Archive for 2012

ten guilty pleasure movies

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Here's a list of ten movies I feel bad about enjoying. Oh wait, no I don't.

10. Never Been Kissed (1999) OK, this is one where I actually have no idea how to explain or even understand what makes me like it so much. It's one of the more forgotten in that awkward late 90s slew of romantic comedies. I don't even like Drew Barrymore all that much, but I love her in this movie. The little Josie Grossie. If I were the sort of person that did things like this - I would create an entire tumblr account dedicated to the obscene faces Drew Barrymore makes throughout life - this movie particularly, but yowza.

9. Rocky 4 (1985)

Drew Barrymore rom-coms aside, I don't think this one needs any explanation. To this day, I believe Ivan Drago is the scariest opponent/villain not only of the Rocky franchise, but of all sports movies. The montages are fantastic, with the training montage being the most memorable. Literally whenever I work out, I will think of Stallone scaling a mountain. Whether I want it to or not, it's gonna happen. All my best workout playlists have Hearts on Fire and No Easy Way Out. Stallone is brilliant.

8. Saw (2004)

To clear this up I'm gonna go ahead and say this applies to only the first Saw. I don't have the same appreciation for any of the sequels, although I did enjoy Donnie Wahlberg being Donnie Wahlberg in the second one. This movie is just absurd. I remember seeing this in theaters, completely fascinated by the descent of Cary Elwes into madness to the point where I would be in hysterics. After he cuts off his foot and crawls over to Leigh Whannell and whisper/cries "I'll come back for you" with that little nod - that's it, I'm done. I also get a huge kick out of Danny Glover as a cop with a purpose. I've seen this movie an embarrassing number of times.

7. Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

This is another overlooked late 90s movie. At its core, it's mainly just a dumb/funny movie with a lot of awesome people scattered throughout. Nothing more or less than that. Also this description of a human being is one of my all time favorites:

6. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Adam Sandler before he started to lose his goddamn mind. Billy Madison might actually have funnier quotes overall ("If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis" "I AM THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE" Plus that entire speech featuring "I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul") but Happy Gilmore was the movie that I related to as a child. Well, as much as a child could relate to an angry hockey player that sucked at hockey and was inexplicably great at golf. I swear I probably watched this movie once a week for like two years. Carl Weathers. Overall fantastic.

5. Teen Wolf (1985)

You can try and find one, but no fault existed with Michael J Fox in the 1980s. The guy had a pretty banner year in 1985 between this, Back to the Future, and Family Ties. This is such an overlooked 80s comedy. It's maybe more adorable because he's so short, so here's this little werewolf strutting around school, and he's super popular now because of this. It's weird, I'm a fan. Now it sucks because most people associate Teen Wolf with that dub step show on MTV.

4. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
hell, even Bogus Journey (1991) if we're gonna get really weird with it

First one is classic. This role might permenantly define how people view Keanu Reeves, but he's amazing in this. I will always defend Keanu regardless of popular opinion. Not just in this movie - he's obscenely underrated. As far as these movies - second one definitely lacks from the first, but I'll still say it's a good one. If I were to try and explain the plot to someone I would probably say it involves robot versions of themselves sent from the future to kill their human selves. They then have to defeat Death in a battle of wills, but it's mainly just stuff like Battleship and Twister. They defeat Death, become best friends, and start a band that saves humanity. It sounds amazing because it is amazing.

3. any Schwarzenegger movie

This one shouldn't need any explanation either. My personal favorites are Predator, Kindergarten Cop, Terminator 2, and Commando - but really the man has the capacity to improve a movie by any significant margin just by existing in it.

2. The Cable Guy (1996)

I will go on record to say this is one of the funniest movies of all time. And I stand behind that statement, I really do. Whenever I watch it, I will laugh at least 90% of the entire goddamn thing. I guess this movie could be off-putting to some because it truly is Carrey at his most obnoxious - but from start to finish, this movie never quits. I guess we're playing prison rules.

1. The Karate Kid (1984)

If we're being honest with each other here, this shouldn't even be on this list. This is a fantastic movie, a classic coming of age/underdog story that should be honored from here until the end of time. But what can I say, it doesn't seem to garner a fraction of the respect it deserves so here it is. This movie sets the 80s standard for bullying, unorthodox teaching methods, and one liners. It's actually a perfect movie, I've probably seen it close to 400 times.

ten more movies I can't wait to see

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Let's see... 2012 seems to be jam packed with good stuff. The last year I can remember that had so many great films was 2007 maybe? A month ago I wrote about my top ten most anticipated, you can check that out here if you're interested. Here's ten more for good measure.

