Great movies people haven't seen #2

Kung Fu Hustle
I wouldn't be surprised if you people have seen this, it was actually a huge financial success. But being a foreign movie, a whole lot of Americans probably haven't seen it. Released in 2004, this movie has become a cult classic. Taking place in 1930's China, the movie revolves around a poor burrow outside a large city. Crime is rampant right now and most of it is due to the notorious axe gang. One afternoon two swindlers make their way into the burrow trying to get a free hair cut by posing as members of the axe gang. After being exposed they pretend to light a signal to bring in the axe gang, it's actually a fire cracker that he throws over a fence. But at that precise moment some actual members are passing by and it lands on one of their heads, the swindlers blame the people in the burrow. The gang moves in and threatens to kill everyone. But before they can do anything some of the people living there come forward to face the gang. And you finally see what this movie is about. Over the top kung fu action. After this incident the leader of the gang is scared of people like them because the pose a threat to him. So he decides to seek revenge and destroy those who insulted him. You got to take this movie with a grain of salt. It knows exactly what it is and it doesn't take its self seriously. Its like a cartoon version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The acting and the fighting are way over the top, every time someone gets hit they go flying through the air. I don't think physics even exist in this universe. This may not go down in history as a staple piece of Chinese cinema, but it is a hell of a good time.

Great movies people haven't seen #1

Take Shelter
Like most indie films this movie wasn't seen by many people. It didn't even make its 5 million dollar budget back. But those who did see it praised it for what a great movie it was. Released in 2011, this was actually my pick for best movie of the year. The movie revolves around a construction worker named Curtis and his family. They live their normal lives and are saving up for a family vacation and they're waiting for their insurance to come through in an attempt to get their deaf daughter a hearing implant. All of a sudden Curtis starts having these terrible nightmares that haunt all day. He then starts having hallucinations. At this time the viewer doesn't know what is happening, but Curtis does. His mother was a schizophrenic, which can be hereditary, and the symptoms start to show up around his age. Curtis starts to loose site of reality and believes that a storm is coming. He becomes obsessed with his families safety and spends ten's of thousands on developing a storm shelter His wife becomes furious with him for spending so much money because it puts their daughters surgery at risk. Now Curtis has to fight his disorder in an attempt to hold on to what is left of his family. This is a dark and depressing movie. Watching this man's decent into madness is terrifying cause he is a danger to himself and to those around him. What makes this movie so good is the towering performance from the actors. Michael Shannon (Curtis) should have won an Oscar for his role. You add such great acting to a well written and thought out screenplay and you got a recipe for one of the best movies of the year. If you haven't seen Take Shelter I can't recommend it enough, it's a tour de force that everyone should watch.

My 5 most anticipated movies of 2013

5. Gangster Squad
I have some pretty high hopes for this one, we are in need of a good mafia/gangster movie. Off the top of my head the last great one we had was the Departed in 2006. Set to be released in in January of 2013, Gangster Squad is about an eastern mob boss who makes his way out to LA and starts to take over the place. So a group of cops go rogue in an attempt to stop him. This movie was originally supposed to be released in late 2012. But the movie had a scene of people getting shot in a movie theater. And the first time the trailer was shown in theaters was right before the Dark Knight Rises. So out of respect they pushed the date back to 2013, and that's a pretty admirable thing to do.

4. A Good Day to Die Hard
The fifth installment of the long running Die Hard series has finally arrived. Is it necessary? Nope. But I'm gonna watch it and I'm probably gonna love it. A lot of people are saying that's time to let the series die, another movie would just ruin it. But they said that about the last movie, which turned out to be pretty bad ass. To be honest I don't even know what this movie is about. Something about John going to Russia, he meets sees his son there who is a spy, and they got to stop a bad guy or something. All I know is it's going to have a lot of shooting and explosions, which works for me.

3. Man of Steel
I was very skeptical of a new Superman movie, the last one wasn't very good if you haven't seen it. And even after the first teaser trailer I still wasn't sure. But after seeing the first full length trailer, Iwas on board. This movie will be following the style of the new batman and James Bond movies in that it will be more realistic. In the older movies when Superman first appears he is welcomed with open arms and is expected to save the day. But let's be honest, if Superman was real we wouldn't be so friendly. And that makes me interested. This movie could very well crash and burn. Or it could sore like Superman should.

2. Pacific Rim
According to the movie in the not so distant future, Earth is attacked. We expected our enemies to come from the sky, we weren't expecting them to come from the sea. An inter dimensional rift opens up at the bottom of the ocean, and giant monsters come through and start wrecking everything. Earth is devastated and our resources are starting to deplete. So mankind bands together and builds a group of giant robots in an attempt to combat the monsters, the plan is less than successful. Our last hope is for a retired pilot and untrained rookie to make a final stand against the monsters using a legendary robot. Does that not sound f*cking awesome? If I wasn't already hyped enough for this movie before, when I learned that Guillermo Del Toro directed the movie I put full faith in to it

1. Star Trek Into Darkness
In 2009 the Star Trek series was rebooted with a new Summer blockbuster, and it was fantastic. It was one of my favorite movie of the year and I am pumped for the sequel. At this point in time we don't actually know much of the plot. The only thing we do know is the villain's name is John Harrison, who was wronged in some way by Starfleet and now he's pissed (right now it's unconfirmed but John Harrison may in fact be the legendary Star Trek villain Khan). Harrison is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes in the hit British show Sherlock). Before hearing that, as Calvin Candie would say, "You had my curiosity. But now you have my attention." If this movie is anywhere near as good as the first one, Star Trek Into Darkness will be great. And it's definitely my most anticipated movie of 2013.

