Ok, I really do not care about sodas, cokes, and all those caffeine-and-whatever-is-in-it bombs, but I would not delete pop corns from my movies' tours. However, I have to agree that pop corns are also highly sugar concentrated. I am not going to discharge them, but now I can say: "I told you so!".
"Movie popcorn is bad for you.
OK, you probably already knew that, but you may not have known all the disturbing, scientific details. (Read no further if you prefer blissful, buttery ignorance.)
A medium bucket o' heart-attack corn with soda at Regal (the nation's largest movie chain) is as good for your gut as a trio of Quarter Pounders topped with 12 pats of butter, says a study from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The nonprofit commissioned a lab review of the nutritional content of concessions at Regal, AMC, and Cinemark. Regal's medium popcorn had 1,610 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat -- all at a cost to the consumer of around $12 for raw ingredients for which Regal likely paid pennies.
"Regal and AMC are our nominees for Best Supporting Actor in the Obesity Epidemic," said CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley.
AMC's medium popcorn fared slightly better but only due do its smaller size: 590 calories, 33 grams saturated fat. Cinemark's heart-friendly canola oil slimmed its medium to 760 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat. Alas, with 1,500 milligrams of sodium, Cinemark's popcorn, says CSPI, "will be less likely to clog your arteries, but more likely to elevate your blood pressure." And don't even get them started on the candy! Scarfing an eight-ounce bag of Reese's Pieces "is like eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak and a buttered baked potato." (Thank goodness the CSPI explains everything in food terms we can all understand.) And this isn't the first time CSPI has given theater concessions a test. They ran the same routine 15 years ago, though not much has changed since then despite supposed industry attempts "to reformulate." Challenged Hurley, "sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest. Why do theaters think they need to feed us like it is?"
Why indeed? Why haven't Regal and others stepped up? In an age where even fast-food franchises offer apple-dipper alternatives to fries, wherefore art thou, air-popped popcorn? Or ye high-fiber trail mix? Dry-roasted almonds anyone? Baby carrots (it's what a friend always stashes in her purse)? Sugar-free dark chocolate, at least, for the diabetics? Of course, it would still cost us -- probably about $7 for 12 raw peanuts or a handful of organic apple chips. Theater concessions are notorious for inflated prices and sadly, it seems the healthier the nosh, the higher the cost.
Unless snack-smuggling prevention measures escalate -- frisking moviegoers for grocery-store contraband -- those preferring trimmer treats can simply continue to sneak them in. Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just really excited to see Harry Potter? Then again, do theater patrons really want good-for-you nibbles? According to recent MPAA stats, the average American attends six movies a year. Said Regal, "Theater popcorn and movie snacks are viewed as a treat and not intended to be part of a regular diet." Added the National Assn. of Theater Owners, after a 1994 popcorn report, cinemas "offered their patrons additional choices, such as air-popped popcorn." Yet, "after very little time, movie patrons in droves made their voices heard -- they wanted the traditional popcorn back."
Readers, what's your take on the movie-munchies debate? Do you crave healthier indulgences or are you satisfied with the sugar-coma-inducing status quo?"
It is a pity if you do not speak/understand Portuguese. To miss this post is the same as growing up among "emptiness". You may try though... the clips are in English.
Nothing better than start a film festival session facing a real problem.
Maybe you have not think about it but then you should, regardless your field of studies (or life in general...).
This movie is narrated by Ted Danson, and directed by Robert Murray. You can may be add names like Daniel Pauly or Charles Clover, who - for fisheries scientists, managers, fishers themselves, or basically anyone who likes fish and bothers to read about it - might ring some bells on your minds.
