the other hand there's Natalie Portman and she might be one of the greatest actresses of her generation. The problem with her is that unless you have seen the Star Wars prequels, you have never heard of her. Teens should at least watch one Natalie Portman movie other than the Star Wars prequels.
Inception and The Matrix has one thing in common. They both go into different universes and they both are smart and make the audiences think. It took me a while during the movie to figure out the plot halfway through The Matrix. And I'm not telling you that because you were too numb to understand it or people like me ahd figured it out. People at school once teased me for watching the Matrix because they couldn't understand it like they couldn't understand Inception.
adriannguyen@rocketmail.com
There's no prize, but I want you to complete the challenge so I know you can write review
_______________________________________________________________________________
OK. What is it about this current generation. Generation Y is that generation.
I am quite sure that as you move to different generations they are literally dumb into making choices. Like should you spend on cash when you have $600 in your wallet or you spend by one of your credit cards you should only use for 'emergencies'. The biggest disadvantages on cash is that you'll lose some money you should pay for lunch. The biggest disadvantages with credit cards is that as much as you spend it on expensive items more, it'll expire.
DVDs are quite like $6 to $29. But the average price for a new DVD is about $20 while Blu Rays are worth $30. But there's something that DVDs (or the film industry) need to take a stance on. Movie Piracy.
You know. The people supplying us with discs showing movies currently screening in theatres are Triads. And teenagers are going to the street buying these discs where it only cost $4, but the disc has a low quality in picture, sound, and features. I don't teenagers hold up a majority but we've seen ads where they say piracy is a problem for the film industry. And the people who buy pirated movies simply ignore it.
Well I'm not talking about movie piracy. I'm talking movies here and how this generation treats it like dirt.
Teenagers are going to the movie more than their parents. I mean their parents would adore celebrities like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Aniston, Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp but I and the rest of Y adored people like Robert Pattinson, Megan Fox, Taylor Lautner, or any actress that had posed in a lad's mag before.. These people cannot even act but yet they are in love because they are good looking.
Why are boys drooling at Megan Fox. She's just a sex bomb. Seriously there are actresses that are pretty enough than Fox. What about Zooey Deschanel or Emma Stone. Even Blake Lively or Mila Kunis? Come on. They should be part of your stupid famtasies.
Whatever happened to celebrities who are naturally beautiful today? I mean the only actresses that are naturally hot are Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman.
I given up to the former. Johansson is a no good actress even if her amazing looks could lure both the boys and girls. And the only men she attracts are guys that are older than her. In their 40s? That is not on. Hathaway is literally a white person. She doesn't put on a lot of makeup except for some lipstick and eyelash or plastic surgery and every year she's becoming more gorgeous than ever.
A lot of girls see both Johansson and Hathaway as role models but they have something against Hathaway. They think she look like a rat and is annoying. On the other hand there's Natalie Portman and she might be one of the greatest actresses of her generation. The problem with her is that unless you have seen the Star Wars prequels, you have never heard of her. Teens should at least watch one Natalie Portman movie other than the Star Wars prequels.
I have a total of 28 DVDs and I call them The Good Ones because all of these movies were acclaimed. Here some example:
- Kick Ass
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- Inception
- Up
- Minority Report
- The Dark Knight
- The Departed
- Little Miss Sunshine.
- (500) Days OF Summer
- Sin City
- The Matrix
These movies are examples of what teenagers are missing out. IF I was going to a field trip to Washington and my teachers ask me to bring a movie so I and the other kids won't get bored I will bring them in. But I will most likely to pick Scott Pilgrim or Minority Report since the movie should be rated PG -13 or M in Australia. I wouldnt choose Inception or The Dark Knight because they think it is gay and I wouldn't choose Up because it's a Pixar movie.
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I tried that hard to convince people to watch good movies. Nick Lyons tries to tell people to watch Black Swan. Problem is nobody listens to him
The only movies teenagers love nowadays are movies with broad humor like Adam Sandler movies or movies with Rob Schneider (my favourite actor of all time. Not), movies with hotties such as Twilight and Transformers and movies that are witless and juvenile like the Frieberg-Seltzer movies and they say it was funny.
Come on people. Why can't teenagers be mature about movies? I mean they may as well forget their dates or what day do they have their exams.
Well I don't blame them. You know teenagers can be either the most demanding or undemanding depending on what movie Hollywood makes. If it was a Christopher Nolan movie it will undemanding because we don't know what movie idea Nolan has next in his mind. But if it was Transformers or an Adam Sandler movie, every young person will say (not literally) 'we want more. Give me more'.