Les Miserables Review

Based off the beloved musical by the same name, the film adaptation Les Miserables has arrived just in time for Oscar season. It may even win a few. The movie takes place over a 20 year period during the French revolution. The story follows many people but the main person is a convicted criminal named Jean Valjean. Jean was arrested for stealing a loaf of bread and was sentenced to 19 years of slavery for trying to run. Once released he is put on life long probation, but after a random act of kindness from a stranger he throws away his old life to start a new one. Years later, under a false identity, Jean is a factory owner and the mayor of a small town. One day he is recognized by a military man who has made finding Jean his life long goal. Before leaving the town he adopts a young girl who's mother had just died and he makes her his own. Years later while living in Paris there is an uproar for revolution and they are caught in the middle of it. Jean's daughter falls in love with a revolutionary and after he is wounded Jean is willing to risk his own life to save his. Just so his daughter is happy. Now going into this movie you need to be ready. Les Miserables isn't like a Disney movie where there's talking and the break out into song every once in a while. This movie is a straight up musical, 90 something percent of the dialog is sung. Fortunately most of it is sung well. Almost every actor gives a great performance, Hugh Jackman may even be nominated for an Oscar. Now surprisingly the weak link is Russel Crowe. He's a great actor, but not a great singer. And that is really highlighted when you got people like Ann Hathaway singing "I dreamed a dream" perfectly, and then you got Crowe's music. The best aspect of this movie is the cinematography, it's absolutely gorgeous. It's some of the best I've seen this year. Probably my biggest complaint about this movie is that it feels long. It's not that it is long, it's only 160 minutes which is actually shorter than several blockbusters to come out this year (such as the Dark Knight Rises). But since some scenes really slow down, and the fact that it's a 160 minute long musical makes it feel over three hours. But all in all Les Miseralbes is a good movie. Good acting, music, and beautiful cinematography makes this an enjoyable film. And that's coming from someone who isn't a big fan of musicals. 4/5

Django Unchained Review

I'm a huge Tarantino fan and I've been waiting a long time to see this movie. Not only does it surpass my expectations, it is one of the best movies released this year. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained is violent, vulgar, and down right hilarious film. Imagine if Blazing Saddles had a baby with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Set two years before the civil war, the movie follows a slave by the name of Django (Jamie Foxx). While being transported alongside a group of slaves, Django is rescued by a bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz needs Django's help in finding three slave driving brothers with a bounty on their heads. The problem is Schultz doesn't know what they look like, so that's where Django comes into play. Django points them out and Schultz points his gun, and in return Django will be a free man. While hunting for the brothers the Doctor learns that Django's wife was take from him and sold at auction. Schultz feels sympathy towards him and agrees to help find his wife. They learn that his wife was sold to a scumbag plantation owner named Monsieur Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). So Django and Schultz head out to save his wife. Django Unchained is Tarantio's first dip into the Spaghetti Western genre, and he nails it on every level. The writing is the best he's done in years, it's also the funniest script he's ever written. One thing I admire about Tarantino is that he does what he wants. Django Unchained is less than politically correct to say the least. Also this movie was cast perfectly. I'm even expecting Waltz to get a best supporting actor nomination. Samuel L. Jackson is in this movie and he plays Candie's kiss ass head slave. He plays the same character as in every other movie he's in (angry black man), and he nails it. Tarantino also makes his usual cameo, I always welcome seeing a master of cinema on the big screen. Another thing that added to the movie was the soundtrack. It comes from several different genres. Country, rap, even got some Johnny Cash thrown in there. I only have two complaints about this movie. The first is that I wish the female actress was as strong as some other women in Tarantino's moves. And the second is I didn't need to see Jamie Foxx naked. But those two things aside I loved every thing about this movie. The acting, music, writing, and everything else are just about perfect. This is Tarantino's best movie since Pulp Fiction. And not only is this one of the best movies of the year, it may just be my favorite. 5/5

Top 5 Christmas Movies

5. A Christmas Story
Released in 1983 A Christmas Story is as classic as a movie can get. I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie multiple times every year since I've been born. The story is simple, it's about a kid who wants a BB gun but every one says "you'll shoot your eye out kid." And the movie follows him the month leading up to Christmas  This is a great family movie, enjoyable for the kids and the parents. And it's just fun to watch.

4. Miracle on 34'th Street
This movie is just down right heart warming, released in 1947 this movie was a hit. Considered by a lot of people to be one of the best classic fantasies out there. The movie takes place right before the yearly Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. A powerful business woman has raised her daughter in the worst way possible, not believing in Santa. But one day she meets the real Santa, who apparently moonlights at Macy's in his free time, and he has to teacher not only to believe but what is the real meaning of Christmas.                                                                                                                        

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Some say it's Beetlejuice and others say it's Edward Scissor Hands, but if you ask me The Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton's masterpiece. The movie is about Jack Skellington who leads his city Halloween town in a yearly Halloween celebration. But Jack grows tired of doing the same thing every year, but after discovering Christmas from another world, he decides to make it his own. What originated as a poem went on to become one of the greatest animated features ever made.

2. Die Hard
Probably weren't expecting this one. It takes place during Christmas so it counts. One of the greatest action movie of all time, this movie is down right badass. While visiting LA to see his kids, officer John McClane gets a little more than he bargained for when visiting his ex wife at her work. Taking place in a sky scraper, the building is attacked by a group of organized terrorists in an attempt to steal hundreds of millions in bonds from the company safe. To bad for them, the messed with the wrong cop. Or as John would say, "Yippee ki yay mother f*cker."

