Sin City Movies: Frank Miller's groundbreaking graphic novels get worthy adaptations

With the release of the second installment last weekend, I figured I'd take a look at the acclaimed first film as well.

Sin City:
In Basin "Sin" City, a hellish and corrupt cesspool in the middle of a desert, three stories unfold: Marv, a slightly deranged hulk of an ex-con, seeks vengeance after a prostitute who treated him kindly and gave him the best sex he's ever had, is murdered and he is framed for it, and Marv ends up uncovering a giant web of corruption. Dwight, a troubled criminal who has recently undergone extensive facial reconstruction, hunts down his friend-with-benefits' abusive and crazy boyfriend, but then he gets in over his head when this hunt sparks a turf war between two criminal organizations. And finally, John Hartigan, one of the few honest detectives in Sin City, who is nearing retirement, decides to save a little girl named Nancy from a sadistic and manipulative serial rapist/killer who preys on young girls. The catch: the killer always gets away with it because he's the son of a powerful and ruthless senator named Roarke. Hartigan decides to not kill the child murderer, but mutilate him by blowing off his ear, genitals, and hand with his pistol. Hartigan is gunned down and imprisoned for eight years for this, before he is finally lured out when he thinks that the now-grown up Nancy is in danger from a yellow-skinned assassin hired by the Roarke family as payback.
     This movie may sound a little weird on paper, but it's a feast for the eyes and an entertaining and stylized comic book noir thriller. Some people might not dig the over-stylized look and violence, or not get that some parts of the film are supposed to be intentionally tongue-in-cheek, but I think the unique visuals and well-written stories will be enough to captivate most people.
    The cast is huge for a two-hour film, and it's filled to the brim with stars: Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Carla Gugino, Josh Hartnett, Michael Madsen, Nick Offerman, Marley Shelton, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Rutger Hauer, Devon Aoki, and Alexis Bledel. Frank Miller (who serves as writer and co-director) cameos as a priest. The stand-out is Rourke, who embodies the essence of the character Marv, and goes through a complete physical transformation.
    The movie has amazing special effects, having adapted the comic book word for word, panel for panel (although this sometimes creates some clunky-sounding dialogue), and Robert Rodriguez certainly has an eye for detail and a certain visual flair to his work. Quentin Tarantino "guest-directs" one scene, which is by far one of the best scenes in the second segment, and is actually kind of eerie.
    Rodriguez also scored the movie, and it has a sound that perfectly fits the tone and look of the movie. Rodriguez also edited the film himself, which I have to respect.
    Sin City deserves the acclaim: it's probably the most faithful comic book adaptation of all time, and is well-written, perfectly cast (for the most part), and has memorable and unique visuals that show how much you can do with digital film-making. 4.5/5 stars.




Sin City, A Dame to Kill For:
(SPOILERS FOR FIRST FILM AHEAD)
This installment has three more yarns from Sin City: Dwight, angrier and pre-plastic surgery, is lured back into a relationship with the manipulative femme fatale Ava Lord, Dwight's ex-lover, who tells him she needs saving from her abusive husband and his towering manservant Manute, an articulate and polite but brutally violent enforcer, but Dwight soon finds out there's more to this damsel-in-distress story than he knows. Johnny, an exceptionally lucky young gambler, has just rolled into town and challenges several of the city's key figures to an underground poker match, including corrupt police Commissioner Liebowitz (Jude Ciccolella, returning from the first film) and Senator Roarke, and Johnny learns a harrowing lesson in power. And lastly, Nancy, having become depressed since Hartigan's suicide at the end of his story, is an alcoholic wreck who plans her revenge of Roarke, while Hartigan's ghost helplessly watches from the side.
    I was honestly a little disappointed with this one. After almost a decade of waiting, I expected a little more from this movie. The latter two stories aren't based on any comics, despite the abundance of Sin City stories out there, and were written for the movie, and Johnny is an original character. The "Dame to Kill For" segment took up most of the run time, being the main story, but was not the best executed or even most interesting. The best one by far was also the shortest and darkest: the Johnny story, and that one had the saddest yet most satisfying ending, and the success was partially due to both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Powers Boothe's performances. The Nancy story was by far the worst, and you can tell it was just sort of shoved in there to tie to the first film.
    The cast is still impressive, featuring Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Powers Boothe, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King, Stacy Keach, Juno Temple, Ray Liotta, Julia Garner, Christopher Lloyd, and Marton Csokas. Some replacement actors include Jeremy Piven, who replaces Michael Madsen, despite the fact that they look nothing alike; Dennis Haysbert, replacing Michael Clarke Duncan because he passed away a few years back, and his character was too big to scrap; and, of course, Josh Brolin, who replaces Clive Owen as Dwight because the character hasn't had facial reconstruction surgery yet. Rodriguez and Miller both make cameos on TV, Lady Gaga and Alexa Vega also have brief cameos. and  Eva Green was a bit bad, I thought, because she over-acted a lot in this movie.
    The visuals aren't as fresh as they used to be, and they seemed like they just sort of rushed this movie. The last story is sort of bland and uninteresting and the way it ends the film is awful. Even the end credits seem slightly half-assed.
   Sin City: A Dame to Kill Form is worth checking out, but if you expect something on the level of the first film, you'll probably be disappointed. You can definitely see the lack in interest in making this one because the first film was a box office hit, while this one was #8 at the box office in it's opening Weekend. I just hope, on the off-chance they make a third film, or a TV shows or something, it will be better. 3/5 stars.

                                (Images: Wikipedia)

YourMoviesSucks' funny and brief review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrtUi1a9qhY&list=UUSc16oMxxlcJSb9SXkjwMjA

Top 50 Television Shows: Volume 1 (REDUX)

I know I did a Top 20 TV Shows back in December 2013, but I feel differently now. I still stick by my original choices at the time and you'll see most if not all of them appear on this list. However, since then I've started watching many other TV shows, and I had so much fun going through my favorite movies and putting that list together I though I'd give this one another go. Also: I think I'll be updating this one every once in a while if I discover another TV show.

Criteria:
Personal opinion
No television movies or miniseries (that means no Band of Brothers, Generation Kill, The Pacific, Mildred Pierce, IT, or Parade's End, so sorry. But I might make a list of those, too.)
I can have two series in a slot as a tie
Can be an ongoing series (FYI: has not ended yet)
All networks are fair game, including premium (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Encore, Starz)
No web series or specials (with the exception of Netflix's streaming service, which is basically a premium movie channel at this point)

Here is my original list in two parts:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/12/top-20-television-shows-part-one-my.html
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/12/top-20-television-shows-part-two-top.html

The new list:

50. The Big Bang Theory: Despite this show being extremely overrated, I still find it enjoyable and a fun watch from time to time. The cast particularly Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco, are great and funny and charismatic...in an awkward, geeky way. Even though the humor is repetitive and formulaic (jokes about how nerdy/geeky/awkward/smart the characters are, juxtaposed with sex talk or relationship issues), it's still a good show, with an awesome, but short, opening sequence and theme song.



49. Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: Despite much of the humor in this show being too immature, ham-fisted, and over-the-top for my tastes, it is actually a great documentary series. Following ex-magicians and professional skeptics Penn and Teller, the series dissects urban myths and idiotic beliefs (the "bullshit" of the title) that many people in the world take as fact. These topics range from "organic food is healthier", "exercise trumps genetics", and "all fast food is unhealthy even in moderation" to "vaccines cause autism and other disorders", "sensitivity training is great and productive", and "violent video games breed serial killers and school shooters". The duo dissect these topics not just using the....interesting (yeah, we'll go with that)...humor but also actual facts and figures and quotes from specialists, as well as poking fun at the idiots and con men who spread these ridiculous beliefs and stories. The reasons I watch the show is for the latter, as it's fascinating to see how many things you've been told all your life are true, turn out to be just...well, bullshit.



