I’m not sure exactly how many films I’ve seen in my lifetime.

It is probably over a thousand, the list below barely scratches the surface of all the films I’ve seen and it was surprisingly easy to come up with. Rather than systematically list films by era or genre I got my brother’s girlfriend Dawn to call out any films she could think of.

I thought of this idea about five minutes before I began typing and Dawn rattled off films as they came to her while I typed out brief verdicts for each one. I initially intended to create a system for rating but found it too restrictive so I just wrote a brief instinctual verdict for each one.

I have included a link to Rotten Tomatoes and the score of each film, I haven’t seen some of these movies in a very long time…

NOTE: The percentages at the end are not my scores but the percentage of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. Men in Black (1997) – meh (91% – seriously?!)
2. Fight Club (1999) – brilliant (80%)
3. Unforgiven (1992) – immense (96%)
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – decent (gets worse every time I watch it)
5. Memento (2001) – pretty good (93%)
6. The Departed (2006) – good (92%)
7. Aliens (1986) – the best sequel ever made (100%)
8. Reservoir Dogs (1992) – great characters and dialogue (95%)
9. American Beauty (1999) – uplifting, brilliant (the stupid bag scene apart) (89%)
10. Goodfellas (1990) – excellent (96%)
11. Predator (1987) – one of Arnie’s best (76%)
12. 12 Angry Men (1957) – captivating (100%)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – meh (78%)
14. Shawshank Redemption (1994) – really, really good (88%)
15. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – better than I expected (90%)
16. Sin City (2005) – flashy trash (78%)
17. Toy Story 2 (1999) – yep, it’s good (100%)
18. Bambi (1942) – I remember it being good (much to the amusement of Dawn and Sean, many gay jokes followed) (89%)
19. Final Destination (2000) -guff (30%)
20. Edward Scissorhands (1990) – pretentious crap (90%)
21. Stranger than Fiction (2006) – Surprisingly good (72%)
22. Shallow Grave (1995) – okay (71%)
23. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1996) – facepalm (49%)
24. Man on Fire (2004) – underwhelming (39%)
25. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – meh (81%)
26. 28 Days Later (2003) – meh (88%)
27. Casino Royale (2006) – surprisingly really good (94%)
28. Psycho (1960) – I was expecting it to be better (98%)
29. The Flintstones (1994) – Jesus wept (18%)
30. Aladdin (1992) – good (92%)
31. Jackass: The Movie (2002) – hard to class as a film really, hit and miss(48%)
32. E.T (1982) – good (98%)
33. Independence Day (1996) – a glorified B movie (61%)
34. Titanic (1997)  – Good (81%)
35. Ring (2002) – fairly decent (71%)
36. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Tarantino’s best film by a long way (97%)
37. Hot Fuzz (2007) – fun (90%)
38. Monty Python: Holy Grail (1975) – classic (94%)
39. Good Will Hunting (1997) – good (97%)
40. Heat (1995) – pretty good, not great (89%)
41. Zodiac (2007) – boring (87%)
42. Little Mermaid (1989) – decent (90%)
43. Ghost (1987) – crap (80%)
44. Dirty Dancing (1987) – utter shit – that women like this film makes me wonder if they actually deserve equal rights (67%)
45. The Terminator (1984) – the best Terminator (100%)
46. Bean (1998) – a test of mental endurance, awful (41%)
47. The Mask (1994) – rubbish (76%)
48. Frailty (2002) – ridiculous (74%)
49. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – shite
50. Donnie Darko (2001) – overrated pish (84%)
51. Apollo 13 (1995)– crap (96%)
52. Deep Impact (1998)– more crap (46%)
53. Volcano (1997) – even more crap (40%)
54. I know what you did last summer (1997)– yet more crap (36%)
55. The Matrix (1999) – first half decent rest shite (86%)
56. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (2002)– boring (96%)
57. Addams Family Values (1994) – some good moments (74%)
58. Nightmare before Christmas (1993) – overrated, largely guff (97%)
59. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – (see earlier blog) (75%)
60. Three Men and a Baby (1987) – sickening  (78%)
61. Transformers: The Movie (1986) – decent (haven’t seen it in 10 years) (50%)
62. Cruel Intentions (1999) – trash (47%)
63. Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels (1998) – good if a little overrated (71%)
64. Clerks II (2006) – absolutely fucking diabolical (62%, seriously what the fuck?)
65. Baby’s Day Out (1994) – horrific (23%)
66. Home Alone 2 (1992) – decent (17% – that seems harsh!)
67. Liar Liar (1997) – pretty bad (84%)
68. Babe (1995) – Jesus wept (98%)
69. The Simpsons Movie (2007) – unfunny crap from a show that is a pale shadow of what it used to be (90%)
70. Mr Nanny (1993) – a holocaust of a film (7%)
71. The Thing (1980) – really tense, really good (80%)
72. Blair Witch Project (1999) – doing something different doesn’t make it good (85%)
73. Run Lola Run (1999) – see above (92%)
74. The Santa Clause (1994) – crap (Dawn: “What’s the film with Tim Allen dressed as Santa Claus?”) (79%)
75. Silence of the Lambs (1990) – they really should have just stopped at this one, a fine film (96%)
76. Matilda (1996) – another crap Dahl adaptation (89%)
77. A Bridge too Far (1977) – the quintessential war movie (67%)
78. Rocky V (1990) – laughable (21%)
79. The Sting (1973) – really good (91%)
80. The Sword in the Stone (1963) – good (73%)
81. The Witches (1990) – crap (100%, what the fuck?)
82. Starship Troopers (1997) – entertaining trash (60%)
83. Love Actually(2003)  – hated it (63%)
84. White men can’t jump (1992) – I liked it despite itself (78%)
85. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1999)– a pointless sequel (48%)
86. A Bug’s Life (1998) – meh (91%)
87. Hollow man (2000)– hollow is an appropriate adjective (but I like Bacon’s character) (27%)
88. Jaws (1975) – good but overrated (100%)
89. Jerry Maguire (1996)– oh Christ (84%)
90. Dawn of the Dead (1978)– awesome (95%)
91. Drop Dead Fred (1991)– mindless crap (still haunted by my little sister’s repeat viewing of this monstrosity) (9%)
92. Braveheart (1995) – good (it’s a movie, not a history lesson) (76%)
93. Saw II (2005) – crap (35%)
94. Mouse Hunt (1997)– hated it (really wanted the mouse to die) (44%)
95. The Mummy (1999)– didn’t like it (54%)
96. George of the Jungle (1997)– crap (53%)
97. Leon (1994) – ludicrous garbage (74%)
98. Death becomes her (1993)– had its moments (56%)
99. Meet Joe Black (1998) – meh (49%)
100. Dog Soldiers (2002) – entertaining (79%)
101. Cool Hand Luke (1967) – the best film ever (100%)

