Director: Clark Gregg
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Key Players: Sam Rockwell (great), Heather Burns
Sam Rockwell portrays Victor Mancini, a medicine drop-out and sex addict who pretends to choke on food in restaurants to earn money on people's sympathies. But when faced with boredom of regular copulation, he goes further and beyond. He sets up a meeting with a woman he found on the Internet (where else?) who gets off on "simulated rape" and some of the rougher stuff. Even though rape is not a funny thing to joke about, this particular meeting does set up a good premise for absurd comedy. "Whatever you do, do not rape me on the bedspread, its silk, it will spot, so rape me on the floor. But not on the floor itself, on a towel on the floor, but on the wood part, not the rug". When said "raping" (it's pretty awkward) does begin and things turns even weirder, frustration builds when he manage to break all the above rules concerning floors, bedspreads and so forth, "Why don't you shut up, and let me rape you my way?!" he exclaims. The whole ordeal climaxes with them taking care of their own business: she's on the floor with an electrical buzzing contraption. He the old-fashioned way. On her bed. Not on the towel, as instructed. It's a pretty bizarre moment as well as the only funny one. Disappointing.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
#28 Being John Malkovich: Total Malkovich
Director: Spike Jonze
Genre: Comedy/Weirdo
Key Players: John Malkovich, John Malkovich, John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich is a meeting of sheer genius and pure lunacy (would you expect anything else from the creative madman who came up with Adaptation and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?). The story: John Cusack finds a hidden door into the mind/head of actor John Malkovich. Literally. Despite the weird premise you are overtaken by it's ideas, charm and excellent acting from Cusack, wife Cameron Diaz and of course the man himself, John Malkovich. But when Malkovich enters Malkovich, it just goes off the charts bonkers. Everywhere he looks, there's Malkovich. Speaking nothing else than Malkovich. It's a high concept movie, but it's insanely good and a definite must see.
Genre: Comedy/Weirdo
Key Players: John Malkovich, John Malkovich, John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich is a meeting of sheer genius and pure lunacy (would you expect anything else from the creative madman who came up with Adaptation and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?). The story: John Cusack finds a hidden door into the mind/head of actor John Malkovich. Literally. Despite the weird premise you are overtaken by it's ideas, charm and excellent acting from Cusack, wife Cameron Diaz and of course the man himself, John Malkovich. But when Malkovich enters Malkovich, it just goes off the charts bonkers. Everywhere he looks, there's Malkovich. Speaking nothing else than Malkovich. It's a high concept movie, but it's insanely good and a definite must see.
#27 Zack And Miri Make A Porno: Shitfaced
Director: Kevin Smith
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Jason Mewes, Katie Morgan, Jeff Anderson
Following the shitty footsteps of Black Book, here's some more. In Kevin Smith's mildly fun gross-out comedy Zack And Miri Make A Porno, best friends Zack And Miri (Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks) decides to make a porno in order to pay rent. A pretty cheap setup for nasty jokes about cum, dicks and vagina's, even for a man like Smith, who's made a name for himself as a smart and witty man while making crude jokes about sex. But I guess extreme situations demand extreme solutions. In Clerks II they put on a donkey show inside of a fast food restaurant. So how do you top that? Here's how! While shooting a scene for their movie, leading fuck-man Jason Mewes, well, to put it as simple as possible, pulls out of "backed up" Katie Morgan perhaps a little too fast ("Anal's great when you're constipated" she enthuses, but don't worry, you don't actually see anything, it's not real porn you see). Cue close-up of poor cameraman Jeff Anderson, lying on his back, taking it all in from down under (a very important angle I might add), when it all backfires and he's hit by a cascade of stark brown poo on his face (you can even spot pieces of corn in there). It's gross as well as funny. Avoid chocolate pudding while watching.
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Jason Mewes, Katie Morgan, Jeff Anderson
Following the shitty footsteps of Black Book, here's some more. In Kevin Smith's mildly fun gross-out comedy Zack And Miri Make A Porno, best friends Zack And Miri (Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks) decides to make a porno in order to pay rent. A pretty cheap setup for nasty jokes about cum, dicks and vagina's, even for a man like Smith, who's made a name for himself as a smart and witty man while making crude jokes about sex. But I guess extreme situations demand extreme solutions. In Clerks II they put on a donkey show inside of a fast food restaurant. So how do you top that? Here's how! While shooting a scene for their movie, leading fuck-man Jason Mewes, well, to put it as simple as possible, pulls out of "backed up" Katie Morgan perhaps a little too fast ("Anal's great when you're constipated" she enthuses, but don't worry, you don't actually see anything, it's not real porn you see). Cue close-up of poor cameraman Jeff Anderson, lying on his back, taking it all in from down under (a very important angle I might add), when it all backfires and he's hit by a cascade of stark brown poo on his face (you can even spot pieces of corn in there). It's gross as well as funny. Avoid chocolate pudding while watching.