1. It's a Wonderful Life
As much as I wanted to put Die hard at number one, I felt there was no other option than this. Released in 1946, this movie encompasses the true meaning of the holidays, be thankful for what you have. While contemplating suicide and asking what if he was never born, a man is visited by an angel who shows him how the world would have been different without him. The man then sees the error of his ways. Taking all I've said into consideration, it's clear that It's a Wonderful Life is undoubtedly the best Christmas movie ever made

Best Movies of my Life #1

Shawshank Redemption
Here it is, the best movie to come out during my lifetime. Widely considered to be one of, if not the, best movie of all time. The number one ranked movie on IMDB. The legendary Shawshank Redemption. Released in 1994, the movie was actually a box office failure. It took years of DVD sales to make a profit. And upon its release it was met with favorable reviews, but it took a long time to see what an incredible movie this was. The movie is about a man named Andy Dufresne who is convicted of murdering his wife and is sent to Shawshank Prison (a maximum security prison run by a corrupt and less than friendly warden). Adjusting to prison life is difficult for Andy and takes him some time to open up to anyone. After a couple of months he talks to a man named Ellis Boyd who is know for being able to get you anything in prison. Andy asks for a rock hammer and Ellis jokingly said he would have to dig his way out every night for 20 years to escape. But Andy has some free time on his hands so he'll take the chance. Before going away Andy was a successful accountant so the warden agrees to give him special treatment if he can help him in tax evasion. He'll come to regret that decision later. Several years into his sentence a young man is sent to Shawshank, so Andy takes him under his wing and helps him get his high school GED. But after the kid is killed by one of the guards under the wardens orders, Andy decides he has had enough and it is time to leave Shawshank. This movie is a rare type for me, one of the few movies that I think is perfect in every way. There is not a single thing that could have been done to this movie to make it better. Even though it took people longer than it should have to realize what a gem this movie is, it is finally getting the recognition it deserves. And that is why Shawshank Redemption is the best movie of my life.

Best Movies of my Life #2

Pulp Fiction
I like using words like incredible, amazing, and most of all brilliant. And brilliant doesn't even do this movie justice. Pulp Fiction has become one of the most beloved movies ever made, so much so it was ranked by users as the number 4 movie of all time on IMDB's top 250. Written and directed by Quenton Tarantino, Pulp Fiction is a cultural icon. I'd like to tell you what happens in it, but that's pretty tough. Split into several chapters the movie is about a couple of gangsters, a mob boss, his wife, a boxer and his girlfriend, the Wolf, Tarantino himself, a couple of crooks, some hill billy rapists, a gimp, and a very mysterious suitcase. It's hard to say exactly what it's about because the chapters are mixed up in a very stylized way, and I feel mixing them up really added to the movie. The reason this movie gained so much praise over the years was the superbly written dialog. You ask a thousand people to name a movie with good dialog, Pulp Fiction would be the most common answer. And that's what has made Tarantino such a beloved director, he is the master of dialog. Not exactly kid friendly though. You watch any of his movies and you're in for a lot of sh*ts, f*cks, and dammits. One scene that actually caused some controversy in the movie was Tarantino's cameo where he uses the N word several times. It was a creative and interesting use of the word so it doesn't bother me, but it rustled some people's feathers. So you add great dialog, a catchy soundtrack, and some fantastic performances (several of the actors in this movie give the best performances of their careers) to an already entreating movie filled with metaphors, allusions, and throwbacks to his earlier film. And you have the recipe for a legendary movie that put one of the most beloved directors of all time on the map.

Best Movies of my Life #3

Pan's Labyrinth
To be honest this is a hard movie to talk about because words can't even convey how amazing I think this movie is. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro and released in 2006, Pan's Labyrinth was the best movie of the previous decade. The closest thing I can describe it to is an R rated Alice In Wonderland. The movie opens up with an unknown narrator telling a story of how a princess from a far off land ran away to the human world and since she is not used to her surroundings she dies. Her father believes that her soul will be reborn into a human child, so he opens up passage ways from the human world to his and will stay alive until he sees his daughter again. After the intro you meet a young girl named Ophilia who is being transported to a cottage in the Spanish country side with her pregnant mother. Along the way she solves a little puzzle which releases a fairy who follows Ophilia through out the film. Once they arrive at the cottage we meet the mothers new husband and the father of her baby, the Captain. The movie takes place during WW2 and the Captain set the cottage up as his base of operations so he can fight rebels hiding in the mountains. And let me say this now, the Captain is one of the biggest scumbag piece of sh*t villains I have ever seen in a movie. He straight up murders people for no reason. And is willing to let his wife die to save the baby. He captures one of the rebels who happens to have a stutter and says if he can count to three without stuttering he will let him go, if not he is going to beat him to death with a hammer. All he cares about his himself and the baby. He wants to have a son to carry on his legacy. And he won't let anyone stand in his way of doing so. One night Ophilia is wakened by the fairy and taken to a Labyrinth near the cottage where she meets a Faun (a mythical creature) who believes Ophilia is the princess. And the only way she can return to her own world is to complete 3 tasks which put not only her life in danger, but others lives as well. Pan's Labyrinth is a masterpiece of cinema. Winner of countless movie of the year awards, several movie of the decade awards, a couple of Oscars, and is currently one of the 15 highest rated reviews on Metacritic. This is one of those movies that come by only a couple of times a generation. A beautiful and unique fantasy epic that I for one will never forget.

Octopussy Review

Like I said in my Skyfall review, James Bond may be my favorite film series. And I hate this movie with a passion. What the Phantom Menace was to star wars, this was to James Bond. Released in 1983 and starring the legendary Roger Moore (who unfortunately for him was under contract and had to do this piece of sh*t whether he wanted to or not), the film was met with less that favorable reviews. The story of this movie is convoluted and all over the place, even more than your usual Bond film. There's this guy stealing jewels from the Russians, they trace him back to an Arabian prince, and they're trying to destroy Europe with nukes or something. At a certain point this makes Moonraker look plausible. Needless to say this is not Roger Moore's best performance, to be honest this may be his worst. Another thing that bothered me was the Bond girl, she's terrible. She's boring, pointless, and more forgettable than any other other actress to appear in the entire series. The Bond girl doesn't have to be a good actress or even a well written character, but I expect them to be better than she was. Octopussy is absolutely terrible, this is one of those movies I wish was never made. True garbage and undoubtedly the worst movie in the entire James Bond franchise. Not even worth the time of day.