After a reminder of the forthcoming bookclub selection, a Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, we get into some news, starting with some sad news about the loss of great icon and then some TV news, with updates on Gattaca and a very exciting fan made film coming in 2010.

For our main feature we have an interview with Ben Lichius, one of the co-creators of The Black Coat, from Ape Comics. The Black Coat is America’s first superspy. Set in New York City in the days before the Revolutionary War, the Black Coat fights against the British and forces of the occult to protect the burgeoning nation.

Comic Book Outsiders Episode 64

Veteran actor Edward Woodward has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.

The Croydon-born star had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, and died in hospital, said Janet Glass.

Woodward is most famous for his roles in the cult 1973 horror film The Wicker Man, alongside Sir Christopher Lee, and TV series The Equalizer and Callan.

Sir Christopher described Woodward as “a very good friend and a splendid actor”.

Ms Glass said he had been ill for several months and passed away surrounded by members of his family.

The actor, who lived in Hawker’s Cove near Padstow, died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

“I knew him a very long time and he was a superb human being,” she said.

“That integrity shone through in the roles he played. I can’t ever remember, in all the productions he undertook, anyone having a bad word to say about him and he never had anything bad to say about anyone else either.”

Ms Glass added: “Universally loved and admired through his unforgettable roles in classic productions, he was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness.

“His passing will leave a huge gap in many lives,” she said.

He was last seen on screen in BBC One soap EastEnders as Tommy Clifford earlier this year.

Barbara Windsor said she was “deeply saddened” at the news.

“I have such fond memories of our time working together,” she added.

Diederick Santer, executive producer of EastEnders, said: “All of us at EastEnders are very sad to learn that Edward has passed away.

“We were thrilled when he joined us for a stint of six episodes earlier this year. He was a delight to work with, and delivered a characteristically touching and layered performance. Our thoughts are with his family.”

Robin Hardy, who directed The Wicker Man, said of Woodward: “He was one of the greatest actors of his generation, without any question, with a broad career on American television as well as British film.

“He was the absolute star of The Wicker Man. He was an extremely nice human being.”

Film critic Barry Norman described Woodward was a “very fine” actor.

“He made about three dozen movies but he was rarely given the chance to star in a movie, ” he told BBC News.

“The two films that do stand out are obviously The Wicker Man and Breaker Morant, about three British soldiers in the Boer War. In both he gave excellent performances.”

Actor Simon Pegg, who was a big fan of Woodward and cast him in his 2007 film Hot Fuzz, said on Twitter: “So sorry to hear we have lost the great Edward Woodward. Feel lucky to have worked with him.”

He later released a statement, saying that Hot Fuzz rehearsals “were often gleefully tossed aside just to hear him (Woodward) recount stories from his life and career.

“Edgar Wright and myself sought him out because we were fans of his work, by the time the cameras stopped rolling, we were devoted fans of the man. My love and sympathy goes out to Michelle and his family.”

Woodward is survived by his second wife, the actress Michele Dotrice, and four children, three of whom he had during his first marriage.

Source: BBC

Awesome English character actor Edward Woodward has moved on. I first noted him in my favorite 1980’s TV series, THE EQUALIZER, where he played an ex-agent who uses his bad powers for good, helping random citizens of New York. While my peers were reveling in the pastel pastiche of MIAMI VICE, I couldn’t wait for Woodward’s killer tude and Shakespearean diction to take-down the criminal scum of Fun City. I discovered his earlier work such as BREAKER MORANT and of course, THE WICKER MAN (1973) where he plays the inverse of his bad-ass New York hero. It was good to see him in HOT FUZZ to boot and he will be missed. Now here’s the coolest TV intro and theme from the 80’s, with music by Stewart Copeland:

I’ve been saddened to read online that theatre, film and television actor Edward Woodward has died in hospital today at the age of 79. Mr Woodward was known for playing roles such as TV’s Callan & The Equalizer and also film roles Sgt Neil Howie in the Wicker Man and Tom Weaver in Hot Fuzz among many others. He had been suffering from various illnesses including pneumonia. Various people who worked with him have been paying tribute including Barbara Windsor and Simon Pegg. He is survived by his second wife actress Michelle Dotrice and four children. Thanks for reading.

Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Here comes the fuzz…with more action and comedy than ever before! This definitive Hot Fuzz Ultimate Edition features non-stop entertainment that delivers heart-pounding thrills and outrageous laughs from the guys that created Shaun of the Dead!

Reviews from Customers

“Its not Unrated or Director’s Cut- Its what we should have gotten in the first place.”
This set gives us what was in the Brit package.

Disc One

Commentary with Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright

Commentary with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon & Olivia Colman

Commentary with Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman & Edward Woodward

Commentary with The Real Fuzz – Any Leafe & Nick Eckland

Commentary with Edgar Wright & Guest

Outtakes

Storyboards

Fuzz-O-Meter (Trivia Track)

Inadmissible: Deleted Scenes

Fuzz-O-Meter

Danny’s Notebook

Hot Funk

Theatrical Trailer

UK TV Spot 1

UK TV Spot 2

Director’s Cut Trailer

Disc Two

We Made Hot Fuzz

Art Department

Friends & Family

Cranks, Cranes & Controlled Chaos

Here Come the Fuzz

Return to Sandford

Edgar & Simon’s Flip Chart

Simon Muggs

Sergeant Fisher’s Perfect Sunday

Plot Holes

Special Effects: Before & After

Video Blogs

Poster Gallery

Photo Gallery

AM Blam: Making ‘Dead Right’

Dead Right (1993)

Edgar Wright Director’s Commentary on Dead Right

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Commentary on Dead Right

Disc Three

The Extended Fuzzball Rally

Video Blogs

“The funniest movie of the first half of 2007″
We are very nearly through the first half of 2007 and I’m happy to report that HOT FUZZ is easily the funniest movie that I have seen so far this year. I loved Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s previous film, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and am delighted to report that this is every bit as funny at that one, if not funnier.

The film concerns a highly decorated London police officer who is so good at his job that he is shunted off to an assignment in the country because he is so good he makes the rest of the force look bad. Sanford would seem to be an impossibly idyllic place, winner several times of the top village in England award. But it is a town that houses mysteries, which our hero Nick Angel gradually uncovers. Most of the film should be predictable, but it is a credit to Wright and Pegg that it isn’t. Even the big ending, the week point in most such movies, is a delight. Despite a lot of action and special effects and explosions it is never taken over by them. It remains fresh and surprising to the very end. Although the plot is surprisingly interesting for a comic romp, this would be a fun film without it. The gags are consistently brilliant throughout and every one is executed marvelously. This is a much slicker film than SHAUN OF THE DEAD was, though that wasn’t in any way unpolished.

The cast is a large one and they manage to bring the village of Sandford to life in convincing fashion. Pegg is paired with Nick Frost, his costar in SHAUN OF THE DEAD. The cast is littered with well-known actors such as Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Edward Woodward, Billie Whitelaw, Bill Nighy, Stephen Merchant, and Martin Freeman as well as a rich and varied cast of lesser-known performers. The great thing about this is that the actors really enhance the film. What I mean is that the success of SHAUN OF THE DEAD meant that they could hire a cast of better-known performers. Sometimes this can lead to a decline in the quality of projects (watch Robert Rodriguez’s EL MARIACHI and DESPERADO back to back and you’ll see how a no name cast can free up a director while a big name cast can inhibit one), but that absolutely didn’t happen here.

The film is littered with in jokes and cultural references. There are also a number of references to SHAUN OF THE DEAD, but it isn’t important to get any of these to enjoy the movie. There are also, according to Edgar Wright, a couple of nice cameos, though we have to take his word for it since neither is recognizable. The crazed Santa that stabs Angel near the beginning of the film is, says Wright, Peter Jackson, while his ex-girlfriend Jeanine is Cate Blanchett. Again, we have to take his word for it because her entire scene is played with a surgical mask over her face so that all we see are a pair of eyes that do indeed look like they could belong to Cate Blanchett.

As anyone can tell, I loved this movie. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone.

“Best. Cop. Movie. Ever.”
Not only is this movie *hilarious*, it’s also an homage to police movies from noir to boom-boom, with a bit of “Shaun of the Dead” thrown in for good measure.

One minute you’re hearing an echo from “Chinatown” (“Forget it, Nick…It’s Sandford.”), then you’re hearing from SotD (“What, haven’t you ever taken a short cut before?”), seeing action from “Point Break”, and who’ll ever forget the penultimate scene, complete with birds taking off, a la John Woo, in any of his action movies.

These guys took every cop movie cliche, put it into less than two hours, didn’t demean the sources, made it funny *and* tense (my wife actually *screamed* at one scene), and ended up with a movie I’ll see again and again.

Best. Cop. Movie. Ever.