#26 Zwartboek (Black Book) - Lots and lots of shit
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: War/Thriller
Key Players: Carice Van Houten
The third (and hopefully final) mention of something that has Paul Verhoeven's named attached to it's title (previous posts include Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct). In Black Book, Paul, as I like to call him, returns to his roots, with this dutch World War II spy-thriller, re-living some memories (and some made up) as a youngster growing up in occupied Holland. And as with most of Paul's work, you'll find not so subtle undertones of eroticism and sex - Black Book is no exception. But unlike the glossy sweaty sex between Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas, here he uses it almost as a reverse effect, keeping it nasty and clinical. Almost business like. Because that's what it is: an undercover operation that makes the heroine go through all possible ordeals. And with pretty devastating results. When put in jail for empathizing with the enemy, Carice Van Houten's underground spy is stripped to her bones and gets an entire dumpster filled with crap (and I mean crap in the true meaning of the word: shit, poo, ass cream) released on top of her. It's gross, humiliating and pure nasty. Black Book shines on occasion, but is really just a watered down mix between Inglorious Basterds and Lust, Caution. Make up your own mind.
Genre: War/Thriller
Key Players: Carice Van Houten
The third (and hopefully final) mention of something that has Paul Verhoeven's named attached to it's title (previous posts include Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct). In Black Book, Paul, as I like to call him, returns to his roots, with this dutch World War II spy-thriller, re-living some memories (and some made up) as a youngster growing up in occupied Holland. And as with most of Paul's work, you'll find not so subtle undertones of eroticism and sex - Black Book is no exception. But unlike the glossy sweaty sex between Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas, here he uses it almost as a reverse effect, keeping it nasty and clinical. Almost business like. Because that's what it is: an undercover operation that makes the heroine go through all possible ordeals. And with pretty devastating results. When put in jail for empathizing with the enemy, Carice Van Houten's underground spy is stripped to her bones and gets an entire dumpster filled with crap (and I mean crap in the true meaning of the word: shit, poo, ass cream) released on top of her. It's gross, humiliating and pure nasty. Black Book shines on occasion, but is really just a watered down mix between Inglorious Basterds and Lust, Caution. Make up your own mind.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
#25 High Fidelity: Put violence on shuffle
Director: Stephen Frears
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Jack Black, Todd Louiso
Facing his ex-girlfriend's new lover, John Cusack's mild mannered music geek Rob Gordon, finally loses it, thinking up a plethora of ways to hurt this man (Tim Robbins) standing before him. It's well executed and quite unexpected and proves that unprovoked violence sure is fun!
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Jack Black, Todd Louiso
Facing his ex-girlfriend's new lover, John Cusack's mild mannered music geek Rob Gordon, finally loses it, thinking up a plethora of ways to hurt this man (Tim Robbins) standing before him. It's well executed and quite unexpected and proves that unprovoked violence sure is fun!
#24 The Exorcist: Alonetime with Jesus
Director: William Friedkin
Genre: Horror
Key Players: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn
Much like Kubrick's The Shining, The Exorcist is a slow creeping unsettling affair dealing with possessed people doing weird shit. In The Exorcist we follow young girl Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) and her mother (Ellen Burstyn), when the daughter, by serendipity, is taken over by ill-minded demons. In one terrifying moment, Regan is masturbating with a giant crucifix shouting the famous line "Let Jesus fuck you" over and over. Perhaps calling it masturbation would be to sugarcoat it a bit. This is more of a violent act causing severe damage to her down under parts. When interrupted in her most joyous and intimate moment, she forces her mother's face into her messed up blood soaked genitals (thankfully, nothing explicit is shown though!) screaming "Lick me! Lick me!". Not only is it a weird scary moment but it also sums up, in a very visual way, my view on Christianity.
Genre: Horror
Key Players: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn
Much like Kubrick's The Shining, The Exorcist is a slow creeping unsettling affair dealing with possessed people doing weird shit. In The Exorcist we follow young girl Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) and her mother (Ellen Burstyn), when the daughter, by serendipity, is taken over by ill-minded demons. In one terrifying moment, Regan is masturbating with a giant crucifix shouting the famous line "Let Jesus fuck you" over and over. Perhaps calling it masturbation would be to sugarcoat it a bit. This is more of a violent act causing severe damage to her down under parts. When interrupted in her most joyous and intimate moment, she forces her mother's face into her messed up blood soaked genitals (thankfully, nothing explicit is shown though!) screaming "Lick me! Lick me!". Not only is it a weird scary moment but it also sums up, in a very visual way, my view on Christianity.