So I was writing this "best of 2009 so far list" and I looked back at the 2008 list and the movies I had not seen yet. So I thought I'd say something about some movies I now had a chance to see
"Haven’t seen and will not see: Sex and the City, Max Payne, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie, What Happens in Vegas, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, 27 Dresses, Semi Pro, Hottie and the Nottie, Babylon A.D., Transporter 3, The Love Guru, Superhero Movie, Step Up 2: The Streets, Haven’t seen and probably will eventually: Felon, Fool’s Gold, Drillbit Taylor, W., Never Back Down, Traitor, Bangkok Dangerous, Pride and Glory, Street Kings, The Forbidden Kingdom, Haven’t seen and will defiantly see: A Wednesday, Jerusalema, Sunshine Cleaning, The Children ,Mom and Dad, Tales of the Despereux, Inkheart, Last Chance Harvey, The Good the Bad and the Weird, The Edge of Love"
So I know I said I wouldn't but I actually watched what happens in vegas. It's just ok, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, Kutcher and Diaz are actually pretty funny, and although it was still very cliched it was actually quite enjoyable (6/10). Sunshine Cleaning was great, it's quircky and offbeat just like its cousins Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, the story is funny (basically a family runs a crime scence clean up business) and Amy Adams is adorable as always (8/10), The Children was a better than average horror movie with some cool death scenes but alas a bit cliched, for fans of the genre only (5/10), Mom and Dad was great tho, this is british horror at its best and this brutal no-budget flick is one of the best in the genre from 2008 (7/10), I also watched Inkhear and was quite disapointed, this is my kind of movie you know? a childrens fantasy flick is something I usually love and while I didn't think this was awful I was also not charmed by it at all, its worth your Sunday afternoon if its airing on tv but don't go out og your way to see it (5/10)
And that's all I've seen from 2008 since I made the list, still a couple that I'm sure will be good, I'll get to them eventually. Expect a 2009 mid-year list soon!
Lately, I have seen a lot of new trailers but it was this one which made me want to share.
Dorian Grey is cursed with eternal youth since his dear friend painted him. Colin Firth, Ben Barnes and Rebecca Hall are some of the actors staring here.
I read the novel, "Picture of Dorian Grey" from Oscar Wilde, last summer, so I am really looking forward to this movie. Take a look at the trailer and decide for yourself.
If you have been following this blog, you have certainly read about "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" several times. As a curious, I challenge you to read this article and watch this movie. One of my favorites!
The author of "Spark Uber Alles" presents the link for the movie and you can actually watch it. Amazing!
This movie is from the Russian Aleksandr Sokurov, who has a long and fruitful career.
"Russian Ark" was shot in a single take in 2002. The actors and crew rehearsed for months to time their movements perfectly with the camera. All the costumes are amazingly fascinating and the scenarios even better. The effect of unbroken flow images is absolutely uncanny!
As French Marquis wanders along the museum, together with an unseen narrator, they explore the Russian history, witnessing several historical figures, such as Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, and much more.
But be careful, this is not a movie for Hollywood lovers. It requires patience!
I was sitting here… taking a break from doing revision and as I always do I started scribbling down a list of movies, this time of my favorite movies and I thought well I am going to write a top 50.So many movies left out that I love and what I realized is that today I feel a certain way so a certain movie will be in the top20, maybe tomorrow it will be in the bottom 50, who knows. So, apart from the top5 which have remained steady for a few years now, the rest may change tomorrow, but here’s how I feel today:
50 – Vicky Cristina Barcelona 49 – E.T. 48 – Inside 47 – The Goonies 46 – The Apartment 45 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) 44 – Rebecca 43 – Wings of Desire 42 – Fanny and Alexander 41 – Magnolia 40 – Goodfellas 39 – Citizen Kane 38 – Chinatown 37 – StarWars Saga 36 – The Big Sleep 35 – Seven Samurai 34 – The Godfather Parts I and II 33 – The Nightmare Before Christmas 32 – Babe and Babe Pig in the City 31 – Edward Scissorhands 30 – The Shawshank Redemption 29 – Manhattan 28 – Band a Part 27 – 2001: A Space Odyssey 26 – Donnie Darko 25 – L’Avventura 24 – Once Upon a Time in the West 23 – Almost Famous 22 – Martyrs 21 – Brick 20 – The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 19 – Into the Wild 18 – Se7en 17 – Toy Story 16 – Stand by Me 15 – The Shining 14 – Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy 13 – 8 ½ 12 – The Schindler’s List 11 –Stalker 10 – A Very Long Engagement 09 – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 08 – Le Notti Bianche 07 – Stardust Memories 06 – Jurassic Park / The Lost World 05 – The Lion King 04 – Garden State 03 – Nuovo Cinema Paradiso 02 – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 01 – A Love Song for Bobby Long
And remember this is a list of my favorites, not a list of the movies I consider the best, otherwise it would be quite different. These are two different concepts, for example I love Freddy Got Fingered but I know perfectly well that it is a crap movie.
It is of common knowledge the horrifying story of "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley.
Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" - also known as "Modern Prometheus" - in 1818 being only 18 years old. I have recently read her novel, which ended up being one of the best books I have ever read.
With curiosity, I watched the two main movies released afterwards - "Frankenstein" (James Whale 1931) and "Frankenstein" (Kenneth Branagh 1994). Of course they can barely transmit everything the book can, especially because they both have differences. I will now try not to disclose the end of any of the three.
