Top 10 Horror Movies

Note: This list is based entirely on my opinion, and there are several classic horror movies that I have not seen and can not include them on this list.

10. Halloween
When you watch the original Halloween movie now, you would probably think it's nothing special. It has a formula that we've seen hundreds of times, but realize that Halloween practically invented that formula. Released in 1978, Halloween quickly became one of the most influential slasher movies of all time; resulting in countless movies imitating it as well as resulting in about a dozen sequels (almost all of them were terrible but that's beside the point). Shot on a budget of only about 300 thousand the movie went on to gross an astonishing 70 million dollars; so it's not hard to see why so many movies tried to copy it. The main antagonist Michael Myers has become a horror legend and the definitive model for a slasher movie villain. A great achievement in movie originality and independent film making, Halloween is considered by many to be one of the all time greatest horror movies.

9. Alien
Personally I'm not a big fan of Alien; I find it rather slow and often boring. But I do recognize it as one of the most suspenseful, jaw dropping, and brilliant horror movies ever. Released in 1979, Ridley Scott debuted a movie that would revolutionize the sci-fi horror genre that resulted in a long running and incredibly detailed film series. While none of the other Alien (or predator movies) could match the original or its direct sequel (James Cameron's "Aliens"), it still managed to bring the genre to places it had never gone before. Whether it be the incredible set design, practical effects, or introducing one of the most badass women in cinema history (Ripley), Alien is a movie that still captivates audiences today.

8. Shaun of the Dead
Calling Shaun of the Dead a horror movie might be pushing it a little; it doesn't make it any less of a great movie. After the end of the fantastic British comedy series Spaced, Director/co-writer Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again to make one of the funniest movies ever. One of the early zombie-comedy movies, Shaun of the Dead took a very unique look at the genre and decided to have some fun with it. There isn't a movie in existence that is as much fun to watch with some buddies Halloween night as this one is. While it is primarily a comedy, there are some seriously dark turns and shocking twists that make the movie a lot more serious than it appears to be. Shaun of the Dead is an absolute gem, a stroke a genius that resulted in two equally great follow-up films (Hot Fuzz and The World's End); but it's still hard to beat the original.

7. The Birds
I'm one of those people that subscribe to the belief that Alfred Hitchcock is the greatest director of all time, his style and uniqueness has caused countless directors to try and emulate him. One of his most recognized films is his horror/thriller "The Birds," and is often considered as one of his best. If you've ever analyzed the plot of the movie, it's pretty stupid. It's about a bunch of birds that try and kill everyone one day; how good the movie is can be contributed mostly to Hitchcock since the screenplay itself isn't very good. Yet Hitchcock managed to turn this into one of the most terrifying movies of all time, a movie the scared the living sh*t out of me when I was six or so. Hitchcock is the mast of mystery of suspense, and The Birds is one of his defining movies.

6. King Kong
I think more than any other movie on this list, King Kong has become a cultural icon. Originally released back in 1933, King Kong has inspired several spin offs (including outings into the Godzilla franchise), video games, comic books, and was even remade by Peter Jackson in 2005. At the time, King Kong was a technological marvel; if you watch it today it's obviously extremely dated, but for the early 30's the visual effects were unmatched. Combining live action with stop motion animation it stood head and shoulders above any other movie. I can only imagine what the audience felt the first time they saw it. They must have jumped out of their seats when King Kong first walked on the screen; a combination of terror and excitement that has been emulated few times in film history.

5. The Silence of the Lambs
There's a reason this won best adapted screenplay, best director, best actor, best actress, and best picture; it's pretty great. Based off the book by the same name, The Silence of the Lambs follows an aspiring FBI agent who is tasked with talking to a dangerous serial killer named Hannibal Lector. Through her talks she learns more and more about another killer that's at large nicknamed Buffalo Bill, so now she has to play Hannibal's sick games; but if she does she will make her career and take a dangerous criminal off the streets. Fun fact, this is the first horror movie to win best picture. And for good reason, this movie works on every level. From Jodie Foster's and Anthony Hopkins legendary performances to the perfect adaptation from the book, this is start to finish one of the most unsettling and memorable horror movies of all time.

