"If I must be lonely, I think I'd rather be alone."
Stabbing Westward
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Best 10 of the Last 10
Standard "10 in the 10" rules apply. I had to have seen the movie, and it had to have had a theatrical release, and it had to have been released in the last 10 years.
Remember, the Best 10 is subject to personal tastes, and thus, it may not match any list that you may compile yourself.
The Best 10 in the Last 10 (as always, in no particular order)
1) Sin City 2005 - A throwback to the film noir of old Holywood with a modern slant. What makes this film one of the best is not only it's highly stylized look (black and white with highlighting color), but it's adherence to the original source material (Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels).
2) Batman Begins 2005 - Who would have thought that a reboot of a series would be so... wow. Batman Begins goes past the action and adventure of the caped crusader and analyzes the psyche that makes of the Dark Knight. Use of "second tier" villains (Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul) help make the film a spectacle while still leaving ground to explore.
3) The Dark Knight 2008 - A lot of initial buz for this movie was generated by the sudden and tragic death of Heath Ledger. Still, even if Ledger had not died, his performance as the Joker would have been phenomenal, throwing back to the origins of the Joker while still putting a severely twisted spin on the character.
4) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003 - I have to admit I did not expect much of this movie going in. In fact, I was seeing it because I had gotten a movie pass in a pirate themes video game. Now having seeing this film, I would have paid full price. A true swashbuckling adventure.
5) The 40 Year Old Virgin 2005 - It's been a long time since a movie made me laugh, really laugh, and even longer when I still laugh at movie even after repeated viewings. Airplane does this, and so does The 40 Year Old Virgin. Steve Carell is hilarious.
6) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003 - The final chapter in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and truly worthy of the Oscar that it won for best picture.
7) Iron Man 2008 - I've never really been an Iron Man fan, except for a brief period of time when James Rhodes was Iron Man after Tony Stark "died" (lasted all of two months, but spun off War Machine). So, a movie has to be good for me to change my opinion of a character than I never really cared all that much about.
8) The Incredibles 2004 - Probably the best Pixar movie I've seen, mostly because I am a comic book fan. It is a fun trip watching the fall and rise of a superhero.
9) 300 2006 - An adventure following the same adherence to the original source material as Sin City (also based on a Frank Miller graphic novel), even if the story if told through an unreliable narrator.
10) Phantom of the Opera 2004 - I'll admit it, I'm a Phantom mark. I've read the book... repeatedly, seen the musical traveling show, and seen a number of the movies (the original 1925 Lon Chaney version is still the best). This version captures the majesty and wonder of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway smash.
Remember, the Best 10 is subject to personal tastes, and thus, it may not match any list that you may compile yourself.
The Best 10 in the Last 10 (as always, in no particular order)
1) Sin City 2005 - A throwback to the film noir of old Holywood with a modern slant. What makes this film one of the best is not only it's highly stylized look (black and white with highlighting color), but it's adherence to the original source material (Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels).
2) Batman Begins 2005 - Who would have thought that a reboot of a series would be so... wow. Batman Begins goes past the action and adventure of the caped crusader and analyzes the psyche that makes of the Dark Knight. Use of "second tier" villains (Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul) help make the film a spectacle while still leaving ground to explore.
3) The Dark Knight 2008 - A lot of initial buz for this movie was generated by the sudden and tragic death of Heath Ledger. Still, even if Ledger had not died, his performance as the Joker would have been phenomenal, throwing back to the origins of the Joker while still putting a severely twisted spin on the character.
4) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003 - I have to admit I did not expect much of this movie going in. In fact, I was seeing it because I had gotten a movie pass in a pirate themes video game. Now having seeing this film, I would have paid full price. A true swashbuckling adventure.
5) The 40 Year Old Virgin 2005 - It's been a long time since a movie made me laugh, really laugh, and even longer when I still laugh at movie even after repeated viewings. Airplane does this, and so does The 40 Year Old Virgin. Steve Carell is hilarious.
6) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003 - The final chapter in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and truly worthy of the Oscar that it won for best picture.
7) Iron Man 2008 - I've never really been an Iron Man fan, except for a brief period of time when James Rhodes was Iron Man after Tony Stark "died" (lasted all of two months, but spun off War Machine). So, a movie has to be good for me to change my opinion of a character than I never really cared all that much about.
8) The Incredibles 2004 - Probably the best Pixar movie I've seen, mostly because I am a comic book fan. It is a fun trip watching the fall and rise of a superhero.
9) 300 2006 - An adventure following the same adherence to the original source material as Sin City (also based on a Frank Miller graphic novel), even if the story if told through an unreliable narrator.
10) Phantom of the Opera 2004 - I'll admit it, I'm a Phantom mark. I've read the book... repeatedly, seen the musical traveling show, and seen a number of the movies (the original 1925 Lon Chaney version is still the best). This version captures the majesty and wonder of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway smash.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Twitter Follows
I recently decided to try Twitter anew (after my previous Twitter account got hacked), and am looking for possible cool Twitter follows. Anyone out there have any suggestions?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Guilty 10 on DVD
I modification of my Guilty 10 concept. This time, the list is open to anything on DVD and not just movies that saw cinematic release. It is also open to movies that were not necessarily released in the last ten years. There will not be a lot of duplication from this list and the guilty 10 in the last 10 list.
