Prediction results!

So I think I did okay:


BEST PICTURE (bold means I guessed it correctly)

BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
127 HOURS
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE KING'S SPEECH
Winter's Bone

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
COLIN FIRTH, The King's Speech
JESSE EISENBERG, The Social Network
JAMES FRANCO, 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges, True Grit

BEST ACTRESS
NATALIE PORTMAN, Black Swan
ANNETTE BENING, The Kids are All Right
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTIAN BALE, The Fighter
JOHN HAWKES, Winter's Bone
JEREMY RENNER, The Town
GEOFFREY RUSH, The King's Speech
MARK RUFFALO, The Kids are All Right

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS, The Fighter
MELISSA LEO, The Fighter
HELENA BONHAM CARTER, The King's Speech
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
JACKI WEAVER, Animal Kingdom

BEST DIRECTOR
DARREN ARONOFSKY, Black Swan
DAVID FINCHER, The Social Network
TOM HOOPER, The King's Speech
DAVID O. RUSSELL, The Fighter
Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
127 HOURS
TRUE GRIT
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
The King's Speech (predicted it in adapated screenplay, oops)
THE FIGHTER
Another Year


So that's 35/45. That's 77%. Not too bad, not that great. Really ticked off that Nolan got SHAFTED at Best Director by the Coen Brothers. It's a crime!


Later!

Predictions for Oscar nominations

Hey guys, slow week.

Here are my PREDICTIONS for next week's announcements for the Academy Award nominations:

BEST PICTURE:
The Social Network
Black Swan
Inception
Toy Story 3
The Fighter
127 Hours
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
True Grit
The Town

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Annette Bening - The Kids are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Julianne Moore - The Kids are All Right
Haliee Steinfeld - True Grit

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids are All Right
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
MIla Kunis - Black Swan
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

BEST DIRECTOR
Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
David Fincher - The Social Network
Christopher Nolan - Inception
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David O. Russell - The Fighter

BEST SCREENPLAY - ADAPTED
The Social Network
127 Hours
The King's Speech
The Town
True Grit

BEST SCREENPLAY - ORIGINAL
Inception
Buried
The Kids are All Right
The Fighter
Black Swan


Those are my guesses for those categories, I guess we will see on Tuesday how accurate I was.



- mark

Mark's Top Ten Films of 2010

Why hello there!

It's been a long time. Too long. Quick up to speed. My wife Hanna and I had our first baby, Jackson Riley Blitch on Dec. 13th, 2009. A long time ago I know. It's been over a year since I've blogged and I sincerely apologize to the few that subscribe.

Any who. It's been an overall solid year of good films, a few great ones, but also some real stinkers.

First off, I'll give you a nice "honorable mention" list:

Monsters - This sits at number 11. It's a roadtrip film with monsters in it. A photographer and his boss's daughter are trapped in Mexico. His boss "asks" him to escort his daughter across the "Infected Zone," where the alien monsters roam. You don't get a great glimpse of the monsters until the very end. The whole movie is character-driven with a lot of great little moments of character development, and not just a spectacle. Supposedly the film cost about $500,000 to make, and it looks fantastic. It is shot with the Sony EX3, which is similar to a camera that I use at Bluefish. Most locations were shot guerilla-style without permission and it looks like they shot some scenes in neighborhoods where Katrina hit. The ending keeps it from being a truly GREAT film, but it doesnt ruin it in any light. Highly recommended.

Kick-Ass - This movie is just fun. I had a blast watching it. Matthew Vaughan has created a for sure cult classic, and he weaves so many different action styles in each of the action scenes. Chloe Morentz (Hit Girl) is fantastic, and for sure an actress to watch for in the future (in fact, another one of her movies makes this honorable mention list). Nicolas Cage reminds us that when he is on his game, he is still one of the best actors working today. The pacing is razor-sharp and there is never a dull moment. Love the use of John Murphy during some of the action scenes.

Let Me In - I was a huge fan of Let The Right One In, the Swedish vampire film from 2009. Loved it so much that it was my No. 3 from that year (behind Slumdog and Dark Knight). Well, the remake starring Kick-Ass's Chloe Morentz and Kodi McPhee is downright awesome. I actually prefer it more than the original one. That raises the question: Mark, if you liked it more, why is it so low on your list? Simply because its the same story and I was familiar with where it was going, I just liked Matt Reeves' take on it better. Better actors, better direction, better film. But I'll keep it off of my top 10 solely due to the original being on my top 10 list 2 years ago. I'm challenging myself more by not putting it on my list. It's the SECOND best horror film of the year.

The King's Speech - This was a hard one to leave off of the list. It's a very good movie, maybe even a great one, but the pacing truly kept this from being an amazing film. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are worth the price of admission alone, and it's great to see Helena Bonham-Carter be, you know, normal in a movie to remind us how great of an actress she is. This is a last second scratch for me, and I have the right to add it back at any time (it is MY list after all). But I think I need to see it again to really know for sure.

Alright, let's get on with the list then.





10) HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON


This is the only animated film on my list this year. Yes, I thought Toy Story 3 was great, but I was charmed to death by this movie. The voice casting of Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler is pitch perfect. The animation is smooth and watching it on IMAX 3D made it that much better.

This film is the closest Dreamworks Animation has gotten to a Pixar level film. The moment that sealed the deal for me loving this movie was right after the dragon started warming up to Hiccup. Hiccup brings fish to Toothless and then, for a nice 5 minutes (guessing), there was a wonderful montage of Hiccup and Toothless starting to gain each other's trust. There are no words. Nothing but the score. It's a wonderful moment that takes after the opening montage of Up, my favorite animated movie from last year. Simply magical.

The 3D was amazing, and it looks fantastic on Blu Ray. It holds up very well on repeat viewings, and it sits up there with Pixar's best.





9) WINTER'S BONE



I watched this movie on the way from Upper Egypt back to Cairo, thinking it would be a solid little film with good performances. What I got was a great film with FANTASTIC performances. The story is simple: A girl looking for her father. Well, it's more than that, but at its core, that about covers it. 17-year old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) is in search of her drug-dealing father after he put their home up for bail. What's worse is that Ree not only has to find her dad, but also make sure that she, her 2 younger siblings, and her mentally ill mother have food on the table. What follows is a very simple story that is elevated by its performances. Jennifer Lawrence's performance is comparable to Hailee Steinfeld's performance in True Grit, both are very assertive and stubborn. But what stands Lawrence apart is her resilience. Even after she gets the crap kicked out of her, she remains as stubborn and assertive as before, completely (and foolishly) fearless. I would be very surprised if she wasn't nominated for Best Actress this year.

The performance that elevates the film even more is John Hawkes (Deadwood, Lost) as Teardrop, Ree's uncle. At first you think Teardrop is a just an angry bastard, but slowly you see some humanity creep back in, although he wouldn't be caught dead to admitting it. Hawkes clinches his Best Supporting Actor nomination in an amazingly tense scene when he gets pulled over by the police late at night after picking up a battered and bruised Ree. It reminds me a lot of a father lion defending his family, only instead of showing teeth and going crazy, Hawkes does it all with his eyes and speech. Definitely worth checking out.