I believe there will be more Resident Evil movies than there is for James Bond. The more movies they're planning the more demanding it gets. Seriously can it stop. It's a stupid video game movies. They're meant to be bad and pwned by the box office.
But honestly I still have something in common with the public. I enjoyed some Adam Sandler movies including Anger Management and Happy Gilmore, but the best movie with Adam Sandler is Reign Over Me. I enjoyed Superbad which was really funny and another movie The Hangover. Both these movies are actually hilarious based on story and comedy. I still have fun with comedy unless I would be offended
So if anyone is reading this you have two choices - either think about the movies you watch and change your taste or give me hate mail at my address or the comments.
You're offended? Hate me. Hate Me. I'm ready for you. Try and spam me whatever you want because it would never solve anything.
I believe there will be more Resident Evil movies than there is for James Bond. The more movies they're planning the more demanding it gets. Seriously can it stop. It's a stupid video game movies. They're meant to be bad and pwned by the box office.
But honestly I still have something in common with the public. I enjoyed some Adam Sandler movies including Anger Management and Happy Gilmore, but the best movie with Adam Sandler is Reign Over Me. I enjoyed Superbad which was really funny and another movie The Hangover. Both these movies are actually hilarious based on story and comedy. I still have fun with comedy unless I would be offended
So if anyone is reading this you have two choices - either think about the movies you watch and change your taste or give me hate mail at my address or the comments.
You're offended? Hate me. Hate Me. I'm ready for you. Try and spam me whatever you want because it would never solve anything.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
DVD Shorts: Inception, Kick Ass, Scott Pilgrim,
Ok, I have reviewed all of these movies titled above. All of them I loved. All of them I've listed in my Best List. But I would keep these reviews short since I have bought and owned all of the DVDs. And some of them have been revised and rating. (These are reviewed in DVD form)
Inception
Christopher Nolan's dazzling and multi-layered masterpiece has turned one blockbuster like The Dark Knight the transformation to a work of art. The charisma follows with the rest of the cast including Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page who extract secrets in a person's subconsciousness and at the last minute changed a very person's life when putting an idea in his subconsciousness.
Nolan is not an reincarnation of any cinematic pioneers, but earns a reputation as one of the best filmmakers there is. The screenplay written is the cleverest in story and in concept. Visually stunning Inception is a great movie to own.
This may look like a tribute to The Matrix where a person goes into another universe, but nevertheless is very original and may get an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Key Scene: Scene featuring the first dream involves a shootout and a freight train coming in. Good for people who have a surround sound system
Film Rating: 10/10
Extras: DVD contains four featurettes explaining the film's concepts. Shame that I didn't get the Blu Ray
Extras Rating (DVD): 6/10
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Warning_Spoiler Alert!
Michael Cera plays a new character named Scott Pilgrim which unlike the same people he portrayed, is a slacker to many of his peers especially his band Sex Bo-Omb's drummer Kim Pine (wonderful Allison Pill). When he literally dates the girl of his dreams the hair-changing Ramona Flowers ( a non-stereotype Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he meets her Seven Evil Exes who are out to kick his teeth in unless he obviously and simply defeat them.
The incredibles visuals involved are the sounds you hear, pop culture references including Seinfeld, bleeping and most importantly all of that are the things you see in a comic book and a video game, tightly held together to make this one movie all thanks to Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz).
Most of the cast steal their scenes with Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roomate, Ellen Wong as Scott's pretend-girlfriend and the Evil Exes (with Jason Schwartzman as the final Ex). But the highlight is Wright who empowers this movie to a visual orgy.
It's a shame that Cera's and Winstead's chemistry was way too short as most of the movie are up close with the repetitive fights.
Scott Pilgrim wasn't great at the box office but will become an instant cult classic years to come.
Key Scene: The second last fight between Scott Pilgrim's band and the second last exes is empowering. Great with High Definition TVs
Film Rating: 8/10
Extras: DVD includes deleted scenes, outtakes, commentaries and galleries. Collector's Edition includes alternate footage, behind the scene footage, music promos and trailers
Extras Rating: 9/10
Kick Ass
Like Scott Pilgrim, Kick Ass was underappreciated from critics and the public alike given how the ultra-violence in this movie was performed by 11-year old Chloe Moretz as a real-life superhero.