4. The Host
The thing that makes The Host stand out among horror movies is that it brought the classic horror monster movie into the 21st century. Known by its South Korean name "Gwoemul," The Host tells the story of a small family whose youngest member is kidnapped by a monster that has mutated due to chemical dumping. This might actually be the most emotional horror movie I've ever seen, you really feel for this family. On top of that it's believed that the monster is spreading some sort of disease, and since the father of the girl that was taken was touched by the monster it's believed he's patient zero. So the family sets out to move the heavens and the earth to save the daughter, and it gives us a pretty great story. Also that monster is creepy as all hell.

3. 28 Days Later
I know a lot of people hate this movie claiming that it's not a real zombie movie and that its overrated, but they can go f*ck themselves because this is by far the greatest zombie movie of all time. Released in 2002, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later redefined and revitalized the entire zombie genre. Probably the most distinguishable characteristic would be the zombies, in that they aren't actually zombies. These zombies are actually infected people so they can die like people, whether it is bullets or starvation; but what is most memorable is that 28 Days Later is the first movie to ever use fast zombies and they are terrifying, they run like Nigerian sprinters. 28 Days Later is an amazing horror movie and is totally underrated, and it's probably my favorite horror movie of all time.

2. Jaws
On any other day I could have chosen this as number one, I was close but not today. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws was an instant sensation reaching critical acclaim, winning several Oscars, and became the highest grossing movie of all time and held that record for several years. Supposedly, Jaws was so terrifying at its release that eastern tourist towns took a huge economic hit because no one wanted to go to the beach. Jaws is Spielberg's masterpiece; some say his best movie is Schindler's List, others say it's Raiders of the Lost Ark, but to me Jaws will always be his best. Jaws was an impressive movie then and it's an impressive movie now, the people behind it worked like hell and managed to make one of the most terrifying movies of all time.

1. Psycho
The undefeated, undisputed, king of the horror genre is none other than Alfred Hitchcock's unrivaled masterpiece, Psycho. This movie was a game changer; panned by critics but loved by audiences, Psycho has become a classic and is considered by many to be THE definitive horror thriller. The most notable aspects would be the two jaw dropping twists that take place in the movie; supposedly when the movie was still being shown in theaters, if patrons showed up late they wouldn't be allowed in the movie because this is a story you need to see from start to finish. While this might not be the best movie on this list (being slightly edged out by Jaws), no movie defines genre like Psycho; and it's undoubtedly the greatest horror movie of all time.

The Counselor Review

There's one reason people get in the drug business, its big money. In 1971, Richard Nixon declared the "War on Drugs" in an attempt to stop all illegal substances from making their way past American borders. Forty two years and over one trillion dollars later, the war on drugs has been a complete and utter failure. Drug smuggling and violence related to this so called war is at an all time high; but while smuggling is illegal and even immoral, it's still a business. And like all businesses there are people behind the curtain who are pulling the strings. These people are some of the most dangerous humans on earth; with a snap of their fingers they can end your world. If you stand in the way of their money they will make you move whether you want to or not; because at the end of the day, it's just business. The Counselor primarily takes place in the south-west United States and northern Mexico. The central piece in this story is a seedy layer known only as the Counselor. After representing some very shady people, the Counselor ends up befriending and even going into business with some smugglers. During the course of all this, he ends up meeting a beautiful woman named Laura who he proposes to during the events of the film. One day his friend Reiner offers the Counselor a true position in his organization to where he can make some real money; running low on funds he accepts. The Counselor later goes to one of his clients in jail who tells him that her son was arrested on a speeding charge and asks him to pay the 400 dollar fine to get him out. He agrees but later the son ends up dead. It turns out the son works as a runner for the cartel; and he was given a device that ultimately leads his killers to a 20 million dollar shipment of drugs. Since the Counselor was the one that bailed him out, he's the cartels number one suspect. The Counselor realizes that his only option is for him and his fiancé to run; unfortunately his enemies won't make that an easy task. The Counselor was a movie that flew under my radar up until a month ago, but when I heard about it I was immediately interested. Directed by the legendary Ridley Scott and the a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize winning author Cormac McCarthy plus a great cast, this movie had all the potential in the world. So what do you get when you combine an Oscar winning director, an all star cast, and a screenplay from one of America's greatest living authors? You get an absolutely terrible movie. I'll start out with the good: Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt do the best job they can with the material they were given. And I will say I like the cinematography, I think Ridley Scott did a good job with the way the movie was shot. Other than those two things the movie does everything else wrong. Probably the biggest problem would be the horrible screenplay. The dialog between the characters is abysmal and often pompous. It feels fake and incredible forced; there isn't one decent line in the entire movie. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz co-star and neither do a particularly good job. Cruz's character is in the movie just so there can be some sort of love interest for Fassbender (The Counselor). And Diaz's character is just awful, she's written so over the top and she over acts to try and compensate. On top of that she might be the worst written character in the entire movie. None of the characters are likable and by half way through the movie you just don't care what happens to them. The movie is also very boring; it takes a good 45 minutes for anything of real interest to happen. Quite a bit of the stuff that happens in the movie seems very trivial and unimportant; a lot of it doesn't seem to pertain to the story. And there are several characters that are introduced that have no real relevance to the story, they're just there to move to the next plot point but are ultimately unnecessary. The Counselor has been the single most disappointing movie of the year, in the end it's just a waste of potential. I was hoping this would be one of the best movies of the year but it turned out to be one of the worst. If you're planning on going to the theater in the next week, there are a lot of better choices than The Counselor. 

