Mooooovies
I went to see Sweeney Todd yesterday. It was absolutely gruesome and I loved it. That night it was hard to get the film out of my mind; not really because of the graphic violence, but because it's so tragic. It shows so many of the shadows of human nature.
I could probably ramble about this for ages, but it might not make sense to anyone but myself, so I'd rather give you the solutions to the movie meme I posted a week (and a day) ago. With them I'll include explanations as to why I like these movies, simply because I like hearing myself speak. Or, uh, reading myself write. No, that doesn't sound right...
Anyway...
1. "Perhaps there is a little bit of witch in you, Katrina."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you have bewitched me."
As
luzifer_ guessed, this is from Sleepy Hollow. Like most Tim Burton films, it is very atmospheric. Most of the scenes don't have a lot of colour, giving it a grey and gloomy feel. Even the beautiful things, such as the two little white girls in the woods during a flashback, seem so unearthly beautiful that they're almost creepy. And, like in many of his films, Burton is accompanied by his co-conspirators Johnny Depp and Danny Elfman, making the experience of this story pretty much perfect.
In fact, this is the very movie that made me realise just how cool Mr Depp really is. There is just something absolutely irresistible about Ichabod Crane. He is so smart, rational, logical - far ahead of his time. Yet he is just so human - jumping onto a chair in fear of a spider and fainting upon seeing a dead body. NOT the typical emotionless action hero. I'm sure many of this character's cute quirks and charms would have been lost if he had been played by a different actor. As I discussed with Amy yesterday:
"Johnny Depp is a great actor."
"He is. And he's also nice. I mean, nice-looking."
*giggles*
2. "I finally get a bouquet and it's a goodbye present. That's depressing."
Nobody got that one. That might have been due to trandlation issues, since Imdb obviously uses the quotes from the English language version, while most of us prefer the original Japanese with subtitles (in fact, I don't know how often I've seen this movie, but every single time it was in Japanese. Even the thought of seeing it in English makes me shudder).
As you might have guessed by now, this is from the masterpiece Spirited Away (or Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [which I don't really know what means], as it is called in the original language). It is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, my other favourite director. All his films are pretty to look at; rich in colours, with much attention to detail and many interesting creatures and locations. But this one stands out from the others through the strong protagonist. Think about it; Chihiro is only about 10 years old and she is already so brave, so kind and so willing to work and to suffer for the people she cares about. But like Ichabod Crane, she is not perfect. She is really just a little girl who sometimes feels scared and insecure and is often clumsy.
Then there is her beautiful friendship with Haku that warms even the hearts of cynics like me (okay, maybe I'm not that cynical, but I'm sure it will warm the hearts of people far more cynical than myself).
This movie is just wonderful in every way and I think everyone should watch it at least once.
3. "Great Scott!"
Yes, this is from Back to the Future.
per_vert already said that.
As you are probably aware, Back to the Future is not actually one film but a trilogy. My favourite of the series is the second part, because there's so much happening in that movie. Present - future - hellish alternative present - past. But instead of picking a quote from that installment particularly, I decided to go with a recurring line that appears in all three movies.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is one of the very first time travel movies, so it is pretty much void of annoying clichés, simply because at that time everything about the genre was still new and original. The 80's feel is lovely, although we don't get too much of it in the 1st and the 3rd film, because they mostly take place in 1955 (which also has a nice old-sitcom-feel to it, but just isn't as close to my heart as the 80's) and the Wild West, respectively. Ironically enough, the most 80's part of the films is when my beloved unlikely duo, Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, travel to the year 2015. The clothes and the environment might be crazy and futuristic, but really it's showing how the world would look like today if the 80's had never ended. XD
Of course it has plotholes. What time travel story doesn't have plotholes? But even though it's exciting and pulls you into the action, Back to the Future doesn't take itself uber-seriously, and many lines are just hilarious.
And what would the films be without the wonderful villain Biff Tannen, the ultimate jock? I don't think it's possible not to hate him, which makes him a very effective villain. Not neccessarily because he's mega-eeeevil, but he's just such an annoying prick!
Before I stop rambling about this movie series, I'd just like to point out that one of the kids in the future café is none other than little hobbit Elijah Wood in his very first role. Luvverly!