8) BURIED


This film should not work. 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a coffin? Really? Not even a cutaway to the authorities trying to find him, or of his family crying and worrying? Nope. 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a coffin. No cutaways, nothing. And it freaking works. In spades. My wife was skeptical, as was I. But this film is by far the greatest accomplishment on this list. It keeps you on your toes for the entire 90 minutes.

Ryan Reynolds easily gives the best performance of his career, as he is given absolutely nothing to do than to react to his surroundings and his phone calls. This is the kind of role that could make him a modern day Robin Williams. And by that I don't mean Patch Adams/Jack/Bicentennial Man Robin Williams. I mean Good Will Hunting/Insomnia/Aladdin (yeah, he rocked it in Aladdin)/Mrs. Doubtfire Robin Williams. Reynolds already had uncanny comedic timing (Wolverine, Blade: Trinity, The Proposal (yeah I liked it, so what, wanna fight about it?)) and here he displays some great dramatic chops. He can act his way out of a box (no pun intended).

The direction is top-notch. It has to be for this to work. Rodrigo Cortes keeps it visually interesting despite lighting with only a Zippo, a flashlight, and glow sticks. He makes the coffin seem vast and open one moment, then painfully claustrophobic the next. And the writing alone is Oscar-worthy. It reminds me of Cloverfield in the sense that you know that there is probably a fury of government activity (or at least he's TOLD that) lots of cinematic slow montages, racing against the clock, etc., that you don't see. We are stuck in this situation with Reynolds the entire time. The ending works and doesn't work. WIthout giving too much away, it's a roller coaster of emotions, and unpredictable. But I also would have liked it even more if something different happened. Let me know what you think when you see it.







7) SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD


I love Edgar Wright. I feel like I should reserve a place on my Top Ten every year he releases a film. Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite films and Hot Fuzz is a terrific parody of modern day action films. Also, his films are amazingly edited. Each of his films has an unparalleled energy.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is no different. As soon as the 8-bit Universal logo comes up with 8-bit sound, you know that you are in for something unique and special. Michael Cera was born to play Scott Pilgrim. Every other role has been preparation for this one.--

QUICK RANT--

Why do people hate Michael Cera so much? Because he's the same in every movie? OK, I'll buy that. But what about Denzel since The Hurricane? What about Audrey Hepburn? What about John Wayne? All pretty much the same. So let's lay off on the Scrawny One. He makes more money than you do.

--END QUICK RANT

Anyway, back to the film. Michael Cera is awesome, and his job isn't that easy. He has to make a tool likeable. And he succeeds. Even though he treats Knives like absolute garbage, you really don't care that much because they overplay his tool-ness so much its hilarious. As far as the supporting cast, I like about 95% of it. Knives is adorable, and I wouldn't mind if Scott Pilgrim ended up with her at all, but she is "too good for him." Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good as Ramona, but I really don't think she's prettier than Knives, but I see that she is the cute alternative girl, so I'll buy it. Kieran Culkin steals every scene he's in as Scott's gay roommate Wallace. The band consists of a solid supporting cast. Allison Pill is wonderfully cast as one of Scott's bitter ex-girlfriends. Johnny Simmons is pitch perfect as Young Neil. I (regrettably) watched Jennifer's Body and he was the best thing about it. He's got a real friendly, sincere look and the way he delivers his lines is money.

But the highlights of the movie are the Evil Exes. Chris Evans is awesomely one-note as Lucas Lee, the 2nd of Ramona's evil exes. He plays an exaggerated version of the Hollywood action hero. It's a brief role, but Chris makes the most of it. The best of all the exes is Vegan Academy graduate Brandon Routh (Superman in Superman Returns). I liked Routh a lot as Superman, but here he is freaking hysterical. Everything he does is funny. His speech, his insults, his hair. Greatness. And his demise is great as well. I really hope to see more Routh in the future, whether its as Superman or nice little comedic roles like this one.

The only person I don't like in this movie is Jason Schwartzman as Gideon, the head of the League of Evil Exes. He just falls flat for me. I would rather have Routh's character be the main villian. He just plays the overbearing, controlling boyfriend that we've all seen before, nothing really original.

But the real star of the film is Edgar Wright. He infuses his unique signature all over the film, over every cut. There is not one cut in this film that wasn't carefully planned out. I hope that their effort is rewarded with a Best Editing Oscar nomination. Great film that captures the ADD generation.






6) THE TOWN

Ben Affleck, sorry we ever doubted you. Maybe you did all those crappy movies to fuel our thoughts of "How much did Ben Affleck really write on Good Will Hunting?" And then you go and make Gone Baby Gone, which was one of the better directorial debuts in recent memory. Then you make The Town. I'll go on record and say that Gone Baby Gone is a better made film, but The Town shows that Affleck has found his groove and that GBG isn't a fluke. He also silences the Good Will Hunting critics by co-writing this one. And he plays the lead. Triple threat. You think that he would give himself a break or something, but no, he pulls triple duty and gives 100% in each department.

And he assembled one of the year's best cast (Inception takes the cake there). Jeremy Renner is at his best as Jem, Ben's partner in crime. Renner is electrifying. And he could blow at any moment. His intensity comes thru his eyes. I got nervous every time he was on screen. Pete Postlethwaite has the amount of intensity, and makes rose trimming terrifying. It's really a shame that he passed because he had many great years ahead of him. Rebecca Hall has quietly been making a name for herself over the years with roles in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Frost/Nixon, and she handles herself very well amongst such heavyhitters. Ben Affleck gives his best performance to date, and, like I said, it is that much more impressive due to his many duties on this film. His role is the most difficult, having to be tough enough to be a believable point man for his robberies, and sensitive enough to care for one of his victims. And he pulls it off convincingly. I'm so sorry Ben. Sorry that we ever thought you were a joke. You get the last laugh. ( <---zinger!)





5) THE FIGHTER

Here is the second Boston-centric film on this list.

I love boxing movies. I grew up on Rocky (especially IV). By default, I gravitate towards the underdog story. And I love Christian Bale. So when all 3 of these elements combine, it's practically pre-destined to have a spot on my Top 10 list.

And The Fighter does not disappoint. It tells the story of half-brothers Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale). Mickey is still struggling in the boxing ranks, while his trainer Dicky struggles with crack. The film starts with HBO following Dicky on his "comeback" (which turns out to be a documentary on crack in America) and we are introduced to the playful relationship between Mickey and Dicky. But it quickly turns sour when Dicky is too high and misses a training session and we are introduced to their mother and half-sisters. Good Lord. This is one dysfunctional family. The sisters are straight out of a bad bad 80s music video, with nasty pompadour hair and gross Boston accents (is there such thing as a good Boston accent). But they all bow down to the Queen of all overbearing mothers, Alice (Melissa Leo). She clearly favors Dicky over hardworking Mickey, and is in constant denial of Dicky's drug addiction. As you can read, this movie is barely about boxing. And that's one reason why I love it. Even during Mickey's climatic title fight, you really don't care what the outcome is, all you want is a good resolution for the family.