Pros: Decent acting from some of the stars, good cinematography.

Cons: Terrible screenplay, horrendous dialog, poorly written female characters, introduction of characters with no purpose, quite a bit of useless content, very boring.

1/5 Stars

5 Movies to Look for in 2014

5. How To Train Your Dragon 2
2010 was a packed with incredible movies, but probably the biggest surprise was How to Train Your Dragon. HTTYD is based off the series of the same name, I actually read the first four installments when I was younger and loved them. When I heard they were making a movie I was skeptical whether the book could be turned into a movie, but after I watch the movie I was absolutely blown away. The movie is very loosely based off the book and amazingly it's better than the book. HTTYD was beautifully animated, had great voice acting, was incredibly touching, and downright funny. While I'm nervous whether or not the sequel can live up to such high standards put forth by its predecessor, I'll certainly give it a try.

4. Godzilla
Now I'm not sure how many of you have seen the 1998 Godzilla, but if you haven't seen it let me save you the time. It's f*cking terrible. The first time I saw it I think I was like eight or nine and I thought it was kind of cool then; I just wanted to see Godzilla destroy stuff. About a year ago I was channel surfing and saw it on so I re-watched it. I then realized that it was horrible, I couldn't make it all the way through it. So when I heard they were making a new Godzilla movie I was more than skeptical and still am, but I'm willing to give this one a chance. The cast in the movie is pretty good and I think that's what is giving me hope. Plus with a budget of 160 million I hope the special effects are decent. While we still don't know whether it will be good or bad, it can't be any worse than the last one.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
I've made it no secret before that I think Wes Anderson is an absolute genius, that may be "hipster" thing for me to say but it's true. His style is so unique and so distinctive; he has the ability to make his movies have a sort of child like wonder but at the same time be very much made for adults. Their wit and charm are unmatched by almost any other movie, and they're absolutely hilarious. The Grand Budapest Hotel takes place in the early 1920's where the head of a legendary hotel befriends a young lobby boy but ends up becoming a suspect in a murder. The trailer was just released and if you haven't seen it go watch it now. This movie looks like classic Wes Anderson, and I mean that as the utmost compliment.

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
The X-Men movies where some of the first modern super hero movies that took the nitty gritty approach that every other super hero movie in the past ten years has tried to emulate (only a few have done it successfully). And while the first two received very positive reviews and have become classics in their time, I was never a big fan. But in 2011, the fifth installment called "First Class" was released and it was awesome. It took a slightly less seriously approach than the other movies which I really enjoyed, plus Michael Fassbender plays Magneto which pretty much sells the movie. "First Class" was one of my favorite movies of 2011 and I've been waiting for a real sequel ever since. My expectations are high but I think Days of Future Past will be great and I can't wait.

