Rambling Film

It's been a LONG time since I've done one of my "birthday posts." I don't even want to look through my archives to see when the last one was, it will just be embarrassing. I haven't got to see as many new movies as I usually do these past weeks and I am in need of some content. Luckily it happens to be one of my all time favorite director's birthdays... Happy Birthday Christopher Nolan! 1) My favorite film: The Dark Knight. After viewing the brilliant Dark Knight Rises last week, it took me awhile to decide which one I liked better. I'm going to have to go with this one. Batman Begins was good, but his follow up was fantastic. It's rare that sequels one up the original and this film had everything going for it. Great story, intense action, one hell of a villain, magic tricks, (Do you want to see me make this pencil disappear?) phenomenal score, and it never slowed down. Crafted to perfection all around. 2) My least favorite: Insomnia. The...

Joint custody sucks. Professor Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels) and his writer wife, Joan (Laura Linney) have recently separated. They're children, Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Cline) feel obligated to take sides in their parent's feud. It doesn't help that Bernard is selfish and sets his standards quite high. That and he let's one of his beautiful students, Lili (Anna Paquin) live with him and his boys. It also doesn't help that Joan is unfaithful and has trouble connecting with her older son while her younger son begins to act out in dramatic ways. I have to point out that Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin played father in daughter nine years earlier in Fly Away Home, now they are playing lovers. It's kind of funny how that works out. That aside, the thing I liked the most about The Squid and the Whale is that is showed that side of divorce that is completely annoying. Joint custody, always having to plan time to see both parents separately, as a person ...

Nostra over at My Film Views  has another wonderful idea for a Blogathon. The Minute I read his (and many other blogger's) I just knew I had to participate. :) Which classic movie don’t you like/can’t enjoy and why? Easy. Gone With The Wind. I tried, but too but it bluntly: it's so fucking boring. Which ten classic movies haven’t you seen yet? Yikes, there's certainly more than ten! To be completely honest, I'm not much of a classic movie watcher. It's not that I don't appreciate them, I do, I just rarely search the out unless I read a review from Defiant Success  or True Classics that catches my eye. 1) 12 Angry Men 2) Casablanca 3) North by Northwest 4) Lawrence of Arabia 5) Metropolis 6) On The Water Front 7) It Happened One Night 8) The Grapes of Wrath 9) Ben-Hur 10) A Streetcar Named Desire Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema? Nope. I worked at a movie theater in high school, so even when I was underage for R r...

Gotham's reckoning. Eight years have passed since the event's of The Dark Knight. Harvey Dent is dead, but the act in his name has put thousands in prison and kept the streets of Gotham very clean. Commissioner Gordan (Gary Oldman) must praise the man he knows deep down tried to murder his children. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has taken to becoming a recluse in his own home, not dawning the Bat suit once in eight years. Soon, a mysterious new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy) comes onto the scene, threatening to tear down Gotham. Batman is needed again, only this time he faces his hardest opponent yet. Oh man, I don't even know where to start with this film since I loved it so much. It met every expectation that I had. Even the parts of the plot I found predictable were still met with a geeky cheer inside. The one thing I was afraid of going in, was that I would be thinking about The Joker the entire time. I'm surprised he only crossed it once or twice. That presence in The ...

It's called a metaphor. Why point out the obvious? When I was reading reviews/user comments about this film I was shocked to find how many hated the title. I'm also somewhat shocked on the amount of people that actually thought the film was about dinosaurs, but that's a whole other story.. I think the title is perfect, especially when you learn why it's called Tyrannosaur. Joseph (Peter Mullen) has always been prone to fits of rage. One night after he kicks his own dog to death (not gonna lie, I fast forwarded through the scene) he finally seeks a chance at redemption when he meets Hannah, (Olivia Colmen) a timid Christian woman who has a terrible, to put it lightly, marriage to a man named James. (Eddie Marsan) It has to be said: This film is depressing. There are no happy endings, what little redemption our main characters receive comes at a horrific price. The light at the end of the tunnel is still dim. When Joseph has his last angry outburst, though it may seem ...

