Looking ahead to 2014

Muppets Most Wanted

As I finish up my viewing for 2013 I look ahead to 2014.  I’m sure there will be plenty of movies to entertain and thrill me during the year.  Here’s a quick look at half a dozen films, give or take, that excite me and some honorable mentions.

Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit

Loved The Hunt for Red October and others in the series and I look forward to Chris Pine of recent Star Trek fame taking on the world of espionage. 

The Monuments Men

I was disappointed that George Clooney’s latest directorial effort was pushed back a few months but am still eagerly awaiting the release of this WWII heist movie.

Muppets Most Wanted

Muppets. Enough said.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier/Guardians of the Galaxy

I enjoy Marvel flicks and the second half of phase two comes out next year before 2015’s Avengers sequel.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Amazing Spiderman 2

I loved how Andrew Garfield made this role his own and am excited to see the build up to the sinister 6 get underway.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The movie I’m most looking forward to in the next year is the continuation of the Planet of the Apes prequels.  I am eager also to see what Gary Oldman brings to the franchise.

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan is an incredible filmmaker and he returns to the realm of science fiction (following 2010’s Inception) with an all star cast. I can not wait!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Godzilla

300: Rise of an Empire

The Expendables 3

Sin City A Dame to Kill For

Hunger Games Mockingjay part 1

Top 10 of 2013

There’s something magical in watching a movie, having the lights fade overhead and being engulfed by the sights and sounds that the movie brings.  The magic is sharing this experience with friends, family, and strangers alike.  For a few timeless hours the world is left at the door as one looses oneself in the motion picture.

As 2013 closes I find myself once again struggling to make my annual top ten favorites list of the year.  I enjoyed the majority of what I saw this year, despite some mediocre (Pain & Gain, R.I.P.D.), astonishingly disappointing (Ironman 3, Oz: The Great & Powerful), and just down right bad (After Earth, Room 237) flicks.  However, every coin does have two sides and this year brought some great surprises (The Way Way Back, 100 Bloody Acres). Also there were movies I was expecting to enjoy that I ended up enjoying more then expected (Man of Steel).  Also with the publication of this list, there are 2013 releases that I have yet to see that I want to (Her, Inside Llewyn Davis).  The flicks are in limited release and will make there way here for me to see soon.  This happens every year and many great flicks, Zero Dark Thirty & Tinker Tailor Solider Spy for instance, have been left off the list in years past.

As always I tend to enjoy the social aspects of movie going far more then the feature itself.  (A small disclaimer real quick, that previous statement is a testament to me enjoying the company of family and friends and not to diminish the quality of the film being viewed.)  This year many friends, family, and loved ones gathered for midnight premiers, afternoon matinees, evening showings, and the odd trip to the reparatory screening.

Also this year, as years of recent past, brought some favorites back to the big screen. The flicks included Planet of the Apes, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service among many other excellent 007 features (though I am biased cause in my mind the worst Bond movie is better then the best movie in any other franchise), a variety of Hitchcock films, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind to just to name a few.

Please note, when reading this list, I don’t review movies, in fact I despise the current model of film critics all together, and avoid reading reviews like they are the plague.  I do however enjoy debating, discussing, and the experience of the movies and try to pass that love on here. When reading this list remember I’m a guy in the ticket line, sipping on an over sized soda, and enjoying the movie being laid out before me.

So with out further ado please enjoy my top ten favorite films of the year with a bit extra at the end I’m entitling “The Best of the Rest”. 

10. Olympus Has Fallen

I enjoy a good action movie and this one was simply awesome!  Yes its predictable and corny.  With the foreknowledge of how events will be portrayed, I easily got consumed by the movie playing before me and throughly enjoyed the over the top action, the occasional one liner, and once again seeing Morgan Freeman command a desperate national crisis. 

9.  Ender’s Game

2013 brought a variety of science fiction movies.  Gravity, Pacific Rim, Star Trek Into Darkness to name a few.  Ender’s Game however leads the pack and makes it to the top ten list.  I was intrigued by the military dominated world created in this movie, much the way I was by 1997‘s Starship Troopers.  The film had some twists and turns, one I figured out, but the big reveal was a surprise.  I’m sure if I had read the book that fact would of been different.  I also loved seeing Harrison Ford return to the genre that made a star out of him.

8. Fast & Furious 6

Hands down the most entertaining movie of the summer, and one of the year.  The franchise celebrated its sixth film in twelve years and has managed to stay fresh.  The franchise has expanded from car chase/race flicks to include heist and espionage movies.  The car chases still take center stage and any action sequence would be the climax in any lesser film and the finale took my breath away.  The flick serves as a great example that movies can be and are FUN! 

7. Stories We Tell

I love a good documentary and as far as documentaries go for 2013 none were better then Sarah Polley’s look into her own immediate family.  The film was thought provoking from beginning to end all while presenting a complex and well balanced family drama.  Treat yourself one night and rent, or borrow my, copy of a film you will long not forget. 