#23 The Three Musketeers: Dungeon of lard
Director: Stephen Herek
Genre: Adventure
Key Players: Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Chris O'Donnel
The thing I remember the most from this childhood favorite, is when the musketeers raid the king and queen's castle in the end (sacrifice your life for your king? What a ludicrous idea!) and the battle with the fat keeper of prisoners and said piece of lard being impaled on one of his very own torturing devices. Who could have seen that coming?! In retrospect, The Three Musketeers would mark a professional highlight for many of the included players: Chris O'Donnel has as of yet, not made a movie that surpasses The Three Musketeers; Charlie Sheen married Denise Richards; Kiefer Sutherland found minor fame chasing Russians, Muslims and corrupt politicians and Oliver Platt had a short but amusing stint on The West Wing. Director Stephen Herek went on to make such classics as Holy Man and Man of the House. Good going everyone!
Genre: Adventure
Key Players: Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Chris O'Donnel
The thing I remember the most from this childhood favorite, is when the musketeers raid the king and queen's castle in the end (sacrifice your life for your king? What a ludicrous idea!) and the battle with the fat keeper of prisoners and said piece of lard being impaled on one of his very own torturing devices. Who could have seen that coming?! In retrospect, The Three Musketeers would mark a professional highlight for many of the included players: Chris O'Donnel has as of yet, not made a movie that surpasses The Three Musketeers; Charlie Sheen married Denise Richards; Kiefer Sutherland found minor fame chasing Russians, Muslims and corrupt politicians and Oliver Platt had a short but amusing stint on The West Wing. Director Stephen Herek went on to make such classics as Holy Man and Man of the House. Good going everyone!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
#22 300: This. Is. Not. Getting. Old
Director: Zack Snyder
Genre: Action action action
Key Players: Gerard Muscle Mountain Butler
By the sheer power of his voice (and a bare superhuman upper torso) Gerard Butler screamed his way to extreme fame and into the movie history books. Overnight, the "This Is Sparta" moment, became legendary. The Internet flooded with jokes and gags and numerous movies/TV-shows has since been exploiting and parodying it (with different results: South Park, yes. Meet The Spartans, no!) for their own purposes. Regardless, this is the moment that grounded Zack Snyder's Frank Miller adaptation in pop culture for all the time ever in history. It's really macho and overly aggressive. But hey, I guess that's Sparta.
Genre: Action action action
Key Players: Gerard Muscle Mountain Butler
By the sheer power of his voice (and a bare superhuman upper torso) Gerard Butler screamed his way to extreme fame and into the movie history books. Overnight, the "This Is Sparta" moment, became legendary. The Internet flooded with jokes and gags and numerous movies/TV-shows has since been exploiting and parodying it (with different results: South Park, yes. Meet The Spartans, no!) for their own purposes. Regardless, this is the moment that grounded Zack Snyder's Frank Miller adaptation in pop culture for all the time ever in history. It's really macho and overly aggressive. But hey, I guess that's Sparta.
# 21 Slither: Pop goes the stomach
Director: James Gunn
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Key Players: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry
In keeping with the exploitation spirit, this is Slither. Troma connected James Gunn, struck gold with his low budget cult splatter-comedy Slither where Joss Whedon favorite Nathan Fillion (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity) lends a great deal of charm and wit to his small town police officer Bill Pardy as they are invaded by slimy malicious worms. And as with most creatures, they all tend to come from a "mother" or host if you will. Well, these slithery worms are no exception. Cue huge bloated woman hidden in the woods (spoiler alert: she later explodes!). Funny and gruesome. A great deal of fun.
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Key Players: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry
In keeping with the exploitation spirit, this is Slither. Troma connected James Gunn, struck gold with his low budget cult splatter-comedy Slither where Joss Whedon favorite Nathan Fillion (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity) lends a great deal of charm and wit to his small town police officer Bill Pardy as they are invaded by slimy malicious worms. And as with most creatures, they all tend to come from a "mother" or host if you will. Well, these slithery worms are no exception. Cue huge bloated woman hidden in the woods (spoiler alert: she later explodes!). Funny and gruesome. A great deal of fun.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
#20 Grindhouse: Coming attractions
Director(s): Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez
Genre: Horror/Comedy/Action
Key Players: Udo Kier, Nick Frost, Danny Trejo, Eli Roth, Nick Frost and many more...
The best thing about Quentin Tarantino's and Robert Rodriguez's horror project Grindhouse, were in fact not the movies themselves, but the slew of fake trailers attached to them. Put together by a notable bunch of friends from the industry, these trailers, despite their short running time, were hell of a lot more entertaining and bizarre than the feature films combined. A great hoot indeed. Here's a short breakdown.