Based on a recent graphic novel from the artist of Wanted, Kick Ass asks the oh-so-old question: How come there's no superheros in real life? It was asked by a comic book geek Dave (Aaron Johnson) and when he experiments a wetsuit and batons as the no powers Kick Ass . He'd finally got the answer: because you get stabbed in the chest.
He then realizes that he's not the only one there is with father-daughter duo Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl.
With a completely sharp screenplay that mixes the Tarantino-esque violence with a Coen-styled black comedy and some delightful performances that also see Nicolas Cage not to suck in this. A fanboy called it Kill Bill meets Spiderman. I have to agree.
Key Scene: The final scenes of this movie where Hit Girl and Kick Ass enters the mobster's lair makes it great for HDTV and Surround Sound
Film Rating: 9/10
Extras: Extended Edition contains The Making Of Kick Ass, The Art of Kick Ass and several featurettes including storyboards & designs and commentary.
Extras Rating: 8/10
InceptionChristopher Nolan's dazzling and multi-layered masterpiece has turned one blockbuster like The Dark Knight the transformation to a work of art. The charisma follows with the rest of the cast including Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page who extract secrets in a person's subconsciousness and at the last minute changed a very person's life when putting an idea in his subconsciousness.
Nolan is not an reincarnation of any cinematic pioneers, but earns a reputation as one of the best filmmakers there is. The screenplay written is the cleverest in story and in concept. Visually stunning Inception is a great movie to own.
This may look like a tribute to The Matrix where a person goes into another universe, but nevertheless is very original and may get an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Key Scene: Scene featuring the first dream involves a shootout and a freight train coming in. Good for people who have a surround sound system
Film Rating: 10/10
Extras: DVD contains four featurettes explaining the film's concepts. Shame that I didn't get the Blu Ray
Extras Rating (DVD): 6/10
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Warning_Spoiler Alert!
Michael Cera plays a new character named Scott Pilgrim which unlike the same people he portrayed, is a slacker to many of his peers especially his band Sex Bo-Omb's drummer Kim Pine (wonderful Allison Pill). When he literally dates the girl of his dreams the hair-changing Ramona Flowers ( a non-stereotype Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he meets her Seven Evil Exes who are out to kick his teeth in unless he obviously and simply defeat them.
The incredibles visuals involved are the sounds you hear, pop culture references including Seinfeld, bleeping and most importantly all of that are the things you see in a comic book and a video game, tightly held together to make this one movie all thanks to Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz).
Most of the cast steal their scenes with Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roomate, Ellen Wong as Scott's pretend-girlfriend and the Evil Exes (with Jason Schwartzman as the final Ex). But the highlight is Wright who empowers this movie to a visual orgy.
It's a shame that Cera's and Winstead's chemistry was way too short as most of the movie are up close with the repetitive fights.
Scott Pilgrim wasn't great at the box office but will become an instant cult classic years to come.
Key Scene: The second last fight between Scott Pilgrim's band and the second last exes is empowering. Great with High Definition TVs
Film Rating: 8/10
Extras: DVD includes deleted scenes, outtakes, commentaries and galleries. Collector's Edition includes alternate footage, behind the scene footage, music promos and trailers
Extras Rating: 9/10
Kick Ass
Like Scott Pilgrim, Kick Ass was underappreciated from critics and the public alike given how the ultra-violence in this movie was performed by 11-year old Chloe Moretz as a real-life superhero.
Based on a recent graphic novel from the artist of Wanted, Kick Ass asks the oh-so-old question: How come there's no superheros in real life? It was asked by a comic book geek Dave (Aaron Johnson) and when he experiments a wetsuit and batons as the no powers Kick Ass . He'd finally got the answer: because you get stabbed in the chest.
He then realizes that he's not the only one there is with father-daughter duo Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl.
With a completely sharp screenplay that mixes the Tarantino-esque violence with a Coen-styled black comedy and some delightful performances that also see Nicolas Cage not to suck in this. A fanboy called it Kill Bill meets Spiderman. I have to agree.
Key Scene: The final scenes of this movie where Hit Girl and Kick Ass enters the mobster's lair makes it great for HDTV and Surround Sound
Film Rating: 9/10
Extras: Extended Edition contains The Making Of Kick Ass, The Art of Kick Ass and several featurettes including storyboards & designs and commentary.
Extras Rating: 8/10
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Top 10 of 2010: Movies of 2010
Let's review 2010. The year was not a bad year for all cinephiles, however it is more of the year where the younger audience never cared about movies and its integrity to entertain. What I'm saying is 2010 is mediocre and superficial. Sure there are some great movies, but the relentless number of sequels, remakes and movies made out of 3D had made this an exhausting period. Yet again many films independently made are still good and might get a spot at the Oscars next year.
