Frost/Nixon... Best Picture?

Frost/Nixon was an absolute gem of a motion picture. There was nothing about it that I didn't love. Based on true events, it is about the time period in American history following the infamous Watergate Scandal involving President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon (played flawlessly by Frank Langella). President Nixon did not take part in any interviews on the subject until he agreed to be interviewed by a British talk show host, David Frost. This television event (the most watched news program in U.S. history) became more important than anyone could have ever imagined. Frost (Michael Sheen, also an excellent performance), a seemingly laid back and not very serious man, becomes focused and determined to achieve a goal that would please most of the American people; to get a confession out of the former president. This intense, heavy-weight fight of an interview will live on in American history forever. The movie which could have potentially been boring and slow was not at any point. The film was directed brilliantly. It was very important that the movie accomplished two major goals, to entertain through a spellbinding drama and to teach with historical accuracy; both were achieved. The movie is, as far as I am concerned, historically accurate including the personalities of the main characters. Very few things were changed from the original 1977 interview. This film will undoubtedly be nominated for numerous awards. I think it gas to have strong consideration for best picture. It's very close for me between Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon but I think one of those two should and will win the award. Also Frank Langella should definitely be looked at for either best actor or best supporting actor (I'm not sure which he is considered). It truly was a phenomenal film. Another memorable movie from 2008. A very high 3 1/2 stars.

Subtle Details Make The Movie

Sometimes the little things in a movie that you only notice the second or third time you see it make the movie. I was watching batman again and one of the things i didn't pick up on was how 2 face knew that Wuertz was one of the bad cops (maroni told him that ramirez was the other). As I rewatched the movie the second time, i noticed how when Dent first meets Batman with Gordon (in the picture), he accuses Ramirez and Wuertz of being dirty cops and working for Maroni (which is true). Later in the movie, when 2 face confronts ramirez, she says she only did this because she needed to pay her mothers hospital bills. when i saw it a third time, i noticed something interesting in the scene when people are trying to kill Coleman Reese because the joker said he'd bomb a hospital if he wasn't dead in 60 minutes. batman texted gordon all the names of cops with relatives in the hospital. There were 2 names, berg (who tried to kill Reese) and ramirez. i thought it was very impressive how they tied these things into the story. just one of the many reasons why i changed my mind and decided that batman is better than slumdog millionaire.
if anyone wants to borrow frost/nixon, revolutionary road, slumdog millionaire, or benjamin button just ask me (I only have 4 movies at a time).

Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds truly was a failure of a motion picture. Although Will Smith does a fine job in the lead role nothing else in the film worked for me. First of all the plot in general was flawed and just not good. The plot is very ambiguous, so I don't want to give too much away, but it is about a man, Ben Thomas (Will Smith), who is a very unstable character that seems to be doing random acts of kindness to random people. Thomas throughout the movie travels to see the different people he might help especially one women named Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) and the two of them fall in love. At the end of the movie all the loose ends tie up and the story of the movie is cleared up. The beginning was boring the middle was decent and the end was okay besides the fact that parts of it were stupid and didn't make much sense. Right after the movie finishes you might think that it might have been a decent movie but then after any thought you realize that it wasn't good at all. The director tries to take the Will Smith's emotional performance in The Pursuit of Happyness and inject it into Seven pounds but the film just isn't emotional enough. The only positives were pretty good acting and a half decent story. I give it 1 1/2 stars.

The Case for Benjamin Button

The curious case of Benjamin Button, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about a man named Benjamin (Brad Pitt at his best) who ages against the laws of nature; he gets younger with time. Benjamin's story is read out of a diary as a dieing wish from a mother to her daughter. His story reminds me a little of Forest Gump as we follow his expedition through unusual life experiences different form any other man's. His mother died giving birth to him and he was abandoned and left on a stoop by his father. He was taken in and raised in a nursing home, where he fit in perfectly at his young/old age, by a women named Queenie (Taraji P. Henson, a wonderful performance) and was raised and nurtured by her motherly love. He eventually leaves the home to set off on his journey; destination- wherever life takes him. His larger-than-life path through friendship, war, love and his battle with time is unforgettable. The movie progresses in the same pattern as Benjamin Button does, starting slow and becoming more alive and exciting as time goes on. Although the movie had a slow moving plot I didn't feel at any time that I was bored. Ironically the short story was adapted into a very long movie (159 minutes), which I can see feel like a drag to some, but I thought it was well directed (directed by David Fincher) and the time well used. I must say I don't notice this in many movies but the makeup, costume and set design was quite impressive. The 45 year old Brad Pitt plays a convincing eighty year old man as well as seventeen year old. This was accomplished through manipulation of makeup and costume design. Also one can see the clear difference between the 21st century hospital set and the mid 20th century setting of Benjamin's life and I felt the difference in the time periods. The acting by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (plays the love of Benjamin's life Daisy) as well as the rest of the cast was superb. Overall a really great movie experience. I grant it 3 1/2 stars.