Genre: Horror/Comedy/Action
Key Players: Udo Kier, Nick Frost, Danny Trejo, Eli Roth, Nick Frost and many more...
The best thing about Quentin Tarantino's and Robert Rodriguez's horror project Grindhouse, were in fact not the movies themselves, but the slew of fake trailers attached to them. Put together by a notable bunch of friends from the industry, these trailers, despite their short running time, were hell of a lot more entertaining and bizarre than the feature films combined. A great hoot indeed. Here's a short breakdown.
Werewolf Women Of The SS
This is a take on the sleazy Nazi exploitation movies such as Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS and SS Experiment: Love Camp, mixed with a little bit of monsters. There's blood, sadistic experiments, Nazis in the snow, a weird decadent cabaret show, women in gas masks, weird outfits, werewolf's with machine guns and Nicholas Cage.Don't
Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) contributed with a 70's inspired horror film starring (among several others) Wright regulars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with a gutwrenchingly awesome voice-over by Arrested Development's Will Arnett. Dark hallways, dank basements, monsters and really cool graphics. An authentic throwback to the old haunted mansion "Don't go in there" type movies. Really funny.Thanksgiving
Tarantino protégé Eli Roth's trailer for this holiday slasher film, is by far the most disturbing. Within the time span of a couple of minutes, several people have lost their heads and a woman is stabbed in the vagina when bouncing up and down on a trampoline. And then there's the famous killer-fucking-a-turkey-combined-with-human part in the end.Machete
Written a long time ago for Rodriguez's pal Danny Trejo, then, later, turned into a fake trailer for Grindhouse. Fast forward to present day: Machete is now in production to be turned into a full feature film. Based on the trailer. Whacky stuff. This mexploitation action piece will most likely be in the same spirit of Rodriguez's other Mexican action films as well as Planet Terror. And if the trailer is any indication of how this full length feature will shape up, considering the rouge cast Rodriguez has gathered (Robert De Niro, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson), then, this is something you'd want to keep an eye on. Or not?!Friday, October 30, 2009
#19 Beowulf: Beooowuuuuuulf!!!
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Fantasy/Animation/Action/Lame
Key Players: Ray Winstone, giant sea creature
With the right amount of playfulness Beowulf could have been an over-the-top action fest. An animated Conan The Barbarian if you will. But entertaining. Instead it turned out to be a piece of crap filled with clunky dialogue and poor mocap. It's so dull and moves along at such a slow pace, that when he actually kills something, you don't even care! The only redeeming moment (and this is how the movie should have been all the way through) though, is a quick skirmish between Beowulf and a terrifying monster of the sea, ending with Beowulf erupting through the monster's eye, covered in blood and gore (at least that's how I like to remember it), screaming his name, like any great hero would. Pretty immense. But this is about a five second long sequence and given the length of the film, this alone does not save it from being a meaningless waste of time. It seems the only thing that could have saved this movie, would have been if Angelina Jolie (as a golden Grendel) would lie spread eagle in her dank cave where she resides. No such luck.
Genre: Fantasy/Animation/Action/Lame
Key Players: Ray Winstone, giant sea creature
With the right amount of playfulness Beowulf could have been an over-the-top action fest. An animated Conan The Barbarian if you will. But entertaining. Instead it turned out to be a piece of crap filled with clunky dialogue and poor mocap. It's so dull and moves along at such a slow pace, that when he actually kills something, you don't even care! The only redeeming moment (and this is how the movie should have been all the way through) though, is a quick skirmish between Beowulf and a terrifying monster of the sea, ending with Beowulf erupting through the monster's eye, covered in blood and gore (at least that's how I like to remember it), screaming his name, like any great hero would. Pretty immense. But this is about a five second long sequence and given the length of the film, this alone does not save it from being a meaningless waste of time. It seems the only thing that could have saved this movie, would have been if Angelina Jolie (as a golden Grendel) would lie spread eagle in her dank cave where she resides. No such luck.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
#18 Blazing Saddles: Tumbledown
Director: Mel Brooks
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman
For me, growing up in a home with the likes of Peter Sellers and Monty Python, seeing Mel Brooks' classic western satire Blazing Saddles, were, even at an early age, nothing out of the ordinary. Sure, I didn't get all the gags and the comedic subtleties. But entertaining nonetheless. It's so weird and it's aware of itself being weird. And this becomes so clear in the end with it's off the chart wacko ending. While the good guy's are throwing down fisticuffs with the baddies, they accidentally tumble though the wall of their set to a totally different studio, where they are shooting a totally different film. And this goes on. For quite some time. And the brawl just keeps on growing and getting bigger, more and more people getting involved. It all ends with our hero and villain watching themselves on the big screen, in real time. It's so bizarre and brilliant it has got to be one of the craziest endings ever put on film. Hilarious.