But more so when I was in the mood with movies that are really great, many peers at school dismiss my tastes in these kinds of movies. They either watched it and for no reason think it's boring or generally avoid it for the worst movies there is. This is the moral: kids will never respect you when you are doing or playing different whether it's movies, fashion or music. They go for the same mainstream music. After I learnt this lesson, I realize that I shouldn't care about what people are saying to you.
However there were some movies made by Hollywood runned by great filmmakers that had made some movies not just one of the best films of the year, but the greatest of its time. Maybe of all time. There are movies that made me think, that made me enjoy, laugh, cry and more fascinated by their stories.
OK, here's how I would arrange my best movies:
- All movies released in my place (i.e. Australia) should be released in 2010 (so if one movie was initially released in 2009, it would be released in 2010 if it wasin Australia)
- These is my own words
- My reasons on picking these movies are exact.
Oh and before we get into the list here's a review of 2010 in movies:
So let's get into it, shall we?
#10 - Up In The Air*
A lot of the public will either find this a great movie or a movie they have wasted their time on after being bored for 108 minutes about a guy who fires and consult his company for a living while flying around America to earn a million flyer miles along with a mysterious companion and his competitor.
Jason Reitman's film takes a witty and clever insight of employees working their asses off during the economic downturn. When their employment is terminated, they wreck everything in the room.
But you see George Clooney, even if you hate him because of his philosophy of life and his ambitions, playing this character doing things so unbelievable that it makes him believable.
Look Out for: There's a moment where Zach Galifinakis appears breaking down in the most hilarious ways
Great for DVD? Sort of. Deleted scenes and featurettes about the movie including an onlook of Jason Reitman's famous title sequences
#9 - The Town
We've seen this kind of story a million times. But Ben Affleck's The Town about a bunch of robbers who rob banks in the Boston area of Charlestown, is handled with true grit as both actor and director, proving that his last film Gone Baby Gone is no accident.
Crime in Boston is at times hard to combat. And Affleck proves that with some great action sequences including two car chases and a heist but at its heart some compassion and remorse.
This may be a director's film with Affleck the starlight for this flick, but Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Pete Postlethwaite had some great things going on.
#8 - The Hurt Locker*
Winning the Oscar (I prefer the Academy Awards as many while the Oscar as for Best Picture) this year, The Hurt Locker deals with a bomb diffuser in the Iraq conflict who's unorthordox methods frustrates his colleagues considering him as reckless.
Jeremy Renner makes a great persona for his character William James who creates a climatic tension between character and story just like it did in Hollywood.
Even if Kathryn Bigelow made me sick with the extreme hand held camera work, it's an important outline of the war today. Pity this arthouse film has to deal with pirates.
Look Out For: When William James is introduced the name of the base he's spearheading has some political issues.
#7 - In The Loop*
Another movie about the war in Iraq. This isn't about soldiers. It's about the stakeholders focusing on the most questioned issue in the early 2000s. The stakeholders: generals, public servants and politicians. All are which are idiots and one of them so acid tongue you would want to applaud him.
Based on the BBC's acclaimed TV series The Thick Of It, In The Loop involves looping your head with the biggest situation in politics whacked up into dry and potty-mouthed humour.
It's a modern update of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.
But what is more interesting is that these characters fail in spectacular style that is unrelated with the Iraq War.
And what's more interesting is that sadly it might be apparent on Wikileaks.
Look Out For: Many pop culture references including Keira Knightley and Shrek.
#6 - Animal Kingdom
This and Winter's Bone were joint winners at this year's Sundance Film Festival. For some reason they're both considered boring to the public. I might agree with Winter's Bone given how overrated it is but for Animal Kingdom I don't.
It takes place in Melbourne where a small criminal family runned by matriarch Smurf, played by an excellent Jacki Weaver, is taken down by authorities. And the boy J has to find his place.
Gritty and uptight, it's a psychological exploration of the criminal family, somthing we had never seen before. This is the best Australian movie in years.
Look Out for: Air Supply's "Outta Love" is featured where one of the characters die.
#5 - Toy Story 3
This may not have been a perfect film, but it is flawless and awesome. Even the most cynical could love this movie (except for Armond White). Toy Story 3 is a fun and entertaining animated ride filled with richly animated toys that has lot of heart. At the end of the day this is about being together and willing to belong to someone who would take care of Woody, Buzz and Jessie in a gentle stance.