20. 2 Days in New York - August 10

Truthfully this movie, from teasers and trailers anyway, doesn't seem like it's actually going to be that good. It sort of feels like a recycled formula Julie Delpy loves implementing into all of her movies. But honestly, what can I say - I love that crazy French bitch. I feel like a huge part of the reason 2 Days in Paris worked so well was large in part to Adam Goldberg, who won't be appearing in this one. But at the end of the day this:

is maybe up there with my all-time favorite scenes. If that's the sort of thing she's capable of churning out, this one's worth at least a shot.

19. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Now playing

I know this one is already in theaters, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm actually pretty bummed because general consensus of this movie so far is not promising. It's weird, I like Steve Carell, and I want to like his movies - but I end up hating most of them. This one caught my attention after this trailer was released. Steve Carell is at his best when he's sad and pathetic, but in a funny and endearing sort of way (see: Little Miss Sunshine). This seemed in a similar vain, plus they use Talking Heads in the soundtrack. Whether I want it to or not, that's always gonna help sway my vote.

18. Gangster Squad - September 7

I know I'm in the vast minority with this one, but I generally tend to not give a shit about gangster movies. Very few really knock me to the floor... or "get my goat" so to speak (if anyone actually still speaks like that). Then again, I will watch *anything* with Ryan Gosling in it. He can improve the quality of a film at least 70% without breaking a sweat, so that's always a factor. Also, whatever - the trailer hit me with the right amount of intrigue. There's one scene in the trailer, however, that I feel could have been a great moment in the film if you weren't expecting it: when they shoot up the movie theater. Why ruin that in the trailer? Dumb broads.

17. Savages - July 6

Oliver Stone is a weird guy. For every movie he makes that I like, he makes six that I couldn't care less about. I feel like it's time he made one I like, and this may as well be the one. It feels like it's gonna be a little fun, a little explode-y, a little weird, a little sexy, and an overall good time. Aaron Johnson has dreads, John Travolta gets thigh stabbed, Blake Lively is one hot momma, but who is Taylor Kitsch? I have no idea who he is.

16. On the Road - couldn't find release date. But I though September-ish for some reason?

I've only ever read the first half of On the Road. You're probably supposed to read it in high school, but I went to a public school that assigned us stupid books instead of literary classics. Ethan Frome is, to this day, one of the worst books I've ever had the displeasure of reading - and we spent 3 months analyzing it. Frome bitterness aside, I throughly enjoyed the first half of On the Road. I have no idea why I stopped reading it, I think I just was reading multiple books at the time and it got sidelined for some reason. Either way I'm very intrigued to see an adaptation. From the trailer, it looks damn pretty. Pretty people and pretty landscapes.

15. The Great Gatsby - December 25

Ok this one is a bit of a wild card. Baz Luhrmann is another weird one. Again, probably in the minority, I genuinely like his 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet. It's weird, it's over the top - but I enjoy it. Remember Paul Rudd in that movie? So anyway, once again Luhrmann casts DiCaprio - this time as Jay Gatsby. Woah, that sounds awesome. Then we have Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. For the past ten years I haven't been able to associate the guy with anything but Spider-Man but ok, I'll allow it. Carey Mulligan as Daisy - ok great, love her. Then the trailer came out and it was so bizarre. It has Jay Z songs and glitter falling from the ceiling. Looks like we may get a couple of classic DiCaprio freak outs, but those are always welcome. Anyway this could be good, it could be awful. Let's find out together!
side note: look at DiCaprio! 2 movies on Christmas Day??

14. Little Birds - couldn't find release date. But I though September-ish for some reason?

My god, I am such a sucker for coming of age stories. I truly am. They are my vice. Girls that are trying to find their place, and as a result they are depressed and lay underwater in the bathtub. This girl, Juno Temple, appears in another movie on my other list this year: Killer Joe. So I don't know who she is yet, but apparently she's worth looking out for.

13. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - September 20

Again, this movie totally fits into that coming of age vice. 15 year old me read this book and angstfully related, now 24 year old me is curious to see the translation on screen. I also thought it was interesting that the guy who wrote the book not only wrote the screenplay, but also directed the movie. Now, this could obviously be a fatal mistake for the adaptation - but whatever, I'm in.

12. Safety Not Guaranteed - Now playing

This movie is also in select theaters, not playing near me yet, but hopefully soon. Unlike Seeking a Friend, this one actually has had a pretty glowing reception so far. I remember hearing the premise for this movie awhile back, and though I found the meme funny, my first reaction was basically: really? In spite of this initial reaction, I couldn't help but find myself wanting to know more about it. Overall it just seems like such a different and original concept. Very excited.