4. "How was school?"
"The worst day of my life, what do you think?"
luzifer_ guessed this one again; it's Napoleon Dynamite. What can I say about this film? It's different. It's silly. It's random. A bit like me. Except dorkier. ...At least a little. I don't wear moonboots.
Napoleon Dynamite is the sort of dork that every dork wants to be. The dork that makes dorkiness look cool. When you laugh at him doing something ridiculous that most people would never dream of doing, half of you is thinking, "Seriously, what the heck is wrong with him?!" while the other half is thinking, "Man, he is so brilliant!" Or maybe that's just me.
...Actually if it's just me, it might be a pretty bad sign, so I wouldn't mind an affirmation here. Anyone? Please?
The movie has a pretty unusual structure. While you could say that the basic plotline is that Napoleon is trying to help his friend Pedro win the high school elections, most of the scenes, especially in the first half of the film, don't serve any purpose within the plot other than showing Napoleon's personality and making the audience giggle over the severe randomness. In a way, you could say that it is an insight into Napoleon's daily life, which is pretty random and dorky.
But it is this randomness that makes the movie especially quotable. Some examples:
"You guys are retarded!"
"Do the chickens have large talons?"
(Best pick-up line ever *cough cough*:) "I see you're drinking 1%. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to."
5. "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder."
As guessed by
sarahblack, this is a quote from Shrek. My brothers and I have seen that film so often that we can quote most of it from memory. That's pretty scary, actually.
Nowadays it seems like anyone can make a computer-animated movie. Granted, the low budget ones look pretty lousy, but you don't have to look far to see decent CGI animation. Now think a few years back when you saw Shrek for the first time. How amazed you were at the detail of the grass, the hair, the movement of the clothes. Sure, there had been CGI films before, but none that looked so realistic. Even that first Final Fantasy movie looks like a cartoon compared to Shrek.
The awe about the animation didn't last very long and now it doesn't seem all that special anymore. Luckily the storyline is also great. It makes fun of those fairy tales we've known all our life and derails clichés into the unexpected and absurd, rather than being just another cute Disney movie (yes, I know it's not from Disney). Still, it manages to bring in a nice little moral about how it is the inner beauty that really matters.
It also has some pretty darn awesome music.
6. "I'm sorry, John, but you're going to have to run again."
ladymysla got that one; it's Minority Report. Based on a short story (which I still haven't read) by the brilliant Phillip K. Dick, it shows us a technologically advanced future where, thanks to precognitive vision, murderers can be arrested before they commit their crimes, and stimulates us to ask ethic and philosophical questions about this world.
Granted, the main character is played by Tom "Creepy Scientologist" Cruise, but the story with its action, excitement, twists and turns draws the audience too much in to allow them to remember that these people are really actors and not cops from the future.
But if we do want to talk about acting, Samantha Morton, who plays Agatha, the female pre-cog, does a terrific job. It looks like a tough role, but she's very convincing.
I don't really want to spoil the storyline too much for those who haven't seen it, so I'll just stop now. (Besides, it's already late and I'm only on number 6...)
7. "I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent?"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, of course.
luzifer_ guessed it again. Since most people seem to have seen it a million times and are able to quote parts of it for hours on end, there isn't much you can say about it. It's the Monty Python group at their very best, combining lovely characters, like the sissy Prince Herbert (not Alice), "brave" Sir Robin and his minstrel, the Knights Who Say Ni and the witch who turned someone into a newt (although he got better), with a surreal storyline about quests, unladen swallows and terrible monsters. Every minute of it is a classic comedy gem, not to mention delightfully British.
Wouldn't it be nice to go back to the first time you watched this movie, before you knew exactly what was going to happen? *whistful sigh*
On second thought... let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.
8. "I must say, you are a gloomy looking bunch. Why so glum?"
"...Our parents just died."
Once again
luzifer_ that cheeky bastard got the right answer, which is A Series of Unfortunate Events. Based on Lemony Snicket's clever and hilarious book series, this movie tells the story of three sympathetic orphans and a delightfully horrible villain with absolutely no redeeming features. As Count Olaf, Jim Carrey proves once again that he can be pretty durn cool when he wants to.