Best Movies of my Life #4

Saving Private Ryan
To this day I truly believe Saving Private Ryan is the greatest war movie ever released. Released in 1998, directed my Steven Spielberg, and the highlight of Tom Hanks legendary career, this movie is phenominal. Saving Private Ryan follows a platoon of soldiers as they travel through Germany. They have been given the order to find a soldier named Ryan. They have been given the unfortunate task of having to tell him that his brothers (soldiers them selves) have been killed in action. The problem is that they don't know exactly where Ryan is. So the movie shows us the journey that this platoon has to go through to find Ryan. And once they do, something comes up that makes their job a lot harder. This movie would go on to win many pest picture awards, but somehow not at the Oscars. It still baffles me how the academy didn't name this as the best movie of the year. Perfect directing, acting, cinematography, set design, and just about everything else makes this the greatest war epic to ever hit the silver screen.

Best Movies of my Life #5

No Country for Old Men
This is the second movie on this list directed by the Coen Brothers, but this is their masterpiece. Released in 2007, the film was universally praised and won best picture at the Oscars. The story revolves around a guy named Llewelyn who while hunting comes upon a drug deal gone bad, and while there he finds a suitcase full of money. Little does he know there is a tracker hidden in the case. And a sociopathic hit man has been hired to get it back. This movie has an old feel to it, and that's one thing I love about it. It takes a page out of the old Clint Eastwood playbook where actions speak louder than words. But undoubtedly the best aspect of No Country for Old Men is Javier Bardem's performance. It may be the best performance by a supporting actor I've ever seen in a movie. And I truly believe no on could could have played the part any better. His performance would would go on to win him best supporting actor at the Oscars. No Country for Old Men is a violent and intense thriller that is one for the ages.

Best Movies of my Life #6

There Will Be Blood
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood is a cinematic masterpiece. With one of the best performances by a leading actor and some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in a movie. Set during the early 20'th century, the movie is about a former gold miner turned self made oil tycoon named Daniel Plainview. Early in his career while on a job site there is a terrible accident that kills a single father who brought his newborn son with him, so Daniel adopts the boy and makes him his own. Years later he gets a tip about a massive oil reserve in a southern California. While acquiring the land for drilling was fairly easy, getting rich off the oil is a little more challenging than bargained for. Daniel Day Lewis's performance as Daniel Plainvew is nothing short of a triumph, a performance that essentially won him every leading actor award that year. And rightfully so. Paul Thomas Anderson has made several great movies, but There Will Be Blood is his crowning achievement  And a movie that will be hard to top.

Best Movies of my Life #7

American History X
This is one of those movies that is just hard to watch. You feel uncomfortable, you squirm in your seat, and you'll want to move away from people you're sitting next to. The movie stars Ed Norton who plays a white supremacist (which he becomes after his dad, who was a firefighter, is killed by a black guy while trying to put out a fire). The film takes place in the late 90's with flashbacks from a couple of years ago. The film starts out with learning that Norton's character is just getting out of jail. He was sent away for a manslaughter charge, and while there he has some life changing experiences that show him the error of his ways. And they show you the indecent that got him locked up and I will say it is a very disturbing and violent scene. But once he is released, he discovers his younger brother followed in his foot steps and has become a skin head. So Norton makes it his goal to get his brother away from this life. Released in 1998, this movie was overlooked by a lot of people and Norton was robbed for best actor. This is one of those movies you should make sure that there are no kids in the room. Violent, vulgar, and racially charged, American History X is just the right amount of controversial. And I'll admit it, the ending brought a tear to my eye.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Nine years. Nine long years since we have returned to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary Middle Earth, and this journey doesn't disappoint. Directed by Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the story about an extraordinary hobbit by the name Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo was once an average Hobbit. He liked to relax, eat good food, and smoke a lot of weed. But one fair morning he meets Gandalf the Grey who asks Bilbo to go on an adventure. While Bilbo declines at first, Gandalf doesn't take no for an answer. Gandalf leads a group of dwarfs to Bilbo, lead by the rightful king to the dwarfs, Thorin. Gandalf tells Bilbo how the dwarfs home was taken from them by a greedy dragon named Smaug. Gandalf is afraid that Smaug could be used by evil forces as a weapon, so him and the dwarfs convince Bilbo to accompany them as their burglar. But Bilbo soon finds out that he may not be cut out for all this. Being home sick and kind of an outcast from the rest of the dwarfs takes a heavy tole on Bilbo. He is used to a nice and comfortable life style, and being thrown into the real world isn't easy. So he has a lot of personal obstacles to over come and get out of his comfort zone. And along this trip he takes on trolls, goblins, and a formidable little foe by the name of Gollum. Gollum (AKA Smeagol) is a pivotal character in the Middle Earth saga, and that role is brought on by Bilbo Baggins. After he gets separated from the group of dwarfs, Bilbo ends up in a cavern with a strange creature named Gollum (who wants to eat Bilbo). So Gollum makes a wager, he agrees to help Bilbo out of the cave if he wins in a riddle contest. But if he loses Golem gets to eat him. And while this is going on Bilbo finds something interesting, a ring. And little does he know that years later that ring will determine the fate of Middle Earth. The Hobbit is a great movie. From the excellent performances from all the actors, the beautiful visuals and cinematography, an epic score, and the directing style we've come to know and love from Peter Jackson. It is a welcome return to a great universe, but that does not mean it is flawless. The first thing that bothered me was the opening sequence, it was very long. It takes about thirty or so minutes to get out of the Shire. None of the Lord of the Rings movie's openings felt to long. Another problem would be Radagast the Brown (one of the five wizards), his character annoyed me. He was a mushroom eating hippie with bird sh*t on his head. I feel like they could have done a better job with his character. And speaking about characters, that is actually my biggest complaint about the movie. With the Lord of the Rings, every character was relevant, important, had personality, and you cared about each one by the end of the first movie. With the Hobbit it is Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin, no other character is really relevant. And that is what is keeping this from getting a perfect score. Is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as good as any of the Lord of the Rings movies? Not even close, but it is a damn fine film that every one should see. 4/5