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman
For me, growing up in a home with the likes of Peter Sellers and Monty Python, seeing Mel Brooks' classic western satire Blazing Saddles, were, even at an early age, nothing out of the ordinary. Sure, I didn't get all the gags and the comedic subtleties. But entertaining nonetheless. It's so weird and it's aware of itself being weird. And this becomes so clear in the end with it's off the chart wacko ending. While the good guy's are throwing down fisticuffs with the baddies, they accidentally tumble though the wall of their set to a totally different studio, where they are shooting a totally different film. And this goes on. For quite some time. And the brawl just keeps on growing and getting bigger, more and more people getting involved. It all ends with our hero and villain watching themselves on the big screen, in real time. It's so bizarre and brilliant it has got to be one of the craziest endings ever put on film. Hilarious.
Friday, October 2, 2009
#17 Spider-man 2: Birth of the octopus
Director: Sam Raimi
Genre: Action/Superhero
Key Players: Alfred Molina
Until The Dark Knight broke loose in the summer of 2008, Spider-man 2 was regarded as the biggest (and perhaps the best?) thing around, within the comic book movie industry that is. So even though the franchise came crashing down with it's third installment (too many villains and weirdo segments!), Spider-man 2 delivered some pretty cool moments (the train-run-amok fight sequence for one), but the birthing of Doctor Octopus, and the series so far best villain, is classic Raimi. Shot in a style that breathes his old and revered horror films (the Evil Dead series), this particular scene is so unexpected and raw (for a child/youth oriented type movie at least) it's a no-brainer really when it comes down to singling out a particular moment. Pretty good movie as well.
Genre: Action/Superhero
Key Players: Alfred Molina
Until The Dark Knight broke loose in the summer of 2008, Spider-man 2 was regarded as the biggest (and perhaps the best?) thing around, within the comic book movie industry that is. So even though the franchise came crashing down with it's third installment (too many villains and weirdo segments!), Spider-man 2 delivered some pretty cool moments (the train-run-amok fight sequence for one), but the birthing of Doctor Octopus, and the series so far best villain, is classic Raimi. Shot in a style that breathes his old and revered horror films (the Evil Dead series), this particular scene is so unexpected and raw (for a child/youth oriented type movie at least) it's a no-brainer really when it comes down to singling out a particular moment. Pretty good movie as well.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
#16 The Cottage: (Blank)
Director: Who cares
Genre: "Horror"/"Comedy"
Key Players: Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison
If you believe the quotes on the cover, The Cottage should be, if accurate: gory, dark and hilarious. A horrorfest and a treat. A new Shaun Of The Dead if you will. Sure, comparing it with Shaun (now a cult classic), well that's aiming a bit high, but in the end, a good horror comedy nonetheless. Wrong. Let me tell you what The Cottage lacks: horror, gore and comedy. All the things you are promised. Also, when starring frequent British glamor model/tabloid princess (she can now add horrible actress to her resume) Jennifer Ellison, you'd at least expect some kind of flesh. Eaten or otherwise. But no. Pretty disappointing for a movie of this kind. Nothing here either stands out or strikes me as even worthy of a mention. In the spirit of Seinfeld's classic Soup Nazi: No moment for you!
Genre: "Horror"/"Comedy"
Key Players: Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison
If you believe the quotes on the cover, The Cottage should be, if accurate: gory, dark and hilarious. A horrorfest and a treat. A new Shaun Of The Dead if you will. Sure, comparing it with Shaun (now a cult classic), well that's aiming a bit high, but in the end, a good horror comedy nonetheless. Wrong. Let me tell you what The Cottage lacks: horror, gore and comedy. All the things you are promised. Also, when starring frequent British glamor model/tabloid princess (she can now add horrible actress to her resume) Jennifer Ellison, you'd at least expect some kind of flesh. Eaten or otherwise. But no. Pretty disappointing for a movie of this kind. Nothing here either stands out or strikes me as even worthy of a mention. In the spirit of Seinfeld's classic Soup Nazi: No moment for you!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
#15 Private Parts: Radiogasm
Director: Betty Thomas
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Howard Stern, a speaker, a phone, random half-naked lady
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Howard Stern, a speaker, a phone, random half-naked lady
From the very beginning, Howard Stern has been pushing the limits for what can be said and done while on the radio. With his frequent use of foul language, politically incorrect opinions and explicit situations, often involving naked ladies in some shape or form, people usually go batshit crazy whenever he open his mouth. Let's face it, the man is used to controversy. So considering the nature of his work, you can expect there to be plenty of outstanding moments to chose from. So, with the purpose to upset, humiliate and provoke (like always) he makes a woman orgasm by playing a deep bass sound, while straddling her speaker. On the air. Pretty questionable but remains one of those moments you'll remember.
