A MID YEARish MOVIE RAMBLE

The year started decent for me and my movie viewing.  There were a few strong movies (The Grey, The Woman in Black) and then the year settled in to a bit of mediocracy in releases between the start of the year and late April.  Exceptions are to be made to a to a quartet of movies: The Hunger Games andSalmon Fishing in the Yemen plus two very strong documentaries Bully and Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  

The summer started good.  I throughly enjoyed what I expected to throughly enjoy (The Avengers, The Best Exotic Merigold Hotel, Prometheus) and was pleasantly surprised by another documentary Comic Con Episode IV A Fan’s Hope and the indy thriller Sound of my Voice. 

Then came The Intouchables.  A movie so good it got the rarest of praise from me: A second theatrical viewing.  No doubt a fluke I thought but then the year kept going strong with the release of Brave, Moonrise Kingdom, Bernie,The Dark Knight Rises, and now Beasts of the Southern Wild.  All five titles were I thought were incredible.  (I don’t want to forget Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  It was great midnight release and made enjoyable by those in participation)

Sure there’s been a few dud’s sprinkled in between those mighty titles.  Hysteria, That’s My Boy, and the latest Woody Allen offering To Rome With Love.  Dud’s are to be expected and help me appreciate the finer films more. 

Over the next month the summer season winds down and I eagerly await those long fall nights where the Oscar bait comes out to play.  Awards season is something I look forward to every year and all leads up to the movie event: My Oscar Party.  I enjoy seeing the films battling it out for the top honors and for that I enjoy the fall movie season because most of the battling movies are released during this time.

Titles I look forward to include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Miserables, Hyde Park on Hudson, Lincoln, plus a few not so awards worthy titles I’m sure but titles I look forward to anyways Taken 2 & Rise of the Guardians.  Above all the movie I am and have been most excited for is the 23rd 007 entry Skyfall.

My expectations are now high for the upcoming fall/awards season. 

WILL'S GOLD STANDARD OF MOVIES

So it comes time to make my favorites list.  The subjects I choose may seem a bit out of the ordinary but I feel it expresses my tastes in movies.

TOP 5 MOVIES. (in order)

Gattaca

I’ve loved this movie for years.  I’ve seen it many times and every time I rewatch the movie it is with the same awe as the first time I watched it.

Waking Ned Devine

I laugh at the same jokes every time and anticipate them eagerly.  The movie is just fun from beginning to end

Big Fish

I love the story this movie tells and have always loved voice over.  The fact that this movie is heavy with it doesn’t hurt and uses it well.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (representing all 007 films)

From high points such as On Her Majesty’s Secret Service & Casino Royale to low points such as License to Kill I have and will remain a loyal fan of James Bond.  I always eagerly await the latest 007 mission while sitting on the edge of my seat when I re watch the archives. 

Casablanca

A movie that always reminds me of the magic of movies.

SEQUEL: Aliens

A sequel should always continue the story of its predecessor without requiring the viewer to have seen it.

GENRE: Documentary.

I just love them.  Enough said.

FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY: The Cove

The Cove works beautifully as a documentary but also crosses genres as a great suspense movie.  The movie marks its success beyond box office dollars but the positive events that happened after.

WHY I LIKE GOING AT MIDNIGHT: I love being one of the first to go see a movie.  More importantly I enjoy passing the time in the company of friends.  I cook dinner first and we pass the time in each others fellowship before the movie and all seem to enjoy the evenings.

Rise

I assembled a group of friends and family last night for the Lumina's midnight presentation of The Dark Knight Rises.  I was saddened to hear of those in CO whose lives are forever changed by this pointless tragedy.  In response I have received messages/emails concerning the future of my midnight movie gatherings. Thank you to those who messaged me.


My response to the shooting in CO during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises.     


To All those who Attend the Midnight Movies and wish to attend with me:
Please know I will NOT be bullied by cowards who will shoot up a movie theater crowded with people wanting to share a common experience. This incident will not deter me from continuing to gather a group of people I care about and whose company I treasure while being one of the first to see a movie. My events will continue and please do not let this deter you from coming and most importantly do not let it take away a unique chance to gather in fellowship and enjoy ones self.
Will.

An Amazing Night

The night has turned to dawn and the dawn to day.  I’ve bonded with the inside of my eyelids for a few brief hours and cleaned the homestead remembering with great fondness the night before in which the mess was made.

 Last night was the midnight showing of The Amazing Spider-Man.  I’m sure there will be some wild feedback on this entry because of what I’m about to put but I am behind it my view points on the movie.  Otherwise I would not be posting them in such a forum.

The night itself was awesome as normal.  Why wouldn’t be? I got to indulge my passions of cooking, talking movies, and being in the company of truly awesome people.  The meal turned out good.  It was my first attempt at what I cooked and I was pleased.  The crowd assembled was diverse in personality but everyone got along and always had something interesting to say.  It was a great lead in to a great movie and can not wait to assemble friends again for the next midnight movie.  (Inquiry within for details).

So we come now to the movie itself.  I loved it! Andrew Garfield gave an incredible performance as Peter Parker and his alter ego Spiderman.  It’s what I was hoping for from Tobey Mcguire, who portrayed the character in the first three.  The first person web slinging, which I had very high expectations, made the movie that much more enjoyable.  I saw it in 2d, as is my preference over 3d, but can imagine some of the sequences would be worth the 3d admission prices especially in an IMAX setting.  Does the movie have flaws and faults? Yes it does.  Am I going to put them on my blog? No I am not.  Why? because it’s my blog and I can be slandered that way.  I just wanted you to be aware they are there.

I guess the natural question is how does this one hold up in comparison to the previous three?  Personally I enjoyed it more then 1 and 3 but not 2.  Sam Raimi created an incredible movie with Spiderman 2 and as much as I liked this new one I yield to the greatness that was the first Spiderman sequel.  Fun side fact Spiderman 2 was the first midnight showing I attended.