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55. Rolling Stone's 30 Best Sports Movies of All Time
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60. Favorite Don Bluth Film
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63. Face-Off: Kick-Ass vs. Kingsman
64. T.V. Shows Turned Movies
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66. Favorite Main Character from Seinfeld
67. Indiana Jones Secondary Characters
68. Face-Off: Seinfeld vs. Friends
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70. Scariest Type of Horror Movie
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Reviews
Only the Essential: A Hike from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail (2014)
Excellent Little Movie
This short-film/documentary follows lives of a few hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and their journey from Mexico to Canada. The imagery is wonderful and captures the essence of the awe-inspiring nature around them. For a couple of amateurs the film has amazing production value, and is very well done. The script was well written (a little to philosophical at times) but hard to take seriously some of the time with the narrator's dull monotone monologue. I definitely appreciate the effort put in to it and the objective of it all. The makers simply wanted to share the amazing experience that they had on the trail and give others an inspiring look inside. This film deserves some more exposure and it's sure to make you want to go for a hike.
Religulous (2008)
The Real Joke is Calling This a Documentary
This starts out as any typical documentary where Bill Maher presents that he is on a journey to find the truth about the validity or stupidity of religion. By claiming agnosticism (when clearly he is not) Maher pretends to be fair by acting like he is un-biasedly going to explore religion, saying "I have to find out." Shortly afterward one can clearly see that this is purely a Bill Maher ego trip and a Borat-style type of mockumentary. He doesn't really bring any debate, discussion of issues, or scrutiny to the table. Instead he just resorts to a religious joke fest which is all very entertaining and humorous, but then the real joke is calling this an intellectual documentary on the criticism of religion.
To prove his points he finds only the most extreme or corrupt religious fanatics that are even considered nutcases in their own respective religious communities. He especially loves throwing loaded questions to people who are unlearned in their religion, or others who have skewed off-base and non-canon ideas within their own beliefs. He questions laymen and doesn't once acknowledge the experts or learned crowd in religion.
Some of his subjects include pastors who don't even know what their bible says, a Jew who doesn't believe Israel is currently a nation who supports that the holocaust was from God, gay Muslims, a weed smoking church, and a Jewish inventor that creates contraptions to avoid Sabbath laws. These people are all extremely obscure and on the outer fringes of these religious groups.
At one point Maher even tries to argue that the existence of the historical man Jesus was up for debate. I don't know if he actually believes this or if he was just trying to fluster the interviewee and make him falter (I think the latter). But if he does actually believe this he would be laughed out academia by nearly every scholar, theist and atheist alike.
Bill does make many valid criticisms of religions but the problem is he leaves no room for any real intellectual rebuttal. He is mostly catching people off-guard and asking loaded questions. He had some good points like on the U.S. not being founded as a Christian nation, or the absurd idea that "Christianity is American." But there were other claimed "facts" completely false like his information on the Horus/Jesus debate or pulling despicable Biblical stories and not really addressing what those passages were actually about. Maher also asserts that all religion is violent, when in fact just as much or more violence has been done in the name of no religion. He eventually moves on to other religions, but really never far from Judaism based ones which really doesn't touch on most of the world.
This is without a doubt a very funny piece (unless you are extremely offended by it all), but it would be completely inaccurate to call it an intellectual one. It's just Bill Maher being Bill Maher. Even to the point of him bringing up other irrelevant issues like his views on the environment and nuclear applications. He didn't actually do extensive research, he's mostly just shooting from the hip and catching dumb people off-guard. The makers even cut the scenes cleverly in the interviews (weird pauses, strange faces) for extra awkwardness and comedy.
The only thing this "documentary" really proved was that there are a lot of people that believe strange things some of them being very stupid. Most people watching this already knew that beforehand. At one point Maher says: "Religion is arrogant certitude," which ironically also perfectly describes himself.
Noah (2014)
Without Comparing This to its Biblical Source, It's a Poor Film Regardless
Unlike the viewers who expected a classic retelling of the biblical story, I knew what I was getting myself into from the start having read Darren Aronofsky and Niko Henrichon's graphic novel collaboration of the script. I'm not going to say it was bad because it didn't hold true to its original source material (the Bible) but it was bad even when just comparing it to the comic adaptation which was released years previous to ever getting funding for the movie. It held mostly true to the comic's story but it just doesn't hold up as a good movie period.
