Back again with an update on my movie watching. For those new to this blog, I am attempting to watch a movie a day for a year. As luck would have it I chose a leap year just to squeeze one extra movie in there. This week I had a mixture of stone cold classics, comic book anime and teen comedies. Feel free to sound off in the comments below if you agree or (more likely) disagree with any of my reviews. Enjoy.......
February 5th - The Usual Suspects
'Give me the keys you fucking cocksucker'. Undoubted classic scene in an undisputed classic movie. There are certain movies that everyone in life should just see. The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and Goodfellas are just a few examples. I would add The Usual Suspects to that list. It came out about a year after Pulp Fiction, when there were so many crime movies trying to copy the lightning in a bottle genius of that particular Tarantino masterpiece. In my mind, this is the only one that managed it. It's certainly the best movie any Baldwin brother has been in (not that hard admittedly). It's the story of 5 guys who meet in a police line up, only to go on to pull a couple of heists together. But were they put in that line up by luck or design? Features one of the best endings of any movie you will ever see, and undoubtedly holds up to many repeated viewings. Trust me, I've probably watched it at least 20 times! Also, how cool is the poster up above? To anyone who's seen the movie, they'll recognise the simplistic genius of it.
10/10
February 6th - American Pie
It's pretty hard to imagine given the glut of movies that Hollywood churn out now, but for most of the 90's teen comedies weren't in fashion anymore. The days of Porky's and Animal House had long been and gone. Then a script got floated around Tinstletown called 'Untitled Teenage Sexy Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You'll Love
' (How could they change that title?). A cast of unknowns were found, a few apple pies were baked, a few beers desecrated and the rest is history. Despite the fact the formula has been repeated to death, American Pie still stands up as a genuinely funny movie. Mostly down to clever writing and Sean William Scott's iconic Steve Stifler. Another sequel is on the way (groan...), but I have to admit that from the trailer I'm ready for another slice of pie.
8/10
February 7th - Fast & The Furious 5
Any movie series that lasts as far as five movies is usually exclusive to the horror genre. Yet somehow, Fast & the Furious is still going strong. I'm not really sure why as they are the very definition of generic and uninspiring. There is some good action beats, but why they continue the stories of these characters is beyond me. The only reason that this movie scores points is for the heist at the end involving the trailing of bank vault through the streets of Rio and for the presence of the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, The Rock. His relentless FBI agent is by the far the most interesting character and they should build any future installments around him. The punch up between The Rock and Vin Diesel is actually pretty good as well but ends badly as there is no way that Flabby Riddick could beat down The Rock. He'd People's Elbow XXX through the ground.
7/10 (Would be 5 if The Rock wasn't in it)
February 8th - Alien
It's enough that Sir Ridley Scott made one of the most definitive Sci Fi movies of all time in Blade Runner. But to make two is just plain greedy. And if Prometheus can live up to the hype he may just sign off with hat trick. Up until Alien, sci fi movies were pretty much monster movies. Big scares, loud growls and bad make up. Alien changed that. It was a slow burn of a movie. It took its time, establishing characters and relationships, before having them be picked off one by one. The creature effects are still fantastic, even when compared to today's standards. The chestbuster scene is still tense and shocking, a fact made even more so as the actor's were not fully expecting the Alien to come out of John Hurt's chest. And a special mention must go to the Blu Ray transfer, that makes it look like it was shot yesterday. I will admit that I actually prefer the sequel (James Cameron's Aliens), but this is almost note perfect filmmaking.
10/10
February 9th - The Thing
John Carpenter's best movie bar none. And given that he made Halloween and Big Trouble in Little China, that's no small compliment. Again, it followed a template laid down by Alien in favouring a slow burning atmosphere before the large scale set pieces. The story follows six scientists in the Antarctic, who are confronted by a shape shifting alien. It is able to assume the form of anyone it kills. This is the central reason that The Thing is a great movie. You're never quite sure who The Thing has killed. You're not sure who is human and who is not. Even Kurt Russell is under suspicion. The scene where they test everyone's blood is tense and well paced, and has been imitated many times since. The creature effects are all practical as well and that only adds to it. I think some modern CGI is just too fake looking, whereas the slightly jerky movements of puppets and monsters only adds to their creepiness. Remade recently, this is a classic that should have been left well alone. PS I really want that poster!