You Will Love Slumdog, I Promise

Slumdog Millionaire is a can't miss, magnificent, majestic and rare film that will send chills down any viewers spine. After watching it there is a sense of enjoyment and fulfillment like no other movie I have seen in a while. The film has a very original, creative and intriguing plot that just has you loving every second of the movie. A poor Indian teen, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), is a contestant on India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" television program. Although one may think that he went on the show with only money in mind this is not so with Jamal. He is on the show to show the love of his life, a girl named Latika, where he is and to prove his love for her. Jamal's destiny lies ahead of him and nothing can stand in his way. Every question on the show leading up to the grand prize of 20,000,000 Rs. is answered by an event that occurred previously in Jamal's life. Through the questions we are exposed to the life of a "slumdog" and all the telling experiences of Jamal's absorbing life story. The wonderful story combined with great directing (Danny Boyle) gives us the priceless Slumdog Millionaire. Go see it, you'll thank me. One of the best of the year, a clear 4 stars.

Random Review: Into the Wild

Into the wild is an excellent film about an intelligent young man who despises materialistic things and therefore sets off into the wild on a journey to discover the world's true beauty; nature. The film begins with Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch, marvelous in his breakout role), lashing out against his parents(William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden) because they insulted his worn out car and offered to buy him a new one. This is the first time we begin to see inside Chris and start understanding his motives for his adventure. Following this disagreement, Chris decides to pack up his bags, donate his savings to charity, and head off to Alaska; away from the material life of expensive cars and flat screen televisions. Throughout the film, Chris encounters extremely diverse groups of people and changes their lives forever. Near the end of the film, Chris, by chance, comes upon an old man named Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook- nominated for an Oscar for the role) who is battered and lonely. Chris develops a father son relationship with Ron in the most emotional stretch of the film. The film, beautifully directed by Sean Penn (better know for his acting abilities), takes it's viewers on a adventure of friendship, love, and fulfillment. 3 1/2 star rating.

This Past Weeks Queue

If you will look at the left hand side of the screen you will see my queue, every week, for movies I plan to view that week. This week I watched A Few Good Men, Crash and Zodiac.

A Few Good Men: Many consider it to be a classic. It is about an ongoing case protecting two marines who killed a fellow marine at the base. At first it may seem like outright murder but as the plot develops you begin to see the defense's side of the case. Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are at their absolute best especially in the last scene which is said by many (including me) to be one of the best scenes ever from a motion picture. I thought it was an excellent well made movie and I give it 3 1/2 stars.

Crash: Crash is one of the most intriguing and compelling films I have seen. It shows the major clash of every ethnicity and how they all cross paths. This is shown through individual characters representing their race or country in the movie. This movie helps you realize the stereotypes and baseless hatred between different people. Crash won the Oscar best picture in 2006. I enjoyed it and thought it was very interesting but it still only gets 3 stars from me (a high end three stars).

Zodiac: This movie is based on the true case of the Zodiac serial killer from the 60's. The case involves a murderer who the authorities spend much effort tracking down based on very ambiguous clues based on things such as the coded letters the killer writes to the press. The case comes down to one mans persistence in finding the truth. It is an interesting plot that keeps you eager for truth and justice. I honestly thought the movie was longer than necessary and boring at times. It was good but not by any means great. I give it a borderline 3 stars (not quite a 2 1/2).

Share your thoughts if you've seen any of these movies. Don't forget to check out next weeks queue.

Best Movie Scenes Ever

There are so many great movie scenes, so I am sure I will skip a few good ones. And I know Craig hates lists, but I think this is all encompassing. At the very least, its more accurate than Adin's blog. Some of these movies (the untouchables, psycho, etc.) you may have never seen so i am sorry about that. and i may have overrated the Godfather but the only one i think i put too high was the wedding scene and that set the tone for how they portray gangsters as good guys. and sorry if its long Craig.