But there is something that needs to be explained. It's not really the #1 animated movie of all time and also why do so many guys cry.
This is Pixar's best material. It keeps getting better film after film. It also proved to be the best movie trilogy of all time. Take that, Lord Of The Rings!
Look Out for: There's a Totoro toy in one scene which makes this movie cuter.
#4 - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
By far the most ridiculous story that has a completely niched audience, Edgar Wright's adaptation of Scott Pilgrim is very awesome.
Michael Cera plays a new character he has never played before as the eponymous name who date the girl of her dreams (literally!) and when he does he face seven ex-boyfriends. in this case, seven Evil Exes.
I don't get why the niche audience never saw this coming (maybe because it's released with one gender movies The Expendables and Eat Pray Love), it's visually exciting, and witty that even though it shamelessly borrows from spaghetti westerns, Bollywood musicals, Hong Kong action, comic books and video games it proves something. This is the surrealist state of art in cinema.
Look Out For: When Michael Cera comes in, there's the usage of the Seinfeld theme music.
Great for DVD? Probably. The two disc editon which is the collector's edition has deleted scenes, alternative footage and music promos.
#3 - Kick-Ass
Anyone who criticize this movie for its ultra violence and an 11 year old girl doing it is a prude. That include moralistic, conservative film critics, parents and priests.
This wonderful movie where it ask why there's no superhero in real life, a comic book geek gets that answer when becoming a no-power super is that you get metal plates when doing so.
Of all the comic book movies I've seen, this is a breakout for Chloe Moretz and a strong performance from Nicolas Cage who both play the irony of a generalised daddy-daughter relationship but they're still strong together.
This is a movie never to be taken seriously. It is refreshingly and darkly funny, this movie was considered an abomination.
Look Out For: The name of the weapon Hit Girl wanted for her brithday
Great for DVD? Probably. An extended edition incluedes the Making of Kick Ass
#2 - Inception
Christopher Nolan had brought us great movies including Memento and The Dark Knight. But Nolan's latest epic is Inception, a mind blowing and bending movie about Leonardo Dicaprio's character who's an extractor and go into someone's dreams and steal secrets. But he, along with his crew has to plant an idea to someone that would have influence the lives of that person.
It is visually enhancing as Nolan creates a milestone. This film used a minimal amount of CGI for its main sequences and instead used a range of practical methods for these scenes including a shoot out and a fight sequence done in zero gravity .
Dicaprio has a lot of heart and compassion inside it and he's also melacholy and poignant given how he'd lost his wife at her dream state and had never seen his children since he is accused of his wife's death.
Nolan had been making this movie for ten years and whilest its screenplay is smart, multi-layered and original, it's pretty hard to understand. I really think this is one of my favourites of the year since it does something an average blockbuster had never done. Make the audience think. This is how you can like this movie. If you can't, then you just can't take this movie.
I was disappointed that no one in my school had got the balls to see this mind bender. Inception is one movie you should watch a few times and is great science fiction flick.
Look Out For: When the music plays as a warning that the dream is collapsing, the song Non Je ne regrette Nien is sung by Marion Cottilard who sung that song in the 2007 movie La Vie En Rose for which she recieved an Oscar.
Great DVD? Absolutely. People are anticipating the Blu Ray since it has extra features and goodies including a replica spinning top.
#1 - The Social Network
David Fincher's movie about the largest social gathering on the web (i.e Facebook) has much irony to the website's purpose. The owner, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has made nothing social to his colleagues leading to two seperate lawsuits between the Winklevoss twins suing him for stealing their website and his co-founder Eduardo Saverin for freezing the company's share.
Facebook started because Zuckerberg was dumped by a girl. Is it because he was desperate for social acceptance as he wanted to be in Harvard's finals clubs.
Jesse Einseberg brilliantly executes the contrasting yet reflective persona of the Facebook founder in Fincher's darkly timed epic.
Fincher has brought up a great crew to this movies including Aaron Sorkin (West Wing creator) who fills his screenplay with politics at a bullet speed, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as the composer and Kevin Spacey who is the executive producer, to bring up a zeigeist defining movie that also defines a generation of Net users.
For the first time since American Beauty, The Social Network is the most talked about movie by both the public and the critics. A strong chance of winning the Oscar, Fincher's movie has poignancy to a person who is not just a billionaire and a creator, but a genius.
Look Out for: Aaron Sorkin makes a cameo as an advertising executive.