9/10
February 10th - The Ice Harvest
A modern noir thriller starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton, directed by one of the writers of Ghostbusters and Groundhog day? Where do I sign? Sadly, the reality is that this is the definition of mediocre cinema. The acting is all good, and the characters interesting enough, but the story is just lacking. It is so generic, and there isn't one genuine twist to be found, normally a staple of the genre. The story follows two men who steal money from a local mob boss and just have to survive the night in a small town, having been swamped in by the weather. Can they trust each other? Will they try to steal it all for themselves? How predictable can one movie be? In fact, I will admit there was one very good joke, as one of the small characters in the movie is called Peter Venkman. Gotta love a bit of meta comedy. But if that one second moment is as good as a movie gets then you know you're in trouble.
5/10
February 11th - Batman: Under the Red Hood
Warner Brothers continues to plunder the back catalogue of Batman graphic novels with this cartoon take on the story of The Red Hood. If you read the graphic novel, it's a pretty dark piece. It follows the death of the second Robin at the hands of The Joker. Years later, a mysterious Red Hooded figure starts to terrorise the Gotham underworld, but unlike Batman, isn't afraid to kill. All clues lead to Jason Todd, but how can he be alive after Batman saw him die? It's an interesting story and it is handled here with care. A lot of the darker moments remain such as The Joker getting a taste of his own medicine with a crowbar, the Black Mask and his crew set on fire, and the fight scenes are quite violent as well. If you've read the story you won't find anything new here, but it's entertaining nonetheless.
7/10
And there we have it. Onto week 7. This week I have Tango & Cash, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas and some sort of soppy Valentine's day movie lined up.
As I say, remember to click follow and feel free to leave comments below.
Until next time........
'Give me the keys you fucking cocksucker'. Undoubted classic scene in an undisputed classic movie. There are certain movies that everyone in life should just see. The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and Goodfellas are just a few examples. I would add The Usual Suspects to that list. It came out about a year after Pulp Fiction, when there were so many crime movies trying to copy the lightning in a bottle genius of that particular Tarantino masterpiece. In my mind, this is the only one that managed it. It's certainly the best movie any Baldwin brother has been in (not that hard admittedly). It's the story of 5 guys who meet in a police line up, only to go on to pull a couple of heists together. But were they put in that line up by luck or design? Features one of the best endings of any movie you will ever see, and undoubtedly holds up to many repeated viewings. Trust me, I've probably watched it at least 20 times! Also, how cool is the poster up above? To anyone who's seen the movie, they'll recognise the simplistic genius of it.
It's enough that Sir Ridley Scott made one of the most definitive Sci Fi movies of all time in Blade Runner. But to make two is just plain greedy. And if Prometheus can live up to the hype he may just sign off with hat trick. Up until Alien, sci fi movies were pretty much monster movies. Big scares, loud growls and bad make up. Alien changed that. It was a slow burn of a movie. It took its time, establishing characters and relationships, before having them be picked off one by one. The creature effects are still fantastic, even when compared to today's standards. The chestbuster scene is still tense and shocking, a fact made even more so as the actor's were not fully expecting the Alien to come out of John Hurt's chest. And a special mention must go to the Blu Ray transfer, that makes it look like it was shot yesterday. I will admit that I actually prefer the sequel (James Cameron's Aliens), but this is almost note perfect filmmaking.
John Carpenter's best movie bar none. And given that he made Halloween and Big Trouble in Little China, that's no small compliment. Again, it followed a template laid down by Alien in favouring a slow burning atmosphere before the large scale set pieces. The story follows six scientists in the Antarctic, who are confronted by a shape shifting alien. It is able to assume the form of anyone it kills. This is the central reason that The Thing is a great movie. You're never quite sure who The Thing has killed. You're not sure who is human and who is not. Even Kurt Russell is under suspicion. The scene where they test everyone's blood is tense and well paced, and has been imitated many times since. The creature effects are all practical as well and that only adds to it. I think some modern CGI is just too fake looking, whereas the slightly jerky movements of puppets and monsters only adds to their creepiness. Remade recently, this is a classic that should have been left well alone. PS I really want that poster!
No comments:
Post a Comment