6. Out of the Furnace 

I love an atmospheric movie, slow paced & moody.  Suspiria & Killing Them Softly are great examples of the atmosphere and pace that engulfs Out of the Furnace.  I fell in love with Christian Bale’s performance, as I always do when he appears on screen.  Woody Harrelson portrays the antagonist and is perfect.  I didn’t want the movie to end as I was intrigued by the story and was enjoying being on the edge of my seat.  After two nail biting hours  the ending came on unforgettably strong and I left the theater more then satisfied with the movie that had just been laid out in front of me.

5. Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey & Jared Leto are at the top of their game in this movie and both deserves the academy award for such strong performances.  It’s a rarity for me to have a lump in my throat, when seeing a movie, and this one put a lump there the size of Texas.  The movie does not sugar coat the era of its subject, nor the subject’s life style.  The movie goes into detail on both counts and comes out strong and unforgettable. 

4. The Way Way Back

I had very little knowledge of this movie going into it.  That means I knew Steve Carrell & Sam Rockwell starred in it and the directors were fresh off their Oscar win for writing The Descendants.   There was also something about a water park.  Coming out of the theater an hour and a half later I was more then thrilled with the movie I had just seen.  I laughed and cheered with the central characters and related to the awkwardness of growing up.  Sam Rockwell’s character was a weird comic blend of mentor, screw up, and the glue that holds a group together.  He played it well and in doing so helped create a really special movie.

3. Man of Steel

SUPERMAN RETURNS!! and I’m not referring to the 2006 atrocity.  Hands down the best superhero movie this year.  I loved how the Superman origin story was treated more as a science fiction movie then the previous Superman flicks. The movie had epic battles and awesome effects.  Also this was one of the best cast of the years.  Beyond an incredible ensemble everyone was perfect in his or her role.  Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Lawrence Fishburne lead the supporting cast as Henry Cavill’s Superman and Michael Shannon’s General Zod do battle throughout the planet. 

2. In A World . . .

This movie makes its point without insulting my intelligence all while being a fun movie.  The film follows a young woman, who spends her days voice coaching, as she breaks in to the male dominated movie trailer & voice over profession.  The movie’s got a sophisticated since of humor that I fell in love with and is genuinely entertaining.  It’s mind boggling that I almost passed on seeing this gem of an indy film that now sits in the top tear of my favorites of the year.

and joining the ranks of my top film of the year is . . .

1. The Conjuring

Horror made a strong return to form this year with movies like The Conjuring, You’re Next, & Insidious Chapter 2.  The Conjuring sticks out as the best of them all this year, and this year.  It was a pleasure to see a horror movie that doesn’t go for the “shock value” scares that is currently trending within the genre.  The scares come from whats lurking in the shadows and hiding around the corners.  Like films such as 1963’s The Haunting or 1980’s The Shining, the blood and guts are minimal and are there to support the story not the other way around.  The Conjuring is a unique horror movie that still lingers in the recesses of my mind.

“THE BEST OF THE REST”

MALE PERFORMANCE (lead or supporting): Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club
FEMALE PERFORMANCE (lead or supporting): Emma Thompson Saving Mr Banks

SCREENPLAY: In A World . . .

MIDNIGHT MOVIE MAYHEM & RUNNER UP (Note this is not the best movie seen at midnight but rather the best midnight release parties). I’m listing the film and the menu I prepared and served during the dinner portion of the evening.

THE FAVORITE: Pacific Rim

MENU: Ribs, garlic cheese fries, & cajun green beans

THE RUNNER UP: Now You See Me

MENU: grilled bbq chicken & Corn on the cob all done by the pool.

TOP 3 REPARATORY SCREENINGS:

1. The James Bond Retrospective presents On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

2. Retrofantasma Classics presents Planet of the Apes (1968)

3. Escapism Film Festival presents The Princess Bride (1987)

THE NEVERMORE FILM FESTIVAL TOP 3:

Nevermore is a film festival held yearly at The Historic Carolin Theater of Durham.  The film festival brings new independent horror films as well a classic or two together for a weekend long event.

1. The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh
2. Found
3. Dawn of the Dead

While attending the Nevermore festival my preference is to see as many of the indy films as possible, the opportunity to see Dawn of the Dead on the big screen was one that was not to me missed.  It was an incredible experience that will long be remembered.

I could go on and on about movies, as I tend to do, but I’ll just say “I’ll see you at the movies!”

THE 2013 MIDNIGHT MOVIE SEASON

I enjoy staying up late and getting up early.  Something feels good about that to me.  The experience of going to the opening midnight movie is a thrill like none other.

Preparations are underway for Thursday night’s midnight movie mayhem.  Tickets ordered, menu planned, groceries got, and movie decided.  The flick, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be the twenty fourth midnight feature I’ve done this year and mark the end of the 2013 season.

What a year it was.  There was a wide variety of features, crowds, and menus served all making late nights pass faster then a blink.  Not a party this year I was disappointed in.  Some of the movies brought disappointment but not a party.  That’s the portion of me that enjoys social experiences.

What did I take away from the journey to the break of dawn? 