This is also one of the best acted films of the year. Mark Wahlberg doesn't get enough credit. Sure he does crap (Max Payne). But here he is playing within his strengths and is the film's heart and soul. He plays Mickey as a weakling at times, but I think it's a nice contrast to his physique. This film doesn't succeed without him. You can see why this film has been his labor of love, trying to get it made for 4 years (even training every day to keep his physique). Christian Bale is the highlight of the film for me. He needed a role like this to show off how sickly talented he is. Sure he makes a great Batman and can look good in the Batsuit, but here he really disappears into the role and shows how method acting should be done. Yes, he lost weight for the role, something he has done before, but it was necessary in order to be a convincing crack addict. Amy Adams plays against type here and again proves why she is one of the most reliable actresses working today. Coming close to Bale in sheer scene steal-ery (?) is Melissa Leo as their mother. And the film is at its best when they share the screen. I'll put money that Melissa Leo and Bale both win Supporting Oscars. I just don't see any competition.

I know that this film isn't as high on other Top 10 lists, but it just hits the right chord with me. Looking forward to seeing it again.





4) BLACK SWAN

This is my revolving top 4. One day my 4 could be 1, my 2 could be 4, 1 could be 3, and so on and so on. So again, I'm giving myself the right to change my list at any time, but I think I have a pretty solid top 4.

This film rocked my world. It's no secret that I love horror movies, and simply put, Black Swan is one of the best horror films I've ever seen. And it's not the "horror" that exists today (Saw, Piranha, anything Platinum Dunes does). It's a throwback to the heyday of psychological horror, like The Shining or Carrie.

Plotline: A dedicated and technically flawless ballerina, Nina (Natalie Portman) yearns to be the Swan Queen of her company's new take on Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. The role of the Swan Queen requires Nina to be the White Swan AND the Black Swan. She is perfect as the efficient, graceful White Swan, but is having more difficulty "losing herself" in order to become the seductive, passionate Black Swan. Her instructor Tomas encourages to delve into her more carnal impulses and embraces the "darkness." This causes her to study another dancer in her company, Lily (Mila Kunis). Lily isn't nearly as talented as Nina, but possesses the Black Swan qualities (carefree, seductive) that Nina strives for. All of this pressure causes Nina to travel down some dark roads and reality starts to unravel...

This is no CENTER STAGE.

Natalie Portman gives the performance of her career as Nina Sayers. It's one of those roles that will go down in film history as one of the greats. Yes, it's that good. I've never seen her so dedicated and fragile, and then she is able to be fearless in a blink of an eye. It's my favorite performance this year (male or female). The rest of the cast is impeccable. Barbara Hershey, who plays Nina's mother, is always one breath away from crazy, and her character reminds me a lot of Carrie's mother in CARRIE. Vincent Cassel, who plays the dance instructor Tomas, is nearly as good as Portman. His teaching methods are a bit...unorthodox, but he commands whatever scene he is in, and even at times, outacting Portman. I really wish he was in the running for Best Supporting Actor, because he deserves it. Mila Kunis has the easier role of just looking good and flirty, but she makes it seem so effortless that it's hard to give praise to Portman without giving Kunis praise because she represents who Nina WANTS to be. You have to understand WHO and WHY she wants to become this person, and if Kunis doesn't deliver, then you don't buy into Nina's goal.

But the real star is director Darren Aronofsky. He will be perceived as this generation's Stanley Kubrick. (I really don't like Kubrick that much, but I understand what he represents to the film crowd. The only movies that I like of his are The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. Anyway, back to Aronofsky.) I thought that Requiem for a Dream was harrowingly brilliant, I feel like its a must watch for all teenagers. It's simply the greatest anti-drug movie of all time. But then The Fountain happened, and I feared that the fearless director of Requiem had evolved into a pretentious "artist." Luckily, that stinker bombed and The Wrestler restored my faith in him. In fact, Black Swan and The Wrestler would make a great double feature. Both deal with aging performers making a last ditch grasp for greatness.

The movie is very sexual, but not sexy in the least. I don't really want to dive into details or anything, but there were a few times where I felt like it was going into the "unnecessary sexual" realm, but then there would be a clever reveal or a line of dialogue that would in some ways justify the existence of those scenes to push the story forward. So, from a story point of view, I don't mind the sexual stuff because it wasn't supposed to be sexy or enticing or exploitive.

Overall, this is a brilliant film from one of the most visionary directors working today. It will stay with you long after you watch it.




3) 127 HOURS


Danny Boyle is one of my top 2 favorite directors of all time. This one might be my favorite. It tells the true story of Aron Ralston, a free-spirited hiker who slips and gets his arm pinned underneath a "small" boulder and is trapped for over 5 days. Sounds depressing right? It's actually one of the most inspiring movies I've ever seen.

This one is similar to Buried in that the film takes place in one location (at least 80% in this case). And while I feel like Buried is a greater accomplishment, 127 Hours is the far superior film.

James Franco was born to play this role. He plays Aron so fearlessly yet not stubbornly, if that makes sense (probably doesn't). He carries the film so effortlessly, he makes you completely forget about Spiderman and all of his other wooden roles in the past. He displays such poise in a situation where I would have lost my mind after about 15 minutes. But he keeps it together and perseveres. If it wasn't for Colin Firth winning his legacy Oscar (to his credit, he is fantastic in King's Speech), I believe Franco would be making room on his mantle.

Danny Boyle is his same great self. He's able to use his creativity to create amazing shots (water bottle cam!) in such tight spaces. It's a shame that he isn't being considered for Best Director as he makes this so visually dynamic despite his surroundings.

OK, now for the AMPUTATION SCENE. Yes, it's graphic. But not as graphic as the Saw movies or other torture porn movies. The only reason why it's a tough scene is because you are emotionally invested in Aron and you feel every cut. I think that watching this scene all the way through is vital. I asked Hanna to see how long she could last without covering her eyes, and she made it all the way through. Boyle films it so uncinematically. And what I mean by that is that is the scene isn't Franco screaming and wallowing after every cut. He is a man on a mission and is more determined than in agony. Until he gets to the nerves... So I challenge you to last as long as you can, and I feel like the more you watch, the more exhilarating his escape is. And what follows is an incredibly moving montage set to Sigur Ros' "Festival." This scene brings the film from a great inspirational film to being incredibly cathartic.






2) INCEPTION


You can thank The Dark Knight for this one. If TDK wasn't one of the highest grossing films of all time, then I don't think Inception would have been made. It's as if Warner Bros. decided to give Nolan a 200 million dollar thank you, and they let Nolan make his passionate project.

This movie is flat-out amazing. It's able to combine the brains of a Memento and give the thrills and popcorn entertainment of a Dark Knight and delivers what should be the standard of how great big budget studio films can be done (does that make sense?)

This is easily Nolan's best directoral effort. He's also one helluva writer. He is able to paint some majestic dreamscapes that serve as a background to story. The story is very complex, but Nolan is able to simplify and and explain it through dialogue and story structure. Ellen Page's character is the audience. She is the new addition to this world that we've never seen, so we are able to learn it as she does.