48. Summer Heights High: This short-lived series from Australia is hilarious, and, towards the end, kind of heartwarming and uplifting. Although it only lasted one season, it spawned two spin-offs on HBO after it was more successful there. Chris Lilley, the comedian who created, wrote, directed, and starred in this series, is a fucking genius. He plays the three main characters: Jonah, a Tongan punk kid who is failing in school and enjoys break dancing; Mr. G, the, for lack of a better word, dramatic drama teacher who thinks his department is more important than any other; and Ja'mie, a self-centered exchange student from a private school who is going to the titular school for a semester. He deserves the critical praise, as he is so good in each of these unique roles that you forget it's the same guy, and you also forget that Ja'mie is not an actual bitchy teenage girl, and that Jonah is not really a troubled teenage boy. I would recommend this series to any fan of British or Australian comedy, because it's great.



47. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Joss Whedon's cult classic horror-comedy-action series has some clever (sometimes a little too clever) writing and fan favorite actors like Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Marsters, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, and Anthony Stewart Head. With a charismatic lead cast and some good moments of both comedy and horror (see the episode "Hush" for a great example of the latter), Buffy is definitely worth a watch. (Not to mention the cool opening theme.)



46. Criminal Minds: This dark and violent crime drama is like Law & Order and CSI on speed. Although it has great guest stars and an exceptional cast, this show shines with the writing for the villains, who all are great examples of creepy TV characters but also all have real psychological disorders. The stand-outs of the main cast are Mandy Pantikin (always a great actor), Matthew Gray Gubler, Kristen Vangness, Shemar Moore, and Joe Mantegna. Despite the writing being typical for TV (and some bad guest actors/child actors), it's exceptional when you look at the current line-up of police procedural shows. It also has some pretty great guest stars such as Tim Curry, Aaron Paul, Brad Dourif, Jane Lynch, Tony Todd, Amber Heard, Jamie Kennedy, Will Wheaton, Mark Hamill, James Remar, Jason Alexander, James Van Der Beek, C. Thomas Howell, Michael Rooker, John Billingsley, D.B. Sweeney, and Anton Yelchin, to name a few.



45. The Leftovers: This show hasn't even wrapped up it's first season and I know it's something special. Despite being too grim and depressing for most people, I found this new HBO series to be a unique TV experience, and a great addition to the already great HBO family of shows like Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, and Oz. Based on Tom Perrotta's relatively unknown horror/satire novel of the same name, this series takes an even more bleak and dark approach to the material than the original novel, which has an aura of black humor/scathing satire to it. Here, it's just straightforward and blunt, which may alienate some viewers. Even with dark shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, I can at least look forward to the possibility of something good happening. Here, I sometimes had to force myself to sit through the hour-long episode. While this may sound negative, I'm actually complimenting the series on achieving it's goal: to make the viewer feel as empty and unpleasant as possible. While it's definitely not for everyone, and some people may outright avoid the show because of it's co-creator Damon Lindelof's infamous avoidance of answering his viewers' questions, I personally am really enjoying the show, and appreciate it's nihilistic tone and world view.


44. The Walking Dead: Now, while this show has faded into mediocrity over the years (especially after those shits at AMC fired Frank Darabont, the shows' creator and creative force), I just have to put it on, at least because that first season, while it had faults, was exceptional. Second season...not so much. Third and fourth have devolved into fan-pandering and plots that are either overly complicated or too simple, which people confuse for complex and surprising. I will give it this: some of the main actors are good (Andrew Lincoln, for example, or David Morrisey), the make-up effects are great, and some of the action scenes are exciting. However, that does not make up for the obvious pandering (like the fact that Daryl has way too much screen time in newer seasons, and the fact that he's never going to die), bad acting, forced character plots, and the obvious cash-grabbing. What do I mean? The fact that AMC stretches each season to 16 episodes, and fills it with, well, filler, and then claim that it's "slow and suspenseful" when it's really just boring and repetitive. And I know the point of the show is to focus on the human journey during an apocalypse, and I liked that aspect of the first season, but lately they haven't even done that well. The "characters" such as Carl and Beth are poorly written and are only there to fill up screen time, and the actors portraying them have the personalities of bricks. Another thing is people always say "They're so edgy, they kill off all these characters", well I looked back, and there's only been a handful of main character deaths, the rest of been characters that were obvious zombie fodder. People also think it's edgy because kids die. So? Game of Thrones kills children constantly, and has killed dozens of fan favorite characters. Do you know why? Because that show is actually edgy and unpredictable, and it has a staff of writers who give a shit. You can tell I've been growing tired of this show because originally this was in my top ten shows, now it's in the 40's. Also: if you bring any of these valid points up to fans, they gang up on you and claim "You just don't get it", or "But Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad get boring, too" (they also seem to confusing shows that are well-paced and build real tension with boring). I know I sound like this is all negative, but this is just me venting my complaints. The first season is quality TV, the second season's shit (with the exception of one or two scenes), and the third and fourth seasons are okay. Just try to think critically. The only reason it makes the list is because of that first seasons, and the few times it gets something right in the later seasons.



43. Law & Order- Special Victims Unit and CSI: Despite being just as formulaic and plot-hole ridden has any other police procedural on prime-time TV, these two are actually pretty well done for what they are. The former is the longest-running and best-written series in the Law & Order franchise, even outliving the original series by a few years. It features some underrated actors such as Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay (who won the first Emmy for any L&O regular in 2006), Tamara Tunie, B.D. Wong, and Richard Belzer (whose character Munch has made appearances and many police procedural series, indicating that all of Dick Wolf's crime shows exist in the same universe). While the acting may be bad from some guest stars and some of the writing is very ham-fisted, overall it's pretty great considering all the shitty police procedural dramas out there.
The latter is the first series in the long-running CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise. It was sort of the "Law & Order on crack" of it's time, having darker stories and more blood and gore than it's predecessors. It has a great lead cast, including veteran actors Lauren Fishburne and William Petersen, as well as a bad-ass theme song in the form of classic rock song "Who Are You" by The Who. The Who's music has become a staple of the franchise's opening title sequences. With some memorable villains, most notably The Miniature Killer and The Blue Paint Killer, and cool crime-scene reconstructions (complete with "flash-backs" to the crime, which is supposed to illustrate how the detectives think it played out), CSI will continue to be one of the better-reviewed crime procedurals.

     

42. House, M.D.: Despite being medically inaccurate in many cases, this show still manages to be thoroughly entertaining, mainly due to Hugh Laurie's deadpan performance as sarcastic and narcissistic but ultimately brilliant Dr. Gregory House. Laurie pulls off the character extremely well, managing to be funny and investing. The supporting cast, featuring Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn, Robert Sean Leonard, Peter Jacobsen, Jesse Spencer, and Amber Tamblyn, is also excellent and have great chemistry, and all their characters share both a respect and disdain for their boss, House. With some interesting (but medically questionable) stories and a cool yet eerie opening title sequence and theme music (which they changed for whatever reason in later seasons), and (again) a charismatic lead character, House, for me, is a great watch, despite the inaccuracies.



41. True Blood: Despite me being skeptical of this series, thinking it was made for Twilight fans, I was eventually convinced to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. Despite being primarily targeted to a female audience, and seemingly like a weird vampire softcore porno, the show had well-executed dark humor, as well as moments of drama and some small scenes of real horror. Despite the CG being slightly sub-par for HBO, and some of the actors being a little over-the-top, I couldn't help but like this series. I'm still in the early parts of it, and so far the stand-outs have been Stephen Moyer, Alexandar Skaarsgard, Sam Tramell, Rutina Wesley, and Nelsan Ellis. Moyer plays the conflicted and actually kind of intimidating antihero vampire Bill Compton. Ellis plays the series' most entertaining and well-written character: Lafayette Reynolds, a chef at the restaurant where the main characters works called Merlotte's, who is funny, witty, and bold, and who isn't ashamed of his sexual orientation, despite living in a bigoted redneck town in Louisiana. I'm glad to see Ellis get more work in films due to his success on the series. Despite having some faults, particularly with some supporting actors and some bad CG in certain scenes, True Blood is actually not that bad of a show, and manages to appeal to horror fans and Twihards alike (despite Twilight being nothing like this show, which is a compliment for this series).