Friday, September 18, 2009
#14 Inglourious Basterds: Operation Kino
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: War/Thriller
Key Players: Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, August Diehl
Genre: War/Thriller
Key Players: Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, August Diehl
Fresh in mind, I thought it only appropriate to say a few words about Tarantino's most recent cinematic outing, the sprawling WWII epic Inglourious Basterds. But where to start? What to chose? It would be an understatement to say that it is difficult to just pick one glorious (or in this case, an inglourious, haha, lame) moment from a movie, which basically consists of one awesome moment after another. To pick just one moment from a movie such as Inglourious Basterds, well, that's fucking hard as fuck.
For a while I was thinking of going with the Hugo Stiglitz rock n' roll introduction (it's so left-field and unexpected, in a sort of expected Tarantino way, but at the same time, it isn't) but once consorting with myself, I settled on the tavern shootout instead. Well, there's more talking than shooting actually, but the looooong parts of dialogue that proceeds it, is perhaps some of Tarantino's best work: joyful, snappy and suspenseful. It's fantastic. The whole thing is put to an end with an extremely violent and quick shoot out with lots of carnage and other disturbances. Bravo.
For a while I was thinking of going with the Hugo Stiglitz rock n' roll introduction (it's so left-field and unexpected, in a sort of expected Tarantino way, but at the same time, it isn't) but once consorting with myself, I settled on the tavern shootout instead. Well, there's more talking than shooting actually, but the looooong parts of dialogue that proceeds it, is perhaps some of Tarantino's best work: joyful, snappy and suspenseful. It's fantastic. The whole thing is put to an end with an extremely violent and quick shoot out with lots of carnage and other disturbances. Bravo.
#13 Speed: It's a plane, it's a bird, it's a...bus?!
Director: Jan de Bont
Genre: Action
Key Players: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, a magical bus
Genre: Action
Key Players: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, a magical bus
What does one think of when asked to ponder the greatness that is Speed? Keanu's energetic, as well as charismatic, police cop Jack Traven? Perhaps Dennis Hopper losing his head in the commute? Or maybe it's the accidental blink-and-you-will-miss-it-upskirt that takes place during a brave elevator rescue mission? Three valid choices indeed. But none of them compare the slightest to a gravity defying magical rocket bus! Yes, the jump. The jump to end all other jumps. It's stupid, dumb and defies pretty much all laws of physics, reasoning and logic. Kind of like God. The difference? I enjoy the crazy bus jump. Not God. Because he's a douche. And doesn't exist. There you have it. End of debate.
#12 Boogie Nights: The dong show
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Drama
Genre: Drama
Key Players: Marky Mark
Paul Thomas Anderson first rose to fame in the late 90's with his grand tale of a well-hung youngster that embarks on this amazing, spiritual journey, chasing the American dream...by screwing in-front of the camera.
Loosely based on the tragic existence of real porn legend John Holmes, Boogie Nights is a pretty dark piece filled with intense human drama, but also, hope and actually some funny moments, in a bizarre weird way. And best of all, there's porn. But, not porn porn. But porn, seen through the eyes of an extremely accomplished filmmaker (perhaps the best of his time?). As well as Holmes, Wahlberg's Dirk Diggler is sporting a giant trunk in his trousers, and although it is a fake in this case, it is shown in all it's glory for a brief moment at the end, and it all makes sense.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
#11 Way Of The Gun: Mouth off
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Action
Genre: Action
Key Players: Ryan Phillippe (Parker), Sarah Silverman (Raving Bitch), Paul Angel Flores (Bar Patron = nobody!)
Bar Patron: Hey, hey. Yeah you, get up. What are you retarded? Get off the fucking car!
Raving Bitch: Hey dickless, get off the fucking car! Hey fucksuck, get your slippery fucking ass off the car! Listen to me, get off the fucking car with your fucking ass!
Parker: Shut that cunts mouth or I'll come over there and fuckstart her head!
Raving Bitch: You're gonna wish you never fucking got up this fucking morning asshole, because my boyfriend's gonna fuck you up! And then after that while he's fucking up your fucking gay uncle over there I'm gonna fucking cut off your cock and mail it to your mother, you fucking faggot bitch! You gaylord fucking bitch! How do you like that? You like that a lot you fucking faggot? You like to ass fuck? Fontanella fucking babyheads!