This is really more of a fantasy with some sci-fi elements than a biblical epic. It has a Lord of the Rings feel with similar style warriors clothing and weapons. The setting is made out to be an ancient and primitive time but there are many contradictions there some quite laughable. Welding masks? Spring loaded traps? Personal canons that shoot magic gold? There was nothing to connect it to a time period or a real life grounded story. But then again maybe that was their point.
More contradictory was the character of Noah (the peaceful warrior). In the beginning he is portrayed as an environmentally friendly vegan who is against (picking) killing flowers and "respects life" given by the Creator. But what he says and what he does are two different things entirely. Noah is shown at this same time to be nothing close to a pacifist. He claims to be against violence yet kills people with no remorse or second thought.
The acting was awful all across the board and really hard to take the story seriously at times. With all of the big names I expected more from that department. Anthony Hopkins was the only exception to that. Even with just a small part he brought a great deal to the film and was quite enjoyable to watch.
There was evidence of some creativity and good ideas. For instance the imaginative scenes of visions, the inventive stop-motion like cuts similar to some of Aronofsky's previously used fast cutting techniques, or like the explanation of animals following the only water source (stream) to find the ark and their induced hibernation state to make the feat more plausible. The story of creation that contained evolution seemed a little taboo in this scenario and didn't really seem to fit the story, but at the same time the presence of God was kind of ignored or hidden throughout the film (which is kind of ironic).
A lot of this film was just plain ridiculous. There was unexplained magic-gold mining, a newly discovered pregnancy test (spitting on a miracle leaf), convenient lifeboats, and a Grandpa who knocks out his great-grandchild and drugs his grandson so he can see God's will. Some small parts of the movie were well done but they were quickly put to shame by scenes like those with the "rock people." The Watchers were actually one of the better parts of the graphic novel, but here these fallen angels were just like the rock cousins of Ents created with awful cgi and made to act even stupider.They were horrible. Quite pitiful, not to mention the poorly cgi'd animals.
The main story also seemed to have gotten lost in the pettiness of human relationships. The entire world is flooding. That is a pretty huge event don't you think? Yet our characters are wrapped up in the big concern of kids having more kids in the future.
I think they should have not even called it Noah and made it with different characters completely just calling it a "loose adaptation of the Noah story." Then people wouldn't have had false expectations and in return audiences probably would have enjoyed it more. But even with that being said this is not a good film. It's bad to the point of being laughable at many times and is really hard to take seriously.
Prison Break: The Old Ball and Chain (2009)
Once Again Back to the Beginning.
This episode basically encompasses most of what I dislike about this show. The makers don't know when to end something. It's a giant cycle that just keeps revolving with each season and it always comes back to the beginning. Only this time they decided to do it in the last two episodes. Prison, escape, going on the run, thinking they're safe, back to prison...repeat. This one did have a role reversal with Sara being the one on the inside. And the never ending deals and betrayals. Ugh. Its not even a surprise anymore, you know everyone is going to backstab at some point and you just literally can't trust anyone from episode to episode. It's just stuff we've already seen before and repetition in this case is not a positive.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Johnny and Dora (2015)
Practically Perfect Ending to Season 2
It doesn't get much better than this. This was an excellent episode in and of itself but it also accomplished some major plot boosters for the next season. The relationship between Jake and Amy awkwardly starts to take off which everyone knew was coming and was much anticipated. Boyle proves Rosa that he knows her better than she thinks as he helps arrange a surprise birthday party for her. Also Captain Holt's rival Wuntch the witch is once again making trouble, but this time with unforeseen and drastic consequences. The outcome is one that was suspenseful, a game changer, and a total cliffhanger leaving every viewer hungry for Season 3. All of this plays out while a identity thief terrorizes the streets of NYC. To keep it short and to the point: a practically perfect ending to Season 2.
Napoleon Dynamite: Scantronica Love (2012)
Not As Good As Episode 1
Episode 2 was even stranger than the first with Napoleon's class being subjected to a love machine test that matches students with their ideal mate. This toys with the relationships from the movie but once again leaves realism for a weirder approach. The side story with Kip and Uncle Rico involves them in a magic act business venture once again borrowed from the original film. I enjoyed watching Grandma Dynamite and getting more of her personality as she was a minor rarely seen character from the film. Once again some parts were funny but this episode was not as good as the first and is probably only for people who liked the movie.
Napoleon Dynamite: Thundercone (2012)
Napoleon Dynamite Fans Will Enjoy This, But Don't Expect To Be Wowed.