1. Interstellar
To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what this movie is about. I assume it has something to do with space travel but all I really know is that it's directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Matthew McConaughey, and that's all I really need to know. Nolan burst onto the scene back in 2000 with his now cult classic "Memento," and since then has become one of the most respected directors in the business. Matthew McConaughey was almost a laughing stock in the movie business a couple of years ago by doing terrible movie after terrible movie. All of a sudden he's turned his career around and is a contender for this year's Oscar. Calling Interstellar THE movie to look out for in 2014 even though we know almost nothing about it may be hasty, but I have faith in the people behind it and truly believe that this is the most promising looking movie coming out in 2014.

The Fifth Estate Review

The whistleblower has always been a controversial figure in both the eyes of the media, the government, and society in general. People like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning have been called everything from heroes to terrorists, but no one has ever drawn as much attention as Julian Assange. In 2010, his website WikiLeaks assisted in the release of thousands of classified US documents pertaining diplomatic cables as well as confidential information about the US's involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Whether you call him a hero or a terrorist, Julian seems like a fascinating person and after the leak every camera in the world was pointed directly at him. The Fifth Estate follows the story of Julian Assange and his partner Daniel Domscheit-Berg during the early stages of WikiLeak's rise to power all the way to the publishing of classified documents in 2010. The movie starts off with Daniel at his job as an IT worker at a company, he skips work early to go meet Julian for the first time at a tech convention; soon after Julian reveals some information to Daniel and asks him to work alongside him. Julian would be the face and Daniel would be the man behind the curtain. The first major story that WikiLeaks releases involves a European bank that has stolen billions from tax payers. After that WikiLeaks becomes a worldwide sensation, drawing thousands of people to their site every day. Over the next few years Julian and Daniel release more and more information that has been kept secret from the world. But over the years Julian and Daniel's relationship deteriorate due to different ideals and ways they want to take the website. After a falling out, Julian calls Daniel and tells him they need to talk. Julian shows him a video of US soldiers in an Apache helicopter firing at innocent civilians with no concern for them lives. They decide to post the video and become the United State government’s number one enemy, but that was just the beginning. Not long after another whistleblower gives Julian the largest leak of classified information in history. Daniel wants to edit out people's names for safety, but Julian wants to release it in its entirety. So there lies the question; edit it to protect hundreds of people, or stick to your roots and condemn people to death by releasing it in full. The Fifth Estate does two things right, Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job and the premise is very interesting; unfortunately the film does a lot more wrong than it does right. For the entire movie I felt like the creators wanted it to be like the Social Network; the problem is that the Social Network was written by award winning Aaron Sorkin, and the Fifth Estate screenplay is written by a guy who's most impressive credential is being an executive producer on fringe and is directed by the guy who brought us the last two Twilight movies. The acting in the movie is pretty bad, other than Cumberbatch no one gives a good performance; I'd go so far as to say the movie's co-star actually did a bad job. The dialog throughout the over two hour run time is pretty bad as well; which brings me to my next problem, the movie is long and often boring. The build up to the really interesting parts takes way to long and moves at a snail’s pace at times. On top of everything else it looked like they used quite a lot of green screen for some reason and the overall cinematography annoyed me. The Fifth Estate has been one of the most disappointing movies of 2013, what could have been something really great turned out to be perfectly forgettable. While it's certainly not the worst movie I've seen this year, I can't recommend it (especially considering how many great movies there are in theaters right now). By the end of the year, everyone will have already forgotten the Fifth Estate.  

Pros: Interesting topic, good performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cons: Bad acting from the rest of the cast, poor writing, unimpressive cinematography, long and boring.