Note: I saw the Hobbit in 3D at 48 frames per second (compared to the usual 24 fps we see in film). I thought the movie looked good and I will say that it looked very smooth with some great 3D. But I actually would recommend seeing it in the usual 24 fps. I feel like seeing it at 48 fps took me out of the experience because I was focusing on the frame rate. I don't think it looked bad by any means (although it did look like it was moving in fast forward at times). I would suggest you see it in the conventional 24 fps first, and if you really want you should see it in 48 fps just for the experience.

Best Movies of my Life #8

Fight Club
Based off the novel by the same name and released in 1999, Fight Club has reached a legendary status that very few movies will ever obtain. The plot in this movie isn't straight forward, there is a whole lot of stuff that happens in this movie. And where it starts is miles away from where it ends. In a simple explanation, the movie is about an unnamed Narrator with no unique attributes  He's as much as an average Joe as you could imagine. But while on a business trip he meets a very unique individual by the name of Tyler Durden. After an unfortunate event the Narrator and Tyler reunite and become friends. And after a couple of beers they get in a friendly fight. Some people start to take notice and say they want to fight too, so Tyler and the Narrator  end up forming a fight club. And at that point it's just a slippery slope down hill. As far as books turned into movies, Fight Club may be the best. A dark, disgusting, and smart comedic thriller like few others. Known for great performances and the twist ending, Fight Club has become a cult classic and one of my all time favorite movies. And I consider Fight Club to be the movie that got me interested in film.

Best Movies of my Life #9

Fargo
If there is one thing I can say about Fargo, it's the funniest movie about kidnapping your wife so her dad pays a huge ransom that I've ever seen. Directed by the Coen Brothers and released in 1996, Fargo was met with unanimous critical acclaim and would go on to be named the best film of the year by dozens of publications and critics. The movie stars William H. Macy who plays a car salesman in deep financial trouble. He's married and like many couples, his wife's father hates him. Since he is in need of money, he gets an interesting idea. He hires two men to kidnap his wife so his rich father on law will pay a huge ransom. He offers the kidnappers half of the ransom and a car, but he plans on asking for more money than he told them and cheat them out of most of the ransom. But as you could imagine, this plan isn't so cut and dry. Fargo is a brilliant movie to say the least. Expertly written and incredibly directed with great performances by every actor, it hits the nail on the head in every category.  One of the most well known and respected film critics in the business by the name of Roger Ebert named it his fourth best film of the 1990's, and it's hard to criticize him for ranking it that high. This is one of those films that while it was a financial success, not a whole lot of people have seen it. So in conclusion if you haven't seen Fargo, you've missed out on one of the best movies ever made.

Best Movies of my Life #10

City of God
Drugs, guns, and a whole lot of dead bodies, what more can you ask for in a movie? City of God takes place in the favela's of Brazil over a 15 year period. The film follows the stories of several people in these slums but revolves around an aspiring photographer named Rocket who is connected to each of these unique characters. Rocket grew up in a favela nicknamed the City of God, where the government put the poor and the homeless so they don't tarnish the "post card" picture of Brazil. So when you put a bunch of young children in an environment full of poor people with no way out, some will resort to crime. That was one thing that actually caused some controversy about this movie. In one scene a character named Lil Dice plans a robbery of a motel where they tied up the staff and stole from the people staying there. Lil Dice wasn't having fun so he killed the staff members in cold blood, and he was only eight. Following these characters over such a long period of time is fascinating. And you really start to feel for some of these people.  Watching how they change and what they make of them selves is one of the most interesting aspects of this movie. Some are in the wrong place at the wrong time, some go down a dark rode you weren't expecting, and even the white night turns to the dark side after a series of unfortunate events. City of God is a moving and powerful with characters you love and characters you absolutely despise, and it's one of those movies that stay's with you for a long time.

Best Movies of my Life #11

Memento
Memento is one of Nolan's earlier films, and undoubtedly his best. Memento is about a man who is trying to find the man who killed his wife, but this is even harder than you'd imagine. While trying to save his wife he suffered a head injury, giving him permanent short term memory loss. But what makes Memento so unique is that is shown to you backwards. So you actually see the final scene in the story first, and you see the first scene last. When one scene ends you go the scene that chronologically happens before it, and when that scene reaches the scene you saw previously the cycle restarts. Because each scene is all the character remembers, you are seeing all that the character sees. While some people would call it a gimmick, I call it great film making. Memento is an absolutely brilliant film, and the only reason Nolan did it was because it was his brother's idea. His brother wrote a short story that was published in a magazine and then Nolan wrote a screenplay based off the story. And the result was phenomenal. Watching this character follow every lead and dedicating his life to catching the killer is fascinating. Writing every thing down and even tattooing important clues on his body so he doesn't forget anything. And the best moment of the entire movie is the final scene that throws you for such a loop, you don't even know which way is up.