Two things. 1. The pleasure of being in the company of family and friend alike. 2. Being the first to see a new release flick, the day its suppose to open.

I am more then upset with the new model of thursday releases of 8 - 10 pm showings in favor of midnights.  A movie is suppose to open Friday, not Thursday.  A football player wouldn’t spike the football 5 yards from the finish line would he?

This sentiment has been expressed to those who program regular midnight movies and As a direct result I have started supporting the theater that holds these regularly less.

The 2013 midnight was a pleasure and what follows are the titles seen and menus accompanying them.  Also as I see fit a note or two about the movie or menu.  When possible I theme my menus.  All the food is proudly homemade.

MOVIE: Oz: The Great and Powerful MENU: bbq chicken, honey mustard, & spicy sausage pizza.  I put my own spin on pizzas cause normal or traditional pizzas I find boring.

MOVIE: Olympus Has Fallen MENU: Breakfast for dinner eggs, shrimp n’ grits, sausage, & Biscuits

MOVIE: G.I. Joe Retaliation MENU: Ribs, steak fries, salad

MOVIE: Oblivion MENU: NO FORKS REQUIRED burgers, brats, corn on the cob

MOVIE: Ironman 3 MENU: taco bar.  No movie this year will be more disappointing this one.  I was looking forward to this one and it took a nose dive off a cliff.  Still had a blast at the party.

MOVIE: The Great Gatsby MENU: Lasagna, salad

MOVIE: Star Trek Into Darkness MENU: Bbq Chicken & honey mustard chicken pizza

MOVIE: Fast & Furious 6 MENU: General Tso’s beef, sweet n’ sour chicken.  I enjoyed the challenge of trying to cook something new.

MOVIE: Now You See Me MENU: grilled bbq chicken, corn on the cob, nachos

MOVIE: Man of Steel MENU: Lasagna & bacon cheese burger pizza

MOVIE: World War Z MENU: Grilled chicken and sausage

MOVIE: The Lone Ranger MENU: chicken wings, cheese fries

MOVIE: Pacific Rim MENU: Ribs, Garlic Cheese fries

MOVIE:  Red 2 MENU: Steak, homemade chips

MOVIE: The Wolverine MENU: BREAKFAST FOR DINNER: eggs, deer sausage, hashbrowns

MOVIE: Two Guns MENU: Burgers, Asparagus

MOVIE: Elysium MENU: Turkey Sliders & tater tots

MOVIE: Kick Ass 2 MENU: Pulled pork bbq, corn bread.  The croc pot is the second greatest cooking tool, second only to the grill.

MOVIE: The World’s End MENU: Taco bar

MOVIE Riddick MENU: Grilled chicken tenders, corn on the cob

MOVIE: Rush MENU: Cajun style hot dogs

MOVIE: Thor: The Dark World MENU: Beef Stew

MOVIE: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire MENU: Gumbo

and in the works

MOVIE: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug MENU 4th of July in December Burgers, hot dogs, baked beans.  Frankly I’m not excited for the movie.  I thought the last one was a complete waste of time and this one looks exactly the same.  I am however looking forward to spending the evening in the company of friends.

I can’t wait to see what next years midnight movie season looks like.  It may even include, dare I say, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

My Holiday Viewing List

I am a creature of habit.  That’s not a secret, in fact the quite the opposite.  My movie habits tend to hall in with this fact.  For instance when it snows I tend to enjoy movies with a bit of bulk in its runtime.  Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction at 154 minutes tends to be a favorite as well as David Fincher’s brilliant The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with a runtime of 166 minutes.

Holiday viewing has titles I watch every year as well.  Two I tend to watch every year around thanksgiving and five around Christmas.  With the holidays practically here I need to get cracking on this list.  Without further ado my holiday viewing list with a little blurb about each.

THE THANKSGIVING DUO:

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Steve Martin & John Candy star in the comedy about two strangers traveling together to get home for Thanksgiving.  Every year I laugh at the same jokes and that makes for one enjoyable comedy.

And the other Thanksgiving flick is Trading Places starring Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy.  Yes its set around Christmas but I still watch at Thanksgiving.  It makes for a great transitional movie between the two holidays, despite the fact it is the one I watch first.

THE CHRISTMAS FLICKS:

The Polar Express is the one I watch as I wrap Christmas gifts and once again later during the season.  I love the story of a magical train ride to the north pole.  

Next up is Scrooged starring Bill Murray and Karen Allen of Indiana Jones fame.  What’s Christmas without A Christmas Carol?  The comedic version is my favorite. 

 Following this is another comedy National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and what a classic it is.  I love watching Chevy Chase put on the perfect family Christmas.  If you haven’t seen this one do yourself a favor and watch it.

Number four on the list is the immortal classic from 1947 Miracle on 34th Street.  It reminds me of the magic of the holidays.  Not to mention what a fantastic movie it is.

Rounding out the list Silent Night Deadly Night.  This one also fits in for Halloween but the fact that the killer dresses up as Santa during the holidays.  That logic makes it more of a Christmas movie for me.