Honourable mentions to:
Fantastic Mr. Fox; Shutter Island; Green Zone; Easy A; Robin Hood; Boy; Four Lions; Tron Legacy; The Kids Are All Right; A Single Man; Greenberg
Best Upcoming Movies (Movies I wanted to watch):
1. Black Swan
2. 127 Hours
3. True Grit
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
5. Tintin: The Secrets of The Unicorn.
6. Paul
7. Sucker Punch
And the worst...
Seriously, 2010 hasn't been a great year for movies especially comedies which are getting broader. And the more broader, the less attention younger audiences get to the movies like the ones mentioned above. When Inception asked What is the most resilient parasite? The movies that are made for grabbing cash. Most of these movies I haven't watched yet observed so you would argue how did I made this list. But when the numbers are high, it's apparent that younger audiences are immature and lazy at the cinemas.
#10 The Last Airbender
Was a fan of the TV series that turned into the big screen with nadir results from the direction of M Night. Shylamalan, performances of the cast and the worst 3D visuals.
#9 Eat Pray Love
This chick flick based on the memoirs promoted by Oprah Winfrey would be a waste of your spare two hours. Add in the ten minutes and like a boring traveller's TV show. Julia Roberts who was pretty in the 90s returned as this self-absorbed women who just travel for no apparent reason other than to 'find herself'. Yeah right
#8 Killers or Life As We Know It
The more rom-coms Katherine Heigl appears, the more society will hate her. Baby jokes and literally killer jokes are so lame.
#7 Marmaduke, Yogi Bear and Cats & Dogs
There's something I'm uncomfortable with. Talking animals in a live action kids flick. They can't shut up.
#6 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Along with Justin Bieber and Jersey Shore could somebody get rid of this abomination we have in this society?
#5 Sex and the City 2
Another torturous waste of your spare two hours. And twenty minutes.
#4 Vampires Suck
Makes #6 looks better
#3 Resident Evil: Afterlife
Hand me that dog and I will rip it in half - Robert Downey Jr
#2 The Last Song or Dear John
Like #6, Nicholas Sparks is an abomination. Why does he has to be brainwashed by Hannah Montana to write this turkey?
#1 Grown Ups or Cop Out
Grown Ups has to put down everybody in their system while Cop Out just been copped off. Grown Ups was watched by everybody at my school. I resented it because they think it is funny. It's not.
But more so when I was in the mood with movies that are really great, many peers at school dismiss my tastes in these kinds of movies. They either watched it and for no reason think it's boring or generally avoid it for the worst movies there is. This is the moral: kids will never respect you when you are doing or playing different whether it's movies, fashion or music. They go for the same mainstream music. After I learnt this lesson, I realize that I shouldn't care about what people are saying to you.
However there were some movies made by Hollywood runned by great filmmakers that had made some movies not just one of the best films of the year, but the greatest of its time. Maybe of all time. There are movies that made me think, that made me enjoy, laugh, cry and more fascinated by their stories.
OK, here's how I would arrange my best movies:
- All movies released in my place (i.e. Australia) should be released in 2010 (so if one movie was initially released in 2009, it would be released in 2010 if it wasin Australia)
- These is my own words
- My reasons on picking these movies are exact.
Oh and before we get into the list here's a review of 2010 in movies:
So let's get into it, shall we?
#10 - Up In The Air*
A lot of the public will either find this a great movie or a movie they have wasted their time on after being bored for 108 minutes about a guy who fires and consult his company for a living while flying around America to earn a million flyer miles along with a mysterious companion and his competitor.
Jason Reitman's film takes a witty and clever insight of employees working their asses off during the economic downturn. When their employment is terminated, they wreck everything in the room.
But you see George Clooney, even if you hate him because of his philosophy of life and his ambitions, playing this character doing things so unbelievable that it makes him believable.
Look Out for: There's a moment where Zach Galifinakis appears breaking down in the most hilarious ways
Great for DVD? Sort of. Deleted scenes and featurettes about the movie including an onlook of Jason Reitman's famous title sequences
#9 - The Town
We've seen this kind of story a million times. But Ben Affleck's The Town about a bunch of robbers who rob banks in the Boston area of Charlestown, is handled with true grit as both actor and director, proving that his last film Gone Baby Gone is no accident.
Crime in Boston is at times hard to combat. And Affleck proves that with some great action sequences including two car chases and a heist but at its heart some compassion and remorse.
This may be a director's film with Affleck the starlight for this flick, but Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Pete Postlethwaite had some great things going on.
