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Film#140 - Austin Powers, 1997, dir. Jay Roach

I think we all know this movie, and that it's good, it's interesting, you'll have a few laughs, but it's nothing mind blowing.

7/10

Film#141 - Kalifornia, 1993, dir. Dominic Sena

This was weird. Not in a traditional sense of weird, but more that the cast seemed to be in caught in a movie that should be airing on Showcase at 2am. It really felt like it was made for tv, but on a station no one would be interested in. I feel this was either based on a book, or should have been a book. The premise is David Duchovny is a writer doing a book on serial murders in America, and he goes on a road trip with his girlfriend and two strangers on their way to California, and all intend to split the cost of the trip. The strangers are Juliette Lewis (reminiscent of her character in Natural Born Killers but without the violent tendencies) and Brad Pitt, who stood out as the best actor in the film. Pitt is a serial killer by the way, how ironic that someone writing about serial killers is on the road with a serial killer without knowing it. Wow. Deep.

6/10

Film#142 - Hitch, 2005, dir. Andy Tennant

As far as romantic comedies go, this is one of the better ones. It has a great charm to it and really makes you feel all cozy. What makes it better than any other romcom they pump out these days is this style of addressing the audience in a way that is aware of how romance works, both on screen and off, and commenting on it. Will Smith looks right into the camera and describes how love is, as if to say that is how love is portrayed on screen. He then goes into these conversations of witty dialogue that is too good to be true with Eva Mendes about the concept of dating and relationships that goes in other direction, to expose the patterns of film dating rituals and how everyone seems to be aware of them, looking for an alternative.

8/10

Film#143 - Road Trip, 2000, dir. Todd Phillips

This film loses charm every time I see it, and I've seen it more times than I would like to admit. It really feels dated. You couldn't make this movie today. That's a fact. No one uses the mail for one, but more importantly, why would they be sending video tapes when we have the internet. It's hard to believe I would have seen this when I was maybe 12 or 13.

5.5/10

Film#144 - Meet the Parents, 2000, dir. Jay Roach

Robert De Niro just has this magnetic appeal I can't resist. He delivers his lines with such comedic timing. The cast is great, the dialogue is fine, the premise is, well, basic. Not much to say here.

7.5/10

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Film#135 - Training Day, 2001, dir. Antoine Fuqua

I can't stress how utterly cool this film is. Denzel Washington gives such a good performance, his character is just enthralling. I can't help but hang onto every word he says. I could imagine reading the script where it says:

"Alonzo aka Denzel Washington - 'King Kong ain't got shit on me!'"

and just laughing at how absurd it seems; Denzel does it with finesse. His entire look is just so badass, from his double guns he clinks together so often to his style of dress shirt buttoned to the neck. This may not be for the faint of heart, and it sure isn't going to lull you to sleep. It's phenomenal, a must see.

8.5/10

Film#136 - 27 Dresses, 2008, dir. Anne Fletcher

When I think of the word 'montage' I think of a few things: The Odessa Steps, Team America: World Police and this. I knew there had to be a montage of all 27 dresses, and yes, there is. I can't believe I watched this. I was predicting things left and right, and surprisingly not everything was correct. But most was. As a romantic comedy, this fell flat. There was literally no chemistry between anyone, the plot was silly, it wasn't funny. Just a terrible movie. As it was pointed out to me, it's strange how in films like this Katherine Heigl isn't considered attractive. What does this say about beauty, or love or literally anything positive? It seems to be pessimistic, that women become desperate for men to love them, men play mind games. It stereotypes gender, it plays on negative associations, it's horrendous.

3/10

Film#137 - The Men Who Stare At Goats, 2009, dir. Grant Heslov

The trailers for this looked like a Coen brothers film; it's definitely not. This film lacks the charm needed to pull off this whacky plot line and strange bunch of characters. I don't know where it went wrong. The cast is stellar; Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey. Yet somehow I just didn't like it very much. It had a few good chuckles, it was interesting to watch, but I just felt it lacked any serious value. It needed more style, more attention to detail. There is definitely nothing special about the aesthetic of the film, or the camera movement. A little disappointing.

6.5/10

Film#138 - Dawn Of The Dead, 2004, dir. Zach Synder

Wow. This was one of the most exciting films I've seen in a long time. From the first shot to the beginning of the opening credits, which is maybe 5 minutes apart, the film just dives head first into this brutal nightmare. As a result, it lacks a bit of the emotional appeal it might have had if we knew the characters beforehand. But I don't think that hurt it much. We still see these diverse people dealing with the situation (zombies) and how it affects them. What I liked the most was probably the way they still sought out enjoyment and happiness in the midst of this crisis, which takes place over a month trapped inside a mall. While it may seem to be this generic rag-tag team of survivors fighting off waves of mindless bloodthirsty zombies, you have to remember this is a remake of one of the originals in the zombie apocalypse genre. And I think it did a great job.