Honorable mentions of course go to Home Alone and It’s A Wonderful Life.

So Happy Holidays and please feel free to watch one of the list with me!

12 Years A Slave

There are some movies that one considers good and other movies that one considers bad.  Regardless, for better or for worse, the movie will leave some sort of imprint on the viewer.  

(Chiwetel Ejiofor & Michael Fassbender
in 12 Years a Slave)

One rainy early November afternoon I had the privilege of seeing a movie that left an unforgettable impression.  That movie was director Steve McQueen’s (Shame) 12 Years A Slave.  The true story follows a Chiwetel Ejiofor’s(2012) character, Solomon North, struggle as he is captured, forced into slavery, endures the hardships of the time, and his struggle to regain his freedom.  Along the way he encounters many characters both sympathetic - Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness) - and unflinchingly evil -Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine).

The imagery is far from subtle in its brutally and creates an emotional upheaval that is impossible to ignore.  It adds a powerful since of realism to the story.

The crafted story is one of triumph despite the odds and a honest, often brutal, look at a part of American history.  I can not recall seeing slavery presented in such an honest light.

The movie is a must see for anyone and everyone but be cautious when you see it due to brutal images.

Patiently I wait to see what this incredible movie will do come Oscar season because the bar has now been set.

Something Wicked this Way Comes

What makes a hero great?  Sure its powers such as flying or one’s ability to do battle.  What makes a hero truly remarkable?  It’s villain.  With the month dedicated to trickery and deceit its always fun to look at some of the most memorable bad guys in film.

The following are my favorite film villains and bad guys:

Dr Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. 

Though the Buffalo Bill character claims the title of the films antagonist can you picture this movie without Anthony Hopkins chilling performance?  Hannibal Lector has a terrifying past and uses his intelligence to match wits with hero Clarice Starling.  He uses her and those around him to advance his own agenda.  He does all this with a clever since of villainy.  The character is impossible to forget and is one I believe that changed the game for bad guys in years to come.

The Joker in The Dark Knight.

What Heath Ledger did with the Joker character will never be seen again in comic movies and I fear in movies in general.  He took a truly strange individual and gave him a defining and unique sense of the bizarre.  Heath Ledger created a villain that truly overshadowed the hero.  The performance earned its actor a well deserved Academy Award and for a career cut tragically to short the penultimate movie on Heath Ledger’s resume is one for the records

Ernest Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, and For Your Eyes Only*.

Bond has yet to face a greater foe.  For the first four films the character is heard and seen, only in part and never is the face shown, lurking in the shadows.  Blofeld’s arc against bond lasts three features and he cameos once more a few film later.  The villain hands agent 007 his greatest defeat and the effects of these battles are lasting through the franchise.

Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith*, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

If you watch the Star Wars films in the order they were released (IV, V, VI, I, II, III) then you’ll understand why Darth Vader reveals the greatest twist in the history of cinema with only four words.  As a villain he is relentless in his pursuits across the galaxy.  Being part human and part mechanical makes him all that more mightier of a villain.  

*indicates a cameo performance.

Trick R' Treat!

Fall has kicked off.  Leaves are turning colors and coming down from their tree top hideaways, the weather - even for the briefest of moments - turned cool, and pumpkins have started appearing almost everywhere.  

I do love October.  Recent tradition has turned it into the start of the Oscar bait releases and I do love those movies.  In recent years as well I have developed a fandom for horror movies and with halloween approaching at the end of the month I do try to gobble up as many as I can.

Until about five maybe six years ago I didn’t have my full appreciation of them as I do now.  That means I had seen the basics: Halloween, Friday the 13th, some sort of Dracula adaptation, The Shining, and maybe one or two others.   As my fandom has grown for the genre so has the number of flicks seen.  In honor of the month of October I have assembled my five favorite horror movies in one list and no particular order. 

The Shining (1980)

It’s impossible not to include Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant adaptation of the Stephen King novel.  To exclude it would be like going to church and not talking about God.  Jack Nicholson’s performance is one for the ages and there are moments that still give me a chill every time I see it.

Frankenstein (1931)

There is something classy about James Whale’s movie.  Though it has its moments that are cheesy I still watch Boris Karloff come alive with wonder and aw.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Some movies are just plain fun and this flick is one of the granddaddies of those.  Its cheesy and filled with stupid one liners, which I love.  It also features werewolves and those are always something to enjoy.

Rear Window (1954)

One of two movies I call a perfect movie.  (Close Encounters of the Third Kind proudly sits as the other book end with that title).  Alfred Hitchcock did it right on so many occasions - Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo just to name a few.  What I love about this one is  that the movie all takes place in one location and still keeps me on the edge of my seat.  In a world of Iphones, youtube, & social media I wish any filmmaker luck in trying to accomplish the same task a fraction as good as what Alfred Hitchcock did with this one.

The Haunting (1963)

After I first saw this movie I refused to allow my hands out of the covers for a week.  No other movie in the genre has had that affect on me.  I have a love affair with black & white cinematography and this movie uses it to create some playful, scary moments.