Although the gloomy "You really don't want to be watching this. Go watch a film about a happy elf instead"-attitude remains, Snicket's silly style of writing is, of course, lost in the adaptation, but it makes up for it through stunning, Burtonesque visuals and more excitement and drama than the books. The characters remain pretty much the same, but the storyline is a bit changed. This doesn't bother me, however. In fact, I love both the movie and the books, but in two completely different ways. Well, not completely different, but different enough for me not to bother about the differences between them.
My favourite character in the books is the narrator himself, Lemony Snicket, the poor depressed adventurer. He doesn't have as big a role in the movie, but is nonetheless cool. Jude Law has a prrrrrretty voice and accent. Yum!
9. "They were shocked... and stunned."
"Well, we're shocked."
"Yeah, shocked."
"Shocked."
"And stunned."
"Yeah, stunned."
"Very stunned."
This is the other movie no-one guessed. The full title is The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, but The Rutles would have been enough for me. Why do I love this movie? Well, why shouldn't I? It mixes two of my favourite things in the world together: The Beatles and Monty Python. It tells the story of the fictional band The Rutles (a parody of the Beatles, in case you're really thick or reading this at 4am or both) from the beginning to the end. It's full of references to my favourite band, so it helps if you know something about them. The more you are familiar with the Beatles, the funnier the movie will be to you, but even if you don't know anything about them at all, there are still moments in the film that should be amusing to anyone (as you can see here).
Despite looking rather different from the Beatles, the four actors who play the Rutles manage brilliant imitations. Especially Neil Innes sometimes makes you think: "Woah, he looks and acts just like John Lennon!" Yay for Liverpool accents. The songs are great too. They sound enough like the Beatles songs they're parodising, but somehow still work well enough on their own that you wouldn't mind listening to them on the radio.
Finally, there's a great number of cameos by famous singers and actors, for example Mick Jagger (that man has a HUGE mouth), Paul Simon, James Belushi, Bill Murray and even George Harrison (in disguise).
10. "I was a bride. My dreams were taken from me. But now - now I've stolen them from someone else. I love you, Victor, but you are not mine."
This quote is from Corpse Bride - yet another guess by
luzifer_. Another beautiful, beautiful Tim Burton movie which juxtaposes the greyness of Victorian England with a bright and lively world of the dead.
The protagonist, Victor Van Dort, gets his voice from Johnny Depp and sort of looks like him as well. A handsome puppet he is. As well as being shy and friendly. Absolutely adorable! Squeee!
The jokes are nice and appeal to both children and adults and the music is catchy. But first and foremost it's a wonderful love story. Even though movies about love at first sight usually annoy me, Victor and Victoria are such a lovely couple. And Emily's pain as the third wheel isn't being taken lightly, as romantic comedies tend to do. "I love you, but you are not mine," are, after all, tough words to say.
11. "FASCIST!"
"Hag."
This is, of course, from Hot Fuzz, as
per_vert guessed. Where to begin to praise such an awesome movie of awesomeness? Well, you know how most action movies are cheesy and boring? Hot Fuzz is an action movie that makes fun of the genre of cheesy cop action movies and ends up being better than, well, any other action movie I've ever seen. How does it achieve that? I'm not even sure myself.
Normally I'm not someone who finds it funny when somebody gets hurt on screen. But for some reason the exaggarated violence in this film is just hilarious. A part of a church tower lands on somebody's head, splitting it in half, with blood splashing everwhere and you find yourself chuckling. An old granny is packing a machine gun and you can't stop laughing.
Then there's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who just make a great team together (and the fact that Simon Pegg is rather handsome doesn't hurt either). They both manage to be funny pretty much all the time without much effort.
I'm also glad that the producers didn't waste screen time by inserting a pointless love interest that has nothing to do with the plot. This movie is excusively about male friendship and bonding. And conspiracies and senseless violence.
What else can I say? I don't know. Hot Fuzz is a movie that needs to be seen to be believed. Most of you have seen it and so already believe it. If you haven't seen it, there's no point in me describing it. You just need to see for yourself.
12. "I never want to see a naked man again."
Once again the over-eager
luzifer_ (;P) guessed it - it's Disney's Mulan. Yes, an animated Disney movie with naked men. Okay, you don't actually see anything and The Little Mermaid has far more cleavage. Still...: "There are a couple things I know they're bound to notice!" Talk about adult humour, wink wink nudge nudge.