1. The court scene from A Few Good Men. -by far the best.
2. The baptism in the Godfather when everyone dies. -100 scenes come from this one.
3. The meeting of the dons in Analyze This. -i think it is the funniest scene ever from a decent movie.
4. The scene when Rocky beats Apollo in Rocky II. -most inspirational scene ever.
5. In Star Wars episode 5 when Darth Vader tells Luke that he is his father. -best twist ever.
6. The shower scene in Psycho. -best murder ever and just amazing for when it was made.
7. The scene in Brave heart when Mel Gibson inspires his men. -Gibson and Eastwood are the two best actor/directors ever.
8. The opening scene in saving Private Ryan. -best war scene.
9. The end of fight club. -second best twist
10. The scene in oceans 11 when it all comes together. -either the original or the remake.
11. In the usual suspects when you find out who it really is. -WOW
12. The scene in Hoosiers the day before the game. -every sports movie comes from Hoosiers, and its still the best sports movie ever
13. The escape in Shaw shank Redemption. -genius
14. The scene in the hospital of Remember the Titans. -saddest scene
15. In Goodfellas when he goes "so you think I'm funny". -hope you have all seen this scene
16. The wedding scene in the Godfather. -I'm probably overrating this one but I love it how they show the Don as if he is a nice man trying to make friends.
17. In Star Wars Episode 6 when Darth Vader kills the emperor. -shows how everyone has a little good.
18. The scene from the untouchables when Al Capone writes in blood over the dead body in the elevator "The Untouchables". -seriously might be the third best gangster film after the Godfathers I and II.
19. The drawing of the male organs in Superbad/the scene in the cooking class when he tells the teacher that the class is a joke and Jules says that she was called "hyman" until she was 14. -great scene although probably not top 20, but Jesse loves it.
20. Either the scene where Sonny dies at the toll booth or the scene when Michael kills the cop in the Godfather. -great murders

I'd link the clips but i don't know how. And if i am still missing a few scenes or under/overrated one just comment.

A Few Good Men, Street Kings, and Fight Club

I just recently saw A Few Good Men, Street Kings, and Fight Club. A Few Good Men was one of the most over rated movies I have ever seen. The movies plot didn't move at all, it didn't have a sophisticated plot, and I really didn't think there was so much chemistry. It is only worth seeing for the last scene and I'd give it a 3 out of 4.

Street Kings was surprisingly a decent film for what i thought it would be. Basically Keeanu "No Emotion" Reeves is a cop who kills about 20 dirty cops and gets away with it. It wasn't plausible at all. There were however 2 or 3 great scenes and the movie was very suspenseful. I'd give it 2 or 2 1/2 stars.

Fight Club was a four star movie (minor spoiler ahead). It might not be deserving of its rating based upon the movie itself, but it was so different from any movie i have ever seen. and it had the second greatest twist i have ever seen to Star Wars (I ordered the Sixth Sense from the library so this might change next week). Brad Pitt was one of the greatest characters ever (although definitely behind Darth Vader and James Bond Adin). The end was brilliant when he shot himself and killed Brad Pitt. The only thing I didn't get was why people joined the club when they saw him hitting himself and a couple of other details like that. anyways I'll probably review the original Scarface and the sixth sense later this week.

My Thoughts On Milk

I just got back from seeing Milk a little while ago. I thought it was good; there were multiple positives about it but also a few negatives. For those of you who don't know, the movie is about the forst openly gay elected official in U.S. history. It was a nice, well told story but I don't think it was good enough to be up for best picture. I thought Sean Penn was perfect playing the homosexual Board of Supervisors elect and should definitely be considered for best actor. It is very easy to overact such a role (playing a homosexual) but Penn nailed it. The movie was definitely slow at times but the good parts were really good. Not to give anything away but I thought the way the director decided to do the ending was great. Milk is definitely worth seeing although it may be a bit overrated. I'd still give it a very solid 3 stars.

The Greatest Movie of the year!

I just finished watching the dark knight for the seventh time. my dad recently bought it on DVD and i was so happy. Anyway, it was just as great and intense as any other time i watched it (except for the first). I just wanted to list a couple of my favorite scene and lines from the film. Feel free to add to the list
1. The opening bank robbery- it was brilliant
2. The jokers meeting with the mob- "want to see a magic trick?"
3. Joker crashes the party sequence- "do you want to know how I got these scars on my face?"
4. The interrogation room scene
5. The final scene- it wrapped up the entire movie