Best Movies of my Life #12

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
This series is so epic I couldn't choose just one of them as number 12. Directed by by Peter Jackson I believe the Lord of the Rings is the greatest trilogy in cinema history alongside the original Star Wars trilogy. Based off the book series by J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson takes us on an incredible journey into one of the deepest and most beloved worlds in entertainment. The film follows a young Hobbit by the name of Frodo and he has been entrusted as the keeper of the ring. A magical ring forged by an evil entity by the name of Sauron in the fires of Mt. Doom in the heart of Mordor. As long as the ring still exists, so does Sauron. So Frodo has to cross his homeland of Middle Earth and into Mordor to destroy the ring the only way it can be destroyed, by throwing it into the lava of Mt. Doom. Accompanied by a fellowship of 8 others Frodo is the only one who can do it, because unlike many others, he is not corrupted by the ring so easily. But as you can imagine, the forces of evil will do everything possible to stop him. And on top of all that, the enemy has created a giant army of orcs and attempt to take over Middle Earth. Each and every movie in this trilogy are nothing short of astounding. Critically acclaimed and a financial success, this is one of the most loved series of all time. The third film, The Return of the King, was one of only three movies to win eleven Oscars (the most a movie has ever won). A visually stunning and immersive trilogy, these are the types of movies that people will be watching for years to come.

Batman and Robin Review

OK...let's get this over with. By popular demand I have been asked to review bad movies, and what better movie to start off with than the quite possibly the worst movie to hit the silver screen. The one, the only, the terrible, Batman and Robin. I've been very vocal on my opinions of this movie, I even took some time to bash this thing in my Dark Knight review. And I truly believe there is not a single redeeming quality in this piss box, now let's start with the acting...it's horrendous. No actor gives an even decent performance, I partially blame the script for this, but that is no excuse. You have George Cloony and Uma Thurman in this movie who has been nominated for Oscars and they're just god awful. Alicia Silverstone and Chris O'Donnel are just as bad, but the absolute worst performance (if you can call it that) has to be Arnold. Arnold has never been known as a great actor but he is just pitiful in this. The plot in this movie is just plain stupid. Freeze starts to steal these giant diamonds to power a freeze ray to freeze Gotham and hold it for ransom so he can use the money to save his terminally ill wife. And there is something about Poison Ivy in there who doesn't want Gotham to freeze so the plants don't die or something, no one really cares. Why Freeze doesn't just sell the giant diamonds, I can't tell you. I wish he did that so the movie would have been a lot shorter. And the dialog in this movie may be the worst dialog in a movie ever...period. From the stupid jokes to the terrible one liners it's just plain bad. This movie is an atrocity, and an insult to the intellect of anyone that watches it. It is not enjoyable in any way shape or form. If you're considering watching this, I promise you will have more fun getting a lobotomy for an  hour and a half. 0/5

And if your interested one of my favorite movie critics did a hilarious review of this movie where he just tears it apart for six minutes. I highly recommend it.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77cuS2BGL9A

Best Movies of my Life #13

Children of Men
Children of men was a British sci-fi film released in 2006 and has as unique of a plot as you will ever see in a movie. The story takes place in the year 2027 where since 2009 women have become infertile. And as you can imagine, having no children in 18 years takes its tole on the world. Governments, the economy, and social order has collapsed. The only functioning city left in the world is London, which has become a prison state, not allowing refugees into the city and any that sneak in will be exported or worse. The movie revolves around an average Joe named Theo who is kidnapped by an ex girlfriend who leads a militia group fighting for refugee rights. The former couple kicks it off again, but it's not long until she is killed in a sneak attack by an unknown group. When taken back to the militia's base, Theo discovers that the group has found the first woman to be pregnant in 18 years. A young woman from Africa named Kee. While the group wants to keep the baby a secret for fear of what the government will do to it, Theo decides to sneak her out of the country and take her to the Human Project (man's last try to discover what is causing all of this). Children of Men is a movie like no other.And it shows how even when sh*t hits the fan, people will fight until there dying breath to ensure mankind goes on.

Best Movies of my Life #14

The Departed
Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. The Departed actually won best picture in 2006. And amazingly it is only his fifth best movie. But over his long career with several critically acclaimed movies, The Departed was the his first movie to win best picture at the Academy Awards. Based off of a Chinese movie by the name "Infernal Affairs." The film revolves around an undercover cop played by Leonardo DiCaprio who infiltrates the Irish mafia in order to find a rat on the police force played by Matt Damon. And while all this is going on Leo is also gathering evidence in an attempt of trying to put a mob boss away played by Jack Nicholson. With a twist a couple twists you won't see coming The Departed is a nonstop thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire movie. And on top of that every actor in this movie gives an incredible performance, the best of a couple of the actors careers. A mature, violent, and vulgar movie laced with dark comedy, The Departed is a fantastically written movie that finally got Martin Scorsese the Oscar that he deserved.

Best Movies of my Life #15

Toy Story
Like many other people, this was the movie of my childhood. A true classic, and one of the most beloved children movies of all time. I'm assuming that everyone has seen this movie, but if for some odd reason you haven't I'll give a quick summary. Toy Story is just like it sounds, it's about toys. When the kids leave the room, the toys come to life. The movie revolves around a kid named Andy and his toys, and the toy in charge is a cowboy named Woody. One day Andy gets a new toy named Buss Lightrear, who thinks he's real and not a toy. And throughout the movie this group of toys gets involved in a series of hilarious shenanigans. Superb voice acting, a great soundtrack, lovable characters, a unique plot, and just about everything else in this movie is original and fantastic. Toy Story was Pixar's masterpiece, and to be honest I feel bad for Pixar. Toy Story was there first feature film, and that's a hard movie to follow up. But time and time again Pixar has proved they are one of the best film companies out there.