Honorable mentions go to George Romero’s 1978 zombie movie Dawn of the Dead, the 90’s thrillers The Sixth Sense & The Silence of the Lambs, Hitchcock’s Psycho, Dario Argento’s breathtaking Suspiria, The Exorcist from 1973, the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Re-Animator, and the timeless slasher flick Halloween by John Carpenter.

The Solace of Moviegoing

      I deeply believe in the experience of the movies.  Wether the movie is something sci-fi and out of this world or a documentary about this world, it’s a magical thing to leave your world for a few hours and get consumed in another’s.  Sometimes those others worlds can be something like yours or something that will take you out of your comfort zone all together.  Either way its a bit of magic to sit back and be consumed as the light flickers before your eyes and the sounds flood your ears.

         Movies are there in good times and in bad times, never offering sincerity or insincerity as some cases maybe.  The movies don’t criticize those in attendance, they just attempt to entertain and on that rare occasion try teach you a little something about this island earth called home.  Those are the good ones.

       Movies can be that first date with someone special, that birthday celebration with those close to you, that afternoon with your friends, or those nights you don’t sleep while you and your buddies pass the time without a care in the world.         They can be where you go to pass a few hours and not feel guilty about what it is your doing.  They can be that place of comfort, of familiarity, of solace.  They can be that place you go and hide when you need sometime to yourself, to figure out what’s going on.

     The movies light up the room, put a scare in your step, a laugh in your heart, and a lump in your throat.  They are the catalyst for memories that can last a lifetime.  They don’t judge, just offer themselves in hopes that you will enjoy.  So turn the lights down, grab a friend, a colleague, a loved one, or simply just your coat and let’s go to the movies.

The Midnight Movie Explanation of Sorts

The Question: 

Why midnight movies?

The Answer:  

In part I like being one of the first to see a movie.  Though a Friday matinee could fill that want/need.  So could the recent (and gulp - not in a good way) the 8, 9, 10, 11 or whatever interval the other Thursday night sneak peak showtimes may be.  Those I can’t stand.  It’s cheating and makes me feel dirty, the kind of dirty a shower won’t clean off.

True die hard fans also tend to make up a strong portion of the audience.  They are eager to see what the new flick offers for their favorite characters.  Twilight fans tend to really get into it and the midnight showings of those were a lot of fun, despite the total lack of goodness in the movies.

I also enjoy making an evening out of this.  There’s more to the night then just a midnight flick.  I enjoy serving a meal before hand.  These have ranged from grilled burgers and tater tots to home made bbq.  I always enjoy spending my time in the company of friends and this allows me to do so.  Some of these dinners I’ve even themed.  For example scrambled eggs and martinis for the midnight Skyfall.  The connection being Bond author Ian Fleming’s favorite meal was scrambled eggs and vodka.  Prometheus also got the breakfast for dinner treatment.  The prequel to Alien served with the prequel to dinner: breakfast.  Another example being red night for Taken 2.  Red meat, red wine (optional sodas also offered) because red night was part of the first film.  And of course pork chops for Twilight because of the hammy acting.

Yes it’s a long night and makes the next day a bit of a drag but I love it.  I wouldn’t have it another way.  Please join one night for a midnight movie and experience a truly magical evening.

The Long Cold Nights of Fall

The summer film season is now over, done, behind me.  I enjoy the summer blockbusters, they’re fun the way an ice cream cone is fun.  Fall though is my favorite time of year for movies.  The movies tend to be a bit more serious.  There were some serious movies Fruitvale Station for instance.  Also not all fall movies will be serious, some will have that summer blockbuster flair. Thor The Dark World & Ender’s Game come to mind.

So what am I excited about?  

September will bring Riddick, a leftover summer science fiction movie.  I do enjoy Vin Diesel’s tireless glair.  Rush looks exciting.  Chris Hemsworth has become one of my favorite stars in recent years and Ron Howard can direct drama with suspense sprinkled in very well.  Prisoners also comes in September and I’m excited for it the way I get excited about a Law & Order marathon. (Yes I occasionally get excited for those).

October brings Gravity, the new movie from Children of Men Alfonso Cuaron.  I can’t stand Sandra Bullock and unfortunately she’s in it.  On the flip side George Clooney is the other anchor of the movie and that maybe enough to make it decent.  Machete Kills looks like a blast.  While the Tom Hanks release Captain Phillips and the new Cormac McCarthy movie The Counselor both look like the kind of Oscar bait I love.

November will bring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Thor: The Dark World, and Ender’s Game.  All exciting popcorn movies.  The Wolf of Wall Street is the new ensemble piece directed by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo Dicaprio as its lead.  Dicaprio has done some of his best work for Scorsese.  

December will also bring some popcorn flicks that excite me: Anchorman 2 and Jack Ryan.  Inside Llewyn Davis, the new movie from the Coen Brothers is due to be released.  Directors David O’ Russell and George Clooney are releasing American Hustle & The Monuments Men respectively.  The Hobbit sequel is coming out.  I couldn’t care less honestly after the tragically disappointing first Hobbit entry.