8.5/10

Film#139 - Last Days, 2005, dir. Gus Van Sant

Paced like an absolute snail. One of the slowest films I've ever seen. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this. It's more or less based on Kurt Cobain and his, guess what, last days alive. Michael Pitt is a fantastic actor, and I guess he did a good job here; I couldn't really tell because most of the shots are to far away or too close, or just straight up too boring for me to really care. This presents real life, but doesn't improve on it. To some that's fine. I on the other hand, going along with what Pedro Alomodovar said, (look at how pretentious I am) film should not only document real life, it should improve on it. What I gathered from that is that a movie can tell you a story of everyday people and make it interesting, make you realize the beauty of it. I didn't feel this did that. I found myself asking why I need a 20 minute opening sequence of a half dozen shots of a man alone in the woods doing arbitrary things. In comparison, the opening of There Will Be Blood is similar; a man by himself just surviving out in the wilderness without any dialogue or interruption. Where Paul Thomas Anderson succeeded, I think Gus Van Sant failed. It's just too arty for my taste; the entertainment value is minimal. I also cringed when the drummer and bassist for the band go to bed together, not because I have any problem with it but rather I have a problem with Gus Van Sant having the inability to write a single film without a token homosexual scene that has no relevance to the story whatsoever. Does it make him an auteur or just hung up on expressing his own homosexuality? I don't know, and this film doesn't make me care.

3.5/10

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Film#134 - Entre Les Murs (The Class), 2008, dir. Laurent Cantet

This film deserves it's own blog entry. It's that good. This pretty much become instantly one of my favourite films. The film is about a 9th grade French teacher in Paris during one full school year. His class is racially diverse, as well as diverse in opinion, perspective and understanding. I can't explain the plot of this film; it's a slice of real life. As the credits rolled, I felt I knew these people. I didn't feel like I watched a film but rather I saw an actual documentary of school life, and it was dead on accurate. It's not done documentary style though; the film is highly cinematic and is one of those films that finds beauty in the everyday. I didn't see any actors in this, but rather real people just being themselves, which interestingly, nearly all the characters both major and minor went by their actual names. This type of setting brilliantly brought in concepts and issues in a way that was realistic while at the same time diving so deep into ideas that it would seem impossible for a film to do so without being too upfront about it. It dealt with gender, race, religion, sexuality, national identity, ageism, philosophy, everything. It was unbelievable. It gave me shivers. I may give out a number of 10/10 ratings, which I stand behind and believe those to be perfect films, but this is something that transcends into this level that's indescribable. This is an absolute must see; if you don't like it in even the slightest, I may have to reevaluate what I think about you.

10/10

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Film#128 - The Addams Family, 1991, dir. Barry Sonnenfeld

I don't even know why but everyone knows who the Addams Family is. I can't say I've ever seen the show, yet I know the characters. And I hate them. This was a chore to watch after the first 5 minutes. It at first seemed really cinematic, and it does have a good aesthetic. The dialogue is atrocious if you're not a child though. The plot is boring. It's overacted on everyone's part, and yeah, that's the style but it could have been much better in my opinion. I never laughed at a joke. I didn't even smile.

3/10

Film#129 - The Player, 1992, dir. Robert Altman

I'm a fan of Robert Altman, but this was a fairly average film. It's interesting, engaging and well planned, and Altman has this distinct style of camera movement I enjoy but it just isn't anything special. It takes a huge stab at criticizing the Hollywood system, pumping out cultural references and little quips about the whole economy, which I like, but it's lack of subtlety in doing so I feel takes away from it. Anyone who watches it will get the vibe immediately, and in that sense it doesn't provoke thought but rather just taking it in and trying to side the audience with the film's message.

7.5/10

Film#130 - Terminator Salvation, 2009, dir. McG

I was under the impression that people liked this film. I've seen the first three, the first two of which were great. The third was a major departure. This was also a departure. They seem to think if they digitally put Arnie into the movies it'll be better, when really it just makes it worse. Christian bale, wow, terrible. The dialogue is horrendous, I was cringing throughout it. It's like no effort at all was put into the screenplay, they just approved it because it's guaranteed to bring people in. And this lack of attention is very clear. The look of the film is at times wonderful, but in all honesty it's a rather simple process of colour correction.

4/10

Film#131 - Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen, 2009, dir. Michael Bay

I thought the first Transformers was entertaining. More of just a feeling that this is cool because I grew up on it. This second film though it much worse. The gimmick of the premise is gone, and it's replaced with a plot so full of holes it's ridiculous. Too many times I was thinking something didn't make sense. There's also so much just whacky scenes like Shia meeting his roommate who apparently set up a massive network of computers as well as full decorated their dorm room in what is apparently the morning before Shia moved in. And why they had a scene where his mom eats a pot brownie and makes a fool of herself I don't know. This really is the definitive reason why people make fun of Michael Bay. In the 2+ hours, there's maybe an hour and a half of explosions. Constant explosions. It's a joke.

4/10

Film#132 - Vanilla Sky, 2001, dir. Cameron Crowe

I thoroughly enjoy Cameron Crowe's style. It's true. This is a bit of a departure for him though, who typically makes coming of age movies, although in a way that's what this is; a coming of age film for adults. Tom Cruise is great in this, he plays the character perfectly. You honestly believe that is what someone would be like if they grew up the son of a millionaire. Cameron Diaz is great, Penelope Cruz is great, Jason Lee is great. It's great. The plot line throws people off though, as it's incredibly jumbled, but one a second of third watch it makes complete sense and you can start to appreciate the complexity to it. It's incredibly existential and dives into philosophical thought full heartedly. I wouldn't judge this film without watching it at least twice, and actually paying attention.

8/10

Film#133 - Hook, 1991, dir. Steven Spielberg

This is one of my favorite movies. Not only did I grow up watching this all the time, I think it's actually a perfect film. The style perfectly captures the vibe of childhood and more importantly maintaining this childlike ability to find enjoyment and do things for others. I could rant about the morals of this film for ages, and I find it incredibly fascinating. The actors are all fantastic in this. Great child acting, and Dustin Hoffman is practically unrecognizable. Just go see it.

8.5/10