The former has a fantastic introduction by Edward Van Sloan, who also plays Dr. Waldman:
How are you? We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation – life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even – horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to – uh, well, we warned you.
The scenes and characters are based upon the 1920s play by Peggy Webling and the scenarios resemble "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (Robert Wiene 1920). Here, the creature does not speak and its creator is called Henry Frankenstein, instead of Victor as in the book. Henry Clerval is Victor's best friend, and in 1931's "Frankenstein" it is the other way around. There are far more differences whose explanations are beyond my limits of "spoiler alert".
On the other hand, we have 1994's "Frankenstein" where the creature is played by Robert De Niro, Elizabeth by Helena Bonham Carter and Frankenstein by Kenneth Barnagh himself. Here the view is far more romantic than the book or the previous movie, and it seems it is running...trying to pack in just one movie as much as they could.
None of the movies succeeded in a truthful representation of the beast - both had their main focus on something other than the "fiend".
Therefore, it is my role, as a "cinema lover" and co-author of this blog, to advise you to start by the book, and then...if by any chance you really want to watch the movies, go for it.
And because cinema is never enough, here I come with one more movie.
"Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008) is from Mike Leigh, the director of the highly nominated "Vera Drake". Despite the comedy/drama coupling, Poppy has always a smile on her face. Who is capable of such a personality nowadays?
This is a completely different level from before. Just like nothing you have ever seen in your life.
I am talking about "Wings of Desire" from 1984, an odd movie from the fabulous Wim Wenders. Be cautious! This is not a movie for every one, since it requires patience and a deep love for cinema. To enjoy it, you will need to really like this art.
Wim Wenders has also directed "Paris, Texas", "Lisbon Story", "Palermo Shooting", among many others.
"Wings of Desire" was also kindly recommended by my beloved friend "alva quase transparente". I have to say that I prefer this one from "La Mala Educación". Enjoy!
This is a movie from Pedro Almodóvar and it was recommended by our "alva quase transparente".
I have to say that it is probably not the best movie from the great director, but it is worthy. Gael Gárcia Bernal plays, as always, a magnificent character, highly developed. Just check it for yourselves.
Recently went to see Appaloosa, and must confess that was quite excited to see a western after such a sci-fiction era.
Romantic story, true friendship...beautiful horses...traumatised charactereds but ot that dense and profund...but rather than that, must confess that didn't impress me.
If we look to the data...realized, produced, screenplay written and played also by Ed Harriss...makes us remind of Clint Eastwood...is there any hidden desire of being the next Clint Eastwood? 'Unforgiven'?
In 1998, Hirokazu Koreeda tried to answer this ephemeral question. In this movie, after dieing, everyone goes to a quiet residential where the counselors give them 3 days to pick one memory. Just imagine you are supposed to choose, among all the years you have experienced, a single memory to take to eternity. All the rest will be forever forgotten and you will have only your chosen memory.
After directed, and properly recorded, your memory turns into a short film which will be part of the rest of your dead-life...and you are free to go.
But is everyone able to make such a hard decision?
This amazing opportunity was enabled by the already mentioned website The Auteurs.
Martin Scorsese decided to divulge non-well-know movies, either because they did not survive through time or because they just disappeared.
He has been restoring all sort of movies - silent films, weak films, unknown - and distributing them through the internet. Most of them can be watched for free in his website The Auteurs. Check it and divulge!!!
There are several reasons to pay a ticket to go to the cinema - reasons which we seldom remember why it is so important to keep going.
We go to the cinema because it makes you: - wonder why; - think on the "grande finale"; - cry; - pay attention; - look deeply; - direct your life towards a goal; - count the minutes; - clap hardly; - read; - enjoy those last hours; - feel different emotions in an incredibly short period of time; - disconnect from the surroundings; - miss another movie; - laugh; - want to come back; - die inside; - feel alive; - sing along; - meet the real cinema; - know; - count the chairs; - live your own life and your own feelings; - leave and never come back; - talk about it.
I'm hope mist, and as Lucifera asked me, at times to times, I shall be posting some movie's reviews that I think are worthwhile. For my first post, I'd like to talk about a somewhat different theme: books to cinema movies. I saw the other day the new movie "Marley & Me". I read the book a few years ago and I reaaly enjoyed it so I must say that I had some high expectations about the movie. It surprised me in an estonishing way. I didn't really expected the adaptation to cinema would be so good and true to the real story. It didn't disappoint me at all.. The movie per se is not much of a big deal but for those who know the story won't be too disappointed. The actors (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) play their parts ok without too much of a surprise, we're used to see those mediocre preformances from these two. I wouldn't rate it too high, but I'd give it 10/10 for the adaptation of the plot. John Grogan (the book's author) must be overwhelmed with joy with the movie. Globally it's a 6,5/10. For those of you who are interested in wathcing the movie I have to say, read the book first! It's a lot better. So, until I post again here, kusjes en knuffels!!