Somewhere along the way we’ll get the animated Frozen, the Robert Redford thriller All is Lost, the intense Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, the Oscar bait Nebraska, and the documentary Sallinger.

I’m sure there are other movies on the way out that will peak my interest but in the mean time let’s go to the movies.

My 2013 Summer Wrap Up

With July winding down those long hot days will be transitioning into the cool nights of fall.  To me that means the awesome summer blockbusters will be transitioning into the movies competing for the Academy Awards.

This summer brought one of those Oscar contenders with the release of Fruitvale Station.  It’s a small indy film that is hard to forget.  The late summer release shows the start of the above mentioned transition.

For me the summer season started, unofficially, with Oblivion.  Though nothing original in this film I still enjoyed it.  I enjoyed it the way I enjoy warmed over leftovers: done better in other forms but still enjoyable.

The summer kicked off officially with the biggest disappointment of the year, and one of the biggest disappointments I’ve seen in years: Ironman 3.  I loved the first two entries in the franchise, three if you consider The Avengers part of it.  This one had a terrible twist and wasted the talent of Ben Kingsley. 

There were a few other disappointments this summer: Grown Ups 2 (but with Adam Sandler that’s not a surprise), World War Z (still a decent flick but I read the book and it took a turn for the worst), and The Purge (lame is all I’m going to say).

Most of what I saw was what I expected it to be: Red 2 (awesome action sequences, a great John Malkovich performance), Despicable Me 2 (fun entertainment for the whole family), Monsters University ( see the Despicable Me 2 description), Star Trek Into Darkness, and The Hangover part III (some gross out humor which I enjoy).

There were some surprises this summer as well. The Wolverine surprised me.  It was a mediocre movie but leagues better then the last stand alone wolverine flick.  I thought Man of Steel was incredible and loved how it was more of a sci-fi movie then a comic book one.  Now You See Me, Pacific Rim, and 100 Bloody Acres were all great counter programing to a summer filled with sequels, prequels, and and reboots.  

Though my favorite release this summer surprised me at how much I loved it.  The movie was Fast & Furious 6.  The movie had a decent story and incredible action sequences.  Each sequence could easily have been a climax sequence in any movie and the sequences kept getting bigger and bigger.  Then the whole airstrip action sequence was breath taking.  I do love how the creators of the franchise have taken the movies.  It started out as car chase films and then with five was more of a heist flick and this one more of an espionage movie.  

So with all of that said I look forward now to the cool temperatures of the fall and the Oscar hitters.

FRUITVALE STATION

I enjoy all kinds of movies, always movies never a film even if they come with subtitles. Films stay with me like the thrills of Jaws, the breathtaking bobsled chase in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, or the beach pounding reveal in Planet of the Apes.  Sometimes a movie sticks with you without flashy explosions, over the top special effects, and incredible action sequences.  These movies go for the heart and brain with the events by simply portraying their events.  These movies tend to be once in a life time and Fruitvale Station is one of these movies.

This morning I caught to an early screening of the movie I eagerly awaited to see.  When I came out of the theater 85 minutes later I had experienced a truly remarkable and breathtaking movie.

The movie follows its protagonist, Oscar Grant performed by Michael B Jordan (no not the basketball player but a very talented young actor with the upcoming awards season in his future) on New Year’s Eve 2008.  Through flashback the movie shows Oscar’s struggles and how he is now trying to over come them.  While showing the triumph of the individual the true story ends with tragedy.  

The timing of the movies release is appropriately ironic but that’s for another place and time.

The movie is truly unforgettable.  It’s an experience that starts in your gut and ends in your heart and throat.  The movie does this without insulting the viewers intelligence, which it easily could of done.  It’s impossible not to get overwhelmed with emotion the movie portrays.  I dare you not to be impacted by this movie.  It’s 85 minutes of very important and brilliant cinema.

The trailer for Fruitvale Station.

The Four Horsemen of Haunted Houses

I’ve noticed that my home video watching goes in phases.  For instance phases maybe classic comedies (Airplane, Monty Python & The Holy Grail), Espionage (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy), James Bond (but 007 pretty much gets regular viewing no matter what cycle I happen to be in), Outer Space movies (Prometheus, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and also but not limited to Universal Monster movies (The Wolfman, Frankenstein) 

Currently I’m in a haunted house phase.  Ti West’s two movies The House of the Devil &  The Innkeepers, the cult classic The Evil Dead, and The Legend of Hell House have been on my mind to watch again.  Haunted house movies are my favorite sub genre in the horror canon.

There are four haunted house movies I call “the Four Horsemen”.  They’re what I consider the Granddaddy of haunted house flicks.  They’re all classic in their own right.

So what are these four movies I’m suddenly raving about?

First up is William Castle’s 1959 House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price.  The movie is in beautiful black & white and has some imagery that is second to none.  The image that sticks out in particular is the parade of funeral cars led by a hearse in the beginning of the movie.  A great since of suspense makes this one a movie for the ages.