The Imposter Review

The Imposter
To be honest this is one of those movies that is really hard to review. If there wasn't documented proof that this really happened, I would call the whole thing bullsh*t. Released in 2012, the film tells how in 1994 a 13 year old boy from San Antonio named Nicholas Barclay went missing. Three years later his family gets a call from some police in Spain that they hound him. He is then flown back to his family and resumes his former life. But something is off, from the way he talked to the way he looked. People were suspicious, was this even Nicholas. It is learned that this imposter is a French nationalist named Frederic Bourdin, and is wanted by Interpol for impersonating hindreds of people. Frederic is a sociopath who grew up in an abusive home where he was unwanted, and found an escape from his life by pretending to be others. One day he placed a fake phone call to the police claiming to be a couple on vacation who found a kid, locked himself in a phone booth and waited for the police to come, claimed to be Nicholas after he gathered some information about missing persons at random, and then proceeded to fool the police and the family about who he was for weeks. This movie would best be classified as a psychological thriller, it's like something out of a nightmare. How someone could do this to the family of a missing person and give them hope that they found them only to have it taken away from them is a sick individual. They actually got Frederic involved in the movie and when you hear him talk, he just doesn't sound right. He doesn't talk like a stable person, he should be locked away in and insane asylum. Documentaries are my favorite type of movies, and this is one of the best I've ever seen. Similar to "Man on Wire" in how it was shot, and creepier than almost any movie I've ever seen. An astonishing film that isn't just the best documentary film of the year, it's one of the best movies of the year in general. 5/5

Best Movies of my Life #16

The Hurt Locker
Released in 2009, "The Hurt Locker" took the film industry by storm. Praised by critics and audiences, the film went on to win literally hundreds of awards. It even won six Oscar's including best picture and the director Kathryn Bigelow would be the first woman to win best director at the Oscars. But while in theaters, it was a financial flop. It didn't even make its 15 million dollar budget back. Fortunately all the award coverage boosted DVD sales, bringing the total revenue to 50 million. The movie follows the lives of an EOD (explosive ordinance disposal group) squad during their tour in Iraq. After the death of a teammate the squad receives a new member, and he's a thrill seeker. And in multiple parts of the movie he puts his team members at risk. After a couple of missions don't go according to plan, his outlook on his situation changes. One thing that makes this move so interesting is that it's not so much about the war, but more about the soldiers. This movie makes you connect with the characters like few movies do. You see what makes them tick, what keeps them up at night, and what they would rather be doing. Beautifully shot, well written, superbly acted, and as intense of a movie as you will ever see.  

Silver Linings Playbook Review

Silver Linings Playbook
I'm going to be honest, this film was a lot better than I thought it would. And the reason is because it is different than I thought it would be. "Silver Linings Playbook" is about a guy named Pat played by Bradley Cooper (the Hangover). One day Pat comes home early from work and finds his wife with another man. Unfortunately for that guy Pat is Bipolar and goes off the deep end and beats him within an inch of his life. After spending the next eight months in a mental facility he is released to go live with his parents. Not long after that he is set up on a blind date by one of his friends with a young lady named Tiffany played by Jennifer Lawrence (the Hunger Games), who is also a little unstable. Tiffany is a recent widow who had a mental breakdown after her late husband died, and she believes it is her own fault. Almost instantly you see some sort of connection between Tiffany and Pat. Tiffany wants to be more than friends, but while Pat is attracted to her he is optimistic that he can patch things up with his now ex wife. Tiffany (who is knows Pats ex wife) offers to get Pat in touch with her if he agrees to be her partner in a dance competition. At first Pat thinks it's stupid, but he soon learns that the competition will effect the ones he loves and his relationship with Tiffany. This movie was marketed as a romantic comedy, but really it's not. It is first and fore most a drama with romantic comedy elements, which adds so much to the movie because they take it seriously. Most romantic comedy's are pathetic, thrown together, money grabs meant to get couples to shell out 20 dollars to see a sub par movie. But Silver Linings Playbook is about two damaged and emotionally vulnerable people who are trying to put there lives back together. And the most impressive thing about this movie is how attached you get to the characters, I can't think of a movie where I was rooting for the characters to get it together so much. Both Cooper and Lawrence did a fantastic job in their roles, and they have the best chemistry I've seen from a couple in recent memory. Jennifer Lawrence may even be up for an Oscar for best actress in a leading role. I loved this movie and it's been one of my favorite films of the year. And while some people may be turned off at how serious this movie is, it is a emotionally charged film that I highly recommend others to see. 4.5/5

Best Movies of my Life #17

Synecdoche, New York 
First off, I have no idea how to pronounce the name either. And second, I would be impressed if you've ever heard of this movie let alone seen it. "Synecdoche, New York" is written and directed by Charlie Kaufman (witter of "eternal sunshine for the spotless mind" and "being John Malkovich"). The film follows the life of a local theater director named Caden (Philip Semour Hofman), and his depressive ass life. I'm not joking, Caden has the saddest life I've ever seen. His luck goes from bad, to worse, to just plain terrible. Seriously, if I were him I would have put a bullet in my head after the first thirty minutes. Early in the film Caden is met with his depleting health and starts to go mad throughout the film. And on top of all this Caden's selfish bitch of a wife leaves him and takes his daughter, who he doesn't see for 30 years, because she believes she is in a passionless marriage. One thing you need to know about this film is that time is irrelevant, years pass in an instant. In the film Caden is awarded the MacArthor Grant (a 500,000 dollar grant given to geniuses) which Caden uses to put on a massive play inspired by his own life. He rents out a giant storage house and essentially builds a city inside of it filled with people told to live out a regular life. But throughout the film the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. At a certain point you can't tell if what is happening is real or if it is just going on inside Caden's head. I'm going to be honest, this film is much smarter than me. Filled with motifs, allusions, and metaphors. Brilliantly written and filled with dark humor. An intelligent and entreating film about a sick man's decent into madness over a period of years. And the most depressing f*cking movie I've ever seen in my entire life.        

