25 Movies Solely for Me

A bit of a disappointment that no great villains were against Batman in this animated anthology but we gotta keep in mind, all of this supposedly happened between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
For me it's all about seeing Batman by different animators and absorbing the atmosphere that great animation can provide for our favorite superhero. Part of the fun was just seeing the various looks through short stories, the same way I was introduced to comic book Batman through "Black & White" collections.
I know it may raise suspicions for many of us prejudiced types to think that Batman now occupies the weird universe of androgynous characters and Bruce looking all sorts of weird emo-types, but oh boy, oh boy - anime suits The Caped Crusader!

If there ever was a proof that I'm a Batman-nut, it must be the fact that, after all these years, I only liked this Adam West extravaganza more than as a kid. Not as a one-time laugh for it's "so bad it's good" quality, but for its own merits as a BATSHIT INSANE comedy.
Right after the criminally groovy intro, it's hilarity to no end. What some may see as novelty and unintenionally funny buffoonery, I think is actually a pretty well-crafted piece of deadpan humor. I don't know how Stafford Repp is able to recite a line like "Devilish clown prince of crime! Oh, if I only had a nickel for every time he's baffled us!" seriously or how Robin comes up with "ballpoint banana" without a self-aware wink to the camera, all I know is it has to be even more intentional than people give it credit for. Looking at some of the editing, placement of music and obvious green screen effects for running suddenly made me realize why my favorite funny person, Conan O'Brien, holds it in such a high regard!

If you're like me, your initial thought was this was going to be a wacky Jack Black vehicle with nothing but unrelated parodies, working more like a sketch show than a solid movie, but what I got was an unexpectedly sincere and humble love letter to film-making, and what it's like to feel pride of your own work when screening it to your own little community. And just because your doing it at the grassroots level doesn't mean you can't do something that connects with people.

Aside from concessions made to please every person in the audience and, er-hmm, streamlined storytelling at points, Bridesmaids does work effectively especially on the dramatic side. Bridesmaids was deemed a "Hangover with women" upon its release, but one can only wish that Hangover delved into a character who's not only down on her luck but constantly self-sabotaging her own life even when good things are just about jumping on her lap. Kristen Wiig's Annie's fear of losing her best friend to a new best friend spirals into a tragicomic downfall, which is most likely the reason why it is easy to sympathize with her even in her worst moments.

And they are awful. Wiig really tests how far the audience is willing to go with Annie.

Massive points for finding actors who weren't picked just for being available. IT Crowd's Roy as love interest - who woulda thought?

I believe I heard someone say once that there's a story in everyone of us. Some have more than others, but we all got one. For director and writer Peter Hyams, "Capricorn One" was clearly it. Before becoming known for mediocre collaborations with Jean-Claude Van Damme (modern masterpieces if you ask me) and Sean Connery among many, this B-list director really gave his all in this thriller about discovering a dangerously escalating hoax.

The movie's like a blend of a space launch program gone wrong in the vein of "Apollo 13" (which, of course, came later) mixed with a journalist investigation thriller like "All the President's men", but even that description won't prepare you for the action set pieces in the picture. The crazy rigged car scene is only the warm-up for the flight sequence, described by late stunt pilot Frank Tallman as "the most dangerous and complex aerial sequence ever executed for a movie". You really feel the curves and turns of the plane as the horizon line tilts to a 45-degree angle escaping the two helicopters on its tail. You couldn't even see this in a Bond movie at the time, and it's no wonder that the aforementioned scenes have been recycled in TV shows later on.

I hope I'll never get into a conversation about Jacques Tourneur's Cat People and Paul Schrader's remake, 'cause then I'd be the horny JACKASS who picks nudity, gross-out effects and synthesizer music over classic black & white chills.
But it ain't just about that. The remake has a bit of a dream-like, feverish quality to it that engages me. Building slowly, shocking the viewer only here and there, and then, with the help of some David Bowie and Giorgio Moroder, Schrader takes you to strangely seductive places with POV shots of an animalized young woman and sets so obvious that it actually makes for the ambience. The best part is, it's hard to say whether it's pleasant or distressing!
I'm not quite sure whether there's actual substance in the subtext about repressed sexuality or if it just looks like so, but for it's strong mood and picture of the times, it's something I'll visit again sometime soon.