Random Review: American Beauty

American Beauty is an absolute masterpiece and triumph of a film. In its release in 1999 it was nominated for eight Oscars and won five including Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), Best Director (Sam Mendes) and Best Picture. The director just had this way of taking a, what may seem, boring plot and creating a drama where I could not look away. The movie is about a man, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), who is going through a mid-life crisis. All the people he knows basically push him around, from his wife, to his boss, to his daughter. When he meets one of his daughter's friends he is attracted to her and that pretty much leads to him saying screw everything I'm gonna do whatever I want. It's just a very intriguing movie. Something about the casting of the characters and the personalities of them made me feel this great connection to every character. Mendes successfully portrays the average man's inner conflicts and shows that you don't need a super-hero to overcome one's problems. This especially held true for the main character, Lester Burnham. I think that anyone who sees this movie will have a connection with at least one of the diverse characters in the film. Also just the way the whole plot was strung together; the sequence of events, the dreams, the narration, the motifs and everything else was just brilliant. This movie will make you realize a lot of things about people in general and you might, as I did, just sit down and think about it for a few minutes after the ending. See it, I hope it blows your mind as it blew mine.

10 Great Scenes

I may have not included some of your favorites, but that probably means I haven't seen it comment if I left any good ones out.

10. Movie:Return of the King
Scene:The arrival of Rohan
Synopsis: Minas Tirith is on the brink of destruction, but Rohan arrives just in time. The scene of the horses lining up as the sun rises gives me shivers every time. Théoden's speech is one of the most memorable ever.
9. Movie: The Matrix
Scene: The Discovery
Synopsis: When Neo learns what the Matrix is, i was going nuts. The whole white room with the TV and chair where Morpheus talks about the harvesting fields is genius. great scene.
8. Movie: Gladiator
Scene: The Challenge
Synopsis: Russel Crowe finally reveals his identity to Jouaquin Pheonix, challenging the emperor to a gladiator match. Crowes intensity makes this scene memorable and this movie a must see.
7. Movie: The Departed
Scene: The End
Synopsis: Can't say any more. If you've seen it you know what I mean, if not, thank me later
6. Movie: Tropic Thunder
Scene: Retarded
Synopsis: Robert Downey Jr. delivers his best lines in this hilarious star studded film. Ben Stiller's obliviousness and Downey's "Never go full retard" speech had me rolling on the floor.
5. Movie: Remember the Titans
Scene: The Hospital
Synopsis: This scene, i will admit, made me cry. Gary and Julius talking about how they will grow old together is touching. Great tear jerking scence.
4. Movie: Sin City
Scene: The End
Synopsis: The repetition of the lines from the beginning of the film is genius. Bruce Willis is magic in this movie, a must see for any true lover of movies
3. Movie: Anchorman
Scene: The Brawl
Synopsis: When the emotions of the reporters finally boil over, a brawl involving a grenade, brass knuckels, and a trident ensues. Hillarious even after seeing it dozens of times. Little Known Fact: The anchor of the public news network is Tim Robbins
2. Movie: The Big Lebowski
Scene: The Eulogy
Synopsis: Walter gives a eulogy of their departed friend Donny. The whole thing with the surfing and his portrayal of Donny is priceless. And of course, the scene culminates with the ashes flying into The Dude's face. Unforgettable.
1. Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Scene: The End
Synopsis: SPOILER ALERT Andy escapes from Shawshank and procedes to remove all the money he helped launder. Red comes to mexico and the movie ends with a view of the peacful pacific. Best scene ever, it is smart, inspiring, funny, and unexpected.

Sound off and give me your favorite scenes

Best Movie Quotes Ever

I have been having a big disagreement with a fellow movie fan. I think the Godfather has much better quotes than Casablanca and is a much better movie. He says otherwise. AFI has "I'll make him a deal he can't refuse" at the 2 but has more Casablanca quotes in the list. I was wondering what your favorite line ever was from any movie. Mines either "My names Bond, James Bond", "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!", "I'll be back.", "Yippi Kay Yay Mother F*ckers", or "Yo, Adrian! I did it!". My favorite scene from any movie was the las scene in Analyze This. It starts "Dr. Ben Sobel: My name is Ben Sobel... -lioni. Ben Sobellioni. I'm also known as, uh, Benny the Groin, Sammy the Schnazz, Elmer the Fudd, Tubby the Tuba, and once as Miss Phyllis Levine." Afterwards the whole first thing second thing thing. Hilarious. If you see it, make sure to see Scarface and the Godfather first because it parodies it.

Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2008

10.Quantum of solace [teaser trailer]- From start to finish, this trailer had my adrenaline running and my heart pumping. Even if you never seen a james bond film in your life, you were inclined to see this one. Watch the trailer
9. The incredible hulk - Even though its predecessor film was awful, the hulk is still one of my favorite super-heroes and Edward Norton did a heck of a good job playing the tormented Bruce Banner. "don't make me angry" Watch the trailer
8. Harry potter and the half blooded prince[teaser]- these potter films keep on getting darker and darker. I wouldn't even be surprised if the next one gets an R rating[jk i would] Watch the trailer
7. The curious case of Benjamin Button- Even the the title is intriguing, but to see Brad Pitt age backwards, I'm sold. Watch the trailer
6. Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull- ok the movie was pretty bad, but just seeing Indi back on the silver screen gave me goosebumps. Watch the trailer
5. Terminator Salvation teaser- "come with me if you want to live" Watch the trailer
4. Tropic Thunder- The star studded cast,made for the best comedy of the year. Watch the trailer
3. Iron man - what a trailer and what a movie. Robert Downey Jr nailed the role of Tony stark. Watch the trailer
2. Watchmen teaser trailer- For all you comic book fans out there, this trailer is for you. Zach Snyder tackles on Allan Mores successful graphic novel Watchmen. "who watches the watchmen?" Watch the trailer 1. the dark knight- the whole world was blown away by this film. seeing Heath Ledger portray the clown prince of Gotham gave every body the chills. this movie wasn't only a good batman movie or a great sequel, but it was an fantastic film all around."Hit me!" Watch the trailer

Godfather Quotes

This is my list of top 10 Godfather Quotes:

1. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." (Number 2 on AFI top 100) -Don Corleone to Johnny Fontane about Woltz
2. "There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. " –Michael Corleone (#58 quote on top movie quotes by AFI)
3. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." -Clemenza to Rocco
4. "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." -Clemenza to Sonny
5. Never get angry. Never make a threat. Reason with people. –Don Corleone
6. "A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns." -Don Corleone to Michael
7. In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns. -Calo
8. "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." -Don Corleone to Johnny Fontane
9. I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless. But not men. –Don Corleone
10. Michael Corleone: "My father is no different than any other powerful man -- any man who's responsible for other people, like a senator or president." KAY: "You know how naive you sound...senators and presidents don't have men killed." Michael Corleone: "Oh, who's being naive, Kay?"

I can't wait to see...

There are a bunch of what look to be great movies coming soon to theatres which makes picking which one I'm most excited to see a pretty hard decision. For me it comes down to Frost Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. They both look like they have potential to be instant classics and critics rave about both. To me The Curious Case of Benjamin Button just looks like an absolutely amazing must see and could become one of the best movies of the decade. It is about a man, Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt), who plays a character who ages backwards. He is born about eighty and Becomes younger as the years go by. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald this story is as intriguing as they come. I don't know about you but I'm psyched to see it December 25, Christmas day.
Watch the trailer

My "Go To" Critics

When I'm looking to see a movie and I feel like seeing what the critics say there are a select few that I read. I feel my taste in movies is most similar to there's and I like their usually intelligent comments on movies. First I usually look to Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum (somewhat biased on my part), and then I read up on what Rolling Stone's Peter Travers has to say. I like Schwarzbaum because I feel she is a little more critical than most critics and isn't afraid to completely rip on a movie. And of course Travers will always throw in some witty, hilarious lines that will often make you laugh harder than the actual movie. I think if you look at critics often you should be consistent in who you look at. I'm sure other people have their personal favorites. Some people might totally disagree with the reviews and criticisms of Travers and Schwarzbaum and I completely agree that there is no right opinion of a movie.

What's with all this select theater business

Lately a bunch of new movies have been playing in select theatres only. Slumdog Millionaire is supposed to be one of the best movies of the year and I may not be able to see it because it is only playing in select thetres. The same goes for Milk, also one of the year's best. Last week I got all excited cause I saw somewhere that it said Frost Nixon was out but then I realized unless I wanted to go to a special "select theatre" I was gonna have to wait until Christmas to see it. I mean I respect the producers of these movies for doing it because its pretty cool and classy but it's just frustrating to me. What's your opinion on the matter?

Random Review: Pan's Labyrinth

I don't say this about many movies but I loved Pan's Labyrinth. It may be a little difficult for some people to watch because it is spanish (with english subtitles) but it is well worth it. The plot is wonderful and the acting is very good as well. It is not too much of a fantasy that it's completely in another world but enough to make you use your imagination. I don't mean to spoil it but the open ending is brilliant. I highly reccomend it to all movie watchers.