See all detials of Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

JohnnaChick and I, we’re bad FlickChicks.  We’ve neglected our duties to post hot boys and cool flicks for all the chicks out there.  We hang our heads in shame and promise to try to be better.  First off, House is on…I may be a little distracted.  House and Cuddy are at a doctor conventions with an 80’s theme.  I wish I had gone to med school – lawyers don’t have cool conventions like that, we just booze it up.

However I digress, I’m here to talk about the movies…and just recently I revisited a fun flick: HOT FUZZ.  Oh English Humour…how dry you are!  Such a great tongue in cheek view at the cop/buddy movies.  So much so that the straight laced Sgt. Angel (Simon Pegg) is paired with the bumbling PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and (of course) they learn from each other: Angel learns to loosen up and stop being in his head all the time.  Danny learns…basically how to do his job semi-compentently, but he’s got a heart of gold, so really, it all evens out.  Rounding out the station are Danny’s dad, 2 Detectives named Andy (the Andies), a chick officer named Doris (who I haven’t decided whether she’s the station slut, or just pretending, or just being one of the boys), and a couple other offices and 1 k9 officer named Saxon.

Best scenes are (1) Angel’s introduction of BAD BOYS and POINT BREAK after a night of drinking with Danny and (2) the shoot out between Angel & Danny and the entire town, during which Danny must face off with his father and basically re-enacts the part in Point Break where Keanu is chasing Patrick Swayze, falls due to his bum knee, and is rolling on the ground and shoots into the sky as Patrick jumps a fence.

By the way, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost…cuties in their uniforms!  So, do yourself a favor, go get Hot Fuzz and, while you’re at it get Shaun of the Dead.  Same team of Pegg, Frost and Edgar Wright (director) put that one together and it’s zombie gold!

We’re heading into the second big movie season of the year, the time when the studios roll out all of the major Thanksgiving and Christmas releases, plus the Oscar contenders, treats for the kids in us all, and even the odd sci-fi epic. This week, Kenny and Blake sit down to discuss all of the major releases for November and December, from A Christmas Carol to Avatar and everything in between. In the picks, Kenny gets creative with the movie Hot Fuzz, and Blake stays quasi-traditional with the first issue of The Marvelous Land of Oz Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 144: Holiday Movie Preview
Inside This Episode:

Hot Fuzz… Shaun of the Dead… Spaced… Ring a bell? Edgar Wright is one of the best and freshest directors in Hollywood. Hot Fuzz is personally one of my favorite movies. His newest project is promising to top them all.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World stars Michael Cera, is about a boy who falls in love with a girl (he’s never done that before in a movie), and must defeat her seven boyfriends. Including Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, and many other enticing actors, the buzz on this movie could not be better.

PLUS!!!! Edgar Wright is good friends with Jason Reitman (aka: director of Juno). Edgar shared the first 30 minutes of Scott Pilgrim with Jason, and Jason flew through the roof.

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“In London, @edgarwright showed me 30min of Scott Pilgrim. While sworn to secrecy (so much, surprised blood wasn’t demanded) I will say this: It is a game changer for Edgar and the genre. It moves the speed of light and carries more unadulterated joy than Ive seen in recent cinema. I’m in awe of the sheer control in the filmmaking. It feels like a “Matrix” for love and how willing we are to fight for it. If I had a movie coming out next year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it. Hats off my friend. Can’t get it out of my head.

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If Jason Reitman is ecstatic, I am at least excited! So, for my 2010 check list, this film is on the top.

Jason Schwartzman gave an amazing interview about this film with Collider.com

I had a teacher that once said that drama is for feelings and comedy is for thought. At first I dismissed this idea because how can a movie like Little Nicky or Dickie Roberts: Child Star be thoughtful. But if you think about it, although they are horrible movies, they are indeed thoughtful. The former deals with living up to your father’s expectations, while the latter is about the effects stardom have on a child.

For this reason comedy is my favorite genre. Can you make a drama about a girl trying infiltrate a clique of popular girls to bring them down, and eventually becoming one of them? Yes you can, but it does not have the same effect as a comedy. So, I was quite excited about compiling a list of my favorite comedies of the decade, but it turned out to be harder than I thought. I’m sure I left out a few good ones, but I feel happy with the way it turned out.

Here’s my list for the 10 best comedies of the decade:

10. Shrek

Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson | 2001

I saw this without having seen any sort of promotional material for it (how I managed to do that, I don’t know), so imagine my surprise when the movie started. Shrek is a clever take on fairy tales that has jokes coming in very often, and they never get old. Will the movie age well? Probably not because of all the pop culture references, but I will always have fond memories of it.

9. I Love You, Man

John Hamburg | 2009

A great story about friendship sewn together by great chemistry between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Together, they make some poorly written lines and situations work. The rest of the cast also does a pretty good job of making this work, among them the always reliable JK Simmons, Andy Samberg, and Rashinda Jones.

8. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Adam McKay | 2004

This movie came out at the peak of Will Ferrell’s popularity, that is when he used to do the things he still does, but with good scripts. The story is inpired and a perfect fit for Ferrell’s comedic abilities. The sight gag are great and the dialogue (which is rather good) is delivered perfectly by the cast. And I believe that this is still Ferrell’s best performance.

7. Ratatouille

Brad Bird | 2007

This movie is full of sophisticated and innocent humor. Prior to this it had been a while that I had not seen a non-Pixar animated movie that was hilarious and had clean humor. Yes, there is a poop joke, but that fits the personality of the character that is involved in the joke. Ratatouille made once again made the messy kitchen, the food to the face, slapstick feel fresh once again.