I wasn't sure at all what to expect from this. I thoroughly enjoy Jared Hess' films Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, but I was leery and had little faith in this being any good. The storyline was interesting and had some pretty funny parts but the whole plot revolved around a bunch of small jokes from the original movie. Basically take one liners from Napoleon Dynamite and mash them together into a zany little story. One of the most different things about this was that it wasn't grounded in reality at all. It was more like fantasy in an unreal cartoon world. It was unlike the film where its strongest aspect was it being a realistic story about some weirdo pitiful high school kids. If you liked the movie you will probably enjoy this but don't expect to be wowed.
Manhunter (1986)
Skip This and Watch Red Dragon (2002) Instead!
As the film opened, a deep striking chord of 1980's electronic music loudly resounded echoing what I found to be one of the picture's greatest flaws: it tried too hard to be dramatic. Overdramatization was everywhere in the unfitting music that ruined the mood to the acting of most the characters. When a segment should have consisted of a casual conversation it turned into a cheesy delivery of a line in a way that no real person would react in that current situation. The soliloquies Graham had with himself while talking to his invisible enemy were probably the worst evidence of this.
The storyline deviated from Thomas Harris' original book Red Dragon in ways that were really detrimental to the plot. One of the strongest points in the book was getting an inside view of Dolarhyde's life story, background, inner demons, psychotic torn personality and struggles. It made the readers understand, pity, and sympathize with him. By omitting those details the intentions and motives seemed to be completely different and almost hidden from view. The best villains always seem to be the ones that viewers can relate to and almost end up rooting for in the end. This story failed on that level completely.
Many times you've heard the saying: "It's all in the details." These filmmakers must not have heard that one before or ignored it. The modern art style buildings and décor of the sets made it visually appealing but didn't fit the book's description or the time period. It made the story that much more impersonal, unrelatable, and unbelievable that this might happen to everyday families like the Leeds and Jacobis. Another stark mistake was the obvious error of showing the wrong William Blake painting that Dolarhyde's sense of power originated from. They couldn't even get the main image of the film and its symbolism correct.
Most of the acting was nothing to boast about but Brian Cox did give a solid Lector performance (or Lektor as they just had to be different)that I think Anthony Hopkins' probably used as some inspiration and built upon later in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Red Dragon (2002). Overall the movie was a real disappointment, as if we heard the story from someone after playing the game "Telephone" with their mishearings and mixed up details. And let's not even address that awful shootout in the end. They completely ruined that twist from the book. If you want my advice go watch Red Dragon (2002) instead, it is far better than this.
Red Dragon (2002)
Skip Manhunter (1986) and Watch This!
From the very beginning you can tell that this movie revolves around and stemmed from the success and cult following of Anthony Hopkins' performance of Hannibal Lector from The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It is prevalent all throughout and is strongly reaffirms in the end that this is a prequel to the previous mentioned film. It is kind of ironic when considering that Red Dragon was actually Thomas Harris' first novel of the series.
The performances in Red Dragon are good which was to be expected from an all around well known cast. Anthony Hopkins came back with his character not quite as chilling as before and while I do like Edward Norton, I found him a little too boyish for his role. I was especially impressed with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ralph Fiennes who brought to life our villain straight from the pages of Harris' book. There were a few tweaks to the story that the filmmakers took the liberty of using that I think actually improved the story. One being the scenes of Dolarhyde showing off the tattoo and then Graham using Dolarhyde's weaknesses and background against him in the final scene was a nice touch. This film is definitely not as good as the book (when are they ever?) but is a worthy adaption of its source material and definitely a huge leap up from its predecessor the 1986 film Manhunter.
The Mask (1994)
Very Enjoyable and Funny Watch but Far From Perfectly Executed
For all of the fans of The Mask comics from the early 90's, I don't think you will be exactly satisfied. While the storyline is a little different, the riotous out-of-control violence is missing making it "kid friendly" and more of a family film. In other words you won't see The Mask shot full of holes and the graphic chaos similar to a Deadpool comic.
This Stanley Ipkiss is not exactly the awkward shy fearful nerd that I expected but more like the typical goofy screwballish Jim Carrey. In his early movies especially Carrey very much seems like a one trick pony. He may be good or the best at his routine but it doesn't change the fact that he isn't very versatile.
The look of this film was clearly a 90's sets and was reminiscent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? with its similar effects and visuals. The crazy style was perfect in some ways for instance the makeup for the mask and his big shiny choppers. Some of the effects were on the cheesy side and the stupid dancing scenes kind of brought the whole film down. It started out strongly but the train lost steam in the end as the movie became less interesting relying on a lot of fake-looking visual gags. That being said it was a very enjoyable and funny watch but far from perfectly executed.