As always, I'm still working on my Best 10 in the Last 10 list
The Guilty 10 on DVD
1) Godzilla Final Wars - Supposedly the last Godzilla movie (just as Godzilla vs Destroyah was supposed to be the last Godzilla movie), Final Wars throws in everything to make one Hell of a roller coaster ride. Not only do we have the king of monsters, but just about every other monster Toho ever released (even the American Godzilla), but a human storyline draws upon a lot of the stunts that The Matrix movies used. On second thought, don't really pay attention to the story, just watch Godzilla beat up on a lot of monsters.
2) Destroy All Monsters - Going retro with this Godilla flick. Like the later Godzilla: Final Wars, Destroy All Monsters features a monster cast of Toho's giant monsters in a Battle Royale against Ghidorah.
3) Five Deadly Venoms - Cheesy martial arts flick that is truly a master of cheesy martial arts clicks. The story centers around five martial arts masters (the titular Venoms), one apprentice trying to find who's good and who's bad, and a lost treasure. Granted, the treasure is almost secondary to watching the five Venoms introduce themselves to each other ("You're Number One, the Centipede") and fight, naturally.
4) Tarzan - I refer to the Disney version of the movie. An fun romp that brings the character of Tarzan to a new generation without losing a lot of what makes Tarzan, well, Tarzan.
5) The Phantom - One of those comic book adventure movies I know I shouldn't like, but always enjoy watching whenever it's on. Billy Zane is actually entertaining as the Phantom.
6) Doctor Who: The 5 Doctors - Not a movie, per se, but many of the DVDs out there stitch together this anniversary Doctor Who series into one mini epic. Even without a prominent presence of Tom Baker, the DVD is a fun adventure that pulls together not only the Doctors, but many of their most popular companions.
7) Cowboy Bebop - Anime series that is sharp, stylish, hip, and so well produced. Interesting characters and a hip non-anime style soundtrack help to make this a fan favorite in the U.S.
8) Final Fantasy: Advent Children - Similar in style to Final Fantasy: Spirits Within (well produced computer generated animation), only with the characters that those of you familiar to the Final Fantasy storylines will recognize.
9) The 40 Year Old Virgin - I have not laughed so much as when I watched this movie. Steve Carell is hilarious as the titular character, as are his friends that try and help him with his "situation."
10) Godzilla - The original. A recent DVD release has on it the American version with Raymond Burr as Steve Martin (yes, that's right, Steve Martin), as well as the original Japanese release of the film. Watch the original with subtitles to see the real themes of the movie come through.
As always, I'm still working on my Best 10 in the Last 10 list
The Guilty 10 on DVD
1) Godzilla Final Wars - Supposedly the last Godzilla movie (just as Godzilla vs Destroyah was supposed to be the last Godzilla movie), Final Wars throws in everything to make one Hell of a roller coaster ride. Not only do we have the king of monsters, but just about every other monster Toho ever released (even the American Godzilla), but a human storyline draws upon a lot of the stunts that The Matrix movies used. On second thought, don't really pay attention to the story, just watch Godzilla beat up on a lot of monsters.
2) Destroy All Monsters - Going retro with this Godilla flick. Like the later Godzilla: Final Wars, Destroy All Monsters features a monster cast of Toho's giant monsters in a Battle Royale against Ghidorah.
3) Five Deadly Venoms - Cheesy martial arts flick that is truly a master of cheesy martial arts clicks. The story centers around five martial arts masters (the titular Venoms), one apprentice trying to find who's good and who's bad, and a lost treasure. Granted, the treasure is almost secondary to watching the five Venoms introduce themselves to each other ("You're Number One, the Centipede") and fight, naturally.
4) Tarzan - I refer to the Disney version of the movie. An fun romp that brings the character of Tarzan to a new generation without losing a lot of what makes Tarzan, well, Tarzan.
5) The Phantom - One of those comic book adventure movies I know I shouldn't like, but always enjoy watching whenever it's on. Billy Zane is actually entertaining as the Phantom.
6) Doctor Who: The 5 Doctors - Not a movie, per se, but many of the DVDs out there stitch together this anniversary Doctor Who series into one mini epic. Even without a prominent presence of Tom Baker, the DVD is a fun adventure that pulls together not only the Doctors, but many of their most popular companions.
7) Cowboy Bebop - Anime series that is sharp, stylish, hip, and so well produced. Interesting characters and a hip non-anime style soundtrack help to make this a fan favorite in the U.S.
8) Final Fantasy: Advent Children - Similar in style to Final Fantasy: Spirits Within (well produced computer generated animation), only with the characters that those of you familiar to the Final Fantasy storylines will recognize.
9) The 40 Year Old Virgin - I have not laughed so much as when I watched this movie. Steve Carell is hilarious as the titular character, as are his friends that try and help him with his "situation."
10) Godzilla - The original. A recent DVD release has on it the American version with Raymond Burr as Steve Martin (yes, that's right, Steve Martin), as well as the original Japanese release of the film. Watch the original with subtitles to see the real themes of the movie come through.
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