6. School of Rock

Richard Linklater | 2003

Jack Black gives his best and funniest performance here. Yes, the plot has been done before, but the way the story is told, and the earnest performances from the young cast, makes this stand above the rest of other movies with the same plot. Plus, the ending is pure magic.

5. Mean Girls

Mark Waters | 2004

Before “30 Rock” and Sarah Palin made Tina Fey a house-hold name, and before Linday Lohan started doing drugs and ruined her career, they made this movie. Lohan, along with Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfriend, and Lacy Chabert, make Fey’s creations come to life in a great way. The movie is full of your typical Fey dialogue, and that alone makes it stand above other comedies.

4. Hot Fuzz

Edgar Wright | 2007

The love that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have for bad action movies shows here. And only them could they make an intentionally hilarious action movie like this. The biggest laugh, however, don’t come from the spoofing, but rather from the small moments, like the old man being stabbed in the foot, or the crossword puzzle dialogue exchange. Just great stuff all around.

3. Happy-Go-Lucky

Mike Leigh | 2008

Some do not think that this is a comedy, and I can see why they think that however, since this made me cry because of all the laughter, it definitely qualifies as a comedy. No other movie made me laugh this hard this decade. This is all thanks to Mike Leigh’s great writing and direction, which fleshed out every single character, even those who are on-screen for only a few minutes. The movie also works as a comedy thanks to Sally Hawkins’ amazing performance.

2. Knocked Up

Judd Appatow | 2007

One would think that it would be hard to find comedy in an uncomfortable situation such as an unwanted pregnancy. However, Judd Appatow did, not in the actual situation, but in the fall out from it. Seeing these two people and their families trying either help them or trying to tear them apart is funny as well as seeing them trying to make things work when they are clearly not meant for each other. While his direction may not be the best, Appatow’s script makes the movie work, and one of the best comedies of the decade.

1. In Bruges

Martin McDonagh | 2008

Like Knocked Up, In Bruges finds comedy in a situation that would not necessarily require it. This time it is two killers hiding out after a job goes wrong. The comedy here is mixed in with the anguish that the main characters are feeling, and it works. On one hand we have Ray (Collin Farrell) feeling bad about what he did, and on the other we have him, and his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson), getting into all sorts of trouble with their boss, a local drug dealer, Canadians, Americans, thieves and a midget. Even when things get awfully dark, the movie keeps it’s sense of humor, and that’s why it is the best comedy of the decade.

Honorable mentions: The 40-year-old Virgin, Role Models, Superbad, WALL-E, Amelie, Cheaper by the Dozen, Shrek 2, Blades of Glory, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Shaun of the Dead, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment about this list.

I fought the law tem na versão do Clash uma coisa junto, parece que tem umas 30 pessoas brigando, é rápida e a esculhambação dessa multidão só dá consistência pra música, apatifando ela exatamente na mosca sem deixar que virasse uma coisa proibida de escutar. Resulta que em ficou bastante melhor que a original. Esse vídeo foi feito, na internet, deve existir uma versão do Clash mas todo esse que eu consegui é com cenas da polícia de Sanford, no Hot Fuzz.

Bobby Fuller fez uma baita versão que não é a original, essa do Buddy Holly e com o Sonny Curtis ainda no tempo dos Crickets.  Uma coisa que chama atenção pra mesma música tocada noutra onda é um rockão antigo dos anos 50/60 termina valendo ver não só por que é muito bom, mas pelo contraste que as duas versões tem.

Também sensacional é o vídeo… dentro de uma cela na cadeia com nego tocando baixo em cima de colchão de presidiário e uma menina sozinha fora da cela aos gritos, uma groupie solitária que dança com um guardinha bem faceira, um sarro.

In case you were wondering, faithful readers, I’ve decided to post about… well, everything interesting here.  A public mirror of my friends-only Livejournal, leaving out the most personal bits.  I hope you enjoy these movie reviews.

Poltergeist: I was doing laundry at my mother-in-law’s yesterday and caught most of this classic 1982 film on cable, and yes, I really do think it’s a classic. I saw it in the cinema with my parents at the age of sixteen, and it was not merely scary, it was memorable. Watching it yesterday on a very small tv, after seeing The Blair Witch Project and Quarantine, I was struck by how much of the film I remembered and how well it holds up. It’s not horrifying or even very frightening by today’s standards; your average episode of Bones has more authentic-looking gore. But it remains a compelling experience: The acting is good, the writing is good, and the directing is good. JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson slowly unravel as the paranormal events in their home become more and more bizarre, and the final kicker seems almost Buddhist now: This happy suburban life of affluence, success, a green lawn, good schools and room for a pool is built on a facile denial of death and decay, and death and decay will always win in the end.
What made this film genuinely spooky for me is that the teenaged daughter is Dominique Dunne, the young actress who was strangled by her boyfriend and whose father Dominick’s justly famous reporting of her trial I had just read in Vanity Fair’s online archives. Dunne the father died this year on the same day as Senator Edward Kennedy, and VF has a handy page of all his major pieces.