Inception has the best ensemble cast of the year as well. DiCaprio, in my mind, has never been better. Sure his Dom Cobb isn't the most showy or charismatic character he's ever played, but it's the most mature and most psychologically fragile character of his great career (at least 2nd most, his character in Shutter Island was MESSED UP. SIDE NOTE -- Shutter Island and Inception make for a great double feature). Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as Arthur and he and Tom Hardy's Eames have a great mutual dislike for each other that's fun to watch. Hardy will blow up this year with 3-4 films this year, not to mention the (rumored) villain role in The Dark Knight Rises. Michael Caine is Michael Caine, 'nuff said. The movie's secret weapons are Marion Cotillard and Cillian Murphy. I've always loved Cillian Murphy (mainly due to my love for Danny Boyle) but Cotillard really blew me away. She's like the shark in Jaws, weaving in and out of the action in between great character moments and action scenes. She haunts the film and Cobb. She can be beautiful and loving in Cobb's memory, then turn to vicious at the drop of a hat.

This film wouldn't have worked without the editing. Lee Smith (Nolan's editor since Batman Begins) is able to weave in and out between 3 different dreams with remarkable precision. This film wouldn't make a lick of sense without great editing. As much as I love Scott Pilgrim, I feel like this will win Best Editing because the movie RELYS on the editing in order to draw the audience in.

Now for the ending --SPOILERS FOR THE 2 PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T SEEN IT---

So when Cobb gets off the plane and goes home to see his kids, he spins the top to make sure that he isn't dreaming (or at least, not in someone else's dream). As he is reunited with his kids, the camera stays with the top, still spinning. it wobbles a little - cut to black. So what does this mean? Was it all a dream? Here's my theory:

I say the top falls. He is in the real world and has made it back home. More evidence is that in the dream world, he is wearing a wedding ring, in reality he does not. In the end, he isn't wearing the wedding ring. Thus, I choose to believe that he has made it home. Also, it just makes me happier.

You could also say that cutting to black instead of showing it fall is Christopher Nolan performing an inception on us, the audience. We think we see something, then at the last second, we have this shred of doubt, this new IDEA.

But here's the true ending in my mind: The point isn't that we didn't see the top fall, it's that Cobb leaves it behind because he sees his kid's faces. That's the reality he chooses. He doesn't care. That's the ending.


--END SPOILERS


In conclusion, Inception should be seen as a complete success in many ways. One, it succeeds to stimulate the mind and it entertains. Secondly, I believe it could pave the way for more risky (and expensive) passion projects that wouldn't have been made. I would rather see 20 Inceptions than more Transformers.

And it gets me pumped for The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan will be able to make HIS movie with a (prediction) newly minted Oscar winner Christian Bale, the next big thing Tom Hardy, and hopefully a brand new smaller IMAX camera. Good times are coming!





1) THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The Social Network is the best film of the year. If you add up every level of production (casting, acting, writing, directing, soundtrack) it's simply too good to beat. I've seen it 3 times and find something new to appreciate every time. It's never boring.

And I think we all were skeptical. A Facebook movie? Really? Yeah I like Fincher. No, I don't like Sorkin that much (this is based off TV work soley, I think Sports Night is one of the most overrated TV shows of all time, laugh track or not). Nothing about this production got me excited. Then the reviews started coming in. Then the amazingly cronscendo-ing trailer set to a choir version of Radiohead's "Creep" came out and I started thinking that it could be really good.

After watching, it instantly shot up to number 1 on my list. Now, I am aware of a few things. I might look back in a few years and slide it down. I don't think I will, but the ONLY thing that The Social Network has going against it is its relevancy. Facebook is huge, Mark Zuckerberg is Time's Man of the Year. In 5-10 years, will Facebook still be huge? It's hard to tell, but this movie is lightning in a bottle. It perfectly captures our life RIGHT NOW. Jesse Eisenberg kills any comparison to Michael Cera with this performance. It is nuanced, it is vicious, hysterical, so beat perfect. It's difficult to make an A-hole likeable, but he does it.
He stands toe to toe with Colin Firth and James Franco as the best male performances this year.

Andrew Garfield's Eduardo is the heart of the film. And at first, I actually thought that he was getting a little bit more award consideration over Armie Hammer's Winklevoss' twins. But after watching it more and more, Garfield adds a lot of subtlety to his performance and I keep finding little nuggets of gold in it every time. Justin Timberlake is a good actor. There is no getting around that anymore. He is perfectly cast as Napster's Sean Parker because his character, in Mark Zuckerberg's eyes, IS a rock star. Timberlake is making a great resume right now with this and Alpha Dog (he was awesome in that), so I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in the future. My favorite performance(s) is Armie Hammer's dual performance as the Winklevoss twins, the brothers who are suing Zuckerberg claiming that he stole their website idea. Hammer plays it as two sides of the same coin rather than identically. Each character has his own mannerisms, his own speech, his own personality. I think that Hammer doesn't get enough credit because he made something that is very difficult very easy.

David Fincher is on top of his game, but it's really what he doesn't do that is impressive in this film. He doesn't OVERdirect. He lets his scenes play out instead of doing crazy angles and cool shots. And I don't think I give Fincher enough credit here. I look at 127 Hours, Buried, Inception, and even Scott Pilgrim and think, "Man those films are amazingly directed!" And I'd be right, but then I look at Fincher's subdued effort here. His direction blends in (not stands out). And I think that is the work of a great director, if he doesn't let his style get in the way of the story.

The soundtrack really brings it all together. I hope Reznor wins for Best Original Score because without it, the film would suffer. In a largely action-less movie, the score serves as that action, and the music keeps up with Sorkin's dialogue. Whenever I'm cranking out script or writing anything, I listen to the score. It makes filling out a grocery list very exciting.

And although I'm not a huge Sorkin fan, he really knocks it out of the park with his crackling script. It features some of the more memorable scenes in the past decade. It can be funny, it can be devestating, it could be vicious. And it just never slows down. The movie zips by and never bores you. Best screenplay of the year.

This movie has it all.

---------



So that's the list of films this year. It's fun for me to write this because I'm able to revisit all of these films in my head and remember what a great year its been for films. And, hopefully for the first time ever, I will have seen all Best Picture nominees before they are released. Fingers crossed.

And if you (the 5 people reading this, if I'm lucky) have any films that you would have removed from my list or added to it,let me know in the comment section, I love people's film opinions.

I'm out!

My Evil Dead 4...err.. Drag Me to Hell review

Hey guys,

Sorry its been so long since my last post. Have A LOT going on right now. But I'll update you on that later.


Well, I would consider myself a Sam Raimi fan. I like the first Evil Dead, love Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness is funny, but not my favorite. I also love his more mainstream work like A Simple Plan and The Gift. But, for some reason, the Spiderman movies don't do a whole lot for me. I think I enjoy them when I see them, and then I generally don't have to see them again.

It seems that Sam Raimi had lost his edge.

With Drag Me to Hell, no only does he still have it, he has plenty left in the tank. I went into Drag Me to Hell with optimism, but I wasn't quite sure it would live up to the hype.