2/5 Stars 

Escape From Tomorrow Review

Whenever you think of Disney World you think of the happiest place on earth. Now I myself have never been to Disney World or Disney Land, I guess my parents didn't love me enough; but I wouldn't associate an amusement park with the happiest place on earth. I'd imagine that the Disney parks would be like Six Flags except more crowded, more expensive, and without as many giant coasters. If I were to get a vacation of choice, an amusement park would not be at the top of my list. One man's heaven is another man's hell. To be honest Disney always freaked me out a bit, the subliminal messages in their movies, blatant racism, and corporate greed doesn't strike a good cord with me. I like the characters and the fantastical worlds they make, I just don't like the company itself. Escape From Tomorrow is an independent film written and directed by Andy Moore. The story revolves around a man named Jim and his family on a trip to Disney World. Jim is just an average guy trying to enjoy his vacation, but on the last day he gets a call from his work telling him that he's being let go; Jim keeps it to himself trying not to spoil the trip. The family leaves their hotel and heads out on train to the park, while on the train Jim notices two attractive young French girls and immediately he is infatuated. The family arrives at the park and set out on some rides, out of nowhere Jim isn't feeling so well and starts having mild hallucinations. He keeps the severity of the situation to himself and moves on. Jim and his son go off to the Buzz Lightyear ride while his wife and daughter go to ride the tea cups. While out, Jim sees the French girls again and decides to follow them with no concern for his son. He even takes his son on Space Mountain which causes him to be sick, when he meets back up with his wife she is furious that he took their son on the ride and decides to take him back to the hotel to take a nap. Jim continues touring the park with his daughter and spots the French girls once again and continues to follow. After a while he heads back to the hotel and meets up with the rest of the family at the pool, but they soon must leave if they hope to make it in time to see the fireworks display. While he doesn't say it, Jim is obviously tired and wants to call it a day but goes a long with the family. They decide to eat at a restaurant where Jim gets wasted; he even throws up when they go on a ride. His wife is furious and after an argument returns to the hotel with their son. Free from his wife he must make a choice, continue playing dad for his daughter then call it a night or give into the desires that have been plaguing him for the last day. The film has gained quite a bit of attention for how it was made; it's the definition of guerrilla film making. Most of the movie was shot in both Disney Land and World, but it was shot without Disney's knowledge. This was just a low budget passion project of the director's who somehow made it happen. Apparently he and the cinematographer took nine trips to the parks and mapped out every detail and how to film it. They then had the actors come in as a normal family would with mikes strapped under their shirts, and they were filmed by a few camera men using some DSLR cameras. They had to do everything in secrecy because there's no way Disney would sign off on a project like this, and if they were caught they would be ejected from the park and the movie wouldn't happen. After years of preparation they finally finished the project and three years later it's finally available to the public. And I'll say it now; this is an absolutely fascinating movie. There's something very strange about it in that I found it good but at the same time it's not good in the classical sense. It reminded me of the movie Holy Motors: the writing is subpar, story doesn't make a lot of sense at times, and other than the lead the acting isn't anything to write home about. I will say I thought the cinematography was very good; while they didn't have high quality cameras to film everything with, it's obvious that the shots were well planned out and they knew exactly what angle they needed to film at. But there's something about Escape From Tomorrow that is truly mesmerizing that really pulled me in to this one of a kind movie. There are a lot of people that will absolutely hate this movie, for some reason I am not one of them. I would recommend it solely for the experience; it really is like nothing I've ever seen before.

Pros: Interesting premise, ambitious film making, well planned cinematography, unique and mesmerizing.
Cons: Writing isn't very good, rather confusing, obviously low budget, decent at best acting.