Mentioning Natalie Portman reminds me a very good movie I saw some weeks ago - shame on me for being so late!!!
Definitely worth watch it!
In 1994, when "the diva" was only 13/14 years old, "Léon" came out and Portman was already proving how good she is. As a matter of fact, Jean Reno, who played Léon, is also very good in this movie.Luc Besson not only directed it, as he also wrote it.
I just want to mention that he also wrote movies such as "Kiss of the Dragon", "The Fifth Element" and "Danny the Dong", among many others.
Undoubtedly, worth watch it!!! It resembles "Lust, Caution" from Ang Lee. I have to admit I prefer "Lust, Caution" with no doubts at all, but this one from Kar Wai Wong is also good.
I have been appreciating Asian movies for a long time, because of the relaxing feeling they transmit. I have watched only two movies from him, but I have to say "2046" is better than "My Blueberry Nights", disregarding, of course, my muse Natalie Portman and all the other actors.Apparently - and as I already knew for sure -, we cannot judge movies by their original country.
Try something different next time and maybe you will be surprised...
Monday, 13 April 2009
you won sofia...with so much pressure here I am presenting myself, and hoping to give some future contributes to this blog.
first of all, I have to thank you for your kind invitation that honoured me so much...presuming I may give some valid contributions in the cinema critics...
to give some sense to this post...I leave some images of some of my favourite films...that's I've told you about, and hope you've seen already.
It is with a huge feeling of loss that I present the end of the Red Carpet magazine. For those who have enjoyed it, I force myself to be the transmitter of this sad message. However, not everything is bad! The authors continue to publish in their website. Just go there and check it. (Of course it is in Portuguese!!!)
Even though they have not published anything yet, "Cinema Paradiso" has 3 new members. Therefore, I would like to thank their future contributions to our little cinema world.
It is true! Portugal is a tiny country in culture, especially cinema culture. However, we have to admit we have good cinema festivals, even thought they are almost always for small audiences. Here are some of the cinema festivals and exhibitions.
Apologies everyone who writes and reads this blog. I know I haven’t contributed at all in a long time, but I felt like writing a 2008 review and I wanted to share it with everyone. Hope I’m still welcome here.
So let’s start. I’ll make a list of the movies I saw from 2008.
First alphabetical order and in the end a top 10. Hope you enjoy it!
10.000 BC – Really cool special effect but not a great movie… 5/10
21 – It was kind of fun when I watched it, but I will probably never see it again. Worth a watch. 6/10
Australia – Kind of disappointing as I was expecting it to be one of the years greats. It’s epic, with breathtaking scenarios, good acting, good direction. But it’s too long, and it feels like two movies put together. I’d still recommend it thought. 8/10
Bank Job – Great heist movie. Definitely worth a watch. 8/10
Be Kind Rewind – I hope Michael Gondry keeps making this quirky little movies. The Sweeded movies are great 8/10
Body of Lies – a great director (Ridley Scott) and two of the best actors of our time (Russel Crowe and Leo Dicaprio), should have been a better movie. 6/10
Bolt – Disney is back to form. Not as good as their Pixar outings but Bolt, Mittens and Rhino are great, great characters. 7/10
Boy in Stripped Pyjamas – Interesting view on the Holocaust. I thought it was better than the Reader. Really depressing. 7/10
Burn After Reading – The Cohen brothers are indeed great. Brad Pitt is outstandingly funny.And it is literally about, well, nothing. 7/10
Changeling – The worse of the Eastwood’s movies this year. Angelina Jolie is outstanding though 6/10
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – I enjoy the Narnia movies, not as much as the Harry Potter ones but I hope they keep making them 7/10
Class, The – Cannes winner, it’s the typical story about a teacher reaching out to troubled teens. Better than most attempts though. 7/10
Cloverfield – What a great way to start the year. One of the best monster movies of all time, great viral marketing, and solid direction by Lost’s J.J. Abrams. Next up is Star Trek, I have never been a fan, but I am actually excited about it. 8/10
Day the Earth Stood Still, The – Remake of the 1950 movie of the same title, Low key sci-fi, a great remake in my opinion. 7/10
Definitely Maybe – Outstanding romantic comedy. Great recreation of the 90s. Great story. It feels like a Woody Allen flick, what more could you expect? 8/10
Doomsday – A great throw back to the 80s 6/10
Doubt – Good acting, interesting story. 7/10
Eagle Eye – Fun action romp. Shia LaBeauf is great. 7/10