Oh, look! A movie about some city jerks who go out to a ranch to clown around and throw up some obligatory Western references.
Don't forget the trying-on-different-hats montage!

It's like Homer Simpson took over the production.

Why yes, City Slickers does have the aforementioned moments on top of a transparent love interest for one of the main characters and an ending so sweet I think I caught type 2 diabetes, but when it works, it's the kind of stuff that single-handedly helped me get over some rough times. Some of the jokes are actually the sort of jokes that I think are funny, with a hint of improvisation thrown in, and no four-second laugh breaks to slow it down. But since the characters weren't exactly cardboard cut-outs, the sincerity of such discussion as "what's the best and the worst day of your life" doesn't feel forced. I never had any doubt that Crystal, Stern and Kirby were long-time pals.

If only Jack Palance wasn't there to steal every scene.

Adam McKay and partners can laugh all the way to the bank after every joke-machine-for-film they produce, and director Dan Rush will probably go home and enjoy his microwave dish. Yet, I think this is easily the strongest Will Ferrell movie next to Stranger than Fiction.
This small-scale, half-comedy approach is great for lightening up what is essentially a really sore subject of separation and, not even turning a new leaf, but working toward turning a leaf, while never making it a straight-up laugh fest.
When Will Ferrell is casted in the right movie, he doesn't even need to do much. Just look like the odd bear-like human being that he is. What's especially emasculating is that this poor bastard has to arrange a yard sale in front of the very house he can't call his home anymore just so he can try to move on. Also worth noting is that you don't even need hands to count how many times we see this guy's soon-to-be-ex-wife.
Helping him along the way is, not exactly a new love interest, but Biggie Smalls, Jr. Baba-bay-BEH!

I'd be lying if I said Chevy Chase has me rolling on the floor laughing, but his quick, stale delivery that may pass by you if you don't pay attention, is something I wish I possessed in real life but probably don't. The same kind of shmuck I, unfortunately, may be. We're not talking a necessarily likable character here.
What fascinates me even more are the unlikely but notable elements of noir(!) in 'Fletch'. Like the voice-over narration, corrupt cops, and the character of the divorced columnist investigating a planned murder plot that could easily make for a serious movie too. And need we forget L.A., the city of sins, as the backdrop? The absence of such fanboyishly obvious 40s crime movie characteristics as fedoras and bluesy jazz score makes the connection that much subtler.
Otherwise, the movie looks, sounds and moves pretty much like Beverly Hills Cop. Quite the contemporary noir.
By the way, Beverly Hills Cop could've improved from a plot like this instead of rehashing the same friend-got-iced story twice.

The more I watch Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the less I could mind one fridge-nuking moment. And to me, the whole alien aspect is more of a reflection of the era, the cultural movement and progress with technological advances, Cold War and whatnot. Yet, it ultimately comes down to some good ole fashioned treasure hunt.

And... honestly, that's quite a lot for me! It's exciting just to see Indy rocking the God blessed decade of rock & roll, and seeing him 20 years later brings a level of credibility to this universe - that characters indeed age and time moves on! Granted, some of the relation exploration with LaBoof and all doesn't get anywhere near the genius of The Last Crusade, but at least they tried. I liked seeing Marion again.
Also, dragging Indy back to the jungle is something I always enjoyed about the old trilogy, and today's crisp cinematography (Janusz Kaminski bravely following in Douglas Slocombe's footsteps) helps us see the amazing temple sets and caves like we've never seen them before.

Lethal Weapon 4 is what I consider one of the last, if not THE last, late 80s - early 90s actioners. You know, before Matrix, Bourne, and these new angles to action took over. And even though I'd never put this ahead of the first two LWs, it may have the best action scenes in the series. Opening with Riggs and Murtaugh against a friggin flamethrower, and proceeding to all sorts of amazing stunts and chase sequences shot with steady camera and edited with restraint. And of course, there's Jet Li. No intensity is lost.
None of this would matter squat, though, if it weren't for the familiar characters we've grown fond of. No real drama or development in characters even happens through the later movies, but gosh it feels cosy just to see Riggs and Murtaugh casually hanging out at Murtaugh's with Darlene Love playing the mother and the same exact kids playing their parts. And I feel the same way about the whole production: that Lethal Weapon 4 is a testament to almost family-like cooperation that lasted through 11 years and four movies. As an icing on the cake, Eric Clapton brings it on once more in the end credits.