This is already in the top 5 scariest movies I have ever seen. The other four are: The Ring, Jaws, Halloween, The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Now, by scary I mean a few things. One is that I feel generally unsettled during the majority of the movie. Another is the effect it leaves on me AFTER i get out of the movie. The Ring freaked me out with its atmosphere and jumpcuts, Halloween always makes me look around my house making sure there isnt a faceless killer just chilling in the shadows, Jaws still makes me not want to go swimming (pool or ocean), and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, well, that was just Jennifer Carpenter giving one heck of a performance. Drag Me to Hell does all of the above.

Basically, the story is about Christine Brown (maybe a clever nod to Bruce Campbell, CB and BC? that's a stretch), a young loan officer who works at a bank. She really wants the assistant manager job, but has to compete with a slimy Reggie Lee. So, right after telling her boss that she is willing to make the tough decisions, she is visited by a gypsy who's house is about to be repossessed. Christine asks her boss what to do and her boss says that it's her call. She denies the additional loan that the gypsy asks for, and the gypsy begs for her to reconsider. Christine does not budge, and the gypsy feels shamed.

After work, Christine walks out to her car in the parking garage and sees the gypsy's car parked at the other end of the garage. To me, this was the scariest sequence in the whole movie. And funny as well. Without spoiling too much the gypsy puts a curse on Christine that will send her to Hell in 3 days. That's the general synopsis.

There was also one of the scariest shots I have ever seen during this sequence. When you see it, you will know what I mean. It involves the camera (Christine's POV) following a scarf that is being blown around Christine's car in the parking garage. There is no music cue for what happens, just ambient noise. Still gives me chills.

It isn't fair what Sam Raimi does to the audience in this movie. It is as if he is sitting with us, and scaring us right when we start to calm down. He makes us laugh, and then makes us scream. As a horror director, Raimi's skills are unmatched. IN the world of horror directors, it's like LeBron James playing against kindergardeners. He is THE master.

This movie makes me fear parking garages, rooms with windows, cell phones, my car, my bedroom, and just sounds in general. I was on edge the entire movie to the point where I didn't feel that comfortable staying. This is an embarrassing confession, but when I get scared in a movie, and I am with a friend (I was with my buddy Stan for this movie), I tend to lean over a little bit just to make a little bit of physical contact with that person, and it somehow puts me a little more at ease. Trust me, I would have preferred it if it was Hanna sitting next to me, but she didn't want to see it. So... desperate times call for desperate measures. I was leaning on Stan for the last hour of the movie I felt so unsettled. But I also had a blast with all the bizarre comedy that takes place during the horror of it. Whether it's dentures flying out or something that gets projectiled, I was laughing as often as I was terrified.

I'll finish my thoughts when I get up in the morning...


NEXT DAY POSTING...

No sleep whatsoever. I didnt even want to let my dog out to the bathroom because it meant going into my dark living room. I am a pansy. But I also can't help but smile when I think of the experience.

Right now, if I had to decide where it would place on my list, I would list it as number 2 behind Jaws (i still get nervous getting into the water). Maybe it's just because I saw it last night, or because I don't remember getting any sleep last night either.

Easily, the most thrilling movie-going experience of my life.


Drag Me to Hell

4.5/5 stars


Highly recommended

Top 10 TV Shows You NEED to Watch... That You Probably Haven't

Hey guys,

I'm trying to get some more top ten lists out while I feel like it because I feel that I will reach a time where I won't want to do any or won't have time. So consider the frequency of my posts as a blessing (or a curse). Today's list will stur up a few people as I tackle the Top 10 shows that you need to watch, immediately. By this I mean you need to put the first season (if available) on your Netflix queue, or go to your local Blockbuster (quick before they go under!) and grab it up.

Now, I totally understand that you guys might not completely agree with the ORDER of this list. To those who don't...well... tough cookies it's my blog. But I do understand if the order is different for other people. Here we go:






10) Wonderfalls (2004)





Now, I do have to give credit to one Josh Holden, my fellow co-worker at Bluefish, for tipping me off on about half of these shows. This is one of them. It is about a girl who works at Niagara Falls at one of the souvenir shops who all the sudden is able to see inanimate objects talk to her. They always speak in one sentence riddles that generally pushes the episode forward. It also stars Lee Pace, a great actor who plays Ned the Piemaker in Pushing Daises, as well as the dreamily trippy movie, The Fall. I strongly suggest that you RENT this series first, then if you like it enough, you can buy it. It was also cancelled by Fox for poor ratings, only airing 4 episodes. But on the DVD there are 9 more episodes, rounding out the series to a small 13 episodes.







9) Undeclared (2001)




This is one of two Judd Apatow produced shows on this list. It starts Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder's Jay Baruchel as Steven Karp, a freshman at UNEC (get it, eunuch?). This was also cancelled prematurely, after only 15 episodes (the DVD contains 17). It also co-stars Seth Rogen. And Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man) is a prominent recurring character, playing the ex-boyfriend of Lizzie, played by Carla Gallo (who is also featured in another series on this list). This series is a great look at the college life (not really like Baylor though) through the eyes of a college freshman. It is sweet, funny, and features great appearances by Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, and Kevin O. Rankin (who plays a paraplegic on Friday Night Lights). It features many other familiar faces in the Apatow-verse as well. I would highly recommend renting this series.






8) True Blood (2008-present)





True Blood is about a world that vampires have "come out of the coffin" in society after the Japanese come up with a blood synthetic that would replace the need for vampires to feed on humans. I wasn't too sure about True Blood when I first watched it. It was a little raunchy and the characters were rather irritating. Anna Paquin's accent bugged me and the vampire lead just felt flat. But as I continued to watch, it became one of my favorite shows of 2008. The sex practically vanished after 5 episodes (well, not completely, but it was cut down massively), Anna Paquin grew on me, and the story arc all of the sudden got awesome. It's the classic who's-the-killer plotline, but I didn't know who the killer was until they cleverly revealed it. I probably guessed it would have been this character some time, but I never settled on it. The horror genre always fascinates me and I thought that this series put a nice Cajun twist on the vampire mythos. Great cliffhangers too!






7) Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present)






Larry David is a genius. The creator of Seinfeld didn't have to work again for the rest of his life after selling his syndication rights of Seinfeld for 200 million dollars! 200 Million! But instead of just sitting around counting his money, he decides to create another TV show that might even be better than Seinfeld. Yeah, I said it. A lot of that might be because Seinfeld was tailor made for a studio audience (which often times waters down the more adult humor) and Curb had no limit on where it could go. But I think I laugh more during Curb than I do during Seinfeld, probably because I don't have an audience laughing with me. I can decide when to laugh or not. And I LOVE making my own decisions. Pretty much, Curb is pseudo-real-life about Larry David's career and life after Seinfeld. Most of the actors in it play themselves, except for Larry's wife (the AWESOME Cheryl Hines, just want until she gets caught in a car wash, priceless) and Larry's agent. Ted Danson and Mary Steenbergen (sp?) are recurring and I hear that the entire cast of Seinfeld will be on it next season! I can't wait. Must watch, it's pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.