It is common knowledge (or at least it should be) that every movie is more fun with a crossdresser. This one has several, so it's extra fun! Although I am inclined to agree with Alda that this is one Disney film that is actually more enjoyable in Icelandic. I don't even remember what Mushu said in the English version for: "Eigi skal stressast!" Of course, the film has its flaws. It is, after all, made by a company that works by a strict formula. But it's definitely one of the best formula films I can think of.
Different from many other Disney movies, the lead woman is not a fragile princess, but a clumsy tomboy. Tomboys in children's movies are always approvable. Also, the songs are good. Just a hint of Chinese folk music, but not too exotic for Western ears.
My main complaint about the film is the boooooring bloke Mulan falls for. Surely someone with such a colourful personality can find someone more interesting. Oh well. At least you never actually see them get together in the movie, so there's still a chance for her. Hur hur hur!
13. "So long and thanks for all the fish."
This is from The Hitchhiker's Guide Through the Galaxy, as
jazzqueen figured out. It's surreal, it's satire, it's got great characters and it's immensely enjoyable. Sure, it's not as good as the old BBC series, in which Ford Prefect is so adorable that you just want to hug and squeeze him, but at least Trillian doesn't act like an annoying blonde. Arthur Dent is surprisingly cute here. Not dashingly handsome, but sort of puppy-dog cute. The Hitchhiker's Guide itself is very fancy, the Vogons are disgusting and Zaphod Beeblebrox is a total jerk. Douglas Adams would probably have approved, despite the tacked-on lovestory and happy ending.
Basically, a lot of the things and characters look a bit different than I imagined in the book (Marvin, for example), but that hasn't lessened my enjoyment of the film, because it's funny and well done.
And knowing that the answer is 42 is important for everyone.
14. "The guy sure looks like plant food to me!"
per_vert guessed this one - it was Little Shop of Horrors, which is definitely one of my favourite musicals. If only all alien invasions were that funky. All we need are three black teenage girls as backup singers and narrators for whatever is going on at the moment and suddenly the world would be a lot cooler.
The most memorable character from both the film and the stage version is probably Orin Scrivello, the sadistic dentist. Once again it is proven that violence and grievous bodily harm can be funny. Especially if it takes place to a catchy tune (and it doesn't happen to yourself, of course).
Well, what can I say to convince you how cool a movie about a man-eating extra-terrestrial plant named Audrey is? I think once again a Youtube clip says more than a thousand words.
I wonder if you can buy the soundtrack somewhere, because it truly rocks.
15. "Admit it. You've always looked up to me."
"Yes, but it's not much of a view!"
So we come to the last movie on the list, which is, as
sarahblack pointed out, The Prince of Egypt. I'm sure there are lots of people who are inclined not to take this film very seriously, since it's only a cartoon, but as far as biblical movies go, The Prince of Egypt is superior to any other that I've seen. Certainly to the overly dramatic four-hour bore The Ten Commandments. Okay, I admit I was only eleven when I saw that one and eleven-year-olds don't mix very well with overly dramatic long movies. Still, as far as I can tell The Ten Commandments is attempting to be in the same style as the Bible. Now, the Bible isn't exactly written like a novel, seeing as it spans about, what, 5000 years of history. It focuses on great miracles rather than individual emotion.
The Prince of Egypt does show the miracles, of course; the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea and all that. But its appeal and its main focus lies on a far more personal level. Moses is portrayed as a normal young man and the audience gets to experience and relate to his emotions. Feeling insecure and inedaquate, having to chose between his brother and his people, realising that his life was a lie. I dare say that never has the story of Moses been told with so much emotion.
Furthermore, the animation is gobsmackingly awesome. Not only does the drawn animation flow smoothly with the computer animation (which seems to be a hard thing to do), but the Hebrews actually look, gasp, Hebrew. The Egyptians also look clearly Egyptian and there is a clear distinction between those two races (and also the Middianites, the third race that appears in the move). There isn't a single Caucasian in the movie and why should there be? It would be silly.
The original Bible story is followed rather closely, but there are some artistic differences (like making Moses young and handsome, rather than a 120-year-old geezer - which I fully approve of *grins*).