I wanna see one negative review of this film that doesn't base its criticism on either historical inauthenticity or Zac Efron's presence. Christian McKay's performance to me isn't an impersonation on Welles, it's an interpretation. And if it wasn't for the fact that his character is named Orson Welles, he'd have been an Oscar contender, cos that man is absolutely riveting to follow. This Welles is a wife-cheating dick, but he's a charismatic, well-spoken dick, aware of his intellect and charm. He can be a director-turned-dictator on set when intensely driven by his vision, but he knows his place outside the play, showing his warmer side once we're out the theater doors. But don't trust him too blindly - he's a bullshit artist like no one else. Who he truly values is fickle.
You can pull all kind of good stuff about the pros and cons of showbiz from this movie and, in the end, still have it be more than a soul-crushing experience. I especially recommend this if you have prejudice against Zac Efron. This shouldn't hurt his career.

Ahhh... Puppets, show tunes, a young star on the rise, PORN, DRUG ABUSE AND MURDER. Who makes a movie like this!?
Peter Jackson, that's who, and what a wonderful crooked bastard he used to be. He and his wife cooked up this bizarre showbiz satire utilizing puppet animation to liven up and caricaturize different character types and professions of that world, but also I think to soften some of the harshness it contains. Maybe a live-action version would've been a modern classic, like a really crude version of "Bad and the Beautiful", but I doubt it would ever have been this hilarious. Disgusting, sure, but hilarious nonetheless.



That'll either be the highlight of my week or the fodder for my future nightmares.

 

It's inevitably a bit worrying whenever you notice you have a taste for movies like "Taxi Driver", or "One Hour Photo" for instance. I mean what does it say about you when you not only have a mentally unstable and dangerously delusional loner for protagonist but also one who you feel sympathy for?

One Hour Photo paints such a vivid picture of that person's mindscape, it's hard not to feel a twist in your stomache and a crack in your heart when you see Sy Parrish in action. It's both a disturbing and uncomfortable look at Sy, but only because you can't help but feel it's not an evil man we're watching.

Robin Williams in a role of a lifetime. Too risqué for major awards, too.

Did things blow out of proportion for Paranormal Activity? It was hyped up as the scariest movie since The Exorcist, so for anyone going in and simply not being given the experience of safe scares was enough to consider it the next worst thing since un-scooped poop.

But can you blame them? Fear is a subjective matter.
And, to be honest, is there really some deeper meaning or richer content to the movie aside from scare factors?

I don't know. Moreover, it didn't help that the movie was another case of the 'found footage' genre. I'm the kind of person who can't tell illogicality anyway, so I focus on the positive sides. I'm still intrigued by the restrictions that the security-cam-style sets, but even more so by how well it works! There's none of the traditional trickery of quick cutting, non-diegetic sound effects work and whatnot, so all you need to do is let the camera be at the corner of the room and have me deal with the silence, sit through the agonizing waiting as you know something's bound to happen. After a while you're just frantically looking at every corner of the screen trying to attenuate the eventual scare. Even when I see moments I already saw in the trailer, like the door slamming shut, there's no way I'm prepared for it.
When the blanket moves like there's someone under there near the end of the movie, I wasn't just scared - I swear something floated through my internal organs.

So, probably not the most sophisticated and logical of all movies, but I did get the experience of a horror movie like supposed to.

"Boy, when Marge first told me she was going to the police academy, I thought it'd be fun and exciting. You know, like that movie, Spaceballs, but instead it's been painful and disturbing like that movie Police Academy."

-Homer Simpson

That joke is probably better than any single joke in Police Academy.

That's not an insult to Police Academy or The Simpsons though, 'cause that's a funny joke.

But I think we can all agree it's hardly a comedy that changed our culture or concept of humor. The twice-a-year TV reruns of the ENTIRE SERIES in our country has not helped its popularity, no si-ree.

But at a certain time, I thought all comedies were like Police Academy. In that sense, it's been an incredibly important part in developing my taste in films. And while I have drifted apart from the sequels over the years, I still find the original to be irresistible fun. The cast that never went anywhere after this only strengthens the illusion of these oddball characters who only belong in the universe of this movie.