#8 - The Hurt Locker*
Winning the Oscar (I prefer the Academy Awards as many while the Oscar as for Best Picture) this year, The Hurt Locker deals with a bomb diffuser in the Iraq conflict who's unorthordox methods frustrates his colleagues considering him as reckless.
Jeremy Renner makes a great persona for his character William James who creates a climatic tension between character and story just like it did in Hollywood.
Even if Kathryn Bigelow made me sick with the extreme hand held camera work, it's an important outline of the war today. Pity this arthouse film has to deal with pirates.
Look Out For: When William James is introduced the name of the base he's spearheading has some political issues.
#7 - In The Loop*
Another movie about the war in Iraq. This isn't about soldiers. It's about the stakeholders focusing on the most questioned issue in the early 2000s. The stakeholders: generals, public servants and politicians. All are which are idiots and one of them so acid tongue you would want to applaud him.
Based on the BBC's acclaimed TV series The Thick Of It, In The Loop involves looping your head with the biggest situation in politics whacked up into dry and potty-mouthed humour.
It's a modern update of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.
But what is more interesting is that these characters fail in spectacular style that is unrelated with the Iraq War.
And what's more interesting is that sadly it might be apparent on Wikileaks.
Look Out For: Many pop culture references including Keira Knightley and Shrek.
#6 - Animal Kingdom
This and Winter's Bone were joint winners at this year's Sundance Film Festival. For some reason they're both considered boring to the public. I might agree with Winter's Bone given how overrated it is but for Animal Kingdom I don't.
It takes place in Melbourne where a small criminal family runned by matriarch Smurf, played by an excellent Jacki Weaver, is taken down by authorities. And the boy J has to find his place.
Gritty and uptight, it's a psychological exploration of the criminal family, somthing we had never seen before. This is the best Australian movie in years.
Look Out for: Air Supply's "Outta Love" is featured where one of the characters die.
#5 - Toy Story 3
This may not have been a perfect film, but it is flawless and awesome. Even the most cynical could love this movie (except for Armond White). Toy Story 3 is a fun and entertaining animated ride filled with richly animated toys that has lot of heart. At the end of the day this is about being together and willing to belong to someone who would take care of Woody, Buzz and Jessie in a gentle stance.
But there is something that needs to be explained. It's not really the #1 animated movie of all time and also why do so many guys cry.
This is Pixar's best material. It keeps getting better film after film. It also proved to be the best movie trilogy of all time. Take that, Lord Of The Rings!
Look Out for: There's a Totoro toy in one scene which makes this movie cuter.
#4 - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
By far the most ridiculous story that has a completely niched audience, Edgar Wright's adaptation of Scott Pilgrim is very awesome.
Michael Cera plays a new character he has never played before as the eponymous name who date the girl of her dreams (literally!) and when he does he face seven ex-boyfriends. in this case, seven Evil Exes.
I don't get why the niche audience never saw this coming (maybe because it's released with one gender movies The Expendables and Eat Pray Love), it's visually exciting, and witty that even though it shamelessly borrows from spaghetti westerns, Bollywood musicals, Hong Kong action, comic books and video games it proves something. This is the surrealist state of art in cinema.
Look Out For: When Michael Cera comes in, there's the usage of the Seinfeld theme music.
Great for DVD? Probably. The two disc editon which is the collector's edition has deleted scenes, alternative footage and music promos.
#3 - Kick-Ass
Anyone who criticize this movie for its ultra violence and an 11 year old girl doing it is a prude. That include moralistic, conservative film critics, parents and priests.
This wonderful movie where it ask why there's no superhero in real life, a comic book geek gets that answer when becoming a no-power super is that you get metal plates when doing so.
Of all the comic book movies I've seen, this is a breakout for Chloe Moretz and a strong performance from Nicolas Cage who both play the irony of a generalised daddy-daughter relationship but they're still strong together.
This is a movie never to be taken seriously. It is refreshingly and darkly funny, this movie was considered an abomination.
Look Out For: The name of the weapon Hit Girl wanted for her brithday
Great for DVD? Probably. An extended edition incluedes the Making of Kick Ass
#2 - Inception
Christopher Nolan had brought us great movies including Memento and The Dark Knight. But Nolan's latest epic is Inception, a mind blowing and bending movie about Leonardo Dicaprio's character who's an extractor and go into someone's dreams and steal secrets. But he, along with his crew has to plant an idea to someone that would have influence the lives of that person.It is visually enhancing as Nolan creates a milestone. This film used a minimal amount of CGI for its main sequences and instead used a range of practical methods for these scenes including a shoot out and a fight sequence done in zero gravity .