The 2012 Emmy nominations are in! As always, my thoughts will follow each category in green . Best Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Game of Thrones Homeland Mad Men No surprises here, though I thought Downton Abbey was considered a miniseries. I could be wrong. Either way, I'm thrilled for Breaking Bad and I truly hope it knocks off Mad Men as the Best Drama winner. *EDIT* I was right about Downton Abby being a miniseries last year, and I think it's bullshit they are allowed to switch like that. True Blood could've went there, in my opinion. It is a former Best Drama nominee. Best Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Curb Your Enthusiasm Girls Modern Family 30 Rock Veep Happy for The Big Bang Theory. I'm surprised that Girls made it in here, that show is TERRIBLE. Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Michael C. Hall, Dexter Jon Hamm, Mad ...

I think I'm getting too old for PG-13 Horror. Yes, That's just me being cynical. Seriously though, I had to think long and hard about the last PG-13 horror movies that I actually found unsettling. I came up with The Last Exorcism, (not really because it was scary, but because it was just a damn good movie) The Exorcism of Emily Rose, (just because I kept randomly waking up at 3:00 am after watching it) and The Ring. (Samara crawling out of the TV was freaky) I associate the obvious "jump/load noises" scenes with PG-13 horror, because they are a cheap way to frighten people. This movie had way too many of those, and I never jumped once. A young and widowed lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to a small village to settle on a house that belonged to a woman named Mrs. Drablow. While locals warn him to leave, he soon finds that his house is haunted by a vengeful woman in black. Can Arthur uncover her secrets? I'm disappointed in the slow pacing and as I ...

This film makes boarding school look like a terrible idea. I'm sure it isn't, but that's kind of how I felt after sitting through this disappointment. Miss G (Eva Green) is the worst teacher ever and swim coach at an all girl's boarding school in the early 40's. She has her favorite pupil, Di (Juno Temple) but when a new student comes to the school, Fiamma (Maria Valverde) Miss G's attention focuses on her, and it turns to obsession. The thing that really frustrated me here is Eva Green and Juno Temple are great actresses, but their performances felt so forced at the beginning. The movie drags a long and then finally starts getting interesting towards the end. But that's just it, it ends. It felt so wasted. Miss G. blurred the lines between pupil and teacher by being at this institution her whole life, but the film spends so much time doing nothing before it really delves into Miss G's psyche. Recommended: No Grade: D Memorable Quote: "It appea...

What is your definition of normal? Walter (Kevin Bacon) is a child molester that's been recently released from prison. He's trying to fit back into society. He argues with his shrink, (played by Michael Shannon) has trysts with a feisty co-worker, Vicki, (Kyra Sedgwick) whom he shares his deepest and darkest secret with. He tries to reason with his brother in law, Carlos (Benjamin Bratt) and is paid unexpected visits by a cop (Mos Def) who can't stand him. Kevin Bacon has always been good at playing a complete creep, but he's at his best in The Woodsman. The film is careful not to show any actual child abuse, but we know it's always on Walter's mind. Bacon and Sedgwick, married in real life radiate chemistry together, but it's obvious that they are both tortured souls. A simple scene towards the end of the film, with Walter speaking to young Robin (Hannah Pilkes) on a park bench speaks volumes, and sums up so much in such a little amount of time. While the...

Too soon? The answer is yes. When I first heard there was going to be a Spiderman reboot, only a few years since the last installment, I was immediately against it. Then they started casting actors I loved, like Andrew Garfeild, Denis Leary and Emma Stone. So I figured I would give it a chance. Garfeild's Peter is a stuttering, more arrogant version of the Peter Tobey Maguire gave us years ago. With his skateboard in tow, he searches for answers regarding his parents, who left mysteriously one night. This leads him to Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) who worked closely with Peter's father trying to combine human and animal genes. A test gone wrong turns Dr. Connors into the film's villain: Lizard. Peter's love interest this time around is Gwen Stacy, (Emma Stone) who's father (Denis Leary) is the captain of the police force searching for Spiderman. I went into the film with mediocre expectations. Most of the reviews I read were negative and Steve Kloves had a hand i...