                  (Images: Wikipedia)

Runner-ups: Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, Family Guy, American Dad!, Merlin, Northern Exposure, Bored to Death, Masters of Horror.

Game of Thrones- Season 5: What I Know So Far and What I Want to See

If you've been reading my reviews for at least the last six months, you'll know I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. I've even begun reading the books, and I usually don't do that a lot with movies or TV shows. I mean, I love Lord of the Rings, but I still have yet to read the novels by Tolkien, at least all the way through (although I fully intend to soon). So when I heard that some news was coming out about the next season (which is still way too far away), I was excited and did some research on it. So hear it is...

(Warning: Spoilers for Season Four ahead!)

The Plot:
The Official Story- Not much has been discussed about the plot yet, although it has been noted that a storyline will take place in Dorne, the home of the powerful Martell family, which is further south than King's Landing. We haven't seen Dorne yet, but it appears to be a mix of Spanish and Middle Eastern cultures, which should prove interesting, and Spain has already been scouted for possible locations.

What I Want to See- An assumption about the plot is that we'll see more of Essos than before, as Arya is en route to Braavos, home of her dancing/sword-fighting instructor Syrio Forel (who may or may not be dead), as well as The Iron Bank. We'll see more of the city in that storyline, which is good because it looks awesome in the opening title sequence, and from the little we saw of it in Season Four.
Tyrion will also be present in Essos after fleeing King's Landing in the season finale, so hopefully he'll cross paths with Arya, or maybe Dany or Ser Jorah (who was exiled from Mereen). Varys may also travel with Tyrion, but that wasn't really clear if he was or wasn't.
Bran's storyline was kind of dull this seasons, and that finale sequence with the skeletons was a bit silly, but overall I think he'll prove to be a more interesting character this season, now that he's meet with the Three-Eyed Raven. However, I'm interested to see how his character will progress now that Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie-Sanger of Phineas and Ferb fame) is dead, because he's been a useful guide for Bran up until this point, and as far as I know, he's not dead in the books.
Dany's storyline was a bit dull as well towards the end, and I hope they do more with her dragons, despite two of them being locked away in a dark crypt. Hopefully they don't die, and that the Unsullied throw some scraps of food down there every once in a while. Something about her storyline that I want to see is her inner conflict about ditching Jorah, and maybe conflict about her newfound love interest in Daario, because she did once claim that after Drogo, she'd never love again. Also: Xaro Xhoan Daxos (you know, that docuhey guy from Qarth in Season Two) isn't dead in the books, so I think'd be interesting to see if he is in fact alive (as unlikely as that may be). The reason I say this is because they did leave it open that he possibly survived, as we never saw him die onscreen, although he is locked away in a sound-proof vault.
Jon Snow is an increasingly interesting character, and now with the arrival of Stannis and his cult-like crew, I'd love to see some conflict arise there. I'd also like to see him rise to a position of leadership, now that Acting Commander Alliser Thorne may or may not be dead after his duel with Tormund. Speaking of which, I wonder how kind Stannis will be to Mance and Tormund, even though he respected Jon's wish not to kill them, he and his Red Priestess may have some plans on how to... get info out of them.
I'd like to see more of the Boltons and Theon, because they got very little screen time in Season Four and I think they're disturbing family dynamics make for interesting TV. They are also the best villains in the show right now. I would also love if they explained why Theon is called "Reek".
I'd like to see if Sansa can keep up her role as "Alayne" and if she continue to be a step ahead of Littlefinger, or if that will prove her undoing.
I'd also really love some more White Walkers, and maybe see a battle with them (even if it's not till Season Six), because they are really scary villains in their own right. I'd also like to see Melisandre interract with them, because her faith (The Lord of Light) believes White Walkers are the children of a dark and evil ice god . I would also enjoy seeing that the stories are true about the Walker having packs of giant white hunting spiders. And possibly, possibly, we'll get some insight into their ties to the legend of The Night's King?...
And finally, I'd like to check in on characters we didn't get to see in Season Four. How's the rest of Theon's family doing? I know they appear in the books as a pretty big threat. Where the hell is Gendry? How's Rickon and Osha doing with the Umbers? What's going on with those Freys? Will we see justice done to them and the Boltons?
And (this is for book readers, so maybe skip this one) where the fuck are Coldhands and Lady Stoneheart? There have been rumors about them not even appearing, but I think it would be awesome, and I think the amount of fan backlash will get the producers to change their minds. (If you don't want major Spoilers for the books,

The Characters and Casting:
The Official Story- So far, it's been confirmed that pretty much all the main and supporting cast members will be returning (except for those that died, of course), although they haven't confirmed if The Mountain (who might be dead), Osha, Rickon, The Hound (who also might be dead), Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Alliser Thorne (who, again, may be dead), Tycho Nestoris, Ser Ilyn Payne (whose actor was diagnosed with cancer), or Grey Worm will return.
Some new characters are mostly for House Martell, they are as follows:
Prince Doran Martell, Oberyn's older brother- Alexander Siddig
Prince Trystane Martell, Doran's son who is betrothed to Myrcella Baratheon- Toby Sebastian
Princess Myrcella Baratheon, Jaime and Cersei's daughter- Nell Tiger Free (re-casting)
Areo Hotah, skilled Martell bodyguard and warrior- DeObia Oparei
Nymeria, Tyene, and Obara, three "Sand Snakes", Oberyn's bastard daughters who he has raised and trained- Jessica Henwick, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, and Keisha Castle-Hughes (respectively)
Other characters:
Yezzan zo Qaggaz, a slave trader from Yunkai- Enzo Cilenti
The High Sparrow, a rising religious figure- Jonathan Pryce
Denys Mallister, commander of the Night's Watch's Shadow Tower fortress- J.J. Murphy (who passed away following the filming of his first scenes. The writers have decided to rewrite the scenes he was set to appear in to feature other characters, and just work with what they have, out of respect for the actor)
Unknown starring role- Tom Wlaschiha (who played Jaqen H'ghar in Season Two)
Some characters rumored to be casted:
Maggy the Frog, a fortune teller
A young blonde girl, suspected to be a young Cersei
A young brunette girl, suspected to be a young Melara Hetherspoon (Cersei's friend)
Septa Unella, an imposing female figure
Lollys Stockworth, Bronn's new wife
The Waif, a teacher to Arya
Varamyr Sixskins, a wildling warg
Stalwart Shield- a younger Unsullied soldier

What I Want to See- Most of this sounds pretty solid, so I'm happy. I would like to see characters such as Jon Connington, the Freys, the Greyjoys (particularly Victarion), Young Griff, Kevan Lannister (who I believe will appear, as he's integral to the plot in books four and five), Coldhands, Thoros, Beric Dondarrion, Lady Stoneheart, and Jeyne Poole appear. And although Roose and Ramsay haven't been confirmed, Theon has, so I'm pretty sure they will be soon. And although Wlashchiha's role hasn't been announced, I'm assuming he'll reprise his role as Jaqen, as he is from Braavos and was an important part of Arya's story in Season Two.

The Writing and Directing Staff:
The Official Story- Some big changes this time. David Benioff and Dan Weiss will remain writers and showrunners, but (a series first) will not direct any episodes. In fact, many regulars (Michelle MacLaren, Alex Graves, Alik Sakharov, and Neil Marshall will not return to direct this season, another first, meaning there will not be a female director this season. This time the line-up is Michael Slovis, series regular David Nutter, Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod, and Miguel Sapochnik. Another big change is that typically George R.R. Martin (author of the Song of Ice and Fire book series the show is based on) will write one big episode per seasons. This time, another first, he will not write any, instead focusing on finishing The Winds of Winter, the highly anticipated sixth book in the series, which is not nearly finished, and must be completed by the end of summer 2015 if Martin doesn't want the show to continue on past the books.

