Sorry for the late posting this week, have nearly finished week 8! I did get complimented on my adherence to my New Year's Resolution this week. Always nice to hear.......Anyway week 7 is a mixture of cop movies, stoner comedies, romance (Valentine's Day was this week after all) and funny Irishmen running amok in Belgium.
Enjoy!
February 12th - Tango & Cash
My favourite buddy cop movie and I make no apology for it. Lethal Weapon is a great movie, but if you go back and watch it from the start, the first movie is pretty dark and depressing. Devoid of any type of humour. Sure it's a great movie, but it's not a six pack and pizza good ol' time of a movie. Tango & Cash, on the other hand, has great action, a great pairing of Sly & Kurt and a really funny script. It follows the two best cops in LA, who are causing numerous headaches for a scenery chewing Jack Palance. He organises a set up in which they are exposed as cops on the take and are promptly sharing a prison with the felons they've sent down during the years. Suffice to say they escape and it's all about clearing their names. This movie is shamelessly 80's, in over the top action and corny one liners, but it just works. They even have Sly taking the piss out of his other movies, calling 'Rambo a pussy'. It's such a shame that a sequel was never made. As a side note, I must have watched this movie a ton of times growing up, but only ever saw the TV edit on ITV. Watching the original version was a nice surprise with a few extra jokes and more bone crunching action.
10/10
February 13th - A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
I have to admit I was late coming to the Harold & Kumar movies. Two of them had already been made before I even took notice of them. But then, as a big fan of How I Met Your Mother, I heard about the 'greatest cameo of all time(tm)', with Neil Patrick Harris aka Barney Stinson, playing a surreal, coked up version of his real life self. And I couldn't resist. I wasn't sorry either. They are crass, over the top and exceptionally juvenille, but they are also damn funny as well. This is due in part to NPH of course, but also a great pairing of John Cho and Kal Penn. Harold is career minded, Kumar a genius who only wants to get high all the time. After the first two movies, this Christmas themed threequel begins with the two having drifted apart. A package arrives at Kumar's apartment, so he sets out to deliver it to his former best friend. And hilarity and chaos ensues. You can never guess where these movies are going, as the writers must have been higher than any of the characters! There are claymation segments, rides upon Santa's sleigh, Eastern European gangsters and Danny Trejo as a Christmas loving father in law. Just watch it with a few beers and you'll be fine. Oh, and of course the NPH cameo is legen - wait for it - dary!
8/10
February 14th - Serendipity
Well it was Valentine's Day, so I suppose conventional wisdom had me watching a rom-com (though I didn't exactly wait until December 25th to watch the previous movie!). This is a genre I have a distaste for. They are predictable, generic in the extreme, and often forget about the comedy part at the end of the genre definition. However, every so often there is one example that slips through. Serendipity is that movie due to the bromance of a pre Ari Gold Jeremy Piven and John Cusack, as well as the romance of Mr. Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. It actually has the comedy to go with the romance. The story follows two people who randomly meet in New York at Christmas, and despite both being attached, they feel an instant connection.
So they decide to leave it up to the universe to see if they are meant to be together. He writes his name and number on a $5 bill and she puts her info into a second hand book. Years pass, and they have both ended up with someone else, but they both still remember that fateful night.....This is not the kind of movie that will change the world, but it's well written, has a good soundtrack and some charasmatic actors. Without going quirky or off centre (see Eternal Sunshine or (500) Days of Summer), this is about as good as modern rom-coms get.
7/10
February 15th - Timecop
Believe it or not, there was a time when JCVD was one of the biggest action starts on the planet. Along with Arnie, Sly and Bruce Willis, his movies were hitting theatres and finding a pretty good audience. Fast forward a couple of years, and he was languishing on direct to video movies and bargain bins. And it's a shame, as given the right script and the right amount of talent involved, he made some quality movies. The other two that instantly come to mind are Sudden Death and Hard Target. But Timecop may have been the most crowd pleasing flick he ever got to star in. Adapted from a graphic novel (before it became the norm in Hollywood), the story follows Walker, a cop who can be sent back in time. And it's just as well, as an ambitious presidential candidate is using the technology to fund his push for the White House. Timecop is packed with great ideas, certainly more than your average Blockbuster. It has some inventive action sequences and a sweet love story at its core. Holds up pretty well given that it was made nearly 20 years ago. If you've never caught a JCVD flick, this is definitely a good place to start.
8/10
February 16th - In Bruges
Now this is a great movie. Original, funny, sharp and heart breaking at the same time. Tough trick to balance all those variables, but when it's done right, this is the result. The story follows two Irish Hitmen (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), who flee to Bruges, when Farrell's character Ray accidentally kills a young altar boy when executing a priest. Story wise, that's about it. While in Bruges, they get mixed up with a movie star midget, a drug dealing sexpot, an alcove loving gun runner and everything in between. It does a great job of selling Bruges. Despite Ray's insistence that it's a 'shithole', it's actually a pretty enchanting place. But it's the script and the characters that make this movie. Colin Farrell has never been better, and Brendan Gleeson is the perfect foil. The wise old head to the young, inexperienced pretender. The script is hilarious in places, but be warned, if you're easily offended then this movie is not for you. If however, you can del with plenty of vulgarity and non PC humour, then you're going to have a great time. Oh, and ignore the terrible posters and taglines of 'shoot first, sightsee later'. The studio clearly did not know how to market this movie. Hardly surprising, it is a bit of an oddity. But the very best kind.