The second of the four horsemen maybe a little biased because its my favorite haunted house movie and one of my favorite horror films all together.  It’s Robert Wise’s 1963 The Haunting.  Another black and white spookfest this time staring Julie Harris.  The movie opens with the strange history of the house and then welcomes its guests like lambs to the slaughter.  Also after first viewing the movie some years back I didn’t want my hand hanging out of the sheets when I went to sleep.

1979’s The Amityville Horror from director Stuart Rosenberg frightens me almost every time I watch it.  The fact that there is a real life scenario to back it up makes the movie more frightening.  It’s also one of those movies that after viewing I wanted to immediately know more.  This led me to read the book, which was fantastic, and check out the sequels and remake, which were the polar opposite of the book and original classic.

The last of the four horsemen is certainty not the least.  The movie is Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant 1980 release The Shining.  It was one of the first horror movies I ever saw and the image of Jack Nicholson chopping his way through the bathroom door was breath taking.  The almost painfully slow pace of the movie creates a since of isolation that makes the movie a stand out, not only in haunted house movies, but in cinema in general.  The imagery of a single person standing alone in the massive room featured in the hotel are legendary and add to the experience that is The Shining.

007

The house lights fell to give way to the light on the screen.  For the next couple of hours the images danced telling some unveiling some incredible adventures.  These adventures are the missions of one Mr James Bond, 007.

I’ve said it before and will say it again: Bond is my favorite.  That’s why I got it excited, more then usual, for the one of the Carolina Theater’s many retrospectives.  This summer they are showing 12 Bond movies over two weeks.  

Yesterday, the third day into the retrospective, I finally made it to see some 007 flicks.

First up was You Only Live Twice, Connery’s penultimate Bond flick (I’m excluding Never Say Never Again as part of the Connery Canon).  What a rush to see this movie theatrically again.  Connery is my favorite Bond actor and Blofeld my favorite Bond villain.  To see the two square off for the first time, and to see it theatrically, was inspiring.

The second Bond movie I saw yesterday just so happens to be my favorite in the 23 and counting film franchise.  The movie: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  It is George Lazenby’s only time wearing the 007 tux.  What a surprise to see the screening dedicated to me as well.  That moment I will never forget.  EVER.

Seeing the movie again in the way it was meant to be seen got the adrenaline running and it ran laps like a NASCAR driver.  

I did get jealous talking with other movie goers after when I heard that the first time that the co watcher of the movie’s first time seeing this movie was now, on the big screen.  But you know what jealous is the wrong word it made experience of seeing the movie that more vibrant.

So with all that said I am excited to continue to see Bond on the big screen over the remainder of the fort night.

My 2013 midyear movie ramble

While preparing to go see the latest Pixar offering this afternoon, Monsters University - a prequel to my favorite movie from the animation titan, I look back at the first half of the year.
I was blown away early in the year by what I saw at the Nevermore film festivial. Two titles in particular jumped out at me: Found and The Last Will & Testament of Rosalind Leigh.  The first was distrubing, graphic, movie about a boy who discovers his older brother is a serial killer.  The Q & A with the cast and crew after was fasinating.  The ladder of the two I found to be a beautiful movie with truly great moments of suspense.
Beyond Nevermore my early part of the year entertainment saw another great highlight and that was Dead Man Down.  I thought it was a great slow paced action flick and Terrance Howard was excellent as the films villain.
There was also some movies that were just painful to watch. Halle Berry's The Call, the G.I. Joe sequel, and The Shining inspired documentary Room 237 were all painful and make me wonder why I wasted precious hours from my life watching these.
The winter months transitioned into Summer by the way of Spring. The nights got shorter as temperatures began to rise and the summer season started with a let down known as Iron man 3. The first two I loved, as well as pretty much the whole phase one from Marvel.  The concept was there but for me the execution fell short in the writing.
Star Trek Into Darkness rebounded the summer nicely, a movie I have broken my only see once in a theater rule.  Now You See Me and Fast & Furious 6 were alot of fun.  Man of Steel and The East blew me away and I thought both were incredible in their own right.  In between having my mind blown away from the two just mentioned films I thoughly enjoyed laughing at This Is the End and think its one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while.
After Earth was a waste of time. The massive disappoint of a movie was one that draged for two hours and made the other 2013 post apoclopytic film, Tom Cruise's Oblivion, look like a masterpiece. ( A quick ramble about Oblivion while nothing in the movie is original the film is highly entertaining and I would reccomend a redbox rental one night).
So that's my 2013 mid year ramble, more adventures in movies coming soon as I go see Monsters University.

The ABC's OF CINEMA

Something inline with a children's narrative.

A is for Animation with stop motion, hand drawn, and CGI all classics both old and new.

B is Bond from Dr No to Skyfall consisting of 23 great films.  (My favorite by the way)

C is for Commercials, the way movies are advertised.

D is for Drama, a category of film filled with many ups and downs.

E is for Espionage.  Argo and Zero Dark Thirty to name a few.

F is for Fire. An element in the movies that many characters tend to run from.