6) Friday Night Lights (2006-present)






I feel like this show would be higher on my list if I was caught up on it. I've only seen the first 2 seasons of it, and it is freaking fantastic. It is one of those critically acclaimed, ratings-challenged shows that was destined to be cancelled and rediscovered on DVD. But, somehow, the powers that be moved it to DirecTV, allowing it to survive through 3 seasons, and it's likely 4th and final. It's based on the movie, which was based on the book, but it's pretty much different in everyway. Except for the fact that Connie Britton plays the wife in the movie and the TV show. But that's besides the point.

Kyle Chandler owns as Coach Taylor, the toughest coach you would LOVE to play for. If my coaches of old acted the way that Coach Taylor does, I would have won 3 state championships in every sport ever. And you wouldn't think that coming from the actor who was the lead in the sappy show Early Edition. But Kyle Chandler deserves some serious props. As does the rest of the cast. I actually know the guy who plays Glenn, one of the school's counselors, and he always says how awesome every body is in person as well. The guy who plays Riggins is Gambit in Wolverine, and Landry (aka retarded red-headed Matt Damon) rapidly became my favorite character in Season 2. And he can't go wrong having 24's Aaron Pierce as a father. I can't say enough about this show, other than I need to catch up fast!




5) The Wire (2002-2008)






I feel like this will also creep up the list because I just started season 3. But, based on the fact that I'm barely through 2 seasons of it and its already number 5, means that this show is awesome. And it's a different type of awesome. It took me most of season 1 for me to really appreciate it because it's so different than anything I've ever seen. The amount of time this show spends on character development is insane. It's about the ongoing drug war between the Baltimore police and its drugpushers (but then again, I hear season 4 is all about Baltimore schooling, and McNulty is barely in it?? That's crazy talk!). But as the show progresses, I start loving every character in it. From McNulty to Ziggy to Herc to Omar. Omar is quite frankly, the baddest dude on the planet. Think the ghetto's Robin Hood. That's pretty much sums him up (and yes, he's gay, too) But this is a show that defies what we consider good TV. When I thought of good TV before The Wire, I thought of shows like Lost. A great story with a bombshell of a cliffhanger at every commercial break with that crazy intense music (ie Manufactored drama). Don't get me wrong, I still love Lost, but The Wire doesn't waste its time trying to grab you at the end of each episode. It has a story to tell, and by the end of the first season, you realized that you just got got. Can't wait to finish it.






4) Carnivale (2003-2005)






I consider this my favorite drama of all time. It delves into the supernatural, the spiritual and is a fresh take of Good vs. Evil. It only lasts 2 seasons, and ends on a cliffhanger that makes me want closure. Give me something, another season, a movie, i dont care. But at the same time, that ending preserves all that came before. It's all about brilliant storytelling. It doesn't have dialogue of exposition. It shows you things. It doesn't spell it all out for you. It lets you put the pieces together. It's about a traveling carnival during the Great Depression. Every generation, there is a creature of darkness and a creature of light. But it all takes place in a very real world. It's just so brilliantly realized. I would recommend a blind buy of both seasons. If you don't like it... give it to me I don't own it yet.






3) Dexter (2006-present)






This is my favorite show on air right now. Yes, it is considered a drama, but it's too much fun to be a drama. Michael C. Hall is the best actor on television right now. He took that over when The Wire ended his run (Omar.Is.The.Man). It's about a man named Dexter who happens to be a serial killer. He is a blood spatter expert for the Miami PD. But he also kills people. But only those who have escaped the judicial system due to a loophole or misplaced evidence (does Dexter sometimes destroy or tamper with evidence so he can kill people? Yes. Yes he does). He was raised by a cop that knew what he was and he taught Dexter a code to live by. So, on the outside, he is a well liked, well respected forensics expert, but on the inside (thanks to Michael C. Hall's killer deadpan voiceover), he is an emotionless addict looking for his next "fix." So the contrast between who he pretends to be and who he really is creates a dark comedic tone that makes this show irresistible. Whatever season the show is on, I think that it's the best season. Then I watch some of the earlier seasons, and I change my mind. Either way, it's fantastic. The best show on television.







2) Freaks and Geeks (1999)






This show is about high school. In 1980-81. Freaks. And Geeks. That's all you need to know.


This is the show with the biggest heart. Fox didn't know what it had. It only ran for 12 episodes, but it already completed 18. So it was cut down before its prime. This is where Judd Apatow really made his mark. So many of the cast is huge now: Linda Cardellini (Wendy) is a lead on ER, Seth Rogen and James Franco need no introduction, and Martin Starr (Adventureland, Knocked Up). It also featured a slew of before-they-were-famous cameos:
Shia LaBeouf
Ben Foster
Jason Schwartzman
Rashida Jones

And. It has Biff from Back to the Future. A lot. I love this show so much. It has so much heart and its so funny. It's really hard to disect it. You just need to watch it. NOW (but please finish the list).

I feel like I haven't said enough about this show. This is the best TV show Josh Holden has ever let me borrow. I cannot stress enough how sweet-hearted this show is. You fall in love with all the characters and every actor gets a chance to shine. It's no wonder Apatow is the king of comedy right now. Franco is great here, too. Glad he finally went back to comedies. Here's to a reunion show!





1) Arrested Development (2003-2006)







In my mind, the single funniest show of all time. Screw Seinfeld, Family Guy, The Office, 30 Rock (for the record, still love those shows). This is the best written, best acted, best edited comedy of all time. The cast is perfect. Redefines the dysfunctional family stereotype (did it need redefining? Doesn't matter) . Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffery Tambor, HENRY WINKLER, and awesome voiceover by Ron freakin' Howard. It's about a family struggling to stay together when the father gets thrown into jail for fudging the books at their real estate firm (firm? Is it a firm? Let's play it safe with company). You have to start at the beginning and give it at least FOUR episodes. Then tell me you don't like it. And if you do, ah, what am I saying? That would be impossible...

Everything about this show is funny. Every episode I change my mind on who my favorite character is. Not to mention all of the awesome, AWESOME guest appearances: Carl Weathers, Scott Baio, Justine Bateman, Zach Braff, John Laraquette, Judge Reinhold, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Judy Greer, John Michael Higgins, Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron,Amy Poehler, and Liza Manelli. Phew. And there are so many, many more that I am forgetting.

Man, I wish I could tell you some of the jokes/running gags but it's too hard to describe. Trust me. It's the funniest show of all time. And it was canceled by Fox. So. I'm beginning to see a pattern with Fox.



Thanks for reading. Fly Southwest. You are now free to move about the country.

(Trying to get some sponsorship. You would too)





-SOAB


(I just realized that by signing it SOFAB is kind of like SO FABULOUS!!! So I'll dial it down a bit)

That was him?!

Hey guys,


Mark here with a new top ten list. I pride myself on recognizing actors and saying to friends," Hey do you remember him/her in _______?"

I know its kind of silly, but I thought maybe I can do the same thing here, just get it all out of the way. Here we go:





10) Tim Roth
Don't know him from - Planet of the Apes (2001)
Know him from - Reservoir Dogs, The Incredible Hulk



























I love Tim Roth. He was my favorite part of the new Hulk movie. He just brings so much to the table everytime he is on screen. I don't remember much of Planet of the Apes, but I remember thinking that the main bad ape was awesome. Little did I know that it was Tim Roth. He's the one saying," This one looked at me."