3.5/5 Stars

Captain Phillips Review

I feel that our view of pirates has been romanticized more than it should have. When we hear the word pirate, the first thing that comes to our mind are the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We think of Captain Jack Sparrow and Keira Knightley, but in reality pirates weren't quite as attractive; they were thieves and murderers. While the conventional swashbuckling pirates are long retired, the business practice has survived all these years. Now a day’s pirating is most often practiced by poor residents from the Horn of Africa. They attack ships passing through international waters off the coast, hijack them, and then ransom them off. While it’s not an ideal line of work, for many of them it's the best they can do. Pirating can earn these people more in a few days than they could have made in their entire life with hard work. While these practices have increased over the past few years one commonality that we always see are these pirates staying away from American ships. The last pirate attack on a ship flying the American flag actually took place back in the early 19th century, that streak was broken one April afternoon in 2009. Captain Phillips tells us the true story of Richard Phillips, a family man and cargo ship captain who was put in charge of a boat passing off the Horn of Africa. Phillips seems to know the risks; he drills his crew on emergency tactics and locks gates that would stop intruders from reaching other parts of the ship. While he is just taking precautions, during a drill he sees to small boats approaching his ship at high speeds. He realizes what's happening and takes appropriate actions; a pirate attack may be the worst thing that could happen to a ship, and Phillips is determined to protect the ship and keep the crew safe even if it means he has to put his own life in jeopardy. Captain Phillips had a lot to live up to, not because everyone expected it to be good but because it was released a week after Gravity (one of the best movies of the year); fortunately Captain Phillips does hold its own. Probably the best aspect of the movie would be the top notch acting, Tom Hanks does a great job as always and might even get an Oscar nomination; but if you ask me Barkhad Abdi, the actor who plays the pirate captain, steals the show. The overall production value was very good, a lot of the footage was actually shot at sea on an actual cargo ship; the cinematography is pretty good, but I felt the director used a little too much shaky cam. While the film is very good for the most part, i felt it suffered from some pacing issues. The movies a slow burn, it takes a while for something to really happen. While Captain Phillips has several really intense moments there are a lot of scenes where nothing happens; it makes the movie feel 20-30 minutes to long. Walking out of Captain Phillips I was pleased, it didn't blow me a way but it is certainly a good movie. If you're itching to go to the movies this weekend Captain Phillips is certainly worth your time; but only if you've seen Gravity, if you haven't seen Gravity go see it now. 

Pros: Excellent acting, good writing and directing, solid production design.
Cons: 20-30 minutes to long, often slow, to much shaky cam.

4/5 Stars

Gravity Review

Space, the final frontier. I imagine since the dawn of man we have looked up at the night sky and wondered, what's out there? In 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to be put into space, eight years later Apollo 11 was launched into space which brought three American astronauts to the moon. As far as space travel goes we've made leaps and bounds in very little time, we even have a giant space station that can sustain life for quite a while. While we may be a long way off from actually colonizing space we very well may be able to accomplish that one day; but so far we've only scratched the surface. The problem is we can't control space like we can Earth. In space there is no oxygen, temperatures fluctuate 200 above zero and 150 below, there isn't even anything to carry sound; life in space is impossible. Gravity is written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron and follows the story of Dr. Ryan Stone, a research scientist and doctor on her first spacewalk, and Matt Kowalski, a seasoned veteran on his last trip into space, while they are up in space doing some work on the Hubble Telescope. While working the team gets a call from Houston, they say that a large amount of debris that has already taken out several satellites and stopped most communication throughout the world is headed their way and they need to abort immediately. Unfortunately it's too little too late and their ship is hit, scattering the crew. Stone is sent flying out into space with no way to get back, panicked she cries for help which only depletes her oxygen. On her own in the most hostile environment known to man, she is forced to hold on to the little bit of hope she has left and pray that somebody saves her. This is one of the most incredible movies I've seen in the past few years. Visually it is one of the most beautiful films of all time. It might have the best 3D and CGI I've ever seen in a movie, surpassing films like Avatar, Life of Pi, and Pacific Rim. This will win the Academy Award best visual effects and for best cinematography; Gravity really is a visual masterpiece. Another very impressive aspect would be the superb acting, the movie stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney who both do a great job; Bullock has a serious chance at another Oscar this year. There are a few other people featured in the movie but really it's all about Bullock and Clooney. I'd also like to mention the fantastic soundtrack, which might also win an Oscar. As incredible as the movie is it does have some minor flaws. The movie is very well written but Alfonso did try to put in some sappy moments and I felt a few kind of fell flat. The movie is filled with pulse pounding moments that had me on the edge of my seat, but there were a few slow parts; fortunately none of those moments last too long before we get back to the action. Gravity is an astonishing film from start to finish, this is an amazing story pulled out of the head of a true genius. I was born in a time where special effects were common in movies so I never got to see one of the landmark films in visual effects and design in the theater; but this will probably be the closest I come to know how the first people who saw 2001: A Space Odyssey felt. Gravity is an incredible experience that will be featured at every upcoming award show, it's one of the best movies of the year and a must see.

5/5 Stars