The Dark Knight: I wanted to like this movie. I wanted to like Christian Bale as Batman; I used to like his acting very much. I wanted to be impressed with what turned out to be Heath Ledger’s final performance; Ledger’s death was tragic, for me, because he seemed to be just coming to maturity as an actor, fulfilling a possibility that he might be more than a pretty face. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I didn’t like Bale in Batman Begins; as an origin story for the hero, I thought it was inferior to Mask of the Phantasm, Paul Dini’s animated feature based on his series of the early ’90s. And I think The Dark Knight is inferior to Tim Burton’s Batman films as Batman and to Watchmen as a film about the moral costs of being a caped crusader, a costumed vigilante. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman–all fine actors–just couldn’t compensate for whatever was missing from this film.

I have to say, though, that Ledger’s Joker is much the most interesting thing in the movie. Every time he appears on screen, a note like a steamwhistle appears in the score; it gradually gets louder throughout each scene, and the peak of the crescendo is louder in each of his scenes than the last. It really sets the teeth on edge. What also caught my attention is that the Joker asks each of his victims, “You wanna know how I got these scars?” His painted mouth is scarred at the corners, looking as if someone gashed it into a permanent rictus. The interesting thing is that each time he asks the question, he tells a different story. Will the Joker return, played by a different actor? Will we ever know what the real story is? Or will we just go and watch Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, another animated feature that is far better than this overblown tripe?

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken: I must blame my husband for our watching this one! We both have a habit of re-watching movies we remember from childhood if they turn up on Hulu or Netflix. (They were on broadcast tv, for free, in those days of our youth.) John remembered this Don Knotts vehicle from 1966 because it features a pipe organ. Knotts plays Luther Heggs, a small-town newspaper typesetter who longs to become a reporter and write the stories instead of just setting them. So despite his misgivings, he can’t refuse the opportunity when his boss (Dick Sargent) offers him the chance for a by-line if he will spend a night in the town’s “murder house”. Heggs does so, with unexpected consequences. It’s actually a pretty good movie, filled with delightful character acting and involving an A-plot and a B-plot that twine together neatly if somewhat artificially at the end. And there’s another ironic twist: Vic Mizzy, who wrote the scores for this film and Knotts’ other Universal movies of the late ‘60 and the themes to The Addams Family and other television shows, died just a few days ago. *spooky theremin noise*

Hot Fuzz: Some of my LJ friends are mad fans of this movie. Having seen Simon Pegg as the rebooted Montgomery Scott, I decided I had to find out why. Hot Fuzz is sort of like those Bud Lite commercials where two people can’t agree on what to watch on tv, so they bang the Bud Lite can on the bartop and their two separate preferences miraculously fuse. It’s a hilarious mash-up of British films about the idylls of village life and American buddy-cop films about how great it is to shoot wrongdoers in the company of your pal. Pegg plays a London police officer who is sent to the sleepy village of Sandford because his dedication to the job is making his fellow bobbies look bad. He’s got a wall full of citations, and the other cops have nothing to do because he has bagged all the criminals. Anybody else would assume a place like Sandford is a mere sinecure, but Pegg as Nick Angel remains strictly vigilant… and hilarity (and flying bullets) ensue. There is really no explaining just how funny this movie is; you have to see it, and you’ll either love it like pie (as my Livejournal friend Violetisblue says, or twitch and go “meh”, which is how I react to Monty Python.

Shaun of the Dead: The first movie by Simon Pegg and his co-writer and director Edgar Wright. Not as funny as Hot Fuzz, more of a trial run for Pegg and Wright’s writing, Pegg and co-star Nick Frost’s acting. Pegg plays Shaun, a supermarket clerk who’s on the outs with his girlfriend and longing for significant changes in his life. He gets his wish, via, um, ZOMBIES! which take over London! and eat people’s entrails, yuck! I understand this film is funnier if you’ve seen the classic George Romero zombie flicks; I haven’t, but I still liked it, and I’ll watch almost anything with Bill Nighy in it (he’s in this and HF, too).

I always remember that I love this movie, but I never remember how much.  Hot Fuzz is the story of Nicholas Angel(Simon Pegg) as a hot shot city cop that gets sent to a rural village as punishment for making the rest of the police force, or should I say police service, look bad.  He proceeds to uncover a dirty secret of the best village in England.

Top 5 Things about Hot Fuzz

5. Shaun of the Dead References. If you are a real Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright/Nick Frost nerd like me you’ll catch many subtle references back to Shaun of the Dead.  This is just icing on the cake of awesome that this movie already is.

4. Small Town Cliches. From the community watch group, to the vigilant support of the local shops, to the curse jar at the police station.  Wright does an amazing job of painting small town life in a way that is too close for comfort at points, but ultimately builds the perfect setting for Frost and Pegg to do their magic.

3. Action Movie Cliches. I think they include every action movie cliche possible.  Being a super cop, over exaggerated explosions, bad guys that can’t shoot, main character that doesn’t want a partner, car chases, I could go on.  They are all done in such a way that they don’t distract from the movie, but they are exaggerated enough to get the point across.

2. One Liners. There are enough one liners in this movie to keep everyone happy.  I just can’t decide whether “By the Power of Greyskull” or “You’re off the Fucking Chain”.  Either way, you can’t go wrong and there will be plenty to quote long after you watch the flick.

1. Scene Transitions. I know this seems like a weird item to have at number one on the list, but I absolutely love the transitions in this movie.  They overexaggerated actions and sound effects that they use for simple tasks in the transitions make me laugh every time.