Bar Patron: Go ahead.
Raving Bitch: You like to fuck babyheads? You like to fuck boys? He's gonna fuck you in the ass, how do you like that? He's not even gay but he'll do it just to fuck...
Bar Patron: Honey honey. She's got a big mouth but she's not kidding. I'm gonna whip you silly and I'm gonna fuck you stupid. You wanna do the man dance? First dance is yours. (BRAWL)
I rest my case.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
#10 30 Days Of Night: Utilidor bloodshed
Director: David Slade
Genre: Horror
Key Players: Josh Hartnett
Your friend and partner is turning into an angry vampire right before you - what do you do? Chop his fucking head off with a giant axe, of course. What else is there?
Genre: Horror
Key Players: Josh Hartnett
Your friend and partner is turning into an angry vampire right before you - what do you do? Chop his fucking head off with a giant axe, of course. What else is there?
#9 The People Vs Larry Flynt: The speech
Director: Milos Forman
Genre: Drama
Genre: Drama
Key Players: Edward Norton, the supreme court
It doesn't matter if it's Tom Cruise's Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Denzel Washington's regular Joe or Matlock himself, everybody loves a good speech. In Milo Forman's Oscar nominated tale The People vs. Larry Flynt, we follow Larry Flynt (a brilliant Woody Harrelson), creator and publisher of porno-mag Hustler Magazine, his drugged up love interest (a drugged up Courtney Love) and his young attorney and their many run-ins with the law and the Christian lunatics that run the US of A.
Like in all good courtroom dramas you need a grand speech. Cue Edward Norton's idealistic attorney at law, standing up for, not necessarily Flynt's agenda of peddling hairy beavers to the people, but for our right to choose and decide for ourselves, whether we want to buy it or not, and not just do as we are told by some self appointed morality police, in this case, the smug god-fearing fundamentalists on the right. When censorship and freedom of speech are being tampered with by religious retards, we need someone to stick it to them, a figure to rally behind. If that person's a questionable libertarian hero/crazy smut-uncle in a wheelchair, so be it. Nontheless, we need that speech.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
#8 Matrix Revolutions: Brawling in the rain
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Genre: Action/Sci fi
Key Players: Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving (by the thousands)
There's a couple of things that is unique for the Matrix Revolutions: A) It's not the original and far superior The Matrix, B) Monica Bellucci's massive cleavage and C) there's an outstanding hand to hand combat scene between Neo (The One) and Agent Smith (the other ones) in the end. Sure, while the first fight between them revolutionized pretty much all we knew about cinema at the time, this last and final confrontation is just good ol' wholesome fun for the whole family: there's heavy rain, lightning all around, they are trading punches in mid-air, buildings and streets are obliterated and turned to dust. And all in glossy green glow. It's just like a comic book, only, that it isn't. It's better. And no other superhero comic book movie have, so far, come close to matching any of the innovative action that can be seen in any of the Matrix trilogy. And all you naysayers, fuck off. It's not The Matrix Repetition, who wants that? It's a cool movie, let us leave it at that.
Genre: Action/Sci fi
Key Players: Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving (by the thousands)
There's a couple of things that is unique for the Matrix Revolutions: A) It's not the original and far superior The Matrix, B) Monica Bellucci's massive cleavage and C) there's an outstanding hand to hand combat scene between Neo (The One) and Agent Smith (the other ones) in the end. Sure, while the first fight between them revolutionized pretty much all we knew about cinema at the time, this last and final confrontation is just good ol' wholesome fun for the whole family: there's heavy rain, lightning all around, they are trading punches in mid-air, buildings and streets are obliterated and turned to dust. And all in glossy green glow. It's just like a comic book, only, that it isn't. It's better. And no other superhero comic book movie have, so far, come close to matching any of the innovative action that can be seen in any of the Matrix trilogy. And all you naysayers, fuck off. It's not The Matrix Repetition, who wants that? It's a cool movie, let us leave it at that.
#7 Starship Troopers: Brain bug
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: Action
Key Players: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Patrick Muldoon (could not care less about any of them), slimey snail-like brain monster
More with the Verhoeven, but who cares?! Upon it's release, most people dismissed The Hoeves playful (perhaps campy?) sci-fi actioneer as a commercial for fascism, when it really was the other way around. You know, being filled with suggestive political and social themes concerning media, propaganda and equality (listen to the audio commentary for further enlightenment). However, none of that really matters when you see millions of bugs, the sizes of cars, attacking a small fort in the desert resulting in a slaughter of green goo. That specific moment, is the very highlight of Starship Troopers. Intense and a lot of fun (especially when you're a youngster). But there's a giant snail in the end that sucks brain juice with a trunk and looks like a vagina in the face. Nuff said.