I love you, but you have no idea what you're talking about. Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are two twelve year old pen pals that decide to run away together. This sparks a search party including Sam's Scout Master Ward, (Edward Norton) a sad and strange police officer, (Bruce Willis) and Suzy's Parents. (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) Wes Anderson movies are really hit and miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit. I enjoy "young love" movies when they are done right. Like the Swedish Let The Right One In for example. I liked how he shot the film, with the house showing different levels, much like Life Aquatic. I enjoyed the quick, almost deadpan dialogue. I actually found it hard to describe to a friend who had never seen a Wes Anderson movie. His way of shooting, writing dialogue, and filming in general. It's just...him. Whimsical, to the point, and real just don't capture what I want to say. It's just easier to say "This ...

They engineered us. A team of scientists/explorers/people just looking to get some good money go out to a far away planet looking to study alien life forms that they think may inhibit said planet. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) believes they created mankind. Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) doubts Elizabeth's ideas. Android David (Michael Fassbender) secretly delves deeper into the alien's background than any of the other scientists are aware. They soon realize that they shouldn't be there, and that what they have discovered could not only destroy them, but could destroy planet Earth as well. Prometheus was billed as a prequel to the Alien franchise, but really only gives us a few similarities. It was a stand alone feature in my opinion. One thing I preferred about Prometheus was the pacing was much quicker than the original Alien, although Aliens is still my favorite of the series. Noomi Rapace deserves a lot of credit here, because I daresay she carried this movie bett...

America's "first" female serial killer. Charlize Theron made the dramatic physical transformation into convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003's Monster. Aileen, a highway prostitute in Florida begins to murder her clientele for money. It's hard to say that her intentions were "good", because nothing good comes from cold blooded murder, but in the film, Aileen wants to start a better life with her (fictional) young lover Selby. (Christina Ricci) Theron's portrayal of Aileen is easily one of the best performances of 2000's. Let's face it: Charlize is drop dead gorgeous, and she packed on the pounds, chopped her hair, and looked downright scary as Aileen. And that's not even all of it, she really got into the psyche of her. While what she did was wrong, Theron was so good that there was a time in the film that I actually sympathized with Aileen's actions. Ricci, who has been long underrated in my opinion was spot on as well. The...

My blogging world seems like a whirlwind. I knew I was coming up on my anniversary, but I didn't realize it had been 3 years since I posted my first review on Blogger. ( I moved from Xanga and Whateverlife) So thank you everyone that reads (or skims) my blog. I love sharing my thoughts, even if I come off as a total hater in some of my reviews. I strive to be a better, more entertaining writer, and it's nice to have such a great group of people to look up to. So thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and thanks for not freaking out on me for "borrowing" some great ideas for lists from time to time. You guys are the best.

With Pixar's Brave hitting theaters last week, it got me thinking about how archery has been in quite a few movies lately. So I decided to throw together of list of the best archers in recent memory in honor of Princess Merida, who is "shooting for her own hand."  1) Legolas of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Legolas is so bad ass that the guy NEVER RUNS OUT OF ARROWS! Legolas is quick, agile, and he not only shoots his arrows, he stabs people with them too. Very resilient. Hawkeye of The Avengers: (and briefly Thor) Master assassin Hawkeye doesn't just shoot regular arrows, his are rigged with explosive devices. And he sees better from far away. Kevin of We Need To Talk About Kevin: This little sociopath put together an elaborate plan to get a group of his fellow students and a teacher locked into their school gymnasium where he picked them off one by one with a cross bow from a balcony of sorts. Crazy? Yes. Clever? Very. Katniss Everdeen of The...