Escapist, The – The best Prison Break movie since Shawshank Redemption. Seek this indie flick, it is well worth it. 8/10
Eye, The – Another J-Horror remake. Please stop making them. 4/10
Forgetting Sarah Marshall – one of the Apatow’s crew for 2008. As usually it’s hilarious. Keep them coming. 7/10
Get Smart – Steve Carell is one of the funniest people in the business. The Rock was cool and Anne Hathaway sexy and fun. I really did enjoy this. 7/10
Ghost Town – Ricky Gervais is great. Even in a movie that is not that great he is still funny as hell. Gets better on repeated viewing. 7/10
Gran Torino – The best of the Clint Eastwood’s double bill for 2008. If this is the last we will see of him in front of the camera it is a great swansong 7/10
Hancock – This could have been a much darker much better movie but it’s still a funny Will Smith vehicle. 6/10
Happening, The – I was hoping for another Six Sense or another Village and I get this crap? Shame on you Shymalan. 4/10
Harold and Kumar Escape from GuantanamoBay – It was just too stupid 5/10
Hellboy II: The Golden Army – I didn’t really like the first Hellboy but I thought this one was pretty good. Del Toro will be great in directing the Hobbit. 7/10
High School Musical 3: Senior Year – ah fuck it, I love it and lets just leave it at that. 8/10
Horton Hears a Who! – Great Dr. Seuss adaptation. Not as good as Wall-E or Kung Fu Panda but really enjoyable nonetheless. Great use of anime in a small sequence. 7/10
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People – Funny but not belly busting movie as it should have been considering it was the first major Hollywood role for Simon Pegg. 6/10
Hunger – Steve McQueen’s british artist debut as a filmmaker is one of the most compelling movies you’ll se from 2008. Michael Fassbender is a star on the rise. 8/10
In Bruges – The best scrip of the year. Really funny. Excellent performances throughout. A great surprise. 8/10
Incredible Hulk, The – Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk wasn’t great… This is worse. 5/10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – It wasn’t as good as the previous three but Spielberg and Lucas didn’t rape Indiana like South Park has suggested. I am glad they brought him back, it was fun once again. 7/10
Iron Man – I love Robert Downey Jr and I recognize that he is great as Tony Stark, but I just didn’t enjoy the movie, I really don’t understand all the hype around it. 5/10
JCVD – The biggest surprise of the year. A Van Damme movie that seems directed by Godard or Truffaut. Great performance by the muscles from Brussels. Seek it! 8/10
Journey to the Center of the Earth – Good set pieces but the end is not equal to the sum of its parts. 6/10
Jumper – Nice to see Rachel Bilson again and Hayden Christiansen is not as bad as he usually is. It felt like an origin movie, maybe a future sequel will be better. 6/10
Kung Fu Panda- this was a surprise. The voice acting is hilarious and the characters are great. Lacks a bit of a story though. 8/10
Let The Right One In – Impressive vampire flick. Really low key and not what you’d expect. Chilling. The second horror masterpiece of the year, should have gotten much more recognition than Twilight. 8/10
Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa – More of the same, with a great cast it doesn’t deliver nearly as many gags as it should. But you’ll like it if you liked the first one 6/10
Mamma Mia! – As gay as it sounds me and my friends had great fun watching this. Admittedly it wasn’t the best of movies but hey the songs are fun if you’re in the mood. 6/10
Man on Wire – Incredible documentary about a man who walks across the TwinTowers… on a rope. Unreal. 8/10
Marley and Me – The dog is hilarious and the film is actually quite good. 7/10
Milk – Overhyped because of the Gay Rights debate that is going on in the USA. Sean Penn and the supporting cast are great but Mickey Rourke should have never been robbed of the Oscar. Shame. 7/10
Mirrors – Great horror director (A. Aja). Good Cast (K. Sutherland). Bad movie. Really really disappointing. It has however one of the best scenes of the year… That bath scene with the jaw… Go on youtube and watch it. 4/10
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The – Take it from someone who liked the first one, and loved the second one. This was garbage. Soooo boring. 3/10
Other Boleyn Girl, The – Two of the best looking girls in cinema (N. Portman and S. Johansson), good eye candy, not a great movie though. 6/10
Pinapple Express – funnier than forgetting Sarah Marshall. The other Apatow movie of the year. 7/10
Ponyo on a Cliff – The latest from the Ghibli house and the master of animation Hayao Myazaki. As always its worth a watch. 7/10
Quantum of Solace – I like Daniel Craig as Bond and, unlike most people I found this movie to be as good as Casino Royale. Also Olga Kurylenko is the prettiest gal you’ll see on screen in 2008. 7/10