For an average viewer, or even an action-oriented movie buff, 'Predators' is probably disposable entertainment at best. But for a Predator nut like me, this is years of dreaming coming true.
After many disappointing sequels and spin-offs (even the early second one let me down a bit) 'Predators' was finally the one that seemed to give something interesting. We didn't need to settle for a glimpse of an alien skull on a wall, we got 100 and some minutes of the predators' home planet and their living conditions to discover! Sure, the characters weren't exactly penned by Tarantino and some of the twists concerning them were dumb, but even that helps the theme of disconnection and failure to cooperate seen in many similar films.
Also, I imagine that Robert Rodriguez is a fan of the original, because no one else would know to add such nods to the original. To see the familiar traps and predict what's gonna come is fun enough, but I almost put on my tin foil hat fearing Rodriguez had read my thoughts, when this character, Hanzo, suddenly left behind and partook on a mano-a-mano with a predator, finally giving us the fight that was fought off-screen in the 1987 version. Had it been Sonny Landham there, I would've given the epic slow-applause. With a tear rolling down my cheek.

The dichotomy between my instinctual feel and critical view of a movie has never been quite as drastic as it is with the Steve Martin vehicle 'Roxanne.' So what, a quote-unquote unattractive Steve Martin pursues a romantic relationship with a drop-dead gorgeous astronomer who's smitten by one man's looks and another man's personality?

Gee, how do you think that's gonna turn out?! The suspense is killing me!

On top of that, I don't think anyone would ever be fooled by Steve Martin seamlessly filling in for Rick Rossovitch's recital of poetry the way this blonde bimbo is.

In the end, we come, not so surprisingly, to the conclusion that personality ultimately outweighs looks.

Yet, this is the kind of movie you come across only once every five years. I love it with no irony whatsoever, because it's so me. I adore the alpine town atmosphere, I adore the cheesy 80s sax produced by Bruce Smeaton and I love how people speak in this movie, but most of all I love Steve Martin. The way he half-recites, half-speaks his lines, that certain sophistication infused with silly he has to himself and the smooth-talker he is has been of great inspiration for me. At 25, no less. Yet underneath all that lies an immensely relatable insecurity. I'm sure none of us would know anything about that.

Whenever I think of repairing the inbred set of teeth I've managed to acquire for myself just for vanity's sake, I feel I'm cheating on this movie in sheer thought.

Sea of Love had a great timing for me personally. Just when I thought I had seen all that Pacino had to offer, I stumble across this mediocre-on-paper murder mystery that rises slightly above average with some of its surprising qualities.
First of all, not only had I forgotten how much weight Pacino can really give any role on his own, he makes for an awesome team-up with someone I never in my wildest dreams could've come up with: John Goodman! Forget about trying to cram Pacino and De Niro in the same movie like it's 1995 - put him together with Goodman! Seeing these two getting along seamlessly and cracking the murder case is an unexpected delight.
And what do you know! Even the murder case unravels with a solution that doesn't make me wanna pull my hair off. It's rather logical, not to mention tragic, really.

Sea of Love may seem like a light snack in the middle of a grand Pacino-thon night, but it deserves a focused look.

I have no proof of this, but you just know somewhere out there's a game of Bingo based around the varying dimensions of immaturity that 'Stakeout' puts on display. It is exactly the kind of movie which presents us with a hero willing to abuse a stranger's trust for the sake of getting laid and then brushes it all off as a 'grand, romantic gesture." Around all that, you got adolescent pranks and humor embracing horny behaviour from grown up men.

It appeals to the voyeuristic desires of 'Rear Window' and filters that through the contemporary Hollywood trends set by Beverly Hills Cop. It is travesty to compare Stakeout to either one of them - and it's irresistibly fun.

I was like hundred and ten percent sure this was gonna be a run-of-the-mill teen comedy with horny ass-wipes and otherwise one-dimensional excuses for characters behaving like pigs and causing their bright-eyed teacher dead brain cells, following cliché after cliché with little coherence or care whatsoever. With expectations like that, it came to me a complete shock that what happened served such a clear purpose later and amounted to something.