Now I want to watch movies. But I should probably go to sleep. Woe is me!
I could probably ramble about this for ages, but it might not make sense to anyone but myself, so I'd rather give you the solutions to the movie meme I posted a week (and a day) ago. With them I'll include explanations as to why I like these movies, simply because I like hearing myself speak. Or, uh, reading myself write. No, that doesn't sound right...
Anyway...
1. "Perhaps there is a little bit of witch in you, Katrina."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you have bewitched me."
As
luzifer_ guessed, this is from Sleepy Hollow. Like most Tim Burton films, it is very atmospheric. Most of the scenes don't have a lot of colour, giving it a grey and gloomy feel. Even the beautiful things, such as the two little white girls in the woods during a flashback, seem so unearthly beautiful that they're almost creepy. And, like in many of his films, Burton is accompanied by his co-conspirators Johnny Depp and Danny Elfman, making the experience of this story pretty much perfect.
In fact, this is the very movie that made me realise just how cool Mr Depp really is. There is just something absolutely irresistible about Ichabod Crane. He is so smart, rational, logical - far ahead of his time. Yet he is just so human - jumping onto a chair in fear of a spider and fainting upon seeing a dead body. NOT the typical emotionless action hero. I'm sure many of this character's cute quirks and charms would have been lost if he had been played by a different actor. As I discussed with Amy yesterday:
"Johnny Depp is a great actor."
"He is. And he's also nice. I mean, nice-looking."
*giggles*
2. "I finally get a bouquet and it's a goodbye present. That's depressing."
Nobody got that one. That might have been due to trandlation issues, since Imdb obviously uses the quotes from the English language version, while most of us prefer the original Japanese with subtitles (in fact, I don't know how often I've seen this movie, but every single time it was in Japanese. Even the thought of seeing it in English makes me shudder).
As you might have guessed by now, this is from the masterpiece Spirited Away (or Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [which I don't really know what means], as it is called in the original language). It is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, my other favourite director. All his films are pretty to look at; rich in colours, with much attention to detail and many interesting creatures and locations. But this one stands out from the others through the strong protagonist. Think about it; Chihiro is only about 10 years old and she is already so brave, so kind and so willing to work and to suffer for the people she cares about. But like Ichabod Crane, she is not perfect. She is really just a little girl who sometimes feels scared and insecure and is often clumsy.
Then there is her beautiful friendship with Haku that warms even the hearts of cynics like me (okay, maybe I'm not that cynical, but I'm sure it will warm the hearts of people far more cynical than myself).
This movie is just wonderful in every way and I think everyone should watch it at least once.
3. "Great Scott!"
Yes, this is from Back to the Future.
per_vert already said that.
As you are probably aware, Back to the Future is not actually one film but a trilogy. My favourite of the series is the second part, because there's so much happening in that movie. Present - future - hellish alternative present - past. But instead of picking a quote from that installment particularly, I decided to go with a recurring line that appears in all three movies.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is one of the very first time travel movies, so it is pretty much void of annoying clichés, simply because at that time everything about the genre was still new and original. The 80's feel is lovely, although we don't get too much of it in the 1st and the 3rd film, because they mostly take place in 1955 (which also has a nice old-sitcom-feel to it, but just isn't as close to my heart as the 80's) and the Wild West, respectively. Ironically enough, the most 80's part of the films is when my beloved unlikely duo, Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, travel to the year 2015. The clothes and the environment might be crazy and futuristic, but really it's showing how the world would look like today if the 80's had never ended. XD
Of course it has plotholes. What time travel story doesn't have plotholes? But even though it's exciting and pulls you into the action, Back to the Future doesn't take itself uber-seriously, and many lines are just hilarious.
And what would the films be without the wonderful villain Biff Tannen, the ultimate jock? I don't think it's possible not to hate him, which makes him a very effective villain. Not neccessarily because he's mega-eeeevil, but he's just such an annoying prick!
Before I stop rambling about this movie series, I'd just like to point out that one of the kids in the future café is none other than little hobbit Elijah Wood in his very first role. Luvverly!
4. "How was school?"