Rambo – I think this is the goriest movie of the year. A bit crap, but I guess it was fun. 6/10
Reader, The – It was a good movie but it only got an Oscar nomination because it is an Holocaust movie. But it is good that the greatest actress alive finally got some recognition from the Academy (I am talking about Kate Winselt of course). Ricky Gervais was right in Extras. Kate Winselt + Holocaust Movie = Oscar 7/10
Revolutionary Road – Great direction by Sam Mendes and even greater performances by two of the finest actors we have (Di Carpio and Winslet). Really depressing though. 7/10
Righteous Kill – De Niro and Pacino back together. Not a patch on Heat. Really disappointing. 6/10
RockNRolla – Another cool gangster movie from Guy Richie. No one makes them like him 7/10
Role Models – McLovin, Stifler, and the funniest little dude in a movie this year. Great fun. 7/10
Ruins, The – The greatest studio horror movie of the year. Fans of the genre will be really pleased. 8/10
Saw V – More of the same, as good as II, III and IV, not a patch on I. That said, keep them coming and I’ll keep watching. 6/10
Seven Pound – Depressing, but a good movie. Better than Hancock! 7/10
Spiderwick Chronicles, The – Brilliant kids fantasy movie. The kind I always love watching. 8/10
Star Wars: Clone Wars – The first StarWars flop. I still thought it was quite enjoyable but not as good as any the live action saga. 6/10
Step Brothers – I want to keep liking Will Ferrel but I think I’m just getting tired of him 5/10
Strangers, The – Effective home invasion horror movie. 6/10
Taken – well, this was a surprising box office it! And it deserves it. Liam Neeson is one though bastard. 7/10
Tropic Thunder – Robert Downey Jr playing is a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude. Enough said 7/10
Twilight – Glossy girly fun. Definitely NOT the best vampire flick of the year. 6/10
Untraceble – Interesting enough thriller, kind of like a soft core version of Saw. 6/10
Valkyrie – Tom Cruise is on a good path back to stardom with this and that great cameo on Tropic Thunder. Interesting story as well. 7/10
Vantage Point – Another movie inspired by Kurosawa’s 1950 Roshomon. Same story, different points of view. Not nearly as good as Kurosawa’s masterpiece. 5/10
Waltz with Bashir – A war documentary made in animation. Original and really well done. 8/10
Wanted – Meh, Angelina Jolie is hot in this, James McAvoy is cool. The special effects are also cool. The story wasn’t great, neither was the movie. 6/10
Wendy and Lucy – That great indie movie that no one knows about of 2008. 7/10
X-Files: I want to believe – It was great seeing Mulder and Scully again, but the movie wasn’t very good. Disappointing. I still want more X-Files movies though 5/10
Yes Man – I thought this was going to be a stupid Jim Carey comedy (don’t get me wrong I love the guy, especially in Eternal Sunshine and Truman show, but he does do stupid comedies), but instead we got this kind of low key love story. Zooey Deschanel is beautiful and the window song one of my favourite movie moments of the year. 7/10
Haven’t seen and will not see: Sex and the City, Max Payne, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie, What Happens in Vegas, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, 27 Dresses, Semi Pro, Hottie and the Nottie, Babylon A.D., Transporter 3, The Love Guru, Superhero Movie, Step Up 2: The Streets,
Haven’t seen and probably will eventually: Felon, Fool’s Gold, Drillbit Taylor, W., Never Back Down,Traitor, Bangkok Dangerous, Pride and Glory, Street Kings, The Forbidden Kingdom,
Haven’t seen and will defiantly see: A Wednesday, Jerusalema, Sunshine Cleaning, The Children ,Mom and Dad, Tales of the Despereux, Inkheart, Last Chance Harvey, The Good the Bad and the Weird, The Edge of Love
And now, my favourite movies of 2008:
The Top 10:
10 – Religulous – Really funny documentary about how ridiculous and dangerous religion can be. Bill Maher aided by Larry Charles (director of Borat) make it one of the funniest movies you will watch from 2008. It’s priceless seeing Maher asking the simplest questions to religion people and see that they barely know their religion and the sometimes outrageously stupid answers they come up with. This is not just making fun for the fun of making fun though. Maher fully believes that religion will destroy mankind and he is actually really convincing when he makes his point. 8/10
09 – Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Funniest thing you will see this year. However be aware that I am a big fan of Kevin Smith so I might be overhyping it for you. To be honest Smith sweet tooth (which as screwed him before… Jersey Girl anyone) nearly ruins some of the scenes but then he comes up with such crude jokes that you just have to forgive him. Amazingly funny supporting cast and a good rate of gags make this a must watch for any fans of comedy. Oh and be prepared for the greatest drunk to ever grace your screen. 8/10