9) Paul Rudd
Don't know him from - this awesome SNES commercial
Know him from - Knocked Up, 40-Year Old Virgin
































Paul Rudd is the man. He was awesome in Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models, and I Love You, Man. But he has actually be around for quite a long time. I have a few instances of early Paul Rudd, starting with a funny commercial he did for Super Nintendo way back when. He was Alicia Silverstone's step brother in Clueless, Paris is Romeo + Juliet (he was dancing with Juliet at the costume ball; he laughs hysterically at the beginning of the clip), and he was Tommy Jarvis in Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. Glad he found Apatow.



8) Alfred Molina
Don't know him from - Raiders of the Lost Ark
Know him from - Spider-Man 2




















Now everyone knows who Doc Ock is in Spider-Man 2, but did you know that Molina was the traitor at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark? I didn't realize it for the longest time until I wanted to see what else Molina was in. The guy is good, real good. Also see him in Identity, another awesome flick.



7) Ryan Gosling
Don't know him from - Remember the Titans
Know him from - The Notebook, Half Nelson

























Ryan Gosling is one of this generation's finest actors. He is versatile, intense, and makes very mature decisions on what role he plays. He's practically a chameleon. Whether its playing a happy go lucky football player in Remember the Titans (his clip starts at 1:03), or playing a neo-Nazi with a Jewish background in The Believer (his strongest role to date), the guy knows how to pick a role. I could do a whole list on who is in Remember the Titans : Donald Faison (Turk in Scrubs), Ethan Suplee (Randy in My Name is Earl, and he also plays a neo-Nazi in American History X), and Wood Harris (Avon Barkesdale in The Wire).




6) Seth Rogen
Don't know him from - Donnie Darko
Know him from - Knocked Up, SuperBad, Observe and Report




















Seth Rogen is huge now. I have no idea how he snuck into Donnie Darko in such an obscure role. He hardly speaks, but its no doubt that its him. He appears right at the :45 second mark, and its the only clip that I could find. Didn't look too hard though. I know that he also bullies the overweight girl (was she overweight? It's been awhile and I don't really remember, I don't want to say that she was overweight and then find out that she is not... That would reflect poorly on me). Anyway, onto number 6...



5) Liam Neeson
Don't know him from - Krull
Know him from - Taken, The Phantom Menace, Schindler's List

























Krull scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. All I remember is this creepy old guy in a forest that turned into quicksand. And I remember Liam Neeson. He doesn't show up in the clip until around 3:45, but I know that it was a fairly decent supporting role.









4) Ellen Page
Don't know her from - Hard Candy
Know her from - Juno, Smart People, X3: The Last Stand




















Everybody loves Juno. Whether you saw it before or after all the hype, everybody liked it. And if you didn't, then you are probably lying, or trying to be one of those different-to-be-different types of people, you know EXACTLY who you are.

So, since we got that point outta the way, let's move on. Many people consider Juno Ellen Page's ticket to stardom, but she actually got RAVE reviews for this little movie called Hard Candy. The movie is not for the faint of heart, and I can't recommend it to everybody. It's about an online predator (played by Watchmen's Nite Owl, Patrick Wilson) meeting up with a teenage girl (played by Page) who seems like an innocent, naive victim, only to have the tables turned on Wilson's character when we find out that Page isn't as innocent as she seems. She knows exactly what he is, and she makes his life MISERABLE. It's super intense, and again, I can't recommend it to everyone, but for those seeking an uncompromising thriller, please seek this out.

Wow, this is kind of a review, so I'll get back on track again. It's not so much that Page looks any different here than she does in Juno, it's just that she is a completely different person. Once you see her in Juno, you think, oh, she's such a quirky person in real life I bet because she plays it very well. But, in Hard Candy, she turns that perception on its head and delivers and powerful and intense performance that shows that she has acting chops that go beyond quirk.



3) Jerry O'Connell
Don't know him from - Stand by Me
Know him from - Jerry Maguire, Scream 2, Can't Hardly Wait (Trip. Trip McNeely)

























This would usually be number one on these kinds of lists. But not mine. Yes, Jerry O'Connell was the fat kid in Stand By Me. I feel like it's one of those things that's pretty well known, but I still feel like it's worthy of being number 3. He seems to have fallen off of the radar as of late with his poor choices of TV shows that seem to get cancelled pretty quick. He's is becoming what people call a "show-killer," much like David Spade and Andy Dick. Which is shame considering that he has done some good work (like Jerry Maguire and Scream 2, and who can forget Kangaroo Jack).




2) Chris Pine
Don't know him from - Smokin' Aces
You WILL know him for being Captain Kirk in the New Star Trek







































Chris Pine is about to blow up. He's gonna be Kirk in the new Star Trek. He wants to do The A-Team (bad idea). And he is the best choice right now for The Green Lantern. But he also appeared in The Princess Diaries 2 (no, I haven't seen it) and he was quite frankly the best part of Smokin' Aces. He was Darwin Tremor of the Tremor Brothers. At the end of the trailer, he's the one that says, " I bet you are" to Alicia Keys. Hopefully doing Star Trek won't prevent him from doing other kooky roles in the future.





1) Jackie Earle Haley
Don't know him from - The original Bad News Bears (where he played Kelly Leak, the team's All-Star)
Know him from - Little Children (in which he was nominated for an Oscar), and more recently as Rorschach in Watchmen



































Jackie Earle Haley was kind of an annoying kid actor. I remember thinking that he was kind of a tool when he was Kelly Leak in all the Bad News Bears. He was androgynous and a cocky little snot. So I was very surprised when I saw that he was nominated for an Oscar for Little Children. Since then, he has blown up. After appearing briefly in Semi-Pro, he was cast as Rorschach in the highly anticipated graphic-novel adaption, Watchmen. He absolutely owned it. Now, he is cast as the iconic Freddy Kruger in the new Nightmare on Elm Street remake.






That't it for this list. Thanks for reading. Go Mavs!



-SOFAB

Top 10 Best Movies You've Never Seen

Hey guys,

Sorry to the two of you that read my blog last time. Things have been crazy around here. Went to LA for the 168 Film Festival, which is a Christian film festival that gives a team a week to shoot, edit, and finalize a short film based on a bible verse given to them. Our film was called Putting the Ash Behind You, and we managed to win Best Screenplay - Comedy.

You can watch it here:


Putting the Ash Behind You from Mark Blitch on Vimeo.




Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I was thinking about what my next top ten list would be, and I mentioned that it would be the Top Ten Movie/TV Characters that annoyed you and then you ended up loving them. I decided to put it on the back burner.