9/10
February 16th - Naruto: The Movie
Naruto is an awesome Japanese anime. It has been going for many years now, and has actually grown into Naruto: Shippudden, where the characters are far more experienced, much more skilled as Ninja and global conflicts have just grown and grown. Naruto ran for almost 250 episodes. Having seen them all, I'm now about 60 episodes into Shippudden. It is quite a commitment, but I cannot recommend it highly enough. Anyway, this was a nice throwback to when the show was much more innocent, the characters largely naive and optimistic, and the tone that little bit more playful. The story has Team Kakashi (consisting of Naruto, his best friend/rival Sasuke, his crush Sakura, and his mentor Kakashi) escorting a famous actress back to the Land of Snow. There are many people who are out to harm her, and this team is the best. Being a movie, the animation is more extravagant, the action a little more intense, and the humour more over the top than usual. This is a cracking movie in its own right, and serves as a great introduction to Naruto's world. If you have even the slightest interest, then I highly recommend checking it out.
8/10
February 17th - Trainspotting
The greatest British movie ever made? I'm sure lovers of The Italian Job, Lock, Stock and Harry Potter may have a different opinion, but for me this is perfection. There is no attempt to dumb down the Scottish brogue, no attempt to pander to a larger audience. There is not a typical love story running through the middle of it, and no happy ending. Just a story following a bunch of drug addicts, psychos and thiefs. And it is outstanding. Coming from someone who has read the book (took at least 20 pages to get used to reading Scottish as opposed to just listening to it), Danny Boyle and his team could not have pulled off a better adaptation. The casting is pitch perfect, the script perfectly placed and funny. It's just one of those perfect storm movies where everything comes together. Has there ever been a funnier character than Francis Begbie?
A better use of any song in a movie than Underworld's Born Slippy? A more fitting ending? This movie single handedly rejuvenated the British movie industry and put us back on the map. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to do so as soon as possible.
10/10
And there's week 7 in the can. Almost 50 movies. As I say, this weeks post is pretty late, and I'm already knee deep in week 8 which includes Aliens, Rambo, Rocky and American Pie 2.
Check back in a few days and week 8 will be written up. I promise it won't be as late as this weeks!
Until next time..........
I have to admit I was late coming to the Harold & Kumar movies. Two of them had already been made before I even took notice of them. But then, as a big fan of How I Met Your Mother, I heard about the 'greatest cameo of all time(tm)', with Neil Patrick Harris aka Barney Stinson, playing a surreal, coked up version of his real life self. And I couldn't resist. I wasn't sorry either. They are crass, over the top and exceptionally juvenille, but they are also damn funny as well. This is due in part to NPH of course, but also a great pairing of John Cho and Kal Penn. Harold is career minded, Kumar a genius who only wants to get high all the time. After the first two movies, this Christmas themed threequel begins with the two having drifted apart. A package arrives at Kumar's apartment, so he sets out to deliver it to his former best friend. And hilarity and chaos ensues. You can never guess where these movies are going, as the writers must have been higher than any of the characters! There are claymation segments, rides upon Santa's sleigh, Eastern European gangsters and Danny Trejo as a Christmas loving father in law. Just watch it with a few beers and you'll be fine. Oh, and of course the NPH cameo is legen - wait for it - dary!
Believe it or not, there was a time when JCVD was one of the biggest action starts on the planet. Along with Arnie, Sly and Bruce Willis, his movies were hitting theatres and finding a pretty good audience. Fast forward a couple of years, and he was languishing on direct to video movies and bargain bins. And it's a shame, as given the right script and the right amount of talent involved, he made some quality movies. The other two that instantly come to mind are Sudden Death and Hard Target. But Timecop may have been the most crowd pleasing flick he ever got to star in. Adapted from a graphic novel (before it became the norm in Hollywood), the story follows Walker, a cop who can be sent back in time. And it's just as well, as an ambitious presidential candidate is using the technology to fund his push for the White House. Timecop is packed with great ideas, certainly more than your average Blockbuster. It has some inventive action sequences and a sweet love story at its core. Holds up pretty well given that it was made nearly 20 years ago. If you've never caught a JCVD flick, this is definitely a good place to start.
Now this is a great movie. Original, funny, sharp and heart breaking at the same time. Tough trick to balance all those variables, but when it's done right, this is the result. The story follows two Irish Hitmen (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), who flee to Bruges, when Farrell's character Ray accidentally kills a young altar boy when executing a priest. Story wise, that's about it. While in Bruges, they get mixed up with a movie star midget, a drug dealing sexpot, an alcove loving gun runner and everything in between. It does a great job of selling Bruges. Despite Ray's insistence that it's a 'shithole', it's actually a pretty enchanting place. But it's the script and the characters that make this movie. Colin Farrell has never been better, and Brendan Gleeson is the perfect foil. The wise old head to the young, inexperienced pretender. The script is hilarious in places, but be warned, if you're easily offended then this movie is not for you. If however, you can del with plenty of vulgarity and non PC humour, then you're going to have a great time. Oh, and ignore the terrible posters and taglines of 'shoot first, sightsee later'. The studio clearly did not know how to market this movie. Hardly surprising, it is a bit of an oddity. But the very best kind.
No comments:
Post a Comment