What I Want to See- Although the fact that Martin and several favorite directors won't be as heavily involved this season is disappointing, I actually like the idea of switching things up a bit, and think these changes may even improve the series, or take it in a new and fresh direction. I also feel that Martin taking time to focus on writing the novels is a smart move on his part, and I hope he can finish them in time.


Well, it's a long way off, so hopefully I hear more about Season Five soon and hopefully it turns out to be even better than last season.

The Transformers Trilogy: Michael Bay's Cinematic Abomination (At Least In the Case of the Last Two)

Because I saw the new Transformers film a few weeks back, I figured I'd look back on the other three films. Note: I won't take a look at the 1986 animated film, but I'll quickly address it: for a relatively unknown movie, it's actually good and I'd recommend people to at least see it once.

Transformers:
After an out-of-the-blue alien attack on a military base in the Middle East, some US soldiers are on the run, looking for help and evading a robotic scorpion. Meanwhile, in response to the attack, the government is seeking out the robots who were involved in the attack, while trying to keep the situation under wraps. Sam Witwicky, an awkward and kind of annoying teen, gets sucked into this alien conflict when his new car, a classic Camaro, turns out to be an "Autobot", one of the good alien robots, named Bumblebee, who is allied with the bad-ass Optimus Prime. These Autobots are fighting their generations-old nemeses: the "Decepticons", genocidal robots who are trying to resurrect the frozen remains of their evil leader Megatron.
    This movie still holds up as a fun, if not slightly dumb, summer blockbuster. This was the end of Michael Bay's period of making decent action movies, before he started churning out shit movie after shit movie. The cast isn't actually that bad.
    Shia LaBeouf may be one of the most hated young actors working today, but people forget that in this first movie he was annoying, but far more tolerable than in the next two installments. I re-watched this movie as a refresher, having not seen it in so many years, and found that he wasn't that bad in this one. Megan Fox is the same: wooden? Yes. Irritating? Yes. Unbearable? Not really. Josh Duhamel plays the most likable character in the whole thing: a US soldier named Lennox, who is the captain of a Special Forces unit, who is just trying to make it home to his wife and newborn daughter. He's pretty bland, but he's not nearly as bad as the shit we see in the sequels. Tyrese Gibson, Zack Ward, and Amaury Nolasco make up the rest of his team, and they are just about as vanilla, but also pretty likable. Rachael Taylor plays one of the many supporting characters, a British woman who serves as an analyst for the Pentagon. Her hacker buddy Glen is played by Anthony Anderson (Scary Movie series). Jon Voight plays the US Secretary of Defense, and John Turturro plays Seymour Simmons, the obnoxious and pretty dumb member of Sector 7, a division of the government who is in charge of keeping Megatron's corpse a secret. Kevin Dunn and Julie White plays Sam (LaBeouf)'s obnoxious and annoying parents who serve no purpose than to be irritating to Sam and the audience. Bernie Mac has a pretty funny cameo as Bobby Bolivia, the owner and operator of a used car lot. Travis Van Winkle (Friday the 13th) plays Megan Fox's boyfriend Trent. He's pretty good at these obnoxious douchebag roles. Peter Jacobson (House, M.D.) has a cameo as Sam's teacher. W. Morgan Sheppard has a small role as Sam's great-great-grandfather Archibald, a famous explorer. Overall, the cast is pretty solid for a summer blockbuster based on a toy line and cartoon.
   The voice acting is fantastic. Peter Cullen returns after 20 years to voice Optimus Prime, and still sounds great. Mark Ryan voices Bumblebee, who is a lot cooler here than in other films. Darius McCrary voices Jazz (once voiced by the great Scatman Crothers), who is more annoying than cool in this movie. Robert Foxworth voices Ratchet, the wise medical expert. Jess Harnell voices Ironhide, who, again, more annoying than cool. Hugo Weaving gives a lot of menace to his portrayal of Megatron, as Weaving is used to playing iconic bad guys (The Matrix). Reno Wilson (who later voices Mudflap and Brains in other films) voices Frenzy, the human-size Decepticon hacker who speaks mostly in gibberish. Charlie Adler, who voiced Silverbolt on the original cartoon, voices Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command. All of these voice actors do a great job for what the filmmakers were going for, even if some characters are kind of lame.
   The screenplay by Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman is actually pretty good, even if some of the humor falls flat and the human characters are kind of under-developed. Michael Bay, despite all the flack he gets nowadays, did a pretty solid job with this film, despite some of the CG fights being confusing, and a few too many lens flares. People often forget he used to be a promising action director, with movies like The Rock and Bad Boys in his filmography. Sure, he'd slip up once in a while (Armageddon is more of a guilty pleasure than a genuinely good movie), but all-around he was pretty good at his job. So what happened? I'll get to that in the next two reviews.
    I still believe the reason this film was so good compared to the others was that Steven Spielberg served as executive producer, so he had some influence over the final product.
    Transformers is an undeniably fun movie. It's full of great CGI and some great voice acting, and the main human cast isn't all that terrible. The cinematography isn't anything award-winning, but it's crisp and flashy, which actually works in this movie. I'd say check it out at least once. 3/5 stars.



Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen:
Two years after the epic battle at Mission City, Megatron's sunken corpse is surrounded by a Naval fleet in the Atlantic Ocean, and Sam Witwicky is headed off to college. Bumblebee has stayed on as Sam's guardian and friend, still disguised as his car, and his girlfriend Mikaela and him are relatively happy. But after the Decepticons return with a vengeance and resurrect Megatron, Sam is drawn back into the war when the Decepticons target him, believing the AllSpark/Cube from the first film has been downloaded onto his brain after it's destruction. Sam must team with Optimus and the Autobots once more (who are now working for the government), and finish off the Decepticons, who have resurrected The Fallen, an ancient transformer who seeks to harvest Earth's resources.
    Now this movie is something special. It's in the list of highest-grossing films of all time, yet also considered one of the worst movies in recent memory. All of the main cast members save for Voight and Taylor return, and are just bad this time. They're just awful especially the wooden Megan Fox and whiny and grating Shia LaBeouf. I chock this up to the writing of the way Bay directs his actors this time. What I mean is, he really doesn't. This whole movie feels like no one gave a shit while making it.
    Some new actors this time around are Ramon Rodriguez as Leo, who is annoying, and cameos by Isabel Lucas and Rainn Wilson (in a strange role), who are both useless and don't really move the plot forward at all. The voice actors all return (Cullen and Weaving are still at the top of their game), except for McCrary, and do great jobs. The new voice actors, not so much... They're all talented and have done great work before and since then, but here they're just awful, much like everything else. Grey DeLisle (Billy and Mandy, Avatar: The Last Airbender, countless others), is wasted in a cameo role as the female Autobot Arcee, who does nothing. Andre Sogliuzzo voices another side character, Sideswipe, who is also pointless. But by far the worst thing in this film's roster of characters are "The Twins", Skids and Mudfalp, voiced by Reno Wilson and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants), who are the most annoying film characters since Jar Jar Binks. They are racist and offensive, and are constantly making "funny quips" that are just gruelling to sit through. To illustrate how awful they are, here are the demographics that they appeal to:
Five-year-olds
Fifth-grade boys
Racist, under-educated white trash
Mentally handicapped people
     That should paint an interesting picture on how Michael Bay and the writers view their audience.
      Tom Kenny voices a slightly less grating and stereotypical character named Wheelie, a Decepticon-turned-Autobot who provides more "comic relief" at the expense of the audience. Speaking of which, most of the voice actors for the Decepticons all return, and do fine jobs with the little they are given. Notable mentions are cult classic actor Tony Todd (Candyman, The Crow, Final Destination), who wastes his bad-ass voice on the character The Fallen, who is built up as this epic villain, and (SPOILERS- like it even fucking matters) is taken out in a minute long fight; as well as Kevin Michael Richardson as Rampage, and Frank Welker (a prolific voice actor, and the original voice of many G1 villains, like Megatron) as Soundwave and Devastator, the former of whom he both voiced back in the 80's. However, he doesn't really speak, mostly just makes scary noises, so again, wasted talent. Also, Soundwave's electronic jargon that he speaks is nowhere near as iconic, cool, or creepy as his voice from the original cartoon, which was cold and emotionless but somewhat appealing. Michael York, Robin Atkin Downes, and Richardson also have voice cameos as three of the "Seven Primes", or original transformers, who are Optimus' ancestors.
      Overall, the acting's shit, aside from some nice voice acting on the part of Cullen, Weaving, and Todd, despite their characters being shit this time around. This movie is just a cheap cash-grab, with little-to-no thought put into it. The humor is shit that appeals to the lowest common denominator, and the action is more confusing and jumbled than entertaining or fun. Even the CG is degraded from the last movie. There are numerous plot holes and logical flaws (moreso than usual), and the directing is poor.
    The cinematography is inconsistent and too focused on slow-motion, lens flares, and scenes set at sunset (which is a trademark of Bay's latest films). The writing by Ehren Kruger, Robert Orci, and Alex Kurtzman is some of the worst in action cinema, and the set-pieces aren't entertaining or believable, even in the film's already ridiculous universe.
       Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't a film, it's a fucking paycheck for everyone involved. And I know movies are a business, so a lot of the time money comes first, but there's not a shred of artistic integrity in the fucking thing. 1/5 stars.