Yeahhh, I'm pretty much congratulating a third-grader for adding 1 + 1 but at the same time I noticed Mark Harmon hitting certain nuances I haven't seen from characters of the same type. I'm tired of movies where the new teacher is some kind of genius who fights everything conventional and wins the (troubled) youths over by the end of the day with his inspirational life wisdoms. Harmon's gym teacher, Freddy Shoop, is a bit of a student himself too, who confesses to having fun much rather than teaching, but has enough backbone to rise to the occasion when no one else will. He's got constant motivation problems but ultimately wants to get the job done and get along with people, even if his superior is a stereotypical tight-ass. (Can't defend that character to save my life.) I never thought I'd say this, but the moment Shoop gives up after the progress he'd made with his students - gaining their trust, sacrificing personal time, property and reputation for them - and they still treat him like crap, AND getting shot down for the nth time by the woman he's attempting to woo, right after she commends him for not giving in, it's amazingly cathartic.

- "You're not a quitter!"
- "Yes, I am," says Harmon with little discernible expression and indifference in voice, resulting in wonderfully passive-aggressive rebuttal.
- "How can you say that? I've turned you down for dinner at least a dozen times in the last four weeks and you haven't quit mugging me."
- "...wanna go out to dinner tonight?"
- "I can't."
- "See?" *and leaves*

Who knew such a de-motivational moment would make you feel so... heard?

The movie's got some balls to even acknowledge real problems such as underage drinking and illiteracy and not treat them with the seriousness they deserve, but if you have the right mindset going in, you may be surprised. I blame no one if they don't.

Do you ever feel that people don't give a movie a chance if the basic structure of the story is familiar? As if you couldn't tell an age-old love-triangle in a refreshing way, giving it a unique treatment with a great deal of personality?
That's exactly how I felt about "Take This Waltz."  You can tell from the get-go how this is gonna end, but the way it's done is like walking on a tight-rope. Or through a minefield of clichés and bad directorial decisions. People show affection in authentic manner. Emotional connection is demonstrated in ways you wouldn't expect. Even Seth Rogen is stripped off of all his usual Judd Apatow characteristics and given something different. The story's all about dubious choices and broken hearts, yet there's little blaming going on at any point for what happens.

I must say though, that the movie leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but for all the right reasons. It doesn't give you what you want, it gives you what's right, and leaves you deal with it.

"White Men Can't Jump", approved by Stanley Kubrick!

On top of exploration on racial expectations and streetball hustling and its consequences on relationships, "White Men Can't Jump" shows you characters who are actual people clearly trying to make do with little help, but failing just about as often as they succeed. Everyone of them give a reason to be admired, but like everyday people, they also make you wanna smack 'em in the face for screwing up.
No matter who I liked at first, by the end, I almost jumped off my chair in celebration for one character who finally did the right thing, even if another one I rooted for goes home empty-handed.
But at that point, an obligatory happy ending wasn't needed. Although funny in interactions and laid-back in style, drama's never out of place in this narrative.

Also, next to Snatch., contains the funniest robbery scene in existence!

Undeniably shaky decisions were made concerning major characters (haphazardly getting rid of Cyclops because of James Marsden's commitments to other movies. LAME beyond words) and direction for what was supposed to be the grandaddy of X-Men films but as it stands, I've been quite satisfied with it, not just once, but twice. While genocide of X2 should be just about the biggest plot threat imaginable, I found the fear of losing your mutant powers of X-Men 3 much more gripping and special for X-Men. Not to mention, I thought it was clever to present an opposing argument on having superpowers after all the one-sided raving about how they make us special. Well, what if they are a hindrance, or downright insurmountable obstacles?
Although I guess the allegory of mutants as homosexuals hurts a bit if there's a cure to it now. I dunno, I'm probably reading too deeply into it.
One character seems to be reduced quite a lot from the first two films (again, WEAK!), giving them a barely satisfactory role in this movie, but hey, I'm happy we got Ellen Page. And Kelsey Grammer, holy shit! Just wish it wouldn't have been at the expense of some other characters...

X-Men in my opinion isn't something you can squeeze into a trilogy, anyway, but they had a go with it. And I'm definitely happier to have it than not. Could do better, but still, I tip my hat to you.