Dicaprio has a lot of heart and compassion inside it and he's also melacholy and poignant given how he'd lost his wife at her dream state and had never seen his children since he is accused of his wife's death.
Nolan had been making this movie for ten years and whilest its screenplay is smart, multi-layered and original, it's pretty hard to understand. I really think this is one of my favourites of the year since it does something an average blockbuster had never done. Make the audience think. This is how you can like this movie. If you can't, then you just can't take this movie.
I was disappointed that no one in my school had got the balls to see this mind bender. Inception is one movie you should watch a few times and is great science fiction flick.
Look Out For: When the music plays as a warning that the dream is collapsing, the song Non Je ne regrette Nien is sung by Marion Cottilard who sung that song in the 2007 movie La Vie En Rose for which she recieved an Oscar.
Great DVD? Absolutely. People are anticipating the Blu Ray since it has extra features and goodies including a replica spinning top.
#1 - The Social Network
David Fincher's movie about the largest social gathering on the web (i.e Facebook) has much irony to the website's purpose. The owner, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has made nothing social to his colleagues leading to two seperate lawsuits between the Winklevoss twins suing him for stealing their website and his co-founder Eduardo Saverin for freezing the company's share.
Facebook started because Zuckerberg was dumped by a girl. Is it because he was desperate for social acceptance as he wanted to be in Harvard's finals clubs.
Jesse Einseberg brilliantly executes the contrasting yet reflective persona of the Facebook founder in Fincher's darkly timed epic.
Fincher has brought up a great crew to this movies including Aaron Sorkin (West Wing creator) who fills his screenplay with politics at a bullet speed, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as the composer and Kevin Spacey who is the executive producer, to bring up a zeigeist defining movie that also defines a generation of Net users.
For the first time since American Beauty, The Social Network is the most talked about movie by both the public and the critics. A strong chance of winning the Oscar, Fincher's movie has poignancy to a person who is not just a billionaire and a creator, but a genius.
Look Out for: Aaron Sorkin makes a cameo as an advertising executive.
Honourable mentions to:
Fantastic Mr. Fox; Shutter Island; Green Zone; Easy A; Robin Hood; Boy; Four Lions; Tron Legacy; The Kids Are All Right; A Single Man; Greenberg
Best Upcoming Movies (Movies I wanted to watch):
1. Black Swan
2. 127 Hours
3. True Grit
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
5. Tintin: The Secrets of The Unicorn.
6. Paul
7. Sucker Punch
And the worst...
Seriously, 2010 hasn't been a great year for movies especially comedies which are getting broader. And the more broader, the less attention younger audiences get to the movies like the ones mentioned above. When Inception asked What is the most resilient parasite? The movies that are made for grabbing cash. Most of these movies I haven't watched yet observed so you would argue how did I made this list. But when the numbers are high, it's apparent that younger audiences are immature and lazy at the cinemas.
#10 The Last Airbender
Was a fan of the TV series that turned into the big screen with nadir results from the direction of M Night. Shylamalan, performances of the cast and the worst 3D visuals.
#9 Eat Pray Love
This chick flick based on the memoirs promoted by Oprah Winfrey would be a waste of your spare two hours. Add in the ten minutes and like a boring traveller's TV show. Julia Roberts who was pretty in the 90s returned as this self-absorbed women who just travel for no apparent reason other than to 'find herself'. Yeah right
#8 Killers or Life As We Know It
The more rom-coms Katherine Heigl appears, the more society will hate her. Baby jokes and literally killer jokes are so lame.
#7 Marmaduke, Yogi Bear and Cats & Dogs
There's something I'm uncomfortable with. Talking animals in a live action kids flick. They can't shut up.
#6 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Along with Justin Bieber and Jersey Shore could somebody get rid of this abomination we have in this society?
#5 Sex and the City 2
Another torturous waste of your spare two hours. And twenty minutes.
#4 Vampires Suck
Makes #6 looks better
#3 Resident Evil: Afterlife
Hand me that dog and I will rip it in half - Robert Downey Jr
#2 The Last Song or Dear John
Like #6, Nicholas Sparks is an abomination. Why does he has to be brainwashed by Hannah Montana to write this turkey?
#1 Grown Ups or Cop Out
Grown Ups has to put down everybody in their system while Cop Out just been copped off. Grown Ups was watched by everybody at my school. I resented it because they think it is funny. It's not.
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