Overall this movie is great and may very well be the perfect action-comedy.  If you haven’t seen this movie do yourself a favor and make sure it is the next movie you watch!

Hot Fuzz Trailer

You’re taking the best Doctor and Nicholas Angel and putting them together in a movie directed by the guy that did Animal House and Coming to America?

My faith in humanity is back.

I am tired after a long day of figuring out (largely by memory, but also largely from Google) how to write a personal statement. From what I gather, it’s like writing a CV, but with more sentences. This occurred today while it rained outside, and I digested the teacher (of the class I volunteer with) thoughts on vegetarianism that he shared with the class today. Essentially, eat all of the beefburgers you can. as that will stop them farting and releasing gases into the O Zone Layer.

I know that is hardly Greenpeace’s (or, indeed, any other environmental charity) view on the matter, but it does make a twisted kind of sense. Or, at least, this is the excuse I will use in future so I can continue to eat the odd steak guilt free. I just don’t want these set upon by PETA or somesuch because they repeat it as fact in five years time.

So, here is a link up of various blogs I have been reading and rather like.

You haven’t read Boing Boing? Shame on you.

Bete de Jour is one of those blog writers who makes me feel pathetic to be anywhere in the vacinity of his writing. Read his latest blog entry on dealing with those crap gambling sites, and you will see what I mean.

My new obsession (after House, Hot Fuzz/Spaced, Doctor Who, U2, Futurama, Black Books, Old Doctor Who, Internet comics and the Cold War) is Steampunk fiction. Tor is not sating my love for everything brass with big dials.

Linking steampunk to my love of bonkers Victorian inventors, this comic on Lovelace and Babbage is also rather ace.

… And it’s Goodnight from me. However, I choose to leave you with the sight of Craig Ferguson (I’ll include the Wiki link for anyone who is British and vaguely knows the name but can’t think why) in a blond wig. Hey, it floats my boat.

PS: To paraphrase Simon Pegg: “I’m not a Nerd, I’m a geek; I have social skills.”

Hot Fuzz is a Dark comedy movie.I still don’t understand under which genre should I put this movie.Comedy,action,crime,mystery,murder genre may be.

When you feel this movie is  fkin** hilarious then it switches to blood and gory mode, when you shy away from the screen they come up with some seriously made funny scenes . Well this movie is certainly not for weak hearted, definitely a “No No ” for Kids.

(I personally dont like revealing the stories in review, so if you are looking for review well this one is not for you)

Its a cop story set in a rural England, this genre was  tried less in Hollywood, more like Guy Ritchie’s piece of work, without Jason Stathom.

If you are expecting a kickass movie for the week end after noon go for it, you will  seriously laugh.. I bet..

That’s right…

Empire Online has reported that Timothy Dalton, the 4th James Bond actor, will be making a voice cameo in Pixar’s Toy Story 3 as “Mr. Pricklepants, a hedgehog toy with thespian tendencies.”

Disney President John Lasseter announced this news today at a London-based Disney Animation Showcase.

I think Dalton’s a great actor, and it’s even better when we get to see him play fun roles, like his part in Hot Fuzz. I’m sure he’ll entertain us in Toy Story 3, all the same.

Hello everyone Jourdan here posting some old blog post of my favorite films of 07 that I did on my Myspace. I am putting this up to give you an idea of what you can expect from me if you are not familiar already. You can find all my previous reviews their http://www.myspace.com/jourdanwitau .

Top Movies of 2007

I know it’s almost February but here it goes my top movies of 2007…That I was able to see.
1 No Country for Old Men-

This film has everything in it from a tight script, great direction, cinematography, and damn good performances from everyone (particular a Javier Bardem iconic bad guy with his own set of rules or guidelines to life). This is pretty much a modern western that is commenting about mortality. The Coen Bros are so dead on what they are doing with their film, which makes me eagerly anticipate what they have next. Whether you like this movie is if you understand what they are doing which basically goes with how this movie ends. The end is perfect to me, but I can understand that people won’t like it if they don’t understand the movie

2 310 to Yuma-

Yet another western that has made my top list that has a deeper meaning to it. This is pretty much how every remake should be done, make it better or make it just as good but making its own. The direction, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale(if you know me you know I have man love for Bale), supporting cast (especially Ben Foster as Crowe’s crazy, and score are all great. The score reminds of the old spaghetti westerns but still sounds modern. This is a movie of mans worth and family. Crowe and Bale both come from the same tree, but separated on some branch down the road. The action scenes are pretty good in this movie too.

3 The Mist-

First non-western on the list and the most downer of a movie of 2007. Frank Darabont (the Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption which are both Stephen King story which this one is) is perfect in this film. I think if anyone else did this film it wouldn’t come close. Even though this movie is a horror movie about people trapped with monster waiting out side, but the inside look at what people do in an extraordinary situation is what makes the movie. Warning though, the special effects are really not that great besides some nice creature designs.

4 Sunshine-

This movie took me by surprise; by the fact I thought it was just another Sci Fi movie. One of the best ensemble cast of 2007. Danny Boyle (28 week later, Trainspotting, Millions) always comes with something different every time and is just a really good director. Score is great; it is very grand up scaling.