Genre: Action
Key Players: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Patrick Muldoon (could not care less about any of them), slimey snail-like brain monster
More with the Verhoeven, but who cares?! Upon it's release, most people dismissed The Hoeves playful (perhaps campy?) sci-fi actioneer as a commercial for fascism, when it really was the other way around. You know, being filled with suggestive political and social themes concerning media, propaganda and equality (listen to the audio commentary for further enlightenment). However, none of that really matters when you see millions of bugs, the sizes of cars, attacking a small fort in the desert resulting in a slaughter of green goo. That specific moment, is the very highlight of Starship Troopers. Intense and a lot of fun (especially when you're a youngster). But there's a giant snail in the end that sucks brain juice with a trunk and looks like a vagina in the face. Nuff said.
#6 The Fountain: Death is the road to awe
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Genre: Drama
Key Players: Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman
Whether you like it or not, Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, is a feast, if not for the mind, then at least for the eye. With a smart and overlapping narrative, Aronofsky tells the story of a man (or several), through different times in history (past, present, future), in pursuit of cheating death in order to save his loved one (a wife, a queen, a tree). As Hugh Jackman's futuristic scientist travels through the golden nebula Xibalba, and it finally supernovas, we're treated to a stunning visual sequence: by accepting his inescapable death, his body explodes in a flash of gold, light and motion, rebirthing his dying tree in a fashion words can't do justice. Although I try.
Genre: Drama
Key Players: Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman
Whether you like it or not, Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, is a feast, if not for the mind, then at least for the eye. With a smart and overlapping narrative, Aronofsky tells the story of a man (or several), through different times in history (past, present, future), in pursuit of cheating death in order to save his loved one (a wife, a queen, a tree). As Hugh Jackman's futuristic scientist travels through the golden nebula Xibalba, and it finally supernovas, we're treated to a stunning visual sequence: by accepting his inescapable death, his body explodes in a flash of gold, light and motion, rebirthing his dying tree in a fashion words can't do justice. Although I try.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
#5 The Big Lebowski: Theodore Donald Kerabatsos
Director: Joel Coen
Genre: Comedy
Genre: Comedy
Key Players: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi in a jar
An airborne Julianne Moore swooshing through a dark corridor, naked I might add, whilst painting a surreal version of womanhood; Lebowski himself getting attacked in the tub by a group of angry german nihilists and their ferret; or one of many absurd pointless discussion on the lanes ("What the fuck are you talking about? The chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT... Also, Dude, chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please").
There are so many glorious moments in The Big Lebowski, it's hard to pick just one, but Walter's memorial speech at the end, paying tribute to their friend's sudden death at the sunny coast of California is funny as well as heartwarming and emotional. The travesty that is his euology quickly turns into sorrow and regret. You can hear it in his voice and see it in his posture. It's a beutiful moment. They later go bowling.
#4 Basic Instinct: Groin pleaser
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: Erotic thriller
Genre: Erotic thriller
Key Players: Sharon Stone, Stone's beaver, Michael Douglas, Newman
The only thing (and I put a lot of emphasis on the word Only) people seem to remember (or perhaps, the only thing people want to remember) from Paul Verhoeven's erotic thriller Basic Instinct, is the classic shifting of the legs and consequential exposure of Sharon Stone's more private area. It's a decent film but without that specific moment, I suspect Basic Instinct would be considered just another semi-erotic Shannon Tweed-type thriller, really not worth the attention.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
#3 Saving Private Ryan - Final stand
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: War
Genre: War
Key Players: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, 50 + nazis
The first 25 minutes of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece is already considered one of the most memorable ever put on film. However, the final confrontation between the small band of american soldiers, led by Tom Hanks, against the overwhelming force of Germans, is the one that really stands out. Just in terms of technically pulling this off, well, it's a thing of beauty. The long shots following the action from building to building, the tension, extreme violence and again, the choreography of the entire thing, is nothing but astonishing.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
#2 Team America - Three kinds of people
Director: Trey Parker
Genre: Comedy/Puppets
Genre: Comedy/Puppets
Key Players: Gary Johnston (Trey Parker - voice)
Monday, March 23, 2009
#1 Braindead - Lawn mower massacre
Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Key Players: Timothy Balme, a shitload of zombies
Seventeen years after the fact, Braindead is still considered as one of the most influential pieces within the horror/comedy genre. With many funny moments to chose from, people best seem to remember the outrageous house party at the end and it's classic blood soaked ending. Armed with only a lawn mower, our hero Lionel, mows his way through a crowd of zombies, literally wading through a pool of blood and slippery guts. Now, that's funny.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)