"The worst day of my life, what do you think?"
luzifer_ guessed this one again; it's Napoleon Dynamite. What can I say about this film? It's different. It's silly. It's random. A bit like me. Except dorkier. ...At least a little. I don't wear moonboots.
Napoleon Dynamite is the sort of dork that every dork wants to be. The dork that makes dorkiness look cool. When you laugh at him doing something ridiculous that most people would never dream of doing, half of you is thinking, "Seriously, what the heck is wrong with him?!" while the other half is thinking, "Man, he is so brilliant!" Or maybe that's just me.
...Actually if it's just me, it might be a pretty bad sign, so I wouldn't mind an affirmation here. Anyone? Please?
The movie has a pretty unusual structure. While you could say that the basic plotline is that Napoleon is trying to help his friend Pedro win the high school elections, most of the scenes, especially in the first half of the film, don't serve any purpose within the plot other than showing Napoleon's personality and making the audience giggle over the severe randomness. In a way, you could say that it is an insight into Napoleon's daily life, which is pretty random and dorky.
But it is this randomness that makes the movie especially quotable. Some examples:
"You guys are retarded!"
"Do the chickens have large talons?"
(Best pick-up line ever *cough cough*:) "I see you're drinking 1%. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to."
5. "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder."
As guessed by
sarahblack, this is a quote from Shrek. My brothers and I have seen that film so often that we can quote most of it from memory. That's pretty scary, actually.
Nowadays it seems like anyone can make a computer-animated movie. Granted, the low budget ones look pretty lousy, but you don't have to look far to see decent CGI animation. Now think a few years back when you saw Shrek for the first time. How amazed you were at the detail of the grass, the hair, the movement of the clothes. Sure, there had been CGI films before, but none that looked so realistic. Even that first Final Fantasy movie looks like a cartoon compared to Shrek.
The awe about the animation didn't last very long and now it doesn't seem all that special anymore. Luckily the storyline is also great. It makes fun of those fairy tales we've known all our life and derails clichés into the unexpected and absurd, rather than being just another cute Disney movie (yes, I know it's not from Disney). Still, it manages to bring in a nice little moral about how it is the inner beauty that really matters.
It also has some pretty darn awesome music.
6. "I'm sorry, John, but you're going to have to run again."
ladymysla got that one; it's Minority Report. Based on a short story (which I still haven't read) by the brilliant Phillip K. Dick, it shows us a technologically advanced future where, thanks to precognitive vision, murderers can be arrested before they commit their crimes, and stimulates us to ask ethic and philosophical questions about this world.
Granted, the main character is played by Tom "Creepy Scientologist" Cruise, but the story with its action, excitement, twists and turns draws the audience too much in to allow them to remember that these people are really actors and not cops from the future.
But if we do want to talk about acting, Samantha Morton, who plays Agatha, the female pre-cog, does a terrific job. It looks like a tough role, but she's very convincing.
I don't really want to spoil the storyline too much for those who haven't seen it, so I'll just stop now. (Besides, it's already late and I'm only on number 6...)
7. "I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent?"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, of course.
luzifer_ guessed it again. Since most people seem to have seen it a million times and are able to quote parts of it for hours on end, there isn't much you can say about it. It's the Monty Python group at their very best, combining lovely characters, like the sissy Prince Herbert (not Alice), "brave" Sir Robin and his minstrel, the Knights Who Say Ni and the witch who turned someone into a newt (although he got better), with a surreal storyline about quests, unladen swallows and terrible monsters. Every minute of it is a classic comedy gem, not to mention delightfully British.
Wouldn't it be nice to go back to the first time you watched this movie, before you knew exactly what was going to happen? *whistful sigh*
On second thought... let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.
8. "I must say, you are a gloomy looking bunch. Why so glum?"
"...Our parents just died."
Once again
luzifer_ that cheeky bastard got the right answer, which is A Series of Unfortunate Events. Based on Lemony Snicket's clever and hilarious book series, this movie tells the story of three sympathetic orphans and a delightfully horrible villain with absolutely no redeeming features. As Count Olaf, Jim Carrey proves once again that he can be pretty durn cool when he wants to.