Transformers, Dark of the Moon:
With a title that is grammatically incorrect, this movie was off to a poor start from the moment it was announced. I just tried to hope it was better than it's predecessor. Then the reviews came out, and I knew I was doomed from the minute I stepped into the cinema to see it. Why did I see it? It's just something you gotta see for yourself, and trust me, there was no joy involved in seeing it, only shame and regret. It's sorta like a drunken one night stand: it seemed like a good idea at the time, but slowly, as you wake up, you realize the mistake you've made, and you'll never be the same.
    Well, let's get on with the "plot". In the opening scene, it's revealed that the moon landing was not done because of actual interest in going there, but because a fake-looking CG John F. Kennedy orchestrated the mission because NASA discovered there was a possibility of transformers on the moon. And thus it kicks off a conspiracy story, wherein Sam Witwicky, now accompanied by Carly (his new hot girlfriend; don't ask where Megan Fox is, they never explain in the film; if you're wondering why she's not in it as far as real life goes, it's cause she hated Michael Bay for a time, and he kicked her off the series), is called on once again by the Autobots to help them in their fight against Megatron and the Decepticons, this time accompanied by Optimus' wise mentor Sentinel Prime.
     The returning cast members are awful, with the exception of Gibson and Duhamel, who have a certain charm to them despite playing really bland characters. The new cast members are pretty bad. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (a Victoria's Secret model) plays Sam's new out-of-his-league girlfriend Carly, and she does as good a job as most models do in movies: she's very mediocre. Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) has a role as the douchey boss of Carly, a wealthy mogul named Dylan Gould who collects cool cars and is (SPOILER), surprise, evil. John Malkovich and Frances McDormand, who are both prolific and respected actors, are (for some reason) in this movie as disposable supporting characters who are only there to show "Look! We have big-name actors in this, it must be good!" Alan Tudyk (an underrated actor) and Ken Jeong (an over-used actor) have small roles in this movie. I'm not sure why Tudyk agreed to do this movie (I guess since this was after Dodgeball and Serenity and before Wreck-It-Ralph and 42, so work was scarce for him), and Jeong is just agitating in his role. Glenn Morshower has a small role as General Morshower. Buzz Aldrin has a cameo as himself, which is pretty cool, and Billy O'Reilly also has a cameo as himself, which is kind of lame.
    As far as voice acting goes, it's better this time around. Cullen is still great at voice acting, despite Optimus being poorly written and inconsistent this time around. Weaving is still cool as Megatron, despite Megatron acting like a total bitch in this movie, just like the last one. James Remar joins the cast as Sideswipe, a wasted talent. Tom Kenny and Reno Wilson return as Wheelie and Brains, unfortunately. John DiMaggio wastes his voice acting talent voicing the irritating minor character Leadfoot. Leonard Nimoy, a scki-fi legend, is pretty awesome as Sentinel Prime, despite his character, much like Optimus, being half-handedly written. Frank Welker and Charlie Adler both return as the useless villains Soundwave/Barricade and Starscream, respectively. Welker also voices Shockwave, a fan favorite who is just butchered in this installment.
     Again: overall, the cast is bland and forgettable. I honestly forgot Sideswipe and Leadfoot were in this movie until I did my research. I will admit this: I haven't seen this film since it was released in 2011, and don't intend to again. I've seen clips, but I never sat through the entire thing ever again. However, I did my research as a refresher, watched a few clips, and used my excellent memory to remind myself of how much I didn't like this movie.
    Not only are the acting and action sequences sub-par, but the humor is repulsively unfunny and the movie just drags on for what seems like days. The ending battle sequence goes on for like an hour, which proves exhausting and boring after a while, especially when I am not emotionally involved with any of the characters, and can't tell the transformers apart from each other, save for Optimus and Bumblebee. The sequence with the building being knocked over by the robotic serpent with the heroes inside was cool and unique for about five minutes...then it went on for another fifteen and became a boring mess, filled with confusing cinematography and mediocre CG. Yes, yet again, the special effects have become less impressive and more bland.
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a clusterfuck of a movie. It's not fun or appealing, it's not cool or exciting, it's just unpleasant and appeals to the dumbest type of people. I feel bad for everyone involved (yes, even Bay and LaBeouf). 1/5 stars.

  (Images: Wikipedia)


Link to The Amazing Atheist's funny review (SPOILERS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRujjZBEGv0
   

R.I.P. Lauren Bacall: A living legend passes away

Today, the world loses one of the last of the great film noir stars. Known for her seductive femme fatale characters in films such as The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, and Key Largo, and her on-screen/off-screen relationship with famed actor Humphrey Bogart, which was featured in those films as well as in To Have and Have Not. Because of these films, and the romantic comedy How to Marry a Millionaire (featuring other legendary leading ladies such as Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe), Bacall became a cultural sex symbol and one of the most prolific actresses in the 1940's and 50's. Her signature look and charm made her a memorable and influential figure in the film medium, and her death is tragic. The fact that this came just one day after the unexpected and hard-hitting death of Robin Williams makes it even more upsetting. As with Williams, I hope Bacall has found some peace in some way.
 
                                                                      Lauren Bacall
                                                                       1924-2014    
                                                                         (age: 89)

                                                        (Image: Wikipedia)

Top 5 Robin Williams Movies: A tribute to one of the best performers of the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's

In memory of Robin Williams, I decided to quickly list of his best movies, in my opinion. These will be more focused on Williams' performances in said films, not so much the films overall.

Criteria:
Feature Williams in a prominent or at least supporting role.
My personal opinion.

5. Aladdin: Williams' iconic and memorable voice performance as the Genie, a supporting character who steals the show, is undoubtedly the best part of this 1992 film. He ad-libbed a lot of his dialogue, and it shows: he owns the role and nobody could top him in it. The ad-libbing shows how he was the king of comedic improvisation.



4. Mrs. Doubtfire: Although this film is very cliched and overly sentimental, Williams' portrayal of a father struggling to maintain contact with his kids through a divorce is pretty compelling and Williams does a great job bringing out both the humor of the situation as well as the seriousness of it. Refreshing for it's time and nostalgia-inducing now, it's a funny movie that most people can enjoy.



3. The Fisher King and Good Morning, Vietnam (tie):
These comedic dramas show Williams' acting range. The former shows Williams as a deranged bu likable homeless man who must reconnect with society with the help of a controversial radio jockey, who is partially responsible for his current state. Williams is able to showcase both his comedic talents but also his penchant for great drama in this bittersweet film. The latter shows Williams as a shock jock who is called in to entertain the troops in Vietnam by hosting the daily radio broadcasts in their camp. A role that both entertains and engages, it shows how someone can use laughter to shed light on serious issues. Fisher King is one of director Terry Gilliam's finest, and Vietnam is considered one of the funniest but also most poignant war films of all time.