Best Movies of my life #18

Spirited Away
When I first heard about Spirited Away I didn't think I would like it, but in reality I was amazed at how moving it would be. The story revolves around a young girl who has her parents taken away from her and is transported to another world. And the only way she can get them back is if she works for the owner of a supernatural bathhouse for demons, spirits, and monsters. So this young girl has to adjust to her new life and learn to work with the spirits of this world in order to gain her life back. You can never really put your finger on what's going to happen next in this movie. When you think one thing is going to happen, the opposite does. And the shear uniqueness of everything in this film keeps you engaged until the last second. An epic fantasy about overcoming adversity and the love of a daughter. And one of the best animated movies ever made.

Best Movies of my Life #19

The Dark Knight
In 2006, Christopher Nolan rebooted the batman franchise with the first film of a new trilogy called "Batman Begins." And it was great. One reason it was so good was that the previous film was so bad. I'm not sure how many of you saw Batman and Robin, but it is one of the worst movies ever made. It's not worth the film it was captured on. But Nolan pitched this idea of a new nitty gritty style and it resulted in one of the best trilogies in cinema history, and the crown jewel of the series was "The Dark Knight." Honestly the Dark Knight was a lot better than we thought it would be. As good as Batman Begins was, we had no idea how this one would turn out. It was an action packed emotional thriller with layers we weren't expecting, and Heath Ledger's incredible performance as the Joker was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately Ledger passed away before the film was released. Praised by critics, audiences, a financial success, and the greatest super hero movie ever made. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is absolutely incredible.

Lincoln Review

"Lincoln" is about just what it sound like, the 16'th president of the United States Abraham Lincoln. Directed by one of the greatest directors in cinema history Steven Spielberg, Lincoln is a triumph. The film revolves around the president during the height of the civil war when he is trying to pass the 13'th amendment to abolish slavery. But with both political and personal problems standing in the way, this is no easy task. The first thing you notice about this film is the outstanding acting. Every actor gives an incredible performance. But without question the best performance comes from the man playing the president, Daniel Day Lewis. Lewis's most notable work was staring in one of the best movies of the last decade "There will be Blood" (which he won an Oscar for). And incredibly he may have done an even better job in Lincoln. His performance is nothing short of incredible, and he may have just one himself another Oscar  Another notable performance would be Tommy Lee Jones who plays one of the best characters in his movie. His character wasn't just emotionally charged about passing the amendment, but he was an hilarious smart ass in the process. And Jones may have also won himself an Oscar for best supporting actor. From the great cinematography, to the great score, to the superb writing. Speilberg has truly outdone himself. Making not only one of the best movies of the year, but one of the best of his already legendary career. 4.5/5

Best movies of my life #20

28 Days Later

I'm sure a that there are a couple of you thinking, "really? That's one of the 20 best movies in the last 18 years?" Well it's my damn list and I say it is. And the reason it is is because it is a culturally relevant movie. It's not often we get a movie that completely changes a genre. Before this movie the zombie genre was dying, the ideas were stale and washed up. But in 2002 Danny Boyle released 28 Days Later which breathed live back into zombie movies. What actually makes this movie unique actually seems insignificant. 28 Days Later was one of the first movies to have fast zombies and zombies made through infection. And since the films release there have been dozens (maybe even hundreds) of movies and video games that have tried to follow the 28 Days Later formula (very few have succeeded). And I've got to give Danny Boyle props for this movie, he made it for the price of a bowl of ramen and made like a 100 million. So the reason this is number 20 on my list is not just because it is a great movie, but it's also one of the most influential movies in years.

Skyfall review

James bond may be my favorite movie series of all time. The first one I saw was "The spy who loved me" (which to be honest isn't very good). But I remember seeing the villain's henchman "Jaws" and thought he was awesome. After that I saw more and more of the series. In 2006 a reboot to the series entitled "Casino Royale" was released, and it brought Bond into the 21'st century with a new gritty style. In 2008 "Quantum of Solace" came out, and it was a huge disappointment (in its defense, it had some pretty big shoes to fill). And now after four long years we get the 23'rd installment in the 007 franchise "Skyfall," and it is better than I ever could have imagined. Skyfall is directed my Sam Mendez and in it Daniel Craig returns to his role as James Bond and gives, quiet possibly, the best performance of his career. While James Bond is known as an unstoppable badass who never gives up and who you can never break, starts to show his age. Years of heavy drinking and partying all night has taken a its toll on the super spy. And one of the most interesting aspects of the movie is seeing Bond pull himself out the hole he dug. When the movie was announced people had one question, who would play the Bond villain. Some people were worried since the last two movies did not have a defining bad guy like the classics. When Javier Bardem (most noted for his role in No Country for Old Men, which he received best supporting actor for) was announced as the film's antagonist, everyone's fears where put to rest. Bardem gives a masterful performance as the psychopathic Raoul Silva, a cyber terrorist and ex MI6 agent. One of the complaints Casino Royale revived was that it didn't have the classic charm of the older movies, it didn't feel like a Bond movie. Skyfall manages to combine the elements of the new gritty movies with the whit and charm of the older ones. Even opening visuals and theme song (performed by Adele) has a classic feel. Through out Skyfall references are made about the older Bond movies, and anyone who has seen the older films will get a real kick out of it. Everything about this film is spectacular from the acting, to the soundtrack, to the cinematography, and superbly written dialog.  Skyfall isn't just a great bond movie it is a great movie in general, and is a film every one should see. 5/5