5 The Bourne Ultimatum-

It’s the same formula as the previous movies they just up it up a bit. I think Matt Damon is a bonafide action star and I also think he would make a really good Captain America when ever Marvel does that movie. The fight scene is the best of the series and one of the best I have seen in 2007.

6 Stardust-

I pretty sure this movie will have a cult following to it and I think I might be in that cult. I just love this movie I think it is a great companion film to the Princess Bride.

7 Juno-

This film might be this high on my list because I watched it recently who knows. Besides that this is a pretty damn good movie with great dialog. Looking forward to Diablo Cody’s next script/movie.

8 Zodiac-

Anything that David Fincher has lined up I will want to watch. This film being my third favorite film of his right behind Se7en and Fight Club. I think this movie is much better when I saw it again because it is a pretty long movie. It is much better if you are in the mood to watch this movie. One last thing is that this movie is based in the bay area and if you love or life in the bay you should watch this.

9 Knocked Up-

Judd Apatow is straight up deep fried comedy Twinkie gold bars. Seth Rogen is pretty much the same boat too.

10 Superbad-

Gotta say the same here for this movie. The only reason that this movie is 9 not 8 is that I think Knocked Up was a better made as a whole film. I must add that Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are pretty damn funny.

11Into the Wild

Sean Penn’s new film I must say one of his best directorial efforts. The cinematography is beautiful. The score by Eddie Veder of Pearl Jam is really good and should win for movie song.

12 Hot Fuzz-

Funniest movie of the year that had nothing to do with Judd Apatow or any of his collaborators. Edger Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost I will watch anything they make by them selves and especially together. Movie does start slow but when it starts going its one after the other.

13 Grindhouse-

Now I know this movie is not for everyone, but I sure movie studios tried harder to give us our moneys worth. This movie fits into my type of humor so that is why I like it so much. Plus it had pretty funny faux trailers with it.

14 300-

You are just watching this movie for the imagery that’s all. Whether you’re watching the buff ass dudes or the cinematography. It is the only comic book film that made my list which makes me sad.

15 Eastern Promises-

This makes the list just because of the Viggo’s nude fight scene alone. Seriously the movies is good and just all around well made.

16 I Am Legend-

This film just flat out surprised me, granted I wasn’t expecting much from it. One of the first Will Smith movie in which I didn’t feel it was the Fresh Prince. Out of all the movies on my list this is the most flawed but you know what I still really liked this movie.

So that’s my best of 2007 list, I know it’s more the 10. It was a really good year for film that’s why its 16 not 10. There may have been 17 or 18 if I was able to watch There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton, and Atonement. There is a bunch of indie and international movie that came out in 2007 that I couldn’t watch for the fact that I didn’t have access to those films. Black Snake Moan and Pan’s Labyrinth would have made this list but technically they came out in 2006.

Dirigida por Edgar Wright en 2007, Hot Fuzz es una de esas pelis que me fascina.  Logré verla este año gracias a la televisión por cable y me sorprendió mucho. Me encanta cuando eso sucede. Estaba esperando una peli serie B, bajo presupuesto y me enloquecí cuando empecé a reconocer muchas caras conocidas, desde el mismísimo Simon Pegg pasando por Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent hasta Timothy Dalton.

No conozco mucho el trabajo de Edgar Wright más allá de su dirección de Shaun Of The Dead de 2004, una magnífica peli que también protagonizó y escribió Simon Pegg; contrario a Wright la historia es bien distinta con Pegg a quien se le puede reconocer desde la última Star Trek y Mission: Impossible III ambas de J.J Abrams. Investigando un poco más, Pegg ha trabajado mucho en Hollywood, tal vez lo más interesante sea el trabajo con George A. Romero padre del Gore y total inspiración para las pelis que escribe Pegg.

Esta peli parece el trabajo de un gran equipo donde incluyo a Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright , Bill Nighy y Peter Serafinowicz todos con un absoluto sentido del fino humor que va desde las escenas tomadas de Bad Boys de 1995 y Point Break de 1991 (los afiches también hacen referencia a este par de pelis y estoy seguro que cuando Nick Frost revisa pelis en el supermercado también les habrán hecho referencias que se me escapan en este momento)  hasta los parlamentos absolutamente surreales. La peli trata de un sobresaliente, eficiente y eficaz oficial de policía londinense que está dejando muy mal plantados a sus compañeros oficiales, estos deciden que lo mejor es transladarlo y lo ubican en Sandford, un pueblito catalogado como el más tranquilo y seguro del país. El golpe es fuerte para este oficial que se da cuenta que las mayores preocupaciones como oficial serán cuidar que su compañero no se alcoholice más de la cuenta, un grupo de jovenes que vagabundean en la plaza y un hombre estatua vestido de dorado que invade el espacio público.

The Greater Good es verla y disfrutarla.

[Monsters, Inc title screen]

Monsters, Inc.

The First Great Train Robbery

The Transporter

Alien

Aliens

Alien 3

Alien Resurrection

44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out

The Rules Of Attraction

Banlieue 13

[Hot Fuzz title screen]

Hot Fuzz

Sunshine

[The Dark Crystal title screen]

The Dark Crystal

[Layer Cake title screen]

Layer Cake

[The Killer Elite title screen]

The Killer Elite

Heat

Serpico

Nid De Guêpes

Porky’s Revenge

Thunderheart