2. Dead Poets Society: Williams' role as an inspiring English teacher garnered him a nomination for Best Actor in a Lead Role at the Academy Awards, and it shows. This classic movie is also a bit formulaic, but thanks to Williams' performances, it's hard not to love it. Peter Weir does a great job behind the camera, but it's really Williams that makes this movie fantastic.



1. Good Will Hunting: A powerful modern classic from Gus Van Sant, this beautiful movie shows Matt Damon as the titular Will Hunting, a young Bostonian who must attend therapy session with a doctor played by Williams. Re-evaluating his life, Will begins building the foundation for a better future. Although Williams plays second fiddle here, he delivers a powerful performance which garnered him critical praise, as it shows his more serious side, and won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. A must-see for any fan of Williams or for moviegoers in general, Good Will Hunting is a modern masterpiece.

  (Images: Wikipedia)


Runner-ups: Mork and Mindy (series), Hook, Night at the Museum, Happy Feet, Death to Smoochy, What Dreams May Come, The Birdcage, Jumanji, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Awakenings, Insomnia, One Hour Photo, Lee Daniels' The Butler.

R.I.P. Robin Williams: The world loses one of it's best performers

Yesterday, in the late afternoon, the world lost Robin Williams, one of it's best actors and comedians. Known for his energetic style, many didn't know Williams spent years struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse, which led to bouts of depression. Eventually, this depression and constant battle with alcohol and drugs finally led Williams to commit suicide in his home in Marin County, which is near where I live. This hit hard for me and everyone else, as Williams was a beloved performer and is considered one of the kindest celebrities, as well as one of the most talented. He also, like I said, lived in the area where I live so people I knew (including my dad) had run into him several times over the years and said he was a great guy from the short time they met him. He will be sorely missed and I hope that he's finally found peace.

                                                                  Robin Williams
                                                                    1951-2014
                                                                      (age: 63)
                                                               
                                                    (Image: Wikipedia)

Top 50 Movies of All Time: Volume 5

Today, I'll be counting down my top 10 movies of all time. Again, let's go over the criteria...

Criteria:
Personal opinion
No TV movies or miniseries
I am able to shove an entire series or trilogy into one slot, or tie two films

10. Terminator 2- Judgement Day: In James Cameron's epic action/science fiction film, the T-800 from the original film is sent back to protect a teenaged John Connor from the chilling and cold T-1000, a liquid metal terminator. He must reluctantly team with the jaded Sarah Connor to do so. This movie is one of the few sequels to top the already exceptional original in every way. Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfect to play a monotone, emotionless killing machine, and although Edward Furlong can get a bit annoying, he generally does a fair job as John. Linda Hamilton pulls a complete character 180 as Sarah, going from damsel-in-distress to hardened and slightly crazed survivalist. Her distrust of machines leads to friction between her and the T-800, but she realizes he has changed after being reprogrammed to protect humans, and is sort of like a father figure to John. The special effects and action sequences are still impressive today, and the ending is a little heartbreaking, with the T-800 sacrificing himself to protect humanity and understanding human emotions. It's an action movie with ideas, and that's hard to find nowadays, so it's definitely worth re-watching.



9. Toy Story: Pixar's debut feature is not only a timeless classic, but was also a blockbuster success and extremely innovative for the time, being the first fully CG-animated movie. The directing by John Lasseter was time-consuming and stressful, but it paid off in the long run. The screenplay by Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods), Andrew Stanton (a Pixar regular), Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow is excellent and original, and the characters are memorable and iconic. The voice acting by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks is fantastic, as well, especially since those two are more known for live-action work. Jim Varney (Ernest), John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, and Don Rickles also have voices as Slinky, Ham, Rex, and Mr. Potato Head, respectively. Pixar regulars like Phil Proctor and Andrew Stanton have voice cameos, as does magician and skeptic Penn Jillette. The animation may not look "amazing" by today's standards, but for the time it was mind-blowing, and although I don't really like Randy Newman's music, the song "You've Got a Friend in Me" is at least tolerable. If yo haven't seen this one yet, then go see it as soon as you can.



8. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Henry Selick and Tim Burton's stop-motion collaboration is not only a technical feat but also a favorite of mine to watch around both Halloween and Christmas. Although I'm not huge on musicals, the songs in this film are interestingly offbeat and original, and the character designs and environments are iconic and twisted. The visual style is cool and shadowy (some of Burton's best design work), and the story is refreshingly original. Not to give too much credit to Burton, though, as Selick was the man behind the camera this time, and he does a fantastic job with the stop-motion, which is an incredibly intricate, time-consuming, and difficult type of animation, especially for a feature. I would recommend this movie to pretty much everyone. It's a modern classic, and is a great holiday movie. It's actually great for almost any time of the year.



7. The Wizard of Oz: This 1939 musical is one of the most beloved classics of all time. Despite the fact that the dialogue isn't necessarily "brilliant", the visuals are iconic and beautiful, the characters are surprisingly relatable, and the acting isn't that bad for a 30's movie, where over-acting was the norm. The music is also really catchy and you won't meet a person who isn't at least familiar with most of it, especially "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which is still popular today. The villainous Wicked Witch, portrayed by Margaret Hamilton, is one of the most recognizable villains of all time, and has been frightening (or at least unnerving) young children for over 70 years. It's a flawed movie, but one that stands the test of time, and will be loved by each new generation.



6. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (tie): I couldn't decide between these two excellent films. (Well, these four excellent movies.)
The former is Peter Jackson's epic and sprawling fantasy trilogy based off the writings of the great J.R.R. Tolkien. Despite having a ton of characters to follows, and huge scope (which may cause confusion for some viewers trying to keep track of it), these movies can be enjoyed by almost everyone. The casting is pretty spot-on, and the acting is excellent. The stand-outs are Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo, although sometimes Frodo's whining gets a bit annoying), Andy Serkis (Gollum/Smeagol, which is a great mo-cap performance), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Sean Astin (Sam), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Christopher Lee (Saruman), and Sean Bean (Boromir). The special effects and sets are awe-inspiring, and the action sequences are epic. The films take liberties with the source material, but overall it's very accurate to the novels. I would recommend the extended editions to be viewed at least once, and also the theatrical versions just for comparison.
The latter is Sergio Leone's classic western film which concludes the Man With No Name Trilogy, aka the Dollars Trilogy. Another epic of another kind, it follows Clint Eastwood as the titular Man with No Name, aka "Blondie", who is the "Good" of the film. He is a bounty hunter on a quest for a buried treasure somewhere in the desert, but is pursued by two other cowboys: "Angel Eyes", aka "The Bad", who is a cold-blooded and sadistic mercenary/assassin; and Tuco, aka "The Rat", or "The Ugly", a funny, sometimes treacherous Mexican criminal wanted by the authorities, who briefly teams with Blondie. Eastwood gives a cool and iconic performance as the roguish Blondie, while Lee Van Cleef delivers a sometimes chilling portrayal of the villainous Angel Eyes, and Eli Wallach provides some comic relief and proves to be a real threat at times. The film is packed with bad-ass action scenes, and the ending stand-off is one of the best scenes in any western, or any film. This is Leone's masterpiece, and it's topped off with a rousing and memorable musical theme by Ennio Morricone.



5. Die Hard: In John McTiernan's action classic, Bruce Willis fills in the role of the iconic John McClane, a New York City cop visiting Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his estranged wife and kids, as the wife moved out to pursue a job opportunity out west. When the building his wife works in gets taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party, McClane evades capture and decides to take down the terrorists single-handedly from the inside. Willis' performance is bad-ass and likable. In this film, McClane is portrayed as the everyday guy, not the unstoppable force of nature he becomes in later film, which makes him a lot more relatable. Alan Rickman's portrayal of terrorist ringleader Hans Gruber is excellent, definitely the most evil and intelligent villain in 80's action cinema. The rest of the cast is filled with greats like Reginald VelJohnson and Paul Gleason from The Breakfast Club (who is great at playing arrogant douchebags). The action is thrilling and fast-paced, and the dialogue is quotable and funny. It's just a fun movie all-around, definitely worth checking out several times.