Although the gloomy "You really don't want to be watching this. Go watch a film about a happy elf instead"-attitude remains, Snicket's silly style of writing is, of course, lost in the adaptation, but it makes up for it through stunning, Burtonesque visuals and more excitement and drama than the books. The characters remain pretty much the same, but the storyline is a bit changed. This doesn't bother me, however. In fact, I love both the movie and the books, but in two completely different ways. Well, not completely different, but different enough for me not to bother about the differences between them.
My favourite character in the books is the narrator himself, Lemony Snicket, the poor depressed adventurer. He doesn't have as big a role in the movie, but is nonetheless cool. Jude Law has a prrrrrretty voice and accent. Yum!
9. "They were shocked... and stunned."
"Well, we're shocked."
"Yeah, shocked."
"Shocked."
"And stunned."
"Yeah, stunned."
"Very stunned."
This is the other movie no-one guessed. The full title is The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, but The Rutles would have been enough for me. Why do I love this movie? Well, why shouldn't I? It mixes two of my favourite things in the world together: The Beatles and Monty Python. It tells the story of the fictional band The Rutles (a parody of the Beatles, in case you're really thick or reading this at 4am or both) from the beginning to the end. It's full of references to my favourite band, so it helps if you know something about them. The more you are familiar with the Beatles, the funnier the movie will be to you, but even if you don't know anything about them at all, there are still moments in the film that should be amusing to anyone (as you can see here).
Despite looking rather different from the Beatles, the four actors who play the Rutles manage brilliant imitations. Especially Neil Innes sometimes makes you think: "Woah, he looks and acts just like John Lennon!" Yay for Liverpool accents. The songs are great too. They sound enough like the Beatles songs they're parodising, but somehow still work well enough on their own that you wouldn't mind listening to them on the radio.
Finally, there's a great number of cameos by famous singers and actors, for example Mick Jagger (that man has a HUGE mouth), Paul Simon, James Belushi, Bill Murray and even George Harrison (in disguise).
10. "I was a bride. My dreams were taken from me. But now - now I've stolen them from someone else. I love you, Victor, but you are not mine."
This quote is from Corpse Bride - yet another guess by
luzifer_. Another beautiful, beautiful Tim Burton movie which juxtaposes the greyness of Victorian England with a bright and lively world of the dead.
The protagonist, Victor Van Dort, gets his voice from Johnny Depp and sort of looks like him as well. A handsome puppet he is. As well as being shy and friendly. Absolutely adorable! Squeee!
The jokes are nice and appeal to both children and adults and the music is catchy. But first and foremost it's a wonderful love story. Even though movies about love at first sight usually annoy me, Victor and Victoria are such a lovely couple. And Emily's pain as the third wheel isn't being taken lightly, as romantic comedies tend to do. "I love you, but you are not mine," are, after all, tough words to say.
11. "FASCIST!"
"Hag."
This is, of course, from Hot Fuzz, as
per_vert guessed. Where to begin to praise such an awesome movie of awesomeness? Well, you know how most action movies are cheesy and boring? Hot Fuzz is an action movie that makes fun of the genre of cheesy cop action movies and ends up being better than, well, any other action movie I've ever seen. How does it achieve that? I'm not even sure myself.
Normally I'm not someone who finds it funny when somebody gets hurt on screen. But for some reason the exaggarated violence in this film is just hilarious. A part of a church tower lands on somebody's head, splitting it in half, with blood splashing everwhere and you find yourself chuckling. An old granny is packing a machine gun and you can't stop laughing.
Then there's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who just make a great team together (and the fact that Simon Pegg is rather handsome doesn't hurt either). They both manage to be funny pretty much all the time without much effort.
I'm also glad that the producers didn't waste screen time by inserting a pointless love interest that has nothing to do with the plot. This movie is excusively about male friendship and bonding. And conspiracies and senseless violence.
What else can I say? I don't know. Hot Fuzz is a movie that needs to be seen to be believed. Most of you have seen it and so already believe it. If you haven't seen it, there's no point in me describing it. You just need to see for yourself.
12. "I never want to see a naked man again."
Once again the over-eager
luzifer_ (;P) guessed it - it's Disney's Mulan. Yes, an animated Disney movie with naked men. Okay, you don't actually see anything and The Little Mermaid has far more cleavage. Still...: "There are a couple things I know they're bound to notice!" Talk about adult humour, wink wink nudge nudge.