11. Seven Psychopaths - November 2

"A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu"
That plot, along with that cast, along with Martin McDonagh who did In Bruges (his brother is pretty fantastic also - The Guard was one of the best of last year, even if nobody seemed to notice it): what more do you need?

ten movies I can't wait to see

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With the release of Moonrise Kingdom this week, it made me realize exactly how long I've been anticipating a lot of the movies that are about to drop this year. I have to say, I think most of my favorite working directors are releasing movies in 2012, and I couldn't be more thrilled. These are the ten I'm kinda buggin over:

10. Argo - October 12 As far as I'm concerned, Ben Affleck as a director is 2 for 2 so far. I loved Gone Baby Gone and The Town. Basically that's enough to leave me interested in whatever else he works on until he forces me to believe otherwise. It was when the trailer dropped, however, that I really got on board. I originally had a totally different idea of what this movie was when I heard the concept, but now it kinda seems like a bizarre anti-heist movie. Does that make any sense? No. Also, Bryan Cranston.

9. Looper - September 28 Brick is one of my favorite movies definitely of the last 10 years, maybe of ever. This has a refreshingly crazy plot to get me more excited. I feel like I could do without the weird facial prosthetics they put on Joseph Gordon Levitt, but my god I'm kinda loving his Bruce Willis impression.

8. The Dark Knight Rises - July 20 Eh. Not sure this one needs that much explanation. In addition to being another (final) Chris Nolan/Christian Bale Batman movie, it adds Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Anne Hathaway into the mix. Lets do this.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man - July 3 I have to say I didn't know what to think about this one for awhile. I remained indifferent towards it for a long time, until the full trailers started getting released and it made me realize Andrew Garfield is kind of a perfect Peter Parker. Unlike Tobey Maguire, who definitely had the awkward nerd part down, he also has the charisma required of a goddamn super hero. Not to mention I'm pretty interested to see what Marc Webb is gonna do with this. I obviously loved 500 Days of Summer, but that's a slightly different movie. Lastly, always a good selling point: my girl Emma Stone.

6. Killer Joe - June 29 I'm a little embarrassed to say I really didn't know anything about this movie until I saw the trailer a couple weeks ago. It kind of gives me the same vibe as Drive (which as far as I'm concerned, was the best last year had to offer). Matthew McConaughey seems hell bent on erasing that Kate Hudson rom-com grave he's dug for himself over the last decade, and this very well may be the movie to do it. We also have a little Emile Hirsch action, which is always nice, and a little Thomas Haden Church action, which is always AMAZING. Also William Friedkin directed this - same guy who directed The Exorcist and The French Connection (my god how old is this gentleman?)... so the guy might know a thing or two about a thing or two.

5. The Master - October 12 You can really just leave it at PT Anderson. I will follow this man into the dark.

4. Cosmopolis - (playing festivals, no official release date yet) THIS. Has an amazing 80s vibe, reminds me of a weird combination between Patrick Bateman and Chuck Bass. Vintage Cronenberg. I'm on board. By the way, I absolutely love the casting of Robert Pattinson in it. It feels like a fuck you in some way, although I'm not totally sure to who.

3. Prometheus - June 8 Sometimes it can feel like if you've seen one space movie, you seen most space movies. They can be quite formulaic. This one doesn't even seem to venture that far outside that formula, and yet it somehow still seems new and interesting. It's difficult to explain. Also who edited all the trailers for this movie? They're amazing, and the music gives me chills. Fassbender (who's become a favorite of mine in the last couple years), Noomi Rapace, Stringer Bell, hell.. even Charlize Theron. Oh yeah, and Ridley Scott. Probably worth checking out.

2. Django Unchained - December 25

I don't care what anyone says, I am a big Tarantino fan. Tarantino slave movie was all I needed to hear. Sold. I also feel like DiCaprio will be absolutely perfect as a villain in this. There's no trailer yet, but that's OK. Do it up christmas day.

1. Moonrise Kingdom - May 25 You probably need a very specific personality to enjoy a Wes Anderson movie. His five non-animated movies so far are among my all-time favorites, with my favorite probably being The Royal Tenenbaums. A movie which in my opinion perfectly balances laughs, heartbreak, and an honest look at the relationships between friends and family. How they can build you up and break you down. Wes has had quite an impact on me. It's kind of like seeing an old friend. I dunno, it's good to have him back.