4. Goodfellas and The Usual Suspects (tie): These two crime films are different, but both great in their own ways. First, Goodfellas:
Martin Scorsese's violent crime film follows the real-life story of Henry Hill, a half-Italian, half-Irish guy who is attracted to the mafia way of life from an early age, and eventually becomes a big name in the local mob. Despite changing the names of many characters, it's pretty true-to-life and portrays an anti-hero who rises to the top of the gangster world and falls hard, and learns nothing from it. Showcasing amazing actors such as Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Paul Sorvino, with the middle two being the real stars of the show. Some other famous actors (Samuel L. Jackson, Debi Mazar, and Tobin Bell of Saw fame) appear in small roles (Bell's is a cameo) before they were famous. Scorsese's parents (Catherine and Charles) appear in cameos as Joe Pesci's character Tommy's mother and the character Vinnie, respectively. Real Detective Ed Deacy has a minor role as himself. This all-star cast, plus Scorsese's attention-to-detail, and the quotable dialogue and violent but funny characters make Goodfellas a pleasurable viewing no matter how many times I watch it. Not to mention the killer soundtrack featuring classic artist from genres ranging from 50's soft rock/pop to 70's counterculture rock.
Bryan Singer's first major movie is a twisty, unique crime film based around police interrogations and flashbacks. After a deal on a shipping boat in San Pedro Bay goes sour, only two survivors are left: a Hungarian criminal who is left with crippling burns all over his body, and a simple-minded criminal with a gimpy leg named Verbal Kint, who relays his story on the events leading up to said deal. He reveals a fantastical story involving a mythical Turkish crime boss known as Keyser Soze. Can he be trusted? Is Soze real or just a ghost story made up by criminals to scare each other? Those are the burning questions in this taut and smart crime-thriller/mystery movie. The cast, made up of Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey (who won the Oscar for his role as Verbal), Kevin Pollack, and Pete Postlethwaite, and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Do the Right Thing), is excellent, especially considering this was kind of a sleeper hit. To get all those names was an impressive feat. This is the movie that shot both Singer and Spacey to stardom. The script by Christopher McQuarrie (who often collaborates with Singer and actor Tom Cruise, and wrote and directed cult hit The Way of the Gun and surprisingly good action flick Jack Reacher) is witty and keeps you guessing until the end. The screenplay earned it a second Oscar. All these elements blend together to make one of the best movies of the 1990s, and one of the best crime films ever.



3. The Dark Knight Trilogy/Nolan Trilogy and the Indiana Jones Trilogy (tie): Again, a tie. Sorry for having so many, but I couldn't decide which awesome trilogy to go with.
First, the Nolan trilogy:
These epic superhero films present a darker and more realistic Batman for a new generation. Gone are the sidekicks, silly villains, and comic book-ness. (I love comics, but sometimes the translation to film is a little hard due to some more unrealistic elements.) No, these films are violent, sophisticated, and don't always see Batman come out on top. The cast (made up of a lot of Brits and Aussies) features tons of star power: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katie Holmes, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Aaron Eckhart, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Juno Temple, Rutger Hauer, Matthew Modine, Ken Watanabe, Eric Roberts (Julia Roberts' brother and Emma Roberts' dad). The cast also includes some lesser-known actors in small roles, such as Dexter star Desmond Harrington, Ben Mendolsohn (Killing Them Softly), Nestor Carbonell (Wilfred), and Game of Thrones alumni Burn Gorman, Jack Gleeson (who shows up as a young boy in the first film), and Aidan Gillen (who also had a role in The Wire). Even the Pitssburgh Steelers show up in the third film, as does Memento and Reno 911! actor Thomas Lennon. That line-up alone shows the amount of awesome in this series. Add on the insane action sequences, well-written dialogue, and fantastic lead performances, and you've got a great trilogy of superhero films.
Second, Steven Spielberg and Geroge Lucas' classic action films:
In this series, Harrison Ford stars as the rugged professor and archaeologist Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. and the films follows his various adventures trying to find various mythical artifacts. The cast features Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings), Paul Freeman, Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Denholm Elliot, Julian Glover (The Empire Strikes Back, Game of Thrones), Amrish Puri, River Phoenix, Alison Doody, and the great Sean Connery. (Who plays Indy's dad, and was also sort of Indy's symbolic dad before that, as James Bond was one of the inspirations for Indy.) The action scenes and lines are classic, and it goes to show what you can do without CGI. The middle film is, without a doubt, the weakest, but it's still an enjoyable movie, despite it's faults. The first and third films are extremely well made and are impressive even by today's standards, where every good action movie is a sequel or based on a comic book. "What about the fourth film?" You may ask. Well, we all know that never really happened.





2. A Clockwork Orange and Requiem for a Dream (tie): One last tie before the #1 spot. I couldn't decide which fucked-up movie was better, so I just shoved them together.
First, Clockwork:
Stanley Kubrick's masterful and controversial sci-fi/dystopian drama follows the sickening "adventures" of deranged teen Alex DeLarge, who leads his equally sociopathic gang of "droogies" in raping, murdering, and tormenting those who live in the London of the near future. An avid fan of Beethoven, Alex is one of the most demented protagonists ever: he represents the very essence of moral bankruptcy, and yet, the audience is supposed to sympathize with him, feel bad for him, and the worst part... the movie makes you. It did that for me at least, and after looking up several reviews and analyses, it appears most people do also. The movie is complex and morally and psychologically challenging in every aspect, and it's Kubrick's keen eye for detail and experience with the camera that give this film a great visual look. Not to mention Malcolm McDowell's startling and dark breakthrough performance as the disturbed "hero" Alex. Kubrick's screenplay is fantastic as well. I admit I've never read Anthony Burgess' original novel, but I intend to as soon as possible. Walter/Wendy Carlos' soothing yet haunting synthesizer score perfectly captures the strange subject matter and almost eerie tone. Nothing can really describe what this movie is like, it's more an experience than a film. A must-see for any movie fan or fan of any art.
Now, for Requiem:
Another cinematic masterpiece that's more of an experience than a film, this movie is even bleaker than the previous film I discussed. I must give you fair warning: this is the kind of movie that will shake you to your core and fuck you up for hours, maybe even days depending on your sensitivity, after viewing it. A depressing and harshly realistic portrayal of various forms of addiction (mainly heroin and other hardcore drugs), this Darren Aronofsky arthouse drama is one of the best horror films ever made. It's not typically categorized as horror, but I think it really is, as it shows one of real life's most troubling horrors: drug addiction. Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly both give excellent lead performances, and Marlon Wayans (yeah, you read that right, the guy from Scary Movie and In Living Color) is surprisingly great as Leto's best friend. Christopher McDonald does a good job in a small supporting role as a TV personality. But the real show-stealer is Ellen Burstyn. Her portrayal of Leto's lonely, widowed mother hopelessly trying to lose weight and get on a game show is as heartbreaking as it is gruelling to watch. I am still dumbfounded that she lost to Julia Roberts at the Oscars. No offense to Roberts, but really? Come on, people! The rest of the cast includes stars of Aronofsky's previous film Pi like Sean Gullette and Mark Margolis ("Tio" from Breaking Bad) as well as voice actor Keith David and the underrated Dylan Baker (Happiness, Fido, Anchorman 2, Spider-Man 2 and 3). Aronofsky's unique directing style make this movie feel fast-paced and adds this element of surrealness to it, as well as makes the viewers feel consistently uncomfortable. The editing by Jay Rabinowitz is amazing and looks very difficult to pull off. The score by Clint Mansell (a frequent collaborator with Aronofsky), particularly the main theme "Lux Aeterna", is memorable, haunting, and tragic. I have read the original novel by Hubert Selby, Jr. (who makes a cameo in the film), and I can say that's a highly underrated book and also that the film captures the tone of the novel perfectly, although it omits a small subplot involving a hospital worker which I found interesting. Requiem for a Dream is an extremely powerful work of art that treats the viewer like an emotional punching bag, and doesn't let up in the slightest. I recommend it to anyone with a love of film or great acting, but especially people interested in pursuing hardcore drugs like heroin, crack, cocaine, or even potentially addictive diet pills. (Watch the film to see why.)