It is common knowledge (or at least it should be) that every movie is more fun with a crossdresser. This one has several, so it's extra fun! Although I am inclined to agree with Alda that this is one Disney film that is actually more enjoyable in Icelandic. I don't even remember what Mushu said in the English version for: "Eigi skal stressast!" Of course, the film has its flaws. It is, after all, made by a company that works by a strict formula. But it's definitely one of the best formula films I can think of.
Different from many other Disney movies, the lead woman is not a fragile princess, but a clumsy tomboy. Tomboys in children's movies are always approvable. Also, the songs are good. Just a hint of Chinese folk music, but not too exotic for Western ears.
My main complaint about the film is the boooooring bloke Mulan falls for. Surely someone with such a colourful personality can find someone more interesting. Oh well. At least you never actually see them get together in the movie, so there's still a chance for her. Hur hur hur!
13. "So long and thanks for all the fish."
This is from The Hitchhiker's Guide Through the Galaxy, as
jazzqueen figured out. It's surreal, it's satire, it's got great characters and it's immensely enjoyable. Sure, it's not as good as the old BBC series, in which Ford Prefect is so adorable that you just want to hug and squeeze him, but at least Trillian doesn't act like an annoying blonde. Arthur Dent is surprisingly cute here. Not dashingly handsome, but sort of puppy-dog cute. The Hitchhiker's Guide itself is very fancy, the Vogons are disgusting and Zaphod Beeblebrox is a total jerk. Douglas Adams would probably have approved, despite the tacked-on lovestory and happy ending.
Basically, a lot of the things and characters look a bit different than I imagined in the book (Marvin, for example), but that hasn't lessened my enjoyment of the film, because it's funny and well done.
And knowing that the answer is 42 is important for everyone.
14. "The guy sure looks like plant food to me!"
per_vert guessed this one - it was Little Shop of Horrors, which is definitely one of my favourite musicals. If only all alien invasions were that funky. All we need are three black teenage girls as backup singers and narrators for whatever is going on at the moment and suddenly the world would be a lot cooler.
The most memorable character from both the film and the stage version is probably Orin Scrivello, the sadistic dentist. Once again it is proven that violence and grievous bodily harm can be funny. Especially if it takes place to a catchy tune (and it doesn't happen to yourself, of course).
Well, what can I say to convince you how cool a movie about a man-eating extra-terrestrial plant named Audrey is? I think once again a Youtube clip says more than a thousand words.
I wonder if you can buy the soundtrack somewhere, because it truly rocks.
15. "Admit it. You've always looked up to me."
"Yes, but it's not much of a view!"
So we come to the last movie on the list, which is, as
sarahblack pointed out, The Prince of Egypt. I'm sure there are lots of people who are inclined not to take this film very seriously, since it's only a cartoon, but as far as biblical movies go, The Prince of Egypt is superior to any other that I've seen. Certainly to the overly dramatic four-hour bore The Ten Commandments. Okay, I admit I was only eleven when I saw that one and eleven-year-olds don't mix very well with overly dramatic long movies. Still, as far as I can tell The Ten Commandments is attempting to be in the same style as the Bible. Now, the Bible isn't exactly written like a novel, seeing as it spans about, what, 5000 years of history. It focuses on great miracles rather than individual emotion.
The Prince of Egypt does show the miracles, of course; the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea and all that. But its appeal and its main focus lies on a far more personal level. Moses is portrayed as a normal young man and the audience gets to experience and relate to his emotions. Feeling insecure and inedaquate, having to chose between his brother and his people, realising that his life was a lie. I dare say that never has the story of Moses been told with so much emotion.
Furthermore, the animation is gobsmackingly awesome. Not only does the drawn animation flow smoothly with the computer animation (which seems to be a hard thing to do), but the Hebrews actually look, gasp, Hebrew. The Egyptians also look clearly Egyptian and there is a clear distinction between those two races (and also the Middianites, the third race that appears in the move). There isn't a single Caucasian in the movie and why should there be? It would be silly.
The original Bible story is followed rather closely, but there are some artistic differences (like making Moses young and handsome, rather than a 120-year-old geezer - which I fully approve of *grins*).
Now I want to watch movies. But I should probably go to sleep. Woe is me!