08 – The Wrestler – Mickey Rourke’s comeback movie. And what a movie. Darren Aronovsky is a great filmmaker and I’ve loved all his movies so far. Bur Rourke is the real star of the movie. He delivers an outstanding performance as a retired Wrester who makes a comeback (much like Rourke himself). It’s good to have him back. It was a shame what happen at the Oscars. It would have been like Daniel Day Lewins hadn’t won last year for There Will Be Blood. The movie is a joy to watch and it’s the best performance of the year (apart from Ledger) and one of the best of all time. Damn you “homo loving sons of guns” indeed 8/10
07 – Slumdog Millionaire – The feelgood movie of the year and the big winner of the 2009 Academy Awards. Danny Boyle is a great director but just like Scorsese (an even greater director) he received his award for the wrong movie. 28 days later and trainspotting are better movies. But he seems like such a great guy that you can’t really be upset that his movie won pretty much everything this year. The movie is not bad, mind. But it’s not outstanding either and defiantly not the best of the year. The art direction, cinematography and soundtrack are great (Danny Boyle always makes good choices in the later section), the direction is good and the acting good enough. The story wasn’t a easy sell. It’s about how a kid from the slums (Skin’s Dave Patel) ends up wining the TV show “”Who wants to be a Millionaire?”. Intrigued? You should be. Watch it when you’re in a bad mood and it’ll make your day. 8/10
06 – Speedracer. I know it got bashed by the critics, flopped at the box office, no one seems to have liked it… You know what? Blade Runner had the same reception when it was released back in 1984. Ok, I am not saying this will eventually be recognized as one of the greatest of all time like Blade Runner, but, give it sometime to become a cult favourite and it will defiantly show up in future “2008 best movies list”. I was dying to see this movie ever since I watched that amazing trailer and it did not disappoint me. The Wachoswki brothers from Matrix (which I don’t even like that much) fame created a massively cool Pop-Art movie. Had this movie been released when I was younger and it would certainly be number one. It’s has great special effects, everyone seems to be having fun and the story is good enough. It was everything I expect from a kids movie and more. Future cult favourite, I am just a bit ahead of the crowd! 8/10
05 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Let me start by saying I expected more. But… I did expect this to be the best movie of the year… It wasn’t, but it is still great and, since the Academy didn’t recognize any of the four best movies of the year they should have least given the best Picture / Director statuette to Benjamin Buttton. You know that great feeling you have after watching films like Forest Gump or better yet Shawshank Redemption? The feeling that you just watched a low key yet epic movie? It’s the feeling I got after seeing Curious Case. Nearly everything works in this movie. The acting is superb by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchet. The directing, cinematography, art direction and photography outstanding. So, what is the problem with this movie? Well, it is adapted from a great story, a man was born who ages backwards. Strange and intriguing premise which should have had a big emotional payoff. This however, is where the movie failed. It kind of leaves you unaffected. When the movie ends you don’t feel the rush you felt when Andy Dufresne finally re-encounters Red, or when Gwineth Paltrow’s head arrives in a box, and that is why Shawshank and Se7en are two of the best movies of all time and Benjamin Button, despite being a good film, will be eventually forgotten. 8/10
04 – Wall.E – Take the first 40 minutes of Wall.E and a couple of scenes from the second part of the movie. Delete all the humans. What do you get? The best movie of the year, miles better than my number one pick actually. Unfortunately the humans are in this movie which is why this is number four. The first part of the movie is basically Wall.E (a rusty old robot) doing his job, picking up garbage, then, he meets Eve (a futuristic robot) sent to Earth to look for plants. He falls in love. There is no dialogue but, as ridiculous as it sounds you do feel like you are watching one of the greatest love stories of all time. It is reminiscent of early Charlie Chaplin. Yes, Pixar has done it again they have crafted a massively original movie. The second part however is underwhelming, when a spaceship comes to pick Eve, Wall.E grabs onto it and flies through outer space (this sequence gives rise to an amazing scene as WallE crosses through the rings of Saturn) until he reaches a spaceship were all humans live. This is when the story starts to go downhill, it’s just a bit clichéd, predictable and the humans are simply annoying. Nevertheless this is worth watching for the robots. They are perfectly animated and you can feel all that Wall-E is thinking, even though he doesn’t even have a mouth just those big googly eyes. He is indeed Pixar’s greatest creation yet. If I haven’t convinced you to watch this yet, let me just say that the scene with Wall.E and Eve floating through space is by far the most beautiful thing you will see in celluloid last year and, in my opinion, one of the greatest movie scenes of all time. Pure cinematic magic. 9/10