The inspiration for this list comes from my dad, John Blitch. He came to visit over Easter and I showed him the new Terminator Salvation trailer. He mentioned that how Christian Bale seems to be (and I'm paraphrasing) playing one character in all of his movies. So, this is for you dad, a list of movies that you need to see. Go to Netflix, go to the BBV (Blockbuster Video, ah, you get it) and rent these movies:



10) Return to Paradise (1998)





I remember when I was in high school, I said that this was my favorite movie of all time. While it doesn't remain my favorite movie, I still recall that the last scene of this movie made me realize that Joaquin Phoenix would be a force to reckon with. I remember thinking that he would be huge, possibly more so than his brother River. And while Joaquin has recently lost his way (on purpose I hope) to the world of hip-hop, he still remains a volatile actor capable of any role.





9) Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Wet Hot American Summer (Theatrical Trailer)
Uploaded by NakedBrotha2007

This is a movie that I discovered while working at Blockbuster one summer, I think it was either 2002 or 2003. Either way, this was a huge movie to watch with my friends while I was in college. If one of my friends hadn't seen it, I would immediately go out and rent it (probably should have bought it, considering how many times I probably rented it; just stimulating the economy I guess). I love this movie for Paul Rudd and Christopher Meloni. This was one of the first absurdity comedies that I absolutely loved. After this, I was pumped to see anything that David Wain did in the future, but I hated "The Ten" but he completely redeemed himself with "Role Models," arguably the funniest comedy of 2008. If you are looking for a good, smart spoof of all of those camp comedies, then this is right up your alley. It also features today's funniest actors before they got famous: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper (Sack from Wedding Crashers), Amy Poehler, and Joe Lo Truglio (practically in every comedy now, he was the creepy guy that gave Michael Cera and Jonah Hill a ride to that party in Superbad).




8) The Descent (2005)





Hands down the best horror movie of 2005. This often gets confused with The Cave, a less superior Screen Gems production starring badass Cole Hauser (seriously, this guy should be huge). But this little ditty of a horror movie had me holding my breath during much of the film. It is wonderfully filmed by Neil Marshall, whose next film Doomsday failed to deliver on the promise of this film. This is the kind of horror film that I would like to make: largely one location, lots of tension-filled scenes, great creatures that don't pop up on a music cue. There are lots of jump scares in this one, but if I may remember correctly, very few cheap-oh-it's-just-the-dog-fake-scares. Highly recommended for any horror fan, but let's face it, if you are a horror fan, you saw this in theaters.




7) Running Scared (2006)





This movie is one or the other for a lot of people. Tons of people hate it, tons of people love it. I happen to be in the latter. To me, this is a twisted adult Grimm fairy tale, full of monsters and colorful characters. It's Tarantino-esque in its story and Ritchie-esque in its pacing. This is the first time I liked Paul Walker as an actor. Gone is the blond leading man. He is a tough SOB anti-hero. The world Kramer created is unrealistic and fantastical. It knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize when it goes off the deep end in its bizarreness. Watch for the creepy scene with Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost's Juliet) playing one half of the world's creepiest married couple. Just put this on my Netflix queue after writing this segment.





6) The Island (2005)





How did this movie only make 35.8 million in its entire domestic theatrical run? That is a crime. How can Paul Blart: Mall Cop make more than this in its holiday opening weekend?!?!?!?

I just rewatched this movie and I have to say, its still Michael Bay's best film to date. It's the first time that one of his movies hit every emotional note and every action note. Some people say that its failure is due to the fact that Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson weren't big enough to open a movie of this size. Some say it's too smart for its own good. I say hogwash! This is a great movie. Great cast, its Obi Wan vs. Boromir, with an added dose of Djimon Hounsou and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Ugh, still pissed that this movie did so bad at the box office.




5) Frailty (2001)





Best horror film of 2001 (can you tell that I love horror movies?). Bill Paxton's directoral debut. Sleek, simple, and uncompromising. And a fantastic story line! Easily one of McConaughey's best performances (probably right behind A Time To Kill) and no doubt Bill Paxton's best dramatic performance (well, let's face it, he rocked it in True Lies and Aliens, "Game Over man! Game Over!"). Man, I'm putting this on my Netflix too, I keep remember how great this is. There is one scene in this movie that remains one of the most frightening scenes I have ever...uh....seen. It's really quick and unpredictable, but you should know it when it happens. I'm a sucker for a GOOD religious-themed thriller, and this one is up there with The Exorcism of Emily Rose ( I don't care what you think, Jennifer Carpenter brought it to that movie, still have nightmares about her in that) and The Omen for me.



4) Adventureland (2009)







As of April 13, 2009, at 02:40 pm, this is the best movie of 2009. This is the kind of movie that John Hughes would make, if he still made movies. It's less juvenile than Superbad, and there is only one "larger than life" character. Everyone is extremely realistic in this movie. And while Jesse Eisenberg is a better actor than Michael Cera, you could argue that this movie would be doing better if Cera was the lead. This movie had a big heart on its sleeve in the shape of Martin Starr. He has done great work in the past (In Knocked Up he was the bearded roommate, but he is best known in my mind as Bill Haverchuck in Freaks and Geeks), but here he really shines as the lovable co-worker of Eisenberg's character. And from an editing perspective, it was refreshing for this kind of movie to allude to sex, instead of showing it. I could go on for hours on how pointless sex scenes are in movies. Here, they do a great job of saying, ok, this is where THIS happens, then getting out and moving on with the story. Not many Hollywood movies do that, so I was grateful here.




3) Let the Right One In (2008)





This was number 3 on my top ten movies of 2008 right behind The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire. Now, I'm not a foreign film buff in any stretch, but I do appreciate them greatly. This one, however, blew me away. It's what the filmmakers DIDN'T SHOW that really put this one over the top for me. To see what I mean, the pool scene at the end is a great example. Now, I am not excited about the American remake of this film because they will show everything that this one DIDN'T SHOW. This is the best vampire movie of all time in my mind, and if you say Twilight is, I might wish harm upon you. This is the film Twilight should have been, nay, the film Twilight wanted to be, nay nay, this is the film Twilight dreams of one day becoming. In short, Twilight sucks, this movie rocks.




2) The Machinist (2004)





This is the movie that I told my dad to see if he thought that Christian Bale was a one-note actor. You could also argue that American Psycho is another one that shows Bale's range. I would say that American Psycho is a better example of his range, but there is no greater film that shows Bale's commitment to the craft than The Machinist. Now, in a post-Fight Club world, movies like this are criticized for not being original, but its the theme of the movie that I really love. But the story here is Bale. And the only negative thing you can say about this movie is that Bale is SO much better than the material given to him, not to say the material is bad (in fact I think Hitchcock would be proud, and the score is magnificent). The man lost 63 lbs to play Trevor, the movie's insomniac main character. Bale's transformation into Trevor, in my mind, is more impressive than Charlize Theron in Monster and Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. He should have been nominated for an Oscar. But I think that he'll get his day soon enough.




1) American Movie (1999)





Hands down, one of the funniest films I have ever seen. And I might be a little bias because it is a documentary about filmmaking. But I don't think I've laughed harder during a movie than I have through this. And it is a touching film considering that I want to do the exact same thing that Mark Borchardt wants to do. It's one of those rare hilarious, sad, touching films that I think everyone should watch.






Thanks for reading, I'll try and update more often.

-SOFAB