 

And now for my number one slot...



1. Star Wars Original Trilogy: I couldn't pick just one of these classic films, so I grouped them together. After all, they were intended to originally be one, long epic. George Lucas may have butchered these movies with his endless re-edits, special editions, and "definitive" cuts, but the originals are still amazing. The cast, consisting of Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones (Darth Vader- voice only), Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse (who providing the body for Darth Vader), Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Cushing, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, and Sir Alec Guinness, are all really great for a bunch of (mostly) unknowns. The special effects and action sequences still hold up today, and the characters and creatures are memorable and iconic. Not to mention the nostalgia-inducing and awesome musical score by John Williams. They pay homage to older space adventure serials while also being original and definitive. They inspired thousands or filmmakers and writers from Kevin Smith to Seth McFarlane to J.J. Abrams. Just check out this article to see how many of your favorite movie and TV people were influenced by it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/star-wars-35th-anniversary_n_1542414.html
These movie are a huge part of film history and all culture in general, and showcase young George Lucas' talent for movie making. I love them because they're classics in every sense of the word, and they were some of the first movies I really ever loved.



(Images: Wikipedia)

Runner-ups: Amadeus, It's a Wonderful Life, True Grit (both versions), The Godfather, The Breakfast Club, The Sixth Sense, The Thing, Halloween, Braveheart, Stand By Me, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Dawn of the Dead, Annie Hall, Psycho, The Fly, Candyman, Hellraiser, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Blue Velvet, American Graffiti, Traffic, Downfall, Traffic, Pan's Labyrinth, The Boondock Saints, Spider-Man 2, X2, Remember the Titans.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Marvel's latest film is not a superhero effort, but a space adventure

Today, I look at the highly-anticipated sci-fi action film Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy:
In 1988, a young boy named Peter Jason Quill, who just lost his mother to cancer, is abducted from Earth by a group of alien outlaws called the Ravagers. Raised by their rugged leader Yondu, he becomes the "legendary outlaw 'Star-Lord'". After stealing an ancient orb from an alien temple on a desolate planet, he is chased down by soldiers from the Kree culture, the Ravagers (whom he has betrayed and left), and a green alien assassin by the name of Gamora, who is sent by the galactic being Thanos. However, after being arrested, he must team with Gamora, a witty bounty hunter/genetic experiment gone wrong named Rocket (who is a talking raccoon), Rocket's bodyguard and enforcer Groot (a humanoid tree creature), and a crazed alien trying to avenge his family named Drax, in order to escape prison and save the galaxy and keep the orb from falling into the wrong hands. In particular, the hands of the genocidal Kree warrior named Ronan, "the Accuser", who is enraged by the Kree's peace treaty with the planet of Xandar, and wants to wipe out all of the planet's inhabitants and culture.
   This movie was surprisingly good, and part of that is due to it's great ensemble cast: Chris Pratt is charismatic and funny in the role of the arrogant and "infamous" Star-Lord. More known for comedy, this role proves that Pratt can do action movies just as well. Zoe Saldana is good in the role of the skilled assassin Gamora. Dave Bautista is excellent in the role of bad-ass/crazy sort-of comic relief Drax. But the stars of the show are, without a doubt, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as Groot and Rocket, respectively. Groot is lovable and provides some laughs, and Cooper is funny and crazy in the role of the raccoon. Lee Pace is Ronan, and is one of the few Marvel villains lately that isn't a huge disappointment. I'm not saying he's really great or outstanding, he's still just another action villain (which is a shame, as Ronan is a cool comic book character), but unlike Red Skull in Captain America and Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, Ronan actually presents a big threat and doesn't just get killed by some stupid explosion after a 30-second fight scene. Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Oculus) is the supporting villainess Nebula, Gamora's foster sister and one of Thanos' cyborg assassin "daughters". Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) plays Yondu, Star-Lord's sort-of-father figure and space pirate. Rooker brings his charm and coolness, but the flaw with his character is that he's basically just a blue-skinned Merle (Rooker's Walking Dead character), he's not another new or different. Djimon Hounsou (In America, Blood Diamond, How to Train Your Dragon 2) appears as Korath, one of Ronan's best soldiers and trackers. John C. Reilly and Glenn Close have minor parts as Xandar officials Rhomann Dey and Irani Rael, respectively. Benicio del Toro is excellent as the effeminate, eccentric, and slightly unhinged Collector, but he's pretty much wasted. Josh Brolin has a minor part as Thanos, the cold-hearted galactic conqueror. Alexis Denisof reprises his part from Avengers as The Other, Thanos' representative. Ophelia Lovibond has a small part as The Collector's servant girl Carina. Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones, Spooks) cameos as a Ravager, Nathan Fillion has a cameo as a space prison inmate, Stan "The Man" Lee as a Xandarian playboy, Lloyd Kaufman (infamous B-movie director) as another prisoner, Rob Zombie as a Ravager navigator, and the film's composer Tyler Bates (a frequent collaborator of Zombie and Zack Snyder) as a Ravager pilot.
   Speaking of the film's score, that's one of the few problems with the movie. Although the soundtrack (filled with 70's classics) is awesome, the original music is sort of bland and forgettable. That's not to insult Bates, but that's just a problem facing many blockbuster films today.
    The only other major complaint is the humor. Now, the humor's great and there's nothing wrong with it, but this is a problem facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Disney took over: never knowing when enough was enough. These movies tend to get so hung up on having a good time that they don't know when to just take themselves seriously and stop being so self-aware. This was a problem in The Avengers, too. Both are fun and enjoyable action movies, but both have jokes in the middle of action scenes and dramatic moments, which is kind of inappropriate.
   Other than those two things, and the occasional logical flaw (which is prevalent in most blockbuster movies) and cliche, there's not too much wrong with this movie. The acting all around is pretty good for a summer movie (especially one coming out in the usually dull month of August). The action sequences are fun and colorful, with lots of cool sci-fi weapons and gadgets to keep things interesting. Speaking of which, the special effects and makeup are amazing, and although there's not a huge variety of weird creatures, when one does pop-up, they look really cool and unique, so I gotta give props to the design team. The CG looks great and is used only when it really needs to be, which is something I respect a lot.
   James Gunn (Slither, Super) does a great job directing. This surprised me, as he's mostly known for B-movies and comedies. He and his brother Sean Gunn have cameos in the film. His screenplay with Nicole Perlman is full of wit and originality. At first I thought Rooker was cast because of The Walking Dead's bloated popularity, and while this is probably a huge factor as well, it's also probably because Rooker starred in Gunn's film Slither. But, back on point, Gunn does a great job for a first-time blockbuster director.
    Guardians of the Galaxy has some flaws, but overall it's a fun summer movie and it broadens the scope of the already vast Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's flashy, fast-paced, and funny, and has some great action sequences and an awesome soundtrack. What else could you really ask for? 3.5/5 stars.

(Spoilers Below Poster)

  (Image: Wikipedia)
   



Spoiler Segment:
In the always great end-credits sequence, The Collector sits, depressed, as his vast collection has been destroyed when his home/museum is blown up by an Infinity Star (which the orb was holding the whole time). He is sitting there, when a Russian cosmonaut dog named Cosmo (played by animal performer Fred the Dog) runs up and starts licking his face. Suddenly, a voice starts mocking him from off-screen. He looks to see one of his living collectibles, Howard the Duck (voiced by Seth Green of Austin Powers, Idle Hands, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken fame), sitting on the remains of his glass case, drinking. Is this just a little Easter egg? Or are we goign to see Howard get his own movie, or maybe a role in another project? (Which will hopefully be better than the 1986 flop Howard the Duck.) Only time will tell...
(End of Spoilers)