03 – The Dark Knight – So much hype… so much viral marketing… was it worth it? Definitely. The new Batman is indeed one of the best movies of the year, and the second best comic book movie of all time (yep I thought the recently released Watchmen was better). Nearly everything in this movie is superb, except for Batman’s really annoying voice. But don’t let that distract you, Christian Bale is still the best Knight ever, Maggie Gyllenhal is much better than Katie Holmes and Aaron Eckhart does a brilliant job as Harvey Dent / Two-Face. Christopher Nolan was robbed of a best Director nomination, scratch that, win. Directing the cast and crew of this size with such a great success should have been more celebrated. Every scene is good, every twist worth your time. The cinematography and art direction are some of the best you’ll see this year and the plot/screenplay is really good as well. And then there is Heath Ledger. We lost such a great actor, I could see him reaching the heights of Brando, he really was that great. This was an amazing swansong (ok, he does have a small part in Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus but..) and the post-hummus Oscar he receive is completely deserved. He is a fucking tour de force as the Joker and he left us with one of the greatest performances of all time and one of the greatest on-screen villains you will ever see. Thank you Chris Nolan for casting him he’ll now go down in cinema history like he deserved to. 9/10
02 – Martyrs – This is the reason I postponed writing this list for such a long time, I had to watch this movie first and I knew it would probably end up in my top 10… But I didn’t expect it to be this good. France, that’s were everyone should get their horror movies, they are the best at it. Last years inside was also one of the best movies of the year, but whereas Inside was a throwback to a fun 70s horror, Martyrs is much more. Martyrs is a masterpiece of filmmaking. I am not going to tell much about the story because that would ruin the movie (which is full of twists and turns) but I can tell you it starts of with a bruised girl running down the street, we eventually find out what she is running from and what could have been just another Hostel becomes so much more… The first part of the movie is a mix of violence and effective Japanese horror (don’t let yourself be put of by this, it’s not another Grudge or Ring), the last 30 minutes include some of the footage I found the hardest to ever watch on film. But it is so rewarding… The ending will leave you thinking like no other movie this year, so hopefully you can stomach it (I am not kidding, I am a big fan of horror movies and this did really disturb me). The acting is outstanding by the two leads, they convey terror like I haven’t seen in a long time, the cinematography is beautiful and the directing simply outstading. A perfect way to describe it is “Dreyer’s The Passion of Jeanne D’Arc, the Unrated Edition” (credit to totalfilm magazine). Pascal Laugier (director) knows his horror movies (the movie is dedicated to Dario Argento!) and next up for him is a remake of Hellraiser. I couldn’t be more excited. 10/10
01 – Vicky Cristina Barcelona – Ok lets be honest I am being unfair to the other movies this year. Woody Allen is one of my favourite directors so I was always going to love this movie, but I haven’t enjoyed a movie of his this much since… well, since Manhattan actually. Woody’s latest outing is extraordinary. As soon as the movie starts you know Allen wrote it. He is defianately the greatest screenwriter we have, seriously, no one does it like him. The movie is about two American tourists (R. Hall and S. Johansson) who both fall in love with the same Spanish fellow (J. Barden) who happens to have a neurotic ex-wife (P. Cruz). They get involved in this love square and that is pretty much the story. The acting is superb throughout, especially by Cruz (who I don’t even like), the cinematography, photography and score are outstanding and really make you feel like you are in Barcelona. But the real winner is Allen and his script. Do yourself a favour, take this two hour trip to Spain and enjoy the most enjoyable movie you’ll see from the past year. 10/10
I am sure I have forgotten something but as far as I can remember this was 2008 in movies!
