Top 10 list and ITALIAN SPIDER-MAN!
Since I have a free moment...when the heck did that happen I'm posting my top 10 movies of the year list and a funny video.
So here's the list, one little caveat I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet, so this may change as soon as that rolls around Utah.
10. Southland Tales - Okay yeah this movie is a fucking mess, and is all over the map in tone and narrative cohesion. But you know what? I liked it. I dug it's not very precise and kitchen sink attitude.
9. Across the Universe - Another mess of a movie, but it makes the list for two reasons; 1) Julie Taymor's visual style and flair, and 2) It's non cynical take on the 1960's, I should also mention the music is quite good.
8. Grindhouse - Neither "Planet Terror" or "Death Proof" are the directors best movies(they're not bad though), but when you put them together and include fake trailers you get one night at the movies that can't be beat. Movies don't seem to be fun anymore and this double bill was fun.
7. Hot Fuzz - A parody that is actually a better entry in the genre of action movies than most action movies. What makes Hot Fuzz work is the smart script, and the acting that while being silly stays very very real.
6. Knocked Up - A raunchy comedy with heart and soul, slightly terrifying, but utterly hilarious with characters that were actually interesting to watch.
5. Superbad - It's been a while since we've had a movie like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and here we have Superbad. A brilliant take on high school and growing up.
4. Lars and the Real Girl - A movie that could have just been a stupid raunchy comedy, was actually something Frank Capra could have made. It's sweet, touching and a very human story.
3. Sweeney Todd - Yes some of the singing is off, but no one is tone deaf. If you go in expecting the musical you'll hate it, but as a movie...it's amazing. Possibly Tim Burton's best since Ed Wood. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are amazing. This movie just grabs you and won't let you go.
2. Juno - It really is this year's "Little Miss Sunshine". Similar to "Knocked Up", but it's a movie about people you act like actual people. It's a film that doesn't cheat, and has a genuine warmth and happiness to it.
1. No Country For Old Men - I started this list with two of the messiest films of the year, and I'm ending it with the least messy. This film it's like watching a master clock maker make a prized watch. Not a thing is out of place, a beat isn't missed. Nothing is spared. A gritty neo-western that grabs you from the opening minutes of silence and just won't let go.
And now Categories!
Movie that should have been on the list about but I couldn't find room for:
In The Valley of Elah - A heartbreaking film about fathers and son's, pain and loss, and how dehumanizing war is.
Movies that had no business being good but were:
TMNT - A return to the roots for the old school turtles, with a new school look.
Live Free or Die Hard - Okay the magic of the Die Hard series has worn a little thin, but the fourth entry really does kick ass. Again it brings a little of the old school back.
Movies that just plain sucked:
Transformers - That's right I said it. Transformers was pretty f-in bad. It was fun for the first watch through but after that it just got worse and worse. This movie wasn't a movie, it's a commercial for everything but being a hacker in the C.I.A.
300 - I don't think I need to say more than; an overblown piece of shit.
Smokin' Aces - This was a wannabe "Snatch" or "Lock Stock", but it just made no sense, and then tried to be a drama for no real reason.
So that's my movie year in review, like I said there are a couple of movies I haven't seen yet: There Will Be Blood, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and I'm Not There, so the list could change.
And now...ITALIAN SPIDER-MAN
So here's the list, one little caveat I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet, so this may change as soon as that rolls around Utah.
10. Southland Tales - Okay yeah this movie is a fucking mess, and is all over the map in tone and narrative cohesion. But you know what? I liked it. I dug it's not very precise and kitchen sink attitude.
9. Across the Universe - Another mess of a movie, but it makes the list for two reasons; 1) Julie Taymor's visual style and flair, and 2) It's non cynical take on the 1960's, I should also mention the music is quite good.
8. Grindhouse - Neither "Planet Terror" or "Death Proof" are the directors best movies(they're not bad though), but when you put them together and include fake trailers you get one night at the movies that can't be beat. Movies don't seem to be fun anymore and this double bill was fun.
7. Hot Fuzz - A parody that is actually a better entry in the genre of action movies than most action movies. What makes Hot Fuzz work is the smart script, and the acting that while being silly stays very very real.
6. Knocked Up - A raunchy comedy with heart and soul, slightly terrifying, but utterly hilarious with characters that were actually interesting to watch.
5. Superbad - It's been a while since we've had a movie like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and here we have Superbad. A brilliant take on high school and growing up.
4. Lars and the Real Girl - A movie that could have just been a stupid raunchy comedy, was actually something Frank Capra could have made. It's sweet, touching and a very human story.
3. Sweeney Todd - Yes some of the singing is off, but no one is tone deaf. If you go in expecting the musical you'll hate it, but as a movie...it's amazing. Possibly Tim Burton's best since Ed Wood. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are amazing. This movie just grabs you and won't let you go.
2. Juno - It really is this year's "Little Miss Sunshine". Similar to "Knocked Up", but it's a movie about people you act like actual people. It's a film that doesn't cheat, and has a genuine warmth and happiness to it.
1. No Country For Old Men - I started this list with two of the messiest films of the year, and I'm ending it with the least messy. This film it's like watching a master clock maker make a prized watch. Not a thing is out of place, a beat isn't missed. Nothing is spared. A gritty neo-western that grabs you from the opening minutes of silence and just won't let go.
And now Categories!
Movie that should have been on the list about but I couldn't find room for:
In The Valley of Elah - A heartbreaking film about fathers and son's, pain and loss, and how dehumanizing war is.
Movies that had no business being good but were:
TMNT - A return to the roots for the old school turtles, with a new school look.
Live Free or Die Hard - Okay the magic of the Die Hard series has worn a little thin, but the fourth entry really does kick ass. Again it brings a little of the old school back.
Movies that just plain sucked:
Transformers - That's right I said it. Transformers was pretty f-in bad. It was fun for the first watch through but after that it just got worse and worse. This movie wasn't a movie, it's a commercial for everything but being a hacker in the C.I.A.
300 - I don't think I need to say more than; an overblown piece of shit.
Smokin' Aces - This was a wannabe "Snatch" or "Lock Stock", but it just made no sense, and then tried to be a drama for no real reason.
So that's my movie year in review, like I said there are a couple of movies I haven't seen yet: There Will Be Blood, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and I'm Not There, so the list could change.
And now...ITALIAN SPIDER-MAN
Click to view