G is for Grindhouse, not only the movie directed by Rodreguiz & Tarantino, but B grade movies in general.

H is for Hitchcock with his many thrills: Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window all will give you chills.

I is for Indiana Jones.  4 great adventures, all with Harrison Ford.

(That’s right I’m saying all four are great, get over it)

J is for Jokes, the things that make comedies.

K is for Kids flicks, movies the whole family can see.

L is for Likeable, a movie you tend to enjoy.

M is for Movie.  The thing that this blog entry is all about.

N is for Nevermore, a film festival I tend to enjoy.

O is for Oscars awarding the best that cinema has to offer.

P is for Popcorn, a favored snack among many movie goers.

Q is for The Queen, a movie in which Helen Mirren won an Academy Award.

R is for Runtime, how long the movie is.

S is for Summer, a season of many big movies.

T is for the Times the movies start.

U is for Under the seat, where i have dropped my car keys a few times.

V is for Vampires, frankensteins, and mummies. Many fine creatures that make horror flicks scary.

W is for Westerns and how entertaining they are.

X is the rating you don’t take the kids to see.

Y is for Yell. It’s what needs to be done at the inconsiderate jerk with their phone on during the flick.

Z is for Zombies, another creature in the horror cannon.

In to the ‘Darkness’ of Night

MOVIE GOERS LOG MANKIND DATE: 5.15.13 

We assembled slowly as the sunlight faded into the darkness with phasers set for fun.  

Meats cut, cooked, seasoned, and added to the pizzas they would so deliciously top.

Dinner served and theories on the movie added as fuel to the anticipation of how excited we all were.  

By ten we had eaten, dessert and all, and were winding down a repeat viewing of the first J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” flick.

We rushed eagerly to the theater, concessions purchased, and seats proudly claimed.  

Moments now seemed to drag as if they were hours but the company was kept up well.

House lights then dimmed and the green screen announcing trailers lit the screen.  Five minutes and two awesome looking trailers  (World War Z and Anchorman: The Legend Continues) came and went fading into company logos.

Then it started.  Two hours later the thrills met the expectations and I was throughly happy with the evening.

What a thrill, what a night.

I do want to ramble a bit about the flick.

It offered me exactly what I wanted: an original movie that was highly entertaining, had great action sequences, some campy dialogue sprinkled in, and homages to the original series.  

It had it all and a villain that was second to none. 

Now on ward to the next flick and next midnight gathering!

FLASHBACK of a MOVIE GOER

Growing up there was a magical place and what a place it was.  The sights and sounds of adventures that filled its halls.  This magical place was the Ram Triple Movie Theater in Chapel Hill.  It was a second run $1.50 theater.  

The child version of myself could and would walk to this theater with much frequency.

I loved it.  It was in these auditoriums my love affair with movies began.

In the auditoriums of this once movie house I saw my first 007 movie, Tomorrow Never Dies, and thus I was introduced to my favorite cinematic creation.  During the years I stood in their ticket lines I saw my first R rated feature, Air Force One starring Harrison Ford & Gary Oldman.  What a thrill that movie was to see theatrically and I still get nostalgic when I pop the dvd into the player.  The screens dazzled me with my first experience of a horror flick when I saw The Sixth Sense.  I could go on with many more features and am still fondly remembering seeing the house lights fall and the film light up the screen.  Needless to say I credit this theater as the place where my love affair with movies began.

Sadly though all good things must come to an end.  Shortly after the century turned and  the Y2K bug was put into the rear view mirror, the theater turned its house lights off for the final time.  

I don’t remember the first nor last movies I saw at the Ram but each time I went I throughly enjoyed my time at the Ram and always will remember fondly the treasures I saw as a fell in love with movies.

Opening Night

The clock struck midnight turning over another hour and therefore another day.  In that moment May 2nd became May 3rd and as the cinema lights dimmed a new light filled the auditorium.  The lights danced its way to the front and showed the colors of the latest ‘Ironman’ movie.  It was a mighty thrill.  

The anticipation that led up over the course of the days, the eager waiting in the lobby as the crowds piled in, plus the never ending line to get my over sized soda all created the experience of the first summer blockbuster of the season.  Its like opening night for baseball fans.

Many mega blockbusters (Man of Steal, World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, Monsters University to name a few) lay ahead over the next few months and I’m anticipation combing many these blockbusters with friends, meals, and late nights at midnight screenings.  

Last night, however, started this years summer movie season.  This year, as in the past few years, Marvel opened the season with its latest superhero infused comic book inspired popcorn friendly flick.  What a marvelous time I had.  Then again the deck was stacked to have a good time.  It was stacked with friends, food, and another exciting movie.

I did enjoy the night and the movie, despite the flicks many shortcomings. 

Opening night was one a long time in the making.  With the good times had, a quick cat nap, and the thrill of opening night behind me I hope the rest of the season is as entertaining as this.  (Entertaining is not limited to the movie but includes the entire night)

The season looks to be filled with many great mega hits, popcorn refills, long nights turning into hot days and good times.  After opening night I can’t wait!